Browse Health Stories - Page 17

University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Family and Consumer Sciences agents, like Rockdale County’s MaryBeth Hornbeck, teach people to cook healthier meals. Thanks to a grant from the Hospital Authority of Rockdale County, Hornbeck now travels across the county with a portable kitchen.

Think back to your teenage years. Did you feel awkward, especially given the changes with your body and emotions? Today’s teens are no different. They are quiet, forgetful and sometimes even surly. They consume large amounts of food and sleep all the time. If I sound like I know them well, I do. I have two teenagers in my home and I have to remind myself daily that they are not little adults. They are experiencing monumental changes that affect their interactions.

Summer break is almost over. That’s right — no more late nights, naps during the day and, my favorite, living without a schedule. While I hate to remind you that our time will no longer be our own, I hope to make it easier for parents, as well as teachers, to return to their respective routines, which includes getting children back to school. As parents, we are instrumental in our children’s educational success. There are some things we can do to prepare little ones for success in the classroom.

Every year, hot summer temperatures lead to life-threatening heatstroke. Adults know to keep themselves hydrated and to get to a cooler place if they begin to feel overheated. Children, however, often don’t know how to protect themselves. Heatstroke in children, particularly those left in vehicles, is very serious.

When it comes to grilled cheese sandwiches, there are about as many variations as there are chefs: tangy sandwiches made of cheddar with hearty wheat bread and creamy versions made of smoked Gouda with crusty French bread. The 15 school-aged children who competed at the inaugural Fulton Fresh Kids’ Cooking Competition left no sandwich concept unexplored as they competed in teams and flexed their grilled cheese expertise. 

It’s almost summer, and for the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension staff in DeKalb and Clayton counties, that can only mean one thing — road trip!

Since April 6, when lightning started a wildfire in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, thousands of area families have evacuated their homes to protect themselves from the fire.

In Cobb County, Georgia, Terri Carter’s job with University of Georgia Cooperative Extension is to educate residents on proper nutrition. As a self-declared “proud woman of the South,” Carter, a UGA Extension Family and Consumer Sciences county program assistant, has found a unique way to teach nutrition and a history lesson at the same time. Carter’s love of the South and her heritage led her to develop the “Food History of the South” program.

Georgia consistently ranks “poorly in obesity and chronic disease statistics,” and a large segment of the population struggles to put food on their tables, says the leader of UGA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program. The program works to reverse the trend of obesity and chronic disease through a combination of in-person and online nutrition education classes, lessons to help early childhood educators provide healthier environments for students, and the promotion of healthy nutrition and behaviors through social marketing.

It’s cold outside, and it’s much easier this time of year to sit inside on a frigid, blustery day and read a book under a blanket while sipping a mug of tea. It’s often difficult for us to find the motivation we had on Jan. 1 to exercise and get fit.