My daughter-in-law is pregnant but doesn’t seem to be gaining much weight. She is pleased, but I’m concerned. Should I be?
You don’t say how far along in her pregnancy your daughter-in-law is, but you should know that doctors generally recommend women gain only 1 to 4 pounds total during the first three months, and then 2 to 4 pounds per month until birth.
However, guidance varies depending on the circumstances. For example, teens who are pregnant are encouraged to gain more weight, as their own bodies are still developing. And a woman’s pre-pregnancy weight plays a major role: According to the Insitute of Medicine, women at a normal weight for their height should gain 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy. Underweight women should gain more, 28 to 40 pounds....
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Just about everyone agrees that food and health are inextricably linked.
But Yael Vodovotz goes well beyond that standard: the Ohio State University food scientist focuses on creating new functional foods that potentially could prevent and treat chronic disease without demanding that consumers make major changes to their diet.
Among the products under development: Soy-based bread that contains enough soy to approach what's typical in the soy-rich Asian diet. Soy-based soft pretzels with a low glycemic index to fight diabetes and weight gain. Black raspberry confections and nectar packed with polyphenols to battle prostate and oral cancer.
The idea is to formulate foods with specific health benefits that can be easily incorporated into the typical American diet,...
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Planting seeds: that's what you can do with a school garden, not only in the ground, but in the minds of young people.
"Using the environment as a context for learning is an incredible tool," said Susan Hogan, program assistant for Ohio State University Extension's 4-H Youth Development program.
"Gardening at school sites addresses many of the science academic content standards and also increases social and interpersonal skills," Hogan said. "Sometimes, children who have learning difficulties or who are struggling do better when they're learning outdoors.”
Hogan, who has experience working in environmental education, joined OSU Extension in December. As spring approached, she began getting more inquiries from area schools for...
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State University Extension is taking part in a five-year, $4 million grant to help isolated communities increase availability of nutritious foods.
"We're focusing on areas defined as 'rural food deserts' as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture," said Dan Remley, field specialist in food, nutrition and wellness for OSU Extension and Ohio's representative on the project's team. "These are low-income census tracts where a substantial number or share of people are far from supermarkets, generally in the southern and eastern parts of the state."
The project, called "Voices for Food," is being led by South Dakota State University and also includes land-grant university researchers in Indiana, Michigan, Missouri...
A friend is dealing with the aftereffects of identity theft. Is there anything I can do to protect myself from that type of thing?
Unfortunately, reports of identity theft are surging these days. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently noted that 369,132 cases were reported in 2012, up from 279,226 in 2011 -- an increase of 32 percent.
Everyone should take steps to protect themselves from identity theft. The ideas below are from the FTC at http://bit.ly/idprot and from eXtension, a clearinghouse of research-based information from the nation’s land-grant universities, at http://bit.ly/reduceIDrisk. You can find even more strategies at those sites, but here are some basics:
At home, keep your financial documents and records locked in a safe place. That’s especially...
I always thought almost everyone should eat about 2,000 calories a day, because that’s what is listed on Nutrition Facts labels. But my doctor told me almost no one should eat 2,000 calories a day. Can you clarify this?
The number of calories you should consume each day is personalized, as much as it can be, according to your age, your sex and your activity level.
Calorie recommendations for adults range from a low of 1,600 calories a day for sedentary women 51 or older, to a high of 3,000 calories a day for active men from 19 to 35.
Even though the standard of 2,000 calories a day is appropriate for only a few groups — including sedentary men who are 61 or older and moderately active women between 31 and 50 — it’s not a bad standard to base Nutrition Facts...
A lot of my friends seem to be trying the Paleo diet these days. Is the diet safe and sound?
Most mainstream nutritionists hesitate giving their stamp of approval to any diet that eliminates entire food groups from the menu, and that’s what this diet does. But it can offer some benefits.
For anyone who has been, well, living in a cave since this diet debuted, here are the basics: The Paleolithic diet, which also goes by names like the Caveman diet or the Stone Age diet, purports that the human body is programmed to respond well to a diet much like the one eaten by our hunter-gatherer ancestors. Details vary among proponents, but, for the most part, “in” foods include fresh meat, fish and shellfish, poultry, eggs, fats (including lard), vegetables (some versions allow...
Editor: March 3-9, 2013, is Ohio 4-H Week.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- When he was about 8 years old growing up in the small town of Vernal, Utah, E. Gordon Gee joined 4-H, the youth development program of the nation's land-grant universities and Cooperative Extension System.
Now president of The Ohio State University, overseeing six campuses, 65,000 students and 42,000 faculty and staff, Gee is among the most highly experienced, respected and recognized leaders in higher education. And he gives credit to 4-H for helping set him on his successful path.
"I greatly valued my 4-H experience," Gee said. "I believe 4-H first instilled in me the value of community, and it also provided some of my earliest opportunities to work with peers as part of a team."
...
We had a nice weekend getaway a while back and brought home some artisan cheese we found in a local shop. Today I saw some mold on it. Can I just cut the mold away or is the whole block of cheese unsafe?
It sounds like the cheese you’re talking about is a hard cheese (not something soft, like cream cheese). If that’s the case, you likely can still look forward to enjoying it.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service has a detailed fact sheet on mold online at http://bit.ly/moldonfood. Scroll down to the end and you’ll find a chart that lists all sorts of foods and what to do if you find mold on them.
Fortunately, mold spores generally can’t penetrate deeply into hard cheese. So, just cut the mold off, at least one inch around...
WOOSTER, Ohio -- Jeff LeJeune knows the value of collaboration.
The newly appointed director of Ohio State University's Food Animal Health Research Program (FAHRP) has teamed up on research and other projects with faculty from across the university since his arrival in Wooster in 2001.
FAHRP is housed on the Wooster campus of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, the research arm of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. LeJeune took the reins as director on Feb. 1. Like his predecessor, Mo Saif, LeJeune is now also assistant dean in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Trained as a veterinarian and a microbiologist, LeJeune is now leading a team of about 75 faculty, staff and students focused on the health of food-producing animals.
"...
I know National Nutrition Month is coming up in March, and I want to use the occasion to jump-start my resolution to eat better this year. But I’ve done this kind of thing before and I’m out of new ideas. Where can I find some good ones?
This is a great plan. It’s not unusual for New Year’s resolutions to wane by now. But using National Nutrition Month to revive your resolve is a shrewd move: There will likely be an abundance of nutrition-related information out there for the taking, and you’re bound to find new ways to get back on track.
You can take the bull by the horns and search out ideas yourself. A great place to start is the website of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association). As the sponsor of National...
WOOSTER, Ohio -- A scientist at Ohio State University's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center can offer insight into a new coronavirus that is being blamed for 12 illnesses and five deaths internationally over the past 10 months, and which appears to begin to be spreading, but with limited person-to-person spread.
Linda Saif is known nationally and internationally for her work on enteric viruses, including coronaviruses, which affect both food-producing animals and humans. Saif is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a Distinguished University Professor in the Food Animal Health Research Program on OARDC's Wooster campus. OARDC is the research arm of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
Coronavirus family members include the...
I’m about to retire, and my husband retired two years ago. Although we have a great relationship, I’m a little concerned about being together 24/7. What advice do you have for us so we don’t get on each other’s nerves?
Since you describe your marriage as a strong one, the good news is you already have a great head start. Some of the research on marital relationships has found that retirement tends to magnify the relationship already in place: happy couples who share common interests tend to have a positive experience after retirement, while couples who are already dissatisfied with their marriage tend to experience additional problems.
Still, this will be a big change for both you and your husband. It’s likely he has established some routines at home while...
How much protein should I eat every day?
Determining how much protein an adult should consume each day might seem confusing. According to the Institute of Medicine, which sets nutrition recommendations, a healthy adult should consume anywhere from 10 to 35 percent of total calories in protein per day. That’s a big range. The average American diet amounts to about 15 percent protein, or about 75 grams a day for those on a 2,000 calorie-a-day diet.
Additionally, the Institute of Medicine advises that adults should eat a minimum of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram (or 0.37 grams per pound) of ideal body weight. For a person whose ideal weight is 160 pounds, for example, that would be a minimum of about 60 grams of protein.
Paying attention to both pieces of guidance is important...
What’s the best thing to do when you hear a food that you’ve recently purchased is being recalled?
First, find out why the product is being recalled. If it’s due to an undeclared food allergen, for example, and no one in your household suffers from that allergy, you don’t have to worry about it.
However, if the recall is due to concern about foodborne illness and you haven’t yet eaten the product, you have two options. You can return the product to the store and ask for a refund, or you can throw it away. If you decide to dispose of it, do it in a way so you’re sure it won’t be consumed by anyone else. Also: It’s not a good idea to feed the recalled food to pets. They can get sick from the food just like you can.
If you’ve already...
EDITOR: Much of the information in this news release comes from the Peace Corps. See the agency's official news release at www.peacecorps.gov. To see additional material provided by the Peace Corps, contact Martha Filipic at filipic.3@osu.edu.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State University surged four places on the Peace Corps’ annual list of the top volunteer-producing schools, placing for the first time among the top 10 large universities, the international organization said yesterday (2/5).
With 80 Ohio State graduates currently serving as Peace Corps volunteers, an increase of nine volunteers over last year, the university now ranks No. 9 and "remains a solid source of alumni committed to making a difference at home and abroad," the Peace Corps said.
Since...
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Welcome to chocolate class. Or better yet, beer and wine 101.
Ohio State University's Department of Food Science and Technology has plenty of standing-room-only courses to whet the appetite of students who, truth be told, may be looking for what they think will be an easy class to help make their semester coursework go down a little easier.
"Students might take Chocolate Science or some of our other courses because they think they will be fun," said Sheryl Barringer, who originated Chocolate Science at Ohio State in 2007 and who currently serves as interim chair for the department, which is part of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
"But we hope to get them interested in the field of food science, not necessarily to...
With Valentine’s Day approaching, can you tell me more about the health benefits of chocolate and red wine?
First, a word of caution: Don’t let positive news about foods and beverages that you enjoy give you an excuse to go on a bender. While there is some promising research on dark chocolate and red wine, overindulging on them would undermine the possibility of reaping benefits.
With that said, you might want to take a look at a Chow Line column from last year, “Jury still out on chocolate’s benefits,” online at http://go.osu.edu/choc. The bottom line: Flavonoids in very dark chocolate may improve the function of blood vessels, but the sugar and saturated fat it contains could cause other problems for the cardiovascular system. So, enjoy dark chocolate,...
I’m trying to do all I can to avoid getting the flu this season. Is there anything in particular I should include in my diet that could help?
When it comes to avoiding the flu, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the best actions you can take are to get vaccinated with the flu shot; take everyday precautions against the spread of germs, such as avoiding contact with sick people and washing your hands thoroughly and often; and, if you get the flu, see your doctor quickly (within two days of becoming ill) and ask about taking antiviral drugs to treat the illness.
A healthy, balanced diet won’t prevent you from being exposed to the flu virus, but it can help boost your immune system to help you fight off the flu virus and other illnesses. Recently, the Academy...
CANFIELD, Ohio -- Landowners interested in shale energy development may want to attend an Ohio State University Extension workshop on Feb. 23.
"Shale and You: A Workshop for Landowners" will be held at the Mill Creek MetroParks Farm, 7574 Columbiana-Canfield Road, Canfield, 1-5:30 p.m.
Registration is $15. Materials and refreshments will be guaranteed to those whose registrations arrive at the OSU Extension Ag Law's office in Columbus by Feb. 18. The registration form with the office's address and other details is available at http://shalegas.osu.edu. Click on the "Shale and You" event under "Upcoming Extension Events."
"We held a similar workshop in Cambridge last November, and those who attended said they got a lot out of it," said...
How can I calculate how much total interest I will be charged until I get my credit card bill paid off?
First, good for you for thinking in these terms. Too many people, especially young people, continue to rack up so much debt on credit cards that they may not be able to pay it off — ever.
In fact, a recent Ohio State University study showed that many younger people — those born between 1980 and 1984 — tend to spend more money than they make every month, making up the difference on their credit cards. The result could be a lifetime of trying to manage credit card debt. The researchers said it was likely many could die decades from now, still owing money on their cards.
The key, obviously, is to live within your means, stop using credit, and make higher monthly...
I really miss topping my salads off with a handful of alfalfa sprouts. What makes them so unsafe?
It doesn’t seem that long ago that sprouts were ubiquitous at every salad bar you approached. Not so much anymore. They’ve even disappeared from some major grocery store chains after numerous outbreaks traced to sprouts in recent years.
The problem is in the way sprouts grow: Seeds need warm, moist growing conditions to sprout — exactly the conditions that illness-causing bacteria, such as Salmonella and E. coli, need to thrive.
Even if there’s just a small amount of bacteria on or inside a seed, those cells can multiply to dangerous levels within hours in such conditions.
The irony is that raw sprouts have long been touted as one of nature’s most potent...
MEDINA, Ohio -- Ohio's produce farmers may want to take some time to review the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's newly proposed Produce Safety rule. They have until May 16 to comment before the rule is finalized, said Ashley Kulhanek, agriculture and natural resources educator for Ohio State University Extension.
After finalization, the rule will take effect for some operators within a mere 60 days.
"That's a short period of time after finalization before they have to comply with the new rules," she said.
The proposed Produce Safety rule, announced on Jan. 4 and published in the Federal Register today, is one way the government is putting the Food Safety Modernization Act into practice. The act was signed into law in January 2011, and growers and the food...
I’m looking for easy ways to make some of my recipes and meals healthier. Any ideas?
This is a great way to start the new year, and yes, there are plenty of ideas to increase nutrients and reduce fat and calories in the foods you prepare at home. Below are some favorites, primarily from Ohio State University Extension (see “Modifying a Recipe to be Healthier” at http://ohioline.osu.edu) and eXtension (see “Recipe Substitutions” at http://www.extension.org).
To reduce fat:
Use evaporated skim milk instead of cream.
Use 1/4 cup egg substitute or two egg whites in place of a whole egg.
In quick breads, muffins, brownies or cakes, substitute half or all of the oil, butter or other shortening with unsweetened applesauce, mashed bananas or fruit puree....
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State University has a long history of cultivating international relationships.
Now the university's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) is expanding that role through the Office of International Programs in Agriculture by forming a three-way partnership designed to bring together university expertise at Ohio State, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in India and Egerton University in Kenya.
The U.S./India/Africa Tri-lateral University Partnership Program for Food Security will combine the strengths of PAU with Ohio State's expertise in agricultural capacity-building to address poverty and hunger issues in Kenya and throughout Africa.
The program is a joint effort of the U.S. government and the government of...
