Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
Extension
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1571
Resources
April-June 2007
Vol 29, Issue 2
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A New Brand for Produce
The Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have unveiled a new public health initiative: Fruits & Veggies - More Matters&153;, the next generation of the 15-year-old "5 A Day for Better Health" program.  The initiative's launch coincided with the release of a new article in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine showing that most Americans do not eat enough fruits and vegetables. This campaign was initiated to convince consumers to eat more fruits and vegetables after the USDA launched the latest Dietary Guidelines. The new recommendations for fruits and vegetables are 5 to 13 servings a day.
A bright green juggler tossing colorful fruits and vegetables through the air is expected to make it easier for consumers to spot healthful foods and drinks that can help them meet their nutritional goals. To earn the juggler icon, a product must provide at least one serving of a fruit or vegetable per portion. The icon will appear on fresh produce as well as canned, frozen and dried products that meet specific nutritional criteria including limits on the amounts of added sugars or sugar substitutes, fat, sodium, and recommended levels of fiber.
While the new program is designed to boost fruit and vegetable intake for all age groups, it specifically targets mothers who make the most food choices for their families. Go to the Fruits & Veggies - More Matters interactive Web site, http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org, which offers recipes, serving ideas, and shopping advice along with plenty of fun activities. It includes suggestions and tips for getting children involved and gives consumers the opportunity to share their own easy and fun serving ideas by submitting them online.
Sources: www.pbhfoundation.org/pulse/press/releases/pressrelease.php?recordid=179; http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/?page_id=9
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Make Your Calories Count
Make Your Calories Count is an interactive learning program that provides consumers with information to help plan a healthful diet while managing calorie intake using the nutrition facts label. The program is available as an interactive Training Module for download. PDFs and transcripts for printing and accessibility are also available at www.cfsan.fda.gov/~ear/hwm/labelman.html.
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Free Nutrition Handouts
Food and Health Communications has updated two free handouts. Portion control is available at www.foodandhealth.com/portioncontrol.pdf and MyPyramid Breakfast can be found at www.foodandhealth.com/mypyramidbreakfast.pdf.
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Food Labels
A complete listing of health claims approved for food labels is available from the Center for food Safety and Applied Nutrition at www.cfsan.fda.gov/label.html. An updated version of the Fact Sheet from Colorado State University (CSU) on Understanding the Food Label has been posted at www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09365.html. You can view all the Fact Sheets at www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/pubfood.html.
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Calculate Your Risk
Check out possible benefits and risks of drugs, supplements and herbs on Medline Plus at www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginformation.html. The information has been compiled by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health.
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Online Nutrition & Fitness Tracker
At www.americanheart.org/start the American Heart Association offers an online tracker to assist those who wish to emphasize an active lifestyle. The free Start! Program lets you enter what you eat and how much you exercise each day and then calculates the difference between calories in vs. calories burned. This online program is set up for individuals and work sites.
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Updated Website
The University of Nebraska - Lincoln Extension has created a Web page with six new ready-to-go food, nutrition and food safety handouts and or posters. They're colorful with lots of graphics! These go with several PowerPoints previously made available which have also been updated. Check it all out at lancaster.unl.edu/food/ftjan07.shtml.
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New Tool Computes Dietary Fat
The latest dietary guidelines recommend limiting daily total calories from fat to 25 to 35 percent, saturated fat to 7 percent of calories, and trans fat to less than 1 percent. These are healthy goals to aim for but most Americans have difficulty applying these percentages to their daily intake. A new Web-based tool can make this easier. The American Heart Association launched My Fats Translator, part of an interactive site designed to streamline eating heart-healthy when it comes to making choices about fat in food. To learn how many grams of fat you need to eat, go to www.AmericanHeart.org/FaceTheFats and enter your age, sex, weight, height and physical activity level into the My Fats Translator which does the math for you. The new tool translates the math into examples of foods regularly available to you and also suggests a few healthier alternatives.
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Nutrition and Your Child Newsletter
Below are the topics listed in the current electronic version of the newsletter, Nutrition & Your Child. If you are not a member of the listserv for the newsletter, you may want to subscribe. The direct link for the newsletter is kidsnutrition.org/images/pdfs_nyc/2007/vol1.pdf.
Topics included in the current issue include -
- Understanding Breastfeeding at the Cellular Level
- The Confocal Microscopy and Image Analysis Laboratory at CNRC
- Adolescent Activity Identity and Activity
- eHealth: New Opportunities for Promoting Health
- Portion Size Impacts Mealtime Calories
- Volunteer Opportunities
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What to Eat
by Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH
What to Eat by Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH, was written in part to assist consumers in making informed choices about food purchases. The book is organized as a supermarket tour to allow the reader to more easily use the information at the point of purchase. One example of the book's format is shown in how Nestle approaches the produce section. She explains the difference between organic and conventionally grown food including regulations from the government and the other social, health and environmental implications of purchasing organic products. Nestle continually reinforces her point that food is business. Manufacturers are pressured to advertise and market their foods to increase their profits. Nestle's mission is to inform consumers who then will be less apt to be persuaded subconsciously to make food purchases that are too expensive and perhaps less healthy.
Please remember to credit the source for free resources used as PowerPoint presentations, handouts, articles, etc.
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