Last week I started talking about one of the many categories
of 4-H projects that we offer to youth ages 9-18 here in Van Wert county. This
week I want to focus on another popular type of project, food and nutrition! The
Food and Nutrition program helps develop knowledge, skills, and understanding
of nutrition, menu planning, safe food handling, kitchen equipment safety,
consumer knowledge, fitness, meal and time management, and related careers.
Projects are available for both males and females with all levels of
experience!
Some of the most popular projects include making your own
snacks! Snack attack helps members make healthful food choices in combination
with physical fitness. The snack recipes in the book are fun to make and get
rave reviews from some of members! When it comes to fitness there are also a
series of projects that include sports nutrition for the athlete. These books
help members make good decisions about sports drinks, pre-fueling for practice
and games and how to select the best level of fitness with the fitness pyramid.
As breakfast is the most important meal of the day we have a whole book
dedicated to learning how to make quick and easy breakfasts that are healthy
and fuel you through the day. I once had a 4-H member tell me that from the
book she learned why she felt groggy while in class. It turned out that once
she began eating a healthy breakfast she found herself more focused and ready
to learn in the classroom.
In 4-H we often have large events, and plan parties for our
clubs and friends. The Party Planner book is a guide that unlocks the secrets
of recipes, planning, budgeting, and preparing foods for large groups. We also
have added 2 grilling projects for those who love outdoor cooking! The books
explore grilling, pie irons, solar cookers, and rotisserie.
All of the projects focus on the USDA MyPlate and MyPyramid,
while allowing members to learn about prepping foods, cooking safety, all with recipes
to try and experiment. Many of the members I have spoken to in the past speak
fondly of their memories with family and friends in the kitchen learning how to
cook! For those that surround the members who are taking food projects, best
wishes trying to pass on all the yummy food that comes from their projects!
to be published in the Times Bulletin on June 20th, 2013
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