Each year NEWSTART for the Family health program is offered in Grants Pass, Ore., and success stories are the result. One such story is that of Judy, a retired Methodist minister. Judy said she had been through the program two years prior. NEWSTART for the Family had helped her health immensely. She enthusiastically told the participants the ways in which this program can work.
NEWSTART for the Family began Feb. 7 at the Grants Pass Church's Better Living Center. This health restoration program met for a total of eight sessions. Participants learned lifestyle principles that can prevent and reverse disease through natural, scientifically proven methods. They also learned the basics of meal planning and cooking with plant foods.
Each two-hour session began with a welcome and group discussion about exercise goals. Leaders asked how far participants had walked since the last meeting. A goal was set for the group to “walk” to San Diego, Calif., and back. Fifteen minutes of exercise was equivalent to 1 mile walking. At each meeting, small prizes were awarded to the two tables who walked the most. By the end of the program, the group had walked the equivalent of going to San Diego and within 32 miles of returning to Grants Pass.
Food cooking demonstrations and tasting usually followed exercise discussions. Cookbooks containing some of the recipes featured during the sessions were available for purchase. The DVD and in-person health talks followed food sampling. Guest presenters Jack Macintosh and John Mauro delivered thorough and informative health talks. Neal Nedley’s DVD presentations have always been an effective component of NEWSTART.
On the first meeting of NEWSTART for the Family, there were 25 in attendance. Bible Worker Chuck Austin said approximately two-thirds of those 25 committed to attending all eight sessions. One of the factors that impacted attendance was weather, as southern Oregon experienced an unusually wet winter.
It is anticipated that NEWSTART for the Family will be offered again during April 2018.
Ademar Neto demonstrated a "birthday cake" made of bread and "frosted" with mashed potatoes. Neto is a videographer/editor for Better Life Television in Grants Pass, Ore.
