FCS3-597: Body Balance: Cut Down on Environmental Pollutants in Your Food

Hannah Bellamy, Dawn Brewer, Lisa Gaetke | December 21, 2017 (New)

Environmental pollutants in food are concerning. Foods like fish may be contaminated with mercury and Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Fruits and rice may contain arsenic. High-fat meat and dairy products may also contain chemicals from pollution that aren't healthy for your body. Read on to learn how to choose foods with less pollutants, which can help keep the body healthier and lessen the risk of chronic diseases.

FCS3-601: Body Balance: Picking out Produce: All About Organic and Conventional Food

Hannah Bellamy, Dawn Brewer, Lisa Gaetke | December 21, 2017 (New)

When shopping at the grocery store, there are many choices to make about which foods to purchase. Currently, one of the most popular food trends is eating organic produce. Organic produce is marked with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Organic label and is usually separated from the rest. There are some differences between how organic foods and regular or conventionally foods are grown. Pesticides are found in almost all foods.

FCS3-599: Body Balance: Healthy Ways to Flavor Your Food

Hannah Bellamy, Dawn Brewer, Lisa Gaetke | December 21, 2017 (New)

Using herbs and spices is a healthy way to add flavor to food and they may protect against the harmful effects of environmental pollution. We are exposed to pollution every day in our air, water, soil, and even our food. This exposure to pollution may have negative effects on health. Herbs and spices help protect the body by decreasing cell damage caused by the pollution that we are exposed to everyday. Reducing cell damage helps protect against the development or progression of various chronic diseases. Some herbs and spices are also anti-bacterial and anti-microbial, which helps keep the immune system strong to protect against diseases and pollution. Even though research shows that herbs and spices are beneficial to health, scientists have not determined exactly how much of each herb and spice should be consumed each day. In the future, there may be official recommendations, like for vitamins. Incorporating a variety of herbs and spices into meals is flavorful and may have health benefits.

FCS3-596: Body Balance: The Connection between Pollution and Nutrition

Hannah Bellamy, Dawn Brewer, Lisa Gaetke | December 21, 2017 (New)

Pollution increases compounds called free radicals in the body. Too many free radicals in the body cause oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can increase the risk for cancer and other chronic diseases because cells are damaged more easily and do not repair themselves as well. Pollution in the environment cannot always be avoided. However, eating for good health may help reduce the effects of pollution in the body. Choosing more nutritious foods, such as those high in phytonutrients, may reduce oxidative stress and protect the body from the negative health effects of pollution.

FCS3-602: Body Balance: Safe Storage for Food and Drink

Hannah Bellamy, Dawn Brewer, Lisa Gaetke | December 21, 2017 (New)

How food and drink is stored plays a big part in how long it stays fresh. Some types of packaging can keep food fresher longer. There are many types of packaging and beverage containers, and some are safer than others, which may have negative health effects. People are exposed to pollution every day, in ways that cannot always be avoided. Even storage containers may contain potentially harmful chemicals. For example, heating plastic that is not microwave safe can cause chemical residue to come in contact with food. Certain plastics may have negative effects on health. Read on to find out more about the safest ways to store food and drinks.

FCS3-501: Drying Food at Home

Sandra Bastin, Debbie Clouthier, Annhall Norris | March 30, 2017 (Major Revision)

Drying food at home has several advantages. It can help you save money, gain control over what's in your food, and preserve the bounty of summer gardens and orchards for your family's year-round enjoyment.

FCS3-594: Jerky Safety

Sandra Bastin | March 14, 2017 (New)

Safe handling and preparation methods must always be used when preparing any type of jerky.

FCS3-591: Safe Home Canning: Altitude Adjustments

Sandra Bastin, Debbie Clouthier | January 23, 2017 (Reviewed)

For safe home canning, it's important to know your altitude (or elevation), since altitude affects processing times and pressures. If you live at an altitude greater than 1,000 feet, you may need to adjust processing times or pressures to ensure the safety of your home-canned foods.

FCS3-586: Home Canning Soups and Stews

Sandra Bastin, Debbie Clouthier | January 23, 2017 (Reviewed)

To ensure safe, high quality home-canned products, always follow research-based recipes when canning. Safe, tested recipes for home-canned soups and stews are based on laboratory measurements of pH and heat penetration into the jars during processing, which are specific to the recipe being tested.

FCS3-581: Home Canning Salsa

Sandra Bastin, Debbie Clouthier | January 23, 2017 (Reviewed)

Salsas are usually mixtures of high acid foods, such as tomatoes and/or fruit, with low acid foods, such as onions and peppers. With the addition of lemon juice, citric acid, or vinegar in the right proportion, salsa becomes a high acid food and can be safely processed in a boiling water canner. However, only research-based recipes should be used. The recipes included in this publication are research-based for safe home canning.