Mississippians frequently ranks at the bottom of the national list for leading a healthy lifestyle. However, Robin Duchesneau said he knows the secret to fixing the problem, and it’s right in our backyards.
Since June, Duchesneau has presented various nutrition seminars, free of charge, at the Poplarville Farmer’s Market called the Redefining Reality Nutrition Series. The goal is to empower locals to take their health into their own hands and learn how to make the transition to a healthy lifestyle.
“The idea is that in Mississippi, there are many serious health issues related to people’s diets; a problem that, believe it or not, has a simple solution,” he said.
That solution, Duchesneau said, is to become educated about the fresh food that grows in Pearl River County.
“Anyone can go pick up a book and walk around their backyard trying to find edible plants, but those books are most likely written by someone who lives in Alabama or show the vast amount of wild plants that can grow in all of Mississippi, not your backyard. The seminars I am hosting are specifically tailored to this area,” Duchesneau said.
Through extensive research, Duchesneau said he found some areas in Poplarville can be identified as food deserts, which he defines as a certain area in which it is fairly difficult to buy affordable and quality fresh food. This can be because families cannot afford fresh food on a weekly basis or the store that provides it is too far away from their home.
Duchesneau’s upcoming seminar set for Aug. 17 focuses on how to identify and benefit from the wild foods that grow in our backyards.
“There is no reason why people can’t have greens year-long here,” he said.
Duchesneau hopes to educate the public through a series of brief intensive workshops designed to empower them to not only take the next step toward a healthy lifestyle, but to do so with confidence.
“With the proper knowledge, you will be able to feed yourself, your family and your friends nutritious meals every day without spending any money. Growing and foraging for your own food is perfect for this area,” Duchesneau said.
The nutrition series schedule is as follows:
• August 17 from 3:30 and 6:30 p.m.: Fixin’ to be pick’n and eat’n dem weeds again.
• September 7 from 3:30 and 6:30 p.m.: An introduction to medicinal herbs.
• September 21 from 3:30 and 6:30 p.m.: Sacred gardening — A paradigm shift for the spiritual warrior.
A donation of $10 is requested for each seminar. All of the nutrition seminars are held at The Dixon Theater, located at 502 South Main Street in Poplarville. For more information about the nutrition series, call The Dixon Theater at 601-365-1303.