Myth: For yogurt with the lowest amount of sugar, artificially sweetened yogurt is the best choice.

Answer: BUSTED!

Yogurt, especially non-fat or low-fat, is a healthy choice for getting calcium in your diet. However, the Nutrition Facts label doesn’t tell you all you need to know about how much sugar is in the yogurt you buy. The number next to “sugars” tells you both how much natural AND added sugar is in yogurt. A 6-ounce container of yogurt has about 12 grams of natural sugar called lactose. Any amount over 12 grams reflects sugar added to yogurt – usually about 14 grams or 3½ teaspoons. You can read the ingredient label to see what kind of sugar it is.

If you are not keen about choosing artificially sweetened yogurt or you don’t like the taste, here are some options for you:

• Choose non-fat or low-fat plain yogurt and add fresh fruit like diced strawberries or frozen, canned fruit in juice. Why? Fruit adds sweetness along with vitamins like Vitamin C, and fiber which fills you up.
• Add cinnamon to non-fat or low-fat plain yogurt.
• Add fresh fruit and cinnamon!
• Add a small amount of dried fruit for sweetness.
• Add a small amount of vanilla extract and a small amount of low-fat granola for some crunch and sweetness.
• Add a small amount of lemon or orange zest to yogurt along with fruit.
• Add pureed banana.

Visit MissouriFamilies.org for more information about nutrition and health.

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

Myth: Breakfast cereals are a good choice for children.

Answer: Well, maybe.

A healthy breakfast is key to your child’s school performance. But a new report by the Environmental Working Group found that some breakfast cereals have about the same amount of sugar found in sweet treats like cake or cookies – 3 to 5 teaspoons of sugar. And if your child’s portion size is more than one cup then even more sugar is finding its way into your child’s diet.

How do you know how much sugar is in the cereal you buy for you and your family? Look at the Nutrition Facts label found on the back or side of the food label – under “Total Carbohydrate” you will find “Sugars” listed. To figure out how many teaspoons of sugar are in the cereal, divide the grams of sugar by four. You can also look at the ingredient list to see if sugar or other names for sugar, like brown sugar, fruit juice concentrate, honey, corn sweetener, high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup, are listed several times on the label – a clear indication the cereal has too much sugar.

You want to look for a cereal that has at least 3 grams of fiber listed on the Nutrition Facts label. Some lower-sugar cereal choices are shredded wheat, O’s oat cereals and bran flakes.

Additional tips for a healthier breakfast:

• Don't allow your child to add sugar or have your child add less sugar to the cereal. As a parent, you can be a good role model by not adding sugar to your breakfast cereal.
• Use fresh fruit as a topping for cereal instead of sugar.
• Wean your child off high sugar cereals by mixing half and half – half high-sugar cereal and half low-sugar cereal – until your child is OK with all low-sugar cereal.
• If your child is old enough to read the Nutrition Facts label, have him/her be a sugar detective when you go shopping with the goal of finding a low-sugar cereal. Remember, if the label says there is 4 grams of sugar that means there is 1 teaspoon in a serving, 6 grams means there is 1½ teaspoons in a serving.
• Look up, look down – sugary cereals are more likely to be at eye level.

Remember too that sugar is often added to other foods that you might not be aware of like ketchup, yogurt, baked beans, sauces and salad dressing. So when you are looking at food labels, you might start looking at other foods to see how many teaspoons of sugar are in the everyday foods and condiments that you consume.

Visit the MissouriFamilies website for more information about nutrition and health.

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

Myth: Eating too much sugar will cause diabetes.

Answer: Busted!

Diabetes is caused by genetic and lifestyle factors. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults and it is caused when the immune system begins attacking the body’s own cells in the pancreas that normally produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. It is the result of either the body not producing enough insulin or body cells ignoring the insulin. The body needs insulin in order to take the sugar (glucose) from the blood and bring it into cells that will use it for energy. Without enough insulin, or the body ignoring the insulin, sugar builds up in the blood.

It is not eating sugar in itself that leads to diabetes. There are many factors involved. Eating more calories than your body needs of any type of food can lead to weight gain. Being overweight and doing little daily physical activity are both risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes. Having a close family member with diabetes will also put you at a higher risk for developing diabetes. However, making small lifestyle changes such as improving your diet and increasing your daily physical activity will greatly reduce your chances of developing the condition.

For more information about diabetes and what you can do prevent it, see Important information about type 2 diabetes.

Visit the MissouriFamilies website for more information about nutrition and health.

Contributor: Mary Wissmann, MS, RD, LD, Nutrition and Health Education Specialist, St. Louis County, University of Missouri Extension, WissmannM@missouri.edu

Myth: If you soak a chicken bone in soda for several days, it will start to dissolve.

Answer: Confirmed!

Soda contains acids such as phosphoric acid and citric acid. If a bone is left to soak for an extended period of time, the acid will begin to weaken its structure. If you allow the bone to soak for a week or more, you’ll find that the bone becomes bendable, and once the bone is allowed to dry completely, it will become dry and brittle.

Although the acid in soda won’t directly damage the bones in your body, it can directly damage your teeth. When tooth enamel is exposed to the acid, it weakens the tooth and makes it prone to decay and breakage. Soda can have a negative effect on bone when you replace milk or other high calcium drinks with sugary soft drinks. Your bones won’t get the calcium they need to be strong. Drinking too much soda can also contribute to weight gain because it’s loaded with sugar and it’s easy to drink a lot in a short period of time. Stick to water or low-fat milk and your teeth, bones and waistline will thank you.

Visit the Missouri Families website for more information about nutrition and health.

Contributor: Mary Wissmann, MS, RD, LD, Nutrition and Health Education Specialist, St. Louis County, University of Missouri Extension, WissmannM@missouri.edu

Halloween is all about eating candy. There's no way to avoid it!

Answer: Halloween CAN be about more than eating candy.

Make Halloween about choosing healthy foods and being active. Consider these ideas:

1) Halloween can teach moderation in the foods we eat. Talk to your kids about balancing healthy food choices like fruits and vegetables, low-fat milk, whole grains, lean meat, fish and poultry and beans with small portions of foods with sugar and fat...like candy. When your child comes back from trick or treating, look to see what chocolate candies they have in their treat bag. Here are some calorie count comparisons:

1 fun size candy bar or package = about 80 - 90 calories, 1 bite size candy bar = about 50 calories. 1 regular size candy bar can be about 200 - 300 calories. A king size bar may be 400 - 500 calories.

Talk with your child about how to balance eating healthy low fat, low sugar foods with these treats.

2) Halloween can be about being active as a family. Trick or treating can be a family event. Make this family time ACTIVE time. If you have a pedometer, have your child put it on before trick or treating. Look at the number of steps the pedometer records after trick or treating. Use the University of Missouri Extension's MyActivity Pyramid Log for Kids to help your child log time spent walking while trick or treating. Help your child to keep logging the amount of time spent in other physical activities during the week.

3) Halloween can be learning about what is in our food. How much sugar is in the treats that your child brought home? Search the web to find the nutrition information for candy in your child's Halloween stash. Look at the sugar information on the Nutrition Facts label - find it under Total Carbohydrate on the label. Here is an interactive Nutrition Facts label to help you locate it. 4 grams equals 1 teaspoon of sugar. Together with your child, look at different candies and compare the number of teaspoons of sugar in the candies.

Halloween comes only once a year so candy is OK, right?

Answer: Well...let's think about this...

Halloween may come only once a year but the treats hang around for a l-o-n-g time. Do you want your children to think only about candy when they think of Halloween? Remember, your children watch you for cues about these and other holidays. Here are some ideas about how to balance the treats of Halloween with fun and reminders about good health, too.

1) Give healthy but kid-approved Halloween treats. You are likely to find yourself with leftover treats so make them healthy. Ask your kids to write down a list of healthy treats. To get you started here are some ideas: pretzels, dried fruit, animal crackers, low-fat popcorn. Here are more ideas. For a snack mix you can make yourself:
Mix and Go Snack Mix - 6 servings
1 cup raisins
1 cup "O's" whole grain cereal
1 cup unsalted, dry roasted peanuts*
*Use pretzels or soy nuts if you are concerned about using peanuts.
Directions: Wash hands and surfaces. Mix all of the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Serve.

2) Give non-food Halloween treats. Dollar stores are great places to find fun items. How about stickers, balls or sidewalk chalk? Here are more ideas for you.

3) If you have your heart set on giving candy, give small bite-size pieces.

Next time we'll explore more Halloween ideas!

"Enhanced waters" are a good choice when I'm thirsty, right?

Answer: Sorry...no.

The bottled water aisle used to take up much less room a few short years ago. Now it it has become an aisle of its own. "Enhanced waters" have everything from vitamins, minerals, protein, herbs, caffeine and fiber added to it, thus the term "enhanced." Here are 3 questions you should ask yourself when you reach for a bottle:

1. Do I need the extra calories or protein or whatever is in it? Many of these bottled waters have added sugar adding extra calories (70 to 125 calories) that we don't need. Drinking bottled water with extra calories/sugar is like drinking a soft drink. As for protein, most of us get more than enough protein from the foods we eat.

2. Is the claim on the bottle "for real?" Many ingredients added to enhanced waters have murky claims - just what does "relaxed," or "more energy" mean when it's on a label? Most of us are stressed out and need more energy. When we see a label that tells us that this product will help us feel less stressed and have more energy, we want to believe it. There are few, if any, studies available to back the claims. Find more about these drinks. As for the vitamins, minerals and fiber in the water - better to get what you need from foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, lean meat and low-fat dairy foods.

3. Can I afford it? The cost for these drinks adds up quickly. When they are on sale, they can be as low as $1 per bottle. If you only drink one bottle a day that adds up to an extra $7 a week! Consider the cost to the environment, too. If you are concerned about less packaging, as many are these days, you are adding more plastic to the environment when buying these bottled waters even if the bottle is recyclable.

Looking for some alternatives? Here are some refreshing drink ideas.