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The Cooperative Extension Program of Prairie View A&M University (Dallas County) will join forces with Methodist Dallas Medical Center to host a "FREE" Diabetes Education Awareness & Prevention program called D.E.A.P. The three-part series program is scheduled on three consecutive Tuesdays from 10:00 p.m. until 12:00 p.m. (December 1, 8, & 15, 2009). It will be held at Methodist Dallas Medical Center in the Weatherford Room (1441 N. Beckley Avenue Dallas, Texas 75203). For more information, contact: Marvin R. Young at 214-904-3050 or mryoung@tamu.edu.

As we observe Obesity Awareness Week, it is helpful to think about ways in which we can manage our waistline by making healthy changes to our lifestyle.  Most of us would agree that losing weight can be difficult and, as we age, maintaining a healthful weight becomes even more of a challenge.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, research conducted on the role of fruits and vegetables in weight management, suggests that a diet which includes an adequate amount of fruits and vegetables may help.

To lose weight, a person must consume fewer calories than he or she expends.  However, most of us do not limit what we eat based on calories, but rather from the feeling of satiety (fullness).  Fruits and vegetables are foods with low energy density that provide a greater volume of food and fewer calories.  In other words, eating more fruits and vegetables can create the feeling of fullness but still provide fewer calories.

The following tips can help us add more fruits and vegetables to our diet and promote healthy weight:

*  Add fresh fruit to your cold cereal

*  Enjoy a small salad with your lunch

*  Cover half of your dinner plate with vegetables, or fruits and vegetables; and

*  Remember to enjoy your fruits and vegetables without added sugars, fats or sodium.

The first day of school is almost here!  If your child will be bringing lunch from home instead of buying school lunch, the following strategies can help make carried lunches hassle free:

*  Designate a spot in the fridge to store lunches, then everyone can just grab their lunch and go on those busy, hectic mornings.

*  Prepare lunches the night before to save time in the morning.  Remember to refrigerate!

*  Divide veggies, fruit, crackers, etc. into individual baggies or containers at the beginning of each week.  Sunday evening is a good time to do this!

*  Make a weekly "lunch menu."  Planning a weekly lunch menu in advance will ensure that you have all of the ingredients/supplies on hand, and save last minute trips to the grocery store - saving you both time and money.

Visit the Lifeline Blog next week for the final entry in this School Lunch Series and learn some fun lunch ideas that will "pack a smile" along with a healthy lunch.

Some children prefer to take their own lunch to school, or you may find it to be a more cost-effective option for your family.  If that's the case, pack meals that please - foods that are easy to prepare and fun to eat as well as healthful, safe, and nutritious.

 

*  Use a new brown bag every day or, if your child carries a lunch box or insulated container, be sure to wash it after every use.

*  If you send perishable foods, such as a sandwich with meat, include a small, frozen cold- pack to prevent bacteria growth.

*  Plan easy-to-eat foods - for example, sandwiches, raw vegetable pieces, crackers, cheese slices or cubes, string cheese, or whole fruit.

*  Remember to pack the milk money.  Kids need calcium in dairy foods for their growing bones!

*  Let children help to plan and prepare their school lunches.  When they're involved, they'll probably eat every morsel rather than trade their raw veggies for somone else's cookie.

*  Remind kids to store their carried meals at school in a clean, safe place - away from sunlight and the heat vent in the classroom.

*  You can add extra pleasure to a carried meal with an occasional surprise tucked inside - a riddle, a comic, or a note that says "You're somebody special!"  Knowing that someone cares is nourishing in it's own way.

 

For time saving strategies to make carried lunches hassle free, visit the Lifeline Blog next week.

 

 

It's time to think about starting the school year off right with healthy meals from home or the cafeteria.  For many parents, school meals offer an inexpensive, convenient, and nutritious solution for one or two meals for their kids.  For many children and teens, school meals contribute significantly to their overall nutrient and energy intake.

If your child buys school meals, he or she may have choices on the cafeteria line, perhaps more than one vegetable or several types of milk.  Having choices helps students build smart eating skills - and helps to ensure that children eat healthful meals.  It's part of "eating right" education!  As a parent, you can help your child choose healthful meals at school:

*  Get familiar with the school meal menu, and go over it with your child.  Talk about making choices in the cafeteria line.

*  Have lunch at school with kids occassionally.  Parents are usually welcome to eat a meal at school.

*  Support school nutrition education, and reinforce what children are learning at school by applying this knowledge at home.

*  In the upper grades, school menus often offer burgers, pizza, and tacos.  Encourage your child to choose a salad, fresh fruit, yogurt, and/or milk to go with them.

*  Don't forget the drinks.  Encourage your child to make healthy drink choices - low-fat milk, 100% juice, or water instead of punch or other less healthy drink options which are often high in calories and low in nutrients.

Some children prefer to "brown-bag it."   If this is true of your child, visit the Lifeline Blog next week to get some tips on homemade lunches that are fun to eat as well as healthful and safe. 

 

Dallas County CEP / Family & Consumer Science Agent, Marvin Young, has scheduled Diabetes Education Awareness & Prevention (DEAP) classes for the upcoming Fall season.

They will be held at the Dallas County Extension office located at 10056 Marsh Lane, Suite B-101, Dallas, TX 75229. The first group will meet on Tuesdays, November 3,10, & 17, 2009 from 12:00 noon til 1:00.  Group 2 will meet on Wednesdays, November 4, 11, & 18, 2009 from 1:00 p.m. til 2:00 p.m.

Each class will feature diabetes education and awareness information along with a healthy/diabetic food demonstration; and a low impact physical activity.  Feel free to bring your lunch and eat while we learn.

To sign-up for these free classes, please call the Dallas County Extension office at 214-904-3050 to register.  When registering be sure to indicate if you are signing up for group 1 or group 2.  It is on a first come, first served basis for the first 20 people for each group.

The Cooperative Extension Program of Prairie View A&M University (Dallas County) is proud to provide the Diabetes Education Awareness and Prevention (DEAP) program to residents of Dallas County.

DEAP is one of Extension's health and education efforts which takes a holistic approach to reducing diabetes in children and adults in minority communities.  The primary focus is creating lifestyle changes, including a healthy diet, exercise, and weight loss, if needed, to help prevent or delay the onset of diabetes.

*  There were more than 1.5 million new cases of diabetes in people 20 years or older in 2005;
*  Diabetes can lead to heart disease, blindness, dental disease, amputations, etc. if left    untreated;
*  Working together, people with diabetes and their health care providers can reduce the occurrence of complications by controlling the levels of blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood lipids, and by receiving other preventive care practices in a timely manner.

To schedule your FREE DEAP diabetes class in Dallas County, please contact:
Marvin R. Young at 214-904-3050 or mryougn@tamu.edu.

Why pack your lunch?

• Save money!  The average lunch out costs $6.00 to $10.00, but the average lunch from home costs $1.50.  That's a potential yearly savings of $1,125+!
• Better nutrition.  Research shows that meals prepared at home are more nutritious than those eaten out.  You will be more likely to get in your daily servings of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy with a lunch from home.  You'll also get fewer calories and fat grams from a home-packed lunch, and you might even have a little extra time for a walk after lunch; that means a lower chance of unwanted weight gain.
• Be more productive.  If you're skipping lunch because you didn't bring one, or are too busy to leave and get something, your productivity will decline along with your metabolism.  Eating regular meals and snacks helps our bodies and our minds stay on track.

What is a Healthy Lunch?

A healthy lunch should include one or two whole grains, a low-fat dairy item, lean protein, and at least one fruit or vegetable.  Don't forget about your drink; make it healthy too.  Try a bottle of water, skim or 1% milk, or 100% fruit or vegetable juice.  Stay away from regular sodas, fruit drinks (like "punch" or any other fruit-flavored drink that's not 100% juice), and sugary sports drinks.  Your goal should be to get as many nutrients in as you can at lunchtime, without over-doing it on calories and fat.

To find out how many calories - and amounts of specific foods - you need in a day, visit www.mypyramid.gov.  You can get a personalized MyPyramid just for you, track your eating habits, and get lots of great tips for fitting in plenty of healthy foods and planning nutritious meals.

According to the American Dairy Association, the recommended amount of servings of dairy products we should consume is 3 servings every day.  In addition to milk, we can get our daily servings from cheese or yogurt.  Dairy provides nine essential nutrients, including calcium, potassium, phosphorus, viatmins A, D and B12, riboflavin, and niacin. 

Research shows that Americans are eating only half the recommended servings of dairy.  The 3-A-Day campaign was created to remind families to get 3 daily servings of milk, cheese or yogurt for stronger bones and better bodies.

June is Dairy Month, a good time to make 3-A-Day part of your family's healthy lifestyle.

For more information about the 3-A-Day program, and dairy product recipes, visit the American Dairy Association at http://www.dairyinfo.com.

If you're trying to encourage your child to eat more fruits and vegetables, try the following activities to make fruits and vegetables fun:

1.  Read the book Eating the Alphabet to your child.  This book exposes different fruits and vegetables to children.  The  family can also eat the alphabet.  Each day offer a fruit or vegetable that begins with a particular letter of the alphabet.

2.  Feature a different color each day of the week and then eat fruits and vegetables that are of that color.

3.  As children get older, teach them how to select different fruits and vegetables at the grocery store.  Show them how to pick a ripe cantaloupe or good quality green beans.

4.  Grow a vegetable garden.  This garden can be as big as a back yard full of okra, beans and squash or as small as a container of tomatoes.  This helps children to learn where vegetables come from.  It may also stimulate their interest in agriculture and nutrition.  For gardening information or questions, visit the Dallas County Master Gardener's website at http://www.dallasmastergardeners.org.

Remember, fruits and vegetables provide many vitamins and minerals that contribute to good health. They are also an important source of dietary fiber.  Put a rainbow on your plate by eating 5-9 fruits and vegetables every day! 

 

Are you confused by the "nutrient content claims" found on packaged foods?  For example, when the words "reduced fat", "light", or "low fat", appear on the package, how can we use these terms to make healthier choices?  How about "reduced calorie", "light", "low calorie", and so on?

These expressions are not meaningless catch-phrases or slogans.  They are precise descriptions of nutrient content established by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Here are the phrases used in most of the nutrient content claims, along with what they mean:

Fats

"Reduced fat" - At least 25% less fat than the regular version.

"Light" - Half the fat of the regular version.

"Low fat" - 3 grams or less of fat per serving.

Calories

"Reduced calorie" - At least 25% fewer calories than the regular version.

"Light" - One-third of the calories of the regular version.

"Low-calorie" - 40 calories or less per serving.

Sodium

"Low sodium" - No more than 140 mg. sodium per serving.

Cholesterol

"Low cholesterol" - No more than 20 mg. of cholesterol and no more than 2 grams of saturated fat per serving.

Fat and Cholesterol in meats

"Lean" - Less than 10 grams of fat, less than 4.5 grams of saturated fat, and less than 95 mg. of cholesterol per serving.

"Extra lean" - Less than 5 grams of fat, less than 2 grams of saturated fat, and less than 95 mg. of cholesterol per serving.

Now that you can decode nutrient content claims, you can make healthier food choices.  If you would like more information about healthy nutrition, please contact Lexie.

 

For the answer to the daily question - "What's for dinner tonight?" - visit the website http://healthyliving.tamu.edu

Good eating,

Lexie

Sometimes it can feel like a challenge to make healthy choices about what we eat.  Good nutrition should be our goal but how do we know what good nutrition means?  The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) made it easy for us to answer that question by developing MyPyramid.  Visit the interactive MyPyramid website http://www.mypyramid.gov for personalized information based upon your lifestyle. 

While online, you can also visit http://healthyliving.tamu.edu. to find family nutrition information, programs to help you stay healthy, videos that answer the question "Whats for dinner tonight?", and much more. 

Healthy eating!!!!!!!