The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the Department will conduct a one-time competition for grants to support the development or the continuation of collaborative food stamp nutrition education projects. In accordance with the requirements of Section 11(f) of the Act, as amended by the BBA, the food stamp collaborative nutrition education projects should be designed to: (i) Meet the food needs of Food Stamp Program participants and other low-income households; (ii) increase the self-reliance of households in providing improved food preparation, safety, and budgeting skills; and (iii) promote comprehensive approaches to local food and nutrition education activities. Successful proposals will include objectives which describe how the collaborative nutrition education project will support the design and implementation of nutrition education efforts that reach large numbers of food assistance program recipients, foster the development or continuation of nutrition network resources to better integrate nutrition education services, and provide integrated nutrition education outside of traditional program-centered delivery systems.

Proposals that focus their nutrition education messages on topics that have relevance to large numbers of program recipients, such as healthful eating behavior or economical shopping practices are encouraged rather than narrowly focused topics of interest to small segments of the eligible population. Healthful eating practices are those that are described in the Fourth Edition (1995) of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans published by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services. Applications may be submitted by private nonprofit organizations and State agencies.

To be eligible for a food stamp collaborative nutrition education grant, as mandated by Section 1004, private nonprofit organizations and State agencies must agree to: (1) Use the funds to direct collaborative efforts to coordinate and integrate nutrition education into health, nutrition, social service, and food distribution programs for food stamp participants and other low-income households; and (2) design the collaborative effort to reach large numbers of food stamp participants and other low-income households through a network of organizations including but not limited to schools, child care centers, farmers’ markets, health clinics, and outpatient education services. Applications must contain a description of how the grant funds will be used for the four years of the award.

Each year of the grant, beginning with 1998, should be described as a discrete portion of the project’s work with all four years contributing toward the goals and objectives as spelled out in the proposal. The authorizing legislation, in particular Section 11(f)(2)(C), requires FNS, in deciding between two or more private nonprofit organizations or State agencies that are eligible to receive a grant, to give preference to an organization or State agency that conducted and received funding for that collaborative effort from FNS prior to August 5, 1997.

Maintaining good health is more than just avoiding “bad foods.” It’s a conscious effort to select the foods and nutrients that will yield vitality and an overall sense of wellbeing. Everyday, science reveals new wonders about the potent life-enhancing properties of herbs, vitamins, minerals and other plant nutrients. In fact, 95% of the world’s medicines are derived from plant sources. The problem lies in choosing the array of nutrients your body truly needs. Relìv takes the guesswork out of good nutrition with our complete, balanced formulas. Our experts have done the research, combed the globe for the best ingredients, and provided them all in the proper amounts in our easy-to-use, great tasting drink mixes. Good nutrition is now as simple as making a delicious Relìv shake part of your daily routine!

The University of Bridgeport offers an online MS in Human Nutrition, for which the only required residency being the two days on campus in Bridgeport over which is held the comprehensive examination. Bridgeport is well established; some significant financial troubles have found them accepting very large sums of money from groups associated with the Unification Church, aka “Moonies,” today their Acting Chair is former President of the Unification Church in America, so some controversy has become attached to their name in some quarters.

The school is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Good nutrition is an important stress-fighting tool. When our bodies are poorly nourished, the effects of stress are even more pronounced. Here are links to Web resources to help you manage stress through sound nutrition. How to Plan a Healthy Diet Advice from About Nutrition Guide Rick Hall on planning a healthy diet Nutrient Composition of Individual Foods About Nutrition Guide Rick Hall shows you the nutrient composition for a range of individual foods. Nutrition and Vegetarian Diets This article from the About Weight Loss site helps you plan a healthy, nutritionally-sound vegetarian diet.

Stress and Weight Gain An analysis of the role of stress in overeating and weight gain, plus tips to help break the cycle Menus for Healthy Living Examples of healthy menus in the 1,500-1,800 calorie/day range Weight Management Answers Are you eating too much? Is your weight-loss program effective? This article discusses answers to these common questions. Vita-mania The pros and cons of vitamins supplements, plus discussion of vitamins for special needs Eating and Your Moods Article explaining the association between stress and overeating, plus discussion of various eating disorders

The use of soil for greenhouse production before the 1960 s was common. Today a few growers still use soil in their mixes. The bulk of production is in soilless mixes. Soilless mixes must provide support, aeration, nutrient and moisture retention just as soils do, but the addition of fertilizers or nutrients are different. Many soilless mixes have calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, nitrogen, potassium and some micronutrients incorporated as a pre-plant fertilizer. Nitrogen and potassium still must be applied to the crop during production. Difficulty in blending a homogenous mix using pre-plant fertilizers may often result in uneven crops and possible toxic or deficient levels of nutrients. Soilless mixes that require addition of micro and macronutrients applied as liquid throughout the growth of the crop, may actually give the grower more control of his crop.

To achieve optimum production, the grower can adjust nutrient levels to compensate for other environmental factors during the growing season. The absorption of mineral ions is dependent on a number of factors in addition to weather conditions. These include the cation exchange capacity or CEC and the pH or relative amount of hydrogen (H() or hydroxyl ions (OH() of the growing medium, and the total alkalinity of the irrigation water. The Cation Exchange Capacity refers to the ability of the growing medium to hold exchangeable mineral elements within its structure.

These cations include ammonium nitrogen, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, zinc and copper. Peat moss and mixes containing bark, sawdust and other organic materials all have some level of cation exchange capacity. The term pH refers to the alkalinity or acidity of a growing media water solution. This solution consists of mineral elements dissolved in ionic form in water. The reaction of this solution whether it is acid, neutral or alkaline will have a marked effect on the availability of mineral elements to plant roots. When there is a greater amount of hydrogen H+ ions the solution will be acid . If there is more hydroxyl OH- ions the solution will be alkaline (>7.0). A balance of hydrogen to hydroxyl ions yields a pH neutral soil (=7.0). The range for most crops is 5.5 to 6.2 or slightly acidic. This creates the greatest average level for availability for all essential plant nutrients. Extreme fluctuations of higher or lower pH can cause deficiency or toxicity of nutrients.