Author: Jane Proctor
Major Program: Nutrition and Food Systems General
Research is clear that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help protect against several chronic diseases, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. Nationwide, it is estimated that only 12.2% of adults meet the recommended amount of fruits each day and only 9.3% meet recommendations for vegetables (CDC, 2018). Kentucky falls even further below the national averages with only 8.0% of adults meeting daily recommendations for fruits and 6.3% meeting recommendations for
Author: Dayna Fentress
In Hardin County, what started as a conversation between the Family and Consumer Sciences agent and the Farmers’ Market board president became a population kids activity that saw over 600 children over the course of the first summer. The "Power of Produce (POP) Club" was an interactive taste kitchen and activity center aimed to bring more youth and their parents to the market. With help from the UK School of Human Environmental sciences FCS mini-grant, POP Club was born. POP
Author: Kaitlyn Fryman
Fleming County Extension has been fulfilling a need of the county for quick, easy, and cost effective cooking classes. As an added bonus, the recipes used in Cooking Through the Calendar are nutritious as well. Fleming County FCS uses the recipes in the calendar released yearly by the Kentucky Nutrition Education Program in this program. This program has been offered at the Fleming County Extension Office and at the Hillsboro Christian Church Fellowship Hall to accommodate people all over the co
Research shows that people who prepare and cook meals at home are more likely to eat the recommended fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains needed in a balanced diet. Building skills and cooking knowledge increases the likelihood that people choose to prepare home-cooked meals.To encourage more home-prepped meals, the Fleming County Extension Office hosted the workshop Savor the Flavor: Cooking with Oils and Vinegars at the local Senior Center in the county. The Savor the Flavorprogram
Author: Heather Norman-Burgdolf
The Cooperative Extension Service is looked to nationwide as a leader in nutrition education. Reaching 3,000+ counties across the United States and local educators with social and cultural context, Extension is well-positioned to deliver tailored nutrition education to audiences across the country. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Extension, skilled in delivering in-person programming, was forced to adopt novel approaches for dissemination of evidence-based information at the local
Author: Jennifer Bridge
To address the need for youth education related to fresh local produce, the extension fcs agent and NEP assistant partnered with a local farmers' market to offer POP. The six week Power of Produce program was as part of extension's Tuesday's at the Market and featured an activity related to fruits and or vegetables as well as recipe or fresh produce tasting. A POP activity and reflection booklet was given to each child participating. Participants could earn but to $
With the focus of STEM and STEAM education in youth, adults are falling behind in skill and work force development. FCS programs provide numerous opportunities to gain practical application in each of these areas. One of most common areas of interest relates to food preparation and food science. In response, a series titled Edible Education: Food Science for Everyday Living is undergoing development by extension food specialist and the FCS agent. The series has received s
Author: Caroline Durr
Recent research has studied the correlation between early life stress (such as adverse childhood experiences, poverty, food insecurity, and caregiver relationships) and obesity/overweight in adults.* It is important to acknowledge the impact these factors can have on an individual’s health status when designing and delivering nutrition education interventions. In order for these interventions to best meet the needs of participants, a trauma informed approach recommends that they be designe
Author: Melinda McCulley
The Cooperative Extension Service (Extension) is looked to nationwide as a leader in nutrition education. Reaching 3,000+ counties across the United States (U.S.) and local educators with social and cultural contexts, Extension is well-positioned to deliver tailored nutrition education to audiences across the country. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Extension, skilled in delivering in-person programming, was forced to adopt novel approaches for the dissemination of evidence-based i
Author: Mackenzie Pogue
The 4-H Baking Day camp was carefully crafted to nurture the participants’ creativity and enhance their baking skills. Extension staff served as mentors, guiding the girls through various recipes and techniques. Beyond baking skills, the camp focused on building confidence and fostering teamwork among the girls. Through collaborative baking projects and challenges, the participants leaned to communicate effectively, support one another, and appreciate the value of teamwo
Author: Cathy Fellows
According to Kentucky Health News, “Kentucky ranks 3rd in child obesity, a disease tied to a long list of other health issues; treatments require changes in family lifestyle”. (Kentucky Health news 2019).During the 2022-2023 school year, The University of Kentucky’s Boone County’s Cooperative Extension 4-H Agent collaborated with Ryle High School’s Spanish department. Both agencies co-instructed an in-person, six-part nutrition series with twenty-nine high school st
In a rural community where cooking skills can often be overlooked by youth, the extension staff in Muhlenberg County set out to change that narrative. Their mission was to empower young boys with the knowledge and skills needed to become proficient grillers and comfortable using kitchen tools. Guys Guide to Grilling focused on increasing young men’s confidence, independence, and lay the foundation for healthy eating habits. Twelve young men learned how to make healthy food choi
Author: Carolina Robles
The problem: Senior Citizens have a difficult time budgeting for food at the grocery store, specifically healthier food options compared to items who have lower nutrition value.The educational program response: The educational program focused on providing information on how to make a budget for meals, how to save money at the grocery store, and overall financial knowledge on healthier food options. The participants/target audience; target audience were senior citizens at an assisted living
Author: Nathan Rider
Smoking meat is a popular topic among chefs, TV cooking shows, and social media. To help Bullitt County residents incorporate new flavors and a new cooking technique into their repertoires, the Family and Consumer Sciences and Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Agents from the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service in Bullitt County teamed up to provide educational information to some new and some seasoned pitmasters.Outside of the usual cooking classes provided by the Coo
Author: Karli Giles
We commonly throw away things like food scraps from fruits, vegetables, and leftovers. We have to remember, when any piece of our food goes into the trash, it is also a waste of all the resources, such as land, water, and energy, that went into producing, transporting, distributing, and storing that food item. Food waste can negatively impact the environment by polluting the land, water, and air which also effects human health. Making small changes to our shopping and meal prepara
Author: Courtney Luecking
The Mobile Food Market was a year-long collaboration among the Campus Kitchen at the University of Kentucky, Extension Cooperative Service, and community partners to support low-income families with children under age 6 in central Kentucky who experienced food insecurity. During that time, the Market had profound impact on food waste and food access by redirecting approximately 23,000 pounds&
During the 2022 – 2023 program year, the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service hired 40 Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) agents. Agents brought a diverse background of training and previous experience, with approximately half possessing a nutrition or dietetics background. FCS agents spend a significant amount of time on food and nutrition programming and responding to related cl
Author: Nancy Doyle
The Simpson County Cooperative Extension Service Family and Consumer Science Agent set up at the Franklin Simpson Chamber of Commerce Health Fair to promote Health and Wellness. A total of 150 people were present at the Fair where they answered questions on the prize wheel and sampled chocolate pumpkin snack cakes, showing nutritious alternatives for snacks. 100 percent of those who sampled the chocolate pumpkin snack cakes liked the snack muffin. One participant reported makin
