Family and Consumer Sciences

Live Smart Ohio

Ohio State University Extension

The Right Calories for You!

When it comes to maintaining a healthy weight for a lifetime, the bottom line is—calories count! Weight management is all about balance—balancing the number of calories you consume with the number of calories your body uses or “burns off.” This 30-minute webinar will be packed with information about resting metabolic rate, energy requirements, tools to […]

WRITTEN BY: Cindy Conway, MS, RDN, LD Research Associate, Ohio SNAP-Ed Program

Smoothie Bike Blends Nutrition and Physical Activity

OSU Extension specialists have been taking a “smoothie bike” –a stationary bike with a blender powered by pedaling—to trainings and events around Ohio.   Both kids and adults love creating recipe combinations and revving up the blender.  Dozens of smoothie batches have been created, and each one was declared delicious! The smoothie bike activity has great […]

WRITTEN BY: Carol Smathers, MS, MPH, OSU Extension Field Specialist in Youth Nutrition and Wellness, smathers.14@osu.edu

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

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Marilyn Rabe and Carol Smathers, OSU Extension

SOURCES:

  • Ohio State University Extension. http://cfaes.osu.edu/sites/cfaes_main/files/site-library/site-documents/News/chow_smoothies.pdf
  • National 4-H Council. http://www.4-h.org/youth-development-programs/kids-health/programming-resources/health-nutrition-fitness/youth-voice/eat-move-o-matic/
  • Health Education and Behavior. http://heb.sagepub.com/content/42/4/487
  • Journal of Child Nutrition and Management. https://schoolnutrition.org/uploadedFiles/5_News_and_Publications/4_The_Journal_of_Child_Nutrition_and_Management/Fall_2015/ExploringMilkandYogurtSelection.pdf
  • United States Department of Agriculture. http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/cn/SP10_CACFP05_SFSP10-2014v3oss.pdf
  • Ohio Department of Education. http://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/Other-Resources/Food-and-Nutrition/National-School-Lunch-and-Breakfast/School-Breakfast-Program/2015_SBP_Fact_Sheet.pdf.aspx

Simple Sugars Aren’t So Simple to Track

Now that jelly bean and chocolate bunny season has passed, you may be getting serious about cutting back on sugar.  Added sugars are often referred to as “empty calories” because they pack on calories without providing essential nutrients. The sucrose we commonly consume as “granulated sugar” or “white sugar” is referred to as a “simple” […]

WRITTEN BY: Carol Smathers, MS, MPH

REVIEWED BY: Jenny Lobb, MPH, RD, LD

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Carol Smathers

SOURCES:

  • Sugar Stacks (2014). Beverages. http://www.sugarstacks.com/beverages.htm
  • Starbucks (2011). Nutrition by the Cup. https://news.starbucks.com/uploads/documents/nutrition.pdf
  • The Huffington Post (2014). Yogurts with More Sugar than a Twinkie. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/26/yogurt-sugar-twinkie_n_5379590.html

REFERENCES:

  • 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Chapter 1: Key Elements of Healthy Eating Patterns. http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/chapter-1/a-closer-look-inside-healthy-eating-patterns/
  • Department of Health and Human Services. A Healthier You. Chapter 8: Fats, Added Sugars and Salt. http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/healthieryou/html/chapter8.html
  • SugarScience. Hidden in Plain Sight. http://www.sugarscience.org/hidden-in-plain-sight/#.Vvk05_krLRZ

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/.

National Nutrition Month 2015 — How are you celebrating?

We have entered into March 2015.  With the start of a new month, we can also find a wonderful reason to celebrate.  March is National Nutrition Month as sponsored by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. National Nutrition Month is a time set aside to focus on healthful eating and other sound lifestyle habits.  This […]

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