News By Department: Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion

As families limit trips to the grocery store, they can use their freezers to preserve more than just meat, fruits and vegetables.

Dairy products and eggs also can be frozen.

RAYMOND, Miss. – As people reduce trips to the grocery store to help slow the spread of the new coronavirus, older adults should pay special attention to what they put in their pantries. 

“As we age, we don’t need as many calories, but we still need the same amount of nutrients or more of certain nutrients,” said Qula Madkin, an Extension instructor of nutrition in the MSU Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion. “Maintaining a nutritious diet helps our body systems work properly, including our immune system.”

Meal planning and prepping is all the craze these days. It’s one of the easiest ways to be intentional about what you eat and helps you stick to a healthy diet. It’s also a great way for you to save time and moneyMeal planning and prepping is all the craze these days. It’s one of the easiest ways to be intentional about what you eat and helps you stick to a healthy diet. 

A Mississippi State University Extension Service educator has been selected to participate in the nation’s second oldest statewide leadership training program aimed at strengthening Mississippi’s quality of life.

Did you know February is Heart Health Month? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that around 647,000 Americans die from heart disease each year. That’s one in every four deaths! 

Has anyone heard about the ‘freshman fifteen’? During my first semester of college, I gained more than fifteen pounds. The main culprit was added sugar in soda drinks and desserts

The holiday season is finally over and life is slowing down a bit.  Everyone has made their New Year’s resolutions to be the best versions of themselves for 2020. 

If just the thought of the holidays sets off a sense of dread, consider approaching the season differently this year.
Dr. David Buys, Mississippi State University Extension Service health specialist, has some simple, practical tips to help you. 
Photo credit: Michael Voroshnin – Unsplash

RAYMOND, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service hired two regional registered dietitians to help in the fight against obesity and chronic disease in Mississippi.

Madison Payne and Dottie Kenda have joined the Extension Office of Nutrition Education. In their regions, they oversee curriculums and delivery for the Extension Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education, or SNAP-Ed, and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, or EFNEP.

Most Mississippians think of drug addiction as an issue other people face in faraway places, but the source of this problem could be as close as the family medicine cabinet.

2019 has been an extraordinarily bad year for agriculture, and the extra mental stress it has placed on producers sends many of them looking for relief, not always in good ways.

 Incoming college freshman think of almost every possible new experience they could encounter in their new world; however, some neglect the dreaded “freshman 15.”

From agricultural damage to financial challenges, the effects of a natural disaster can be physically and emotionally overwhelming for farmers and residents of an impacted region. As those in the Mississippi Delta and surrounding areas continue to cope and begin recovery from recent devastating floods, faculty and staff in Mississippi State’s Extension Service and Department of Psychology are extending reminders that can help.

Between her job and her home, Tracey Porter has not had a break from dealing with flooding in the last six months.

Porter is the deputy director of the Warren County Emergency Management Agency, and her husband, Rodney, farms in the southern Mississippi Delta. Excessive rain last winter and spring kept 250,000 acres of farmland out of production this year. During the time when he would normally prepare for planting season, Rodney Porter was building sandbag levees to protect flood waters from invading their home. She helped him when she was not on the clock assisting other affected people in her community.

Sometimes it is necessary to use a pesticide to rid your home of some uninvited guests. When using pesticides, remember to use them safely.

My pets are part of the family, and I want them to have a healthy diet. There are many choices when it comes to what to feed your pet, and I always discuss this with my veterinarian when I add a pet to the family and at each pet’s check-up.

Everyone deals with the occasional invasion of sugar ants in the kitchen. It’s just a fact of life.

But when they do make their way in, you don’t want to lay out the welcome mat for them. Regina Boykins, Extension agent in Humphreys County has a few tips to help keep ants and other pests out of your kitchen.

Bullying is personal to Je'Kylynn Steen, whose experiences as a victim and witness, helped give her insight into a project that can help others who may face the same challenges.

As a community health intern with the Junior Master Wellness Volunteer Program, she served as the primary author of a new bullying module to help young people recognize this pervasive problem and learn strategies to stop it.

National Dairy Month is a great time to consider the numerous health benefits dairy products provide and how supporting the industry indirectly helps a variety of people.

To help confront mental health issues facing the nation today, the Mississippi State University Extension Service is offering unique first aid training to all its employees.