Family and Consumer Sciences

Live Smart Ohio

Ohio State University Extension

Jennifer Lobb

Celebrate #LocalFoodsOH

August 7-13, 2016 is the second annual Local Foods Week in Ohio! There are many ways to celebrate Local Foods Week. One popular way is to visit a farmer’s market or farm stand. If you have never been to a farmer’s market, use a local foods directory to find a market near you. Then, as […]

WRITTEN BY: Jenny Lobb, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension Franklin County

REVIEWED BY: Tammy Jones, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension Pike County

SOURCES:

  • Brinkman, P (2014). Enjoy Farmers’ Markets. Live Smart Ohio. http://livesmartohio.osu.edu/food/brinkman-93osu-edu/enjoy-farmers-markets/
  • Glenn, G (2016). How to Shop at a Farmer’s Market. Produce Prescription Program, Participant Materials Folder. Columbus Public Health.
  • Ohio Farm Bureau. What’s in Season. https://ofbf.org/whats-in-season/
  • Ohio State University Extension. Local Foods. http://localfoods.osu.edu/ohio-local-foods-week
  • Urquhart, K (2013). 8 Tips for a Fresh Farmer’s market Experience. Emory Report. http://news.emory.edu/stories/2013/07/er_farmers_market_tips/campus.html

Ready to Ride?

May is National Bike Month! Established by the League of American Bicyclists in 1956, National Bike Month is an opportunity to celebrate the many benefits of cycling and encourage more folks to give biking a try. What are some of the benefits of biking? It’s a non-weight-bearing aerobic activity. Biking burns more calories than walking, […]

WRITTEN BY: Jenny Lobb, MPH, RD, LD, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, OSU Extension, Franklin County

REVIEWED BY: Michelle Treber, MA, LD, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, OSU Extension, Pickaway County

REFERENCES:

  • Harvard Medical School (2010). Harvard Health Publications: Getting Back on the Bike. http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/getting-back-on-the-bike.
  • Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2016). 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Summary. http://health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines/summary.aspx.
  • The League of American Bicyclists (2016). National Bike Month. http://bikeleague.org/bikemonth.
  • The League of American Bicyclists (2016). Rules of the Road. http://bikeleague.org/content/rules-road-0.

CSA – What, How and Why

There may not be many local fruits and vegetables available in your county this time of year, but it’s not too early to start thinking about the summer! Community supported agriculture (CSA) sign-ups typically take place in the winter and spring, before local farmers are busy planting and harvesting their crops. Taking part in CSA […]

WRITTEN BY: Jennifer Lobb, MPH, RD, LD, Research Associate, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension

REVIEWED BY: Patrice Powers-Barker, MA, CFLE, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Lucas County, Ohio State University Extension

REFERENCES:

  • Let's Move. Try a New Fruit or Vegetable. http://www.letsmove.gov/try-new-fruit-or-veggie
  • Local Harvest. Community Supported Agriculture. http://www.localharvest.org/csa/
  • Ohio Farm Bureau. What's In Season? https://ofbf.org/whats-in-season/
  • USDA National Agricultural Library. Community Supported Agriculture. http://afsic.nal.usda.gov/community-supported-agriculture-3

Waste Not

Did you know that the average American family throws away over $1,600 of food each year? According to this infographic(PDF)Links to a PDF document., roughly 90 billion pounds of edible food goes uneaten in the United States each year, an amount that is about 123 times the weight of the Empire State Building! Here are […]

WRITTEN BY: Jennifer Lobb, MPH, RD, LD Research Associate, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension

REVIEWED BY: Shawna Hite, MPH, Healthy People Program Specialist, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension

SOURCES:

  • Cooking Matters. 10 Tips to Waste Less Food. http://cookingmatters.org/tips/10-tips-waste-less-food
  • National Center for Home Preservation. How Do I Freeze? http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze.html
  • National Resources Defense Council and the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic, 2013. The dating game: How confusing labels land billions of pounds of food in the trash. http://blogs.harvard.edu/foodpolicyinitiative/files/2013/09/dating-game-IB.pdf
  • USDA ChooseMyPlate.gov. Create a Grocery Game Plan. http://www.choosemyplate.gov/budget-create-grocery-game-plan
  • USDA ChooseMyPlate.gov. Let’s Talk Trash: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/lets-talk-trash
  • USDA . New USDA 'FoodKeeper' App: Your New Tool for Smart Food Storage. http://blogs.usda.gov/2015/04/02/new-usda-foodkeeper-app-your-new-tool-for-smart-food-storage/

Too much sugar or too little exercise?

Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are the single largest source of added sugar and the top source of calories in the U.S. diet. Nutrition researchers believe that drinking sugary beverages is linked with obesity and related diseases, like diabetes, and that SSB consumption must be decreased to reduce obesity rates.  Findings from large research studies have consistently […]

WRITTEN BY: Carol Smathers, MS, MPH, Field Specialist in Youth Nutrition and Wellness, Ohio State University Extension

REVIEWED BY: Jenny Lobb, MPH, RD, LD, Research Associate, Ohio State University Extension

SOURCES:

  • 4-H Eat and Move-O-Matic: http://www.4-h.org/youth-development-programs/kids-health/programming-resources/health-nutrition-fitness/youth-voice/eat-move-o-matic/.
  • Strategies for Successful Health, an Ohioline fact sheet: http://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/SS-125.

REFERENCES:

  • Filipic, M. (2016, January 29). Exercise Important, but Calories Count More. Chowline, Ohio State University Extension. http://cfaes.osu.edu/news/articles/chow-line-exercise-important-calories-count-more.
  • Harvard School of Public Health (2012). Factsheet: Sugary Drink Supersizing and the Obesity Epidemic. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/sugary-drinks-fact-sheet/.
  • Strom, S. (2015, August 20). Coca-Cola to Disclose Its Spending on Research Into Soft Drinks and Health. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/21/business/coca-cola-to-disclose-its-spending-on-research-into-soft-drinks-and-health.html?_r=1.
  • World Health Organization (2015, March 4). WHO calls on countries to reduce sugars intake among adults and children. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2015/sugar-guideline/en/.

International Year of What?

The United Nations named 2016 the International Year of Pulses. I’ll be honest – even though pulses are a staple item in my kitchen, I don’t refer to them by that name, and I had to look that term up. So what are pulses? Pulses, also known as grain legumes, are a group of 12 […]

WRITTEN BY: Jenny Lobb, MPH, RD, LD, Research Associate, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension

REVIEWED BY: Carol Smathers, MS, MPH, Assistant Professor, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension

SOURCES:

  • Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. International Year of Pulses. http://www.fao.org/pulses-2016/en/.
  • Foodtank. #LovePulses: 10 ways to celebrate the International Year of Pulses. http://foodtank.com/news/2016/01/lovepulses-ten-ways-to-celebrate-the-international-year-of-pulses.
  • Fruits and Veggies More Matters. Top 10 reasons to eat more fruits and vegetables. http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/top-10-reasons-to-eat-more-fruits-and-vegetables.
  • Global Pulse Confederation. What are pulses and why are they important? http://iyp2016.org/resources/what-are-pulses.
  • USDA ChooseMyPlate.gov. Beans and peas are unique foods. http://www.choosemyplate.gov/vegetables-beans-and-peas.

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