Available For Comment: Healthy Eating On A Budget Experts

WASHINGTON, May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Healthy eating doesn't have to break the bank! The U.S. Department of Agriculture's newly released survey finds that healthy foods aren't necessarily more expensive, which is good news for consumers. How do we take those findings and make them user-friendly to a busy parent shopping for groceries on a limited budget? The nutrition, public health and culinary experts at Share Our Strength's Cooking Matters are available to interpret the study results and offer practical tips for how grocery shoppers can stretch their food dollar in a healthy way.

Cooking Matters helps low-income families get more food for their money and better nourishment from those foods, as part of Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign to end childhood hunger in America. In 2011, Cooking Matters programming reached 100,000 individuals in 41 states. Today, 85 percent of participants in our six-week courses graduate, taking with them improved nutrition practices, eating habits and food budgeting skills.

Experts available for comment include:

Leigh Ann Edwards, MPH, RD, Acting Director, Share Our Strength's Cooking Matters
Leigh Ann Edwards, MPH, RD, is Acting Director for Cooking Matters. She has been with Share Our Strength since 2006 and held various responsibilities including research and development of curricula and shepherding start up programs as they build their infrastructure. She received her Master's in Public Health from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Interpersonal Communications from North Carolina State University. Ms. Edwards received the UNC Gilling School of Public Health, Department of Nutrition's Outstanding Alumnus for 2008 – 2009 and was inducted into the Theta Chapter of the Delta Omega Society. She was also selected as the 2010 Emerging Leader for the NC Dietetic Association.

Laura Seman, MPH, Senior Manager, Program Development and Evaluation, Share Our Strength's Cooking Matters
Laura Seman, MPH, oversees the development and testing of Cooking Matters curricula and educational materials, along with tools and systems necessary to monitor program quality, reach, and impact on both local and national levels. Prior to this position, Laura designed and implemented outcome evaluations for microfinance/health education programs for women in Latin America, and has designed and implemented school-based health programs and clinic-based diabetes management programs. Ms. Seman received her Master's in Public Health, with a concentration in Health Behavior and Health Education, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Chef Gregory Silverman, MSc
Senior Manager of Educational Outreach, Share Our Strength's Cooking Matters
Chef Gregory Silverman oversees Cooking Matters educational tools, including Shopping Matters, an interactive grocery store tour led by volunteer chefs and nutrition educators. Participants on a Shopping Matters tour learn to select low-cost, nutritious foods and prepare them in the most delicious way possible.

Before joining Share our Strength, Greg worked in London, UK as a food consultant for public sector organizations and the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames, was a restaurant owner and chef in Ithaca, NY, and spent time as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Mali. Greg holds a degree in Anthropology from Ithaca College, a certificate in Culinary Arts from the French Culinary Institute and holds a MSc in Food and Nutritional Policy from the Centre for Food Policy at the City University of London.

About Share Our Strength's Cooking Matters
Share Our Strength's Cooking Matters helps families at risk of hunger get more food for their money and better nourishment from those foods, as part of the No Kid Hungry campaign to end childhood hunger in America. Volunteer culinary and nutrition experts lead six-week cooking and nutrition courses and hour-long Shopping Matters® grocery store tours where participants learn how to select nutritious and low-cost ingredients and prepare them in delicious and healthy ways. Cooking Matters is nationally sponsored by the ConAgra Foods® Foundation and Walmart. For more information, visit CookingMatters.org.

CONTACT: Laura Hosny, (202) 306-0805, [email protected]

SOURCE Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters