NUTRITION NEWS

Health Awareness
December is

Eat a Red Apple Day 1st Pie Day 1st
Microwave Oven Day 6th Oatmeal Muffin Day 19th
Handwashing Awareness Week 4th-10th
Pear Month
Safe Toys and Gifts Month

Chew on This: Have a Healthful Holiday Season!

For many people, holidays and family gatherings are a time for celebration. These celebrations often involve foods that are high in fat, sugar, and calories. With a few minor changes, special occasion foods can be both delicious and nutritious.

Here are a few more tips for healthy holiday eating:

• Tweak the sweets – fruits make delicious desserts.
• Bake healthier – use recipes with pureed fruits instead of butter or oil.
• Brighten your meal – fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables.
• Swap the grains – choose whole wheat flour instead of white flour.
• Cheers to good health – drink water to manage calories.
• Spice it up – use spices and herbs instead of sugar and salt.
• Skim the fat – try skim evaporated milk instead of heavy cream.
• Go easy on the gravy – a little bit of gravy goes a long way.

And for all the “couch potatoes”, don’t just sit around after you eat, do some sort of activity to start burning those calories. Help with the dishes, take the trash out, walk your dog, DO SOMETHING!

Get Moving: Go Play, Your Way!

Here are a few activities you and your family can do to get started on a path to a healthier lifestyle:

• Give children toys that encourage physical activity, such as balls, kites and jump ropes.
• Walk with your children to and from school or the bus stop a few times a week.
• Take a walk after dinner, do housework, or yard work together.
• Make it a house rule that everyone must move during commercial breaks while watching TV .
• Find time to spend together doing a fun activity like family day at the park, swim day or bike day.
• Attend physical activity events at your local community center.

Ingredient substitutions to lighten up a recipe:

• Instead of 1 cup of whole milk, use 1 cup of low fat milk.
• Substitute fat-free Greek yogurt for sour cream.
• Replace regular cheese with cheese made with 2% milk.
• Use half apple sauce and half oil in place of butter.
• Replace full fat cream with fat-free half and half or skim milk .
• Use herbs and spices in place of salt.

Get Growing: Stay active with a Fall Garden in Your Backyard!

I hope that most of your garden are in and you are harvesting some great produce. If not, you can still plant cabbage, mustard greens, leeks, English peas, hot pepper seeds, radishes, bell pepper seeds, and tomato seeds. Nature has intended the harvest time of citrus to be during flu season. Your garden is packed with vitamin C and antioxidants to prevent you from getting sick. Harvest and enjoy your hard work and labor. If you don’t have a garden, visit your local farmer’s market to benefit from the local and healthful produce this season has to offer. Visit https://www.ams.usda.gov/local-food-directories/farmersmarkets to locate the farmer’s market that is closest to you.

What to plant now Days Until Harvest
Onions 120-150 Days
Shallots 50
Spinach 35-45
English peas 60-70
Turnips 40-50

Healthy Communities Showcase

To learn more about Healthy Communities in your parish, please contact your local extension office.

Stirring it Up: Fresh Fruit Salad With Yogurt Dressing

Ingredients
2 cups diced fresh pineapple
1 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/2 pint blackberries, halved
4 ripe kiwis, peeled, halved and sliced 1½ cups low-fat plain yogurt
1 tablespoon lime zest 1 tablespoon lime juice 4 teaspoons sugar

Directions
Combine pineapple, strawberries, blackberries and kiwi in a large bowl. Combine yogurt, lime zest, lime juice and sugar in a medium bowl. Drizzle one cup of dressing over fruit.

Notes
This recipe makes 12 servings. One serving is approximately 3/4 cup.

Nutrition Information for (3/4 cup)
Per serving: 57 calories; 0 g fat(0 g sat); 3 g fiber; 14 g carbohydrates; 1 g protein; 28 mcg folate; 0 cholesterol; 9 g sugars; 0 g added sugars; 82 IU vitamin A; 74 mg vitamin C; 26 mg calcium; 0 mg iron; 2 mg sodium; 221 mg potassium. Nutrition Bonus: Vita- min C (123% daily value)

Source: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/258256/fresh-fruit-salad/

SW Region Nutrition Agents: Robin Landry, FCS Regional Coordinator; Mandy Armentor, MS, RD, LDN; Shatonia McCarty, MS, RD, LDN; Becky Gautreaux, MA, RD, LDN; Tiffany Williams, MS, RD, LDN; Kylee Brown, Jessica Randazzo, Angell Jordan, Amanda Gibson

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. The Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service provides equal opportunities in programs and employment.

ATTENTION! It is the policy of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service that no person shall be subjected to discrimination on the grounds of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, or disability.