Food and Health

Food is a daily need that all Mississippians have in common—we all need to eat, and most of us love to eat! But food choices also have a significant impact on health, from getting a breakfast boost that powers up our brains for a successful day to fighting heart disease. The MSU Extension Service strives to make sound, science-based information available and understandable to help Mississippians of all ages make positive decisions about their health and wellness.

Extension is the home of the Office of Nutrition Education, which administers two federally funded nutrition education programs—the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and the Family Nutrition Program (FNP), known nationally as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-ED).

Extension also offers the ServSafe training for personnel working in our state’s restaurants, school cafeterias, and food businesses. We also provide the TummySafe training for those working in child-care centers.

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of infirmity.” — World Health Organization, 1948

Publications

Publication Number: IS1204

Safe Food in a Hurry

Publication Number: IS0645

Feeding a Crowd? Do It Safely

Publication Number: IS0776

Better Planning: Better Meals

Publication Number: IS0845

Food Preservation - Selection, Use and Care of Canning Equipment

Publication Number: P2593

Food Defense and Biosecurity; Elements and Guidelines for a Defense Plan

A colorful display of fruits and vegetables features a head of white cauliflower in the center with tomatoes, bell peppers, yellow squash, potatoes, plums and more radiating outward.

The Food Factor | How to Get More Vegetables in Your Diet

January 11, 2019 - Filed Under: Food, Nutrition

We all know we need to eat more vegetables, but finding ways to include them in our busy lives can be a challenge. It’s easy to get in a rut and eat the same vegetables year-round, but you may find some tasty options if you try something new! (Photo by Canstock)

Four Food-Safety Resolutions for the New Year

January 4, 2019 - Filed Under: Food, Nutrition

If you are tired of New Year’s resolutions, let me ease your mind: these four tips are really fast, easy habits that will help you stay healthy. If you’ve got 20 seconds, you’ve got time for at least one resolution! (File photo by MSU Extension)

A close-up of a golden brown whole-grain pancake on a nonstick griddle, with parts of two other pancakes blurred in the background.

The Food Factor | Whole Grain Pancakes

December 21, 2018 - Filed Under: Food, Nutrition

Ready to enjoy a tasty breakfast treat without the guilt? These whole-grain pancakes will do the trick! Be sure to top with fresh or pureed fruit, such as sliced berries or bananas. (Photo by Jonathan Parrish/Cindy Callahan)

A woman holds up a turquoise blue mug while sitting on a brown leather couch and smiling at the camera.

The Food Factor | How to Make Spiced Cider

December 14, 2018 - Filed Under: Food, Nutrition

The whole spices can be expensive, but they are strong, so they go a long way. If you’re not familiar with the spice mace, it tastes similar to nutmeg but is considered milder in flavor. (Photo by Jonathan Parrish/Cindy Callahan)

Wooden honey dipper lying against a small jar of honey that is covered with a decorative piece of fabric tied with a string.

Give honey credit, but not too much

November 28, 2018 - Filed Under: Food and Health

Many people appreciate its flavor and soothing affects, but honey may receive more credit than it deserves.

Since ancient times, people have tried to use honey for medicinal purposes. Even today, people hope it will manage allergies, weight or diabetes. However, the use of honey just might not be as powerful as some believe.

A woman wearing a white visor, maroon shirt, jeans, and boots marks a clipboard as five cows and three calves rest under a tree.

What’s New

About Extension, Beef, Marketing and Business Planning, Rural Development, Food, Food Safety, Health, Nutrition, Rural Health
Volume 4 Number 3

See what's new in Extension: Gather for First Extension Beef-Production Workshop, the Food Factor Goes Digital, Extension Professionals Share Expertise, and Extension Offers New HappyHealthy Program.

A little girl in a white chef’s hat stands beside her mother

Tried and True

Food, Rural Health
Volume 3 Number 4

For anyone relying on Pinterest, Facebook, or other online recipe sites to plan healthy meals, Marilyn Lunsford is encouraging those home cooks to look in a different, more local place.