Lucy and Frank are like any other couple you might imagine after almost 50 years of marriage. They enjoy being together in the comfort of the home they’ve built together, and love spending time with their kids and grandkids in their small Nampa neighborhood.
Frank had open heart surgery in February of 2017. It was at the hospital rehab facility where Lucy saw an advertisement for a free community cooking class offered by one of United Way’s funded partners. Up until then, Frank’s diet consisted of mainly steak and greasy potatoes.
We know that heart health can be directly impacted by dietary choices; “Improving your diet lowers your risk for heart disease in many ways, including helping to lower high cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar and insulin levels, as well as preventing obesity and improving the function of your heart and blood vessels.” (source)
Understanding the need to better protect his heart, Frank agreed to join the cooking class with Lucy.
For Frank, the most important aspect of this class was how it recalibrated his taste buds. “It changed my whole outlook,” he said. “I learned how to eat something besides red meat or biscuits and gravy. It’s completely changed my way of looking at diet and food.”
In the class, Frank and Lucy learned about trading bread for lettuce. Beef for turkey. Fried French fries for baked sweet potato fries. In fact, the turkey burger and sweet potato fry recipe they learned to make in class is now a weekly staple in their home!
On March 28th of this year, Lucy and Frank celebrated their 49th wedding anniversary, a feat that was in doubt just two years ago. Fortunately Frank’s doctor has given him a clean bill of health. Both Lucy and Frank agree that the cooking class played an important role in his recovery.
“If he didn’t start eating healthier, I don’t think I would have him,” Lucy said. “The class changed Frank’s life.”
Your gifts to the United Way Community Fund have provided opportunities just like this to thousands of Treasure Valley residents. You can continue to make a direct impact on the overall health of our community by donating here.