Eating Smart, Being Active

Missi Painter, nutrition outreach instructor with the WVU Extension Service Family Nutrition Program, works with an ESBA student.

Eating Smart, Being Active is an evidence-based healthy eating and active living curriculum for low-income families. The program is broken into nine lessons, taught by nutrition educators over six to nine weeks in small groups of six to 12 students. Lessons focus on five core areas—diet quality, physical activity, food safety, food security and food resource management. Each class includes instruction, recipe preparation, physical activity, interactive discussion and hands-on activities. Students receive incentives, like food thermometers, measuring spoons and recipes, with each lesson. When they complete the program, students receive graduation certificates and cookbooks.

ESBA was created by Colorado State University and University of California at Davis, and modeled around the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPlate.

What Graduates Say

“I'm so sad it’s over. I have learned so much to improve the health of me and my family, from nutrition lessons to exercise plans to cooking and trying new foods. Awesome class. Life changer.”

“Loved the program! Loved our teacher and her enthusiasm! Thank you for making it available!”

“This program was very helpful to me and my family. I learned so much from my teacher. Every health decision or shopping choice I make, I think about what my teacher would advise.”

WVU is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer -- Minority/Female/Disability/Veteran.
In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs).
The WVU Board of Governors is the governing body of WVU. The Higher Education Policy Commission in West Virginia is responsible for developing, establishing, and overseeing the implementation of a public policy agenda for the state’s four-year colleges and universities.
Reasonable accommodations will be made to provide this content in alternate formats upon request. Contact the WVU Extension Service Office of Communications at 304-293-4222.