BC Home and Health Newsletter Sept/Oct 2021

Barren County's

HOME AND HEALTH IN THIS ISSUE NEWSLETTER : September/October 2021

Create healthy eating environments for children SNAP in Kentucky KY Spaghetti Squash

Plate It Up KY Proud Hunger in Kentucky

6 Ways to Help Hunger HOMEMAKER HIGHLIGHTS

Shop Smart

LaToya's comments:

September is National Hunger Action Month. The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically worsened our hunger crisis. More folks than ever before are food insecure, depending on benefits and community resources to get fed. The Oxford Dictionary defines food insecurity as "the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food."

Many folks and organizations are tackling hunger in our community. I encourage you to be inspired to ACT to address hunger here at home. Check out this newsletter edition for information and strategies. Struggling with hunger? Reach out for resources.

LaToya Drake, MS

Create healthy eating environments for children

Agent for Family and

Consumer Sciences

We all want our children to grow up healthy and happy. This is one of the reasons we encourage them to eat healthy foods throughout their lives. A recent statement by the American Heart Association added clarity to how parents and caregivers can help children develop lifelong healthy eating habits.

In regards to reducing a child’s risk of overweight, obesity or cardiovascular disease, the environments in which children eat may be just as important as the types of food they eat. Parents and caregivers can create healthy eating environments for children by providing healthy options and then allowing children to make choices when it comes to what they eat and when they have had enough.

g n i t a e y h t al e h e t a e r C r o f s t n e m environ children When parents and caregivers exert too much or too little control over what children eat, this can have negative long-term consequences resulting in overeating and lower-quality diets. According to Courtney Luecking, University of Kentucky extension specialist in food and nutrition, children are born with the ability to stop eating when they are full. By pressuring or requiring them to clean their plate, we may be teaching them to ignore this natural ability. Rewarding children when they eat healthy food or punishing them if they do not eat healthy food can cause children to develop a lifelong dislike for those foods. On the other hand, if we allow children to eat whenever and whatever they want, they will not have the opportunity to learn healthy eating behaviors.

To help parents and caregivers strike the balance between too much and too little control, experts offered evidence-based strategies for creating positive eating environments.

Provide consistent mealtimes. The structure and routine of consistent mealtimes creates rules and expectations for the eating environment. Enjoying snacks or meals as a family can provide additional benefits.

Provide children with many healthy selections and let them choose what to eat. Not only do they get eat what they want (within reason), it also helps them feel like they have sense of control and helps them develop their decision-making skills. Both of which are important.

When introducing a new food into your child’s diet, introduce it alongside food that your child already likes. Children can be picky eaters, especially during ages 1 to 5 or when they experience different textures and tastes. They may be more likely to try foods if served with something familiar or when they have had a hand in growing or preparing a food. According to Sandra Bastin, UK food and nutrition extension specialist, there is hope for the picky eater. Research indicates that it may take 10 to 15 exposures before a child accepts something new. Just because they won’t eat it today, doesn’t mean they won’t eat it next week. But don’t expect them to like different foods if all you serve them is pizza or French fries.

Set a good example when it comes to food. Make healthy eating choices and let children see you enjoy the process of eating and consuming healthy foods.

Pay attention to children’s hunger and fullness cues. Avoid pressuring them into cleaning their plate or using food as a reward or a punishment. Instead, honor children’s verbal or non-verbal cues that they have had enough.

Parents and caregivers play a significant role in the development of children’s eating behaviors. Creating healthy eating environments and allowing children to make decisions around food early in life can help them develop lifelong habits that promote better nutrition now and in the future.

For more information about healthy eating, contact the Barren County office of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.

Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expressions, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Kentucky

What does hunger look like in Kentucky?

6 ways to help during Hunger Action Month This September, communities across America are committing to fight hunger during Hunger Action Month. With every action, we get one step closer to making hunger a thing of the past.

Not sure how to participate in Hunger Action Month? You can learn, commit and speak up with these six easy ways to get involved.

1. Take the pledge to help end hunger Food shouldn't be a privilege, it should be a right. But, in America, millions of people face hunger every single day. We can all make a difference - and that impact starts with little actions.

Take the first step with us and pledge to help end hunger in your community.

2. Learn and share the latest hunger facts Some people believe that hunger isn’t an issue in America. But that simply isn’t true. Every county in the United States struggles with food insecurity, and during the pandemic, food banks have been serving even more people. Learn about hunger in your community and then share it with your friends and family on Facebook or Twitter.

3. Fundraise for Hunger Action Month Invite your friends and family to join in the fight to end hunger by donating to your local food bank or to Feeding America. Join our Hunger Action Month fundraiser and Unlock prizes as you fundraise. You can also compete against your friends and family for a shot at the coveted "Golden Veggie Trophy" which goes to the highest fundraiser. Looking for a different There are plenty of other easy ways to fundraise, including starting a Facebook fundraiser.

4. Become a regular food bank or food pantry volunteer Over half of all soup kitchens, food pantries, and meal programs in the Feeding America network rely on volunteer support. Spending a few hours each month volunteering can make an enormous difference for food banks and the families they serve. Pledge to volunteer, then find your local food bank and sign up!

5. Donate to Feeding America or your local food bank Your donation to Feeding America or one of our member food banks keeps hunger relief programs across the country running smoothly. While donating food may seem like the best thing to do to help your local food bank, the Feeding America network of food banks can do even more with a monetary donation. Make a one-time or monthly donation in honor of Hunger Action Month.

6. Tell our lawmakers to support strong federal food assistance programs Every day, Feeding America and food banks across the country are working to ensure our neighbors facing hunger have enough food to eat. But, we can't do it without strong federal food assistance programs. In fact, for every meal Feeding America provides, SNAP provides nine. During Hunger Action Month, speak up with us to ensure our neighbors have the food they need, every day.

September 1, 2021

by Paul Morello

Homemaker Highlights

The Extension Office Auditorium is open for meetings of 30 or less. A club representative must sign the agreement and ensure members follow UK policies. Please reach out to LaToya with questions.

There are still a few Homemaker shirts for sale! Be ready for Homemaker events and purchase your shirt! ($14, S-XL; $15, XXL) Congratulations to all of the County Cultural Arts Winners: Debbie Gray Edie Bell Vada Maulden Phyllis Houchens Jessica Bradley Joyce Wray Marissa Boarders Laura Murley Karen Wood Cheri Vaughan Myrna Neff October 11th - 15th is the annual Homemaker Week Celebration. See the included flyer for additional information.

October's leader lesson, "How Secure Are You?" will be presented at the Barren County Extension service on September 27th at 10:00 am by Kristi Shive, Warren County FCS Agent.

Area Annual Day remains planned for October 21st, at 9:00 am.

For more information or to register reach out to the office.

Cancellation/postponement will be delivered via one call if required or determined by the Area Council.