Extension Report

Baldwin County Extension Office

302A Byrne Street

Bay Minette, AL  36507

Telephone (251) 937-7176 or

928-0860/943-5061 ext. 2222

FAX (251) 937-7285

Carolyn Bivins

Regional Extension Agent

Human Nutrition, Diet & Health

September 28, 2010

Food Facts and Fun

You make choices every day. For example, you decide how to dress, who your friends are, and what to watch on TV. You also make choices about what you eat.

The earlier you begin to make smart food choices, the better you will feel – not to mention how “nutrific” you will look. You will have more energy to work on your career job, do your school work and more energy during your free time.

Your skin will glow, your hair will shine, and your weight will be right on target for your height.  What you eat today will also play a part in what your body will become later in life. For example, teenagers with a high cholesterol level – from foods or genetic makeup – seem to keep it as adults. High cholesterol has been linked to increased risk of heart disease, a leading killer in the U.S. But let’s face it – who’s going to worry about problems they’ll face in 30 to 40 years?

Today you have more pressing problems – worrying about your children, your job – if you are an adult or how to ace the next test, how to be a better athlete or cheerleader or dancer or band member, or how to get a date with the one of your dreams if you are a young adult.  Peer acceptance is important, and saying “no” is often difficult. Then, too, you have concerns at home, money or getting along with your parents and other family members.

So why worry about making smarter food choices and exercising more? Because you can be in control. You can make the decisions – at the vending machine, going through the school lunch line, and at the fast food restaurant. You can take responsibility for your own health.

 Chart Your Eating Habits

Before you can make smarter food choices, you need to look at your eating pattern. Your eating pattern can give you some important clues. It can show you WHAT you eat, WHERE you eat, WHY you eat, WHEN you eat, and HOW you eat.  Jot down your eating habits for a few days – no cheating. Make sure at least one of your days is a Saturday or Sunday and the others are weekdays.

Fact or Fiction?

•         Chocolate and French fries cause pimples.  Fact or fiction?  Fiction. Foods don’t cause acne. Your hormones, personal hygiene, and use of facial creams and makeup are more important factors than foods.

•         The food groups are meat, bread, and potatoes.  Fact or fiction?  Fiction. The real food groups are fruits, vegetables, cereals and grains, meat and other protein foods, and milk and dairy products.

•         Milk is for babies. Fact or fiction?  Fiction.  Teenagers need at least four glasses of milk per day, adults need at least 2 glasses of milk per day or other calcium-rich foods. Worried about weight gain? Go with low-fat milk.

•         Eat a grapefruit before a meal can help you lose weight.  Fact or Fiction?  Fiction. No food can burn fat.

•         Eating a lot of protein builds strong muscles.  Fact or fiction. Fiction. Only exercise builds strong muscles.

•         Vitamin C is an incredible vanishing vitamin.  Fact or fiction?  Fact. Vitamin C (or ascorbic acid) just won’t stay put. It actually escapes from food, from fruit juices, even from your body. How do you trap the vanishing vitamin? You don’t. You just have to keep tanking up on orange juice, potatoes, and other Vitamin C-loaded foods.

•         Granola bars are healthful and have few calories.   Fact or fiction? Fiction. Don’t let the name fool you. Granola isn’t too bad, but in order to take the shape of a bar, it has lots of gooey fat and sugar added.

•         Fish and chicken are smart food choices. Fact or fiction?  Fact. But cooking methods must be smart choices, too. When the fish and chicken are coated in batter and deep-fried, they are loaded with extra, empty calories. Other items such as tartar sauce and mayonnaise add many extra calories, too.

Breakfast on the Run

Time to go and no time to eat? Grab some fresh fruit on your way out the door – pears, apples, bananas, oranges, grapes, and tangerines.

Think about it – fresh fruit is really the perfect food:  Comes in its own wrapper.  Fits in your purse, pocket, or backpack.  Is pre-sweetened.  Can be eaten with one hand.  Keeps your teeth clean.  Needs no preparation.  Is environmentally friendly. 

More grab & go breakfast foods:  Muffins and cookies made with cereal.  Leftover pizza, Bagels, English muffins, Celery stuffed with peanut butter.  Peanut butter and sliced bananas on toasted bread, cheese toast, breakfast bars and granola bars.

Television and Your Weight

The average American teenager and (some adults) spend 24 plus hours a week watching television. That’s a lot of TV! No wonder the term “couch potato” became popular. And here’s a statistic to think about: On average, the more TV a person watches, the more extra fat he or she will have. Why does it work like that? Think about it. Don’t you like to eat while you watch TV?

How can you beat this statistic? One way is obvious. Don’t eat every time you are in front of the TV. You can also substitute some of the healthier snacks (keep reading for a list of these).  Another way to beat the statistic is to exercise while you are watching TV. Try jumping jacks, jumping rope, jogging in place, stretching, knee bends, pushups, half sit-ups, or bench aerobics. If your family has an exercise bike, ask if you can move it in front of the TV.

Believe it or not, another way is to watch less TV. If you watch TV each day, decide which program you like least, and turn the TV off when it comes on. Get up and do some physical exercise while that program is on. You may find you enjoy the physical activity so much you forget to come back to watch the next program.

Salad Alert

Lettuce and other vegetables are low in calories, but foods you add to them aren’t.  Salad dressings have about 100 calories a tablespoon. (And who uses just 1 tablespoon?)  Bacon bits and olives add calories fast, too

Fiber: The Filler-Upper

It usually takes you longer to eat fibery foods than meats and dairy products. Although you spend more time eating, you actually eat fewer calories with fibery foods. This is a great way to fill up but still stay trim.  Fibery foods also help your digestive system and keep you regular.  Fiber is found in: all fruits and vegetables; all cereal and grain foods; all starchy foods, such as potatoes and beans.  Fiber is not found in: any meat, fish, or eggs or any dairy foods, such as milk or cheese.

The Point Is…

Eating can be fun and healthy, too. If you start making wise food choices now, you’re doing your future self – the person you’re becoming – a big favor. So, assert your independence. Choose healthy foods. Your future self will thank you for it!

 For more Food Facts and Fun information and pamphlet call (251) 867-7760 and request Pamphlet HE-0688:Food Facts and Fun are go to www.aces.edu  click publications, insert the name of the pamphlet and download your own personal copy..

Email address: cbivins@aces.edu

Phone: 937-7176 or 943-5061, 928-0860, ext. 2222

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture is an equal opportunity educator and employer.