Nutrition and Food Systems
Improve Physical and Mental Health
Froman, Porter, Stumbo, Workman
Financial Education - General
Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud
Nutrition and Food Systems General
Food Preparation and Preservation
A foundation of nutrition knowledge, skills and competencies in topics such as food safety, handling and preparation, cooking methods and techniques, feeding practices, food science, and food systems are essential to changing dietary behaviors. With the increased trend of chronic disease and obesity in Kentucky, individuals, families, and communities need tools and environments that support healthful dietary decisions. CES agents are encouraged to reach diverse audiences to help combat chronic disease and obesity in Kentucky communities.
• Routinely employ healthy dietary practices that promote health and wellness (e.g. consume recommended daily fruits and vegetables and improve food management skills)
• Reduce the rate of chronic disease and obesity
• Increase intake of fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient-dense foods
• Decrease intake of solid fats, added sugars, and sodium
• Employ healthful cooking methods, feeding practices, and food preservation techniques
• Increased access to healthy food via local farmers markets, food retailers, and/or home gardens
- Increase awareness about relationships between food and nutrition practices and chronic disease.
- Improve food and nutrition-related skills (e.g. gardening, preparation and preservation techniques, safe food handling, food resource management)
- Increase confidence in ability to employ healthy eating practices
- Increase motivation to access and prepare healthier foods
Outcome: Nutrition knowledge, skills, and competencies
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported: use knowledge and skills to improve food-shopping management; utilize the food label to make healthy food choices; choosing smaller portions; increased food preservation knowledge; demonstrated recommended food preservation practices
Method: Self-report surveys; specific curricula or program evaluations
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
Outcome: Preparing and preserving food
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported: preparing more home-cooked meals; modifying ingredients and/or preparation techniques to improve nutrition
Method: Self-report survey; specific curricula or program evaluations
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
Outcome: Availability and access to healthy food
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported: utilizing delivery systems/access points (e.g., farmers’ markets, CSAs, WIC, food pantries) that offer healthy foods; supplementing diets with healthy foods grown or preserved (e.g., community or backyard gardens, fishing, hunting, farmers markets); dollar value of vendor-reported sales or EBT, WIC, or Senior benefits redeemed at farmers’ markets; number of pints of foods preserved through water bath canning, pressure canning, freezing, or drying.
Method: Self-report survey
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
Audience: Communities
Project or Activity: Farmers Market Outreach
Content or Curriculum: Cooking programs, marketing, increased access (e.g. location, hours, EBT), Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud resources, Farmers Market Toolkit, Super Star Chef
Inputs: Nutrition Education Program (NEP), paid staff, grant funds, facilities, Kentucky Department of Agriculture
Date: April – October/Growing seasons
Project or Activity: Policy, Systems, and Environmental Approaches
Content or Curriculum: Faithful Families, Health Coalitions, resources for early care and education settings
Inputs: Volunteers, grant funds, faith-based organizations, community partners, key stakeholders, SNAP-Ed Toolkit & resources
Date: Ongoing projects throughout the year
Project or Activity: 4-H SNAP Education Workshops
Content or Curriculum: U.S.D.A. Website, Health Rocks
Inputs: Workshops, Skits, and Demonstration
Timeline: Ongoing – October-May
Project or Activity: 4-H Cooking
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Project Books, Health Rocks, SNAP Education Resources
Inputs: Workshops, Demonstrations and Fairs
Timeline: Ongoing-January-May
Audience: Families and Individuals
Project or Activity: Food Preparation for Better Health
Content or Curriculum: Cook Together Eat Together, Mastering Food Choices, Dining with Diabetes, Super Star Chef, Faithful Families, Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud Resources.
Inputs: Programmatic materials, paid staff, community partners, faith-based organizations, health coalitions
Date: Ongoing projects throughout the year
Project or Activity: Food Preservation
Content or Curriculum: Publications, Trainings, Homebased Micro-Processing Training.
Inputs: Paid staff, volunteers, facilities, programmatic materials, NEP
Date: July – September for adults and youth
Audience: Kentucky Extension Homemakers Association/Volunteers
Project or Activity: Promoting Nutrition with Volunteers
Content or Curriculum: Mastering Food Choices, International Cuisine publications, Food preservation workshops, Monthly Leader Lessons
Inputs: Volunteers, paid staff, community partners
Date: Monthly
Author: Novella Froman
Major Program: Communications and Expressive Arts
Pike 4-H Youth Learn Skills during the PandemicMembers of the Pike County Extension Council identified the acquisition of skills as one of the needs for the citizens of Pike County. In response to the pandemic, our office made kits that utilized the Kentucky 4-H Curriculum in Communication and Fine Arts as well as Agriculture Booklets in its’ formation. 4-H youth in Pike County learned new skills through the production of 4-H Kids Kits. In all 3,345 kits were utilized by