Extension Foods and Nutrition, Cooperative Extension
Service, Kansas State University
January/February 1995
- What's New
- New Extension Assistant
- Food Trends
- What's Up with Fast Food?
- Food Safety
- E.Coli in 1994
- Limited Resource
- Study Documents EFNEP's Positive
Impact
- WIC Celebrates It's 20th Year
- Hindmilk for Premature Infants
- Nutrition/Health
- Suggestions for Inviting Children to
Taste New Foods
- Experts Examine Fat in Diets of
Young Children
- Iron During Pregnancy
- Energy Needs of Infants
- Walking Affects Bone Health at Any
Age
- Dangerous Water Loss in Elderly
- Women's Health and Nutrition
- Diet and Breast Cancer
- Resources
- Occasional Quantity Cooks
- E-mail Access
New
Extension Assistant
Kim Werning is a new Extension assistant working with
Karen Penner and Betsy Barrett (HRIMD) on a 7-county
pilot project involving SRS and extension. Food service
sanitation and job skills are combined to improve
employment opportunities for Kanwork participants.
Kim has a BS in Business
Management from Central College in Pella, Iowa and a MS
degree in Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management
from Iowa State University. She is currently a graduate
student at KSU completing her coursework to take the
R.D. exam. Kim also is the organist/choir director at a
local church.
Her previous work
experiences include 7 years of food service management
with Marriott Healthcare Services (4 1/4 years), Grinnell
College (9 months), and Iowa State University (2 years)
and 1 year of retail management with K-Mart. (KW)
What's
Up with Fast Food?
Currents trends in the food-service business include
globalization, convenience, values and variety. Food
service companies are rapidly moving into global markets
to expand sales. McDonald's is the largest fast food
competitor with $ 7.3 billion in sales last year.
McDonald's has 14,000 units in 68 countries and will add
a thousand a year for the next few years. Global growth
in fast food outlets of many kinds will affect dietary
customs around the world.
Consumers are spending
more money for food on the go. Food spending away from
home exceeded spending for meals prepared at home for the
first time last year. Today, one in ten meals is eaten in
a car. McDonald's is now building facilities with double
drive-through. Twice the car traffic, a walk-up window
and no inside seating units are geared for cars alone.
Other fast food units on-the-rise include kiosks, carts,
mini-restaurants for high-foot traffic areas. Mobile
consumers eat at all hours and any place available so
food-service is moving to be there, where the people are.
Value is important. Big,
basic and value-pricing are important. Examples are
products like Pizza Huts Big Foot and Wendy's Big
Classic. Advertising increasingly features low prices.
Burgers, Italian and
Mexican have become mainstays but new twist on old
popular items create new interest and sales opportunity.
Boston chicken, roasted on a rotisserie, with all the
fixins of mashed potatoes, salads, squash have driven
KFC a run for its money. The perception of healthier food
has been a successful one. In reality, the fat, salt and
sugar content of a typical meal is similar to a
traditional fried chicken take-out meal.
Watch for these trends in
towns near yours! (KP)
Source: Hollinsworth, P.,
Food Tech., Sept. 1994.
E Coli
in 1994
In 1994, there have been 20 reported outbreaks of
foodborne illness from E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria, three
more than in 1993 according to the Centers for Disease
Control. The latest outbreak involved salami. (KP)
Study
Documents EFNEP's Positive Impact
A recent study of the impact of USDA's Expanded Foods and
Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) showed the program
has a positive impact on food knowledge and behavior. The
study conducted by Cornell University also identified
other benefits including employment, continued education,
community involvement and improved health. EFNEP is a
nutrition education program targeted at low income
families with children. It is an integral part of the
Extension system in every state.
The Cornell study of 50
EFNEP participants assessed 12 food behaviors upon entry,
graduation and one year after completing the EFNEP
classes. Participants significantly improved ten of the
12 behaviors between entry and graduation. Consumption of
most nutrients remained stable from entry to graduation.
There was a significant reduction of dietary fat.
Participants reported
additional benefits including better family health,
employment (the employment rate rose from 24% to 34%
between graduation and the one year following), a desire
for education, and greater community involvement. (MP)
Source: CNI, March 25,
1994
WIC
Celebrates Its 20th Year
Since its inception in 1974 in Kansas, WIC has made great
progress in improving the health of women and children.
The program has grown statewide, currently reaching
nearly 60,000 participants in 105 Kansas counties.
Partnerships with other agencies have strengthened
programming. For example, for the past year, Kansas WIC
and the KSU Extension Service have collaborated on the
development of a nutrition education program known as The
WIC Kitchen. The program was implemented in seven
counties in 1994 and will be expanded to 16 additional
counties in 1995.
WIC accomplishments
include:
Women who
participated in WIC have fewer premature births.
Incidence of premature births decreased 23% among white
women with less than a high school education and 15%
among African American women with less than a high school
education.
WIC significantly
increased the head size of infants whose mothers received
WIC foods during pregnancy. Head size often reflects
brain growth.
Children
participating in WIC are better immunized and are more
likely to have a regular source of medical care.
Every dollar spent for
prenatal care in WIC results in up to $4.21 in Medicaid
costs saved during the first 60 days after birth. (MP)
Source : WIC-Gram, 1994,
Kansas Department of Health and Environment
Hindmilk
for Premature Infants
Low birth weight babies are experiencing greater weight
gain as a result of new feeding practices developed at
Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of
Medicine. In a study of 15 infants who were eight to 12
weeks premature, there was a significant increase in
weight when the infants were fed "hindmilk"
(milk produced two to three minutes after the initial
flow). The new feeding practice requires expressed milk
to be divided into two parts: the foremilk which is
collected and frozen for later use and hindmilk which is
three to four times higher in fat than the foremilk.
Premature infants cannot
suck or swallow well and often must be fed breastmilk in
regulated amounts through a tube. Often fat content of
the milk varies because it tends to separate from milk
and stick to feeding tubes and collection bottles. In the
past, infants who failed to gain weight were placed on
formula which has a more consistent composition and is
homogenized so the fat does not separate. However,
because evidence indicates breast milk protects premature
infants from potentially life-threatening infections,
researchers are exploring ways to utilize breast milk for
these at-risk infants. (MP)
Source: Nutrition and Your
Child, Baylor College of Medicine, Fall 1994
Suggestions
for Inviting Children to Taste New Foods
We know that in order for children to learn to like new
foods, they have to taste them first! Often getting them
to taste it is no easy task. Many parents and child care
providers ask for advise on what they can do. Some
suggestions:
The "delicious
minimum" is one technique. When the child says,
"I don't like carrots" or "I don't want
any carrots" the adults responds "You don't
like carrots. (This lets the child know that he or she
was heard.) Well then you can just have the
"delicious minimum". The adult then gives the
child a spoon to help him or herself and the child need
only take one spoonful. Then the adult says, "If you
decide to have more than the delicious minimum, just let
me know and we'll pass you the carrots." No effort
is made to coerce the child into eating the delicious
minimum, but most children go ahead and eat it just
because it's there.
The "taste bite"
is another method that works with groups of children.
When a new food or a food prepared a little differently
is served, the adult suggests "Let's do a taste
bite." The children all taste at the same time. No
attention is drawn to the children who deferred. Usually
all of the children will think this is great fun. Various
commentaries will often follow. Most children won't
automatically give negative comments, even though the
common wisdom is that they are naturally afraid of new
things.
Another idea is the
"no thank you bite". If a child says he or she
does not like or want a food, the adult will say
"That's fine, just take a no thank you bite."
The child is then allowed to serve him or herself a tiny
portion, and that is the end of it. Many times the child
will taste it, but they are not forced to.
Although these suggestions
will often work and the child(ren) will think it is fun,
no child should be forced to try the new foods. Adults
should respect the children and understand that they have
likes and dislikes just as we do. Besides, forcing
children to taste new foods does not teach them to like
the food, it only teaches them how to please the adult.
(PP)
Source: E-mail
correspondence with Joanne Ikeda, Cooperative Extension
Nutrition Specialist, Nutritional Sciences Department,
University of California, Berkeley and Char McKay,
Cooperative Extension EFNEP Specialist, Michigan State
University.
Experts
Examine Fat in Diets of Young Children
The amount of fat children need in their diet has been
the subject of much controversy over the years. Even
today there is not a consensus. At the recent meeting of
the American Dietetic Association in Orlando, Florida,
this topic was discussed by experts from the United
States and Canada.
The United States
Government recommends no more than 30 percent of total
calories come from fat for both adults and children. They
also recommend no more that 10 percent of calories from
saturated fat. In Canada, however, no limitation on fat
is recommended because such restrictions could stunt
growth, according to Canadian nutrition expert Stanley
Zlotkin, M.D. Dr. Zlotkin, a professor of pediatrics and
nutrition science at the Hospital for Sick Children of
the University of Toronto, is concerned about the idea of
`good' and `bad' foods, and the increasing incidence of
eating disorders. He believes that the more emphasis
there is on restricting any food, the more likely
adolescents are to become preoccupied with food.
A U.S. expert, Ronald
Klienman, M.D., noted the "trickle-done"
acceptance of the need to trim fat. The dietary
recommendations for adults in this country are pretty
well accepted among health care professionals. The
question that needs to be raised is whether it makes
sense to adopt these guidelines regarding fat to
children. (PP)
Source: Media Release,
American Dietetic Association Foundation, September 1994.
Iron
During Pregnancy
Pregnant women naturally absorb more iron than before
they become pregnant. The rate of iron absorption also
increases as pregnancy progresses. Expectant mothers
absorb nine times more iron during the 36th week of
pregnancy than they did during the 12th week. Because of
this increased efficiency for iron, most pregnant women
do not need supplements. They can enhance their iron
absorption further by not drinking coffee or tea with
their iron-rich meals. These beverages (both caffeinated
or decaffeinated) block the uptake of iron by the body.
(PP)
Source: British Medical
Journal, 309:79-82, July 1994.
Energy
Needs of Infants
Pound for pound, infants burn more calories than children
or adults. That's because a larger percentage of infants'
body weight is devoted to organs, such as heart, liver,
and brain, which have a higher metabolic rate than muscle
tissue. Adults, on the other hand, have a larger
percentage of body weight devoted to muscle tissue. As a
result, energy requirements from birth to adulthood don't
increase at the same rate as body weight. The findings
come from an ongoing study of the energy infants,
children and adults expend while sedentary. Researchers
at the Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor
College of Medicine in Houston and at other centers are
collecting data on the amount of energy needed to
maintain basal functions, metabolize meals and do minimal
physical activity. This gives a more precise basis for
estimating daily calorie requirements than basal
metabolic rate alone. (PP)
Source: Food and Nutrition
Research Briefs, USDA Agricultural Research Service,
September 1994.
Walking
Affects Bone Health at Any Age
A lifelong habit of walking about a mile a day can reduce
the risk of osteoporosis in women, whether or not they
engage in sports or other physical activities. A
year-long study of 238 healthy women past menopause found
that those who habitually walked more than 7.5 miles a
week had denser bones, particularly in the legs and
trunk, than those walking shorter distances. Also, the
mile-a-day walkers had slower rates of bone loss in their
legs during the study.
Researchers measured bone
densities in the women and took detailed histories of
their physical activities from age 14. The study was the
first to correlate women's bone density with their
walking history alone. An earlier study by others found a
comparable correlation for all activities on foot to age
50. Osteoporosis results from a long-term loss of bone
minerals, which accelerates around the time of menopause,
leaving the bones porous and prone to fracture. It also
affects men and will increase as a health problem among
men as they live longer. (PP)
Source: Food and Nutrition
Research Briefs, USDA Agricultural Research Service,
September 1994.
Dangerous
Water Loss In Elderly
For anyone over the age of 65, dehydration (water loss in
body tissues) looms as one of the most common causes of
hospital admissions, according to a recent study
published in the American Journal of Public Health. About
one-half of those hospitalized for dehydration died
within a year of admission.
A bad case of the flu with
fever, diarrhea for any reason, or vomiting can disturb
water balance within days or even hours for an older
person. Dehydration symptoms include fatigue, headache,
dry noses and cracked lips and just general overall
feeling lousy.
The older the person, the
more quickly they can be dehydrated. One reason is that
the elderly become less sensitive to the thirst sensation
as they age and they are unaware that they need fluids.
They have less water than
a younger person because fat replaces muscle tissue. The
percentage of body tissues filled with water declines as
the fat percentage goes up. Even physical disability,
senility and fear of incontinence can limit water intake
to the point where a minor illness can have serious
effects.
Drink six to eight cups of
liquids daily. It doesn't all have to be plain water but
fruit juices, milk, coffee, tea and soft drinks all count
towards meeting water needs. Serving water with a meal or
having a jug of water within reach of an invalid are good
ways to cut down on the need for hospitalization. (MC)
Source: Environmental
Nutrition. 17(11):7, November 1994.
Women's
Health And Nutrition
Women's health issues have finally become a potent
political concern during the last 4 or 5 years following
the 1990 revelation that not enough research was being
focused on diseases affecting women. Traditionally, women
as research subjects were excluded from health research
because the research community assumed that what was true
for men was likewise true for women (not true), [e.g.
response to dietary changes for lowering cholesterol,]
and that monthly hormonal cycles interfere with research
designs and make results less reliable (not a valid
reason). The Congressional Caucus for Women's Health
Issues generated a strong force on Capital Hill, helped
push through legislation on women's health, and the
Office of Research on Women's Health was created in the
National Institutes of Health (NIH). Since then much
progress has been made but research into women's health
issues has a long way to go.
The major diseases
affecting women are heart disease, breast cancer and
osteoporosis. All three have nutrition components. While
8 in 10 women reported in a Gallup Survey that they were
aware of the relationship between diet and health, one
third said they did nothing to lower their chances of
developing heart disease, cancer, or osteoporosis. Only a
very small percent were concerned about heart disease,
yet it is the most common cause of death in women as well
as men. Few paid any attention to diet as a form of
preventing cancer. Most women believed that there was
nothing they could do to lessen osteoporosis and its
devastating effects in later years. It's not surprising
that in the Survey, weight control was a concern but most
women diet for appearance sake rather than the health
effects of obesity.
In the fall of 1993, the
American Dietetic Association launched a Nutrition and
Health Campaign for Women. Four related articles appeared
in the September 1993 issue of the Journal of the
American Dietetic Association. These articles review what
in known about women's nutrition and heart disease,
breast cancer, osteoporosis and weight control. In
concluding her introduction to the Nutrition & Health
Campaign for Women, ADA President Susan Calvert Finn,
Ph.D., R.D., concluded with a Ralph Waldo Emerson quote,
"What is civilization? I answer, the power of good
women." Finn wrote, "For our generation we
could paraphrase him: `What is a strong civilization? The
power of healthy women.'"
This issue features an
article about nutrition and breast cancer. Future issues
will highlight other major women's health concerns. (MC)
Diet
And Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy
in women today and its rate is increasing 1% to 2%
annually. Breast cancer strikes about 182,000 American
women each year and kills 46,000. Two-thirds of these
cases are in older women, but it affects younger women
(and some 900 men annually) also. One in 8 females born
today will develop breast cancer during her
lifetime, double the 1940 rate.
Why?
Known risk factors, such
as age, early menarche, late age of first pregnancy, late
menopause, family history and obesity, account for only
40% to 50% of breast cancer cases; thus the etiology of
50% to 60% of cases is unknown. Diet is suspected
particularly dietary fat and perhaps saturated fat. Other
nutrients under scrutiny are alcohol and animal protein.
Fat is suspect because in animal studies and studies
comparing fat consumption in various countries and breast
cancer, fat shows up with strong associations. Human
studies show conflicting results. In the largest
prospective study, the Nurses' Health Study, ongoing
investigation of some 80,000 American women has shown no
association. Some researchers are currently calling for
studies of much lower fat intake of 15% or 20% rather
than the present 30% fat recommendations. In a combined
analysis of 12 case-control studies, the findings
indicated a positive association between breast cancer
risk and total, saturated, or monounsaturated fat intake
in postmenopausal women; however individual studies show
mixed results of weakly positive, weakly negative, or no
significant associations. In a new Netherlands study, no
significant association was found between total fat
intake and breast cancer risk. There was some evidence
for a weak positive relationship with saturated fat but
not with other types of fat or cholesterol.
Obesity influences breast
cancer risk depending upon menopausal status: a negative
effect in premenopause (fewer menstrual cycles and less
estrogen?) and a promoting effect in postmenopause
because fat tissue makes some estrogen. Higher or longer
estrogen levels are linked with increased breast cancer
incidence. Most authorities discount the possible harmful
effects of postmenopausal, low-level estrogen replacement
therapy and usually recommend it because of its positive
effects in lowering heart disease and osteoporosis.
In a large Canadian study
of alcohol and breast cancer, there was no evidence of a
positive association in postmenopausal women but there
was a trend in premenopausal women. The authors call for
more study. In another Canadian study vitamin D
deficiency increased breast cancer risk.
Speculation centers on
possible protectors as high intakes of soybean products,
dietary fiber, fruits and vegetables and some of the
antioxidant vitamins, A, C, and E. One of the most
promising leads is the protective effect noted for
soybean products and phytochemicals. In the Nurses'
Health Study, high dietary fiber was not associated with
lower rates whereas in a Canadian study, women consuming
the most fiber had a 30% risk reduction in breast cancer.
Cereal grains and fruits and vegetables appear to be
protective.
The final word about diet
and breast cancer is yet to be spoken. Some researchers
are suggesting that it's the total diet that is important
because of interactive factors. Looking at nutrients and
dietary components separately may lead to confusion
rather than elucidation. The current Women's Health
Initiative will look at low-fat, hormone replacement and
include more dietary fiber, fruit and vegetables. (MC)
Sources: Hankin, J.H.,
Role of nutrition in women's health: Diet and breast
cancer. J. Amer. Diet. Assoc., 93:994-999. September
1993. Nutrition Research News. vols. 11, 12, 13. 1992-94.
Selected abstracts.
Occasional
Quantity Cooks
We have purchased five sets of these Food Safety
materials from Ohio State University.
They will be placed in the
area offices for you to check out. Included are a full
notebook of materials and a videotape. The program is
intended for volunteers who prepare meals for service
clubs, churches and other groups on an irregular basis.
(KP)
E-mail
access
Many of you use the Digest and Timely Topics articles for
other newsletters, etc. These are now available to you on
e-mail. You are already getting the Timely Topics this
way as well as hard copies, but if you have a Digest
article that you would like, and do not want to retype
the whole thing, call Shelly at (913) 532-1670. She will
send you your requested article.
E-mail is a valuable
resource for us to use. If you have trouble accessing
these articles, you can call Shelly for instructions. The
instructions will also be included in your next Timely
Topics e-mail. (KP)
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. |