KA 703. Nutrition Education and Behavior (Otero County)

The Home Economist provided four nutrition and food safety programs for 22 individuals at The Counseling Center (an organization which provides mental health services to children, adults, and families in Alamogordo). The program topics included reading food labels, The USDA Food Guidance System, hand hygiene and food safety practices when grilling. Completed evaluations indicated that individuals learned how to read food labels to evaluate the nutrition value of foods; how the ingredient list of a food label tells us what is in a food; how to eat a variety of foods from the food groups each day for good health; how to choose moderate food portion sizes; why physical activity is important for maintaining a healthy body; how to properly marinate foods to be grilled in the refrigerator; and how to use a food thermometer.

The Home Economist presented a home canning workshop at the Mayhill Community Center for the Mayhill Extension Association Club. Sixteen members participated in the program. The workshop included information on canning equipment; how to pack food in canning jars; how to use jars and lids properly; how to process and cool jars; and how to test seals of jars. The canning workshop was hands-on for participants and the Home Economist supplied some equipment and ingredients. Coordinated additional equipment and supplies needed with the Club members. Products made during the workshop included grape jelly, strawberry jam, and spiced apple rings. One participant sent the Home Economist the following comments following the workshop: “It was one of the best and fun programs we have had, in my opinion. You are such a professional in all you do, and it is exemplified in your presentations.”

The Home Economist conducted a food safety presentation for 10 individuals at the Cloudcroft United Methodist Church and 9 individuals at The Counseling Center (an organization which provides mental health services to children, adults, and families in Alamogordo). The presentations included a powerpoint presentation and educational handouts. Evaluation statistics for the presentation indicate that individuals learned the four basic principles for handling food safely: clean, separate, cook, and chill; how to sanitize cutting boards; how to clean fresh fruits and vegetables; how to properly defrost/thaw frozen foods; how to use a food thermometer; and how to store foods at home to preserve freshness and quality. Evaluation comments by participants included “I always considered my mom a clean cook, but everyone makes mistakes. It was probably a miracle I didn’t get sick from food.” and “This was a very well presented program with lots of helpful information.”

The Home Economist presented a foods and nutrition program, “Modifying Recipes for Better Health”, to 27 members of the Mayhill Extension Association Club and 11 individuals at The Counseling Center (an organization which provides mental health services to children, adults, and families in Alamogordo). The presentations included a powerpoint presentation, educational handouts, and recipe demonstrations. Evaluation statistics for the presentations indicate that 100% of participants learned how a recipe can be altered by reducing or substituting ingredients, how a recipe can be altered to reduce the amount of fat, how a recipe can be altered to reduce the amount of sugar, how a recipe can be altered to increase the amount of fiber, and how to modify a recipe so it is healthier. 98% of participants learned how a recipe can be altered to reduce the amount of sodium. Other evaluation comments by participants included “very good information and can help a person become more aware about labels to read when buying canned goods”, “very good presentation and information for everyone, but especially for those with health issures”, “Kelly’s oral presentation is easily understood. She speaks precisely and clearly (articulate).”, and “very informative information to live a more healthy lifestyle”.

In 2011, thirty individuals participated in the Kitchen Creations Diabetes School classes offered at the Exhibit Building of the Fairgrounds and the classroom/kitchen of the Extension Office. Evaluation statistics for the kitchen creations indicate that the diabetes cooking classes helped participants manage their diabetes for the reason that 94% of participants now read food labels to find the amount of carbohydrates in a food serving; 84% of participants use the 50/50 method to control the amount of carbohydrates they eat at a meal; 70% of participants use more herbs and spices to flavor foods instead of salt and fat; and 60% of participants use the Diabetes Food Guide Pyramid to plan a day’s meal and measure food portions. In addition, 98% of the participants were able to list knowledge gained as a result of participating in the Kitchen Creations Diabetes Cooking School which included how “to concentrate on total carbs (carbohydrates) instead of just sugar in labels”, “how to read labels”, and “I learned to look at the carbohydrates for all food”. When asked what participants liked the most about Kitchen Creations comments included: “Learning how to cook foods that I can have.”,:“Being able to ask questions that pertained to my family’s situation.”; “Meals that we fixed were very well planned out and were very tasty and quick and easy to prepare.”; “I enjoyed everything about the classes you have been offering- I am learning portion control.”; “Being able to cook recipes and try them. Some recipes I would have never made at home.”; “Hands on cooking and sampling the recipes- found I loved things I probably wouldn’t have made if I hadn’t been able to sample.”; “Learning new ways of cooking.”; “I learned a lot about carbs (carbohydrates), sodium, reading labels, and serving sizes.”; and “I liked the information about food labels and how to use this information to my benefit and the opportunity to prepare some dishes.”