KA 703. Nutrition Education and Behavior (Roosevelt County)

“Grilling Veggies” (2008) was presented by the County Agriculture Agent, ICAN (Ideas for Cooking and Nutrition) Nutrition Educator and home economist twice during the 2008 Farmers’ Market season. Customers at Portales Farmers’ Market were shown how to grill vegetables available at Farmers’ Market using healthy ingredients such as olive oil and salt free seasonings. This opportunity increased customers’ knowledge of healthy and simple preparation for fresh vegetables they were not previously aware of. It also helped the producers sell more vegetables. Samples of the food were distributed along with a booklet on grilling vegetables and promotional information for the ICAN program. The Nutrition Educator was able to converse with many of the customers in Spanish thus increasing the amount of useful contacts that were made. Testing of pressure canning gauges was also available.

“Eat Smart Cooking” (2008), was presented during two workshops at the New Mexico Ag Expo for 67 people and as a workshop at the New Mexico Association of Family and Consumer Sciences state meeting held in Portales for 48 participants. This program provided recipes and ideas for “Plus Up Your Recipes” by adding ingredients that add a nutritional impact such as adding vitamins, fiber, antioxidants and others; “Switching It Up” by switching ingredients to healthier choices; and “Cook It Up Lighter” by choosing healthier cooking methods such as stir-frying, grilling, slow cooking and roasting. Participants expressed they would use these recipes in their homes and use the ideas presented to change or adapt the recipes they normally use in their homes for healthier meals.

“Sweet Potatoes or Yams” (2008) an excerpt from “Harvest Time Recipes” booklet, was used by home economist and intern for a demonstration during the “Food the Key Ingredient” Smithsonian Exhibit grand opening with 25 participants learning about the nutritional benefits from eating sweet potatoes and a variety of ways they can be prepared in recipes from stir fry to sweet potato pancakes. Sweet potatoes were once a major crop in Roosevelt County where there was a sweet potato processing plant at one time.

“Fix It & Forget It” (2007) was presented as a part of the annual holiday program and Extension Association of New Mexico State Meeting presented by the home economist to over 500 participants. The recipes and ideas presented encouraged the use of slow cookers to cook healthy meals with better control of ingredients for their families in lieu of eating out as often by having meals easily and readily prepared. Food safety was also discussed. Many participants have commented through out the year that they are using these recipes and cooking methods more frequently and have requested inclusion of this type of cooking in future programs.

Food Safety In-service training
In-service training for food preparation workers at the Community Services center has also been presented on safe food handling and food safety (2008). This program provided continued education credit certification for these workers and taught them safe food handling for the better health of their clientele.