Index

MAKE A HEALTHY DINNER FAST

Here are ways to make dinner fast, while including plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.

• Create sandwiches with sliced tomatoes, different kinds of lettuce, bell peppers, sprouts and sliced cucumbers, with sliced meat or turkey and one or two slices of whole grain bread.
• Stuff pita pockets with veggie chunks, alfalfa sprouts and light Ranch dressing.
• Try a green salad with lots of chopped veggies. If your family has a sweet tooth, add chopped apples, raisins and crunchy sprouts.
• Top off a pizza with combos of peppers, mushrooms, spinach, onions, pineapple and fresh tomatoes.
• Stir-fry fresh or frozen vegetables, such as squash, peppers and mushrooms, with lean meat or poultry. To spice it up, add bean sprouts, miniature corn and water chestnuts.
• Add frozen broccoli, green beans, corn or peas to a casserole.
• Try soup such as tomato, vegetable or minestrone. For a heartier meal add cooked macaroni noodles to the soup.
• In fast food restaurants, order juice instead of soda and have side salads with small burgers or a baked potato topped with chili.
• In restaurants, start with appetizers that include fruits or vegetables and order main dishes that have combinations of vegetables and fruits. Order fruit for dessert.

Source: National Cancer Institute

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Seeing Red in February

February is often associated with red because of Valentine’s Day on February 14. To keep in the spirit of this month, be sure that you and someone you love eats a variety of healthy, red foods.

Tomatoes: They are rich in lycopene, which helps prevent cancer. They are also a good source of vitamins A and C. Vitamin A helps grow strong cells and healthy bones, and improves vision. Vitamin C helps prevent colds and speeds the healing of cuts. It also helps form collagen, which assists in holding cells together.

 Red kidney beans: They are rich in iron, which helps ensure we produce red blood cells. In Chinese medicine, kidney beans were used to nurture the kidneys.

Strawberries: They are rich in vitamin C and fiber. Strawberries contain pectin fiber. In fact, gram for gram, they are a better source of fiber than whole grain breads.

Cherries: Cherries can be sweet or sour. Sweet cherries are high in Vitamin C. Sour cherries are high in both vitamin A and C. Maraschino cherries are made mostly from sweet cherries.

Apples: Apples are high in fiber, which is good for the digestive system. They have been linked to reduced cancer risk. Apples contain flavonoids, which have been found to reduce the risk of lung cancer, heart disease, and strokes.

Red cabbage: This is a delicious food that comes from Central Europe. It is highin vitamin C.
 

RAISING A HEALTHY EATER

Serving over-sized portions can hinder a child’s ability to develop healthy eating habits. Here are 12 ways that parents can help their children avoid portion distortion:
1. Be a role model. Make your own portions the right size.
2. Allow children to stop eating when they are no longer hungry. Don’t require them to clean their plates.
3. Allow children to serve themselves when possible.
4. Encourage small “first portions.” Assure children they can have seconds if they are still hungry.
5. Encourage children to eat slowly and take small bites.
6. Limit eating out to one or two times a week.
7. Keep fast-food orders regular or small. Avoid “super-sizing.”
8. Downsize take-out and snack food purchases.
9. Go family style when eating out. Buy one or two entrees to be shared and round out meals with vegetables and salads.
10. During shopping excursions, teach older children how to interpret serving size information on food product labels.
11. Insist that snacks be eaten from a small plate or bowl. Discourage eating directly from the original box, bag, or carton.
12. Encourage your family to use the Food Guide Pyramid and visual cues to guide their food choices and portions.

Source: USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine

Healthy Holiday Traditions

It’s time to trade in some of those old holiday traditions for some new, safer ones.

Old Tradition: 60 percent of travelers drive for at least one hour with their homemade dish before arriving at a relative or friend’s home. Once there, they often socialize before the meal.

Better Idea: If it will be more than two hours from the time you leave your door until your dish is eaten, pack your cold dish in a cooler and your hot dish in an insulated bag to keep it safe and bacteria free.

Old Tradition: While most home cooks remember to bring gravy to a boil before serving it the first time, many forget that the same rule applies with leftovers. In fact, more than half just reheat leftover gravy in the microwave until it’s hot before re-serving.

Better Idea: To eliminate harmful bacteria, bring leftover gravy to a boil on the stove before re-serving it.

Old Tradition: When preparing a cooked dish that needs to be chilled—either for storing or serving purposes—most home cooks think they should wait until it cools before putting it in the refrigerator.

Better Idea: To ensure freshness and safety of freshly cooked foods, place them promptly in the refrigerator after cooking.
Source: American Dietetic Association and ConAgra Foods

Baking IS Educational For Kids

Children who learn to enjoy food preparation may be more inclined to cook for themselves and less dependent on convenience and fast foods as adults.

Here are some tips to help young chefs get started:

·        Read recipes before starting to decide which tasks small hands can do. Assemble all the needed ingredients and equipment.

·        Choose recipes that are simple and offer lots of opportunities to stir, add ingredients and decorate.

·        Keep nutrition in mind. Fruit and nut breads and oatmeal and peanut butter cookies are more nutritious treats than higher fat cakes, brownies, and fudge. Experiment with egg whites or egg substitutes, replacing some solid shortening with applesauce and using evaporated skim milk instead of whole milk.

·        Expect a mess. Place a bed sheet over the area where the smaller chefs are working. Teach children to stay organized, and clean as they work.

·        Give older children lessons on using the can opener, setting timers, reading recipes, and measuring ingredients.

·        Supervise children carefully. Teach older children to turn pot handles toward the back of the stove and use potholders instead of damp towels to take pans out of the oven. Children who are too small to reach the counter should use a stepstool and not a chair.

 Source: USDA/ARS Children’s Nutritional Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine

Flavor: A Matter of Taste

Salt is one of the four basic taste qualities - sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. Despite its marked place in our kitchens, many health authorities recommend that individuals limit their salt intake to less than 2,400 mg per day. The average American consumes 4,000 mg per day.

Sources of Salt and Sodium in your diet

One teaspoon of salt contains about 2,400 milligrams of sodium. Popular foods high in sodium content include pickled foods, canned vegetables and soups, snack foods, cured meats, packaged mixes, and frozen dinners. To reduce the amount of sodium in your diet, read Nutrition Labels on food packages and look for low and no-salt versions of food.

Label Lingo

• Sodium Free - a product that contains 5 milligrams or less of sodium/serving.

• Low Sodium - a product that contains 140 milligrams or less of sodium/serving.

• Reduced Sodium - a product that the usual sodium level was reduced by at least 25%.

• No Added Salt, Unsalted - a product that no salt was added during processing; however, this does not mean that the product does not contain sodium.

Instead of salt, jazz up food with herbs and spices. Salt-free seasoning blends provide an easy way to give great flavor without the guesswork or added salt.

Source: American Dietetic Association: http://eatright.org/nfs/nfs0203.html

Why Milk Matters now for Children and Teens

Good nutrition is important for good health and can help protect against many diseases later in life. However, one important nutrient many kids and teens don't get enough of is calcium, found mainly in milk and dairy products and in dark green, leafy vegetables and foods with added calcium. Calcium is a nutrient that helps to make bones and teeth strong and healthy. It is used in building bone mass and also helps to reduce the risk of bone fracture due to osteoporosis; a condition where bones become fragile and can break easily.

How do we build strong bones?
Our bodies continually remove and replace small amounts of calcium from our bones. If your body removes more calcium than it replaces, your bones will become weaker and have a greater chance of breaking. But by getting the recommended amount of calcium you can help your bones stay strong.

Calcium needs are highest during the childhood and teen years, because bones are growing fast and calcium must be added into bones to make them strong. Most of the calcium that makes bones strong is added by the age of 17. By eating and drinking foods that are good sources of calcium, children and teens can help store this important nutrient in their bones for later in life. As adults , we loose calcium. The more calcium that is in the bones when loss begins, the less likely it is that bones will become fragile and fracture easily.

Source: National Institute of Child Health & Human Development
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/milk/milk_facts.htm

Whole Grains for Good Health

Many products boast of having "whole-grain goodness". Why are whole-grain foods better for you than others? Here's help from the experts at the Penn State Nutrition Center in understanding why whole grains are healthful choices.

Whole grain foods have the nutrient-packed bran, or fiber, parts of the plant. Fiber promotes regularity by moving food through the digestive tract and makes you feel full, so you are less likely to overeat. Whole grains also contain protective substances that may help prevent heart disease. Look for these whole grains as the first entry on a food label's ingredient list: brown rice, graham flour oatmeal, popcorn, whole corn, whole rye, whole wheat, and whole barley.

Refined grains have the bran removed. Enriched flour and wheat flour, for example, are not whole grain. While refined grains are fortified with B vitamins and minerals, they are not a source of fiber. Eating a variety of grain foods each day will help ensure that young children get important nutrients for growth, energy, and lifelong good health.

All grain foods- such as breads, cereals, pasta and rice - are nutritious choices ands should be a part of every meal. Experts recommend that children and adults aim for two or three whole-grain products each day, along with other refined grain foods.

Source: The Dannon Institiute

We All Scream for Ice Cream

According to the International Dairy Foods Association, each person eats 23.75 quarts of ice cream per year. But, if you're counting calories, eating ice cream can be a delicious, but challenging endeavor. Some brands are a whopping 300 calories and 20 grams of fat or more per 1/2 cup serving. Here are some tips to help satisfy your craving, yet keep your calorie count down:

1. Always compare calories and fat per serving. A serving equals 1/2 cup of ice cream or one sandwich bar. To save fat and calories, try low fat, reduced fat or fat free ice cream.

2. It's key to watch your portions since some low fat ice cream can contain as much as 200 calories per 1/2 cup serving. A pint should feed 4 people. If you're out, stick to one scoop per person.

3. Too many toppings can turn low fat ice cream into a high calorie splurge. Some healthy ideas for toppings include fresh fruit, low fat granola, chopped nuts or dark chocolate chips. Limit non-fruit toppings to one level tablespoon per serving.

Getting - and Staying - in Shape is Important
for Your Future

Have you ever wondered, "What is physical fitness?" For one thing it means having the energy and strength to perform daily activities vigorously and alertly without getting "run down," and to have the energy left over to enjoy leisure-time activities. When you are physically fit your heart, lungs, and muscles are strong and your body is flexible. Your body weight relative to your height is within a healthy, desirable range.

When you are physically fit you fell better and you're ready to do anything you want to do, such as sports, dance, or a variety of recreational activities. You'll probably do better in school, too, because you'll be alert and full of energy.

Sports continue to be an important part of the American culture, so there are many opportunities for youth who are athletically talented. However, many children do not have the ability or interest to participate at elite levels. These children need to be encouraged to find enjoyable activities that will allow them to be physically active every day.

That's why the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports developed the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA). Teachers, parents, recreational leaders, or community centers can implement the PALA program. All the information is available at www.fitness.gov, which is the official web site for the President's Council no Physical Fitness and Sports.

To qualify for the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award you must complete at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day, including a combination of such things as jumping rope, playing soccer, or walking the dog. You'll need to record your activity in a log sheet and be active at least five days a week for six weeks. Then your supervising adult will review and verify the activity and you can submit your application. You'll find a sample log, blank log sheets and complete information on the web site. You may also write to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports at 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 738H, Washington, DC.

The most important thing is to get up and get active! You'll have fun and so will your friends. The benefits will last a lifetime!

Use the Food Guide Pyramid To Teach Your
Child About Variety and Balance

Here's a great way to start the New Year! Make a resolution to use the food guide pyramid to help your children learn more about planning and serving healthy, nutritious meals.

To start, ask your child to draw a pyramid or use blocks to actually build a pyramid, then discuss how the top needs to be lighter than the bottom for proper balance. Introduce the foods that make up the six different levels, from the bottom up:

1. Breads, cereal, rice, and pasta

2. Fruit

3. Vegetables

4. Milk, yogurt, and cheese

5. Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and nuts

6. Fats, oils, and sweets

Try to include a variety of these foods in your meals and snacks for a balanced diet. Remember that children often imitate their parents; so be sure to make the food pyramid the foundation of your meal planning.

Portion size is just as important as including a variety of food items. Here are some easy-to-remember  comparisons.

• A medium potato is the size of a computer mouse!

• A cup of fruit is the size of a baseball.

• One ounce of cheese is the size of four dice.

• One ounce of snack food (pretzels) is a handful.

• Three ounces of meat is the size of a cassette tape.

• One cup of ready-to-eat cereal is the size of your fist.

Healthy Eating and Snacking During the Holidays

Try to have a variety of foods, especially fruits and vegetables, on hand in your kitchen. Now is an especially good time to find your family's favorite apples, oranges, and winter pears in the produce section. Take your son or daughter along while you shop for food and you may be surprised by the items he or she chooses. Children usually look for items with lots of color, including sweet potatoes, grapefruits, carrots, or squash. And don't forget to buy some frozen vegetables, too. They will be handy when you want to quickly prepare a pot of soup or need something to add to a casserole.

At home, remember to wash all of your fresh fruits and vegetables with cool tap water. You don't need to use soap or detergent, but you may want to scrub firm produce with a clean produce brush. And always use a clean cutting board. It's easy to sanitize a cutting board after you use it. Rinse it with a solution made with 1 teaspoon of chlorine bleach in one quart water. In the school cafeteria's kitchen, our cooks use separate cutting boards for meat and produce/vegetables.

Many of us tend to eat too much too often from Thanksgiving through the start of the new year. Set an example for you children by eating a balanced diet that follows the food pyramid guidelines. Avoid too many fried foods and slow down on desserts! Make sure you have a variety of snacks available along with the trays of cookies and pastries. Prepare a simple trail mix with raisins, nuts and whole grain cereals. Slice some fruit to add to their morning cereal of yogurt.

Before you hop in the car to visit relatives during the holidays, remember to pack snacks for your crew such as raw veggies, pretzels, or a piece of fruit.

Outdoor Food Safety

It's time to think about those picnics and barbecues. Here are some suggestions to make you events safe.

Helpful Hints
Come Clean: Before preparing food, wash hands in warm, soapy water for at least twenty seconds.
Counter Attack: Defrost frozen meats, poultry, and fish in the refrigerator or microwave oven...never on the counter.
Cut Out Cross-Contamination: Use separate platters, cutting boards, and utensils for cooked and uncooked meat, poultry, and fish.
Start to Boil: To use a marinade that was in contact with raw meat, fish, or poultry as a sauce for the cooked food, bring marinade to a boil for a least one minute.
Follow the "Two Hour" Rule: Do not leave perishable foods out at room temperature for longer than two hours.

Picnic Pointers
Chill Out: Pack chilled foods in an insulated cooler with ice or ice packs. Never use your cooler to chill room-temperature food.
Take it Right: Transport your cooler in the passenger area of the car, instead of the hot trunk. At the picnic site, unload the cooler quickly to a shady spot.
Stay Under Cover: After serving cold foods, quickly return them to the cooler and replace the lid.
Keep it Hot: To transport hot foods such as baked beans or chili, heat until steaming, then pack into a thermos designed for hot foods.
Wipe it Clean: Pack baby wipes or moist towelettes to wash hands before and after handling foods.

Source: Eater's Digest

Iron in the Diet

Iron plays an important part in keeping people healthy. Iron is vital to how cells make energy. Iron is found in blood. It is an essential part of hemoglobin, which helps carry oxygen in blood from the lungs to every body cell. It is found in many proteins and enzymes.

Even though we only need a small amount of iron in the body, iron-deficiency anemia is the most common nutrient deficiency in the world. Symptoms include fatigue, irritability, shortness of breath, headache, and difficulty concentrating. Women have iron-deficiency anemia more often than men. Vegetarians are at higher risk for anemia. Children between the ages of 1 and 4 years old and adolescents who may not get enough iron from their diets are also at risk.

To improve iron in the diet, the following may help:

• Consuming foods rich in heme iron (animal products) including lean red meat and dark poultry.

• Eating dark green, iron-rich vegetables with meat, poultry, or seafood. The iron in the animal protein enhances absorption of the iron in the vegetables.

• Eating foods high in vitamin C at each meal, which enhances the body's absorption of iron, especially the harder to absorb non-heme (plant) iron.

• Eating enriched or fortified grain, cereal, and pasta products that have iron added to them. Check food labels, iron is required as part of the nutrition facts panel.

• Avoid drinking tea when eating iron-rich foods. The tannic acid in tea reduces iron absorption by about 50%. Coffee also reduces iron absorption, but not as much.

It is hard to get too much iron just from food; however, it is possible to get too much iron if vitamin and mineral supplements are used. Too much iron can be poisonous, especially in children. Vitamins with iron, including chewables made for children, should be kept out of reach of children.

Diet and Calories

Food supplies calories, which are units of energy. Calories are a way of measuring the potential energy in foods and the amount of energy the body uses. There are only three nutrients that provide calories in food: fat, protein, and carbohydrates. These nutrients are released from foods during digestion. Then they are absorbed into the blood stream and changed to glucose or blood sugar. Glucose is what the body actually uses as energy. Energy that the body does not need right away gets stored. Some is stored as fat and some is stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen for later use. Each nutrient provides different amounts of calories to the body.

• One gram of carbohydrates provides 4 calories
• One gram of protein provides 4 calories
• One gram of fat provides 9 calories

Food also offers important nutrients that do not supply calories. These are vitamins, minerals, and water. For a healthy diet, people need all six nutrients: carbohydrates, protein, fat, minerals, vitamins, and water. Federal dietary guidelines were issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services. These guidelines recommend a diet that gets most of its calories from whole grain products, fresh vegetables and fruits, low fat milk products, lean meats, fish, poultry, and dry beans.

The body's need for energy and fuel never stops. Each person requires a certain amount of calories to fuel his/her body. The amount of calories depends on the following factors: weight, height, basal metabolic rate (how many calories the body burns at rest in 24 hours), age, body composition and physical condition, and activity level. Once adulthood is reached, calorie needs drop 2% for each decade.

Source: http://www.healthanswers.com

Butter vs. Margarine

Whether to use butter or margarine can be a hard decision. Is one topping healthier than the other? Margarine is made from unsaturated vegetable oil. Butter is high in both saturated fat and cholesterol. Saturated fat increases the risk for heart disease. It raises both the total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) Cholesterol in the blood. The LDL cholesterol is known as "bad" cholesterol. The "bad" cholesterol clogs arteries and blood vessels. It also increases the risk of heart disease. Margarine does not contain cholesterol or saturated fat. Margarine contains trans-fats. Scientists have found that trans-fats may raise LDL blood cholesterol levels. Trans-fats are created when liquid oils are partially hydrogenated to make them more solid. Stick margarine is a solid fat.

Margarine is made from unsaturated vegetable oil, which is a healthier choice. Tub and squeeze bottle margarine is more liquid. In general, they have fewer trans-fats than stick margarine. The American Heart Association recommends margarine made from liquid vegetable oil. This should be the first ingredient listed on the food label. It should have no more than 2 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon. There are also margarine spreads and sticks that contain no trans-fat. These would be the best choice for margarine.

Presently the Food and Drug Administration does not require the amount of trans-fats to be included on the food label. That may soon change. Saturated fats are required on food labels. Check margarine ingredient lists and look for "partially hydrogenated vegetable oils" to identify trans-fats.

A heart-healthy diet has no more than 30% of total calories from fat.

Source: http://www.healthanswers.com

Eat to Compete

For a peak performance in everything you do, eat smart and stay active! These two everyday habits help keep you " on top of your game". On days when you compete in athletics or do a heavy workout, remember these tips to help give you a physical and mental edge.

1 to 4 Hours Before a Workout
Time meals and snacks so you won't feel hungry, or too full, during your workout. The closer the workout time the smaller the meal or snack should be.
Eat a light, high-carbohydrate low-fat meal or snack, so your stomach has time to empty before a heavy workout or competition. Otherwise, your stomach may feel queasy. Enjoy protein foods such as chicken, lean meat or yogurt, but limit them. High-carbohydrate foods, such as orange juice, fresh citrus, other fruit, pasta, bread, rice, and vegetables digest faster than foods with more protein and fat, such as meat or cheese. High-fat foods such as fried foods, salad dressing, chips, and gravies take even longer. Feeling nervous before competition also slows digestion, so learn to relax, too.

2 to 2 1/2 Hours Before a Workout
Weigh yourself now, and again after your activity. You can judge how much fluid you need to replace later. Drink enough, at least 2 cups of water, fruit juice, or milk, a couple of hours before your workout, especially when it's hot and humid. Skip caffeinated drinks to avoid the jitters.

Just Before You're Active
Fifteen minutes or so before strenuous activity, drink 1 to 1 1/2 cups of water, juice, or other fluid. Then relax...and go for it!

During a Workout
Drink 1/2 cup of water every 15 minutes even if you don't feel thirsty. During strenuous activity or hot weather, your brain may not get the thirst signal. For prolonged activity or endurance sports (more than 1 hour) carry a water bottle or use water stations. Drinking a beverage with carbohydrates helps delay muscle fatigue.

Source: Department of Florida Citrus

What You Need to Know to Purchase a Treadmill

If you have decided to join the ranks of treadmill owners, there are a number of factors to consider to ensure that you purchase a machine that meets your needs. There are a multitude of treadmills on the market with prices ranging from $299 to $4000. You are likely to find that a treadmill's cost directly reflects its quality. Before you leave home, measure the space in which you would like to keep the treadmill. While the average treadmill measures 64" X 28" wide, there are machines that fold up to be stored under a bed or in a closet.

Construction
Motor Size: Look for a motor with a minimum 2.0 continuous-duty horsepower, which will accommodate users who weigh more than 180 lbs.
Belt and Deck: The belt should be at least two-ply, 17" wide and 49" long. The board thickness should measure at least an inch. The most sought-after treadmills feature low-impact decks that flex under the user's foot plant to absorb the shock without rebounding to cause additional jarring.
Frame: Treadmills that cost between #399 and $1900 usually have a steel frame; treadmills with a price of $1900 or higher often are constructed with aircraft aluminum frames that offer additional flexibility for impact absorption. Aluminum frames don't rust or corrode and are lighter to move.

Programming Features
Lower-priced treadmills offer basic programming for variable speed, time, distance, and calories. However, they seldom utilize user information and the calorie counters are not very accurate. The quality of the programming features, such as preset programs that automatically vary the workout intensity by raising or lowering elevation and increasing or decreasing speed, increases with price.

Warranty
Most manufacturers warranty against manufacturer defects only, not normal wear and tear. If a user weighs more than the machine's specifications, a warranty may be voided. Many machines come with a lifetime warranty on the frame, while warranties on features and components usually range from 90 days to 3 years.

Source: American Council on Exercise

Frozen Foods vs. Fresh

Certain fruits and vegetables can be frozen before retail sale to maintain flavor and prevent spoiling. Many types of fruits and vegetables come in both fresh and frozen forms. Examples include: peas, corn, carrots, spinach, lima beans, vegetable stir-fry mixes, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and peaches.

The technology to freeze certain foods provides the shopper with more food choices. Out of season produce can be available throughout the year. Producers also are able to transport and store foods without them spoiling. Food scientists can measure the nutrient content of different foods. foods are analyzed for various minerals, vitamins, and fiber. Studies that have compared frozen produce to fresh produce show that in most cases the frozen fruits and vegetables retain their nutrients.

A quick-freeze technique is used to freeze produce. This process preserves the food's nutrients. When fresh fruits and vegetables are exposed to light and air, the vitamins in the food break down over time. Fresh produce that has been sitting on the shelf long past its harvest date may actually be lower in nutrients than food that is frozen immediately after picking. The highest levels of nutrients can be found in fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season. Otherwise, frozen varieties are a good choice. Using frozen produce is a great way to get a wide variety of important fruits and vegetables into a balanced diet.

Source: http://www.healthanswers.com

Sneaker Savvy

Know what you need:
When shopping for athletic shoes, the most important step is deciding what sport you will be using them for. Most sporting goods stores carry a variety of shoes for activities such as running, walking, tennis, basketball, and aerobics. Multi-purpose shoes such as cross-trainers may be a good alternative for those who want to combine several sports or activities such as bicycling and weight training, in a single workout.

Guidelines for buying shoes:
When purchasing shoes for a specific sport or fitness activity, you must consider your foot type. People with high-arched feet tend to require greater shock absorption than those with average feet. High-arched feet also suffer from lateral instability and are more prone to ankle sprains. Conversely, people with low-arched (flat) feet require shoes with less cushioning but greater support and heel control.

After considering the type of shoe needed for a particular activity and evaluating you needs based on your foot type, use the following information to ensure you get the best fit:
Choose an athletic shoe store or specialty store with a large inventory. They will have a variety of sizes available.

Try to get fitted for footwear at the end of the day, when foot size is at its maximum. It is not unusual for an individual's foot to increase one-half size during the course of a single day.

Allow 1/2 inch, or the width of your index finger, between the end of your longest toe and the end of the shoe. If one foot is larger than the other, buy the larger size. The shoe should be as wide as possible across the forefoot without allowing slippage in the heel. If the shoe has variable-width lacing, experiment with the narrow and wide eyelets to achieve a custom fit.

Athletic shoes no longer require a breaking-in period. However, they will lose their cushioning after three to six months of regular use. It is important to be aware of when your shoes need to be replaced because, if they are no longer absorbing the pounding and jarring action of the sport, you are more likely to sustain knee and ankle injuries.

Source: American Council on Exercise

Growing Bodies Need Calcium

During adolescence kids need extra nutrients to support the growth spurt that causes dramatic increases in height as well as hormonal changes that lead to bone formation. To lengthen long bones during growth, the body builds a scaffold of protein and fills it with calcium. Calcium is absorbed and retained more easily by bones that are growing and lengthening. As the nutrition community learns more about the importance of calcium, the requirements for the mineral have increased.

In 1977 the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for calcium was 800 milligrams for adolescents; today it is 1200 milligrams. Despite the increased need for calcium, nearly half of all Americans consume less than 450 milligrams or calcium each day.

Adolescents and teenagers tend to skip meals. They consume larger quantities of soft drinks, fast foods and candy. They tend to avoid milk, calcium-rich foods and nutrient-dense foods. These habits steal calcium from bones and increase the need for it, weakening the skeleton for life. Skipping meals reduces the chance of getting calcium from food by eliminating another occasion to eat. Soft drinks containing phosphoric acid are also a problem, because they contribute to bone demineralization and interfere with calcium absorption.

The new federal calcium guidelines, the Dietary Reference Intakes, recommend that children ages 4 to 8 get 800 milligrams of calcium per day, or the equivalent of 2 to 3 glasses of low-fat milk. Adolescents and young adults ages 9 to 18, whose bones are growing very fast, need more calcium. They should have 1300 milligrams, or about 4 to 5 glasses of low-fat milk per day.

Source: http://healthwatch.medscape.com/medscape