Debbie Bennett, Field Specialist in Nutrition & Health, has been with the University of Missouri team for almost eight years. Debbie’s passion is empowering people to be healthier. One of her favorite things about being an MU Extension faculty member is hearing the small wins that can make a dramatic difference toward keeping people healthy and living independently.

In her current role as a Nutrition & Health Specialist, Debbie offers a variety of programs, ranging from “Stay Strong, Stay Healthy,” a strength training program that helps people build muscle mass to function better in their daily lives, to “Dining with Diabetes,” a diabetes education course with hands-on experiences making diabetes-friendly meals in the kitchen. Debbie also teaches courses focusing on fall prevention. These classes help people improve their balance, flexibility, and strength, and programs like Tai Chi can even help lower blood pressure because of the focus on deep breathing. These types of programs allow Debbie to be an unbiased, research-based resource for Missourians for their various nutrition and health needs.

When asked about the most interesting project she has worked on as a Nutrition & Health Specialist, Debbie said, “Working with the City of Mound City to make healthy changes to the concessions menu at the Mound City swimming pool.” In this role, Debbie helped the city clerk secure Eat Smart in Parks grant funding to purchase new equipment for the concession stand to make it easier to serve healthier menu items. By doing a nutrition analysis of the existing concessions menu, Debbie also made recommendations for healthier options. As a result of this project, 28 new food and beverage items that met certain nutritional guidelines were added to the swimming pool concession stand menu. As a Nutrition & Health Specialist, Debbie looks forward to continuing to grow into her role with Extension and to find new ways to help people live healthy and productive lives.

To contact Debbie regarding how Extension can partner or collaborate with your organization, please email her at BennettDL@missouri.edu or call your county Extension Office.