Monday, October 19, 2015

Healthy Baking Tips

Low Fat Tips
  • Cutting servings into smaller portions is sometimes all that’s necessary to lower fat consumption. (Check the Nutrition Guidelines included with each recipe for the fat amount in each serving.)
  • Search BettyCrocker.com for “lighter recipe” and “low fat”—you’ll find an archive of recipes lightened for conscientious bakers and cooks.
  • Use nuts in reduced amounts. When baking a cake, sprinkle nuts on top of the batter instead of stirring them in. The nuts toast as they bake, releasing more flavor—and there's no need for frosting!
  • Try Betty Crocker® 1-Step White Angel Food Cake mix—angel food cake is fat-free. Add fresh sliced strawberries for the finish.
Low Fat Substitutes
  • Applesauce and plain yogurt are good fat substitutes in most recipes. For maximum texture and flavor, replace no more than half the amount of the fat listed in the recipe. If a recipe calls for 1/2 cup butter, you can substitute 1/4 cup applesauce, saving 44 grams of fat and 400 calories (the fat and calories in 1/4 cup margarine)
  • Mashed ripe bananas work well as fat substitutes in carrot or banana cake or muffins.
  • Purchased fruit puree mixtures, usually prune—based, also are good and work especially well in chocolate, spice and carrot cakes. Follow the label directions.
  • Baby food in similar fruit flavors can be good as fat substitutes, too.
  • Replace 1 whole egg in a recipe with ¼ cup fat-free, cholesterol-free egg product substitutes (such as ConAgra’s Egg Beaters®) or 2 egg whites—you'll save more than 10 grams of fat and 100 calories.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Healthy Feet for People with Diabetes


 Every person with diabetes should have a complete foot exam at least  once a year. The exam should include:

·        Checking the pulses of your feet to see if there is a circulation problem.

·        Checking the nerve functions of your feet using a filament.

·        Evaluating any problems such as bunions, corns, athlete’s feet, fungal nails, ingrown toenails.

·        A discussion of of foot care. 

Take care of your feet every day:

·        Check your feet every day for sores, calluses, red spots, cuts, swelling, and blisters.  If you cannot see the bottom of your feet, use a mirror or ask someone to check your feet for you.  

·        Call your health care provider, no matter how small your wound.  A small cut can quickly become large and infected.  

·        Do not cut calluses or corns yourself.  See your health care provider if cutting is needed.   

·        Wash your feet every day.  Dry them carefully, especially between your toes.

·        Use skin cream (but not between your toes) if your feet are dry.
·        Cut toenails straight across. File the edges so they are smooth.  If you have trouble reaching your feet, ask a family member to cut your nails.

·        Don’t walk barefoot.

·        Don’t smoke! Smoking cuts off blood flow.

Choose comfortable shoes that fit well:

·        Choose shoes with a low heel and plenty of room for your toes. 

·        Choose leather dress shoes; for everyday wear, walking or running shoes are a good choice.

·        Break in new shoes slowly.

·        Check inside your shoes for stones or other objects before putting them on.

·        Wear clean padded socks to protect your feet.

Keep your diabetes under control.  High blood sugar levels are behind most foot problems of people with diabetes.


Karen Halderson, MPH, RD, LD CDE Extension Diabetes Coordinator
Adapted from materials from the American Diabetes Associaton 

Friday, October 9, 2015

Kids & Diabetes: Tips and Tricks For Halloween

Halloween — the very word can send a shiver up the spines of children and parents alike, albeit for very different reasons. While the kids are probably looking forward to costumes and trick-or-treating, the parents are likely more concerned about the vast quantities of sugar their kids are going to amass and what it’s going to do to their blood glucose control. As the parent of a child with diabetes, you may be wondering how to approach this holiday. What do the medical experts advise? What do other parents do? What would your child like to do? For tips on how to approach Halloween, as well as answers to these questions, we asked medical professionals, parents of children with diabetes, and adults who were diagnosed as youngsters for their opinions and advice on celebrating All Hallows’ Eve.

Getting into the spirit

As with many things in life, much of the excitement of Halloween comes from the anticipation and preparation leading up to the day. Planning a party, choosing or creating a costume, picking out a pumpkin and carving a jack-o’-lantern, or making arrangements for a visit to a haunted house or a hayride are all good ways to get into the Halloween spirit. Susan Shaw, diagnosed with diabetes as a child, says that she “would encourage families to have rituals to celebrate Halloween that include carving the pumpkin, toasting and eating the pumpkin seeds, and bobbing for apples.” This way, she explains, everyone can join in the festivities, and no special arrangements need to be made for the child with diabetes.
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Putting together a costume can be fun for everyone in the days leading up to Halloween. Although Kerri Morrone Sparling, diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 6, remembers the candy from Halloweens past, recollections of the treats don’t hold a candle to her fond memories of the costumes. Your child may enjoy taking a trip to the store to select a costume or, for a more creative touch, gathering materials to create a homemade costume.

Trick or treat!

Trick-or-treating is an important part of the Halloween experience, and everyone we talked to agreed that a child with diabetes should not be denied the opportunity to engage in the same activities as the other kids in the family. Indeed, as Allison Nimlos, diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 8, points out, the walking involved in this activity provides a healthy dose of exercise (and it may even make taking extra insulin for a small treat unnecessary).
Once the candy has been collected, there are a number of ways to handle the booty. Penny, mother of a young boy with diabetes, allows her son to pick out a few pieces of candy to eat when he gets home from trick-or-treating, covering the extra carbohydrate with a bolus from his insulin pump. He also gets a piece or two of candy for dessert several nights a week for one or two weeks, at which point any candy left over is thrown away. According to Penny, “I guess it would be a problem if Riley wanted to eat a ton of candy at one time. But for now, he’s satisfied if he gets a small piece of candy after supper.”
Since candy is high in sugar (and sometimes fat) but devoid of most other nutrients, this can be a good approach for siblings without diabetes, too. Kevin McMahon, fomer president of diabetes technology company Diabetech, has two daughters, one with diabetes and one without. After trick-or-treating, both girls choose a handful of their favorite sweets and then barter the remaining candy for a special prize such as a trip to the zoo. According to McMahon, “The girls don’t seem to mind, and they’ve bought into the fact that sweets aren’t the best choice anyway, whether you have diabetes or not.”
The use of carbohydrate counting should make it possible to incorporate occasional treats into your child’s meal plan with just a little extra planning. One option is to serve the candy instead of another carbohydrate-containing food, so the total amount of carbohydrate in the meal stays the same. (Consuming consistent amounts of carbohydrate from one day to the next can help with overall blood glucose control.) A second option is to adjust the premeal insulin dose according to how much carbohydrate will be eaten.
According to certified diabetes educator Gary Scheiner, if you opt to let your child have part of his candy haul, “you can manage blood glucose levels if you administer the right amounts of insulin at the right times. There is nothing about having diabetes per se that should force kids to not eat things that their peers are eating.”
Eating some candy can even be a good opportunity for teaching your child to take a more independent role in his diabetes management. According to Stephen Ponder, a physician and certified diabetes educator with Type 1 diabetes, partaking of the spoils of trick-or-treating “can be an opportunity for kids to learn some practical aspects of carbohydrate counting.” He added, however, that candy should not be a dietary staple, and he supported the idea of keeping a few pieces of Halloween candy to work into a child’s meal plan and throwing out the rest.
Dietitian Amy Campbell says that the trick to incorporating treats into your child’s diabetes meal plan is to know how much carbohydrate is in the candy and how much carbohydrate your child is allotted for a meal or snack. Because the nutrition information for snack-size candies is rarely printed on each individual candy, children can make a game of finding out how much carbohydrate each treat contains and labeling each accordingly (with masking tape or a small sticker). Company websites generally contain either product nutrition information or a phone number to contact customer service.
Parents of children who have celiac disease (an intolerance to gluten, the protein in wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats) may also need to call companies to confirm whether candy is gluten free or encourage older children to start learning how to collect this information.
Bear in mind that the spoils of trick-or-treating should not be made available for continuous snacking. As noted by Scheiner, “‘Grazing’ tends to produce a prolonged post-meal high since the meal is virtually nonstop.” Instead, a piece or two of candy should be incorporated as dessert after a meal or as a snack, which can be covered by a bolus of insulin. For kids who don’t use an insulin pump, including treats in a meal or a regularly scheduled snack also limits the number of extra injections that may be needed to cover candy eaten at other times.
Pediatric nurse practitioner Jean Roemer supports the idea of allowing your child to pick 10 or so favorite candies from the bag and offers another suggestion for what to do with the rest: Auction it off to family members for spending money.
No matter which approach you take, one thing that is important is to make sure that your child with diabetes does not feel singled out. As Kelly Kunik, diagnosed with diabetes on Halloween at age 8, recalls, “We didn’t have carb counting back when I was diagnosed. My first night in the hospital, all the other kids were trick-or-treating, but I wanted no part of the special diabetes candy.” (It is worth noting that sugar-free versions of candy often contain more carbohydrate than their regular counterparts.) And according to Morrone Sparling, “It’s important to let the child with diabetes know that he isn’t ‘banned’ from treats, just that it requires a little extra planning and patience.”

We’re having a party

For parents who seek an alternative to trick-or-treating, a party, complete with Halloween-themed decorations and games, may be a good option. The following activities can get any party off to a spooky start:
  • Costume Fashion Show
    Set up a runway and play a compilation of Halloween music while the kids display their costumes. Hand out awards in different categories, such as scariest costume or best homemade costume.
  • Goo Relay
    Make some goo by mixing four parts cornstarch with one part water (adding some food coloring, if desired) until the concoction has a slimy consistency. Divide children into teams and line each team up about 20 feet from an empty bucket. At the word “go,” have team members take turns running a handful of slime from a container at the starting line to the bucket. The first team to fill its bucket wins.
  • Guess the pumpkin’s weight
    Have kids write their estimates of a pumpkin’s weight onto a slip of paper. The child with the closest guess wins a prize.
  • Silly telephone
    Arrange all of the children into a large circle. Have the first child whisper a silly message into the second child’s ear. See how the message has changed by the time it reaches the beginning of the circle.
For more Halloween-themed games, type “Halloween party games” into an Internet search engine such as Google.
Be sure to keep an eye on your child’s blood glucose levels if he is playing a game that requires a fair amount of physical activity: Getting more exercise than usual can lead to lower-than-expected blood glucose. On the other end of the spectrum, some children may experience very high blood glucose if they get scared by a particularly convincing costume or display at a haunted house.

Having a spooktacular time

There are as many ways to healthfully celebrate Halloween with diabetes as there are ghosts, ghouls, and goblins afoot on All Hallows’ Eve. By planning ahead and including your child in any decision-making, you can ensure a heck of a good time for everyone on Halloween. Just don’t forget to brush teeth and floss if there’s candy involved.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Dealing with Tantrums

When our children throw tantrums it can be infuriating or even downright scary! Yet tantrums, ‘melt –down’ or  ‘wobblers’ are a  perfectly normal stage in our children’s development. And it’s reassuring to know that diffusing tantrums effectively and reducing their recurrence is often relatively straightforward.

Here is a sample of some of our easy and effective tools for solving this issue

This works really well:

EMPATHY AND VALIDATION:

  • Even if we think that our children can’t hear us over the sound of their own wails, it’s worth trying to get close to them just to let them know that we care.
  • Say to your child with empathy “I can see you are very upset…”.
  • However unnerving tantrums may be, we should try to provide a quiet, peaceful response (and atmosphere if possible) when they do occur.
  • At the same time, hold steadfast to your own rules and try hard not to ‘give-in’. In this way our children will learn that tantrums are not the way to get what they want.

Here is another suggestion:

BIG HUG:

  • Hugging almost always helps reassure and calm down distressed children.
    You can even call hugging ‘The Big Hug Time’ and refer to it whenever your child loses control.
  • For example. Tell your child “I’m going to hug you till you calm down because I love you and I don’t want you to hurt yourself or anyone else”.
  • If your child is really frustrated or upset, he or she may lose physical control, which may involve striking out at you or others. If you can get near your child without getting hurt, or without too much of a struggle, keep trying to hold him or her in your arms until the tantrum stops.
  • If your child is in a public place (for example in the middle of a supermarket!), you should lead him or her to a quiet place, such as the car or a rest room and keep him or her safe until the tantrum has ended.

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

How to Get your Kids to Help in the Kitchen

Kids who are given the opportunity to be involved in meal preparation are more likely to understand basic nutritional concepts that will form a foundation for the rest of their lives. Parents can be skeptical that their young kids can learn to cook but exposure to “scratch cooking” helps to develop a taste for fresh wholesome ingredients. Kids are also much more likely to eat what they make because cooking creates a sense of ownership. And meals prepared from scratch are usually much healthier than pre-packaged foods and restaurant meals. Here are some ideas on how to start cooking with your kids: Pick a good time. It’s important that your first cooking experience with children is a positive one, so pick a time when everyone is well-rested and not starving. Start with something familiar. When introducing the concept of cooking to kids, it’s important to start with one of their favorite dishes so that they equate cooking with something they already enjoy. Find assistants. Invite Grandma over or keep your sitter for an extra hour. It will be more fun for everyone if there is someone else to help oversee the project and clean up. Accept that it will get messy. Plan on some mess and you’ll feel less stressed. Kids are great cleaner-uppers so ask them to pitch in. Many kids, as young as 2 years old, love using a sponge and do a surprisingly good job of wiping up. Roll with the punches. If something goes wrong, just laugh. It’s a good opportunity to teach children how to shrug off mistakes and learn from their blunders. Praise their efforts. They adore making food for family members so give them lots of compliments when they complete a task well – genuine, well-deserved praise builds self-worth and confidence. Choose the right tasks. Plan ahead when deciding what to prepare. For younger kids, consider starting with a simple dish with few ingredients. These are additional suggestions for age appropriate activities. Measure and Pour: • Very young children can watch as you measure wet and dry ingredients, explaining the terms “cup,” “teaspoon,” and “tablespoon.” Once you level the dry ingredients, your child can pour them into a bowl. This is a great time to practice counting (to keep track of how many cups or teaspoons are already in the bowl). • As children get a little older, around 4 or 5 years old, you can start letting them pour or scoop ingredients into measuring tools. Teach them how to level dry ingredients by using the straight edge of a knife or metal spatula, and how to check liquid measurements at eye-level. • School-age children can continue to measure and count on their own, but this is also a good time to introduce conversions (i.e., 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons or 1½ cups = 3 half-cups) and measuring by weight. Stirring and Combining • Very young children can practice stirring batters and combining dry ingredients using a wooden spoon, a fork, or a spatula. • Preschoolers can start learning to use different techniques, including beating or whipping ingredients using a whisk or egg beater. When they stir ingredients together, teach them to scrape the sides to incorporate everything. • School-age children can begin using hand-held electric beaters and learning new techniques like folding when using airy ingredients. Preparing Ingredients • Even the youngest children can help with preparing ingredients by fetching things from the refrigerator, assisting with the salad spinner when you clean greens, and rinsing fruits and vegetables. • Preschool kids can start tearing lettuce for the salad, scrubbing potatoes to clean them, and cutting soft foods (like olives and strawberries) with a butter knife or dull plastic knife. They can also begin learning how to crack an egg. • Make sure school-age children are aware of knife safety before letting them use the “grown-up” knives. It’s up to you to determine when your child is ready for these serious tools, but peeling vegetables and cutting ingredients are great jobs for older kids. You can also start teaching culinary skills like mincing, chopping, dicing, and julienning. Another great skill to teach at this time is how to separate an egg. Just make sure you have extras! Cleaning up • Small children can help with clean up tasks by using a small brush or broom and handheld dustpan on the floor. They can wipe up spills on the counter, and put away clean flatware (great for practice in sorting!). • 4- to 5-year-olds can add to these cleaning skills by using spray bottles of nontoxic cleanser to spray the counter before wiping it clean. They can use brooms or Swiffers on the floor, and help with the dishwasher by filling the soap compartments and pushing the “start” button. • School-age children can begin washing dishes and loading the dishwasher. When the dishwasher is finished, they can put away things in the cabinets and drawers that they can reach. • For all ages, make sure to reinforce these skills and habits by making cleaning fun, praising kids for independence in the kitchen (even when they make a mess), and holding kids accountable. Setting and Serving • Young children can set out the silverware, put napkins in napkin rings, and carry their own bowls and cups to the table. • Preschoolers can set the table and pour drinks for the family and make place cards for holiday or event seating. • School-age children can help serve entrees and side items in addition to setting the table. Teach them which serving utensils are appropriate for different kinds of foods, and then begin letting them choose which one to use for each dish. Kids who help out in the kitchen and share family meals are creating lifelong memories that will influence the way they eat for the rest of their lives. What better incentive to make this a priority. Enjoy the time you have with your children, we all know that they grow up too fast.

Monday, October 5, 2015

Foodborne Illness: What Consumers Need to Know

Foodborne Illness: What Consumers Need to Know


What Is Foodborne Illness?
Foodborne illness is a preventable public health challenge that causes an estimated 48 million illnesses and 3,000 deaths each year in the United States. It is an illness that comes from eating contaminated food. The onset of symptoms may occur within minutes to weeks and often presents itself as flu-like symptoms, as the ill person may experience symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or fever. Because the symptoms are often flu-like, many people may not recognize that the illness is caused by harmful bacteria or other pathogens in food.
Everyone is at risk for getting a foodborne illness. However, some people are at greater risk for experiencing a more serious illness or even death should they get a foodborne illness. Those at greater risk are infants, young children, pregnant women and their unborn babies, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems (such as those with HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, and transplant patients.) Some people may become ill after ingesting only a few harmful bacteria; others may remain symptom free after ingesting thousands.
How Do Bacteria Get in Food?
Microorganisms may be present on food products when you purchase them. For example, plastic-wrapped boneless chicken breasts and ground meat were once part of live chickens or cattle. Raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs are not sterile. Neither is fresh produce such as lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, and melons.
Thousands of types of bacteria are naturally present in our environment. Microorganisms that cause disease are called pathogens. When certain pathogens enter the food supply, they can cause foodborne illness. Not all bacteria cause disease in humans. For example, some bacteria are used beneficially in making cheese and yogurt.
Foods, including safely cooked and ready-to-eat foods, can become cross-contaminated with pathogens transferred from raw egg products and raw meat, poultry, and seafood products and their juices, other contaminated products, or from food handlers with poor personal hygiene. Most cases of foodborne illness can be prevented with proper cooking or processing of food to destroy pathogens.
The "Danger Zone"
Bacteria multiply rapidly between 40 °F and 140 °F. To keep food out of this "Danger Zone," keep cold food cold and hot food hot.
  • Store food in the refrigerator (40 °F or below) or freezer (0 °F or below).
  • Cook food to a safe minimum internal temperature.
    • Cook all raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures.
    • Cook all raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal to an internal temperature of 160 °F as measured with a food thermometer.
    • Cook all poultry to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer.
  • Maintain hot cooked food at 140 °F or above.
  • When reheating cooked food, reheat to 165 °F.
In Case of Suspected Foodborne Illness
Follow these general guidelines:
  1. Preserve the evidence. If a portion of the suspect food is available, wrap it securely, mark "DANGER" and freeze it. Save all the packaging materials, such as cans or cartons. Write down the food type, the date, other identifying marks on the package, the time consumed, and when the onset of symptoms occurred. Save any identical unopened products.
  2. Seek treatment as necessary. If the victim is in an "at risk" group, seek medical care immediately. Likewise, if symptoms persist or are severe (such as bloody diarrhea, excessive nausea and vomiting, or high temperature), call your doctor.
  3. Call the local health department if the suspect food was served at a large gathering, from a restaurant or other food service facility, or if it is a commercial product.
  4. Call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) if the suspect food is a USDA-inspected product and you have all the packaging.

BacteriaAssociated FoodsSymptoms and Potential ImpactPrevention
Campylobacter jejuniContaminated water, raw or unpasteurized milk, and raw or undercooked meat, poultry, or shellfish.Diarrhea (sometimes bloody), cramping, abdominal pain, and fever that appear 2 to 5 days after eating; may last 7 days. May spread to bloodstream and cause a life- threatening infection.Cook meat and poultry to a safe minimum internal temperature; do not drink or consume unpasteurized milk or milk products; wash your hands after coming in contact with feces.
Clostridium botulinumImproperly canned foods, garlic in oil, vacuum-packed and tightly wrapped food.Bacteria produce a nerve toxin that causes illness, affecting the nervous system. Toxin affects the nervous system. Symptoms usually appear 18 to 36 hours, but can sometimes appear as few as 6 hours or as many as 10 days after eating; double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, and muscle weakness. If untreated, these symptoms may progress causing muscle paralysis and even death.Do not use damaged canned foods or canned foods showing signs of swelling, leakage, punctures, holes, fractures, extensive deep rusting, or crushing/denting severe enough to prevent normal stacking.

Follow safety guidelines when home canning food. Boil home canned foods for 10 minutes before eating to ensure safety. (Note: Safe home canning guidelines may be obtained from State University or County Extension Office).
Clostridium perfringensMeats, meat products and gravy Called "the cafeteria germ" because many outbreaks result from food left for long periods in steam tables or at room temperature.Intense abdominal cramps nausea, and diarrhea may appear 6 to 24 hours after eating; usually last about 1 day, but for immune comprised individuals, symptoms may last 1 to 2 weeks. Complications and/or death can occur only very rarely.Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold! Once food is cooked, it should be held hot, at an internal temperature of 140 °F or above. Use a food thermometer to make sure. Discard all perishable foods left at room temperature longer than 2 hours; 1 hour in temperatures above 90 °F.
CryptosporidiumSoil, food, water, contaminated surfaces. Swallowing contaminated water, including that from recreational sources, (e.g., a swimming pool or lake); eating uncooked or contaminated food; placing a contaminated object in the mouth.Dehydration, weight loss, stomach cramps or pain, fever, nausea, and vomiting; respiratory symptoms may also be present. Symptoms begin 2 to 10 days after becoming infected, and may last 1 to 2 weeks. Immune-comprised individuals may experience a more serious illness.Wash your hands before and after handling raw meat products, and after changing diapers, going to the bathroom, or touching animals. Avoid water that might be contaminated. (Do not drink untreated water from shallow wells, lakes, rivers, springs, ponds, and streams.)
Escherichia coliO157:H7Uncooked beef (especially ground beef), unpasteurized milk and juices (e.g., “fresh” apple cider); contaminated raw fruits and vegetables, or water. Person to person contamination can also occur.Severe diarrhea (often bloody diarrhea), abdominal cramps, and vomiting. Usually little or no fever. Can begin 2 to 8 days, but usually 3-4 days after consumption of contaminated food or water and last about 5 to 7 days depending on severity. Children under 5 are at greater risk of developing hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which causes acute kidney failure.Cook hamburgers and ground beef to a safe minimum internal temperature of 160°F. Drink only pasteurized milk, juice, or cider. Rinse fruits and vegetables under running tap water, especially those that will not be cooked. Wash your hands with warm water and soap after changing diapers, using the bathroom, handling pets or having any contact with feces.
Listeria monocytogenesReady-to-eat foods such as hot dogs, luncheon meats, cold cuts, fermented or dry sausage, and other deli-style meat and poultry. Also, soft cheeses made with unpasteurized milk. Smoked seafood and salads made in the store such as ham salad, chicken salad, or seafood salad.Fever, muscle aches, and sometimes gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea. If infection spreads to the nervous system, symptoms such as headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or convulsions can occur .Those at risk (including pregnant women and newborns, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems) may later develop more serious illness; death can result from Listeria. Can cause severe problems with pregnancy, including miscarriage or death in newborns.Cook raw meat, poultry and seafood to a safe minimum internal temperature; prevent cross contamination, separating ready to eat foods from raw eggs, and raw meat, poultry, seafood, and their juices; wash your hands before and after handling raw meat ,poultry, seafood and egg products. Those with a weakened immune system should avoid eating hot dogs, and deli meats, unless they are reheated to 165 ºF or steaming hot. Do not drink raw (unpasteurized) milk or foods that have unpasteurized milk in them, (e.g. soft cheeses). Do not eat deli salads made in store, such as ham, egg, tuna or seafood salad.
Salmonella(over 2300 types)Raw or undercooked eggs, poultry, and meat; unpasteurized milk and juice; cheese and seafood; and contaminated fresh fruits and vegetables.Diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps usually appear 12 to 72 hours after eating; may last 4 to 7 days. In people with weakened immune system, the infection may be more severe and lead to serious complications, including death.Cook raw meat, poultry, and egg products to a safe temperature. Do not eat raw or undercooked eggs. Avoid consuming raw or unpasteurized milk or other dairy products. Produce should be thoroughly washed before consuming.
Shigella (over 30 types)Person-to-person by fecal-oral route; fecal contamination of food and water. Most outbreaks result from food, especially salads, prepared and handled by workers using poor personal hygiene.Disease referred to as "shigellosis" or bacillary dysentery. Diarrhea (watery or bloody) , fever, abdominal cramps; 1 to 2 days from ingestion of bacteria and usually resolves in 5 to 7 daysHand washing is a very important step to prevent shigellosis. Always wash your hands with warm water and soap before handling food and after using the bathroom, changing diapers or having contact with an infected person.
Staphylococcus aureusCommonly found on the skin and in the noses of up to 25% of healthy people and animals. Person-to-person through food from improper food handling. Multiply rapidly at room temperature to produce a toxin that causes illness. Contaminated milk and cheeses.Severe nausea, abdominal cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea occur 30 minutes to 6 hours after eating; recovery from 1 to 3 days — longer if severe dehydration occurs.Because the toxins produced by this bacterium are resistant to heat and cannot be destroyed by cooking, preventing the contamination of food before the toxin can be produced is important. Keep hot foods hot (over 140°F) and cold foods cold (40°F or under); wash your hands with warm water and soap and wash kitchen counters with hot water and soap before and after preparing food.
Vibrio vulnificusUncooked or raw seafood (fish or shellfish); oystersIn healthy persons symptom include diarrhea, stomach pain, and vomiting May result in a blood infection and death for those with a weakened immune systems particularly with underlying liver disease.Do not eat raw oysters or other raw shellfish; cook shellfish (oysters, clams, mussels) thoroughly. Prevent cross-contamination by separating cooked seafood and other foods from raw seafood and its juices. Refrigerate cooked shellfish within two hours after cooking.

RSVP for our upcoming Diabetic Cooking School




An estimated 173,000 adults in New Mexico have diabetes. Diabetes is chronic disease that can result in serious complications including heart disease, kidney disease, blindness, stroke, amputations and even death. A Diabetic Cooking School for diabetics and their families will be offered October 27 & 29, November 3 & 5 from 4-6pm at the Eddy County Fairgrounds in Artesia. Participants must be able to attend all four sessions and are required to RSVP at 575-887-6595. 

RSVP for our upcoming Nuturing Parenting Workshop



Experts agree that parents are the most important influence in their children’s lives. The Eddy County Extension Office will be offering a free four day parenting workshop on September 28-Oct 1. In this workshop, you will learn what children need from their parents in order to thrive.  You will also discover how you can encourage a strong sense of self-esteem so that your children believe in themselves and become caring and responsible people. Participants are encouraged to attend all four sessions and must RSVP at 575-887-6595. 

Parenting Workshops Offered in Eddy County

Eddy County Cooperative Extension Service
1304 West Stevens
Carlsbad, NM 88220

For More Information, Contact:
Jennah McKinley, Extension Home Economist
Eddy County Cooperative Extension Service
Phone: 575-887-6595   Fax: 575-887-3795
jennahm@nmsu.edu

The word nurturing comes from the Latin word Nu tri tura that means to nurse, to nourish and to promote growth. Nurturing is a critical skill for all life forms on the planet. For human beings, it is the most important characteristic for all of us to treat others and ourselves with respect, caring, compassion and dignity. Nurturing Parenting is a philosophy as well as a program that emphasizes the importance of raising children in a warm, caring and trusting home that guides them to be respectful, caring and cooperative children.

Being a parent for most is a joy, although sometimes stressful. It also involves unconditional love, tough love and an open line of communication with your child. For some, parenting is harder than for others and they want help in developing good parenting skills. In an upcoming workshop, parents will increase their understanding of Nurturing Parenting, a proven approach experienced by hundreds of thousands of families worldwide. Eddy County Extension Service’s Home Economist, Jennah McKinley said she has received requests from a number of parents in the community for parenting classes, and next Monday begins her first of four sessions.

The free classes will be held at the Extension Service office located at 1305 W. Stevens St., from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. "New Mexico State University developed the Strengthening Families Initiative several years ago. It's taught all over the state," McKinley said. "It's a program designed to strengthen parent-child relationships, encourage healthy behaviors and improve the lives of our children."

McKinley said the class is not limited to biological parents. Foster parents, adoptive parents, social workers with the state's Children, Youth and Family Services, grandparents raising grandchildren and single parents are encouraged to attend. "I would recommend that participants attend all four sessions. At the end of the program, participants will receive a certificate of completion that could help some people with continuing education credit they may need," McKinley said.

She said participants will be given work sheets and other handouts to them through the classes. Participants must RSVP for the class and may contact the Extension office for more information. New Mexico State University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and educator. If you are an individual with a disability and need an auxiliary aid or service, please contact us Monday through Friday at 575-887-6595.

Home Economic Agent Starts in Eddy County


 New Mexico State University's Cooperative Extension Service office in Eddy County has a new home economist, whom as a native of Carlsbad, is eager to get people of all ages excited about various programs that Extension has to offer.

Jennah McKinley joins a staff of three who provide Extension services to the county through 4-H youth programs, nutrition education programs and agriculture expertise. Her main focus for adults in the county will include diabetes awareness, nutrition and life skills. 

McKinley explained that the population of Eddy County is approximately 54,000 with 12.8% of the population below poverty (2012 U.S. Bureau of the Census). The two largest age groups of the population below poverty level are the youth groups ages <5 (38.3%) and 5-17 (28.1%). The largest ethnic groups are Hispanic (44.7%) and White (51.5%). The largest family type is the husband-wife householder with children < 18 (50.3%). Low income levels often indicate low educational achievements. The situation in Eddy County is such that 32% of all persons 25 years of age and older have obtained less than a high school level of education. 7.4% have attained less than a ninth grade level of education. These low income and low educational groups can improve their health through basic nutrition, food safety, food preparation, and food resource management education.

Eddy County youth have the potential to be influenced by negative indicators such as crime, poverty, teen birth rate, and single parent families. Basic life skills are imperative in the development of knowledgeable and productive citizens for the future of Eddy County. Home economics subject matter projects include consumerism, nutrition, personal development and creative arts providing stepping stones in the development process. She says that she is really excited to get started on developing various workshops to educate the community on various topics that our community has needed for a long time. Workshops will be advertised in the local newspaper; however the Eddy County Extension also has a new Facebook page that will display upcoming events and workshops.

Besides coordinating nutrition and family consumer science programs in the county, she will work with 4-H agent Allison Leimer to develop youth programs. "I really enjoy working with kids," McKinley said. "It's an honor to watch them develop life skills as they grow into young adults.” McKinley has three years of experience working as a teacher in the Carlsbad Municipal School District. She says that “the home economist position will enable her to extend her expertise to people of all ages in the community”. She said her goals for Eddy County programs include developing the 4-H home economics program by teaching nutrition, cooking and other life skills workshops and having youth participate in various home economics contests. She said she would like to have the 4-H youth work with adults in the Carlsbad and Artesia homemakers clubs in hopes of increasing membership in those groups.


McKinley earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Family and Consumer Sciences Education and a Master’s of Arts in Education Degree from NMSU in 2011 and 2015. While in college, she served as President for New Mexico State University’s Association of Family and Consumer Sciences for three terms, as well as Vice President for the New Mexico Association of Family and Consumer Sciences for one term. She has acquired several distinguishing awards including New Mexico Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Student of the Year and New Mexico State University’s College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences Outstanding Student Award for the Class of 2011. She encourages the community to come visit with her at 1304 W. Stevens in Carlsbad.Subscribe to Eddy County Ag news at: http://nmsueddyag.blogspot.com/  Eddy County Extension Service, New Mexico State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and educator.  All programs are available to everyone regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, handicap, or national origin.  New Mexico State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Eddy County Government Cooperating.