Left to right Lucien J. Gauff III, Sheila Baloney and Cynthia Clifton head start water bottles.

Lucien Gauff III presenting check to Cynthia Clifton for Head Start water bottles.

Health Blue water bottles delivered to East St. John High by Cynthia Clifton to Tiffany Benoit and Yvette Scioneaux.

Find fresh vegetables at the market.

Healthy St. John Community Coalition completed painting stencils in the park this is a photo of the caterpillar.

What is a Foodborne Illness?

Can you identify a foodborne illness? Who is most vulnerable to foodborne illnesses?Well, let us see what a foodborne illness is and who is most vulnerable.

Foodborne illness is caused by consuming contaminated foods or beverages.Food poisoning is a type of foodborne illness caused by swallowing toxins.Symptoms of food poisoning begin quickly, usually within 60 minutes after eating the contaminated food.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention each year:

• 48 million illnesses are from foodborne illnesses
• 128,000 people are hospitalized due to food poisoning
• 3,000 deaths in this country can be traced to foodborne pathogens
• Foodborne illness costs Americans billions of dollars each year, and serves as a constant challenge for consumers, researchers, and government

Foodborne illness come in mild and severe symptoms:

Mild Symptoms: Severe Symptoms:

• Upset stomach Reactive arthritis
• Stomach cramps Brain and nerve
• Nausea Kidney failure
• Vomiting Death
• Diarrhea
• Fever

Who is most vulnerable to foodborne illnesses:

Pregnant women – can affect immune system changes; infect the fetus even if the mother does not feel sick; lead to miscarriage or premature delivery.

Infants and Children – immune system is still developing; young children with developing immune systems cannot fight off infections as well as adults can; young children produce less stomach acid that kills harmful bacteria, making it easier for them to get sick.

Older adults – the gastrointestinal tract holds onto food for a longer period; the liver and kidneys may not properly rid the body of foreign bacteria and toxins; the stomach may not produce enough acid; underlying chronic conditions, such as diabetes and cancer, may also increase a person’s risk of foodborne illness.

People with weak immune systems – individuals with Diabetes, liver or kidney disease, HIV/AIDS, autoimmune diseases, organ transplants; and people receiving chemotherapy are at a higher risk.

So, during this Thanksgiving and Christmas Holiday, try to be careful with the food that you prepare and how you store the food after they are cooked.

Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!

Nutrition Blog

Do you know the health benefits of Green Beans?

We have many different names for green beans, such as snap beans, string beans, French style green beans, and cut green beans.Did you know that they give back to the soils and are healthy for your body?They are sometimes called the kidney-shaped bean. They no longer have the string pulled from the side as before.

Green beans provide many nutrients such as vitamin C, dietary fiber, folate, vitamin K and silicon health for your skin, bones, and nails.Green beans are very easy to grow because of the nitrogen from the air that flows through the bean roots. The decomposition of the nitrogen liberates the soil for the upcoming year planting and harvesting.Energy is stored in the seed of the green bean. Most times, green beans do not require fertilizer because there is enough food to help the green beans grow until the leaves starts to appear.A green bean at its peak of growing and ready for harvesting should be a little vivid in color with a very firm texture and makes a popping sound when broken in half.The green bean freezes very well and can be frenched style, cut whole or cut in half.Green beans can be used in a variety of different ways such as salads, casseroles, sautéed in olive oil and garlic, tossed in a salad with walnuts, almonds, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds.Green beans are my favorite when they are cut in half and steamed with a little butter and seasoning.Green beans are a perfect dish for the holidays, at any time of the year.

Healthy Recipe

Green Bean Casserole from Scratch

Are you looking for a vegetable for Thanksgiving to offset your turkey?Why not cook a green bean casserole from scratch!It is fun and easy to make.Ready to start!

The following ingredients will be needed:

• 1 lb. fresh green beans washed, ends trimmed
• 2 cups half and half or whole milk
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 7 white mushrooms washed and sliced
• 2 slices of bacon chopped
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• ½ cup chopped yellow onion
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup French fried onions

Directions:

1. Cut all beans in half and cook in boiling water until tender.Drain and set aside.
2. Butter a 2 qt. baking dish and set aside.
3. In a large saucepan, sauté bacon until crispy.
4. Add butter, onion and mushrooms and cook until soft.
5. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together milk and cornstarch.
6. Add the milk to the saucepan, half of a cup at a time and whisk until it thickens.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Pour the mixture over the green beans. Toss gently to coat.
9. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.You can cover the dish with saran wrap and refrigerate overnight or bake right away.
10. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
11. Top with French fried onions and bake for 10 to 15 minutes.
12. Let set in room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.

This dish serves 5 people and has 169 calories.

Healthy St. John Community Coalition Projects

Healthy St. John Community Coalition decided to adopt giving water bottles to the schools in St. John the Baptist Parish as one of their PSE (Policy, System, Environment) changes.Cynthia Clifton started making some calls to see if she could get organizations volunteer to donate water bottles.To the greatest surprise, Healthy Blue donated 200 water bottles to ESJH and the Rotary Club of LaPlace donated 170 water bottles to the Head Start students.

The water bottles were adopted because of the COVID-19 pandemic so that each student would have their own personal water bottle to bring water from home to hydrate themselves during the day at school.Another project the Healthy St. John Community Coalition completed was painting stencils in the Thomas Daley park in LaPlace. One of the stencils painted in the park was the caterpillar for the children to play hopscotch.Healthy St, John Community Coalition will continue to focus on other PSEs in the future, like adding healthy snacks and 100% juices to vending machines in the schools.

Individuals or groups that are interested in attending nutrition lessons can contact Cynthia Clifton, Nutrition Extension Agent, LSU AgCenter at 985-497-3261 or cclifton@agcenter.lsu.edu. Visit our parish Facebook page at http://facebook.com/lsuagcenterstjohnparish

The LSU AgCenter is a statewide campus of the LSU System and provides equal opportunities in programs and employment.