Megan Stone, a participant on season 13 of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” unloads Newman’s Own product at the St. Louis Area Foodbank / Photo by Bethany Prange
Food is fuel for the body. That’s a fact we all know, but sometimes forget.
Kim “Kimmy” Stone and her daughter, Megan Stone, of Dittmer, Mo., learned that lesson for good as contestants on Season 13 of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser.”
Kim and Megan say one of the most important things they learned on the show was to think of food as a source of nutrition and sustenance for the body – not as a comfort or crutch during moments of stress, drama or high emotion.
Though it seems like common sense, it bears repeating the food should only be eaten when you’re hungry. Most of us are guilty of eating when we’re bored, lonely or upset.
Kim and Megan are a testament to the health benefits that can result from understanding the role of food in your life.
Thursday, they visited the St. Louis Area Foodbank, where food and hunger are an everyday matter. Megan came to the Foodbank to distribute 5,000 pounds of Newman’s Own spaghetti sauce and salad dressings.
Newman’s Own donated the product to the Foodbank after Megan and her fellow “The Biggest Loser” contestants competed to unload a truck of their products on the show back in March. See episode.
During their visit this week, Megan and Kim shared the tips they learned from “The Biggest Loser” about healthy eating and nutrition, key elements of our mission here at St. Louis Area Foodbank.
Obviously, the Foodbank’s first priority is to make sure the 57,100 people we serve each week have enough to eat. For many of our clients, hunger is a feeling they know all too well.
We realize that for many low-income families, putting food on the table can still mean choosing whatever food is available and affordable. That’s why the Foodbank makes providing fresh produce and healthy food options one of our top priorities.
But as we do this, we also want to equip the families we serve with the same knowledge offered to Kim and Megan on “The Biggest Loser” ranch. We want our clients and our partner agencies to have the knowledge to make the healthy choices whenever possible.
Kim and Megan had a few tips to share from their experiences on the ranch that can easily be related to everyday life – regardless of a family’s income level.
• Hydrate. Water is free and is essential to good health. Megan says staying hydrated helps the body lose weight and maintain optimum health.
• Get active. Exercising doesn’t have to mean going to an expensive gym, says Kim, a registered nurse at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Take a walk around your neighbor or play soccer with the kids in the yard.
• If you must eat unhealthy foods, counteract it with extra physical activity – walking, jogging.
• Whenever possible, consider the value of what you’re eating. Even if a small portion of potato chips has the same amount of calories as a portion of baby carrots, choose the carrots. The benefits are greater.
Bethany Prange is the communications coordinator for the St. Louis Area Foodbank
