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What We’re Doing:
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Author Archives: chris.coon
Youth Sports Week
During Youth Sports Week, July 16-22, thousands of youth sports coaches, and parents are showing their support with a focus on P.L.A.Y.S. ~ Physical activity, Living healthy, Access, Youth development, Safety. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service recommends starting this week off by listening to the needs and wants of the youth participants in order to strengthen the skills and bonds created by youth sports. Youth sports participation has positive impacts on health, fitness, character development and other traits that contribute to success in school and adulthood. “Sports are… Read More →
Keeping Summer’s Bounty Safe to Eat
Fresh melons and berries fill the aisles of grocery stores and markets. Roadside produce stands full of home grown fruits and vegetables are seen along the highway. All of these are signs that summer is here and so is a bounty of fresh produce. Summer’s harvest of fresh fruits and vegetables is an important part of a healthy diet. Just remember to handle fresh produce safely to prevent foodborne illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that there are 48 million cases of foodborne illnesses each… Read More →
Summer Cooking, Having a Blast – Summer Cooking, Got Sick So Fast
Unless another cold front comes bustling in out of nowhere, spring and summer temperatures are here and that means fun activities outdoors, including firing up the grill and cooking outdoors! One thing that is never fun, regardless of the time of year, is a foodborne illness. Research from the United State’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly 1 in 6 Americans get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die annually from a foodborne illness. We can reduce our risk of obtaining a foodborne illness by following the… Read More →
High Blood Pressure: Do You Know Your Numbers?
According to the American Heart Association, nearly half of American adults are living with high blood pressure (also called hypertension), yet many are unaware that they have it. In kids and teens, elevated blood pressure is becoming increasingly common, which may lead to health problems later in life. During May’s National High Blood Pressure Education Month, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension is working to raise awareness and share the most important tips to prevent or manage high blood pressure. Knowing your risk factors is the first key prevention strategy…. Read More →
Best-By, Sell-By, Use-By, but WHY?
We’ve all done it before. You open the pantry door, grab that can of green beans at the back, look at the date, say “ew”, and just chunk it. Sometimes this is the right move but sometimes we don’t consider the hyphenated words behind that date: “Best-by”, “Sell-by”, and “Use-by”, and we toss a perfectly fine canned good. The United States has a food waste issue: according to the United States Department of Agriculture Americans tossed 133 billion pounds of food and $161 billion worth of food in… Read More →
Spring Thinking
Spring has sprung, Bosque County! Warmer, longer days and sunny skies are here and that means its time for more outdoor activities. The United States Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults reach at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week, which is just over 20 minutes a day. Physical activity isn’t limited to getting on the treadmill or lifting weights but also includes things like riding a bike through the neighborhood, swimming, dancing and even gardening! Outdoor chores like gardening, mowing the lawn,… Read More →
National School Lunch Program – Don’t Yell at the Lunch Lady
The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted, state administered meal program that provides nutritionally balanced low-cost or no-cost meals to children in schools every day. Signed into law under President Truman in 1946, it assisted roughly 7.1 million children in its first year. In fiscal year 2018 the NSLP reached just under 30 million children and provided 4.8 billion lunches. This program is in place to help keep our children hunger-free, healthy, and give them the energy to perform well in school and extra-curricular activities…. Read More →
Are You Prepared?
Natural disasters are something we never know exactly when to expect, but should all be prepared for. There are a wide range of disasters that affect the country, locally we primarily need to be prepared for the possibilities of flooding and tornadoes. We’ve seen recent natural disasters around the country that have affected thousands of people and many of them were not equipped to take care of themselves when outside help couldn’t reach them. Flooding can happen any season of the year. The true-blue Texas tornado season spans… Read More →
Choose to Eat Variety in a Gray Season
The winter season not only brings gray skies but can also bring gray mealtimes. With a lack of fresh fruits and vegetables, and with colder weather, people tend to turn to those soul-warming dishes that have a distinct lack of vegetables and fruits with them. The United States Department of Agriculture recommends that half of your plate should consist of vegetables and fruits, or 2 ½ cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruits throughout the day. A barrier to reaching this daily goal for some people is… Read More →
Healthy Texas Youth Ambassadors
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Bosque County is now accepting applications for Healthy Texas Youth Ambassadors. These are local, high-school aged youth with a passion for health, wellness and service who are trained to serve as community health and wellness leaders. Healthy Texas Youth Ambassadors assist county extension agents in providing leadership to their peers during health programs and projects within Texas 4-H, Healthy Texas, and other Texas A&M AgriLife health programs. Youth interested in this program can expect to advocate for health and nutrition in schools, at… Read More →