According to information released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 13% of adults’ total caloric intakes between 2005 and 2010 came from added sugars. The findings by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that more of the calories from added sugars came from food rather than beverages, more of the calories were consumed at home rather than away from home, and the mean percentage of total calories from added sugars decreased with increasing age and increasing income. On today’s Sound Living: a look at the consumption of added sugars among U.S. adults.

The month of May is always National BBQ Month. It’s an unofficial holiday and a great way to start the summer. Whether you choose to cook over coals, use a smoker or gas grill, don’t limit yourself to hamburgers, steaks, ribs and hotdogs. There are a variety of vegetables, fruit and other healthy foods that can be prepared at the same time, keeping the kitchen clean and the house cool. On today’s Sound Living: utilizing your grills’ full capacity and following food safety.

We all need skills and motivation to organize our important papers. One source of motivation might be getting financial and other important papers in an easy-to-find location so they can be quickly accessed. These documents – or copies – should also be portable so they can be taken out of the house in an emergency. On today’s Sound Living: organizing important papers and protecting them from damage.

It’s not enough to eat healthy food only at breakfast, lunch and dinner, we also need to be eating healthy snacks between those regular meals. K-State nutrition specialist Sandy Procter says this can be accomplished by planning our snacks and ultimately replacing pre-packaged, high-sugar, high-calorie foods with more fruits and vegetables.

56 percent of men and 43 percent of women ages 18 to 24 live with one or both parents. And, an estimated 65 percent of college graduates are returning to live with their families, hoping for free room and board while they search for a job. While most parents are willing to let their children move back home, K-State Research and Extension family systems specialist Charlotte Shoup-Olsen says this type of living arrangement requires some ground rules.

Conservation tree plantings are used for wildlife habitat, windbreaks, wood lots, timber plantations and Christmas tree farms. The Kansas Forest Service Conservation Tree Planting Program offers landowners the opportunity to purchase trees and shrub seedlings, as well as other items for use in conservation plantings. On today’s Sound Living: the benefits of conservation trees and tips for planting ornamental trees in the home landscape.

We never know when or where a tornado, severe thunderstorm, fire, flood or other natural disaster is going to occur. These incidents serve as a reminder that homeowners and renters need to have their important papers, documents, photos and household inventory of possessions in more than one location.

The Internal Revenue Service reported that it expects 147 million individual 2012 tax returns to be filed. It also estimates about 75 percent of taxpayers who file will receive a refund. But, how those refunds are used might say a lot about how we approach our finances. On today’s Sound Living: a K-State Research and Extension family resource management specialist discusses some of the best ways to use tax refunds to improve our financial situation.

On last week’s Sound Living, K-State Research and Extension nutrition specialist Mary Meck Higgins discussed how preparing more meals at home reduce food costs. This week, she covers two more strategies for cutting food costs at the grocery store: making and using a shopping list and making a price list of commonly bought food items.

Prices at the grocery store continue to climb, causing many people to feel helpless. Although we have no control over prices, K-State Research and Extension nutrition specialist Mary Meck Higgins says there are several strategies for maximizing food budgets. However, her top three include: preparing meals at home, making and using a shopping list and making a price list.

The brain is a highly complex organ that controls all aspects of the human body and personality. Walking, talking, breathing and the way a person acts, feels and thinks are all directed by the brain. K-State Research and Extension specialist on aging Deb Sellers discusses how the new Extension program, TBIoptions: Promoting Knowledge, helps raise community awareness of traumatic brain injury.

A food safety education specialist at Clemson University was on the Kansas State University campus in mid-February to talk with K-State Research and Extension family and consumer sciences agents about improving food safety in child care centers. The message Angela Fraser (fray-zer) presented was to get back to the basics and teach the importance of hand hygiene – washing your hands – and sanitizing surfaces. On today’s Sound Living: ways to improve food safety.

More than half of Americans report living paycheck to paycheck. And, many Americans don’t have a savings account or an emergency fund to cover unexpected expenses. This often occurs because they think they don’t make enough money to save successfully. However, Kansas Saves, an initiative of the non-profit Consumer Federation of America, encourages individuals and families to save money and build personal wealth by saving small and thinking big. K-State Research and Extension family resource management specialist Elizabeth Kiss (kish) discusses the benefits of joining Kansas Saves.

Studies show that as many as 65 million Americans are acting as an unpaid caregiver to a child or adult. In 2009, the estimated value of caregiving contributions was placed at 450 billion dollars. And, as the number of people needing care continues to rise, caregivers are living with an increased amount of stress. On today’s Sound Living: information about a K-State Research and Extension pilot program called Powerful Tools for Caregivers.

With the holidays now solidly behind us, it’s a good time to take inventory of all the things that are crammed into the kitchen cupboards, refrigerator and freezer. What you’ll probably discover is that the things creating the clutter don’t get used anymore, you have far too many of the same thing, and that some food is well past its expiration date. Karen Blakeslee, a K-State Research and Extension food scientist and coordinator of the Rapid Response Center, says organizing the kitchen saves time and money.

Now that the holidays are over and that New Year’s resolution to be more active is becoming a distant memory, Walk Kansas – an 8-week healthy lifestyle challenge – is about to begin. On today’s Sound Living: K-State Research and Extension state coordinator for Walk Kansas and the family and consumer sciences specialist for Northeast Kansas, Sharolyn Jackson, discusses the immediate and long-term benefits of participating in Walk Kansas.

A certain amount of stress in our lives is unavoidable. However, when stress begins to negatively impact our lives and those around us, we have to deal with what’s causing the stress. K-State Research and Extension family systems specialist Charlotte Shoup Olsen says remaining flexible when change occurs, creating a sense of family togetherness and trust, and working to repair what’s wrong are all things we can do to help manage stress.

A new curriculum from K-State Research and Extension’s Nutrition Education Program will help educate clients that qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – or SNAP – about the benefits of family gardening. Andrea Feldkamp, assistant director for Nutrition Education Programs, says SNAP recipients will benefit from the program’s nutrition education and hands-on learning.

Getting in and out of the grocery store quickly saves time and money. In addition, when a list is used, the savings can easily exceed one thousand dollars a year. According to K-State Research and Extension nutrition specialist Mary Meck Higgins, the average shopper will spend 40-percent more on impulse purchases when they don’t use a list. On today’s Sound Living: tips for saving on groceries.

It’s nearly impossible to end one year and begin a new one without making a few resolutions. However, these resolutions – typically aimed at improving our health or finances – often go unfulfilled because our goals may be too ambitious. On today’s Sound Living: K-State Research and Extension nutrition specialist Sandy Procter discusses how making just a few small changes over the course of the next year will improve our health.

If you’re like most, your calorie intake will increase with each passing day during the holidays. However, K-State Research and Extension nutrition specialist Mary Meck Higgins says the calories and fat in our diet can be reduced by making some modifications to our holiday recipes and the way they’re prepared. On today’s Sound Living: tips for healthy holiday cooking.

Winter officially arrives December 21st, but winter weather in Kansas can arrive much sooner. Although recent winters have been relatively mild, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be prepared for the worst. State climatologist Mary Knapp, director of the Weather Data Library at Kansas State University, says knowledge and preparation are essential to minimizing the potential hazards of a typical Kansas winter.

Thanksgiving is an annual event. But for many, this may be the first time they’ve ever prepared such a large meal. The traditional Thanksgiving menu often includes turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, a variety of side dishes, and pumpkin pie with whipped topping. But, how do you prepare and serve such a large meal? K-State Research and Extension food scientist Karen Blakeslee discusses how to plan and prepare a traditional Thanksgiving meal.

A K-State Research and Extension nutrition and physical activity specialist says the holiday eating season has arrived. In fact, Tanda  Kidd says the holiday eating season started with Halloween and runs through Valentine’s Day. Although most people think Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday eating season and New Year’s marks the end, Kidd believes our eating habits start changing in late October and don’t stop until mid-February. On today’s Sound Living: why our eating habits change this time of the year and the steps we can take to at least maintain our current weight over the next three months.

More than 45-million turkeys are bought, cooked and eaten in the United States at Thanksgiving…that is about one-sixth of the turkeys sold in the U.S. each year. But, how do consumers know the turkey they buy is the one they want? K-State Research and Extension food scientist Karen Blakeslee says the answers are on the label.

Space heaters are generally used to warm a small space for a short period of time. However, the latest space heater to hit the market is one that uses infrared heat and claims to heat a whole house while significantly reducing energy costs. But, is that accurate? Bruce Snead, director of Extension Engineering at Kansas State University and an Extension specialist in residential energy, says any space heater can warm a small space, but no space heater will effectively heat a large area.

When it comes to personal finance management, there are a multitude of things that can affect your overall health. This includes your credit score, whether you have a contingency fund for emergencies, making sure you have adequate insurance coverage and choosing a bank that’s right for you. On today’s Sound Living: K-State Research and Extension family resource management specialist Elizabeth Kiss (KISH) offers some tips for making financial decisions that will improve your overall financial health.

It didn’t take long for students across the country to weigh in on the new federal standards established through the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act – and some of them are not very happy. They say the new standards, which require more fruits and vegetables be served, and also sets minimums and maximums for calories and the amount of protein and grains students can consume, have left them feeling hungry before the end of the school day. However, a K-State Research and Extension nutrition specialist says the new school lunch standards do meet the nutritional requirements for children and that the negative response – by some students – was to be expected.

The start of the school year offers students an opportunity to become involved in new activities. However, determining whether those activities will fit into a jam-packed schedule and how they could impact family time requires input from the entire family. Although there is a natural tendency for parents to want to provide growth opportunities for their children, K-State Research and Extension family systems specialist, Charlotte Shoup-Olsen, says there should be a balance between outside activities and family time.

Current food choices in the United States create a carbon footprint that is one-fourth larger than that created by Americans’ driving habits. But, how can we reduce the energy and waste created by the food we eat? A new K-State Research and Extension publication offers dozens of ways to eat healthy while helping preserve the planet for future generations. Last week, we explored the meaning of a sustainable diet and some of the foods that promote sustainability. On this week’s Sound Living: small changes we can all make to address the world’s sustainability problems.

Sustainability is often associated with saving the planet by using less energy and reducing our overall carbon footprint. But, how difficult is it to live more sustainably? A publication from K-State Research and Extension offers dozens of ways to have a tasty, healthful and sustainable – and at the same time have a positive impact on the environment. On today’s Sound Living: the first in a two-part series with K-State Research and Extension human nutrition specialist, registered dietitian and author of the publication: Making Everyday Choices for a Healthy, Sustainable Diet, Mary Meck Higgins.

Kansas State University is the lead university on a grant project to engage youth, parents, teachers and other community members in determining why pre-adolescent and early adolescent youth are overweight and obese. The goal of the 5-year, 2-point-5 million dollar grant is to develop and implement strategies to address the barriers to healthy eating and physical activity.

A Kansas State University graduate, registered dietitian, food coach, educator, nutrition expert and business owner has taken all of her life experiences and written a book that serves as a practical approach to all things related to food, balance and healthy living. On today’s Sound Living: a visit with native Kansan, Anita Kobuszewski, the author of Food, Field to Fork: How to Grow Sustainably, Shop Wisely, Cook Nutritiously, and Eat Deliciously.

A new food safety series from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration is designed to help at-risk populations reduce risks from foodborne illness. The publications target pregnant women, older adults, transplant recipients and people with diabetes, cancer and HIV/AIDS. Karen Blakeslee, a K-State Research and Extension food scientist, says these six groups are susceptible to foodborne illness because they all have compromised immune systems.

New federal requirements through the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act are now in effect. That means students who eat the school lunch will see some changes in the food being offered. As part of the new requirements, schools will be adding more fruits and vegetables, making half of the grains offered whole grains, serving smaller portions of protein, and offering milk that is either low-fat or fat-free. If a school allows children to have flavored milk, it must be fat-free. On today’s Sound Living: how changes to the nation’s school lunch program will help improve the overall health of children.