Good Food Festival

 The City of Pleasanton will host a Good Food Festival on Saturday, May 1 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Pleasanton Senior Center, located at 5353 Sunol Boulevard.

This free event targets all ages and offers something for everyone interested in learning about healthy eating. It kicks off at 9:15 a.m. with keynote speaker Dr. Susan Rapp from Kaiser Permanente. In "Eat Healthy and Thrive," Dr. Rapp will cover goals for eating well, diet myths, how to read food labels, and examples of healthy foods, among other topics.

"The Good Food Festival is an opportunity for all ages to learn about the small things we can do to improve our diet, and the major implications those changes can have on our short-term and long-term health," according to event coordinator Diana Tucker.

Growing concerns about the growing epidemic of obesity among adults and children are sweeping the nation. The American Heart Association reports that American adults eat 22 teaspoons of sugar a day, and teens eat 34 teaspoons of sugar a day. By comparison, most women should be getting no more than 6 teaspoons a day of added sugar, while men have a recommended limit of 9 teaspoons.

Following the keynote speech, visitors can participate in a number of workshops and seminars including:

Eating Well at Any Age

Presented by Carol Garberson, R.D., Senior Support of the Tri-Valley

Shopping on a Shoestring

Presented by the 'Shoestring Sisters', Susan May and Joanne Hall

Eating Organically for Health

Presented by Suzanne Aziz, Founder of The Heart and S.O.U.L of Nutrition

Container Gardening

Livermore-Amador Valley Garden Club

Healthy food cooking demonstrations will also be included and are scheduled as follows:

Making Your Own Healthy Snacks for Kids  (ongoing throughout the morning)

Presented by Crista Haar, Cal High School Culinary Department

Quick and Healthy Meals  (10:00 a.m.)

Presented by Mechiel Taylor

Cooking Organically for Health

Presented by Suzanne Aziz, Founder of The Heart and S.O.U.L. of Nutrition

The Pleasanton Senior Center's 'Snappy Café' will offer a healthy lunch for $5 for non-seniors and $2 for seniors. For more information, please contact the Pleasanton Senior Center at (925) 931-5365.