I seemed to get sick a lot last winter. Besides citrus fruits, is there anything I can eat to fight bugs before they get a foothold?
The best thing you can do to boost your immune system through diet is to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Will that ward off all illness? Not by a long shot. Although there is some science behind the guidance, it’s important to remember that the immune system is a complicated thing, and there’s still a lot that researchers don’t understand about exactly what affects its performance. Still, science does provide some evidence that a healthful diet can help.
For example, a British study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in December 2012 followed 83 volunteers, ages 65 to 85, who normally ate only two servings of...
I lost a lot of weight years ago, but I always struggle during the holidays. How can I make sure I maintain my weight over the next few months?
You’re right that holidays pose a challenge when it comes to weight management. There are typically so many special occasions and gatherings that involve indulgent food and drink that it’s very easy to forsake healthful habits.
Apparently, this can be more of a challenge for people who have successfully taken off weight than for people who have never struggled with weight issues.
A 2008 study in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology compared holiday experiences of people who had previously lost a lot of weight (averaging about 75 pounds) and kept off much of it, and those who had always maintained a healthful weight....
Editor: Members of the media are welcome to attend all or part of this event. To gain access, contact Julie Manning at 614-292-0229 or manning.318@osu.edu
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Many people use the Dietary Guidelines for Americans to gauge the health of their diets.
Most don’t realize that the guidelines are primarily written for policymakers, not consumers, and are designed as a tool to drive health and wellness on a broad scale.
As the 2015 version of the guidelines is being developed, Ohio State University’s Food Innovation Center has organized a summit for food industry representatives, academics, decision-makers and others “to have a high-level conversation on food and health,” said Julie Manning, executive manager of the center and summit organizer.
The Food...
My boyfriend stores potatoes and onions in the refrigerator. I keep them in the pantry. Who’s right?
Experts recommend potatoes be stored at a temperature between 45 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and that onions be stored in a cool, dry place.
So, unless your boyfriend has a particularly warm refrigerator (which should be kept at 40 degrees or below), and unless you have a particularly cool pantry, neither of you are storing potatoes and onions in ideal conditions.
Potatoes especially should be kept out of the refrigerator. When stored at temperatures cooler than 45 degrees, starches in a potato begin to break down into sugars. Note: This is not how you make a sweet potato. The accumulation of sugars will cause the potato to darken when cooked. If you do have cold potatoes, it...
We’re taking a look at our regular expenses, and I think we might be paying too much for car insurance. What’s the best way to find out?
Car insurance is one of those expenses that can range from reasonable to “whoa.” But it can take some legwork to determine if you’re paying more than you need to.
An easy first step would be to find a website that offers a way to compare rates from different companies. One such site, NerdWallet.com, offers a comparison after you enter your ZIP code and basic information about your car. While the estimates provided are just that — estimates — the site offers a quick rate comparison. Your actual cost would vary depending on what type coverage you get, your driving history and other factors.
Like most...
My 6-year-old daughter is excited about trick-or-treating this year, but I’m concerned about how to limit the candy she eats afterward. What’s the best way to handle Halloween?
Actually, Halloween can be a perfect time to focus on balance and moderation in the diet. Figuring out how to fit sweet treats into a healthy eating pattern is a good lesson to learn early in life.
So, how do you do that? It can be tricky. Too much restriction could tempt your child to snitch the forbidden treats. At the same time, keeping the Halloween haul within arm’s reach could lead to mindless munching and overindulging.
Nutrition experts suggest talking with your child in advance about how much candy is a reasonable amount at any given time — normally one or two snack-size treats....
WOOSTER, Ohio — An analysis of studies examining the role wildlife play in the transmission of foodborne illness and antimicrobial resistance in the food chain offers a broad picture of what’s known on the topic and identifies gaps in current knowledge.
Published in August in Zoonoses and Public Health, the research analyzed nearly 900 studies dating from the 1990s that looked at wildlife’s role in transmitting bacterial pathogens and antimicrobial resistance to the food chain.
Researchers found a significant body of research on the role wild birds play in the transmission of pathogens such as E. coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter, but found little research on how to actually reduce risks posed by wildlife, said Jeff LeJeune, head of the Food Animal Health...
I understand that people are advised to cut back on added sugars in the diet. But why? Is it just that they’re “empty calories” or are there other reasons?
That’s a question even the experts are pondering these days.
In the past, consuming too much added sugar was seen as a sickeningly sweet path to both weight gain and cavities, but if you kept your weight in check and your teeth in good shape, it wasn’t really seen as harmful in other ways.
But in the last five years or so, new research is causing the scientific community to take a second look.
Studies and analysis in the scientific literature indicate that overconsumption of added sugars could in itself play a role in the development of heart disease. While not yet settled science, these ideas...
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Young people across Ohio are celebrating National 4-H Week this week.
Across the country, 6 million children and teens are involved with the nation’s largest youth development organization. In Ohio, 250,000 youth participants, led by 29,000 adult and teen volunteers, participate in 4-H activities.
Ohio 4-H is the youth development program of Ohio State University Extension, the outreach arm of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
“We know that participation in 4-H activities has a long-lasting impact on youth,” said Tom Archer, state 4-H leader. “A Tufts University study showed that 4-H members are four times more likely to make contributions to their communities and two times more likely to participate in science...
Sometimes when I eat an apple, I get a stomachache afterward. Could it be from pesticide residues?
It’s highly unlikely that your stomach pains are coming from pesticide residues. In fact, there’s no evidence to support that notion.
It’s true that apples tend to land high on the list of the highly publicized Environmental Working Group’s annual Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce. In fact, in its 2014 report, the organization said nearly all apples it tested were positive for at least one pesticide residue.
Although that sounds alarming, the report doesn’t say much about the levels of pesticides detected. The organization uses data gathered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to come up with its listings. In the data the group used for its...
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Although the Lake Erie algae problems that contaminated Toledo’s water supply in early August have subsided, the crisis raised questions about animal manure application on farmland in Ohio and how it may have contributed to the problem.
In response, Ohio State University Extension’s agricultural and resource law field specialist has written a summary of Ohio laws relating to livestock and manure handling. OSU Extension’s September 2014 Ag Law Bulletin “Animal Manure Regulation in Ohio” is online at go.osu.edu/manureregpdf.
OSU Extension is the outreach arm of Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
“I hope the bulletin will help people understand the existing regulatory scheme...
Editor: Brent Sohngen will discuss some of these findings as a panelist in a Sept. 30 webinar from noon to 1 p.m. For more information on the webinar, see go.osu.edu/algaewebinar. To connect to the webinar (free), go to carmenconnect.osu.edu/waterpollution.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- While agricultural scientists, policymakers and farmers are investigating ways to reduce the risk of severe algal blooms that stem from phosphorus, an Ohio State University environmental economist suggests an economic response could be the most cost-effective one.
Imposing a 25 percent tax on phosphorus, used as a fertilizer primarily on corn, could reduce soluble phosphorus concentrations in the watershed by about 8 percent, according to an analysis led by Brent Sohngen, professor in Ohio State’s Department...
I heard about a study recently that said low-carb diets worked better than low-fat diets. My question is, how “low” is low-carb?
You’re likely talking about a study published in early September in the Annals of Internal Medicine called “Effects of Low-Carbohydrate and Low-Fat Diets: A Randomized Trial.”
The authors’ conclusion — that a low-carbohydrate diet was more effective for weight loss and heart health — got a lot of press. But other experts raised their eyebrows after reading the whole study.
For the study, researchers followed 119 participants for a year and found those placed on a low-carbohydrate diet lost an average of 12 pounds, compared with an average of just 4 pounds for those on a low-fat diet.
For this study, “low-...
This year we have an overabundance of green beans from our garden. If we eat them with rice, will they make a complete protein like other beans do?
Green beans aren’t really “beans,” at least according to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines. They’re great vegetables, though.
The primary difference is in protein content. A cup of green beans contains just 2 grams of protein, whereas a cup of, say, black beans contains 15 grams of protein. Green beans are actually harvested before the bean in the pod has fully matured — that’s why they don’t have as much protein as black beans, kidney beans or other types of dry beans.
Dry beans are a unique food in the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. They can be counted as vegetables or as proteins, and, paired...
Ohio State food lab enters global competition to measure ocean acidification
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- An Ohio State University pH sensor originally designed to be used in the food industry could help turn the tide on the declining health of the globe’s oceans.
A team led by Sudhir Sastry entered the sensor into the Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE competition. Sastry is a professor of food engineering in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and a scientist with the college's research arm, the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.
Along with entries from 17 other teams, the sensor will be examined in lab trials over the next three months for its accuracy in measuring ocean water acidification. The top contenders will move to coastal and...
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ask almost anyone, and they’ll tell you there’s a definite link between the foods you eat and your health, including the risk of developing certain types of cancer.
But the relationship between diet and health is a highly complex one. And it’s the focus of Ohio State University’s Center for Advanced Functional Foods Research and Entrepreneurship. CAFFRE is part of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and involves faculty members from eight other colleges and schools across campus, including the College of Medicine and The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.
The center’s focus, “From Crops to the Clinic to the...
How many fruits and vegetables should children eat every day?
Actually, the recommendations for fruits and vegetables vary widely. They depend on children’s daily calorie needs, which relate to their age and activity level. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans advises that:
Children ages 2 to 5 should eat 1 to 1.5 cups of fruit and 1 to 2 cups of vegetables a day.
Children ages 6 to 11 should eat 1 to 2 cups of fruit and 1.5 to 3 cups of vegetables a day.
Children and teens ages 12 to 19 should eat 1.5 to 2.5 cups of fruit and 2 to 4 cups of vegetables a day.
For details on these recommendations, including amounts of specific types of vegetables and methods to prepare fruits and vegetables, see appendices 6 and 7 in the Dietary Guidelines, online as a PDF at...
LONDON, Ohio -- An exhibit honoring the contributions of women in agriculture will be displayed at this year’s Farm Science Review.
“Women now make up 1 out of every 3 agricultural producers across the U.S.,” said Gigi Neal, Ohio State University Extension educator in agriculture and natural resources and co-leader of OSU Extension¹s Ohio Women in Agriculture team. “We want to recognize the women who are often the backbone of agriculture across the state of Ohio.”
Neal asked Extension educators across Ohio to nominate women for the display, which will be housed in the Firebaugh Building at 384 Friday Ave. at this year¹s Review, Sept. 16-18 at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London, Ohio.
OSU Extension is the outreach arm of Ohio State...
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State University Extension wants Ohio’s families to live smart.
And to get families thinking that way, OSU Extension’s Family and Consumer Sciences program has launched a social media-based contest through September: For a chance to win a pair of Nov. 1 Ohio State University-University of Illinois football tickets, Ohioans are being asked to post pictures of their smart healthy lifestyle choices with the hashtag #LiveSmartOhio on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram by Sept. 30.
The best posts will be featured on a new Live Smart Ohio website to be launched in November, and a grand prize winner will be chosen at random during the first week of October for the football tickets, said Jamie Seger, one of the project’s organizers.
“We wanted to...
We had a cookout at my sister’s house last weekend and I noticed she rinsed off her chicken in the sink before preparing it for cooking. Are we supposed to do that?
In a word, no. In three words, no, no, no!
Your sister may be confusing food safety guidelines for poultry with those for produce. Fresh fruits and vegetables should be rinsed under running water before cutting into or consuming them. But poultry really shouldn’t be.
Raw poultry is likely to harbor bacteria that can cause foodborne illness, such as Campylobacter and Salmonella. A well-publicized study by Consumer Reports earlier this year found 97 percent of the 316 chicken breasts tested were contaminated with bacteria that could make you sick.
The thing is, cooking, not rinsing, is what destroys...
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In 2002, the first international workshop related to nonthermal food processing -- that is, preserving food without using heat -- was organized by Ohio State University food engineers and scientists and was hosted on the Columbus campus.
Now, the 2014 International Nonthermal Processing Workshop is returning to its roots, Oct. 22-24.
“Nonthermal Processing Systems for Healthy and Sustainable Foods” is the theme of the conference, said Bala Balasubramaniam, conference organizer and professor of food engineering in Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. The event is co-sponsored by the Nonthermal Processing Division of the Institute of Food Technologists, the European Federation of Food Science and Technology, and...
NEW BLOOMINGTON, Ohio -- Presentations at a field day on Sept. 9 will help farmers address the Lake Erie watershed phosphorus problem, said one of the event’s organizers.
Randall Reeder, emeritus agricultural engineer with Ohio State University Extension, said the Ohio No-till Summer Field Day’s focus on establishing cover crops and maintaining residue on cropland can help minimize runoff and erosion, which reduces the amount of phosphorus in the watershed. OSU Extension is the outreach arm of Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and is one of the event’s sponsors.
Phosphorus is a primary culprit in Lake Erie’s massive algae blooms, one of which shut down the city of Toledo’s water system for several days...
After being inundated with “wellness” messages at work, I started walking more and have lost a few pounds. But it seems to me that children need to hear these kinds of things just as much as adults do. What’s happening in schools?
Your experience isn’t uncommon. More and more workplaces have instituted wellness programs not only to help employees improve their health, but also to cut costs.
A 2010 analysis published in Health Affairs compiled results from 36 studies of such programs. It found that for every dollar spent on workplace wellness programs, medical costs dropped by $3.27, and costs related to absenteeism dropped by $2.73. In hard numbers, the return on investment seems clear. It’s more difficult to quantify the benefits of such programs in...
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A native of Detroit, Anikka Smith didn’t have any experience with horses before she landed an internship with Delaware County’s Equi-Valent Riding Center last year. But the animal sciences major at Ohio State University always felt an affinity for animals, and horses were no exception.
The nonprofit center, which shut down operations at the end of 2013 when the owner moved out of state, was where Smith got her first taste of equine-assisted therapy.
“For the internship, I was supposed to work a minimum of 200 hours, but I figured that I would work at least 300 hours. I ended up staying for almost a year. By August, I was there almost every day, practically living in the trailer they had,” said Smith, who is starting her senior year at Ohio State...
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The number of horizontal oil and gas wells in Ohio’s shale is growing exponentially, and residents often have concerns about potential environmental impacts.
But people often worry about just one aspect -- the potential for groundwater contamination, said Joe Bonnell, watershed management program director in Ohio State University’s School of Environment and Natural Resources for Ohio State University Extension.
“The impacts are much broader than what most people consider when they think of oil and gas production,” he said.
The school and OSU Extension are both part of Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).
To help Ohioans gain an appreciation of the bigger picture on what to expect environmentally...
