During the two-hour trip up and down the aisles, she showed how to read nutrition labels and gave tips about making healthier choices - ones that could benefit most people, but that are especially helpful for diabetics.
With the products at their fingertips, it was easy to analyze and compare labels.
"You read, but you don't really read to know how to take care of yourself," said Lynnette Coleman-Martin, an Elkins Park resident with Type 2 diabetes, who said she intended to study the labels more closely.
Enon church leaders take "connecting the physical health with the spiritual health" very seriously, said the Rev. Leroy Miles, associate pastor of pastoral care and counseling.
The church also offers a weekly exercise boot camp, and last spring contracted with Einstein Healthcare Network to hold a men's health event called "Know Your Numbers." More than 1,200 men were tested for body mass index, glucose levels, blood pressure, HIV, and other health measures, Miles said.
The supermarket tour is part of Enon's "Living Fit With Diabetes" series, a partnership with the Norvo Nordisk Community Care Program, which gave the church a $25,000 grant for the series.
The Norvo Nordisk program works with nonprofit groups to support lectures, screenings, and cooking and fitness classes in areas with high rates of diabetes. Norvo Nordisk, a Danish company with U.S. headquarters in Princeton, makes insulin and other diabetes-related products.
Most of the 30 people in the program have diabetes, said Angela Stewart, a nurse practitioner who runs a general clinic at Enon. The church has two locations in Northwest Philadelphia and more than 14,000 members.
