BETHEL — “Is Your Tummy Talking to You — Understanding Digestive Health” will be presented by Roberta Balon, MS, RD, CDE, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Thursday, March 3, at the Bethel Congregational Church, 32 Church St.

The program is sponsored by To Your Health of Western Mountains Senior College (WMSC).

Balon is the clinical nutrition services director at Androscoggin Valley Hospital, Berlin, N.H., where she works with clients from chronic diseases to wellness. Balon said participants will learn the connection between how one’s brain influences the digestive track, affecting the immune system. She will cover prebiotics and probiotics and how they help the body through diet.

She said, “You will learn how to improve your overall gut health and see how the gut lining is the core of the body’s immune system.” She will also talk about additional digestive problems from celiac disease, particularly the gluten-free diet, to understanding causes and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Balon received her bachelor of science degree from Marymount College, Tarrytown, N.Y., and her master of science degree from Connecticut State University, New Haven, Conn. She did a dietetic internship at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. She lives in Gorham, N.H. 

To Your Health is sponsored by WMSC with the collaboration of the Bethel Family Health Center and SAD 44 Continuing Education. The public is invited and admission is free. Light refreshments will be available.

The final program in this year’s series, “Move it or Lose it,” the importance of fitness, will be held on Thursday, April 7.

FMI: 207-824-2053.