F&N Digest -- March/April 1995

Extension Foods and Nutrition, Cooperative Extension Service, Kansas State University

March/April 1995

What's New: F & N Digest Survey; Sales Tips offered at Conference

Food Safety: Presto Gauge Testers

Limited Resource: Future of Food Assistance Plans; WIC Study of Effective Nutrition Education

Nutrition/Health: Dieting Can Cause Sudden Death Syndrome; The Case for Cutting Sodium; When is Heavier Healthy?; Guidelines for Minimal Sugar and Fat in Recipes; Infant Food Labels Different From Adult Food Labels; Food Advertisements During Saturday Morning TV; Do Mothers Who Control Their Child's Food Intake Drive Them to Obesity?; Dieters: Too Much Exercise Could Lower Resistance to Disease; Americans are Getting Heavier; Nutrition Education: What Do Parents of Young Children Want?; Marketing to Kids

Resources: Book Review Food Experiences

F & N Digest Survey
Enclosed in this issue is a survey for all of our readers. Please take the time to fill out and return. We value your suggestions. (JD)

Sales Tips Offered at Conference
Sales and marketing techniques from the experts will be offered to Kansas specialty item manufacturers and retailers at the FROM THE LAND OF KANSAS Sales and Marketing Summit Conference. Presented by the Kansas Department of Agriculture's division of marketing, the conference will be March 17-18 at the Best Western Hallmark Executive Conference Center in Overland Park.

Conference presentations include the following:

Hear from Charlene Patton, Market Promotion Coordinator, where the FROM THE LAND OF KANSAS organization has been and where it's going for you.
Find out what is new at the Kansas City Gift Mart from General Manager Jim Osment Meet the new Secretary of Agriculture Alice Devine
At the Friday evening banquet, hear and learn from Ed Hearn, a man who has joined the elite few who have fulfilled the dream of playing major league baseball and winning a World Series. If you face challenging circumstances in your business, you must hear Ed's story
Listen to Arthur Klawans, Managing Director of the National Food Distributors Association, presentation "Bringing Products to the Marketplace"
Learn from Jones, Seel & Huyett, the prestigious advertising firm, how to improve your sell sheets and brochures
Participate in the round table discussion with three of Kansas City's leading specialty retailers
Cabela's, a leader in the sporting/outdoor mail order catalog business, will tell us the ins and outs of direct mailing and cataloging-the only way, the profitable way
Distributors International of Chicago, will address strategies for Kansas companies to use in the international marketplace

The conference begins at 5:30 pm, Fri, March 17, and concludes at 4 p.m., Sat., March 18. Registration, which includes Friday opening banquet and Saturday lunch, is $30.00. Mail to the Marketing Division of the Kansas Department of Agriculture, 901 S. Kansas Ave., Topeka, KS 66612-1282. More information is available by calling Rodney Ferguson at (913) 296-3736. (JD)

Presto Gauge Testers
Presto Gauge Testers that are used to check clients pressure canners need to be tested each year. The best time to send them in for testing is early spring.

To have yours checked, send to: National Presto Industries, Home Economics Department, 3925 North Hastings Way, Eau Claire, WI 54703; (715) 839-2121. This is a free service. Please send your tester via UPS. It takes about three weeks to get your tester back. (JD)

Future of Food Assistance Plans
The food assistance provisions of the "Personal Responsibility Act" currently under consideration in Congress have far-reaching consequences for school feeding programs, WIC, Head Start, food stamps and other assistance programs. Under the proposal, ten federal food and nutrition programs would be eliminated and be replaced with a block grant to be divided among the states.

Key components of the proposal include:

Decrease the amount of support to the states for food assistance. According to USDA, over five years, the plan would cut nearly $31 billion or 13.7% from food assistance programs. Each state would then develop its own assistance program in response to the reduced funding.
Eliminate the entitlement status of food programs and subject each year's nutrition program funding to the Congressional appropriations process. Funding would not increase in slower economic times. Eliminate all federal standards governing nutrition programs.

According to a USDA report, reduction of federal support for food assistance and converting funding to a block grant would have considerable impact not only on the level of assistance available to poor people, but on the economy as well. Impact would be greatest in rural states. Retail food sales could be reduced by as much as $10 billion, farm income by $4 billion, and cost as many as 138,000 jobs. (MP) Source: CNI, December 23, 1994 , January 20, 1995

WIC Study of Effective Nutrition Education
A recent study of nutrition education provided by WIC was conducted to determine its impact. Researchers conducted focus groups at ten WIC clinics to analyze the content of educational materials and compared the content with WIC participants' comprehension and retention of the information.

The study revealed (1) significantly fewer messages were retained than were delivered. Nontechnical information having fewer components were more likely to be remembered than those containing more technical information with a greater number of components. (2) clients remembered an average of four messages and (3) there was little difference in retention between informational, attitudinal and behavioral messages.

The authors concluded that the impact of nutrition education programs can be compromised by technical information and too many messages. They recommended that the number of messages be reduced and the message content be less complex. (MP) Source: JNE 26:5 Sept/Oct 1994

Dieting Can Cause Sudden Death Syndrome
Persons dying a sudden and unexpected death while dieting have not made the news since the 1970's but they are still occurring, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Obesity Research Center at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in New York. Steven Heymsfield and Dympna Gallagher have been reviewing a number of unpublished litigation cases that fit the classical pattern of dietary-associated heart rhythm abnormalities and sudden death.

Their findings suggest that high-risk patients should not try to lose weight fast. Women appear to be more at risk than men although the actual statistics are not known. The complications occur with total fasting during very-low-calorie diets or following obesity surgery. In some cases, death has occurred during refeeding.

The typical patient was in reasonably good health before dieting. Electrocardiogram readings show a typical pattern of abnormal heart rate readings. Upon autopsy, the heart is smaller than would be expected relative to the pre-treatment body size. Coronary arteries are open with no abnormalities present in the heart valves or related structures.

No definite cause has been recognized; however Gallagher and Heymsfield suggest several possibilities:

nutritionally inadequate diets
depletion of myocardial proteins
increased sensitivity of the myocardium to certain hormones
abnormalities with the body's electrolytes, potassium, sodium and chloride
prescription medications that increase risk of arrhythmia
unknown inherited defects that predispose to arrhythmias
Another researcher, Janis Fisler, Ph.D., Division of Cardiology, UCLA, Los Angeles, has also investigated sudden death in cases of starvation, very-low-calorie dieting and gastric surgery. She has found heart irregularities, nutrition deficiencies and stress often involved in the cases. She notes that the typical safety trials of five to seven weeks may not be long enough to uncover deficiencies due to lack of high-quality protein, electrolytes, or minerals such as magnesium and copper. In 20 to 40 percent of the cases, sudden death is preceded by acute psychological disturbances. Arrhythmias are known to occur with strong emotions or loud noise. Anxiety, rapid weight loss, shifts in fluid or electrolyte balance, surgical trauma and physical exertion may promote stress and body imbalance.

If sudden death syndrome from rigorous dieting is indeed linked with heart arrhythmia, then it is likely that there will be no one single cause but rather a variety of related factors. The National Institutes of Health have issued a warning and a polite request: "For most weight loss methods, there are few scientific studies evaluating their effectiveness and safety...The lack of data is especially disconcerting in view of the large number of Americans trying to lose weight...Commercial weight loss programs should routinely compile data on participant characteristics, attrition rates, degree and duration of weight loss, and adverse effects for all participants."

While Gallagher and Heymsfield say the risk of sudden death syndrome is probably not high, they think the resultant publicity would likely have uncovered an "epidemic" of cases during the peak of very-low-calorie dieting in the late 1980's. Heymsfield suggests that all deaths during very-low-calorie dieting be designated as reportable deaths to the Centers of Disease Control in Atlanta. For the present, most patients on the fast track of dieting are unaware of their risks for sudden death syndrome. (MC) Source: Berg, Frances M., Sudden Death Syndrome Continues to Chill Treatment Centers. Healthy Weight Journal, May/June 1994. 8:51-52.

The Case for Cutting Sodium
To salt or not to salt. That is the question. In truth, many people with high blood pressure have gone to considerable trouble to lower the amount of sodium and salt in their diets. Then along comes some research that suggests that lowering salt is not all that effective in lowering hypertension. Perhaps not enough calcium is a culprit. Or perhaps we need to pay more attention to weight control and less alcohol.

While all of these may be important in controlling high blood pressure, is hypertension the only reason to lower sodium in your diet? No, according to an article in the February 1995 issue of the Johns Hopkins Medical Letter, Health After 50.

Hypertension

Certainly, the most common effect of too much sodium is related to hypertension. Even small elevations above normal have been associated with more strokes, heart attacks and kidney disease.

Everyone agrees that some people are more sodium-sensitive than others. The actual rock-bottom amount of sodium needed daily is only 200 mg of sodium daily (about 0.1 of a teaspoon of salt) in order to regulate blood pressure, nerve signal transmissions and to control muscle movements. The average woman ingests 150 times that much (3000 mg sodium) and the average man 200 times (4000 mg sodium). Most people readily excrete the excess in urine but sodium-sensitive individuals and older adults are less capable in eliminating sodium than younger ones. While these people may need to cut back to 2000 mg daily or less, most adults can maintain normal blood pressures on 2400 mg or less daily, about a teaspoon of salt.

Consequences of hypertension can be stroke, pulmonary edema (too much fluid in the lungs.) and congestive heart failure due to heart enlargement and muscle weakening.

Kidney disease

High blood pressure can damage numerous tissues but one of the most sensitive is your kidney filtration system. Blood vessels in the kidney become less elastic, the kidneys don't process and excrete sodium as readily and fluid levels rise out in the body tissues resulting in edema. Salt substitutes containing potassium chloride (KCl) may be harmful for some people with kidney problems taking certain diuretics and those taking selected heart failure drugs. Ask your doctor about what is best for you.

Osteoporosis

While everyone knows that osteoporosis results from losing too much calcium out of your bones, few are aware that excess sodium encourages calcium loss through the kidneys. Every extra teaspoon of salt increases calcium loss by 23 mg. This is enough to dissolve 1 percent of your skeleton in a single year. Certainly other nutrients (e.g. too much protein) and lack of exercise influence osteoporosis risk, but excess sodium, too, likely makes a limited calcium intake even worse.

Stomach cancer

Americans are not as prone to develop stomach cancer as some with different food patterns. Studies have shown that stomach cancer risk climbs on higher salt diets. Other factors are undoubtedly also involved, but lowering intake of salty foods lowers risk for stomach cancer. Processed foods contribute the most sodium in American diets. Besides reducing salt in cooking and on the table, you can lower your sodium intake by moderating your intake of processed meats such as sausages, cured ham, corned beef, turkey ham, hot dogs, bologna, and similar cured meat products. Canned and dried fish, as well as table-ready or ready to cook breaded fish are high in salt. All instant cereals and many ready-to-eat breakfast cereals are high in sodium. Prepared dried and canned soups, frozen or canned dinners, tomato juice. Canned vegetables and gravies are usually high sodium. Condiments such as salad dressing, ketchup, mustard and pickles also have salt added. And also check the nutrition label for sodium in cheeses and most snack foods like chips and pretzels. (MC)

When is Heavier Healthy?
We all know that being too heavy can increase our risk for medical problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke, osteoarthritis, gallstones, some forms of cancer (colon, prostate, and uterus) and sleep apnea (failure to breathe for short periods while asleep). The research is also very clear that a sudden, unexpected weight loss of ten pounds in six months or 2 or 3 pounds in a week or so can indicate a serious problem such as cancer or acute illness.

On the other hand, some experts think that having a few extra pounds can actually protect health and increase longevity. Some older people are too lean for too long and this may increase their risk for osteoporosis and broken bones.

A new age-adjusted weight table has recently been devised by Dr. Reubin Andres, a gerontologist at the National Institute on Aging and a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins. He has examined the Met Life charts (prepared by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company) that are extensively used as standards for height and weight. He found that the fewest deaths occurred in those whose weight increased as they aged.

Andres also found that there was no accurate way to group weight ranges by frame size. Furthermore, when height was accounted for, the ideal weights for men and women were the same; therefore tables use age and height alone. "The revisions reflect the fact that it's acceptable, possibly even highly beneficial, for normal, healthy adults to gain gradually about a pound a year beginning around age 40, so that by the time they're in their 60s they weigh about 20 pounds more than the Met Life tables would suggest." The ideal weight for most people is around the midpoint for their age and height.

Perhaps weight should stabilize beyond that point but there are too few people in the pool of insured people to know. There are also some problems with gradually gaining weight like suggested for those who are pre-diabetic but have developed some insulin resistance. Such weight gain will hasten development of diabetes. (MC)

Height...............Weight..................Weight
......................ages 50 to 59........ages 60 to 69*
4'10"............... 107-135 lbs......... 115-142 lbs
4'11"............... 111-139............... 119-147
5'0"................. 114-142............... 123-152
5'1"................. 118-148............... 127-157
5'2"................. 122-153............... 131-163
5'3"................. 126-158............... 135-168
5'4"................. 130-163............... 140-173
5'5"................. 134-168............... 144-179
5'6"................. 138-174............... 148-184
5'7"................. 143-179............... 153-190
5'8"................. 147-184............... 158-196
5'9"................. 151-190............... 162-201
5'10"............... 156-195............... 167-207
5'11"............... 160-201............... 172-213
6'0"................. 165-207............... 177-219
6'1"................. 169-213............... 182-225
6'2"................. 174-219............... 187-232
6'3"................. 179-225............... 192-238
6'4"................. 184-231............... 197-244

* Those over 69 should use the ranges for those in their 60s.

Guidelines for Minimal Sugar and Fat in Recipes
Sugar and fat can have an important impact on the foods we prepare in terms of tenderness, browning, texture and flavor. Many of us would do well to make our recipes leaner. Here are some suggestions for just how much you can cut back and still have an acceptable product. Of course, some would say that the products are too lean, but adding more spices like cinnamon and cloves help retain flavor. It's a good idea to gradually cut sugar and/or fat in recipes and see your family's reaction.

Quick Breads: Minimum Sugar/Result: 1 or 2 T per cup of flour -- tends to dry out, less tender, and more tunneling; Minimum Fat/Result:1 T per cup of flour -- coarser texture

Cakes: Minimum Sugar/Result:1/2 cup sugar per cup of flour -- more open texture, pale crust, drier; Minimum Fat/Result:2 T per cup of flour -- less tender, less moist

Breads: Minimum Sugar/Result:0-1 T per cup of flour -- less tender and moist; Minimum Fat/Result:1 T per cup of flour -- lower keeping quality

Rolls: Minimum Sugar/Result:1 t per cup of flour -- less tender and moist, browns slowly; Minimum Fat/Result:1 T per cup of flour --lower keeping quality

Cookies: Minimum Sugar/Result:1/3 cup per cup of flour -- less tender, paler, and less spreading; Minimum Fat/Result:1/4 cup per cup of flour -- less tender

Custards/Puddings: Minimum Sugar/Result:1 1 /2 T per cup of milk -- firmer, shorter cooking time; Minimum Fat/Result: none......................................(MC)

Infant Food Labels Different From Adult Food Labels
Have you read a jar of baby food lately? If you have, you may have noticed that the Nutrition Facts don't look quite like they do on other food. The nutrient and dietary needs of infants are very different from those of adults and the new food labels reflect those differences. Infants have quite specific nutritional requirements and food choices made during early years help set the stage for lifetime eating habits. Adult guidelines for fat, calories and fiber should not be applied to children under the age of two. Infants need more fat in their diet for proper growth and brain development, between 40 and 50% of their calories should come from fat. The rapid growth of infants, whose small stomachs cannot hold much food, requires the concentrated source of calories that fat provides. Because babies need more fat, the new food label for children under two does not include the fat details. It does not list calories from fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. Parents should not attempt to limit their infant's fat intake.

Even though parents needn't be too concerned with the amount of fat in their baby's food, they still need to pay attention to the overall diet. We want to help babies learn to eat a variety of foods and develop healthful eating patterns. Parents need to offer a variety of food, especially fruits, vegetables, and grains, to be sure their infant is getting needed vitamins and minerals. To help with this, the new food label for infants lists Daily Value percentages for protein, vitamins and minerals. Daily values are not listed for fat, cholesterol, sodium, potassium, carbohydrate, and fiber because there are no set values of these nutrients for young children. (PP) Source: American Dietetics Association News release, April 20, 1994.

Food Advertisements During Saturday Morning TV
In this country children between the ages of 2 and 17 watch between 22 and 27 hours of television every week. Many concerns have been raised over the effect this much TV watching has on health attitudes and behaviors. Among those concerns is the effect of the food commercials that are broadcast during children's programming. Are these advertisements consistent with dietary recommendations?

A recent study at the University of Minnesota shows that they are not. The researchers viewed 52.5 hours of children's Saturday morning television from five major networks. Over half of all advertisements were of food products and almost half of those advertised was the bread, cereal, rice, and pasta groups. More than 60% of the advertisements from this group were for high-sugar cereals. Eleven percent of the commercials were for fast-food restaurants. No fruits or vegetables were advertised. There were 10 PSAs that were nutrition related, with topics including the four food groups, healthful snacks, drinking more water, and eating less fat and salt. What children see on Saturday morning promotes foods predominantly from the top of the Food Guide Pyramid, those high in fat and sugar and usually with low nutritional value. Dietary recommendations promote foods predominantly from the bottom of the Pyramid, foods high in complex carbohydrate and fiber and fruits and vegetables. Over the years attempts to alter this advertising behavior have failed. Education should be directed toward teaching children to become informed consumers. Commercials are designed to persuade them to buy the food product not to promote healthful eating. Parents need to be aware of the potential influence children's TV may have on their child's food choices. (PP) Source: K. Kotz and M. Story. Food Advertisements During Children's Saturday Morning Television Programming: Are They Consistent with Dietary Recommendations? Journal of The American Dietetics Association, November 1994, 94: 1296-1300.

Do Mothers Who Control Their Child's Food Intake Drive Them to Obesity?
A recent study reported in a recent issue of Pediatrics suggests that children with more "controlling" parents are less able to regulate their own calorie intake and are more likely to be obese. The researchers investigated preschool children's ability to self-regulate calorie intake and to determine whether those children were measured. Parents completed a questionnaire to determine the degree of control they exerted over their child's food intake.

Seventy-seven preschool children and their parents participated in the study. The children were given either a high or low calorie fruit drink before lunch. They were then allowed to eat as much as they wanted for lunch. If the fruit drink influenced how much the child chose to eat, the child was considered able to "self-regulate".

The best predictor of the children's ability to self-regulate calorie intake was parental control over the feeding situation. Parents who were more controlling of their children's food intake had children who showed less ability to self-regulate energy intake. And the children who were less able to regulate their calories accurately tended to have more body fat.

Although the researchers only looked at one meal, these findings suggest that the "division of responsibility" can help prevent obesity. The "division of responsibility" promotes an eating environment where the parent provides a variety of healthy food choices and the child is allowed to choose how much to eat. (PP)

Sources: SL Johnson and LL Birch. Parents' and Children's Adiposity and Eating Style. Pediatrics, November 1994, 94: 653-661 and W. Evers, Electronic Food Rap, Vol. 5, No. 7, February 1995.

Dieters_Too Much Exercise Could Lower Resistance to Disease
Both too much exercise and drastic dieting can suppress the body's immune system. Research with Army volunteers suggests that when you do both at the same time, you could be asking for trouble.

In the study, an over-exercising group ate a diet that cycled over four weeks from providing about three-fourths of energy needs to about one-third of energy needs. Immune function in this group went down by 50-60%. Over-exercising groups who were given more food experienced a drop in immune function of 20-30%. A group who exercised moderately and consumed adequate calories improved their immune function.

So what's the lesson? The best way to lose weight is a gradual increase in exercise to a reasonable level and eating wisely, not cutting calories. Although weight loss will take longer, you will be more resistant to disease. (PP)

Source: Environmental Nutrition, January 1995, Vol. 18, No. 1.

Americans are Getting Heavier
The $30+ billion diet industry apparently isn't making a dent in the weight of the American population. According to the Center for Health Statistics, about 33% of Americans from ages 20 to 74 are overweight. Americans have packed on an average of eight pounds in the past decade. White men and women have gained the most. For women, the highest rates of overweight occur between the ages of 50 to 59, with 52% overweight. The highest rates for men are from 50 to 69, with 42% overweight. People age 80 and over are the leanest. About 20% of men and women in their 20's are overweight. The following chart shows the results of nutrition surveys and the percentage of overweight people ages 20 to 74 over the years:

NHES I (1960-1962) 24.3%
NHANES I (1971-1974) 25.0%
NHANES II (1976-1980) 25.4%
NHANES III (1988-1991) 33.3%
Sources: JAMA 272:205-211, 1994, as discussed in Healthy Weight Journal, September/October 1994, and North Dakota State University Extension Service

Nutrition Education: What Do Parents of Young Children Want?
North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service home economists were recently surveyed to determine the most frequent food and nutrition questions asked by parents of young children. The Home Economists indicated that parents were most interested in increasing their children's milk consumption and helping children who are overweight.

A second survey, developed using the data from the first survey, asked parents of 5- to 8- year old children to rank 32 food and nutrition topics from 1 to 5 in order of interest. Parents were also asked to indicate their preference for format and delivery method.

In contrast to the home economists' survey results of the parents' survey showed that increasing milk consumption was not in the top ten topics. In order of interest, the top ten topics along with the percentage of interest of parents who responded "very interested" were:

1. How to prepare quick nutritious meals (63%)
2. Getting a child to eat nutritious foods (58%)
3. Knowing whether foods can affect a child's behavior (55%)
4. Controlling the cost of nutritious foods (51%)
5. Knowing whether a child gets too much fat and cholesterol (51%)
6. Knowing whether a child gets too much sugar (50%)
7. How to get a child to eat a variety of vegetables (49%)
8. Knowing if the food supply is safe (48%)
9. Knowing if a child is growing as he/she should (47%)
10. What to give for snacks (39%)
Printed materials were the most popular information format according to 55% of the respondents, while 37% preferred videotape. In terms of delivery, 84% preferred mail, followed by workshops (33%) and video stores (33%) and parent groups (24%). Telephone was least preferred. Over 90% of parents would participate with the children in watching videos, cooking or doing paper-pencil activities.

Sources: Journal of Nutrition Education, December 1994, and North Dakota State University Extension Service

Marketing to Kids
Who hasn't seen a child at the grocery store adding items to the cart (often without a parent's knowledge) or demanding certain products by name? Kids carry clout in the supermarket. Children accompany parents to the supermarket "sometimes" or "always" 58% of the time, according to a recent marketing research study. Kids influence $100 billion in food and beverage purchases.

Children are brand loyal and are major consumers of breakfast cereals, cookies and bread. They also influence the purchase of products such as frozen pizza and canned spaghetti. Many children recognize products and may call for certain brands by age two.

About 65% of fourth- through eight-graders make their own breakfast decisions, and 46% selected their own lunch according to another study by the International Food Information Council and the American Dietetic Association. Changing family roles and more dual income families have influenced this change.

Children have higher allowances now and more opportunities to spend money after school. Children ages 4 to 14 are in control of $17 billion in "pocket money" a year; about $4 billion of that goes to food and beverage purchases according to a study from Texas A&M. What attracts kids to certain products? Children pay attention to good taste and appearance. Brightly colored packaging and unusual product shapes appeal to children.

Nutrition is a less appealing approach for marketers, although today's kids are quite knowledgeable about the benefits of a low-fat diet. Children generally understand the Food Guide Pyramid. They want to eat healthy foods, but not from a lifetime wellness approach. They want to be strong, slim and attractive, with plenty of energy to play and study according to Gail Gates of the University of Missouri.

Parents should remember that marketers are aggressively targeting children in ad campaigns. The following tips will assist parents and children to make good choices:

Children should be presented "treats" _ cookies, for instance_ in combination with more nutritious foods, such as milk, juice or fruit. They need to learn to balance their food choices.
Even cereals with higher sugar contents are considered quite nutritious due to their vitamin and mineral contents, especially when served with milk. Feeding children cereal for breakfast reinforces the idea that breakfast is an important meal, especially when the grain group is the basis of the meal.
Children need help becoming good consumers, especially when they are learning how to manage money.

Sources: Milling & Baking News, October, 1994, and North Dakota State University Extension Service

Book Review- Food Experiences
An agent asked for a book with food experiments for children. Here it is: Creative Food Experiences for Children by Mary T. Goodwin and Gerry Pollen, 1980. Even though it is old, the ideas are good. Following are a few examples of food experiences:

Apples- What Can we Do with an Apple?

Provide apples, applesauce, apple juice, apple cider, apple jelly, baked apple, dried apple and apple butter. See, touch, smell and taste these products. There are ideas for field trips to an orchard, roadside fruit/vegetable stand, fruit section in a supermarket, and apple tree in someone's backyard or an apple orchard.

A visit to the Supermarket- You can focus on how to select good food buys, unit pricing, nutrition labeling, or food advertising. Questions are outlined to discuss with the children before the field trip. Then, many more questions to discuss on the supermarket tour. There are many books listed for children, books for background material for the teacher and cookbooks.

The book also has bag lunch ideas, snack ideas and a children's calendar of celebrations with recipes. The last 46 pages of the book are recipes- beverages, salads, soups, main dishes, breads, cereals, dips, spreads and desserts.

Some of the information is outdated such as the U.S. Dietary Goals- so use current information in those areas. (JD)

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.