Nutrition Programs - Beaver County Extension

Nutrition
Classes and Workshops

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Any current programs scheduled will be listed under each heading.

Herbs As Medicine

In 2002, $4.3 billion was spent on herbal supplements in the U.S. This session will help you to determine what's fact and what's fiction in the area of herbal supplements. To make sure you're purchasing a good quality product that will be helpful to your health, you need to know what to look for when purchasing herbs for medicinal purposes. This program will emphasize popular herbal supplements, their possible uses and side effects, and interactions with drugs. This program is conducted in 1 to 2 hours.

Crib to Kindergarten

Childhood obesity is skyrocketing. With obesity issues at a young age comes a wide variety of disease, including diabetes and high blood pressure, both of which increase the risk of heart disease. This program will help parents and child care providers to determine appropriate feeding patterns from birth until a child reaches school-age. The workshop will review the importance of family mealtime and the challenges parents face in feeding their children a healthy diet. This program is conducted through three 1-hour sessions.

Digestive Disorders

Developed as a result of frequent questions about digestive disorders, this program provides a variety of information about constipation, gas, heartburn, ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulosis, and lactose intolerance. The symptoms of these various gastrointestinal disorders, the causes of these disorders, and what can be done through diet and physical activity to control the disease or limit the symptoms is reviewed with participants. This program is conducted in 1 to 1.5 hours.

Eat Five

Research has revealed that simply eating a minimum of three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit every day can reduce your risk of cancer. Unfortunately, most Americans don’t even eat a combination of three servings per day. The fiber and phytochemicals, like beta-carotene and lycopene, have important roles in keeping us healthy. This program will review the role of fruits and vegetables in health and provide you with tips to easily incorporate these into your daily eating plan. This program is conducted through three one-hour sessions. To request a 5-part learn-at-home series of lessons, please e-mail the Nutrition and Health Educator at magettings@psu.edu or call 724-774-3003.

Facts and Myths of Popular Supplements

There is a vitamin, mineral, or other supplement touted to prevent and/or treat just about any ailment or disease out there. While some of this may have some merit, some may be false advertising. In addition, one must be aware of the possible interactions between these dietary supplements with other supplements, prescription, over-the counter medications, and food. What's fact and what's fiction about today's most popular dietary supplements will be presented. This program is conducted in a one-hour session.

Preventing and Treating Osteoporosis

It’s often heard "milk is just for kids." While it is a fact that bone growth stops around 35 years of age, as one becomes older, the continued proper intake of calcium every day is still very important in preventing osteoporosis, or brittle bone disease. The frequent excuse for not consuming enough calcium is not liking milk. During this three-part series, find out about other sources of calcium and how to incorporate these into your healthy eating plan. In addition, learn more about osteoporosis, its risk factors, and what you can do to prevent your chances of developing this debilitating disease. To request a 4-part learn-at-home series of lessons, please e-mail the Nutrition Educator at magettings@psu.edu or call 724-774-3003.

Preventing Diabetes

This workshop will review the complications of diabetes, an explanation of the disease, and the difference between the causes and treatments of Type 1 and 2 diabetes. The program will concentrate on how food and activity can help to prevent and treat diabetes. Attendees will participate in a variety of nutrition-related activities to enhance their knowledge of healthy menu selections. The most current recommendations on testing for diabetes will be reviewed. The basics of this workshop are presented in a 1 to 1.5 hour session or the more comprehensive program is conducted through three 1-hour sessions.

The Joy of Soy

Much research is ongoing about the effects of various soy foods and supplements for menopause treatment and disease prevention, including heart disease, breast cancer, and osteoporosis. This one-hour session will provide you with the most recent information on soy and provide you with an opportunity to learn about new soy products and how to incorporate these foods - such as soy milk, flour, textured soy protein, tofu, etc. - into your diet.

Well at Home

As people get older, they naturally lose muscle. This can cause a variety of problems, particularly weight gain, which then increases the risk of various diseases, like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Well at Home, conducted through three one-hour sessions, teaches seniors how to maintain their muscle mass through good nutrition and basic strength training exercises. These exercises are appropriate for seniors with arthritis, as well as those who haven’t participated in a formal exercise program for some time.

Wellness Road Map

This program is targeted for adults over the age of 40 who are just beginning to notice health problems surfacing among their parents and relatives. During this three-part series, you will complete a family history to determine diseases you may be at risk of developing. In addition, you will evaluate your own personal risk and then adopt strategies related to nutrition and physical activity to reduce this risk. This program is a basic nutrition class that will help you to more fully understand the food label and the food guide pyramid. It will also feature healthy cooking tips to help you improve your daily eating plan. To request a 4-part learn-at-home series of lessons, please e-mail the Nutrition Educator at magettings@psu.edu or call 724-774-3003.

What' New in Nutrition and Heart Disease?

Heart Disease continues to be the number one killer of Americans, and new research in the nutrition arena is in the media on a daily basis. This program concentrates on the most current research in the area of nutrition and heart disease. Some of the topics discussed include trans fats, omega-3 fatty acids, soluble fiber, cholesterol-lowering margarines, soy, tea, soluble fiber, and other nutrients and foods linked with the prevention of heart disease. This program is conducted in 1 to 1.5 hours.

Women and Heart Disease

While most women are most fearful of dying from breast cancer, heart disease remains to be the number one killer of women. Women tend to take care of everyone else before they take care of themselves. This program will highlight the differences between women and men in regards to their risk of heart disease and the symptoms of a heart attack. In addition, this workshop will help to empower women to make the changes in their lifestyle to reduce their risk of this disease. This program is conducted through three 1-hour sessions.

Click Here to request a program for your group.

Mailing List

Beaver County residents may sign up to be on our mailing list by filling out the online form "Newsletter Registration Form" where you will be able to check the box for the "Nutrition Notes" newsletter.

For more information

For more information about any of these programs, please contact Mary Alice Gettings, Nutrition & Health Educator, at 724-774-3003 or via email to magettings@psu.edu.

Related Links

Nutrition Classes and Workshops