Consuming the recommended number of vegetables each day is linked to a reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and obesity. This equals 2 to 3 cups of vegetables a day, depending on age and gender. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 6.3 percent of adults in Kentucky meet the daily vegetable intake recommendations. To increase vegetable consumption in local adults, the Robertson County Extension office presented the Sensational Salad workshop during the Maysville Community & Technical College’s, Farm & Family Night. 

Farm and Family Night is an annual event where participants could choose from a program of concurrent sessions on farm and home including cattle management, forage, alternative crops, technology, horticulture, wildlife management, sustainable agriculture, beekeeping, cooking, home management and health issues. 

The Sensational Salads program lesson placed an emphasis on learning different types of salad greens and how to add other nutritious foods to turn a salad into a complete meal. This lesson was delivered deliberately in March to provide participants with new copies of the 2023 Recipe Calendar and provide discussion about the upcoming Farmer’s Market season, to further increase health benefits. During the presentation there were three different types of salads prepared for tasting. 

• Plate it Up KY Proud- Kale and Cauliflower Salad
• Cooking Through the Calendar- Rainbow Pasta Salad
• Plan. Eat. Move. - BBQ Chicken Salad

Of those surveyed:

• 85 % percent indicated they already had an excellent understanding or now have a better understanding of the nutritional value of salad greens.
• 91% percent indicated they already had an excellent understanding or now have a better understanding of how to select, prepare, and/or store salad greens.
• 97% percent indicated they already had an excellent understanding or now have a better understanding of how to identify ways to add color, texture, crunch, and/or more nutrition to a salad.
• 97% percent expressed the intention to try a new type of salad green or salad component to add more nutrition to the diet.
• 97% percent plan to incorporate more salads into meal planning and food preparation to increase vegetables in the diet. 
• Of the participants who returned the evaluation piece some stated that the most significant thing from the program that they will apply to their life is:
  • “Include more Kale into salads.”
  • “Expand taste to oil-based salad dressings.”
  • “I had never tried Kale before; I really liked it.”
  • “Adding fresh fruits & veggies to salads.”
  • “Importance of taking the time to add a variety of “extras” to make a beautiful, healthy salad that will be more eye appealing than what I currently make.”
  • “Adding more variety to salads.”
  • “I like to make salads, but I’m excited to incorporate these new recipes.”
  • “The use of different kinds of greens.”