Danger Zones 

The Pike county Cooperative Extension Service Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program entered into its sixth year of partnership with the Ladies West Care Rehab to provide nutritional classes to female clients. 

Using our Healthy Choices for Everybody Curriculum clients learned to recognize the proper portions control, and how to design a meal plan, read recipe directions, and prepare a grocery list on a limited budget. They were also able to demonstrate proper use of a measuring cup and meat thermometer. Clients also learned about food safety, including how to thaw frozen foods properly and the importance of storing leftovers within 2 hours. 

Fourteen clients completed the program with 100 % graduation rate. Seventy-six percent improved on eating more fruit, vegetables and drinking less soda. Seventy-four percent improved on daily exercise. One hundred percent improved on Food Safety using a meat thermometer, Eighty-three percent improved on cooking dinner at home, comparing food prices and planning meals and checking cupboards before shopping and making a list. 

Female clients wrote “ I learned to always use a thermometer on meat and make sure the temperature is safe” and “Never to thaw meat out at room temperature , and how fast bacteria grows at room temperature, and what the food danger zones are”.