Numbered Publications: Family and Consumer Sciences
FCS3-540: Managing Diabetes
Ingrid Adams | Jan. 30, 2025 (Reviewed)
Diabetes is a condition in which the body cannot properly use glucose for energy. This causes glucose to build up in the blood. High levels of blood glucose can result in health conditions such as heart disease, kidney disease, nerve damage, and more. There are several known benefits of managing diabetes appropriately.
FCS6-216: Becoming an Informed Citizen
Laura Stephenson, Rick Sellnow Mercedes Fraser | Jan. 29, 2025 (New)
Since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, Americans have celebrated democracy. The growth and development of our country is backed and guided by the process of citizen involvement and interest. As we look at the world stage and watch other countries employ news blackouts and restrictions to keep their people unaware and controlled, we celebrate the benefit of our first amendment rights to freedom of speech, press, religion, and assembly. Rather than taking these rights for granted, our responsibility as informed citizens is to understand and become involved in the issues facing our leaders at local, state, and national levels. Outlined here are three steps to becoming and remaining an informed citizen: Be engaged, be curious, and be perceptive.
FCS3-539: Understanding Diabetes
Ingrid Adams, Anna Cason | Jan. 24, 2025 (Major Revision)
Diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects how your body changes food into energy. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, a simple sugar, which is released into our blood. The pancreas makes a hormone called insulin in response to rising blood-sugar levels to help glucose get into the cells of the body. Think of insulin as a key to cells: When insulin is around, the glucose can enter. These cells use this glucose as energy. With diabetes, the body either doesn’t make enough insulin or the cells can’t effectively use the insulin that is made. When there is insufficient insulin, glucose builds up in the blood rather than entering cells, which leads to high blood sugar. Chronically elevated levels of blood sugar have an impact on health. Medication and lifestyle changes are ways to manage blood-glucose levels.
NEP-242: Growing Your Own: Rhubarb
Erika Olsen, Rachel Rudolph, Rick Durham | Dec. 5, 2024 (New)
Rhubarb is a cool-weather vegetable often eaten like a sweet fruit. The crisp stalks add tart flavor to spring fruit desserts, jams, and baked goods. Rhubarb is a perennial plant, so it grows back each year. This means that you can plant it once and enjoy delicious treats for several years.
FCS3-104: Lactose Intolerance
Sandra Bastin | Nov. 12, 2024 (Major Revision)
Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest lactose, the natural sugar found in most dairy products. Lactase, an enzyme our bodies produce, breaks down lactose into simpler units during digestion. Some people do not produce enough lactase or do not produce lactase at all. In this case, the lactose does not get broken down into smaller units. Instead, the lactose is fermented in the colon. This fermentation process often produces common symptoms of lactose intolerance, including bloating, abdominal gas or pain, diarrhea, and nausea.
NEP-238: Growing Your Own: Cucumbers
Erika Olsen, Rachel Rudolph, Rick Durham | Nov. 12, 2024 (New)
Cucumbers are a warm-weather crop that you can grow from a seed or transplant. They give many harvests over one to two months and can be enjoyed fresh or pickled.
FCS3-571: Fiber: Are You Bulking Up on the Benefits?
Ingrid Adams | Nov. 12, 2024 (Major Revision)
You may have heard you should eat more fiber, but do you know why? Fiber, in adequate amounts, decreases the risk for heart disease, supports blood sugar management, improves digestive health, and contributes to weight management.
NEP-237: Growing Your Own: Basil
Erika Olsen, Rachel Rudolph, Rick Durham | Oct. 31, 2024 (New)
Basil is a flavorful herb that is easy to grow in pots or garden beds. It is a key part of Italian food, as well as Thai, Vietnamese, and Indonesian cuisines. Growing fresh basil can add great flavor to your meals for little cost.
NEP-225s: Cosechando Lo Suyo: El Brócoli
Rachel Rudolph, Rick Durham | Oct. 29, 2024 (New)
El brócoli es una hortaliza de temporada fresca que pertenece a la familia de los “crucíferos“ junto al repollo y la coliflor, entre otros. El brócoli puede crecer tanto durante el otoño como en la primavera y se puede comer de diferentes formas.
NEP-227s: Cosechando Lo Suyo: La Remolacha
Rachel Rudolph, Rick Durham | Oct. 29, 2024 (New)
La remolacha o betabel, sembrado en la primavera, crece bien en Kentucky. Es fácil de cultivar y rápido en madurar. Tanto las raíces como las hojas se pueden comer.
