Smart Snacking for Kids

Smart Snacking for Kids

I did a presentation earlier this week for a local elementary school on healthy snacking for children. Most children need to snack to grow and be healthy. Smart snacking means choosing snacks that provide more than just calories from sugar or fat. Many children choose and fix their own snacks – especially after school. Parents/caregivers can help by making sure healthy snack foods are in the cupboard or refrigerator.

Some healthy snacks that kids can fix after school include:

Cereal with yogurt and fruit

Pre-cut vegetables or fruit

Popcorn

Cheese and crackers 

Bagel   

Wrap with sliced ham or turkey

Baked potato made in the microwave

Quesadilla made with two flour tortillas and cheese

Below is the recipe for Crunchy Apple Treasures, the snack youth made during the session.

Crunchy Apple Treasures

1 medium apple

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1 tablespoon crisp rice cereal

1 tablespoon raisin

Cut apple into half and remove the core. Combine peanut butter, cereal and raisins. Spread mixture on apple slices.

  

Think Color When Eating Fruits and Vegetables

Think Color When Eating Fruits and Vegetables

When eating fruits and vegetables, think COLOR – green, orange, red, purple, and white. These colors in fruits and vegetables provide an array of vitamins and phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are naturally occurring plant compounds in fruits and vegetables that may have health-promoting abilities.

 

  

 Usually, the deeper the color of fruit or vegetable, the better. Sweet potatoes, carrots, winter squash, and other dark orange and dark leafy green vegetables are good sources of phytochemical         “beta-carotene.”      This nutrient is important for vision and immune function. 

Blueberries are a powerhouse of nutrients. The main phytochemical in the blue family of fruits and vegetables, such as blackberries, plums, cranberries, red onions, and strawberries is “anthocyanidins.” Anthocyanidins are antioxidants that have been linked to improved blood vessel health.

The cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and kale contain the phytochemicals “indoles” and “isothiocyanates” that have been shown to have anti-cancer properties.

Our eyes need nutrients to. “Zeaxanthin,” a carotenoid with antioxidant power, is most often linked with lutein. Zeaxanthin may help to prevent macular degeneration. Eat plenty of leafy green vegetables like spinach, kale, and collard greens to keep your eyes healthy.

Diets can benefit from eating a variety of red fruits and vegetables that contain “lycopene.” Lyscopene is a strong antioxidant and has been associated with a reduced risk for many cancers, especially prostate cancer. Research shows benefits for heart health too. Eat plenty of raw and cooked tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit and red peppers.

Source: eXtension

Get on Track to Better Health by Exercising

Get on Track to Better Health by Exercising

With these snowy, cold days, it can be hard to think about exercising when staying inside sounds like a much better option. Health and fitness is a national concern. To encourage better health through exercise, the Federal Government published the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. This report promotes a combination of aerobic and strength training exercise for optimal health, and offers exercise options and advice by age, activity levels and physical limitations.
At a minimum, the report makes the following recommendations:
  • 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity aerobic training or 1.25 hours a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic training in episodes lasting at least ten minutes.

   • Two or more days a week of strength training, involving all major muscle groups.

 While this may seem like a lot of time, considering those busy schedules, look for opportunities to get small amounts of exercise. Join your children in riding on a bike path in the community. While shopping at the mall consider taking a few laps around the interior at a quick pace. Also think about parking your vehicle at the far end of the parking lot and walking. How do you spend your lunch hour? Perhaps this would be a great time to enroll in an exercise class.

IRA Decision a Victory for Nursing Mothers

IRA Decision a Victory for Nursing Mothers

The Internal Revenue Service announced last week that they will reverse a ruling that denies equipment used to help women breast feed from being covered as a health care expense. The previous ruling excluded breast pumps from coverage under flexible health spending accounts and made them non-deductible on tax returns.

In response to the decision, Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tom Harkin (D-IA), and Representatives Sander Levin (D-MI) and Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) released the following statement: “This decision is a huge victory for nursing mothers everywhere. Modern medicine has documented numerous health benefits linked to breastfeeding, including a reduced risk of illness in infants and a reduced risk of cancer in mothers. And because breastfeeding is so effective in preventing disease, it also happens to save billions in health care costs.”

Oatmeal - A Good for You Food

Oatmeal – A Good for You Food

Oats have probably been cultivated since the first century A.D. Brought to the New World by English colonist, oats were planted in Massachusetts in the mid-1660s, and were first packaged in the United States for wide distribution in 1852.
Oat are a powerhouse food. Oats are a n excellent source of complex carbohydrates. The grain offers impressive levels of iron and manganese, and also supplies good quantities of copper, folacin, vitamin E and zinc. Furthermore, oats are a good source of dietary fiber, both soluble and insoluble.
At the supermarket, consumers will find a variety of oatmeal, all made with the goodness of whole-grains oats- most ready to eat in little time.
An oatmeal primer is below. The main difference in oats is the size and shape of the grain, which affects cooking time and temperature.
  • Oat bran. This outer layer of oat groats has a finer texture and lighter color than wheat bran. It is sold in bulk or packaged as hot cereal.

  • Rolled Oats. Probably the most familiar form rolled oats have been heated and pressed flat with steel rollers so they cook more quickly. Whole groats processed this way are sold as old-fashioned oats and cook in about five minutes.

  • Quick-cooking oats are sliced before heating and pressing, they are ready in a few minutes. Instant oats are the same as quick oats, but rolled even thinner and cut finer. Sugar and natural and artificial flavors are commonly added to enhance flavor.

  • Steel-cut Oats. Often imported, steel-cut oats are groats that have been thinly sliced length-wise. They required a fairly long cooking time and have a chewy, hearty consistency. They are thick, hearty and chewy with rich, nutty taste.  

  • Scottish oats are steel cut oats that have been ground between two large mill stones into a course meal. The oats produce a creamy bowl of oatmeal.

Healthy Valentine Day Tips

Healthy Valentine Day Tips

A proper diet and exercise are keys to a healthy lifestyle. This Valentine’s Day, give the gift of health.

Rather than giving the gift of chocolate, consider a gift that has more permanence like a gift certificate to a local gym or a cookbook focusing on healthy eating.

Quality time is a great gift. Schedule weekly date night. As the days begin to lengthen and warm-up, bundle up and enjoy the great outdoors.

If your children are having a Valentine’s Day party as school, consider sending mini-boxes of raisins, mini-bags of pretzels or stickers.

Cooking at home is one way to control what you eat. Make a date with your spouse/significant other to attend a cooking class.

Take a walk with family members. Walking 30 minutes a day provides health benefits.

If going out for dinner is on the agenda for Valentine’s Day, look for or ask for heart healthy options.

Show you care by giving of your time and talents to an organization in need.

Vegetarian Lifestyle

Vegetarian Lifestyle

Vegetarian diets are becoming more popular. There are four different types of vegetarians:

- Strict vegetarian or vegan. A vegetarian diet excludes all animal products such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, cheese and other dairy products.

- Lacto vegetarian. A vegetarian die t that excludes meat, poultry, fish and eggs, but includes dairy products.

- Lacto-ovovegetarian. A vegetarian diet that excludes meat, poultry, and fish but includes eggs and dairy products. Most vegetarians in the United States are in this category.

- Flexitarian. A semi-vegetarian diet with a focus on vegetarian food with occasional meat consumption.

A vegetarian die can include as many tasty varieties as one including meat. Here are some healthy, vegetarian meal ideas:

- oatmeal with nuts, dried fruit and (soy) milk,

- vegetable sandwich

- vegetable or bean soup
- chili with bean and textured vegetable protein
- pita bread filled with vegetables
- Tofu stir-fry with brown rice
- Whole-grain pasta with tomato sauce and vegetables

- Tacos or burritos filled with beans

- Pizza with or without cheese and topped with vegetables and tofu

Heart Disease: Number One Killer of Women

Heart Disease: Number One Killer of Women

No matter how great you look on the outside, heart disease can strike on the inside. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the number one killer of women, regardless of their race and ethnicity. One in four women dies of heart disease.

Greater awareness of heart disease and taking action to reduce the risks can improve this statistic for women. Fortunately, women can increase their chances of surviving a heart attack and reduce their risks of developing heart disease.

Unfortunately many women aren’t aware of the symptoms of a heart attach or don’t believe that they are at risk for heart disease. The misconception that heart disease is a man’s disease still persists. Women are more likely than men to assume that heart attack symptoms are simply discomfort caused by stress. The Heart Truth is a national awareness campaign for women about heart disease sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The campaign warns women about heart disease and provides tools to help them take action against its risk factors. It is primarily targeted to women ages 40 to 60, the time when a woman’s risk of heart disease begins to increase. However, it is never too early or too late to take action to prevent and control risk factors since heart disease develops over time and can start at a young age- even in the teen years.

                      Learn some basics about heart disease.

Learn the warning signs of a heart attack. Like men, women experiencing a heart attack may have one or more of the following symptoms: shortness of breath, chest pain or discomfort, and discomfort in other areas of the upper body including one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach. But women are more likely to experience less traditional symptoms particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.

Know your heart disease risks. Find out what your blood pressure, blood cholesterol and blood sugar levels are.  Make healthier lifestyle changes. Kick the smoking habit. Get at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity, such as brisk walking most days of the week. Aim for a healthy weight.

 Sources: The Heart Truth Campaign and Gayle Coleman, UW-Extension Nutrition Specialist 

Great Foods to Have in the Pantry

Great Foods to Have in the Pantry

There a number of great foods with lots of nutritional value that should be in your pantry if not already there.

- Olive and canola oil are rich in healthy monounsaturated fats and low in saturated fats.

- Wheat germ. Three tablespoons of wheat germ sprinkled on cereal or yogurt provide your daily requirement of vitamin E.

- Dark chocolate is rich in flavonoids that may help prevent blood clots and hardening of the arteries. Pick a bar with at least 70 percent cacao. Due to calories in chocolate, limit yourself to one ounce per day.

- Whole wheat pasta, bread and cereal. A higher intake of whole grains has been linked to lower rates of coronary heart disease. Whole grains are also a good source of fiber.

- Canned or pouches of salmon and light water-packed tuna. These products are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids.

- Oatmeal has a higher proportion of soluble fiber than any other grain. This kind of fiber lowers cholesterol levels by binding to cholesterol in your intestine and prevents it from entering the blood stream.

- Nuts including almonds, walnuts, peanuts and pistachios have heart-health benefits.

- Flaxseed is high in cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber and a type of omega-3 fatty acid that can protect the heart. Buy ground flaxseed or grind whole flaxseed then sprinkle one tablespoon a day onto cereal or add to muffin batter.