The Dr. Yum Project (DYP) has received a $30,000 Mary Washington Hospital Community Benefit Fund grant it plans to use to fight obesity in the region by helping residents make the connection between good nutrition and healthier lives.
About 34 percent of the population in the Stafford, Spotsylvania and Fredericksburg region are considered obese, said Dr. Nimali Fernando, founder of The Doctor Yum Project.
“The funds will help support the development of the Healthy Eating and Living (HEAL) website tool,” Fernando said. The HEAL tool database of recipes will feature search filters including ingredients on hand, medical diagnosis, affordability, dietary restrictions, prep time and more. It will also feature “The Super 7” recipe maker, showing families simple formulas to prepare seven delicious recipes with unlimited adaptations, thereby creating a foundation of healthy eating to last a lifetime, Fernando said. All recipes are family-tested and rated for taste, and many will have complementary instructional videos.
The grant will also be used to create partnerships with local physician groups for use of the HEAL website tool and to provide for physicians’ referrals for in-person classes at The Doctor Yum Project teaching kitchen in Spotsylvania.
“These partnerships engage local physicians in using the HEAL website tool as an efficient way to share nutritional information with patients and to include healthy food choices in their treatment plans,” Fernando said.
To date, The Doctor Yum Project has partnered with Cardiology Associates of Fredericksburg, Yum Pediatrics, Hematology-Oncology Associates of Fredericksburg, Allergy Partners of Fredericksburg, Colonial Internal Medicine, Radiological Associates of Fredericksburg and Rappahannock Gastroenterology Associates.
The mission of The Doctor Yum Project is to transform the lives of families and communities by providing an understanding of the connection between food and overall health, and empowering people with the tools to live a healthy life. DYP offers kids cooking classes, adult and family cooking programs, a preschool nutrition program, and more. For more information on The Doctor Yum Project, visit the website at www.doctoryum.org.
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