Family and Consumer Sciences

Live Smart Ohio

Ohio State University Extension

Food

Questions about CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture)

The sun is shining brightly but there is still snow on the ground in Northwest Ohio. It is the end of February and while my grocery shopping list includes lettuce and other fresh vegetables, we also eat a lot of frozen and canned vegetables right now. Considering our food shopping and gardening patterns, I can […]

WRITTEN BY: Patrice Powers-Barker, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Lucas County

REVIEWED BY: Misty Harmon, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Perry County

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Powers-Barker, P.

SOURCES:

  • Local Food Directories: CSA, USDA https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-5593
  • Using a Community Supported Agriculture Share to Plan Family Meals, Ohio State University Extension FactSheet https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-5593
  • What's In Season? Ohio Farm Bureau https://ofbf.org/whats-in-season/

Game changer: EverCrisp Apples!

My husband is a high school teacher who hosts an annual fruit sale. Just like every year, there is a bit of surplus, which he selects to purchase and bring home to me. This year my fruit sale surprise was a 10-pound bag EverCrisp apples. As I looked at that huge bag sitting on my counter, […]

WRITTEN BY: Dr. Roseanne Scammahorn, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Darke County, Scammahorn.5@osu.edu

REVIEWED BY: Melissa J. Rupp, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Fulton County, Rupp.26@osu.edu

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

Food Allergies and Halloween Can Be a Scary Combination

As a parent of a child with several life-threatening food allergies, Halloween has always been an especially scary holiday. Considering the fact that 1 in every 13 children have a food allergy, there are three challenges that make Halloween extra tricky to navigate. Trick #1: Halloween candy has many common allergens. Many of the most […]

WRITTEN BY: Laura Stanton, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Warren County.

REVIEWED BY: Laura Halladay, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Greene County.

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Halloween image by rawpixel.
  • Teal Pumpkin Project from Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE).

SOURCES:

  • American Academy of Pediatrics. (2019, September 24). Avoid a Food Allergy Scare on Halloween. Retrieved from https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/injuries-emergencies/Pages/Avoid-Food-Allergy-Scare-on-Halloween.aspx
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, June 8). Food Allergies. Retreived from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/foodallergies/index.htm
  • Davis, C. Q. (2012, October 30) Fun-size candies aren’t so fun anymore. Retrieved from https://scienceline.org/2012/10/fun-size-candies-arent-so-fun-anymore/
  • Kleiner, R. (2019, October 28). 7 Ways to Make Halloween Safer for Kids with Food Allergies. Retrieved from https://www.eatright.org/health/lifestyle/holidays/7-ways-to-make-halloween-safer-for-kids-with-food-allergies

Fall Vegetable Gardening for the Win

If you have never grown a fall vegetable garden before, now is the time to start. Some of the common benefits of planting a fall vegetable garden include: Many Ohio vegetables grow well in cooler weather Insect and disease pests may be less compared to earlier in the growing season A few vegetables like collards […]

WRITTEN BY: Patrice Powers-Barker, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Lucas County

REVIEWED BY: Melissa J. Rupp, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Fulton County and Amy Stone, Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Powers-Barker, P. (2020)

REFERENCES:

  • Handling covid-19: Guidance for community gardens. (2019, April 21). North Carolina State Extension. Retrieved 07/08/20 from https://fcs.osu.edu/sites/fcs/files/imce/PDFs/COVID/OSU_Community%20Gardens_COVID-19_042120.pdf
  • Grow what you know. (2018). Ohio State Insights. Retrieved 07/08/20 from https://insights.osu.edu/food/recipe-gardens-work-you
  • Powers-Barker, P. (2020). Gardening as a self-care practice. Live Smart Ohio. Ohio State University. Retrieved 07/10/20 from https://go.osu.edu/gardenselfcare
  • Powers-Barker, P. (2020 updated). Planting a fall vegetable garden. Ohio State University. Retrieved 07/08/20 from https://u.osu.edu/powers-barker.1/2019/07/24/planting-a-fall-vegetable-garden/
  • Voyle, G. (2012). Fall vegetable crops for your garden. Michigan State University Extension. Retrieved 07/08/20 from https://www.canr.msu.edu/uploads/files/E3172_-_Fall_Vegetable_Crops_for_your_Garden.pdf
  • Woods, A. (2017). A walk in the woods. Live Smart Ohio, Ohio State University Extension. Retrieved 07/08/20 from https://livesmartohio.osu.edu/mind-and-body/woods-485osu-edu/a-walk-in-the-woods-2/

It Takes A Village: Food Allergy Awareness Week

When our son was 2 years old, he asked to eat a walnut he saw in our pantry. Less than 20 minutes later, he was in an ambulance being rushed to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. On that day in 2008, our son became 1 of the 32 million people in the United States that have potentially […]

WRITTEN BY: Laura Stanton, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Warren County.

REVIEWED BY: Shannon Carter, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Fairfield County.

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Kids With Food Allergies (www.kidswithfoodallergies.org)

SOURCES:

  • Facts and Statistics. Food Allergy Research and Education. Retrieved from: https://www.foodallergy.org/resources/facts-and-statistics
  • Food Allergy Facts and Figures. Kids With Food Allergies. Retrieved from: https://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/food-allergy-facts.aspx
  • How a Child Might Describe a Reaction. Food Allergy Research and Education. Retrieved from: https://www.foodallergy.org/resources/how-child-might-describe-reaction

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