MSU Extension Nutrition

The Big Picture

12,854 adults 18 years and older reached.

MSU Extension Action

MSU Extension partners with Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to provide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed), a nutrition education program to reduce hunger and food insecurity and promote healthy eating habits.

The Impact

Adult knowledge and behavior change

• 43% Increased fruit consumption
• 39% Increased vegetable consumption
• 22% Reduced sugary beverages
• 38% Plan meals in advance more often
• 32% Used coupons while shopping more often
• 35% Use a spending plan more often
• 43% Increased moderate physical activity participation
• 38% Increased muscle strengthening exercise participation
• 37% Made small changes to be more physically active

Adult Success Stories

During an Eat Healthy, Be Active series, participants were able to earn vouchers to purchase fruits andvegetables as part of the Prescription for Health program supported in part by District Health Department #10 and Munson Health. Participants shared that it’s important to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, that eating less salt is important for our health, but you can keep the taste by using herbs and spices, and trying new things is fun! As one participant shared, “Eating healthier has given me more energy! I’ve lost 5 pounds over the course of this class, just by making small changes suggested during the class!”

In a recent series offered at Michigan’s only veterans transitional housing community for male veterans experiencing homelessness, participants learned ways to make cooking for one [or two] simple and enjoyable. Tips for making healthy choices and strategies for planning, preparing, and shopping were provided. At the beginning of the 4th lesson, the group reviewed the previous lesson, and did a check-in to see how everyone was doing. During that check in, one participant shared that he didn’t realize how important drinking water was and that over the last few weeks he had been drinking more and his whole house (they have roommates) was working on drinking more water. He also shared that since the series began, he had lost 5 lbs.!

It is possible to drink more water and less sugary drinks. One married couple attending a SNAP-Ed series did just that. He is diabetic and she is pre- diabetic. The couple enjoyed their sugary drinks, including sweet tea and soda. They supported each other through goal setting and recording their progress in their Cooking For One participant handbook. They used their NERI water bottles as their guide to keep track of how much water they consumed in a day. The group talked in class about how to flavor the water with herbs, veggies, and fruit. Each week the couple’s progress advanced and by the end of the classes, they had nearly cut their sugary drinks out completely and reported that they were feeling much better.