Thoughts about food, nutrition, and healthy living in the Central Sierra.
- Author: Katie (Cathryn) R Johnson
Published on: March 25, 2020
Below is the latest Information from the CDC on Food Safety and COVID-19, as of 3/23/2020. More resources for food safety, food storage, and cooking are available on the Central Sierra COVID-19 Community Resources page.
Coronaviruses are generally thought to be spread from person-to-person through respiratory droplets. Currently there is no evidence to support transmission of COVID-19 associated with food. Before preparing or eating food, it is important to always wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds for general food safety. Throughout the day, wash your hands after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing, or going to the bathroom.
It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.
In general, because of poor survivability of these coronaviruses on surfaces, there is likely very low risk of spread from food products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient, refrigerated, or frozen temperatures.
You should always handle and prepare food safely, including keeping raw meat separate from other foods, refrigerating perishable foods, and cooking meat to the right temperature to kill harmful germs. See CDC's Food Safety site for more information.
Additionally, it is always unsafe to make infant formula at home. Contact a food bank or your local WIC agency if you cannot access infant formula. More information from the American Academy of Pediatrics: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/formula-feeding/Pages/Is-Homemade-Baby-Formula-Safe.aspx
EatFresh.org has hundreds of simple and healthy recipes, many of which can be made with limited ingredients: https://eatfresh.org/
Public Value:
UCANR: Promoting healthy people and communities
- Author: Katie (Cathryn) R Johnson
Published on: March 25, 2020
Visit these links for a round-up of recent health and nutrition news, information, and events. For general healthy eating information based on an expert analysis of nutrition research, visit ChooseMyPlate.gov . For individual questions, consult a registered dietitian or medical provider.
Information from the California Department of Public Health: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/covid19
Information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/
Information for California Workers During COVID-19 Crisis: Filing for Supplemental Pay due to Impacts on Wages: https://ucanr.edu/sites/SLO/files/321854.pdf
Information for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women from the World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-on-covid-19-pregnancy-childbirth-and-breastfeeding
And the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee: http://www.usbreastfeeding.org/p/cm/ld/fid=33?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=ec03feb3-89d5-4aa8-9873-fc2fab0cdf34
For some cooking inspiration, An All-Pantry Meal Plan for Coronavirus and Other Perilous Times: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes-menus/all-pantry-meal-plan-for-coronavirus-and-other-emergencies-article
For schools and school districts looking for assistance to provide meals while schools are closed, No Kid Hungry is offering grants to help. Schools are invited to complete a coronavirus grant request: https://www.nokidhungry.org/coronavirus-grant-request
Public Value:
UCANR: Promoting healthy people and communities
- Author: Katie (Cathryn) R Johnson
Published on: February 28, 2020
The 2019 Annual Report for the Central Sierra CalFresh Healthy Living, UC program is now available. See the highlights in the Central Sierra profile, and read more details about the team's great accomplishments below!
Across the Central Sierra (El Dorado, Amador, Calaveras, and Tuolumne Counties), in federal fiscal year 2019 (October 1, 2018-September 30, 2019) the CalFresh Healthy Living, UC (CFHL, UC) program made 8,965 educational contacts (8,465 youth and 500 adult), teaching 275 series of workshops and 99 single-session classes for a total of 1,506 instructional hours. An additional 6,349 indirect education contacts were also made, with a focus on promoting fruits and vegetables and normalizing healthy living. Also, by working with 30 sites/organizations to implement 86 changes to their policies, systems, and physical environments, an estimated 25,628 people have greater opportunities to make healthy choices in their lives. These activities were delivered and supported by 13 professionals and many dedicated community volunteers who implemented dozens of different educational strategies and curriculum to improve the health of Central Sierra residents.
Nutrition and Physical Activity Education in Schools: CFHL, UC's presence providing direct education in Central Sierra schools continues to comprise the majority of the program's activities, with 89% of all educational contacts made in K-12 schools. In FFY19, 34 school sites received direct education, 13 in El Dorado, 6 in Amador, 9 in Calaveras, and 6 in Tuolumne.
Gardens: In the Central Sierra, much of CFHL, UC's direct education is enhanced by integration with gardens. Thirteen school, community and/or preschool gardens continued to provide living laboratories for students to increase not just their nutrition knowledge, but also their food literacy. Increasing staff capacity to establish, maintain, and teach in gardens supports experiential learning and improves the effectiveness of nutrition education.
Harvest of the Month (HOTM): Delivered regularly by all educators across the Central Sierra, HOTM is one of the program's main tools for promoting food literacy. HOTM indirect education is adapted in a variety of ways to fit different settings: as an experiential complement to in-class education, as a cafeteria promotion, in handouts sent home to parents or handed out at community gatherings. This past year, a series of short videos were also developed and shared with elementary teachers in the Central Sierra.
Youth Engagement: In partnership with the UC 4-H Program and the UC Davis Center for Regional Change, the CFHL, UC program increased its efforts to move beyond serving youth and towards engaging youth in FFY19. This work included a teens-as-teachers model in South Lake Tahoe and Amador County and Youth Participatory Action Research projects in El Dorado County. Substantial youth engagement work also continued in Calaveras County, including helping high school students to lead farm field trips.
The CFHL, UC program is now continuing its great work across the Central Sierra in 2020!
Attached Files
FINAL FFY19 Co Profile Central Sierra 12.19.19
Public Value:
UCANR: Promoting healthy people and communities
- Author: Katie (Cathryn) R Johnson
Published on: February 28, 2020
Visit these links for a round-up of recent nutrition news, information, and events. Note that any particular research finding is only one part of a large and complicated picture of a healthy diet. For general healthy eating information based on an expert analysis of nutrition research, visit ChooseMyPlate.gov. For individual diet questions, consult a registered dietitian or medical provider.
A Funny Thing Happened When We Asked Nutrition Experts for One Piece of Advice - This is a great article on the importance of physical activity, and why nutritionist talk about both food and exercise together. https://www.wbur.org/foodtalk/2019/12/27/food-podcast-resistance-strength-training
Choose the Best Diet for You - Dieting as a concept may be problematic, but this is a pretty good ranking of some of the most common diets out there. https://www.npr.org/2019/12/26/676129278/choose-the-best-diet-for-you?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social
Slashing food stamps hurts the poor. It also hurts their supermarkets - This article provides interesting context on the the economic impacts the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has on local communities. https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/29/business/grocery-stores-food-stamps-snap/index.html
Public Value:
UCANR: Promoting healthy people and communities
- Author: Katie (Cathryn) R Johnson
Published on: February 28, 2020
This time of year, when fewer fresh fruits and vegetables are available, eating dry beans is a good way to add variety to a winter diet. In addition to the common pinto, black, and kidney beans, dozens of types of heirloom beans are available in all different colors and sizes. Many kinds of dry beans can be substituted for one another in recipes, as long as they are similar in size, so try a new variety! Nutritionally, beans are one of the healthiest foods people can eat. They are excellent sources of protein and fiber, and good sources of iron. See below for healthy recipe ideas, or learn more about beans and view their nutrition facts at Harvest of the Month.
Recipe Ideas:
Public Value:
UCANR: Promoting healthy people and communities
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