Eat.Move.Save. These three simple words are the heartbeat of the University of Illinois SNAP-Ed. The program’s goal is to prevent obesity and help reduce the risk of chronic diseases by making healthy food choices within the reach of all.

Illinois SNAP-Ed, provided through University of Illinois Extension and University of Illinois at Chicago’s Partnership for Health Promotion, serves more than 300 Illinois communities using MyPlate as a go-to guide for nutrition education. They also work with community partners in Policy, Systems and Environmental (PSE) change efforts to improve a community’s health. Leadership for Illinois SNAP-Ed credits MyPlate as an easy-to-understand tool for families and organizational partners.

Illinois SNAP-Ed considers MyPlate “the cornerstone” of the content they use, whether it is for children or adults. MyPlate shapes SNAP-Ed programs like Illinois Junior Chefs, which provides hands-on cooking lessons for ages 8-13 years and cooking programs like Teen Cuisine. SNAP-Ed shares MyPlate tips in mailers sent to almost one million households in Illinois and nutrition education handouts provided to Commodity Supplemental Food Program recipients.

MyPlate is also an important part of the Nutrition Environment Food Pantry Assessment Toolkit, which SNAP-Ed uses to create healthier food pantry environment. In rural areas, where mini pantries are popping up, staff post lists of healthy food donations on pantry doors based on MyPlate food groups. Illinois SNAP-Ed senior manager for PSE, Kaitlyn Streitmatter says that they often bundle a display with a food or recipe to “nudge” people to healthier eating.

Wherever people live, learn, work, eat, and play, MyPlate reminds them to make healthy choices. MyPlate flyers, posters, and “shelf talkers” appear at food donation drives, child centers, schools, food pantries, and food banks. MyPlate also shows up at events like health fairs, on Illinois SNAP-Ed’s Eat.Move.Save. website, and social media posts, such as one that features how to build a smoothie. A recent study estimated that for every $1 spent on Illinois SNAP-Ed, there could be up to $9 in savings from fewer cases of obesity and food insecurity. As one poster in a local food pantry reads, “Small changes can make big differences.”

MyPlate materials are also translated into different languages to support the state’s diverse communities. Illinois SNAP-Ed works with the communities they serve to make sure the food options match what people need and that educational materials are in their language.