A mission with nutrition - how a Belpre restaurant aims to foster a healthy lifestyle

BELPRE, Ohio (WTAP) - The Changed Plate is more than a restaurant. It’s a health education initiative.

WTAP stopped by to take a deeper look at the mission for nutrition.

Beyond serving food, staff at The Changed Plate teach patrons about healthy living. They offer healthy cooking classes in hopes that people realize nutritious cooking doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task.

The Changed Plate offers a variety of classes, including vegetarian, girls night, date night, and more.

For their diabetes cooking class, Class Instructor Sebastian Walker teams up with a nutritionist from Memorial Health’s diabetes center.

Walker said it’s not only about managing diabetes. it’s about preventing it.

“I have a lot of people who come in that their family is [diabetic] and they may not have it yet but you know just taking that step to avoid it being a generational thing…,” he said.

Healthy diets aren’t just for adults. The Changed Plate hosts kids summer camps too.

The Changed Plate’s Ryan Grasley explained how this adds to their mission.

“We do a party on Friday and they cook for their families and we do a graduation ceremony but, you know, just getting ahead of it I think is part of the message we’re trying to send,” he said.

The Changed Plate also helps with meal prep. Their family meal program offers affordable meals you can buy in multiple portions.

Walker said of the program, “..., and if you have kids and activities and you’re getting off and just on the cusp of making it home for dinner, you could’ve pre-ordered, you can pick up you know a dinner for a whole family of six, go home, and all you have to do is reheat it in the oven.”

It’s a mission that aims to keep the Mid-Ohio Valley healthy.

You can find The Changed Plate at Memorial Health’s Belpre location at 803 Farson Street. It’s open from 7am to 2:30pm. Anyone is welcome. You do not have to be staying at the hospital to go there.

You can keep up with their meal program, events, and more on their Facebook page.

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