Child Nutrition Vote Delayed

It's hard to believe that in this climate when health concerns, childhood obesity, and parents' who are struggling to get and keep jobs are all over the news that US polititians have chosen to delay the vote on the Child Nutrition Act and gone home. Advocates, including your's truely, have been pushing for a new Child Nutrition Bill for almost two years. Our expectations were high at first but as always, politics took over. The proposed bill includes only a six cent increase in the reimbursement rate for school lunch. None of us could feed kids for that. The current one expired today despite the thousands of letters received by House members urging passage. They did pass a two month extension on the budget so members could go home and campaign.

A child nutrition bill was a centerpiece of Michelle Obama's healthful eating campaign. One of the stumbling blocks was the proposed use of food stamp dollars to pay for it. Why we have to resort to using dollars earmarked to improving the health and economic support of Americans to support legislation that improves the health of American children is not easily understood by most of us.

Next? Legislation could be considered after the election but keep in mind it is a lame duck session. The unfortunate part is that this could have been a historic moment: it's the first time in 30 years that the reimbursement rate for school lunches was increased and there were a number of different components of the bill that helped improve nutrition not only in schools but also in other federal initiatives.

Kids learn better when they are well fed. I urge you to continue putting the pressure on your legislators to pass this legislation and finance it from somewhere else besides other nutrition programs. For the sake of our children.

I certainly intend to!

Healthy Eating!

Marcia

20 or 30 Something's Issues

Feeling Tired?

Are you juggling work, home, community, kids? No wonder you're tired! It could also come from low iron stores, common among women in their 20s, or 30s who don't each much meat and as a result don't hit the recommended amount. Blood loss whether regular or periodic can make this worse.

Your body soaks up the most iron from animal protein but you'll absorb more from plant sources by pairing them with foods rich in vitamin C, like red peppers, strawberries or tomatoes. You might also consider swapping out your aluminimum pans. Research indicated that foods cooked in iron-clad pots packed more than twice the amount of iron as those prepared in other cookware.

Stars of the Show:

• fortified cereal
• lean beef
• white beans
• cooked spinach

Start the Heart Watch:

It's never too soon to protect your heart with a healthy lifestyle. Eating omega-3s regularly can slach your risk for heart disease by lowering blood fats. Pregnant? Omega-3s can improve your baby's brain and eye development. Meet your requirement with two servings a week of fish. (Seafood sources are better than nuts and seeds for the brain)

Stars of the Show:

• salmon,
• tuna
• flounder
• halibut

Cooking these foods couldn't be easier. I dry fried fish filets tonight on a griddle to which I applied a dry rub. Dinner was ready inside of 15 minutes complete with salad, bread, pasta salad. Not only nutritious but delicious as well.

Happy, Healthy Eating,

Marcia

Healthy, Hungry-free Kids

How often do we hear expectant parents say, "Boy or girl, it doesn't matter as long as it's healthy!" - present company included. Now is another time to help make that happen. This time not just for our own offspring but every child. Millions of children now have access to nutritious meals that they may not have were it not for the Federal nutrition programs covered by Child Nutrition Act which is about to expire. The programs and initiatives covered by this act provide unique services including school lunch, after school programs, WIC, and child-care settings. (http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/default.htm)


The House of Representatives have an opportunity to pass the legislation reauthorizing and strengthing nutrition programs for kids prior to September 30th which is when the current legislation expires. Let's hope they do just that. This bill is a key step in addressing nutrition concerns of our nation's children including hunger, childhood obesity, and poor diet quality. It will help us to reach the national goals to end child hunger by 2015 and solve childhood obesity in a generation.


Provisions in the current bill:

• Expand nutrition standards to all foods sold in schools - as folks that care about kid's nutrition we have been waiting for these stronger standards since the Reagan administration referred to ketchup as a vegetable.



• Strengthen nutrition education in child nutrition programs - kids and their parents need to be able to extend what they learn about healthy eating in school to the 'outside' world and education is the key



• Increase meal reimbursement rates for meals meeting specific standards - many schools would like to provide healthier meals but simply do not have the resources to do it as the amount of the reimbursement doesn't come close to covering their meal cost



• Bolster nutrition guidance for child care providers - preparing nutritious meals for children in their care doesn't always come naturally, folks need to be taught how so they can then share that information, skills and abilities to the people in their care.

The nutrition problems facing our nation can only be addressed through long-term solutions. This will take significant resources and the Reauthorization of Child Nutrition programs is the first step. Let's hope the bill passes - this week.

Happy, Healthy Eating

Marcia

Too much food but getting enough?

Is it possible to eat too much and not get enough? The answer to that is yes if you consider some key nutrients that might be at risk in some diets. A handful of nutrients have been identified as at risk in the diet of some Americans.

POTASSIUM - found in abundance in many fruits and vegetables falls short when folks just don't eat enough of them. It's an easy fix. Unfortunately not enough folks are taking the plunge and choosing fruit and veggies often enough. What makes potassium so important? It seems to counter the damage caused by too much sodium. Potassium helps to lower blood pressure and may be protective with regard to stroke risk. With one in three adults in the US with high blood pressure and even more that are at risk for it this becomes extremely important.

MAGNESIUM - often overlooked, this mineral keeps rising to the top regarding lowering the risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Found in many fruits and vegetables as well as whole grains, nuts and legumes, this mineral has been observed as having a key role in the fight against type 2 diabetes. In the Women's Health study an association was seen between a low magnesium intake and increased risk for this disease, especially overweight women. The Nurses' Health Study observed that those that consumed the most magnesium had a measurably lower risk. Other research has reported similar results.

VITAMIN D - the sunshine vitamin as we all learned in grade school. Vitamin D in combination with adequate calcium intake is critical in growing young bones, strengthening middle-aged bones and preventing breaking bones in the aging population. In otherwords it's important for all of us. Many people don't realize that our bones are constantly breaking down and being replenished so to keep that process working the way it should vitamin D is needed to work along side the calcium. Best source remains low-fat dairy. Add yogurt and milk to your daily fare and have that latte with non-fat milk.

VITAMIN B12 - Older folks are often lacking when it comes to B12. Food sources include dairy, eggs, fish, poultry and meat however it's not always a problem with intake. Vitamin B12 absorption often decreases as we age and secrete less gastric juice during the digestive process. That's why the Institute of Medicine recommends that anyone over 50 get 2.4 mcg of B12 a day from a fortified food or supplement. The form used in these products is digestible despite lower levels of acid.

Sounds like the same old story but it stands the test of time: Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dried beans and peas as well as low fat dairy. You'll feel better, look better and be better!

Happy Healthy Eating,

Marcia

Baby Steps

Small steps can add up when getting healthy is concerned. In fact, small changes in both eating and activity level are often more effective that drastic changes. Why? Because you are more likely to stick to a couple of small changes in your routine. Extreme diets and intense exercise regimens work well initially but are often vacated and don't last in the long haul.

It's all about balance. For most folks, energy balence is much improved just by trimming 50 - 100 calories a day off of usual intake. It's really not hard at all. Try one of these...

• Use non-fat dry milk solids or non-fat milk and sugar free sweetener to flavor coffee
• Trim fat from meat and skin from poultry before cooking or eating
• Use reduced calorie ice cream or frozen yogurt instead of regular
• Replace chips with raw vegetables and high fat dips with fat-free or salsa

Make changes that you won't even notice. They really do add up.

1. Use smaller plates and bowls. When you fill up the amount will be less and our practice of eating it all will mean eating less.

2. Eat slowly and savor your meals. It gives your brain a chance to catch up to your stomach and overeating less likely.

3. Leave some on the plate. Even a few bites will break the habit of eating just because it's there. Over the long haul the calories saved will accumulate just like they did on your body.

4. Plates, not bags or boxes. Bags hide extra servings that we eat automatically. Put on a plate and see what you are eating. It brings the unconscious into consciousness.

5. Tall slender glasses are less likely to be filled than short fat ones so use them. Better yet drink water.

6. Replace calorie laden beverages like juice, soda, alcohol, speciality coffee and energy drinks with water or calorie free drinks.

Find changes that are easy for you or ones that don't mean much. That way you'll stick with them and you can make a difference while not sacrificing what's really important to you.

Happy, Healthy Eating,

Marcia

Don't be afraid of Tofu

Tofu is a soybean based food. I used to tell my students "tofu is to soybeans as cottage cheese is to milk". Contrary to popular opinion tofu is a wonderful food, easy to work with and fun to eat. Anyone who has eaten in a Chinese restaurant or gotten Chinese carry-out has eaten tofu. Asians use tofu in just about everything. It is available in just about every grocery store in the US and in multiple forms: crumbled, soft, firm, extra firm. Which one to get depends on in what it will be used.

In recipes, tofu acts like a sponge and has the ability to soak up any flavor that is added to it. Crumble it into a pot of spicy chili sauce and it tastes like chili. Blend it with cocoa and sweetener and it becomes a double for chocolate cream pie filling. Cubes of firm tofu can be added to any casserole or soup. My favorite is hot and sour soup from my favorite chinese take out.

Three types of tofu are available in American grocery stores. Firm tofu is dense and solid and holds up well in stir-fry, soups or even on the grill... anywhere that you want the tofu to maintain its shape. Firm tofu also is higher in protein, fat and calcium than other forms of tofu (firmer=less water).

Soft tofu is a good choice for recipes that call for blended tofu or soups. Silken tofu, the third form available, is a creamy, custard-like product. It works well in pureed or blended dishes. In Japan, the natives enjoy it as is with a little soy sauce and chopped scallions added.

Try some of these ideas for introducing tofu to your repetoire:

• add small pieces or chunks of firm tofu to soup and stew
• mix crumbled tofu into a meatloaf or any ground meat mixture (hamburger, salmon patty)
• mash tofu with cottage cheese and seasoning to make sandwich spread
• marinate in barbeque sauce and grill then serve on crusty bread
• add a package of taco seasoning to pan-fried crumbled tofu or mixture of tofu and ground beef for tacos
• blend dried onion soup mix into soft or silken tofu for onion dip
• stir silken tofu into sour cream for a lower fat baked potato topper
• blend dofu with melted chocolate chips and sweetener to make chocolate pudding mixture
• add silken tofu to cream based soups and cut back on cream
• substitute pureed silken tofu for part of mayonnaise, sour cream, cream cheese or ricotta cheese in recipe and use in dips or creamy salad dressing

Experiment and expand your culinary offerings. Try it you'll like it!

Happy Healthy Eating

Marcia

Plant Positive

CNN recently reported on health problems experienced by folks who eat more animal based foods than plant based. (http://www.annals.org/content/153/5/289.abstract) Protein when eaten in animal food and fats are associated with higher mortality rates, more heart disease deaths as well as more cancer deaths. BUT low carbohydrate, high protein plant based diets were associated with lower mortality rates. How does that translate into food?

Plant based foods that have a lot of protein are things like lentils, split peas, chick peas, black beans, kidney beans as well as nuts like walnuts, peanuts, almonds. The study also found that the men and women who consumed the diet high in animal based foods had higher BMIs the measure of overweight and obesity.

Interested in eating more plant based proteins? Consider adding beans, legumes, nuts, seeds and yes tofu to the diet. Okay so eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains - that's easy. It's the rest that can be a challenge. And putting together meals in 20 minutes or less that taste great may seem insurrmountable for some. Actually it is easier than you think.

Lentils don't need to be soaked before using like other dried beans. I through them into chili and soup all the time. It has become a real family favorite. http://allrecipes.com/recipes/Lentil-Soup/detail.aspxdetail.aspxp/detail.aspx Split peas, whether yellow or green are the same although not quite as versatile but soup with split peas can be a real comfort food in the fall and winter.

Black beans are a delightful addition to a lot of foods in addition to chilis and soups. I use them when making something that is "Mexican" in nature by adding to rice, a taco or simply with some additional seasonings as a side dish. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/Best-Black-Beans/detail.aspx Start by checking the canned food section of your grocery store where the beans are found. There are several manufacturers that have a very flavorful product. Let me know what you think!!

Start slowly; reconfigure serving sizes - more beans and/or sides less meat; add a surprise or two to favorite combinations starting with lentils and black beans and gradually risk tofu. I'll give you some more ideas in a later post. Until then...

Happy, Healthy Eating

Marcia

Health Myths

A few days ago CNN reported on several health myths that many of us grew up hearing and believing that just aren't so. See what you remember from your past.

Here's one I remember - Eat the crusts of the bread they contain all the vitamins.

Have you ever made bread or seen it made? The dough gets mixed and shaped dropped into a pan and baked. It's the same dough mixture inside and out. The crust forms because it is exposed to the heat of the oven. Vitamins aren't formed due to heat they are contained in the ingredients used in making the dough. A recent research study shows that certain cancer-fighting antioxidants might be formed at a higher rate in the crust when the dough is exposed to high heat. The jury is still out on that one.

Here's another - An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Actually, besides water, fiber and fructose apples don't contain very high levels of many vitamins and minerals. A handful of blueberries, an orange, or glass of milk might be a better choice than an apple. Blueberries are a fiber and antioxidant jackpot, oranges contain a whole lot of vitamin C (an antioxidant) and milk is full of calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D and many other vitamins and minerals that contribute to the health of our bodies. Instead of an apple a day, how about a bowl of cereal with blueberries tossed on top, milk and orange juice to start the day!

Have you ever heard that "Eating Fish Makes You Smart?" It's actually the omega 3 fatty acids found in fatty fish like tuna and salmon that contributes to development of the brain, cognition and vision so important during the first 3-4 years of life. It's not the fish, it's the fatty acid which is also found in avocado, walnuts and canola oil. The question is how much does this contribute to intelligence?

We all hear things and if we hear them enough times from enough different people we believe them to be true. Check your facts out regarding old wives' tales or commonly held beliefs and above all use your common sense. While what we have always believed about food might not be the case it doesn't mean we can't still take pleasure in those foods. Enjoy!

Happy, Healthy Eating,

Marcia