Choo! Choo! There’s a new train in town, and it’s express to healthy-town! This train is the whole grain train, and it is ready for you and your family to step aboard! To understand what a whole grain is, you must first understand the anatomy of a grain itself. A whole grain consists of 3…

Grains have been a huge part of people’s diets for centuries and have provided excellent health benefits throughout the years.  By now you probably know that it is better to eat whole grains such as whole wheat pastas, cereals, brown rice, and oatmeal, than refined grains.  But have you ventured into trying some of the…

National School Breakfast Week was celebrated this week.  If your kids are normally on the go in the morning and don’t have time to eat breakfast, help them to kick this habit to the curb in honor of National School Breakfast Week.   National School Breakfast Week was originally launched in 1989 to bring awareness to…

Today is National Spaghetti Day.  You must think I make these things up, but I promise I don’t.  Spaghetti is the most common round type of pasta and in Italian, “spaghetti” means “little lines”.  Kids and adults alike love this fun food.  But wait!  Before digging in there are some things you need to know. …

Thinking Outside of Your Lunchbox: The Reinvention of Brown Bagged Lunch Swap out your white bread for whole wheat. PB & fruit: Instead of the old peanut butter and jelly sandwich; swap out the jelly   for sliced fruit. Snack packs: pack veggies like carrots or celery in a zip lock. Dip your veggies in dips…

In this Issue: Can Certain Foods Help You Age Gracefully? • A New Option to Ease the Transition to Whole Grains • Four Ways to Lower Your Risk of Breast Cancer • Managing the Halloween Candy…and Your Diabetes! • Diet and Other Lifestyle Factors Linked to the Prevention of Dementia • Food of the Month: Pomegranate • Recipe of the Month: Pomegranate-Orange Glazed Turkey

To help you get started on your new healthy outlook, follow these simple suggestions for eating healthy: Limit saturated fats. Aim for less than 7% of your total daily calories from saturated fat, and choose foods that will help keep your daily cholesterol intake under 300 milligrams. Get involved in some sort of physical activity…

Tips for incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your diet: At breakfast, top cereal, pancakes or oatmeal with fresh berries, bananas or peaches. Pre-washed and pre-cut fruits or vegetables makes for a great easy, fast and healthy snack. Incorporating more salads into your diet is a great way to get in a lot of vegetables….

Words You May See On Packages What They Mean whole grain [name of grain] whole wheat whole [other grain] stoneground whole [grain] brown rice oats, oatmeal (including old-fashioned oatmeal, instant oatmeal) wheatberries YES — Contains all parts of the grain, so you’re getting all the nutrients of the whole grain wheat flour semolina durum wheat…

In this Issue: MyPyramid Quick Tips • Adding Whole Grains for a Wholesome Diet • Thanksgiving Turkey Basics • Enjoy a Lower-Fat Thanksgiving This Year • Feature Food of the Month: Berries • Healthy Recipe: Apple Cranberry Crisp