Monday, November 03, 2008

Health Tips for November 3

Health Tip: Make Time for Breakfast

Your mother probably urged you to eat a healthy breakfast, noting it was the day's most important meal.

She was right, says the Nemours Foundation, which offers these suggestions on how to refuel your kids to begin their day:

  • Keep your kitchen full of healthy, quick and easy breakfast choices.
  • If morning time is at a premium, try to prepare for breakfast the night before. Set out dishes, prepare and cut up food, etc.
  • Wake your family 10 minutes earlier than usual to allow time for breakfast.
  • Encourage your child to help decide what to have for breakfast. The child can even help prepare it.
  • Have on-the-go breakfast options ready for mornings when you're running late, including fresh fruit, yogurt, trail mix, and individual boxes of cereal.
  • Pack a nutritious snack for your child if he or she isn't hungry first thing in the morning.
Health Tip: Choose Meats Wisely

Love to eat meat? As with any food group, there are good choices and bad.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers these suggestions on which meats to choose, and how:

  • Select for low-fat meats and chicken, and avoid eating high-fat ground beef or chicken with the skin.
  • Don't forget to count the fat and calories in cooking additives. For example, if you cook chicken in shortening, add the extra calories to your count.
  • Include fish in your diet, especially those high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, trout and herring.
  • Avoid organ meats such as liver, which are high in cholesterol.
  • Also avoid processed meats such as hot dogs, ham, sausage and lunch meats, which can be very high in sodium and other additives.

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