|
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Nutrition per serving | Original | Modified |
| Calories | 144 | 73 |
| Fat | 8.4 g | 1.3 g |
| Cholesterol | 76 mg | 47 mg |
| Sodium | 233 mg | 312 mg |
| Percent of Calories from fat | 52 | 15 |
| NOTE: Sodium is slightly higher in the modified version due to the content of the fat free salad dressing. It could be reduced by cutting the added salt to 1/4 tsp. | ||
|---|---|---|
(PP)
Food
Intakes Differ by Income Level
Data from the Nationwide Food Consumption Survey shows
differences in daily food intake of women of different
income levels. A comparison of food intakes of women
under 131% of poverty and women over 300% poverty shows
the lower income women consume less of the following
foods: milk and milk products, skim milk, vegetables,
fruits, fats and oils, sugar and sweets, alcoholic
beverages, tea, and carbonated drinks. The low income
group consumed more fruit drinks, grain products, and
whole milk compared to the higher income women. Meat and
egg consumption was similar in the two groups.
While this data has implications for nutrition education, it should be interpreted with caution since there has been widespread criticism of the research methods used in this survey. (MS)
Source: Nationwide Consumption Survey, Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals, 1985. HNIS, USDA.
Programming
to Reflect Cultural Differences
A recent article in the Journal of Extension presents
some strategies for developing educational programs for
Native Americans that reflect cultural differences. Many
of these strategies also apply to Extension programming
for other culturally diverse groups.
Building Trust.
The development of trust involves recognizing
contributions of clientele, taking part in community
events, and when possible, using the native language of
your clientele. This can be both time consuming and at
times frustrating. Spending time developing trust can
result in educators feeling unproductive, especially if
previous work has been with traditional audiences where
learning is more easily identified. However, time
invested in building trust can make the difference
between success and failure of an educational program.
Family networking.
A primary strategy for reaching Native Americans with
Extension programs is to first involve key people who
then invite their extended family members to participate.
The extended family plays a similar important role in
other cultural groups.
Using Extenders.
Another useful strategy is to use extenders to increase
outreach. Volunteers can play a key role in increasing
participation in Extension programs. Similarly,
networking with other community organizations can result
in sharing of resources and participation of a more
diverse group of learners.
Communication.
Continual communication also is important. Newsletters
sent to workshop participants often results in ongoing
participation in Extension Programming. Keeping in
personal contact with key people in other agencies is
essential.
Working with diverse groups means Extension Educators must adapt their traditional methods for reaching traditional audiences. Implementing strategies for taking a different approach is a challenge requiring a high degree of commitment to cultural understanding. (MS)
Source: Journal of Extension, Spring 1993
The
History of Food and People
Our most basic need as humans is food. Ape-like people,
living 3 to 5 million years ago, probably existed on
eggs, birds, seeds and fruits. The first humans, homo
erectus, lived at least half a million years ago having
gradually come down out of the trees. Over time, they
acquired the ability to stand upright, developed a larger
brain and perfected hunting and gathering skills for
food. Biologically then, humans are millions of years old
and our need for the different nutrients as they were
determined in our distant past has not changed very much.
Neanderthals lived about 75,000 to 10,000 years BC during and at the end of the last ice age. As the climate warmed, the reindeer retreated north feeding on mosses and grasses that developed as the glaciers retreated. Being omnivorous, humans followed the meat and grasses. Evidence left behind indicates that women especially spent much of their time squatting and suffered from osteomalacia. Could difficult births have contributed to the disappearance of these early people? Their teeth show no dental decay and very little damage. The prized foods were animal organs and bone marrow. They split open the long animal bones to get to the bone marrow rich in phospholopids and iron. Skeletal remains indicate that the average age of death was 20 and that few lived longer than 40 years. No doubt they often succumbed to seasonal malnutrition, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, plant poisons and contaminated food. They learned the hard way what plants were edible.
Cromagnon man developed on the Eurasian continent about 30,000 years ago. They had some tools such as the harpoon, but no bow and arrow. They obviously hunted large and small animals according to the debris left in their caves and had learned to cook with fire.
A distinct advantage of these early humans was their ability to survive, at least until reproductive age, on a wide variety of food stuffs. Thus they were more adaptable than most animals to changed circumstances. Men hunted mammoths, reindeer, rhinoceros, bison, ibex and bears following their seasonal migrations. While men did most of the hunting, women gathered seeds, nuts, berries, and insects. If they were near water, they collected shellfish and caught fish. Upon returning to previous camp sites they likely noticed the familiar, edible plants growing in their refuse piles. Thus began the domestication of edible plants.
Most calories probably came from the gathering activities of the women. With the wild grasses attracting animals and growing nearby, they could harvest close to camp sites. Meat spoiled quickly and there was always the problem of transporting a large kill. Their competitors were predators who were always nearby to share the fruits of the hunt.
In cold climates, food caches (hidden food) would keep food from spoiling so quickly. In hot, dry climates, meat could be dried and salted. About 50,000 years ago, our ancestors learned how to start a fire using flint stones. No longer was all food eaten raw. They could now roast meat and grain on hot stones or perhaps boil it in a stomach bag. Parched grain did not spoil from sprouting. Cooking not only made food safer to eat but also greatly increased its digestibility and inactivated poisons. Making pottery for cooking and storing food would come later.
Domestication of animals developed over a long period of time. Reindeer herding is still practiced in some cold climates. The small Asiatic wolf became the dog. The milk from goats, reindeer, cattle and other animals greatly improved the nutrition of the people. Skins and hair from sheep and goats became garments. Domestic animals now provided a ready source of meat usually grazing on plants that were not suitable food for humans.
Improved nutrition was a necessary ingredient for the world's population to grow from an estimated half a million apemen when the ice ages started, to 3 million at the beginning of agriculture, about 10,000 B.C., known as the beginning of the Neolithic period.
The Neolithic period started with the intentional sowing and harvesting of grains. It is likely people settled in present-day Iraq, Turkey and Syria because the wild grasses of barley and wheat grew well there. These early farming settlements near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers likely came about because of a stable food supply. Over time, everyday meals came to consist of barley paste or barley bread with onions or beans plus beer. Fish from the rivers and dates and figs were also available. But the settlers did not know anything about fertilizing and the soils became exhausted turning into desert or were spoiled by irrigation. In Egypt, the Nile flooded annually bringing new soil from its upper reaches. Also the Egyptians learned how to leaven bread from their main crop, wheat.
There are some lessons to be learned from this long food history of mankind. Civilization could only develop when people had a dependable and relatively nutritious food supply year round. In earlier times, life was just too precarious with feast of famine the rule rather than the exception.
Furthermore, over the millennia our bodies have developed ways to adapt to changing conditions to cope with limited amounts and kinds of nutrients. While one nutrient can not usually substitute for another, our bodies employ a number of strategies to deal with imbalances and shortages.
The good news is that until late in life, we usually can recover from malnutrition and mistreating our bodies when they are given the necessary calories and nutrients. Recovery, however, may not mean "good as new" and the effects of imbalanced or inadequate diet can shorten life as well as lower its quality.
Another point is that the factors that are important for survival may not be the ones most useful for a long, healthy existence. Evolution did not select for longevity but rather for survival of the species through successful reproduction. We are now learning how nutrition can impact longevity and our standards for what is optimal nutrition are evolving.
One final point is that food will continue to be a key, if not the most important, factor in promoting health and well-being in the future just as it has throughout past eons. In this time of abundant food supplies, nearly unlimited choices, and growing numbers of obese people, we forget how precious food is for those who don't have it. Our political and social institutions are still struggling with the value of food: is it a right or a privilege? Perhaps we are not as far removed from our ancestors as we think we are. (MC)
(This is the first of a two-part series on the history of food and people and its implications for today.)
Sources: Benham, Harvey. 1981. Man's Struggle for Food. University Press of America, Lanham, MD.; Tannahill, Reay. 1973. Food in History. Stein and Day NY, NY.
Elderly
Resist Change?
The common stereotype is that older folks won't change
their diets; however, a study in Australia suggests
otherwise. True, most elderly like familiar foods and
surroundings, especially when buffeted by many
uncontrolled changes in their lives such as becoming
physically impaired or losing a spouse. In this study, a
random sample of 153 elderly people were followed up a
year and a half after they had participated in a large
dietary survey that used a food frequency questionnaire.
On a repeat of the survey, 67 percent of the men and 68
percent of the women had changed their diets with most of
the changes towards the current dietary guidelines.
The most frequently reported dietary changes were eating less meat(13.7% of subjects), fewer eggs (3.9%) and less fried and fatty foods (3.3%). The foods eaten more often were vegetables (8.5%), chicken (6.5%) and fish (5.2%). When the differences for the 18 months were computed from the food frequencies, the most changes noted involved fresh fruits, fish or poultry, cereal products (other than bread) and vegetables.
Of the 31 subjects who were following a modified diet at the initial survey, only 55 percent were still on the diet 18 months later. Those who had stopped their therapeutic prescription were on low cholesterol or weight reduction regimens. At the second survey, five additional subjects had been advised to follow weight reduction, low fat, or diabetic diets.
The youngest group -- 65 to 69 years -- made about twice as many changes as the older, 80 years or more folks (78% vs 40%). These changes came about without any educational intervention unless the subjects had been instructed by a health care provider about a modified diet.
The study may not be representative of the elderly population as a whole but its author, Caroline Horwath, as reported in the 1992 issue (12:2) of the Journal of Nutrition for the Elderly, thinks that the survey may have raised the awareness of the participants about nutrition and prompted more interest in dietary change. Her study and others have shown that elderly people are not uniformly opposed to dietary change and in fact, have made changes for health and other reasons. Personality research also disputes the stereotypes that older people become more rigid and conservative in old age but rather they exhibit stable personality traits of "intellect" and a third grow more in "agreeableness." Both of these traits suggest "open-mindedness" on the part of many elderly to change.
If so, this is indeed good news because it looks like the new proposed health care reform package will have a strong emphasis on health promotion. Unfortunately, many older people assume that their aches and pains or other symptoms are a consequence of old age. The truth is that their complaints may be related to drug and nutrient interactions, long-standing or borderline deficiencies or even toxic symptoms from too many supplements rather than "old age."
Unless shown otherwise, professionals should assume that people of all ages will be willing to make some dietary changes. What they may need is just a little guidance and encouragement in what to do and how to go about it. (MC)
Eating
Characteristics of Three- to Five-Year-Olds
The growth rate of preschool children is dramatically
slow. Between three and five years of age, a child
probably will not gain more than four pounds per year.
This is reflected in decreased appetite and less interest
in the preschooler to eat.
Children of this age want to be included in everything, so it's a good time to get them involved in some simple food preparation tasks. They are ready to stretch their limits and explore the world, but easily latch on to food dislikes of family members, which means we need to set good examples.
Adults receive so many different messages regarding their role in the feeding situation, they can easily become confused and unsure. Nutrition educators need to be able to assist them in recognizing the biological, physical and social environments associated with feeding preschoolers and to help prevent un-warranted feelings of guilt. Follow balance, variety and moderation. Expanding the young child's world to include acceptance of new foods, new textures, and new tastes takes time and patience.
Knowing typical needs and abilities of preschool children will help parents and care givers set the stage for a more positive feeding experience. Characteristics of preschoolers are:
-
- Three-year-olds
- May have food
"jags" that last for a short time.
- Still have some
difficulty with chewing and swallowing and so may
choke easily on foods.
- Will still use
fingers a lot for some foods (pushing peas onto a
fork, picking up meat).
- Have difficulty
sitting still.
- Learn to get
attention by refusing to eat.
- Begin to ask
"why."
- Are very curious and
ready to learn.
- Able to stir and
measure.
-
- Four- and five-year-olds
- Can handle
dishes and utensils safely and fairly
well.
- Able to set
the table.
- Are
influenced by television. Want to have
the foods that are advertised.
- Like to help and enjoy eating their "cooking". (PP)
Source: Mealtime Magic, NCR publication #439-A, 1992.
Modern Cuisine
The cable television program "Modern Cuisine" aired a segment on grains in March of 1993. The national Wheat Foods Council has made a video tape of that program available for nutrition educators. It is consumer oriented and addresses several key myths about grains, including "They are fattening," and "I can't possibly eat that many servings." The information presented reflects the base of the Food Guide Pyramid. The format is consumers asking questions or making comments and professionals explaining. It is quite short (5 minutes) and would be good to use with adults or youth. Also included with the tape are several pieces of reproducible supporting materials.Three copies of this video and support materials are available for check out from the Instructional Media Center, 26 Umberger Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506-1407, (913) 532-5768. (PP)
Glow Germ Kit
During the "Safe Food for Children" satellite training we mentioned some materials to supplement the Food Safety Express program to help illustrate the importance of washing hands well. This kit includes a black light and both powder and liquid forms of "glow germ." It is very effective with children and adults. They put this on their hands, wash them and then look under the black light to see where they have missed. Several people have used it with the first lesson of the Safe Food for Children materials, too.The plan is to order a kit to put in each area extension office and this will be done this summer. In the meantime, if you would like to borrow one, call Paula Peters, (913) 532-5782. If it is not already checked out, we will send it to you. It is very popular, so try to allow a couple of weeks lead time. (PP)
Lead Hotline
There are constantly articles in the news about the threat of lead poisoning, be it from dirt children play in, exposure to lead paint, lead in the water, or lead leaching from pottery, china, or crystal. The federal government has a toll-free hotline with specialists on hand to answer lead-related questions Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, Eastern Time. Their number is 1-800-424-LEAD (1-800-424-5323). (PP)
What's on Your Plate?
About a year ago, we reported in the Digest that the Society for Nutrition Education (SNE) had undertaken a partnership project with the McDonald's Corporation to develop an educational program aimed at children, grades K-5. Last fall they began airing a series of 55-second public service announcements (PSAs) entitled What's on Your Plate? on CBS-TV Saturday mornings. An educational package as an extension of that project has just been sent to all SNE members and is being offered for a limited time to other nutrition educators at no cost.The kit includes a video tape of all 12 of the clay-animation PSAs that were shown last year. It also includes 50 copies of an educational brochure with activities to reinforce the nutrition messages in the videos and a leader guide with a poster of the clay-animated character, Willie Munchright, and the pyramid. They plan to produce eight more PSAs for this fall, but we don't know yet if they also will be made available to educators.
If you want to order a free set of the materials, call the McDonald's Nutrition Center 1-800-524-5900 and ask for their free nutrition education package, What's on Your Plate. These materials would make a great supplement for a nutrition program you may be doing with elementary age children. And although McDonald's name does appear on the materials, they are not an advertisement. Members of SNE were responsible for assuring the credibility of the health and nutrition information. (PP)
K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.
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