The theme for the fall 2013 issue is Building Healthy Communities. Projects featured include Smart Bodies, Healthy Communities, We Can! Louisiana and Let's Move the 100 Way. Science notes include dietary resistant starch, omega-3 and pregnant women, and improving the nutritional profile of rice. 36 pages.
Barbe Elementary School in Lake Charles received a gold award of distinction from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service’s Healthier US Schools Challenge in 2013. Two nutrition agents helped the school achieve its goal.
Pregnancy – a normal, naturally occurring state for women – is sometimes described by scientists, physicians and health care providers as “inflammatory,” a term usually associated with disease.
The first step in creating change is helping families understand the need for change. But with more than half of children in Louisiana living in poverty, many families are simply trying to survive. Federal programs exist to provide assistance in moving families beyond survival mode and onto a path of health, safety and empowerment.
Grain protein content is an important component that determines a nutritional value of rice. Improving protein content in rice will help enhance its nutritional profile. Recent trends indicate that developing healthy lifestyles is an increasingly important goal for many.
Debbie Melvin likes to say that it takes 30 days to make something a habit. She spends eight Monday evenings with a group of women helping them form healthy habits they can have for the rest of their lives.
The popular Dairy Store on LSU’s campus features ice cream in flavors such as Tiger Bite and Rum Raisin, but on the other side of the Dairy Science building, LSU AgCenter researchers are working on ways to make dairy products healthier. One of those researchers, Kayanush Aryana, is adding healthy ingredients to yogurt such as immune boosters, omega-3fatty acids and fiber.
The 'We Can! Louisiana' nutrition education program is designed with input from representatives of the target population, including time and location of classes.
Quality of life in later years is associated with protection against age-related changes to health status.While change with time is inescapable, lifestyle, such as diet, is known to delay the onset and extent of some changes. Age-related macular degeneration affects the eyesight of more than 14 percent of individuals 70-79 years of age, and it is the leading causeof blindness in the elderly.
It is difficult for nutrition researchers to accurately determine what people eat and how often they eat. But smartphone technology is changing that.
Obesity among adults and youth is a growing healthcare problem at the national and local level and carries with it significant costs, both in terms of dollars and lives. In the United States, one-third of children and two thirdsof adults are classified as overweight or obese, and this increasing obesity trend seems likely to continue.
Consumer attitudes and behavior regarding healthy and nutritious foods in the United States have undergone significant changes the past several decades.These changes have contributed to a growth in the demand for minimally processed foods.
Louisiana Agriculture Magazine
Dean Ken Koonce retires after 46 years at LSU. The LSU chapter of the MANNRS organization has been re-esstablished. Professor Jim Griffin has started a quest to find more graduate students for the College of Agriculture.
The overwhelming majority of studies show 100 percent fruit juice consumption was not associated with higher weight in children.
The ultimate goal of LSU AgCenter nutrition education and nutrition research programs is to build healthier communities across Louisiana. Helping people learn to eat better, exercise more and lose weight can go a long way toward disease prevention and intervention. This will help hold down the costs of health care, improve the productivity of the workforce and enhance the quality of life for everyone.
The AgCenter and LSU have joined forces to promote Burden Museum & Gardens. The Botanic Gardens wins a national design award. Three new specialists join the AgCenter. Denise Holston-West has won the 2013 Southern Region Excellence Award.
Research has shown that including fruits and vegetables in thediet is important for the maintenance of health and prevention of disease. Fruits and vegetables have many nutrients such as vitamins C and A and fiber. They also contain antioxidants called phytochemicals, which help reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
Americans do not consume enough fiber in their diets. Fiber is a diverse substance that comes from or can be synthesized from foods. One of the major differences among fibers is the property of fermentability. For a food substance to be a fiber, it must not be digestible, which means the substance reaches the large intestine.
Louisiana youth are more likely to be overweight or obese than their peers in other states. Some children consume a majority of their calories at school (breakfast, lunch and snack) and depend on school physical education programs for adequate fitness lessons.
An AgCenter team went to Kosovo as part of a project to improve livestock health. The AgCenter is conducting a project with China concerning the coastal ecosystem.
Probiotics are live microorganisms, which, when consumed in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host. Probiotics were first commercialized via yogurts, namely “Yakult,” which was introduced in Japan in 1935.
Cars were lined up for a mile trying to get into the Family Fall Fest at the Thomas Jason Lingo Center in Oak Grove on a sunny Saturday morning on Oct. 12.