KA 703. Nutrition Education and Behavior

Kitchen Creations
18 individuals participated in the 2010 Kitchen Creations diabetes cooking school. During the four sessions participants learned how to use the Diabetes Food Guide Pyramid and 50/50 method to plan meals, how to identify serving sizes and number of servings, exercise management principles, and preparation of heart-healthy meals.
9 participants completed the Kitchen Creations program evaluation during the 4th session of classes in 2010. Evaluation statistics for the diabetes cooking school indicate that 100% read food labels, 33% use the 50/50 method to control the amount of carbohydrates they eat at a meal, 66% eat at least 2 servings of whole grains per day, and 77% now eat at least two servings of non-starch vegetables at dinner.
Participants were able to list knowledge gained as a result of participating in the Kitchen Creations diabetes cooking school which included how to eat healthier, how to read food labels, fat content in foods, food portions, and carbohydrates. The comment section of the program evaluation indicated that the participants not only gained knowledge but also enjoyed the class. Some of the participant’s comments were: ”Fast moving and interesting knowledgeable teachers"; "I understand more about 15 grams carbs per serving"; "Course was well organized"; "Class is very informative"!
The residents of Lincoln County do not have access to a Certified Diabetes Educator or Registered Dietitian due to lack of resources. Therefore the collaboration with the RD and the Home Economist teaching the Kitchen Creations class is valuable to Lincoln County residents who have diabetes and their caregivers.

ICAN
During the 2009-2010 FY the ICAN Nutrition Educator recruited participants and increased nutrition education in Lincoln County. Support and supervision was provided to one ICAN Nutrition Educator by conducting staff meetings, assisting staff with programs, and evaluations. Nutrition Education classes were presented to K-4 students, in collaboration with Lincoln County Head Start, Capitan Public Schools, Ruidoso Schools, Hondo Schools, Carrizozo Schools, and Corona Schools, after schools programs, summer programs, and local Daycare facilities.
The ICAN program in 2009-2010 graduated 463 youth and 8 adults. Evaluations show that throughout Lincoln County many participants implemented new food buying practices, resulting in healthier eating and increased nutrition, as well as making food dollars stretch and increase the value of food stamps.
Classes on adult nutrition were taught to the 12th Judicial Juvenile Drug Court participants. In an effort to recruit adult participant’s posters, fliers and newsletters were distributed to participants of the Income Support Division, WIC, and Health Fairs.

General Nutrition
Cooking with Kids was taught to two 4th grade classes at White Mountain Elementary school in Ruidoso. The students (53) learned about NM family owned and operated farms that grow apples, salad greens, tomatoes, chile and other foods. The students learned about the nutrients contained in apples, greens, tomatoes, chile and math skills after completing a bar graph.
A workshop about the nutritional benefits of chile, how to prepare, and the growing stages of NM chile were presented to a group of Lincoln county residents (25). A booklet "Traditional New Mexico Cuisine" was developed for class.
Cooking Class "Fall Flavors" was presented to 35 residents of Lincoln County. The class gained knowledge in the area of nutrition benefits of sweet potatoes, pumpkins, red peppers, and a booklet about "Fall Flavors" was developed for the participants.
Extension collaborated with local Beef Council during Ag Day for Capitan Schools and a presentation was given on nutritional advantages of beef to K-5 students.
Also Extension collaborated with Lincoln County Community Health Council during the Maze of Life with a nutrition booth. The experiential maze was an interactive life-size game designed to help teens better understand the consequences of decisions. The 8th grade classes from Lincoln County attended (200) the two day program.

Prepared a packaged program on Different Vinegars for the 6 Extension clubs. The program discussed the flavors and cooking uses of the different vinegars on the market and gave recipe ideas for making herb vinegars to flavor foods without adding calories or sodium. Approximately 30 ladies participated in the program.

Conducted a station during Kids, Kows, and More on Germs and Bacteria. Participants learned where germs and bacteria are, how quickly they grow, how easily they spread, and how to wash hands and surfaces to prevent the spread of germs and bacteria. Participants also learned how to handle meat properly from the time they pick it up in the store until the store the cooked product in their refrigerator. There were 200 students and 18 adults that rotated through this station.

As a result of our Advisory Committee meeting in December, agent was given the opportunity to teach 3 days in the Tucumcari Schools 7th grade science classes to go with their nutrition unit. The classes were originally schedule for February, but were postponed because the teachers were behind due to snow days. Prior to the presentations the students kept a 4 day food log. Average participation each day was 66 students divided into 3 classes.

During the first presentation, students learned about MyPyramid and how many calories and how much food from each group each individual should be eating daily. They learned about portion sizes and which foods go in which group. Then they used their food logs to see how well they met their needs for one of their days. Most discovered that they were lacking the amount of food needed in at least one food group usually vegetables.

The second presentation focused on the amount of fat in foods and defined the differences between the types of fat and how to determine which fat is healthier. At the beginning of the presentation they wrote down their favorite McDonalds meal and at the end we looked up the calorie and fat content. I was amazed that almost half of them were making lower fat, lower calorie choices, however there were those that had the majority of their daily calorie count in one meal. Most were amazed at how much fat was in chicken nuggets.

The third presentation focused on the need for calcium for our bones and foods that contain calcium. The youth learned that this is the time in their lives when their bones are growing and they need more calcium. They also learned about the importance of sleep for their body growth and how caffeine can affect their sleep. A discussion of beverage choices followed. Many were surprised that beverages like Sunny D did not have all of the benefits of juice and some were surprised about the ingredients in Energy Drinks and said they would not use them. However several were very defiant and said they would never stop drinking energy drinks.

Two of these presentations were modified for the 9th grade basic foods class and presented at the beginning of the school year to help the teacher out while she was waiting to get moved into her new room and get books out of storage.

Presented the program on MyPyramid. During the program the youth determined their personal meal plan and ranked how well they had done so far during the day. Most discovered that they needed to eat a more food that they were eating especially the fruits and vegetables. Each food group was presented along with portion sizes. There were 16 youth present.

Presented a program on Building Strong Bones. During the program the youth learned about osteoporosis and what they need to be doing now to prevent osteoporosis when they grow old. They also learned about the nutrients in milk and the importance of drinking milk for someone their age. The discussion ended with information on other beverage choices and youth were discouraged from drinking energy drinks. There were 20 youth present.

Twenty-two people participated in the Annual Kitchen Creations Cooking School held in February. Participants gained knowledge on meal planning and learned to cook foods in different ways. Many even tried new foods. Stir-frying is a new concept to many families and is a healthy way of preparing meals. Many expressed gratitude for the class. Most reported that their blood sugar was lower due to using the information in the class. This series of classes was also attended by a local physician, who was very impressed with the class and is looking for funds to help us do an additional class. A retired Health Department Nutritionist assisted with the classes.

To support our clientele with diabetes, a quarterly newsletter was developed with helpful tips, recipes, and a balanced menu example. Four issues of this newsletter were developed during this reporting period. Agent has received complements from Nurse Practitioners and one new Physician in the community about the newsletters and they are encouraging their patients to sign up for it. Currently there are 180 on the mailing list.

Throughout the year, met with 18 diabetics and their families to help them understand their diet better. Sessions focused on identifying carbohydrate foods and portion sizes, reading labels, and balancing meals.