March 2024 Edition

Family & Consumer Sciences
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FCS Newsletter  March 2024

Dates 
March 8
Ballots DUE **Date Change
March 17
Happy St. Patrick’s Day
March 19
Homemaker Lesson Training - Daviess
March 19
Homemaker Council
March 19
Easter Egg Decorating
March 20
Homemaker Lesson Training - Henderson
March 31
Happy Easter!
April 1
Don’t be Fooled!
April 1-5
School Spring Break
April 8
Solar Eclipse
April 13
Owensboro Regional Farmers’ Market Opening Day
April 16
Cooking Class
April 22
Earth Day
April 24
Selvage Pouch Sewing Class

FARMERS’ MARKET
Mark your calendars for Opening Day of the Owensboro Regional Farmers’ Market!
April 13th 8:00 a.m. -12:00 noon
1205 Triplett St, Owensboro

SAVE THE DATE
The Daviess County Extension Office is having an open house on May 21st from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

COOKING CLASS
Our next cooking class will be Tuesday, April 16. This class will be presented by Merritt Bates-Thomas. Look for more information in next month’s newsletter.

Did you know you can decorate Easter eggs using silk cloth, nail polish or shaving crème?Come join the Trinity Homemakers to learn these and more creative ways to decorate Easter eggs!!
March 19, 2024 at 2:00pm at the Daviess County Extension Office.
Please RSVP at 270-685-8480 by March 15.
** Must bring 6 to 12 hard boiled eggs.

Homemaker Happenings
Lesson for the Month
Healthy Eating Around the World— An International Lesson

Roll Call
Thinking of spring, share your favorite outdoor activity.

Thought of the Month “Think outside—no box required.”—Unknown

Lesson Leader Training
The last Homemaker Lesson leader trainings of 2023-2024 will be Tuesday, March 19 at the
Daviess County Extension Office and Wednesday, March 20 at the Henderson County
Extension Office.

April Lesson at 10:00am: Handy to Have: Emergency Health Information Cards

May Lesson at 11:00am: Understanding and Preventing Suicide

The Daviess County Extension Homemaker Council will meet following the lesson trainings at 12:15pm on March 19.

Lesson Ballots
Please note the date change from the previous newsletter. Lessons are due to state by the end of March.
Make your vote count and turn them in by 4 p.m. March 8th.

Make Plans to attend the 2024 KEHA State Meeting
May 7-9, 2024  Sloan Convention Center and Holiday Inn University Plaza Bowling Green

What do we know about new weight loss drugs?
Source: Anna Cason, Senior Extension Associate for Food and Nutrition

Semaglutides have been all over the news and social media lately. You may recognize them by their brand names like Ozempic, Wegovy, or Rybelsus. Ozempic and Wegovy are once-weekly injections while Rybelsus is a pill you take once daily. These drugs act like a hormone that your body usually releases in response to eating. These medications increase the amount of insulin the pancreas produces. They also slow the movement of food through the stomach leading to a feeling of fullness, decreased appetite, and potentially leading to weight loss.

Ozempic and Rybelsus were originally developed for and are used to treat Type 2 diabetes. Wegovy was developed by the same company that makes Ozempic but is approved for use in weight loss. Doctors who prescribe Wegovy encourage their patients to make lifestyle and dietary changes to promote and maintain their weight loss. Wegovy and Ozempic are the same medication, but Wegovy is a higher dose than Ozempic. Ozempic is not approved for use in weight loss.

Some people use Ozempic off-label for the purpose of weight loss. This has created a severe shortage of this drug on the market. This makes it difficult for those who really need the drug to get it and manage their Type 2 diabetes.

While these drugs have been used for a few years now, we are just now starting to learn some of the side effects of long-term use. Common side effects mostly impact the gut and include nausea,vomiting, and abdominal cramps with other side effects being fatigue and headache. More serious side effects include gastric paralysis, but this seems to affect less than 1% of the users.

Because these drugs take away your appetite, it is important to get the right nutrition. Try to get enough nutrients with each meal and snack by focusing on lean protein; high-quality carbohydrates like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables; and heart healthy fats from olive oil, avocados, and nuts and seeds. If you notice that the amount of food you typically eat has decreased, try separating beverages, like water, from mealtimes. Lastly, put an emphasis on high-fiber foods to encourage proper movement through the gut and to prevent constipation. If you are regularly using these medications, consider working with a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) to ensure you are meeting your personal nutrition needs.

Although these medications were approved for use in the past two to five years, learning about all potential side effects takes much more time. Experts also need more time to learn what might happen when someone stops using the medication and what happens when someone takes the medication for a long time. When considering weight loss drugs like semaglutides, remember body size is not the best indicator of overall health. Body weight is only one piece of the health puzzle. Rather than focusing on a specific number on the scale, think about quality of life and overall health.

References:
MedlinePlus. (2022, August 15). Semaglutide Injection: MedlinePlus Drug Information. Medlineplus.gov.     
https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a618008.html
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. (2023). Medications Containing Semaglutide Marketed for Type 2 Diabetes or Weight Loss. FDA. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-an...
Semaglutide (Subcutaneous Route) Side Effects - Mayo Clinic. (2023, October 1). Www.mayoclinic.org.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/semaglutide-subcutaneous-ro...

Grocery Shopping at Your Local Dollar Store
Source: Lauren Turner, Dietetic Intern; Heather Norman-Burgdolf, Extension Specialist for Food and Nutrition

Creating nutritious meals that are low cost and enjoyable may seem like an impossible achievement. For many, grocery shopping takes place at a dollar or discount store. Fortunately, these food retailers offer low cost, highly nutritious food options and some include refrigeration and freezers which increases the nutritious options available. Let’s walk through what these options look like.

For breakfast, the dollar store has plenty of options to create a meal that tastes great and is packed with fiber. A meal high in fiber will keep you feeling full for longer. Common items high in fiber that you can find at the dollar store include oatmeal and, in some cases, frozen berries. Adding milk as a drink and stirring peanut butter into your oatmeal also adds protein to the meal to make it more balanced.

Lunch can be a tricky meal to create because you might need an on-the-go option. A great quick lunch idea is a packet of tuna, whole-grain crackers, and a side of string cheese. This meal idea is high in protein, provides whole grains, and requires no cooking.

A nutritious dinner idea is brown rice, beans, and a vegetable as a side dish. You can prepare the rice with a variety of seasonings to make it flavorful. The dollar store has a wide variety of spices to choose from. Pair this with a low- or no-sodium can of beans and a canned vegetable such as corn, green beans, or carrots. This meal is packed with protein from the beans, is high in fiber from the beans and vegetables, and provides energy from the rice.

Let’s not stop at just breakfast, lunch, and dinner ideas. The dollar store offers a variety of snack options such as trail mix with different types of nuts and seeds, cucumbers, string cheese, and whole-grain crackers.

As you can see, eating and creating nutritious meals does not have to be overwhelming or impossible. The dollar store offers a wide range of food options that are low cost that you can use in a variety of ways.