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Better Living For Texans

September/October 2010
Phone: (806)894-3159 E-Mail: [email protected] FAX: (806)897-3104

In this months Issue: Eating breakfast is important for everyone, but is

especially so for children and adolescents.
C Breakfast Month According to the American Dietetic Association,
C Apple Month children who eat breakfast perform better in the
C Fruits and Vegetables-More Matters Month classroom and on the playground, with better
C Whole Grains Month concentration, problem-solving skills, and eye-hand
____________________________________ coordination.

Hello, this issue of the BLT newsletter will be Breakfast Benefit: Weight Control
dedicated to healthy beginnings. Every healthy
beginning starts with breakfast, getting more fruits Many studies, in both adults and children, have
and veggies, whole grains, and of course, exercise shown that breakfast eaters tend to weigh less
in our daily lives. than breakfast skippers. Why? One theory
suggests that eating a healthy breakfast can
The many Benefits of Breakfast reduce hunger throughout the day, and help people
make better food choices at other meals. While it
The right breakfast foods can help you might seem you could save calories by skipping
concentrate, give you strength – even help you breakfast, this is not an effective strategy.
maintain a healthy weight. Typically, hunger gets the best of
Your mother was right: Breakfast really is the most breakfast-skippers, and they eat more at lunch and
important meal of the day. Not only does it give you throughout the day.
energy to start a new day but breakfast is linked to
many health benefits, including weight control and Another theory behind the breakfast-weight control
improved performance. link implies that eating breakfast is part of a healthy
lifestyle that includes making wise food choices
Studies show that eating a healthy breakfast (as and balancing calories with exercise.
opposed to the kind containing doughnuts) can
help give you: Make Lean Protein Part of Your Breakfast
C A more nutritionally complete diet, higher in Adding a little lean protein to your breakfast may
nutrients, vitamins and minerals be just the boost you need to help keep you feeling
C Improved concentration and full until lunchtime.
performance in the classroom or the
boardroom A traditional breakfast of eggs may be one of the
C More strength and endurance to engage in best ways to get your morning protein. While eggs
physical activity are not always associated with weight loss, they
C Lower cholesterol levels contain some of the highest-quality protein.
 Choosing the Right Breakfast Foods fiber in apples provides bulk in the intestinal tract,
holding water to cleanse and move food quickly
This just goes to show how important it is to through the digestive system.
choose the right foods for breakfast. A healthy
breakfast meal should contain a variety of foods, It is a good idea to eat apples with their skin.
including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low- or Almost half of the vitamin C content is just
non-fat dairy, and lean protein. underneath the skin. Eating the skin also increases
insoluble fiber content. Most of an apple's
Even if you think you don’t have time to eat fragrance cells are also concentrated in the skin
breakfast, there are grab-and-go options that fill the and as they ripen, the skin cells develop more
bill. Some quick and healthy choices include: aroma and flavor.
There are hundreds of varieties of apples on the
* A veggie omelet and a piece of whole-wheat market today, although most people have only
toast tasted one or two of the most popular such as Red
* A whole-wheat English muffin with low-fat Delicious or Granny Smith. Apples can be sweet,
cheese, a scrambled egg, and slice of tomato tart, soft and smooth or crisp and crunchy,
or lean ham depending on the one you choose. There is an
* Smoothie made with fruit and low-fat yogurt apple to suit almost everyone's taste, so why not
* Salmon on ½ whole-grain bagel with light choose one. Have an apple today!
cream cheese
* Whole-grain cereal with fresh fruit and low-fat
milk Five Reasons To Eat An Apple Every Day
* Oatmeal made with skim milk, raisins and nuts,
with 4 ounces of orange juice
* Low-fat yogurt and a piece of fresh fruit
* Yogurt smoothie and breakfast bar
* Hard-boiled egg and a banana

Source:
www.webm d.com /diet/features/m any-benefits-breakfast

Apples...
1. Your Diet - Apples are the perfect, portable
snack: great tasting, energy-boosting, and free of
fat.

2. Your Heart - Research confirms it! The

antioxidant phytonutrients found in apples help
fight the damaging effects of LDL (bad) cholesterol.

You've heard, "An apple a day will keep the doctor 3. Your Digestion - Just one apple provides as
away." While it will certainly take more than a daily much dietary fiber as a serving of bran cereal.
apple to keep you healthy, it is a step in the right (That's about one-fifth of the recommended daily
direction. Apples are delicious, easy to carry for intake of fiber.)
snacking, low in calories, a natural mouth
freshener, and they are still very inexpensive. 4. Your Lungs - An apple a day strengthens lung
function and can lower the incidence of lung
cancer.
Apples are a source of both soluble and insoluble
fiber. Soluble fiber such as pectin actually helps to 5. Your Bones - Apples contain the essential trace
prevent cholesterol buildup in the lining of blood element boron, which has been shown to
vessel walls, thus reducing the incident of strengthen bones - a good defense against
atherosclerosis and heart disease. The insoluble osteoporosis.
 easier: fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables
Did You Know!! at each meal or eating occasion.

Making fruits and vegetables the

Two pounds of apples make one 9-inch pie. focal point of every meal will help
you meet your recommended
Apples are a great source of the fiber
pectin. One apple has five grams of fiber. amount each day—and you won’t
have to do all the math!
Apples are a member of the rose family.
So … Keep It Simple: Fill half your plate with
Most apples are still picked by hand in the colorful fruits and vegetables at every meal!
fall.
Source:
The science of apple growing is called www.fruitsandveggiesm orem atters.org
pomology.

Whole Grains

Source:
www.urbanext.illinois.edu/apples/facts.cfm Health experts advise everyone – men and women,
young and old – that grains are a healthy necessity
in every diet, and that it's important to eat at least
half our grains as "whole grains."
More Matters: Fruits and Veggies
The medical evidence is clear that whole grains
A growing body of research shows that fruits and reduce risks of heart disease, stroke, cancer,
vegetables are critical to promoting good health. To diabetes and obesity. Few foods can offer such
get the amount that's recommended, most people diverse benefits.
need to increase the amount of fruits and
vegetables they currently eat every day. People who eat whole grains regularly have a lower
risk of obesity, as measured by their body mass
Busy lives can benefit from food that's nutritious, index and waist-to-hip ratios. They also have lower
yet easy to eat, on-the-go like fresh fruits and cholesterol levels.
vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are a natural
source of energy and give the body many nutrients Because of the phytochemicals and antioxidants,
you need to keep going. people who eat three daily servings of whole grains
have been shown to reduce their risk of heart
How many fruits and veggies do I need? disease by 25-36%, stroke by 37%, Type II
Based on sex, age, and activity level, everyone is diabetes by 21-27%, digestive system cancers by
different. 21-43%, and hormone-related cancers by 10-40%.
C Women need 1 ½ to 2 cups of fruits and 2 ½
to 3 cups of veggies a day. Is there any difference nutritionally between
C Men need 2 to 2 ½ cups of fruits and 3 ½ to whole white wheat and "regular" whole wheat?
4 cups of Veggies a day.
Experts consider these two kinds of whole wheat to
What counts as a serving of fruits and veggies? be the same, nutritionally. Most of the nutrition
differences among wheat varieties are driven by
What does a serving of broccoli look like? How environmental conditions, such as weather and soil
many baby carrots are in a cup? Even the most composition. For example, when crops are in a
well-versed nutrition professionals don’t have all drought, the protein in wheat will be higher and
these measurements memorized! So let’s make it may function differently.
Identifying Whole Grain Products How Much Physical exercise do I need?
C Adults-30-60 minutes a day depending on
The Whole Grains Council has created an activity level.
official packaging symbol called the C Kids-60 minutes or more a day, depending
Whole Grain Stamp that helps consumers on activity level.
find real whole grain products. The Stamp started
to appear on store shelves in mid-2005 and is What is in season??
becoming more widespread every day.
Fruits-grapes, avocado, figs, apples, and
What if I can not find the Stamp? persimmons.
Veggies-summer squash/zucchini, mushrooms,
First, check the package label. Many whole grain celery, onions, cauliflower, chile pepper, cabbage,
products not yet using the Stamp will list the grams brussels sprouts, cauliflower, rhizomes -
of whole grain somewhere on the package, or say gingerroot, galangal, and tumeric.
something like "100% whole wheat." You can trust
these statements. But be skeptical if you see the
words "whole grain" without more details, such as
"crackers made with whole grain." The product may
contain only minuscule amounts of whole grains.
Note that words like "wheat," "durum," and Cranberry Apple Relish
"multigrain" can (and do) appear on good whole
S erv in g s:
grain foods, too. None of these words alone S erv es 10 . ½ c u p p er se rv in g .
guarantees whether a product is whole grain or
12 ou nc es fresh or frozen c ranberries
refined grain, so look for the word "whole" and
2 large apples, diced
follow the other advice here. 1/4 c up d ried m in ced on io n
1 cup brow n sugar
½ c up raisin s
If it says.... 1 cu p app le ju ice
* whole grain [name of grain] d ash c in n am o n

* whole wheat C o m bin e all in gred ien ts in a sau cepan . B rin g to a b o il then redu ce to a sim m er.
* whole [other grain] C o o k o n lo w h e at u ntil th e apples are ten der, abo ut 10 m in utes. S erve h o t o r
cold .
* stoneground whole [grain]
* brown rice T otal P reparation & C oo king T im e: 20 m in. (5 P rep, 15 C oo k)

* oats, oatmeal (including N u tritio n In fo rm a tio n

old-fashioned oatmeal, instant oatmeal) C alo ries 138, T o tal F at 0.2g, Saturated Fat 0g,
T ran s Fat 0g, C h o lestero l 0 m g, So dium 10m g,
* wheatberries C arbo h ydrates 39g, D ietary Fiber 3.5g, Sugars 25.4g,
Then it is “ Whole Grain” !! P ro tein 1.1g, V itam in A 35.6iu (0 % , V itam in C 6.2m g (10% ),
C alcium 37m g (3% , Iro n 0.8m g (4% )

If it says.....
* enriched flour
* degerminated (or corn meal)
* bran
* wheat germ Until Next Time.....
Then it is NOT “Whole Grain” !!
Source: Kimberlee Kuhlers
www.wholegrainscouncil.org Texas AgriLife Extension Service--Hockley Co.
Better Living for Texans
Program Extension Assistant

The information given herein is for educational purposes only. Educational programs of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color,
sex, disability, religion, age, or national origin. We will seek to provide reasonable accommodations for all persons with disabilities for any of our meetings. We request that you
contact Texas AgriLife Extension at 806-894-3159, to advise us of the auxiliary aid or service that you will require within a week of the event.