POTSDAM -- A Nutritious Delicious (And Cheap!) Low on the Food Chain Cooking Class is from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, March 12 in Potsdam, in a partnership between the Potsdam Food Co-op and the Sustainable Living Project.

The presenter is Paula Youmell, RN and certified health education and lifetime wellness and fitness teacher, assisted by Chelle Lindahl. Youmell will share cooking tips and techniques and speak about the health benefits of eating “low on the food chain.”

Melinda Ely of the SLP explains, “Eating low on the food chain is one way to make your diet safer, healthier, and in many instances, even more affordable.”

The term refers to adopting a lifestyle and diet in which humans, who are at the top of the food chain, eat more of the foods that are at the bottom of the chain. These foods include plants, nuts, fruits, vegetables and grains. Raw, plant-based foods are lowest on the food chain.

Then processed-based plant foods, followed by organic animal-based foods, followed by factory farm animal-based foods.

“The idea of eating with the food chain in mind is in direct contradiction to recent cultural dictates that demand ‘more meat, more often,’ with the attendant health and obesity issues that affect so many people,” said Brandi L. Bishop, a SUNY Potsdam Community Health Intern who coordinated resources for the class. The idea is not to give up all meat, though that is an option, but to learn how to cook other, more complete proteins for your family that are also quite good for their overall health -- and cheap.

According to Lindahl, eating foods that are lower on the food chain enables you to:

• reduce the risk of being affected by food recalls

• enjoy more foods for less money, since most foods that are low on the food chain cost less than those that are higher (i.e. meat)

• improve your health and increase fiber in the diet by reducing or eliminating meats and processed products that are high in fat and toxins

• more closely monitor the additives, preservatives, and other chemicals that are in many foods

• help the environment

Potsdam Food Co-op Manager Bob Josephson states that “The Co-op is a local outlet for very reasonably priced bulk grains, beans, herbs and spices as well as ‘higher on the food chain’ items, grown in healthful ways, such as local pastured meat, eggs, and cheese.” Anyone can learn more about how to eat “low on the food chain,” with detailed descriptions of how to soak, sprout, cook and store beans and grains, by visiting the Workshop / Events page at www.SustainableLivingProject.net, and click on the “Resources” link under the “Nutritious Delicious Cooking Class” listing. These items and much more will be discussed fully, and questions from attendees answered, at the Nutritious Delicious Cooking Class.

If you plan to attend the workshop, RSVP for location. A suggested donation of $10 to $20 sliding scale is requested, $5 for students. Scholarships are available. To register, or for a scholarship, call 347.4223 or email to SustLivingProject@gmail.com.

The Sustainable Living Project (SLP) sponsors local workshops promoting traditional rural and simple living skills as well as the Local Living Festival Sept. 24 and 25 at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Learning Farm. Check the SLP website for a listing of upcoming workshops and events.

The Potsdam Co-op is at 24 Elm Street, on the web at www.potsdamcoop.com, and is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, no membership required. The Potsdam Food Co-op is owned and operated by its members and is dedicated to meeting the community’s need for specialty and whole foods at the lowest possible cost.