Salsa Program

Problem:
According to the 1995 Iowa Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), only 15 percent of adults eat the minimum recommendation of three vegetables and two fruits each day (the national average is 23 percent). Furthermore, Iowa is a state with a high rate of obesity and individuals leading a sedentary lifestyle. One way to encourage healthier eating habits is to substitute salsas for high fat sauces and spreads.
   
Response:
I presented a salsa program at the Master Gardener Winter Gardening Fair. Since in 1988 only 16% of US households bought salsa. By 1992, 36% of US household bought salsa. Salsa now outsells ketchup. At this presentation we talked about how chilies and the other fresh ingredients of salsa are high in vitamins and low in sodium and calories. I also stressed how you could use salsas to: replace heavy sauces and gravies, replace high fat condiments such as butter or margarine, sour cream, mayonnaise or guacamole, replace high fat dips for vegetables and crackers, etc.
 
This year the group varied from experienced salsa makers to novices. Those who had made salsa before only had used traditional ingredients. One recipe I demonstrated used a mango. The group didn't know what a mango looked like, how to select them or what kind of seed they had. Mixing the mango with a kiwi, green onion and jalapeno was unexpected but everyone tasted it and the participants suggested foods it could be used with. Another unusual salsa we made was a cantaloupe salsa. Again mixing cantaloupe, red bell peppers, cilantro, scallions and limes was unexpected but again was met with acceptance.
 
Result:
I was getting ready for the salsa program when a participant came up to me and said she had attended the use of herbs presentation I did last year. She said she tried everything I talked about last year. Several participants came up to me after the presentation and said they were going to make different salsas. Hopefully, we can do a 3 month follow-up evaluation of this program.

Contact:
Susan Uthoff
Nutrition and Health Field Specialist
3279 7th Ave, Suite 140
Marion IA 52302-7849
Phone 319-377-9839; Fax 319-377-0475
Email x1uthoff@iastate.edu