Blog Site Discontinued June 23, 2017

Welcome. This blog site, healthy eating and food safety, has been discontinued as of June 23, 2017. I look forward to your comments and feedback regarding use of this tool to disseminate educational information.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

We All Scream for Ice Cream

We All Scream for Ice Cream

In 1984, then President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month. Ice cream continues to be a favorite food. Here are some trends to watch.
Flavors: Vanilla continues to be American’s flavor of choice. American’s top flavors are vanilla, chocolate, cookie ‘n cream, strawberry and chocolate chip mint. To keep customers coming back, new flavors are continually being offered. There has also been an increase in seasonal flavors such as peppermint and gingerbread for the holidays.
“Better for You” Options: While the majority of sales are for regular fat products, a diversified product line with “better for you” options has been increasing. There is an array of reduced-fat, fat-free, low-calorie, no sugar added and lactose free ice cream products. Novelty/single serving products are so an important part of this trend.
Co-Branding: Co-branding involves partnering with successful branded companion products. There has been an increase in new ice cream products that use ingredients from well-known candy, cookies, fruit and flavoring manufacturers. Products that are made with coffee and related flavors have also increased.
Whatever product you purchase here are some tips for storing.
• Do not allow the ice cream product to repeatedly soften and harden. Take the container out of the freezer, remove quantity desired and return container to the freezer promptly.
• Make sure your freezer is set between 0 degrees and minus five degrees.
• Do not store ice cream in the freezer door where it can be subject to more fluctuating temperatures.
• Before returning container to freezer, make sure lid is on tight.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Study Shows 80 Percent of American Adults Don't Get Recommended Exercise

Study Shows 80 Percent of American Adults Don’t Get Recommended Exercise

A new study completed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 80 percent of American adults do not get the recommended amounts of exercise each week. Researchers analyzed survey data collected from more than 450,000 U.S. adults ages 18 and older who were randomly phoned across all 50 states. They were asked how long they engaged in aerobic physical activity outside of their jobs and for how long.

The survey revealed that only 20.6 percent of people met the total recommended amounts of exercise – about 23 percent of all surveyed men and 18 percent of surveyed women. The U.S. government recommends adults get at least 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise each week or one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, or a combination of both. Adults should also engage in strength like lifting weights or doing push-ups at least twice a week.

Physical inactivity can lead to obesity and Type 2 diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control, while exercise can help control weight and reduce the risk for developing heart disease and some cancers, while providing mental health benefits.

Sources: Centers for Disease Control

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Sweeten Up Your Meals with Fruit

Sweeten Up Your Meals with Fruit

Fruit can be a great way to sweeten up meals and snacks. In addition to great flavor and variety, fruits offer a lot of nutritional value. Berries have about 100 calories per cup. They are a good source of antioxidants and fiber. Cantaloupe is a good source of vitamins A and C and potassium. Watermelon contains vitamin C and lycopene.
Here are some tasty ways to add fruit to meals and snacks.
• Make smoothies with fruit, yogurt and milk.
• Serve fruit kabobs. 
• Add berries and fresh pineapple to lettuce greens. Top with grilled chicken, walnuts and poppy seed dressing.
• Make a berry crisp.
• Rather than topping a cake with frosting, use berries and dairy topping.
• Make a fruit dip and serve with an assortment of fresh fruits.
• Set out a bowl of strawberries for snacking.
• Mix up a fruit salsa to serve with meat, poultry or fish.
• Preserve fruits by canning or freezing for enjoyment during the winter.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Cultivating Family Science Savvy: No Sweat!

It's July, and a warm person carrying a glass of ice water walks from an air-conditioned house out into the heat and humidity of the backyard. Both the person and the glass begin to sweat. So what's going on?  

Let's look at the glass. Most of the beads of water on the glass will be at and below the level of the ice water in the glass. Since there's water on the inside and water on the outside, and both are at the same level, a reasonable person could reasonably think that perhaps somehow the glass is letting cold water leak through from the inside to the outside.

So let's test that idea, and some of its competing cousins, with one of the most powerful power tools ever invented by humanity. To me, that most powerful of power tools is two words: "if" and "then". Using "If, then" thinking and "if, then" speaking helps us to draw predictions from possibilities, and we can test those predictions to see if the possibilities hold water.

If the water on the outside has oozed through the glass from the water on the inside, then an empty glass at the same temperature as the glass of ice water should not sweat.

Let's try a fair comparison between two glasses. Working indoors, what if you fill halfway two identical glasses with ice-water. Let the glasses stand for a minute to let the ice water cool off the glasses. Then pour out the water from one glass and carry both glasses outside. Do both glasses begin to sweat? If the water is "oozing" through the glass, then how do droplets form on the glass that you emptied?

Let's try another fair comparison. Fill a small glass tumbler half full with vegetable oil. Leave another similar tumbler empty. Put both in the freezer for a couple of hours. Then take the two glasses out into the heat and humidity of the backyard. If you can, also bring along a third tumbler that you've filled half full with ice water, and a fourth tumbler half full of warm tap water.

If the beads of sweat that form on the glass outside are from water oozing through the glass, then you would not expect the cold glass with the cold vegetable oil to form any beads of water. What happens to the four glasses?

Based on these experiments and others that you may come up with on your own, which idea holds water better: the idea that water is oozing through the glass, or the idea that a cold glass (no matter how you make it cold) will condense droplets of water when you put it out in humid air?

Water is important to health in many ways, and in these hot days, one key way is that when water vapor condenses on a cold object, the condensing tends to warm up the thing on which the water vapor condensed and formed droplets.

And in turn, when water droplets on a thing evaporate, the evaporation tends to cool the thing from which the water evaporated. In our case, the physiologically complex process of sweating uses a pretty simple process of evaporative cooling. The best part is you can drink the data.

Thomas M. Zinnen, UW-Extension Biotechnology Specialist

You can get some first-hand insights into heating and cooling by using the glass of ice-water that can both cool you off and let you test some cool ideas.

Or you can schedule a training session in your community and I'd be happy to come and help lead the explorations. Food is familiar, accessible, inexpensive and safe, so it's great for hands-on explorations into experimentation. Plus, you get to eat (and sometimes drink) the data!

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Healthful Tips for Your Summer Vacation

Healthful Tips for Your Summer Vacation

Summer is here and many families are preparing to enjoy a few days or weeks away from home. Whether it’s a week at the lake, camping in the woods, or a trip to visit friends and family members, summer vacations can be both healthful and fun. Here are some tips for eating healthy while vacationing.
--Be active with your children. Pack clothing and equipment you need for physical activity such as sneakers, rackets and balls, comfortable clothing, water bottles, kites and Frisbees. When you can’t be outside, think of active indoor games such as jumping rope or a game of catch with balloons.
--Check out fitness opportunities at your destination and recreational stops along the way. A quick computer search can help you find hiking trails, swimming pools, playgrounds and bike rental shops.
--Eat meals together as a family as much as you can. If you need to eat at fast food restaurants or sandwich shops, be sure to watch portion sizes and select foods that are low in fat and added sugars. For example, a small burger with a side salad and a glass of milk is reasonably balanced. “If the restaurant offers whole grain buns, carrot sticks and low-fat milk, take advantage of those options,” says Nitzke. If you want dessert after your meal, look for menu items that feature healthy ingredients such as fruit and yogurt parfaits. Or split a richer dessert like a cupcake or dish of ice cream between two or more family members.
--Remember that beverages are as important as food choices. When eating away from home, children and adults are more likely to drink sugary beverages. Favor water, low-fat or nonfat milk, and 100 percent fruit juice over sodas, fruit-flavored drinks and sports or energy drinks.

When selecting snacks for your car, camper or hotel room, keep fruits, vegetables, whole-grain crackers and healthy beverages handy and available. That way, eating healthfully won’t require extra time and effort.

Source: Susan Nitzke, UW-Extension nutrition specialist and Professor Emerita

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Cherries-A Sweet Treat

Cherries – A Sweet Treat

It’s the season for cherries. I picked tart cherries off a tree at the Brown County UW-Extension Office this morning in preparation for a fruit canning class next week. I have been enjoying bing cherries now available in the grocery store. While cherries are quite tasty they also have many health benefits.

Cherries are considered among the top 20 foods with the highest concentration of antioxidants. Antioxidants occur naturally in some foods and may protect cells in the body from future damage. Cherries have many different antioxidants.

This fruit may help relieve discomfort related to arthritis and gout because they contain anthocyanins. Cherries act as pain relievers by blocking inflammatory enzymes which may help to reduce pain.

Cherries contain melatonin, a natural hormone in the body which helps control when we fall asleep and wake up. Not only does melatonin aid in falling asleep, but it also supports and maintains brain function. Anthocyanins may protect cells found in the brain and promote brain health as well.

While cherry season is relatively short, they can be preserved. To freeze cherries, rinse them thoroughly stem and remove the pit. I place them on paper towels to absorb some of the moisture and then place on a cookie sheet in a single layer. After the cookie tray has been in the freezer for a couple of hours, I place the cherries in a freezer bag and they can be kept frozen for several months. By using this method, the cherries are easier to break apart when frozen. I often will make cherry jam or canned cherry pie filling in the winter as gifts for neighbors and colleagues.

Cherries can also be canned. Stem and wash cherries, remove pits if desired. After removing pits, I often will place the cherries in a commercial ascorbic acid mixture which can be bought at the grocery store or crushed vitamin C tablet dissolved in water works. This prevents the area where the pit was removed from turning brown. If cherries are canned unpitted, prick the skins on opposite sides with a clean needle to prevent splitting.

Cherries may be canned in water, apple juice, white grape juice or water/sugar syrup. Whatever liquid you use, heat to boiling.

To raw pack, fill jars to ½ inch from top with drained cherries, shaking down gently as you fill. Add hot liquid leaving ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles with a metal knife. Wipe jar rims. Place lid and ring in place. Process pints or quarts in boiling water bath canner for 25 minutes. Enjoy!

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Gaining Wight Part of Summer for Many Kids

Gaining Weight Part of Summer For Many Kids
Those lazy days of summer we wish for all year may be setting the stage for your child to gain weight. That was the finding of research published in the American Journal of Public Health, which showed that kids often put on added pounds during the summer. The study attributes the weight gains to kids’ lack of physical activity and too much eating between meals.

Here are some suggestions for parents who are concerned about maintaining their children’s healthy weight when school is out.

Encourage your kids to get outside and be active, and watch what foods are available at home. Think hard about how much of the day your kids are spending indoors, in front of a screen in the air conditioning, rather than playing outside.

One thing that can help is to give kids a regular routine when school is out. Make sure summer days have some structure; for example, getting up at the same time each day and eating meals at set times. Remind kids to eat breakfast. Especially if they are home alone, discourage kids from continuous snacking by leaving easy-to-prepare meals for lunch and limiting “snack food” choices.

What should you leave for kids’ lunch when they’re home alone? Here are some suggestions.

--Whole wheat bread and sandwich fixings, including pre-cut veggies.
--Leftovers from last night’s supper, including salad.
--Cold pasta, potato or tuna salads, made with lots of veggies.
--Fresh, cut-up vegetables with dip.
--Corn-on-the-cob, husked and ready to go in the microwave.
--Fruit salad made with summer fruit in season.
--Yogurt, granola and fruit for yogurt parfaits; yogurt and fruit for smoothies.
--Make a “burrito kit:” tortillas, refried beans, salsa, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. The leftover tortillas can be used to make roll-ups with hummus and veggies or peanut butter and bananas.
--Hard-boiled eggs, string cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese--cold foods are more appealing on a hot day and don’t require cooking. These foods all have some protein, which will help kids feel full longer and hopefully decrease snacking later.

To help children choose the things you want them to eat, quietly buy less of the things you don’t want them to eat. Skip the frozen pizza, frozen meals and prepared foods. Buy less “food in a box,” like macaroni and cheese, rice mixes, and pasta meals. Replace big bags of chips and cookies with smaller packages of lower fat, lower salt snacks. Institute a policy of “when it’s gone, it’s gone,” so kids don’t eat all the snack food the day after you shop--or if they do, they understand the consequences.

Summer doesn’t have to mean weight gain--it can be a time for kids to enjoy fresh foods and make some healthy choices, when parents make those choices available.

Source: Betsy Kelley, Outreach Specialist with UW-Extension’s Family Living Programs

Friday, July 5, 2013

Enjoy Walnuts As They Can Protect Your Health

Enjoy Walnuts As They Can Protect Your Health

Walnuts are loaded with nutritional benefits. They can improve cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular disease. They are the highest in polyunsaturated fat and the only nut containing a significant amount of Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the plant type of omega-3 fatty acids. Walnuts are a good source of copper and very good source of manganese.

When planning meals and snacks, think about ways to incorporate walnuts into recipes. Here are some examples:
• Add chopped walnuts to cookie dough and quick breads.
• Toss pasta with a walnut pesto.
• Replace croutons with walnuts.
• Add walnuts to trail mix.
• Stir them into yogurt.
• Add to stir-fry.
• Sprinkle on top of ice cream or frozen yogurt.
• Grind and use to bread chicken breasts and other meats.
• Toss into a salad.

It is best to store walnuts in the refrigerator or freezer. If you plan to use walnuts right away, store in the refrigerator. If walnuts will be stored longer than one month, keep in the freezer. Heat causes the fat in walnuts to changes structure which leads to off odors and flavors.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Summer Cooking the MyPlate Way

Summer Cooking the MyPlate Way
While enjoying foods more commonly eaten in the summer like hamburgers and brats, keep in mind balanced meals. Using the MyPlate method is a good way to make sure that one-fourth of your plate is lean protein, one-fourth is a grain and half is fruit and vegetables.

Foil packets are one way to incorporate a variety of foods. Take a piece of heavy duty foil and spray one side with non-stick spray. Family members and/or friends can choose ingredients to put in the packet. Ingredients may include but are not limited to the following: ground beef, rice, beans, peppers, onions and seasoning for a Southwest meal or a more common combination of potatoes, carrots, onions, and ground beef. Cook foil packets on the fire’s coals rather than directly in the fire itself.

Cooking times will vary on the foods selected – potatoes and carrots will take longer than other foods as well as heat from the fire. Remember to carefully open the packet as there will be lots of steam.

Kabobs are another great way to follow the MyPlate. Pieces of fish, poultry, pork or beef along with an assortment of vegetables that are placed on skewers is a great start to a healthy meal. Add some brown or wild rice and you have a tasty meal.

For a cooler option, combine 1 bag of blended lettuce, cooked chicken, almonds, strawberries and mandarin oranges. Toss with poppy seed dressing. Another great way to eat following the MyPlate.