Got plans for lunch this Friday? The Knox County Health Department usually doesn't come to mind as a lunch spot, but this Friday healthy spring vegetables are on the menu at KCHD. The quarterly cooking demonstrations titled "Change Your Diet, Change Your Life" continue from noon to 1 p.m. this Friday, March 26 in the KCHD auditorium at 140 Dameron Avenue. The class is free and open to the public: Please call 215-5170 to reserve space. Parking also is free and convenient.

Fresh food always tastes better and asparagus, spinach and other greens are in season now. Terri Geiser, KCHD health education program manager and cooking instructor with the Glass Bazaar, will share her culinary expertise with tips on eating with the season. Participants will learn to make a spring veggie salad using arugula, asparagus, snow peas, red potatoes and pecans in a Dijon vinaigrette. Susan Fowlkes, KCHD director of clinical nutrition will discuss nutritional benefits of eating fresh, in- season vegetables. Three Rivers Market is co-sponsoring the cooking demonstration.

Diet is an important factor in preventing and managing chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. Creating healthy meals and snacks that are tasty and enjoyable is key to maintaining lower blood sugar, cholesterol and triglycerides, which will help reduce risk of heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Knox County. Overweight and obese individuals also are at risk of developing diabetes, which has become an epidemic in the United States. Complications of uncontrolled diabetes include blindness, heart disease and stroke, kidney failure, nerve damage and loss of limbs.

Knox County Health Department is committed to promoting public health policies and practices to safeguard and improve quality of life for all residents. KCHD offers an array of resources, including medical and dental services, family planning, disease surveillance and control, emergency preparedness, air quality management, environmental services, food preparation oversight in public places, smoking cessation, family violence prevention, worksite wellness, nutritional programs and much more. For more information about Knox County Health Department, visit www.knoxcounty.org/health.