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 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
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News
A cross section of Belzoni society turned out to celebrate the opening of a new downtown attraction, a StoryWalk park that’s aimed at children but also welcomes adult interaction. Centennial Park on West Jackson Street in downtown Belzoni now hosts bright-yellow word art that invites visitors to “share.” Within the park is the area’s first StoryWalk, a combination of literacy and physical activity.
If hot meals are too much for you in the summer, try adding this Chicken and Fruit Salad recipe to your meal rotation.
Chicken and Fruit Salad is an easy and refreshing summertime lunch or dinner.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Stress is normal and part of life, but too much unchecked stress can lead to physical and mental health challenges that must be addressed.
Life can be overwhelming sometimes, and stress is a normal part of life. Too much unchecked stress can lead to physical and mental health challenges that must be addressed. Know the signs to watch for and learn what to do when you or someone you know needs help.
Salt-free seasonings add a unique flavor to your dishes without adding extra salt. To incorporate more herbs and spices into your meals, look for seasonings that end in “powder,” like garlic, chili, and onion powders.
One of the first steps in controlling high blood pressure is to reduce the extra sodium in your diet. Many people think sodium and salt are the same thing, however, they are different. Sodium is a mineral that occurs naturally in foods and is sometimes added during manufacturing. Table salt is a combination of the minerals sodium and chloride.
While “marination” brings up images of resealable bags and special sauces for many home cooks and backyard chefs, it meant hard-core meat science and technological advances to 47 industry professionals who attended Marination 101 at Mississippi State University. In mid-April, MSU Extension offered the workshop “Marination 101: The Flavor of Science” to industry personnel from across the United States and Canada. Topics covered included meat marination, marinade formulations, breading, food chemistry, flavor enhancements, equipment and more.
Success Stories
When Kathryn Reed saw that young people in her community needed more opportunities to participate in activities to help them grow spiritually and personally, she took action.
“We have a lot of activities for adults in our community, but there was nothing for our pre-teens and teenagers,” explains Kathryn. “We are losing them when they get to that age.”
He had always been very good at math and science in school, and when Caleb Zumbro earned the chance to study chemical engineering at Mississippi State University, the young man from Franklin County was excited to move away from Mississippi’s Pine Hills.
When teachers and administrators at Leland School Park began taking steps to install a school garden in 2019, they had no idea they would get a first-of-its-kind outdoor classroom.
Kendra McGregory, a Houston, Mississippi, fourth grader, attended the program for the first time in 2021.
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