GIFTS FROM THE HEART AND STRAIGHT FROM YOUR KITCHEN ... OR FROM ISU EXTENSION!
(Posted on 11/19/2009)
As the holiday season approaches, unleash your creativity and consider giving some gifts from your kitchen. Gifts of food are personal, you can usually save money, and you really can give a bit of your heart with each gift. Cindy Baumgartner, Nutrition and Health Specialist for Iowa State University Extension Service, says “When you prepare or put together your own unique food gift, you can select recipes or items you know the receivers will like. And…best of all, the recipients will know you were really thinking about them as you prepared or selected their special gifts.”

Fall has arrived! Use your crockpot or slow cooker safely.
(Posted on 9/30/2009)
By Cindy Baumgartner, ISU Extension Nutrition & Health Specialist ........... How wonderful to come home after being gone all day and--when opening your door--being greeted by the inviting smells of beef stew, chili, chicken noodle soup, or other delightful smells coming from a slow cooker, more commonly known as a crock pot! Cindy Baumgartner, Nutrition and Health Specialist with Iowa State University Extension Service says a slow cooker can make life more convenient because, by planning ahead, you can save time later. And, it takes less electricity to use a slow cooker rather than an oven. With the chillier fall weather arriving, people are pulling out their slow cookers to use. Baumgartner has information to share about using your slow cooker.

EATING HABITS AND ATTITUDES START YOUNG
(Posted on 8/12/2009)
Lifetime eating habits and attitudes about food usually are formed in early childhood. "Good eating habits can help promote good health and happiness for your child," says Cindy Baumgartner, Nutrition and Health Specialist for Iowa State University Extension Service. Baumgartner says, “You can help your child develop good habits by making mealtime pleasant and relaxed. Mealtime can be a time to enjoy a variety of things and to learn about food.” A child who is overly tired at mealtime may be irritable and refuse food. Mealtime also may be less enjoyable if meals are hurried and family members rush off to watch TV or do other things, or if family members use the occasion to air their disagreements.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT FOOD ALLERGIES
(Posted on 4/29/2008)
Food allergies are a growing and serious public health concern in the United States. According to Cindy Baumgartner, Nutrition and Health Specialist for Iowa State University Extension Service, millions of people have food allergies. Though reasons for this are poorly understood, the prevalence of food allergies appears to be on the rise.