According to the American Heart Association (AHA), nearly half of all U.S. adults have some type of cardiovascular disease. Although more Americans are becoming physically active, the obesity epidemic is nowhere close to vanishing. An update from AHA, the prevalence of obesity is 39.6 percent of adults and 18.5 percent of youth. Obesity is associated with a shorter lifespan and a greater proportion of life lived with cardiovascular disease. This update should serve as a wake-up call for all Americans.

For those dealing with hypertension, uncontrollable weight gain, diabetes or chronic fatigue, health coach Michelle Smith and functional medicine practitioner Tara McLellan will host a “Food as Medicine”. This six-week series starts with a one-hour Lunch and Learn, followed by a group health coaching series from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., beginning July 6, 2021. Participants may attend in person or on Zoom. They will learn how eating well can turn around these types of chronic conditions in as little as two weeks, and how food impacts our health in a big way.

Smith, certified by the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy, is the owner of Good Life Health Coaching and publisher of Natural Awakenings of the Gulf Coast magazine. McLellan, certified by the Institute of Functional Medicine, is the owner of Integrative Healthcare of Lower Alabama, in Daphne.