Living Well In Yalobusha County

I enjoyed a quick work trip to San Antonio, Texas last week for the Joint Council of Extension Professionals (JCEP) Leadership Conference.  Mississippi was well represented with nine agents and administrators present.  San Antonio is a beautiful place to visit and one thing I learned…their weather is as crazy as it is in Mississippi!  When we got there on Tuesday it was 80 degrees and humid and by the time we left on Friday it was 38 degrees, windy and raining.  Luckily, I had paid attention to the weather forecast before I left and had packed for all the different seasons we experienced.

Our Create Club needs donations for a craft planned in the near future where we will be needing various size buttons in red, white or blue.  If you have any buttons in these colors and would like to donate them to the Extension office we would greatly appreciate it. 

Nudge Your Produce

A simple research experiment at Warwick’s Rootes Grocery Store found that moving produce nearer to the store’s entrance may have encouraged increased fruit and vegetable consumption, even without overt messaging. Research conducted by Dr. Oyinlola Oyebode of Warwick  Medical School was done to see if changes in the arrangement of the store had any effect on the purchase of produce in the store, which is located on a college campus.

Data from Rootes Grocery Store was collected from January, 2012, to July, 2017, to evaluate sales before, during, and after changes were made to the store’s layout. Using that data, researchers  discovered that, after layout changes were made, fruits and vegetables made up a larger percentage of the store’s total sales. In fact, customers purchased nearly 15% more fruits and  vegetables than they did before the layout change. Researchers also found that those increased purchases of produce continued well after the location adjustments. This appears to be a viable method to improve the nutritional quality of young adults’ diets, given existing proof that consumption of fruits and vegetables has declined in this age group.

The study suggests that increased fruit and vegetable purchases can be statistically significant 

Try This at Home! 

On the Counter – Place seasonal fruits and vegetables on the counter. Think apples, bananas, citrus fruit, tomatoes, and peppers.

In the Fridge – Don’t “hide” produce in the crisper drawer. That’s basically where fruits and vegetables go to die. Keep them visible! Prep vegetables to “grab and go” like carrot and celery sticks, cucumber  slices, sugar snap peas, and pepper strips.  

In Your Meals and Snacks – Add chopped fruit to salads. Try including apples, pears, or grapefruit. Pair fresh fruit with nuts or cheese for a snack. Use hummus or other dips with  fresh vegetables.