103.6 Healthy Living I: Healthy Eating and Food Access

Eat real food: the 2025-2030 guidelines

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030, came out in January 2026.

• Whole foods first: Build meals on vegetables, fruits, protein foods, dairy, healthy fats and whole grains.
• Limit highly processed foods: Cut back on packaged, ready-to-eat foods high in added sugars, refined carbs and sodium.
• Water as the main drink: Have a glass of water with every meal. Avoid soda, fruit drinks, energy drinks and sugary coffee.
• Watch salt and fat: Keep sodium under 2,300 mg a day and saturated fat at 10% or less of calories.

Reading a Nutrition Facts label

Teach clients to check these in order:

• Serving size: All numbers are for one serving. Count how many servings you really eat.
• Sodium: Look for 5% Daily Value or less. 20% or more is high.
• Added sugars: Check the grams. The guideline is 10 grams or less at a meal.
• Saturated fat: Use the same rule: 5% Daily Value is low and 20% is high.
• Compare two items: Pick the one with less sodium and added sugar, such as no-salt-added canned beans.

A busy week meal plan, made lower in sodium

Why fresh food is hard to reach

• What we see: Ms. Tasha Greene in the Kinsman area feeds her three kids mostly from the corner store and fast food, and her son's weight is rising.
• Why it happens (upstream): Grocery stores left the neighborhood, bus trips take an hour with kids, wages do not stretch, and cheap processed food is everywhere.
• What we can build on (assets): SNAP and WIC, farmers markets that take SNAP, food pantries, urban farms and community gardens, church meal programs, and neighbors who carpool to the store.

Food help in Greater Cleveland

• SNAP: Monthly food benefits on an Ohio Direction (EBT) card. Apply online at Ohio Benefits or at county Job and Family Services.
• WIC: Healthy foods, nutrition help and breastfeeding support for pregnant and new parents, babies and children under 5.
• Greater Cleveland Food Bank: Help Center: 216-738-2067. Finds nearby pantries, hot meals and mobile pantries, and helps with sign-ups.
• United Way 211: Call 211 for food, utility and housing help near you.

Eating well on a tight budget

• Plan, then shop: Plan meals for the week and shop with a list built around sales.
• Frozen and canned count: Frozen vegetables without sauce and no-salt-added canned beans are healthy and cheap. Rinse canned foods.
• Cook once, eat twice: Make a big pot of soup, beans or rice and use it for lunches.
• Grow and share: Community gardens and neighbors swapping extra produce stretch every dollar.

Situation: told to cut salt

Situation: Mr. Victor Morales in Clark-Fulton was told by his doctor to eat less salt for his blood pressure. He says he already never uses the salt shaker. He eats canned soup, deli meat sandwiches and frozen dinners most days.

How should the CHW help?

• Affirm that skipping the shaker is a good step
• Read the sodium on his soup and deli labels together
• Plan two easy swaps he likes, within his budget
• Share his goals with his care team and follow up

Talk it over

• What foods from your family or culture would you keep in a healthy plan?
• What gets in the way of healthy eating on your street?
• Which food asset in your neighborhood could do more with a new partner?