The science of nutrition is clear: good eating habits can have positive effects on health and wellbeing. Good nutrition has often been linked to lower blood pressure, lower risk for diabetes and heart disease, longer life expectancy, and improved academic performance. Committed to improving the lives of our neighbors and building a healthier Tampa Bay, our nutrition education programs focus on diet, cooking, and shopping tips!
Nutrition Nudges
Whether you’re collecting a box of foods from one of our distributions or shopping at one of our food pantries, we do our best to provide healthy options. Our Foods to Encourage program promotes the inclusion of fresh produce and nutrient-rich foods in our distribution boxes and our Food Nudges program provides facts about the foods offered at our pantries, encouraging the options with higher nutritional content. Overall, Feeding Tampa Bay is committed to keeping proper nutritional sustenance at the forefront of all of our food assistance programs.
Nutrition Kitchen
Our fully-equipped mobile kitchen brings cooking demonstrations, taste tests, and recipes directly into the communities we serve. The Nutrition Kitchen offers the opportunity for families to try recipes made with the foods distributed at our pantries that they may not have tried before or unveil new ways of cooking pantry staples! Our Nutrition team is available to bring interactive cooking and healthy eating demonstrations to you!
Partnership with Feeding Minds
The Feeding Minds program brings food pantries to school grounds, providing easy access to healthy groceries for families in need. Families experiencing food insecurity are more exposed to nutritional deficiencies and diet-related disease. Educating families about nutrient-dense food is an important factor in reducing these issues.
Our Nutrition Education team holds classes at school pantries before distribution. Classes consist of 2 15-minute lessons on Healthy Eating and Food Safety. Feeding Minds also uses food demonstrations as a tool to give parents practical ways to prepare food they choose from the pantry. Recipes supplement the demonstration and are accessible at the school pantries.