Myth: There isn’t a place to find materials for kids to promote healthy eating.

Answer: BUSTED!

MyPlate Kids’ Place has arrived at www.choosemyplate.gov/kids/. Kids will find games, videos, songs, activity sheets, recipes and tips to help them eat healthier and move more.

• On the games page, your child will find a variety of online games that teach about making healthy food choices. Smash Your Food, one of the games on this page, is also a free mobile app for the iPad, iPhone and iPod.


• The videos (some made by children) promote healthy eating and being physically active, like the Fruit and Veggie Hokey Pokey.


• Under the ‘Move More’ section, your child can find out how to train like an astronaut. You and your child can also find out what it takes to achieve the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award.


• You and your child can find recipes created and tested by kid chefs (recipes are listed under ‘Topics’ on left side of page).


• Parents can find new ways to help kids make healthier food and physical activity choices with a series of short tip sheets. Topics like ‘Be a Healthy Role Model for Children’ and ‘Be an Active Family’ are just two of the tip sheets available. Links to other websites that promote healthy eating are also here too.

So start exploring MyPlate Kids’ Place!

Contributor: Ellen Schuster, M.S., R.D., Associate State Specialist, University of Missouri Extension, schusterer@missouri.edu, 573-882-1933

Myth: I can't go on a diet – they're too difficult & they never work

Answer: BUSTED!

Start by changing the way you think of it – focus on achieving overall good health, not just short-term weight loss. Diets do not have to be difficult. Setting realistic goals is the first step.

March 8, 2012 is “What’s on MyPlate Day?” The USDA wants to bring attention to MyPlate and recognize healthy eating behaviors. One message is to “Enjoy your food, but eat less.” This is excellent advice for those starting a “diet plan” to improve their overall health. To start eating less, try using a smaller plate. So many of us were brought up to finish everything on our plates, but this is not necessarily a good thing. Using a smaller plate allows you to finish everything without overeating. Be sure to eat slowly too. Eating slowly not only allows you to enjoy your food, but it also allows you to notice when you are full.

You can use the SuperTracker to help you look at what you eat and get tips for making healthier choices. SuperTracker was released on the ChooseMyPlate website in December of 2011. It helps you plan, analyze and track your diet and physical activity, and gives recommendations for improvement, including what and how much you should eat. Some of the topics are: Daily Food Plans; How Many Calories are Used (in physical activity); Calories Count Chart for Mixed Dishes; Empty Calories Chart; Solid Fats Chart; BMI Calculator; Portion Distortion; and Food Labeling. Using this tool will help you personalize the recommendations, set goals and measure your progress.

Getting to know what you eat and learning easy ways to eat healthier is a great way to start your journey to better overall health.

For more information and tips, visit these sites:
ChooseMyPlate.gov
MissouriFamilies.org

Contributor: Denise Schmitz, M.A., R.D., Nutrition and Health Education Specialist, University of Missouri Extension, schmitzda@missouri.edu, 816-482-5850

Myth: I didn't make a New Year's resolution….now I will have to wait until next year!

Answer: BUSTED!

It is never too late to start making healthier choices for yourself! March is National Nutrition Month and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly known as the American Dietetic Association) is encouraging everyone to “Get Your Plate in Shape.” The USDA introduced MyPlate to replace MyPyramid in June 2011. It emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, low-fat or fat-free milk and milk products, and foods low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium) and added sugars.

Start your resolution now by thinking about your plate. Eat a variety of foods to get the most nutrition out of your calories, while staying within your daily needs. Focus on eating more fruits and vegetables – they should be half of your plate. It's also important to understand portion sizes – reading labels can help.

Be sure to include physical activity in your resolution as well. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults need 2 hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) of moderate intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, every week, and, muscle strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all of the major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms). If you think you don’t have time, your activity can be spread out as long as you do at least 10 minutes at a time. If you take a brisk 10-minute walk 3 times a day, 5 days a week, you will have 150 minutes!

Some tips to help ensure success:

• Partner with a friend so you can encourage each other
• Make a grocery list, and stick to it
• Try fruits and vegetables that are in season – they are less expensive and taste better
• Schedule your activity time – it is easier to fit it in when it is planned
• Start with small goals – even small changes matter
• Stay away from fad diets and workouts. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Use reliable sources, such as The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the USDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the University of Missouri Extension.

For more information about making healthy food choices, visit MissouriFamilies.org

Contributor: Denise Schmitz, M.A., R.D., Nutrition and Health Education Specialist, University of Missouri Extension, schmitzda@missouri.edu, 816-482-5850

Myth: A sandwich doesn't fit with the new MyPlate symbol so I just won’t count it.

Answer: BUSTED!

The new MyPlate symbol shows you how to choose foods to make a healthy plate. But how does a sandwich fit with MyPlate? How do you know how much of each ingredient on your plate contributes to the recommended amounts for each food group? You could take each sandwich ingredient and estimate how much of each ingredient is in the sandwich. Or, you can use MyFoodaPedia. This nifty website from the U.S. Department of Agriculture can tell you what your meal is providing. Enter “sandwich” in the food name area and you will get a drop down menu with various sandwich choices. If you click on roast beef, for example, you will see on the left side of the screen the recommended daily total amounts for each food group for a 2000 calorie diet. On the right you will see how the ingredients in the roast beef sandwich contributes to the recommended amounts for each food group. You can also see how many calories the extras (added sugar, fat and, in some cases, alcohol) like ketchup or mayonnaise add to the sandwich. (No, adding ketchup doesn’t mean you have contributed to the daily recommended amount from the vegetable group!) Here is a screenshot of the roast beef sandwich information:

Want to compare a roast beef sandwich to another sandwich choice? Click on “Compare two foods” and it tells you to enter another food in the box or click on one of the choices in the drop-down menu. You can then compare how the two choices contribute to the recommended daily total amounts for each food group as well as the calories they have and the calories from extras in the two choices. Here is a screenshot comparing the roast beef sandwich to a ham sandwich with mayo:

Find a mobile app version of this website at http://apps.usa.gov/myfood-a-pedia/

For more nutrition and health information go to MissouriFamilies.org

Contributor: Ellen Schuster, M.S., R.D., Associate State Specialist, University of Missouri Extension, schusterer@missouri.edu, 573-882-1933

Myth: Enriched grains are as good for my heart as whole grains.

Answer: Busted!

Enriched grains do provide you with some B vitamins, iron and carbohydrates, but they have not been proven to be as successful in helping your heart as whole grains have been. Whole grains help your heart by clearing out plaque that may be in your arteries. This plaque is typically known as blood cholesterol. Whole grains also help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease due to the soluble fiber in the whole grains. A study that was reported in the Tufts University’s Health and Nutrition Letter, showed that by “eating an average of one additional serving of whole grain per day, participants (14,000 people in four different communities in the USA) were 7 percent less likely to suffer heart failure (a condition where the heart can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs) over the course of the (13 year) study.”

Foods with whole grains are fairly easy to find. You want to make sure that the first ingredient listed on the food package by the Nutrition Label indicates “whole grain” or “whole wheat.” The MyPlate website suggests that at least half of the grains we eat should be whole grains.

The ingredients list on your food package will list the ingredients in order based on what is used most (by weight) in that food item. You want to find the word “whole” in front of any grain ingredient that is in the food item, or look for the “100% Whole Grain” stamp on the front of the package. If the words “enriched” or “fortified” are in front of the word “grain” then you will know that the food is not a whole grain item, but in fact a processed grain. A whole grain product includes all three parts of the original grain: bran, germ and endosperm. Together, these three parts provide fiber, vitamins and minerals. The enriched grain product does not contain the bran or germ. So, the next time that you’re purchasing food, try choosing the whole grain foods in order to help protect your heart.

Additional health and nutrition information can be found at MissouriFamilies.org.

Contributors: TeNeal Minks, Dietetic Intern, MO DHSS; Denise Schmitz, M.A., R.D., Nutrition & Health Education Specialist, University of Missouri Extension, schmitzda@missouri.edu, 816-482-5854

Myth: MyPlate says to make half your plate fruits and vegetables but that is too expensive.

Answer: Busted!

There are many reasons to eat more fruits and vegetables. Making half your plate fruits and vegetables doesn’t have to take a big hit on your wallet. It is possible to fit fruits and vegetables into any budget. Here are some low-cost ways to get in your fruits and veggies:

• Use fresh fruits and veggies when in season. In season they are easy to get, taste great and are usually less expensive. Visit your local farmers' markets. Or plant your own garden — you can’t get any fresher than that!
• Fresh fruits and vegetables can spoil quickly, so buy small amounts more often to avoid waste. Seasonal and Simple: A Guide for Enjoying Fresh Fruits and Vegetables is a helpful guide for selecting, storing and preparing fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Ready-to-eat forms (pre-cut, pre-washed) are convenient but usually cost more.
• Use canned or frozen. They may be less expensive than fresh. Store brands can offer savings and are of comparable quality with name brands. Look for fruits canned in 100% fruit juice and lower sodium vegetables.
• Buy in bulk when on sale. A large size bag is often a better buy with fresh fruits and vegetables. Canned or frozen last longer, so you can stock up and store them.
• Plan to make leftovers. Keep a plastic container in the freezer to add leftover vegetables. When it gets full, use it to make vegetable soup.

Visit ChooseMyPlate.gov for more tips on eating fruits and vegetables.

Additional nutrition and health information can be found at MissouriFamilies.org.

Contributor: Karen Sherbondy, MEd, RD, LD, Extension Associate, Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, University of Missouri Extension, 816-655-6227

Myth: MyPlate doesn’t really tell me what to eat.

Answer: Busted!

Although MyPlate doesn’t give us guidance on exact amounts to eat, it does serve as a visual reminder for what our plates should look like. The key message to remember with MyPlate is to make half your plate fruits and vegetables.

By following just this one tip, we can cut our calories and improve nutrition and health benefits without even trying.

The challenge may be how to eat more fruits and vegetables. The place to start is to have them readily available. You can’t eat them if you don’t have them. Always having fruits and vegetables on hand is the first step to making half your plate fruits and vegetables. Try these tips to get you started:

• Buy fresh fruits and vegetables when they are in season and at their peak flavor.
• Keep a supply of fruits that are dried, frozen and canned (in water or 100% juice), so that you always have some on hand.
• Stock up on frozen vegetables for quick and easy cooking in the microwave.
• Buy vegetables that are easy to prepare. Purchase pre-washed bags of salad greens and add baby carrots or grape tomatoes for a salad in minutes.
• Consider convenience when shopping. Try packages of pre-cut fruit for a healthy snack in seconds. Choose packaged fruits that do not have added sugars.
• Buy packages of vegetables such as baby carrots or celery sticks for quick snacks.
• If you see it you will be more likely to eat it. Have a bowl of whole fruit on the table or counter. Keep bowls of cut-up fruit and vegetables in see-through containers in the refrigerator for quick snacks.

For more information on seasonal fruits and vegetables, order Seasonal and Simple: A Guide for Enjoying Fresh Fruits and Vegetables.

Additional nutrition and health information can be found on the MissouriFamilies website.

Contributor: Karen Sherbondy, MEd, RD, LD, Extension Associate, Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, University of Missouri Extension, 816-655-6227