UC provides Food Stamp recipients information to eat right and shop smart

When ringing in the New Year, many Californians resolve to eat healthier and spend less. These are resolutions that University of California Cooperative Extension nutrition educators promote year-round to Food Stamp recipients.
“We help people stretch their Food Stamp dollars and provide meals for their families that promote good health and well-being,” said Amy Block Joy of UC’s statewide Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program. “We offer a forthright and common sense approach, avoiding the latest diet fads, and instead present ways for people to make changes that last a lifetime.”

UC Cooperative Extension’s Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program (FSNEP) operates through a joint agreement with USDA and the California Department of Social Services. The program enrolls Food Stamp recipients on a voluntary basis to learn the essentials of nutrition, self-sufficiency, food budgeting, food preparation and food safety in 42 California counties.

Evaluations have shown that people who take FSNEP classes change their habits to eat a greater variety of fruits and vegetables, drink less soda and use less fat to prepare food.
In celebration of the New Year, UC FSNEP shares some favorite healthy-eating and money-saving tips with all Californians:

Adults and children should eat healthy snacks to avoid overeating at meals.

Place snack boxes in the cupboard and refrigerator and let the children help fill them once a week. Suggestions for the cupboard box are crackers, whole-wheat bread slices, unsweetened cereal, pretzels and raisins. Suggestions for the refrigerator box are cheese slices, peanut butter sandwiches, orange wedges, yogurt, pudding, carrots, celery and apples.

The more you shop, the more you spend. Create a menu, write a shopping list and go to the grocery store no more than once a week.

Buy food at farmers’ markets and roadside stands to get good deals on fresh, seasonal produce.
Wash out a liquid dish detergent bottle thoroughly and fill with cooking oil. The smaller stream of oil flowing into a pan makes it easier to limit oil use. An alternative: pull back the paper seal only part way when opening a new bottle of cooking oil to slow the flow.

Children learn by doing. Two-year-olds can scrub, dip, tear, break, snap; three-year-olds can wrap, pour, mix, shake, spread; four-year-olds can peel, roll, juice, crack eggs, mash; five year olds can measure, grind, cut, beat. Children of all ages can help with cleanup.

It is never safe to thaw food on the countertop. Thaw in the refrigerator or microwave oven to reduce the risk of food-borne illness. Cook thawed food immediately and never partially cook meats.

Eat more fruits and vegetables. Some practical ideas to try:

• Blend one-third cup of nonfat dry milk with one cup of orange juice and four to six ice cubes. For variety, add a banana, substitute other juices for the orange juice and/or substitute frozen fruit for the ice cubes.
• Mix a can of creamed corn into pancake batter to add a vegetable to breakfast.
• Add grated carrots to oatmeal cookie dough before baking.
• Spread a lettuce or cabbage leaf with peanut butter. Place a celery or carrot stick in the middle and roll up.
• Mash canned beans with chili powder and chopped onions. Serve with vegetables or crackers.
• Top a baked potato with cottage cheese and salsa instead of sour cream.

More information about food safety, healthy eating and smart shopping is available from the University of California Cooperative Extension. Contact your local UC Cooperative Extension Office (http://ucanr.org/ce.cfm) or see http://ucanr.org/findinfo/fifn.shtml.

(January 2004)

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