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One hundred years ago, in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson
signed the Smith-Lever Act which authorized cooperative
extension work between the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) and the Land-Grant Colleges. The National
Extension Service had Extension Agents to provide education
and practical demonstrations in agriculture, rural energy,
and home economics to those who were not attending college
at the land-grant university campuses. Home Economics is now
known as Family and Consumer Sciences.
What does this mean to you today? In Lucas County, OSU
Extension offers programs in the following areas: 4-H Youth
Development, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Community
Development and Family and Consumer Sciences. Family and
Consumer Sciences promotes healthy lifestyles like making
healthy food choices and including physical activity on a
daily basis.
A lot has changed in the food industry in the last 100
years. In the early 1900s the first vitamins were discovered
by medical science and in 1916 the USDA printed its first
food guide called “Food for Young Children.” In 1925 the
first home mechanical refrigerator was sold. Today we often
take a refrigerator for granted and the USDA recommendations
are promoted online through the MyPlate icon. As Extension
celebrates 100 years, I challenge you to think about your
personal celebrations in 2014. How can you celebrate
holidays and events in a healthy way with your friends and
family?
The USDA 10 Tips Nutrition Education Series has
recommendations to “make celebrations fun, healthy & active.
10 tips to creating healthy, active events.”
1.
Make healthy habits part of your celebration. Foods are
often a key part of celebrations whether it’s cake and ice
cream at a birthday party, turkey and dressing at
Thanksgiving or ice cream sundaes in the summer. It’s OK to
enjoy these foods associated with each celebration and keep
in mind serving sizes. The foods do not have to be the
only part of the celebration.
2.
Make foods look festive. Use different colors of food, like
fruits and vegetables, to decorate the dishes. Chop fresh
herbs on top of the meal or add some nuts and seeds to
salads.
3.
Offer healthy drinks. Offer water and spruce it up with
slices of fruit (or vegetables like cucumbers) for infused
water. The USDA handout suggests freezing 100 percent juice
in ice cubes to add to the drinks or freeze small fruits
like berries in the ice cube trays with water. Try a
healthier version of a “float” using a scoop of low-fat
sorbet with seltzer water.
4.
Enjoy your food. Slow down and enjoy the taste, texture and
temperature of the food. It’s good to enjoy the company of
those around you and the food that is part of the
celebration.
5.
Use MyPlate to plan the menu. Keep in mind the five food
groups when planning snacks or meals. Try whole grains,
low-fat milk (like yogurt for dips), fruits and vegetables
and lean meat.
6.
Add physical activity to the event. What kind of movement
can you add to your celebration? All of us feel good when
we get a chance to move, stretch and enjoy ourselves. What’s
your favorite music for dancing? Share it with your guests!
7.
Try some healthier recipes. Look for recipes that cut back
on salt, sugar and fat. If you have a recipe you use a lot,
consider making some changes to lighten it up. OSU Extension
has a factsheet on “Modifying a Recipe to be Healthier.” You
can find a copy online at
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/pdf/5543.pdf or
call (419-213-2022) with your name and address for a copy to
be mailed to you.
8.
Let others help. If you are hosting the celebration, have
others bring as dish to share or help with other activities
like clean up or entertaining children. Have someone be in
charge of the physical activity like games.
9.
Use produce in-season. Not only do fresh fruits and
vegetables taste good, when you eat them in season, they
cost less and will help you save money. This time of year is
often a good time to purchase citrus fruit from warm areas.
Although there might be snow on the ground, dedicated local
farmers are growing under hoop houses to provide winter
vegetables like fresh greens. Don’t forget the Toledo
Farmers’ Market is open every Saturday morning all year
long. This time of year, they close the doors to make it an
indoor market so the growers and customers do not have to
shop outside.
10.
Be a cheerleader. It does not matter if you are one year old
or over 100 years old; it is never too early or too late to
practice healthy habits. Think about how you can make some
small healthy changes and be a “cheerleader” to those around
you as they make changes, also.
Join the National Extension Service in celebrating 100
years. Visit
www.lucas.osu.edu for local events in 2014 or follow
“OSU Extension Lucas County” on Facebook. Happy, Healthy
New Year! |
