Information for Consumers
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FAQ:
Education
- Can nutritional educational materials be easily translated?
- Where can I find information on preparing a WIC presentation?
- Is there a curriculum focused on the feeding relationship?
- Why are the minimum (end-point) cooking temperatures presented in the Thermy educational materials and the ServSafe materials different?
- Are there distance learning courses available on nutrition for women, infants and children?
- Where can I find internet access to professional journals?
- Where can I find a good professional resource for nutrition for the cancer patient?
- I have been asked to prepare a program on making homemade baby food. What information should I use?
QUESTION:
When translating, can I simply hire a translator
to transform educational pieces from English to another language?
ANSWER: We try not to translate materials designed for "mainstream" populations into languages spoken by minority populations. Members of minority communities can always tell when educational materials designed for the mainstream are being used with them because the materials generally are not culturally relevant to them. Instead, we search for bilingual, bicultural nutritionists who can write the material in the language of the target population. They design the materials so they are culturally relevant. Please remember, just as one-size-fits-all panty hose don't fit anyone, neither does one-size-fits-all nutrition education materials!
Source:
Joanne Ikeda, co-director, Center on Weight and Health, Cooperative Extension
nutrition education specialist, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University
of California, Berkeley.
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QUESTION:
Where might I find information for preparing a WIC presentation?
ANSWER: Try the Food and Nutrition
Information Center's (FNIC) Web site, http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic.
From the home page, you can access several items. The buttons in the middle
of the page are links to several other sites done there at FNIC. The Child
Care Resource System contains information that you might want to explore.
Try clicking on "Resources" and "Useful Links".
In the "WIC Works" resource system, go to the "Learning
Center" and then go into "Educational Methods and Tools."
Here you will find links to nutrition education possibilities.
You might also find FNIC's "Childhood Obesity: A Food and Nutrition
Resource List for Educators and Researchers" publication helpful.
Contacting your state WIC Office might also prove beneficial.
Source: Janice Schneider M.S., R.D., Information Specialist, USDA Food
and Nutrition Information Center.
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QUESTION: Is there a curriculum focused
on the feeding relationship?
ANSWER: One curriculum titled the
"Kid's Module" includes a videotape (English version first,
then Spanish, which is not just a translation but a completely remade
video), teachers' guide, and parent handout masters in English and Spanish.
It focuses on the division of responsibility in the feeding relationship.
It's called "sharing food tasks" because this curriculum is
designed for low-income audiences. Evaluation during pilot testing indicated
that it conveyed the major messages about how food tasks are different
for parents and children. The cost is $60. Make checks payable to UC Regents,
send orders to Kid's Module, 209 Morgan Hall, University of California,
Berkeley, CA 94720-3104. For more information contact Rita Mitchell at ritamitc@uclink2.berkeley.edu.
NO PREVIEW copies are available.
Source: Joanne P. Ikeda, M.A.,R.D., Co-director, Center on Weight and
Health, Cooperative Extension nutrition education specialist, Department
of Nutritional Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3104.
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QUESTION: Why are the minimum (end-point) cooking temperatures presented in the Thermy educational materials and the ServSafe materials different?
ANSWER: I do not believe there is any written philosophy describing why there are different end-point cooking temperature recommendations for consumers vs. food service operations. My hypothesis is: (a) the food service temperatures are from the FDA, and the consumer temperatures are from the USDA. Historically these two agencies have not worked well together and so have often presented different information. One goal of the Food Code and the National Food Safety Initiative is to eliminate these differences. (b) Secondly, consumers might not have proper controls in place in their home and thus need to cook foods to a higher temperature simply to ensure safety.
Source: Angela Fraser, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Food Safety Specialist, North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, North Carolina State University.
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QUESTION: Are there distance
learning courses available on nutrition for women, infants and children?
ANSWER: Check out the list of distance learning Web addresses from the Food and Nutrition Information Center Web site at http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/etext/000090.html.
Source:
Eileen Ferruggiaro, R.D., Ph.D., Food and Nutrition Information Center,
National Agricultural Library.
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QUESTION: Where can I
find internet access to professional journals?
ANSWER: Just go to APHA's Web site at http://www.apha.org/. There, click on "journal and newspaper." You can access tables of contents of journals, as well as selected abstracts.
Source:
Joanne Kendrick, M.S., R.D., El Paso, Texas.
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QUESTION: Where can I find a good professional resource for nutrition for the cancer patient.
ANSWER: The best and most comprehensive resource person is Diane Dyer a cancer survivor and R.D. You can check out her book at http://www.dianadyermsrd.com. A Dietitian's Cancer Story: Information and Inspiration for Recovery and Healing from a 3-Time Cancer.
Source:
Dayle Hayes, M.S., R.D., Billings, Mount. EatWellMT@aol.com.
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QUESTION: I have been asked to prepare a program on making homemade baby food. What information should I use?
ANSWER: From a safety point of view, babies older than 6 months and toddlers can eat almost any food that would be prepared for adults. Exceptions are related to seasoning agents.
GENERAL SAFETY TEACHING POINTS * Begin with the four Fight BAC! principles. These principles apply to the preparation of food for all age groups. Then emphasize some of the preparation practices that need to be implemented specifically for the high-risk population of babies and toddlers. These are:
*
Do not use home-canned foods because of the risk for food-borne illness
if these products are not properly processed.
* In place of commercially canned baby foods, use commercially canned
"adult" foods, preferably the low-sodium or lower sugar products.
(Check with Carolyn Dunn; she might have some additional information.)
* Do not feed raw animal foods to infants, including raw milk, meat, or
fish.
* Do not feed honey or corn syrup to babies 12 months or younger because
they are at a greater risk for infantile botulism.
BABY
FOOD INFORMATION
* After opening, label the can or jar with the child's name and the date
and time opened.
* Refrigerate unserved portions in the original can or jar.
* Throw out unused baby food within 36 hours after opening. Throwing food
out one day after opening is even safer.
* Observe the "use-by" date for shelf storage of unopened jars
of baby food.
* Keep a permanent marker and masking tape in the kitchen to make labeling
easy.
* Serve baby food from a dish, not directly from a jar or can, to prevent
contamination. Throw out the uneaten food served to the baby. The baby's
saliva, transferred from the spoon to the food, can contain harmful bacteria.
Source: Angela Fraser, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Food Safety Specialist, North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, North Carolina State University.
