BELHAVEN — Seniors in Belhaven have a chance to maintain a higher level of health through a new program at a local senior center.

The Belhaven Seniors’ Center launched a health initiative to give area seniors the tools to achieve a healthier life, thanks to a $10,000 grant from Vidant Health, according to the center’s director Stephanie Webb. The multi-faceted program, consisting of health education, health screenings and disease prevention, allows seniors to participate in forums and workshops that provide valuable information to help live a healthy life.

“What we do are things like living healthy with diabetes, better eating and incorporated a support group to give seniors knowledge and education on how to improve their current health status and tools to prevent conditions,” Webb said. “We try to encourage them to do things in their daily lives to improve their overall health.”

The center also started a chronic disease self-management class, a six-week program created through Stanford University, aiding participants in managing chronic conditions, Webb said.

Under the health education branch of the program, seniors have the opportunity to attend a class focusing on better eating habits today at 10 a.m. at the center. The class, in its infancy, will educate attendees through the use of printed materials and literature from websites and other sources, according to Webb.

“It might be a recipe we find that can reduce carbs,” Webb said. “This week, we found an article on how many carbs to take in your diet and what different foods have carbs in them. We had a protein stat sheet, as well, teaching them what is good and bad protein. We also teach them how to balance meals, about serving sizes, lowering blood sugar levels, reading nutritional labels and how to make their plates healthy through alterations to their diets. We just do different things in the class week by week.”

Webb said in a rural area like Belhaven and its surrounding areas, resources are limited with regard to accessing and affording fresh produce and other healthy foods. The center hopes the better eating class and other facets of the program will give attendees tips and education about making alterations to their diets through the use of techniques like lowering salt intake and drinking more water rather than soda and juices high in sugar.

“This program is really important,” Webb said. “Nutrition is a big issue in this community. We’re trying to give participants resources where they can learn different ways of eating. If they can’t afford (to purchase healthy foods), maybe they can make simple alterations in their lives.”

Belhaven Seniors’ Center is located at 274 E. Main St., Belhaven. For more information, call the center at 252-943-2992.