Living Well In Yalobusha County

Thank you to everyone who visited with us during our open house. We had a wonderful turnout and it was nice to visit with every-one.  If you haven’t been using the Extension Service we hope that you will start. We have many educational programs as well as volunteer organizations that you can be a part of.  
So, here’s to another 100 years of the Mississippi State University Extension Service serving Mississip-pians!
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Are you interested in learning basic couponing tips that can save you 50 percent or more on your grocery bill?
If so, we have the workshop for you. LaTrell Stokes, MSU-ES Extension Agent  in Oktibbeha County, will be conducting a couponing 101 workshop May 7. The workshop will begin at noon at the Yalobusha County Exten-sion Office, in Coffeeville. This workshop is free to the public. Come get tips on starting, collecting, and saving. We will discuss saving on more than just groceries. Bring your lunch.  Call 675-2730 to reserve your spot!
Our crochet group will meet Thursday, May 15 and 29 at 10 a.m. in the conference room of the extension office. The group is free, but you may want to bring your own yarn and needle.  Mrs. Karol Jarman is our volunteer crochet leader.
Healthy You Exercise Classes meet on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9 a.m. at the Extension office in Coffeeville. The nurse will be here Wednesday, May 14 at 8:45 a.m.
 
Restaurant  Problems
Eating healthfully when dining out is an age-old topic that comes up again and again in health and wellness courses. Here are some of the top suggestions for dining out health-fully.
•Don’t go!  This may seem extreme, but it may also be the smartest move.  Eating away from home – be it a fast food breakfast or lunch, a quick pizza on a Friday night or that fancy date on Saturday – has become a way of life for many people. Now it’s estimated that half of all adults dine out at least once every day. That’s a lot of food… and we are not even talking about the effect this can have on the food budget.
•Always eat something, either before you go or before your entrée. It can be a little salad or a handful of celery sticks, but make sure it’s something.
•Share: Give part of your meal to someone else.
•Ask for substitutions, like vegetables to replace fries, coleslaw, or chips.
•Ask for a doggie-bag immediately. To follow it, cut your entrée in half and put half in the take-out box before you eat anything. This really reduces the portion sizes (you’ll be amazed at how big it is once you get home) and also allows you to enjoy this meal a second (or possibly third) time. If you wait until you’re done eating, or just estimate where the half lies as you eat, you’ll end up nibbling away and eating more than you intended.  
Restaurant meals tend to be larger and higher in calories, fat, saturated fat, and sodium than we need. Also, it’s hard to get fruits and vegetables in restaurant meals (French fries don’t count!). Low-fat or non-fat dairy products are almost nonexistent at restaurants too.
This is not to say that you should never ever eat out again. But, even the most dedicated healthful eater can have problems in restaurants. You have much more control when eating at home. Maybe the idea is to eat out less, pack your lunch more often, and plan ahead a little.

(Article Source: Communicating Food For Health Newsletter, May 2014)