Heart Network by Amy Kohanski
As National Nutrition Month (March) passes, the Heart Network team is excited to share this year’s theme, ‘Beyond the Table’, and how it connects to the work being done here in the North Country. I’ve been thinking about it a lot. The Heart Network considers food and nutrition as a public health issue.
The primary objective of our Creating Healthy Schools and Communities program, which is funded by a grant from the New York State Department of Health, is to increase the availability of healthy foods in school, workplace, and community settings. It is to increase. We also strive to help individuals take control of their health through better management of chronic conditions. A big part of that involves making healthy food choices.
Nutrition is not as simple as meal planning and snack selection. National Nutrition Month’s Beyond the Table theme covers everything from local food production and distribution to how to use grocery stores and farmers markets, how to store food and dispose of waste. This theme also recognizes the different ways we eat, whether at the dinner table or on the go. In other words, everything is connected, and everything ultimately impacts not only our individual health, but also the health of the planet.
Here in the North, communities, schools and organizations look at food from this larger perspective. In February, the Heart Network team had the opportunity to participate in the 6th Annual Adirondack Food Justice Summit. The theme was “Stronger Together: Growing Partnerships to Transform Local Food Systems.” Topics spanned the same themes as Nutrition Month, including consumption, production, food waste management, and climate, with a focus on health systems and policies.
Speakers at the summit will explore how locally produced foods can offer nutritional and health benefits over commercially produced foods, and explore the connections between food and culture, as well as the personal We discussed how their choices affect the food consumption of those around them. He was attended by more than 160 people from six counties, proving the importance of this issue. The summit provided great networking opportunities with regional partners. Meeting in person allows us to build bridges that support collaboration throughout the year. Our staff left with a renewed passion for our work and are now thinking more about their role in strengthening food security.
We host summits and work throughout the year to better understand system-wide issues, identify gaps, and pursue solutions to build a more sustainable, local, and equitable food system. Inspired by the progress of the Adirondack Food System Network, a regional partnership that supports For more information, visit adkfoodsystem.org.
While your daily food choices are important when it comes to your personal health, it’s just as important, if not more so, to keep thinking about the big picture. Policies and practices adopted by entire communities can have a significant impact on public health.
Amy Kohanski is a project director for the Heart Network and a member of the Adirondack Food Systems Network steering committee. You can contact her at: akohanski@heartnetwork.org.
Photo above: Amy Kohanski presents at the Food Justice Summit. Photo provided.
