by Amy Mullins | Nov 16, 2016
Ever feel like you’re moving through your work day at the speed of light with barely enough time to eat, much less eat healthy? The combination of stress, poor eating habits, and lack of exercise can lead to becoming overweight and the development of chronic health conditions such as type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. Numerous studies have shown that stress can lead to poor nutritional choices including:
- Choosing a sugary and/or caffeinated drink over water
- Grabbing convenience foods more often, which usually are not healthy choices
- Forgetting meals and making poor choices later in the day, ultimately eating more calories, sugar, fat, and sodium
The fact is we are all busy. But, if we don’t take the time to care for ourselves, we may be headed down a dangerous path of self-destruction. It only takes a small amount of time to take the right steps toward better health.
Here are some tips to get you started:
- Simplify! Instead of being overly concerned with counting calories or measuring portion sizes, think of your diet in terms of color, variety, and freshness.
- Start slow and make changes to your eating habits over time.
- Every change you make to improve your diet matters!
- Think of water and exercise as food groups in your diet.
- Moderation is key. Try not to think of certain foods as “off limits,” but, rather, think smaller portions.
- It’s not just what you eat, it’s how you eat. Mindful eating – listen to your body and take time to enjoy your food and mealtimes.
- Fill up on fruits and vegetables.
- Choose whole grains.
- Focus on healthy fats and limit saturated fats and fried foods.
- Try different types of lean protein.
- Limit sugar and salt.
- Plan Ahead
- Take the time to make a grocery list before going to the grocery store
- Plan and pack nutritious snacks for work
- Prepare meals for the week ahead of time
- Consider your options when eating out
- Portion out meals and snacks ahead of time
- Have water available all day
- Incorporate Exercise into Your Daily Routine
- Choose the stairs over the elevator
- Walk during breaks
- Turn housework into exercise
- Walk the dog
- Park further away when you drive to the store
- Play outside with your kids
Remember, nothing is more important than your health and the health of your family. Set a good example for those you love by taking care of yourself. They will be thankful you made plans to be around for many years to come!
For more information about this topic or other nutrition and wellness-related topics, contact Amy Mullins, MS, RDN at amymullins@ufl.edu.
by sbouie | Nov 16, 2016
Photo credit: www.thailandblog.nl
Maybe you know someone in your family, a friend, or a co-worker that has diabetes. Diabetes affects not only the person but the entire family. This article will discuss the types of diabetes and symptoms. Education concerning diabetes begins at home. Once we are educated, we can teach our family and the younger generation.
Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults and was previously known as juvenile diabetes. Only 5% of people with diabetes have this form of the disease. In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin. The body breaks down the sugars and starches you eat into a simple sugar called glucose, which it uses for energy. Insulin is a hormone that the body needs to get glucose from the bloodstream into the cells of the body.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. If you have type 2 diabetes, your body does not use insulin properly. This is called insulin resistance. At first, your pancreas makes extra insulin to make up for it. But, over time, it isn’t able to keep up and can’t make enough insulin to keep your blood glucose at normal levels.
Gestational Diabetes – During pregnancy, usually around the 24th week, many women develop gestational diabetes. A diagnosis of gestational diabetes doesn’t mean that you had diabetes before you conceived or that you will have diabetes after giving birth. However, women who’ve had gestational diabetes have a 35 to 60 percent chance of developing type 2 diabetes in the next 10 to 20 years after giving birth.
Some common symptoms of diabetes include urinating often; feeling very thirsty; feeling very hungry – even though you are eating; extreme fatigue; blurry vision; cuts/bruises that are slow to heal; weight loss – even though you are eating more (type 1); tingling; pain; or numbness in the hands/feet (type 2).
Food selection is a key element of living with diabetes. It is easy to find diabetes cookbooks and recipes online to assist in adjusting your diet. It is easy to find a list of starchy vegetables to avoid as well as other foods that should be eliminated from one’s diet.
Exercise also is a very important factor when living with diabetes. A good exercise program along with a proper diet will help decrease your risk of diabetes.
Source: American Diabetes Association
by Heidi Copeland | Nov 16, 2016
With Thanksgiving around the corner, it is only fitting to display a cornucopia. Not only is this horn of plenty a universal symbol of abundance, it is truly timely! Florida is plentiful with fresh produce this time of year. According to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), avocados, bell peppers, carambola, cucumbers, eggplant, grapefruit, guava, mushrooms, oranges, passion fruit, peanuts, radishes, snap beans, squash, strawberries, sweet corn, tangerines, and tomatoes are in season now.
Locally, Red Hills Small Farm Alliance boasts an even greater array of foods grown within our community. Local growers are producing vegetables, as well as fresh herbs, fruits, and nuts! Foods growing in the community include arugula, Asian greens, eggplants, baby Pac Choi, kale, butter lettuce, watercress, elephant garlic, peppers (aji dulce, datil, habanero, banana, and serrano), salad turnips, mustard greens, okra, sweet potatoes, persimmons, Meyer lemons, satsuma/tangerines, ponderosa lemons, and herbs such as African blue basil, apple mint, ginger, oregano, garlic chives, lemon balm mint, and rosemary. Plus, the trees are full and American chestnuts and pecans have started falling in Monticello! It is a great year for local produce!
With the abundance of fresh seasonal produce available locally, it is easy peasy to build a healthy plate. MyPlate, the illustration of the five food groups that are the building blocks for a healthy diet, encourages the consumption of a variety of fruits and vegetables every day. In general, 1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables or vegetable juice or 2 cups of raw leafy greens can be considered as one serving from the Vegetable Group. Any vegetable or 100% vegetable juice counts as a member of the Vegetable Group. Vegetables may be raw or cooked, fresh, frozen, canned, or dried/dehydrated, and may be eaten whole, cut-up, or mashed.
Based on their nutrient content, vegetables are organized into 5 subgroups: dark-green vegetables, starchy vegetables, red and orange vegetables, beans and peas, and other vegetables.
Similarly, fruit is a building block, too. Overall, 1 cup of fruit or 100% fruit juice, or ½ cup of dried fruit can be considered as one serving from the MyPlate Fruit Group.
Plus, ½ ounce of nuts or seeds can be considered as a one ounce-equivalent from the Protein portion of MyPlate.
Alice Henneman, MS RDN, Extension Educator with the University of Nebraska Lincoln, suggests an easy way to incorporate a wide variety of vegetables into a daily diet is by making a casserole from what you have on hand (and even add a few nuts for depth of flavor). Why not delve into the Florida Fresh horn of plenty and whip up something good this month? Don’t forget to eat your fruit for dessert!
“Make-Your-Own” Casserole
Makes 6 servings
General Directions:
Select food(s) from each category or use your own favorites. Combine in a buttered 2 to 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Cover and bake at 350 F for about 50 minutes to 1 hour or microwave using 50% power for about 15 to 30 minutes, rotating or stirring as necessary. Heat until steaming hot (165 F) throughout.
Starch: select ONE:
- 4 cups noodles or pasta cooked
- 2 cups cooked long-grain white or brown rice (or other grain)
Protein: select ONE:
- 2 cups cooked ground meat
- 2 cups cooked and diced chicken, turkey, ham, beef, or pork
- 2 cups chopped hard-cooked egg
- 2 cups fish or seafood, flaked (you can use canned)
- 2 cups cooked or canned beans (kidney, etc.)
Vegetable: select ONE or add a variety:
- 1 (10-oz.) package thawed and drained frozen spinach, broccoli, green beans, or green peas
- 1 16-oz. can green beans, peas, carrots, or corn
- 2 cups sliced fresh zucchini, bell peppers, mushrooms, snap beans, squash, sweet corn, or tomatoes
Sauce – select ONE:
- 2 cups white sauce or 1 can sauce-type soup (mushroom, celery, cheese, tomato, etc.) mixed with milk to make 2 cups
- 1 16-oz can diced tomatoes with juice
Flavor: select ONE or MORE:
- 1/2 cup chopped celery, 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1/4 cup sliced black olives
- 1 – 2 teaspoons mixed dried leaf herbs (basil, thyme, marjoram, savory)
- Fresh Garlic to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
Topping – select ONE or MORE:
If desired, after heating, place on top:
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup shredded Swiss, Cheddar, or Monterey Jack cheese
- 1/4 cup buttered bread crumbs
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup canned fried onion rings
Return casserole with topping(s), uncovered, to oven for about 10 minutes or to microwave for about 2 minutes.
by Angela Hinkle | Oct 19, 2016
It’s that time of year: going to Friday night football games, decorating with pumpkins, welcoming in some cooler weather, and harvesting our locally grown peanuts and cotton. This also means it’s time for the Peanut Butter Challenge. We collect jars of unopened peanut butter throughout the Northwest Panhandle of Florida through November 23rd. (Contact your local UF/IFAS Extension office for details and peanut butter drop-off sites.)
Peanut butter is a locally grown (okay, we don’t actually grow peanut butter, but we do grow the peanuts that make peanut butter), protein packed, tasty food that is safe to eat and store at room temperature. For these reasons, it is one of the most requested items at food pantries. After Thanksgiving, we will distribute to food pantries and organizations that give food to hungry families in need.
Okay, so what role do socks play in this? Cotton, another great locally grown agricultural product, is used to make socks. And even though UF/IFAS Extension does not have a “Sock Challenge,” the homeless and limited-resource families are often in desperate need of new white socks. There are plenty of shelters and schools who would really appreciate donations of clean new socks – any time of year.
So…Peanut Butter and Socks – they really are the Florida Panhandle’s perfect combination!
by Dorothy C. Lee | Oct 15, 2016
A large and ever-growing number live the single life these days. You have a lot of company and something in common: freedom of choice. Cooking for one or two can be creative and nutritious. Whether you’re a novice cook or your family has grown and moved out, and, once again, you’re solo cooking…it still can be rewarding! Rewards? They can be summed up in one word: freedom—freedom to plan the meals you want and freedom to enjoy them when and where you want.
Getting Ready to Cook for ONE or TWO
“Planning…shopping…storing…there’s so much to do even before I cook. Is it worth it for one or two?” Effort? Yes. But worth it? Definitely—who is more important to you? Call it “challenged” coupled with “just rewards.” Mostly, the challenge involves organization, planning, and nutrition. Here, then, is a Master Plan for meeting the challenges of “Solo-Cooking:”
Plan menu—preferably for a week’s worth of meals you’ll be preparing:
- Write out your menu
- A grocery list is a must
Survey your kitchen for basic cooking utensils:
- Non-stick skillet for stir-frying or pan broiling with little fat
- Vegetable steamer so you don’t boil away all the vitamins
- Two heavy-gauge stainless steel sauce pans: a small one for soups and sauces and a medium one for cooking pasta or steaming vegetables
- A paring knife for chopping and dicing and a large knife for cutting meats
- A wooden spoon that won’t damage non-stick pans
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Microwave cookware if you have a microwave oven (a microwave is a big plus for solo-cooking…it saves time and energy (your own and the local utility’s)
- Colander and wire whisk
Your cabinets don’t have to be bulging with exotic ingredients; just make sure you have basics on hand:
- Olive and vegetable oils for cooking and salad dressings
- Low-sodium bouillon and baking powder
- An assortment of herbs and spices
- Catsup and jelly
- Nonfat dry milk for recipes that call for milk
Frozen commercial microwave dinners make for quick and easy meals. Read nutrition labels and select low-fat meals that meet the following criteria:
- No more than 10 – 15 grams of fat
- 1,000 or less mg sodium per serving
- Frozen side dishes with 5 or less grams of fat and 400 or less mg sodium per serving
The frozen entrée also does not provide a balanced meal. Round it out with steamed or raw vegetables or a salad, whole grain bread, and fruit for dessert.
Once you have the basic strategies down and shopping under control, cooking for one or two can be a simple process. But what can you do if you’re faced with: (1) A tight budget and no food processor or microwave oven (2) Little time to cook and/or (3) An empty nest that makes mealtime a lonely time? Take Heart! You can meet these challenges with success. Here are some ways to make cooking for one or two easy and fun.
- Stir fry pre-chopped vegetables from the frozen section or from the grocery salad bar and serve with rice and beans.
- Steam pre-chopped vegetables and season with spices or low-sodium bouillon.
- Use a slow cooker…dump diced chicken, vegetables, and spices into the slow cooker in the morning and have a warm, homey aroma of a hearty, ready-to-eat stew in the evening.
- For breakfast, try a sandwich of thinly spread peanut butter with banana on whole wheat bread, bagel, or pita.
- Use your imagination—create super spuds. Top white or sweet potatoes with nonfat or lowfat yogurt or cheese, barbecue sauce, sautéed vegetables, or cream soups.
- Prepare extra when cooking rice, baked potatoes, oven meals, muffins, or pasta dishes. These can be refrigerated or frozen and used later.
Spicing up convenience foods…these foods are the salvation of many. But they often lack nutritional quality, texture, and home-cooked food flavor. You can boost nutrition and enhance the flavor by adding spices, vegetables, or meat. Try the following ideas or use your imagination!
- Add fresh onions and peppers to bottled or canned spaghetti sauce.
- Add a single-serving can of tuna to the pasta salad from the deli counter.
- Mix sliced vegetables with Rice-a-Roni. Or mix chili beans, tomato soup, chopped carrots, peppers, ¼ cup lowfat cheese, and onions with Spanish Rice-A-Roni for a hot, hearty goulash.
- Add grated lowfat cheese to quick-cooking grits.
- Add fresh fruit to plain lowfat yogurt.
- Add garbanzos instead of tuna or hamburger to Tuna and Hamburger Helpers.
For more ideas, check out:
Healthy Eating: Cooking for One
Healthy Cooking for 1 or 2
Cooking at Home Made Easy
Source: American Institute for Cancer Research
by Pam Allen | Oct 15, 2016
Even though the weather is still warm, fall is right around the corner. Walk into any local grocery store and pumpkins are starting to show up. Pumpkins are a staple for the beginning of the fall season. Locally, you will see many varieties called pie or sugar pumpkins as well as carving pumpkins.
The variety of pumpkin you select will depend on what you want to do with the pumpkin. Are you buying to carve a jack-o-lantern or make pumpkin pie? The bigger pumpkins are great for carving but the worst for cooking as they are stringy and very bland.
The best ones for baking and cooking with are sweet, flavorful, and have smooth-textured flesh. Varieties you will notice locally will be labeled for “pies” and are smaller and more compact in size.
After purchasing a pumpkin, it may be stored for many weeks in a well-ventilated place at room temperature. Once cut, you should store inside the refrigerator where it will keep for several days. For longer storage, prepare the pulp and freeze. This is excellent for pies and baked goods you want to make later.
Here are some interesting facts about pumpkins:
- Pumpkins are fruits (they contain seeds) and are a member of the cucurbit family which includes squash and cucumbers.
- Pumpkins are 90% water
- Pumpkins come in all sizes and weights.
- Pumpkins contain potassium and Vitamin A.
- The United States produces more than one billion pounds of pumpkins each year.
- Most pumpkins are orange but come in other colors too such as yellow, white, green, red and even tan.
- Most pumpkins weigh about 15 – 30 pounds.
- Pumpkin seeds can be roasted for a snack.
- It takes four to five months to grow pumpkins.
Freezing Pumpkin
Select a pumpkin labeled for cooking.
Preparation – Wash, cut into cooking-size sections and remove seeds. There are several ways to cook the pulp.
Cook in boiling water, in steam, or in an oven until soft. Remove by scraping the pulp from rind and mash. Discard the rind or use in your compost pile. To cool, place pan containing pumpkin in cold water and stir occasionally. Package in approved freezer container leaving ½-inch headspace. Label and date and place in freezer.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Scoop out seeds from pumpkin. Remove pulp from seeds; Rinse and drain well. Rub seeds with a little oil. Spread on cookie sheet and bake at 300˚F for about 20 – 25 minutes or until brown. Stir often.
Pamela H. Allen, UF/IFAS Interim County Extension Director, Okaloosa County
