FOR RELEASE THE WEEK OF FEB. 13, 2000:
There is a history of heart disease in my family, so I try to make sure that my diet is low in saturated fat and cholesterol. I've found that eating oatmeal at breakfast helps to lower my cholesterol level. I've seen similar health claims for soy products, but I don't think I want to eat tofu. How else can I get soy into my diet?
Over fifty scientific studies have now shown that soy lowers cholesterol levels, but you need to consume about 25 grams of soy protein per day, says Martha Raidl, University of Idaho extension nutrition specialist.
A typical 8-ounce serving of soy milk contains about 10 grams and a soy protein bar includes about 14 grams, but if these products don't appeal to you, click on Internet web site www.talksoy.com for recipes ranging from enchiladas to cheese cake. Kellogg's is also in the process of developing a soy-based breakfast cereal.
Any soy product that claims cholesterol-lowering effects must provide at least 6.5 grams of soy protein per serving, says Raidl--but it won't necessarily give you any more than that. If you're counting on health benefits, make sure you count up to 25 grams of soy protein per day.
How can we interest our kids in books when videos and television are so visually stimulating?
"Children have really active imaginations," says Harriet Shaklee, University of Idaho extension family development specialist. "It's no problem for them to get mental stimulation just from the written word."
Selecting interesting books targeted to the child's level is vital, Shaklee says. Asked how he knows when a book is right for him, one child explained, "It makes little pictures in my head." By contrast, when a book is too hard, "the pictures go away."
According to Shaklee, reading with your children is not only "lap-time, loving-time and talk-time, all in one sitting," but it is one of the best predictors of their later reading ability. "If reading is a strong part of a family tradition, children will look to books to expand their experiences," she says.
Shaklee recommends a regular reading time--perhaps bedtime or while another parent is preparing dinner. If parents are no longer sharing a roof, the non-residential parent might make story tapes to reinforce his or her bond with the child.
If your child wants you to read the same book aloud over and over again, Shaklee says, "Go ahead and do it. What harm is it? They like the familiarity of repetition." Or, use reading to their younger siblings as a way to keep older children involved in the family experience.
We moved into a new home five years ago. After several years, the lawn began to develop small light-green to yellow patches in the spring. Last spring, the patches had expanded into large rings or arcs, several feet across. The symptoms clear up every summer, only to return in the fall. What's the problem?
It sounds like necrotic ring spot, quickly becoming the most important fungal disease of Kentucky bluegrass in the Pacific Northwest. Typically, actively expanding patches have a border of reddish-brown turf, and other grasses and weeds may have recolonized the centers. Infected plants lift easily from the soil to reveal blackened roots.
According to Krishna Mohan, University of Idaho extension plant pathologist, excess thatch, overfertilization, overwatering and inadequate soil preparation prior to lawn installation all can predispose a lawn to necrotic ring spot. This soilborne disease spreads through contaminated soil as well as lawn mowers.
Fortunately--while expensive--effective fungicides are available. They should be applied in the spring before the symptoms reappear. Control, however, may not be readily apparent until late summer or fall--and overseeding may still be necessary to recover the lawn.
To prevent recurrence and boost plant health, put your lawn on a proper irrigation and fertilization program. Water deeply--not frequently--and remove excess thatch. Check with your University of Idaho county extension educator for lawn care recommendations for your area.
I found some small, two-toned moths flying around inside my pantry. What are they?
If the front half is gray and the rear half is brown and the moths are a little less than a half-inch long, then what you've got are Indian meal moths. Check for webbing in the top inch or two of stored legumes or grains. Inside the webbing, you'll probably also find the moths' larval forms: white, half-inch-long caterpillars with dark heads.
"Wherever the larvae go, they spin a silk web," says Bob Stoltz, University of Idaho extension entomologist. "If you have peas or grains in containers and there's a bunch of webbing on top, why, that's Indian meal moth."
The adults are "quite active flyers," Stoltz says. They can fly from house to house or from grain storage to grain storage. Sometimes, you can even pick them up at the supermarket.
To get rid of them, just toss out their food source. "There's no need to spray," says Stoltz. "But from now on, keep all of your legumes and cereals in air-tight containers--preferably plastic--because the larvae can chew right through thin packaging."
[READERS: Do you have a question about your home, yard or garden? Send it to HomeWise, University of Idaho Ag Communications, Moscow, ID 83844-2332 or email it to homewise@uidaho.edu. Mention of proprietary products or firms does not constitute endorsement by the University of Idaho Cooperative Extension System or imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms.]