Family Consumer Sciences

Somerset County Family and Consumers Sciences offers a wide range of educational opportunities. A few of the programs, most in demand within the County are nutrition, finance and day care, though other programs are offered. Programs which are being offered to the Somerset County residents and organizations are described in this article.

• Nutrition for the Elderly: Lessons are offered and presented to senior citizens emphasizing the nutritional needs and changes to their bodies and nutrient requirements related to the aging process.
• Seafood Nutrition: Nutrition demonstrations are prepared and presented using and promoting Maryland seafood. Emphasis is placed on the preparation and nutritional value of seafood. Selected demonstrations incompass four 15-minute sessions on the benefits of seafood as a diet staple. This program is offered to groups in cooperation with Somerset County agencies and organizations.
• Nutrition After-School Snacks: This program demonstrates the preparation of healthy snacks, reducing sugar, fat and increasing fiber. Young people learn how to prepare healthy snacks based on the Food Guide Pyramid.
• Heart, Health, Diet and Nutrition: Classes target minority health issues which has been an ongoing concern in Somerset County. The focus of the program is lifestyle and diet changes as a preventative measure to chronic heart disease control, by lowering fat consumption and increasing dietary fiber intake.
• Somerset, Get Fit!: This program was created for heart patients as a cooperative effort between the McCready Memorial Hospital Cardiac Rehabilitation and the Maryland Cooperative Extension in Somerset County and was designed to monitor and educate heart patients with various levels of risk factors. Classes include "Dine Out - Don't Pig Out" and "Stir-Fry Anything".
• Dining With Diabetes For groups of 5 or more interested persons. You do not have to be diabetic. Diabetic cooking helps the entire family, not just the person with diabetes.