Family and Consumer Sciences

Live Smart Ohio

Ohio State University Extension

Rethink Your Holiday Drink at Home (Part 3 of 3)

Making your drinks at home allows you to control what exactly goes into your drink: the amount of syrup, the type of cream or milk, and any added sugar or other sweetener. This will help to keep you on track with the calories that you are consuming throughout the day. This will also help you […]

WRITTEN BY: Amy Meehan, MPH, Healthy People Program Specialist

REVIEWED BY: Amanda Woods, Healthy Finances Program Specialist

SOURCES:

  • The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. "Ways to Shave Calories." http://www.eatright.org/resource/health/weight-loss/tips-for-weight-loss/ways-to-shave-calories.
  • The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. "Benefits of Java." http://www.eatright.org/resource/health/wellness/preventing-illness/benefits-of-java.

Rethink Your Holiday Drink Budget (Part 2 of 3)

Specialty holiday coffee drinks are not just loaded with calories, but they can be very costly as well. For instance, a medium (16 oz.) holiday coffee beverage from Starbucks costs $4.95, according to the Starbucks phone app. It is estimated that Americans spend $40 billion on coffee each year. The average price of an espresso […]

WRITTEN BY: Amy Meehan, MPH, Healthy People Program Specialist

REVIEWED BY: Amanda Woods, Healthy Finances Program Specialist

SOURCES:

  • Harvard School of Public Health. "Coffee by the Numbers." https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/multimedia-article/facts/
  • National Coffee Association. "Daily Coffee Consumption Up Sharply." http://www.ncausa.org/Portals/56/PDFs/Communication/NCA_NCDT2017.pdf?ver=2017-03-29-115235-727

Rethink Your Holiday Drink (Part 1 of 3)

It’s that time of year when all of the festive holiday drinks are coming back to your favorite coffee shops, from Pumpkin Spice to Gingerbread to Eggnog. While these drinks sure can be tasty, they can also be loaded with fat and sugar. For instance, a 16 oz. eggnog latte at Starbucks is estimated to […]

WRITTEN BY: Amy Meehan, MPH, Healthy People Program Specialist

REVIEWED BY: Amanda Woods, Healthy Finances Program Specialist

SOURCES:

  • The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. "Ways to Shave Calories." http://www.eatright.org/resource/health/weight-loss/tips-for-weight-loss/ways-to-shave-calories.
  • The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. "Benefits of Java." http://www.eatright.org/resource/health/wellness/preventing-illness/benefits-of-java.
  • The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. "Nutrition Info About Beverages." http://www.eatright.org/resource/health/weight-loss/tips-for-weight-loss/rethink-your-drinks.

Oodles of Zoodles

Have you ever heard of zoodles? They are noodles made from zucchini, and they serve as a great low-carb substitute for regular pasta noodles. Zucchini isn’t the only vegetable that you can turn into noodles; summer squash and spaghetti squash also make great “noodles.” Squash are low in calories and high in nutrition. It is […]

WRITTEN BY: Amy Meehan, MPH Healthy People Program Specialist

REVIEWED BY: Amanda Woods, M.Ed Healthy Finances Program Specialist

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Pixabay.com

SOURCES:

  • Gourd, L., and Oliveri, C. “Putting MyPlate on Your Table: Vegetables,” The Ohio State University Extension. (2015). Available at: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/SS-152-15
  • Larsen, H. “9 Fall Produce Picks to Add to Your Plate.” Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. (2016). Available at: http://www.eatright.org/resource/food/nutrition/healthy-eating/fall-produce-picks
  • USDA, Snap-Ed Connection: Winter Squash. (2017). Available at: https://snaped.fns.usda.gov/seasonal-produce-guide/winter-squash
  • USDA, Mixing Bowl: Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes, Basil, and Parmesan. Available at: https://whatscooking.fns.usda.gov/recipes/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap/spaghetti-squash-tomatoes-basil-and-parmesan.

The Importance of Protein

My husband and I have gotten into power-lifting over the last year, so we very quickly learned just how important protein is for you, whether you lift regularly or not. Protein has become a very popular macronutrient in recent years, and with good reason. Protein is an important part of any diet and can consist […]

WRITTEN BY: Amy Meehan

SOURCES:

  • Larsen, TM., et al. (2010). The New England Journal of Medicine. Diets with high or low protein content and glycemic index for weight-loss maintenance. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1007137#t=article
  • Halton, TL., and Hu, FB. (2004). Journal of the American College of Nutrition. The effects on high protein diets on thermogenesis, satiety and weight loss: A critical review. http://www.colorado.edu/intphys/Class/IPHY3700_Greene/pdfs/atkins/haltonProtein2004.pdf
  • The United States Department of Agriculture. (2016). Protein Foods. www.ChooseMyPlate.gov.

Meal Prepping, How to Plan for your Week Ahead

Meal prepping, planning and preparing one’s meals for the week ahead of time, has become very trendy lately. My husband and I meal prep all of our meals every Sunday after we do our weekly grocery trip. Before we head to the grocery, we sit down together and develop our meal plans for the week, […]

WRITTEN BY: Amy Meehan, MPH Healthy People Program Specialist, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension

REVIEWED BY: Amanda Woods, M.Ed. Healthy Finances Program Specialist, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension

SOURCES:

  • Ducrot, P., Mejean, C., Aroumougame, V., Ibanez, G., Alles, B., Kesse-Guyot, E., Hercberg, S., Peneau, S. (2017). International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. Meal planning is associated with food variety, diet quality and body weight status in a large sample of French adults. https://www-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/pmc/articles/PMC5288891/
  • Fay, S., Ferriday, D., Hinton, EC., Shakeshaft, NG., Rogers, PJ., Brunstrom, JM. (2011). Appetite. What determines real-world meal size? Evidence for pre-meal planning. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666311000201
  • Brunstrom, JM. (2014). International Journal of Obesity. Mind over platter: pre-meal planning and the control of meal size in humans. https://www-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/pmc/articles/PMC4105578/

Need Assistance?

If you are having issues logging into the site, need assistance with updates, or need to request an alternate format please send an email to the EHE Service Desk at servicedesk@ehe.osu.edu stating the nature of your issue and we will assist you. Thank you.

Follow us!

Are you a Live Smart Ohio Author? Log in here!