News By Department: Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion

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.

JACKSON, Miss. -- Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant named May 14, 2019, a day to recognize 50 years of successful programing by the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, or EFNEP.

Tabitha McRunnels' career spent teaching young children evolved into one devoted to teaching mothers how to feed their kids nutritious meals on limited funds.

McRunnels is a nutrition educator with the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program -- or EFNEP -- in Lee County. She is part of the Mississippi State University Extension Service, which administers EFNEP through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

A nationwide community program that helps limited-resource families learn how to eat healthy and live an active life is celebrating 50 years of nutrition education to Mississippians in 2019.

The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program -- or EFNEP -- is a federal program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

A summer program application process is underway for high school juniors looking for a jump-start on college and exposure to careers in medicine and science.

Human health in the home is the focus of a new partnership between the Mississippi State University Extension Service and the Mississippi University for Women College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

A commitment to improving public health issues in Mississippi has brought David Buys to the presidency of the organization dedicated to similar goals.

Mississippians can do their part to combat the national opioid crisis and protect their home environments by dropping off unused medications at take-back sites around the state on Oct. 27.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service has received national recognition for a Healthy Homes Initiative marketing campaign.

The National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences presented Extension with the first-place Marketing Package Award for its Healthy Homes Initiative promotional efforts.

Leftover rice – whether you’ve brought it home from a local restaurant or cooked it yourself – is the perfect foundation for a fun and easy weeknight supper: fried rice. But if you’re not careful, fried rice can be chock full of calories and sodium.

Here are some tips for making your fried rice healthier! (Photo by Jonathan Parrish)

Those who struggle with injury or disability know it is never too early to make changes that allow a house to be more accommodating to people with impaired mobility.

Mississippi State is launching a comprehensive initiative to help Mississippians battle obesity with a $5.5 million grant awarded to MSU Extension by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here in the South, a good cast iron skillet will never go out of style. Before using a new skillet, follow these steps to season it.
(Photo by Jonathan Parrish.)

Safety concerns can put the brakes on driving for senior adults, but families with a transportation plan can help their loved ones maintain happy and healthy lifestyles.