Initiative aims to spur healthy eating habits

Nov. 9, 2026 — DENTON — Attention snackaholics: We know you love that ranch dip but don’t love the extra calories and the spike in your blood sugar it can cause.

Want to avoid the guilt? When mixing, swap in cottage cheese for sour cream. 

Not only will it taste good, but whole dairy cottage cheese is also a great way to lower your blood sugar by reducing simple sugars and increasing protein. 

How food controls blood sugars is among the topics that will be discussed at a TWU event at the Health Sciences Center on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 3 p.m. 

A new initiative, known as Food as Medicine, is a unique interdisciplinary approach in which TWU nutrition students teach their peers, healthcare professionals and community members how to incorporate nutritious food into their daily lives to support optimal health and possibly prevent chronic disease. Workshops are held several times a year at the Neva Hudiburgh Cochran Wellness Kitchen, an industrial-scale teaching space inside the Health Sciences Center. 

The initiative is supported by a partnership between Texas Woman’s and Dairy MAX, a regional dairy organization. TWU is believed to be one of the early adopters of the food-as-medicine model, which shows how nutrition, sustainability, experiential learning and community engagement can come together to support healthy living.

The Nov. 19 event includes: 

• An inside look at TWU's food-as-medicine program
• Student-led tour of Cochran Wellness Kitchen, with light bites included
• A conversation with a Texas dairy farmer, moderated by TWU alumna Neva Cochran, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
• Networking with next-generation and established healthcare professionals and food industry leaders