Make Trick-or-Treating Healthy

Make Trick-or-Treating Healthy

Halloween brings out the kid in all of us. It's fun to get dressed up in a costume and parade around the neighborhood or go to a party. Treats are a part of the fun. However, treats don't have to be sticky, gooey candy. 

 

When gathering the treats you will offer this year think about some possible low- calorie, low-fat options. Here are some ideas to get you started thinking:

· Cheese and cracker packages

· Sugar-free gum

· Cheese sticks

· Juice box packages

· Small packages of nuts or raisins

· Package of instant cocoa mix

· Peanuts in the shell 

 

You could also consider giving some non-food treats such as stickers, balloons, crayons, pencils, colored chalk, erasers, whistles, baseball cards, rubber spiders or worms. A friend of mine used to give nickels, in today's economy that may need to be dimes. 

 

Before kids leave for trick-or-treating make sure they eat a healthy snack or light meal. Make sure children eat a meal or snack before going trick-or-treating so they won't be tempted to dig into their bag of goodies before they get home. 

 

When children get home, check the treats and keep only treats which are unopened. Be sure to inspect fruits and homemade goods for anything suspicious. 

 

It's better to eat trick-or-treat candy over several days as a substitute for dessert or a few pieces along with a healthy snack. 

 

Having a party for your children and a few friends can reduce safety concerns. Some nutritious treats for your party could include popcorn, apples, grapes, bananas, unshelled peanuts, and not-too-sweet cookies.

 

Kids could help with making the treats like "Pizza Faces." Let kids arrange sliced olives, green peppers, mushrooms, pepperoni, and other things on English muffins brushed with tomato sauce. Top with grated cheese for "hair" and heat in the microwave or oven until the cheese melts. 

 

Source: University of Illinois Extension Food for Thought Newsletter

How to Use Fruits and Vegetables to Help Manage Your Weight

How to Use Fruits and Vegetables to Help Manage Your Weight

Fruits and vegetables are part of a well-balanced and healthy eating plan. There are many different ways to lose or maintain a healthy weight. Using more fruits and vegetables along with whole grains and lean meats, nuts, and beans is a safe and healthy one. Helping control your weight is not the only benefit of eating more fruits and vegetables. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of some types of cancer and other chronic diseases. Fruits and vegetables also provide essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and other substances that are important for good health. 

To lose weight, you must eat fewer calories than your body uses. This doesn't necessarily mean that you have to eat less food. You can create lower-calorie versions of some of your favorite dishes by substituting low-calorie fruits and vegetables in place of higher-calorie ingredients. The water and fiber in fruits and vegetables will add volume to your dishes, so you can eat the same amount of food with fewer calories. Most fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories and are filling.

Here are some simple ways to cut calories and eat fruits and vegetables throughout your day:

Breakfast: Start the Day Right

·       Substitute some spinach, onions, or mushrooms for one of the eggs or half of the cheese in your morning omelet. The vegetables will add volume and flavor to the dish with fewer calories than the egg or cheese.

·       Cut back on the amount of cereal in your bowl to make room for some cut-up bananas, peaches, or strawberries. You can still eat a full bowl, but with fewer calories.

Lighten Up Your Lunch

·       Substitute vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, or onions for 2 ounces of the cheese and 2 ounces of the meat in your sandwich, wrap, or burrito. The new version will fill you up with fewer calories than the original.

·       Add a cup of chopped vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, beans, or red peppers, in place of 2 ounces of the meat or 1 cup of noodles in your favorite broth-based soup. The vegetables will help fill you up, so you won't miss those extra calories.

Dinner

·       Add in 1 cup of chopped vegetables such as broccoli, tomatoes, squash, onions, or peppers, while removing 1 cup of the rice or pasta in your favorite dish. The dish with the vegetables will be just as satisfying but have fewer calories than the same amount of the original version.

·       Take a good look at your dinner plate. Vegetables, fruit, and whole grains should take up the largest portion of your plate. If they do not, replace some of the meat, cheese, white pasta, or rice with legumes, steamed broccoli, asparagus, greens, or another favorite vegetable. This will reduce the total calories in your meal without reducing the amount of food you eat. BUT remember to use a normal- or small-size plate — not a platter. The total number of calories that you eat counts, even if a good proportion of them come from fruits and vegetables.

Eat fruits and vegetables the way nature provided—or with fat-free or low-fat cooking techniques.
Try steaming your vegetables, using low-calorie or low-fat dressings, and using herbs and spices to add flavor. Some cooking techniques, such as breading, and frying, or using high-fat dressings or sauces will greatly increase the calories and fat in the dish. And eat your fruit raw to enjoy its natural sweetness.

Canned or frozen fruits and vegetables are good options when fresh produce is not available.
However, be careful to choose those without added sugar, syrup, cream sauces, or other ingredients that will add calories.

Choose whole fruit over fruit drinks and juices. Fruit juices have lost fiber from the fruit.
It is better to eat the whole fruit because it contains the added fiber that helps you feel full. One 6-ounce serving of orange juice has 85 calories, compared to just 65 calories in a medium orange.

Whole fruit gives you a bigger size snack than the same fruit dried—for the same number of calories.
A small box of raisins (1/4 cup) is about 100 calories. For the same number of calories, you can eat 1 cup of grapes. 

For more information, please check out the following brochure from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

(http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/nutrition/pdf/CDC_5-A-Day.pdf

 

 

NIH Body Weight Planner: A New Goal-Setting Resource for Super Tracker Users

NIH Body Weight Planner: A New Goal-Setting Resource for SuperTracker Users



We’re excited to announce a new goal-setting resource available to SuperTracker users – the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Body Weight Planner! The Body Weight Planner can help you identify how many calories you need to eat and how much exercise you need to achieve a goal weight within a specific time period. Use your results to create a personalized meal plan and to set goals in SuperTracker. Step-by-step instructions are provided below and in this video.

1. Use the Body Weight Planner to find out how many calories you need to eat each day to reach and maintain your goal weight.

2. Enter your Body Weight Planner results in SuperTracker.

a. New users: Create a SuperTracker profile and enter your Body Weight Planner calorie results into the “personal calorie goal” field which appears after you enter your height and weight.

b. Current users: Enter results into the “personal calorie goal” field on the My Top 5 Goals page under the Calories tab.

3. View the My Plan section of SuperTracker to get your daily food group targets, including what and how much to eat of each food group in order to get the nutrition your body needs while staying within your calorie allowance.

4. Reach and maintain your goal weight by tracking your dietary intake and physical activity from your desktop, phone, or tablet!

Learn more in the official press release and the latest USDA blog, Reach Your Goal Weight Your Way with the NIH Body Weight Planner and USDA’s SuperTracker.

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October 24th is Food Day

October 24^th is Food Day

Food Day inspires Americans to change their diets and food policies. Every October 24, thousands of events all around the country bring Americans together to celebrate and enjoy real food and to push for improved food policies.

 

October 24 is a day to resolve to make changes in our own diets and to take action to solve food-related problems in our communities at the local, state, and national level. In 2015, Food Day has the theme "Toward a Greener Diet."

 

This annual event involves some of the country’s most prominent food activists, united by a vision of food that is healthy, affordable, and produced with care for the environment, farm animals, and the people who grow, harvest, and serve it.

 

With Food Day across the country, more than 8,000 events took place in 2014, from community festivals to a panel discussion on food justice, to thousands of school activities across the country. Hundreds of events are being planned on and around October 24, 2015, in all 50 states.

 

Why Food Day? The typical American diet is contributing to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems. Those problems cost Americans more than $150 billion per year.

 

Join the Movement. The most important ingredient in Food Day is you! Use October 24 to start—or celebrate—eating a healthier diet and putting your family’s diet on track. Food Day is not just a day; it’s a year-long catalyst for healthier diets and a better food system. Let’s use this energy to make a meaningful and long-lasting difference!

 

 

October is Popcorn Poppin' Month

October is Popcorn Poppin' Month

October is National Popcorn Poppin’ Month, a harvest time celebration of one of America’s oldest snack foods. As farmers head into the fields to gather crops, families and friends gather to honor this perennially popular food. 

Popcorn existed long before today’s dizzying array of snacks, tracing its roots back thousands of years. Yet, throughout the ages, this enduring fan favorite has remained relatively unchanged. Popcorn kernels are the seeds of a large grain plant known also as maize. Once the kernels are stripped from the cob and dried to 14% moisture, they can be popped and eaten. 

This seed-to-snack simplicity is just part of the allure. Whole grain, naturally low in fat and calories, and gluten free, popcorn is a good fit for today’s health conscious consumer. Yet it’s the taste and versatility that continues to make this one popular snack food. Americans consume some 16 billion quarts of popcorn each year. That’s roughly 51 quarts per man, woman and child. 

Add in popcorn’s irresistible aroma, connection to good times, seemingly magical transformation, and the fact that it strikes a chord with the budget-minded, it’s easy to understand why there’s a month-long celebration for this America icon. Join in the fun by making the following fall treat, recipe courtesy of the Popcorn Board. Learn why popcorn pops, the history of popcorn, corny facts, recipes, and more at www.popcorn.org.

Down Home Apple Pie Popcorn

A timely fall treat, combining luscious flavors of the harvest.

Yield: 10 cups

• 3 tbsp melted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 8 cups popped popcorn
• 1 cup dried apple chips, broken into large pieces
• 1/4 cup toffee bits

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Whisk melted butter with vanilla. Toss brown sugar with cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg.
2. Toss popcorn with butter mixture. Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar mixture. Stir. Transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Sprinkle apple chips and toffee bits over top. Bake for 15 minutes or until toffee bits start to melt. Cool before serving.

Tip: Add chopped pecans for extra crunch.

Freezing Pepers

Freezing Peppers

Peppers are ripening quickly in garden.  Below are steps for freezing peppers. 

Bell or Sweet Peppers (Green, Red, Yellow, Orange, Purple)

1.       Select crisp, tender peppers.

2.       Wash.

3.       Cut out stems and cut peppers in half.

4.       Remove seeds and membrane — save time by using a melon baller or the tip of a spoon to scrape out seeds and membrane.

5.       Cut peppers into strips, dice or slice, depending on how you plan to use them.

6.       Freeze peppers in a single layer on a cookie sheet with sides, about an hour or longer until frozen. This method is often referred to as “tray freezing.”

7.       Transfer to a “freezer” bag when frozen, excluding as much air as possible from the bag. The peppers will remain separated for ease of use in measuring out for recipes.

8.       Pour out the amount of frozen peppers needed, reseal the bag and return to the freezer.

Hot Peppers (including Jalapeno Peppers)

Wash and stem hot peppers. Package, leaving no headspace.  Seal and freeze. It is not necessary to cut or chop hot peppers before freezing. Caution: The National Center for Home Food Preservation warns, “Wear plastic or rubber gloves and do not touch your face while handling or cutting hot peppers. If you do not wear gloves, wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before touching your face or eyes.” HOT TIP: If your mouth is burning from eating hot peppers, help put out the fire with milk and other dairy products. 

Storage Time

To extend the time frozen foods maintain good quality, package foods in material intended for freezing and keep the temperature of the freezer at 0 degrees F or below. It is generally recommended frozen vegetables be eaten within about 8 months for best quality. 

Cook It Quick, University of Nebraska Extension

Off to the Market: Visiting a Farmers Market with Children

Off to the Market: Visiting a Farmers Market with Children

From sweet, juicy berries to crisp, tangy kale, fresh and healthy foods are bountiful at farmers’ markets. While adults may focus on their shopping list, there are also many opportunities for children to have fun and learn at the market. These ideas may help your family, class, or summer program make the most of a visit to the farmers market.

·       Make It a Game: Play a game of “I Spy” with younger children. Challenges like “I spy with my little eye… a fruit that is round, a vegetable that is orange, or a food that begins with the letter 'B'” build excitement and encourage close attention. For older children, come prepared with a more involved scavenger hunt like the one found here (PDF). Besides produce identification questions, include prompts which encourage conversation with farmers about where and how the food is grown.

·       Allow Kids to Shop: Give kids money to make their own purchases. Children are more likely to eat what they choose, and counting out dollars and cents provides a real-life math problem. It may be wise to limit what can be bought, as a wide variety of products may be available at the market.

·       Offer a Challenge: Ask children to find an unfamiliar vegetable or fruit they would like to try. If they are not sure what to choose, ask a farmer for a suggestion. Bring it home to prepare or try on the spot for an impromptu taste test. Everyone may discover a new favorite!

·       Plan a Post-Market Snack or Meal: Purchase produce with the goal of creating a delicious dish to share. This can be simple, like raw veggies with dip, or something more involved, such as a vegetable soup or a frittata. The more involvement kids have with food, from purchasing to preparing, the more likely they are to eat it.

·       Find or Create a Kid-Friendly Event: Many markets offer special children’s days. If these types of activities aren’t available, increase the fun on your own by packing a blanket and enjoying a picnic featuring market finds.

Farmers markets offer a great opportunity for children to learn about and experience fresh, healthy foods in a positive setting. Plan a trip to the farmers market to set the stage for a lifetime of healthy choices! 

Source: eXtension

Making Wise Choices When Eating at Italian Restaurants

Making Wise Choices When Eating At Italian Restaurants

Consumption of food prepared away from home plays an increasingly large role in the American diet. In 1970, 25.9 percent of all food spending was on food away from home; by 2012, that share rose to its highest level of 43.1 percent. A number of factors contributed to the trend of increased dining out since the 1970s, including a larger share of women employed outside the home, more two-earner households, higher incomes, more affordable and convenient fast food outlets, increased advertising and promotion by large foodservice chains, and the smaller size of U.S. households. (Source: USDA Economic Research Service)

Ethnic restaurants have increased in popularity due to the great flavors and wonderful dishes they serve. Italian restaurants area popular choice.  Here are some tips for making wise choices.

·       Make marinara sauce or light tomato sauce your go-to salad.  White sauces can have lots of calories.

·       Order a garden salad to enjoy prior to consuming the pasta entrée.

·       Limit the amount of bread consumed. It is easy to over eat bread.

·       Bacon, cheese and olives can add sodium and calories to entrees.

·       Pay attention to the number of glasses of wine consumed. The calories in alcohol can add up.

·       Use red pepper flakes to add more flavor without adding calories.   

Foods Labeled "Natural"

Foods Labeled “Natural”

Americans are looking for foods that will allow them to eat healthier.  According to a Nielsen Healthy Eating report, the term natural helped sell $40.7 billion of food products in 2014. 

As defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a natural food is one that does not contain added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances.  Due to this definition, the word “natural” can mean a variety of things. Instead of having an exact definition for the term, the FDA has set guidelines for its use. 

If you are uncertain on whether or not the food is considered “natural” check the ingredient listing. The food should not contain:

·       Hydrogenated oils

·       High-fructose corn syrup

·       Monosodium glutamate

·       Artificial sweeteners

·       Preservatives

October: National Cranberry Month

October: National Cranberry Month

October is National Cranberry Month, and you can add fresh cranberries to breakfast breads, toss dried cranberries into a salad, or mix up a refreshing beverage with one of the many forms of cranberry juice.

Nutrition and health: Cranberries are fat-free, cholesterol-free, sodium-free, and a good source of Vitamin C and fiber. Cranberries are thought to provide health benefits because of their flavonoid and phytonutrient content.

Forms and availability: the peak harvest season for fresh cranberries is October through December.

Selection and Storage tips: Choose fresh cranberries that are full, plump, firm and dark red or yellowish-red. Avoid cranberries that are soft, shriveled, or have brown spots. Fresh cranberries should be stored in the refrigerator, preferably in a crisper for about three to four weeks. Cranberries freeze very well, either whole or sliced. When sealed in an airtight container, frozen cranberries will keep for up to nine months.

Getting culinary with cranberries:  cranberries are versatile and can be combined with many other flavors. Try mixing cranberry juice with other juices such as apple, orange or grape. Dried cranberries can be added to nuts, trail mix, granola, oatmeal, or even chicken salad. Fresh or dried cranberries work well in quick breads such as muffins, sweet breads, and yeast breads. These berries also work well in pies, cobblers, chutneys, salsas and relishes.

Check out the U.S. Cranberry Marketing Committee website at www.uscranberries.com, which includes many healthy cranberry recipes.

Source: Lisa Franzen-Castle, RD, PhD, Nutrition Specialist University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension

Making Jerky

Making Jerky

Jerky is a lightweight, dried meat product that is a handy food. It is an item often made in the fall.. Jerky can be made from almost any lean meat, including beef, pork, venison or smoked turkey breast. (Raw poultry is generally not recommended for use in making jerky because of the texture and flavor of the finished product.

General Tips for Safe Food Handling

The following general tips for safe handling are based on USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline recommendations.

·       Always wash hands thoroughly with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw meats.

·       Use clean equipment and utensils.

·       Keep meat and poultry refrigerated at 40° F or below. Use ground beef and poultry within 2 days, red meats within 3 to 5 days or freeze for later use.

·       Thaw frozen meat in the refrigerator, not on the kitchen counter.

·       Marinate meat in the refrigerator. Do not save and re-use marinade.

When preparing jerky from wild game, it is important to remember that the wound location and skill of the hunter can affect the safety or the meat. If the animal is wounded in such a way that the contents of its gut come in contact with the meat or the hunter’s hands while dressing the meat, fecal bacteria can contaminate the meat. It is best to avoid making jerky from this meat and use it only in ways that it will be thoroughly cooked. Deer carcasses should be rapidly chilled to avoid bacterial growth. The risk of foodborne illness from home-dried jerky can be decreased by allowing the internal temperature of the meat to reach 160°F, but in such a way as to prevent case hardening. Two methods can be used: heating meat strips in marinade before drying or heating the dried jerky strips in an oven after the drying process is completed. Directions for both methods will be presented here. When the strips are heated in a marinade before drying, drying times will be reduced. Color and texture will differ from traditional jerky.

Preparing the Meat

Partially freeze meat to make slicing easier. The thickness of the meat strips will make a difference in the safety of the methods recommended in this book. Slice meat no thicker than ¼-inch. Trim and discard all fat from meat because it becomes rancid quickly. If a chewy jerky is desired, slice with the grain. Slice across the grain if a tenderer, brittle jerky is preferred. A tenderizer can be used according to package directions, if desired. The meat can be marinated for flavor and tenderness. Marinade recipes may include oil, salt, spices and acid ingredients such as vinegar, lemon juice, teriyaki, or soy sauce or wine.

Jerky Marinade* for 1.5 to 2 pounds lean meat (beef, pork, venison)

¼ cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon each of pepper and garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon hickory smoke-flavored salt

Combine all ingredients. Place strips of meat in a shallow pan and cover with marinade. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or overnight. Products marinated for several hours may be more salty than some people prefer. If you choose to heat the meat prior to drying to decrease the risk of foodborne illness, do so at the end of the marination time. To heat, bring the strips and marinade to a boil and boil 5 minutes before draining and drying. If strips are more than ¼ inch thick, the length of time may need to be increased. If possible, check the temperature of several strips with a metal stem-type thermometer to determine that 160°F has been reached.  

Drying the Meat

Remove meat strips from the marinade and drain on clean, absorbent towels. Arrange strips on dehydrator trays or cake racks placed on baking sheets for oven drying. Place the slices close together, but not touching or overlapping. Place the racks in a dehydrator or oven preheated to 140°F Dry until a test piece cracks but does not break when it is bent (10 to 24 hours for samples not heated in marinade). Samples heated in marinade will dry faster. Begin checking samples after 3 hours. Once drying is completed, pat off any beads of oil with clean, absorbent towels and cool. Remove strips from the racks. Cool. Package in glass jars or heavy plastic food storage bags.

If the strips were not heated in marinade prior to drying, they can be heated in an oven after drying as an added safety measure. Place strips on a baking sheet, close together, but not touching or overlapping. For strips originally cut ¼ inch thick or less, heat 10 minutes in an oven preheated to 275°F. (Thicker strips may require longer heating to reach 160°F.)

Making Jerky from Ground Meat

Jerky can be made from ground meat using special presses to form or shape the product. Disease-causing microorganisms are more difficult to eliminate in ground meat than in whole meat strips. If ground meat is used, follow the general tips for safe handling tips listed previously. Be sure to follow the dehydrator manufacturer’s directions carefully when heating the product at the end of drying time. Again, an internal temperature of 160°F is necessary to eliminate disease-causing bacteria such as E. coli O157:H7, if present.  

Storing the Jerky

Properly dried jerky will keep at room temperature 2 weeks in a sealed container. For best results, to increase shelf life and maintain best flavor and quality, refrigerate or freeze jerky.

Reprinted with permission from the University of Georgia.  Harrison, Judy A. and Mark A. Harrison (2003). Preparing Safer Jerky . Athens, GA: University of Georgia, Cooperative Extension Service.

October is National Apple Month

October is National Apple Month

Apples not only taste great but they also provide essential vitamins, minerals and fiber that help to protect from chronic diseases

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that we eat more fruits and veggies than any other food group − for adults, that´s 3½ to 6½ cups (7 to 13 servings) daily for better health. At least 2 of those 3½ to 6½ cups of fruits and veggies should be fruit.

So what equals one cup of apples? 1 small apple
½ large apple
1 cup sliced, raw or cooked apples
½ cup of dried apples
1 cup of 100% apple juice or cider
1 cup of applesauce

Nearly 100 varieties are grown commercially in the United States, but a total of 15 popular varieties account for almost 90 percent of production: ∗ Braeburn ∗ Honeycrisp ∗ Cortland ∗ Idared ∗ Empire ∗ Jonagold ∗ Fuji ∗ Jonathan ∗ Gala ∗ McIntosh ∗ Ginger Gold ∗ Red Delicious ∗ Golden Delicious ∗ Rome ∗ Granny Smith Not sure which variety is best used where? Check out our downloadable apple variety guide.

Source: US Apple Association