Eating healthy can be confusing to some.
Whether it’s learning to read nutritional labels on foods or jumping on fleeting health trends, understanding nutrition takes time.
Editor’s note: This is an occasional series where Voice of OC works with local community photographers to offer residents a first-hand look at the local sites and scenes of Orange County.
Yet the Irvine-based, Partners4Wellness, says that once you empower a person with food literacy, it can make all the difference.
“If someone is interested in their food literacy, they’ll be more inclined to make healthier choices,” said Isabella Smith, a health educator with Partners4Wellness, who was teaching participants last month how to have balanced meals at Costa Mesa’s Donald Dungan Library.
And how to decode a nutritional label.
“Different generations have been told different things. One decade, all sugar is bad; the next, it’s all fat,” Smith said.
“These presentations help people understand what they should be eating from valid resources like the USDA and CDC instead of falling prey to fad diets.”
Smith stood in front of the library’s community room to explain why food literacy is so critical these days, while serving an arrangement of healthy snacks, including a make-your-own parfait bar and crudités.
Partners4Wellness healthy snacks in Costa Mesa, California, on Monday, March 16, 2025. Efrem Plawner – Voice of OC
” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/voiceofoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/FOOD-LITERACY-LIBRARY-COSTAMESA-2025-PLAWNER-18.jpg?fit=336%2C224&quality=89&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/voiceofoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/FOOD-LITERACY-LIBRARY-COSTAMESA-2025-PLAWNER-18.jpg?fit=771%2C514&quality=89&ssl=1″ onerror=”if (typeof newspackHandleImageError === ‘function’) newspackHandleImageError(this);” src=”https://i0.wp.com/voiceofoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/FOOD-LITERACY-LIBRARY-COSTAMESA-2025-PLAWNER-18.jpg?resize=771%2C514&quality=89&ssl=1″ alt class=”wp-image-3211850″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/voiceofoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/FOOD-LITERACY-LIBRARY-COSTAMESA-2025-PLAWNER-18.jpg?resize=771%2C514&quality=89&ssl=1 771w, https://i0.wp.com/voiceofoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/FOOD-LITERACY-LIBRARY-COSTAMESA-2025-PLAWNER-18.jpg?resize=336%2C224&quality=89&ssl=1 336w, https://i0.wp.com/voiceofoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/FOOD-LITERACY-LIBRARY-COSTAMESA-2025-PLAWNER-18.jpg?resize=768%2C512&quality=89&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/voiceofoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/FOOD-LITERACY-LIBRARY-COSTAMESA-2025-PLAWNER-18.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&quality=89&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/voiceofoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/FOOD-LITERACY-LIBRARY-COSTAMESA-2025-PLAWNER-18.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&quality=89&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/voiceofoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/FOOD-LITERACY-LIBRARY-COSTAMESA-2025-PLAWNER-18.jpg?resize=780%2C520&quality=89&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/voiceofoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/FOOD-LITERACY-LIBRARY-COSTAMESA-2025-PLAWNER-18.jpg?resize=400%2C267&quality=89&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/voiceofoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/FOOD-LITERACY-LIBRARY-COSTAMESA-2025-PLAWNER-18.jpg?resize=272%2C182&quality=89&ssl=1 272w, https://i0.wp.com/voiceofoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/FOOD-LITERACY-LIBRARY-COSTAMESA-2025-PLAWNER-18.jpg?w=1266&quality=89&ssl=1 1266w, https://i0.wp.com/voiceofoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/FOOD-LITERACY-LIBRARY-COSTAMESA-2025-PLAWNER-18-771×514.jpg?w=370&quality=89&ssl=1 370w” sizes=”(max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px”>
Smith discussed food myths, like the notion that healthy food is expensive,
“People are shocked when they do the math,” Smith said.
“Usually, grocery costs for one week equate to less than eating fast food every day.”
Participants had the opportunity to engage in a live demonstration on reading nutrition labels and what to watch out for on highly processed foods.
Partners4Wellness flyers in Costa Mesa, California, on Monday, March 16, 2025. Efrem Plawner – Voice of OC
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“I never looked at added sugars before,” remarked a woman in the audience from Costa Mesa.
“Now I know what to look for when I go to buy.”
Isabella Smith, 24, educates about food literacy at the Donald Dungan Libary for Partners4Wellness in Costa Mesa, California, on Monday, March 16, 2025. Efrem Plawner – Voice of OC
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For anyone still on the fence about how to change their eating, Smith relayed something as easy as, “Even one small change makes a difference. There’s no perfect diet. Just good, better, and best choices.”For more food literacy programming at OC Public Libraries, search here.
Children enjoy the snacks at a food literacy at the Donald Dungan Libary for Partners4Wellness in Costa Mesa, California, on Monday, March 16, 2025. Efrem Plawner – Voice of OC
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