Family and Consumer Sciences

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Ohio State University Extension

Carol Smathers

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Water Filling Stations Coming to New School Buildings in Ohio!

“NO WATER FOUNTAIN DUE TO COVID-19” “DRINKING FOUNTAIN HAS BEEN TURNED OFF FOR YOUR SAFETY” “WATER BOTTLE FILLING ONLY – DO NOT DRINK FROM WATER FOUNTAIN” Signs like these went up everywhere in 2020. Drinking fountains were closed because they have “high touch”, moist surfaces that potentially allow the COVID-19 virus to survive and spread. […]

WRITTEN BY: Carol A Smathers, Associate Professor and Extension Field Specialist, OSU Extension

REVIEWED BY: Candace J. Heer, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Morrow County

SOURCES:

  • Bright, KR, Boone, SA, and Gerba, CP. Occurrence of Bacteria and Viruses on Elementary Classroom Surfaces and the Potential Role of Classroom Hygiene in the Spread of Infectious Diseases. Journal of School Nursing. Volume:26; issue:1, pgs: 33-41, https://doi.org/10.1177/1059840509354383
  • Popkin BM, D’Anci KE, Rosenberg IH. Water, hydration, and health. Nutr Rev. 2010;68(8):439-458.
  • Kempton MJ, Ettinger U, Foster R, et al. Dehydration affects brain structure and function in healthy adolescents. Hum Brain Mapp. 2011;32:71-79.
  • Wang Y C, Ludwig DS, Sonneville K, Gortmaker SL. Impact of change in sweetened caloric beverage consumption on energy intake among children and adolescents. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2009; 163(4):336-343.
  • Zheng M, Rangan A, Olsen NJ, Andersen LB, Wedderkopp N, Kristensen P, Grøntved A, Ried-Larsen M, Lempert SM, Allman-Farinelli M, Heitmann BL. Substituting sugar-sweetened beverages with water or milk is inversely associated with body fatness development from childhood to adolescence. Nutrition. 2015 Jan;31(1):38-44. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2014.04.017. Epub 2014 May 9. PMID: 25441586.
  • Community Services Task Force. Preventing Dental Caries: Community Water Fluoridation. http://www.thecommunityguide.org/oral/fluoridation.html.
  • National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program: Nutrition Standards for All Foods Sold in School as Required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, 7 CFR § 210.10(a)(1). http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-06-28/pdf/2013-15249.pdf.

REFERENCES:

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—Increasing Access to Drinking Water in Schools. Atlanta GA: US Dept. of Health and Human Services; 2014. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/npao/pdf/water_access_in_schools_508.pdf
  • Voices for Healthy Kids—Water Access in Schools Toolkit, https://waterinschools.voicesforhealthykids.org/
  • Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—Water in Schools and Childcare Facilities http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/drinkingwater/schools/guidance.cfm
  • USDA—Memorandum on Water Availability During Meal Service.https://www.fns.usda.gov/cn/clarification-milk-and-water-requirements-school-meal-program
  • Ohio Senate Bill 259—Fiscal Note, https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/download?key=15395&format=pdf

Stocking Up for When You’re Stuck at Home – Part 2: How $180 in groceries fed 2 people for 20 days ($1.50/meal)

Three weeks ago, I wrote about stocking up for staying at home. I had gone shopping on March 13, after being away for over a week. Because many grocery shelves were bare, I had to make some substitutions and compromises and to shop at three different stores in Columbus to get items that would provide […]

WRITTEN BY: Carol Smathers, MS, MPH, Associate Professor and Extension Field Specialist in Youth Wellness and Nutrition

REVIEWED BY: Roseanne Scammahorn, PhD, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Darke County and Susan Zies, M.Ed., Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Wood County

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Carol Smathers

SOURCES:

  • https://livesmartohio.osu.edu/food/smathers-14osu-edu/stocking-up-for-when-youre-stuck-at-home-healthy-food-for-less-than-2-meal/
  • http://cookingmatters.org/tips/10-tips-stock-your-pantry
  • https://www.choosemyplate.gov/ten-tips-make-better-food-choices
  • https://fns-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/media/file/CostofFoodFeb2020.pdf
  • https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/76/6/1207/4689551
  • https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200331-how-to-eat-a-healthy-diet-when-work-from-home-coronavirus
  • https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2020/04/01/go-grocery-shopping-every-two-weeks-you-can-and-without-hoarding/
  • https://celebrateyourplate.org/tips/shopping

REFERENCES:

  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2015 – 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 8th Edition.

Stocking Up for When You’re Stuck at Home – Healthy Food for Less than $2/meal

Americans have been asked to stay home from work, school, and other gathering places for an indefinite period during the current pandemic. Many have stocked up on items they want to have on hand. One photographer documented shoppers’ selections over the past weekend, capturing carts full of chips, soda, ramen noodles, frozen entrees, and disinfectant […]

WRITTEN BY: Carol Smathers, MS, MPH, Associate Professor and Extension Field Specialist in Youth Wellness and Nutrition

REVIEWED BY: Dr. Roseanne Ellison Scammahorn, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences, OSU Extension, Darke County, and Susan Zies, M. Ed., Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, OSU Extension, Wood County.

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Carol Smathers

SOURCES:

  • https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katebubacz/beer-doritos-coronavirus-essentials-groceries
  • http://cookingmatters.org/tips/10-tips-stock-your-pantry
  • https://celebrateyourplate.org/tips/shopping
  • https://www.choosemyplate.gov/ten-tips-make-better-food-choices
  • https://snaped.fns.usda.gov/nutrition-education/nutrition-education-materials/cooking

REFERENCES:

  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2015 – 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 8th Edition.

Seeing the Scale with 20/20 Vision in 2020

Overweight and healthy? People who are overweight can be considered healthy if their waist size is less than 35 inches for women or 40 inches for men, and if they have only one or none of following conditions: high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol, according to the National Institutes of Health’s report, Clinical Guidelines on the […]

WRITTEN BY: Carol Smathers, MS, MPH

REVIEWED BY: Daniel Remley, PhD

SOURCES:

  • https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(18)30257-3/fulltext
  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5818735/
  • https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-study-identifies-ideal-body-mass-index
  • https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1909301
  • https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm
  • Payne, C. and Barnett, R. The Economists’ Diet: Two Formerly Obese Economists Find the Formula for Losing Weight and Keeping It Off, 2018.

Ohio’s Great Apple Crunch!

During the Ohio Great Apple Crunch, groups of students, employees, 4-H members, and more bite into Ohio apples and learn about local foods. The official event takes place on October 10 at noon.  However, Ohio will get credit for your “Crunch” anytime in October. The event is a great chance to highlight and celebrate National […]

WRITTEN BY: Carol Smathers, Associate Professor and Field Specialist, Ohio State University Extension

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

SOURCES:

  • Ohio Apples (2014). Bite into the apple orchards of Ohio! http://www.ohioapples.com/
  • National Farm to School Network (2019). National Farm to School Month. http://www.farmtoschool.org/our-work/farm-to-school-month
  • National Farm to School Network (2019). The Benefits of Farm to School. http://www.farmtoschool.org/Resources/BenefitsFactSheet.pdf

REFERENCES:

  • Hanks, A. S., Just, D. R., Smith, L. E., & Wansink, B. (2012). Healthy convenience: Nudging students toward healthier choices in the lunchroom. Journal of Public Health, 34(3), 370-376. doi:10.1093/pubmed/fds003
  • McCool, A., Myung, E., & Chien, T. (2005). Modification of the Form in Which Fresh Fruit is Served as a Possible Means of Increasing the Consumption of Fruit Offered to Elementary and Middle School Students. Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 8(2), 73-85. doi: 10.1300/J369v08n02_06

Healthy Eating for $4.50 a day??? No Fooling!

The USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion issues monthly USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food Reports that estimate the current weekly/monthly costs of a nutritious diet at four different levels (thrifty, low-cost, moderate-cost, and liberal). The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are the nutritional bases of the Food Plans. Here are some examples from the […]

REVIEWED BY: Dan Remley, PhD, OSU Extension Field Specialist

SOURCES:

  • https://www.cnpp.usda.gov/dietary-guidelines
  • https://www.cnpp.usda.gov/sites/default/files/CostofFoodFeb2019.pdf https://www.choosemyplate.gov/dietary-guidelines
  • https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/fruit-and-vegetable-prices/interactive-chart-costs-per-edible-cup-equivalent/
  • https://celebrateyourplate.org/
  • https://www.choosemyplate.gov/budget

REFERENCES:

  • The Thrifty Food Plan 2006 Report, which details the development and methodology of the TFP (in 64 pages) is available online in PDF format at: http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/MiscPubs/TFP2006Report.pdf

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