Myth: It's hard to eat more fruits and vegetables during the winter.

Answer: BUSTED!

It may seem that the winter isn’t the best time to get more fruits and vegetables each day. After all, winter is the time when we like to eat hearty foods like chili and stew. These hearty winter dishes can actually be great vehicles for getting more fruits and vegetables each day. Here are some ideas:

• In the mood for some warm, fluffy pancakes? Top the pancakes with applesauce instead of syrup.
• Making a hearty chili? Add more vegetables to the recipe. Try pureed pumpkin, either from a can or fresh, for a different taste to your chili.
• Add cooked or pureed pumpkin to a stew or soup as well, to add flavor and make it more hearty.
• Making your own pizza (or ordering one)? Order a veggie pizza or make one at home with red pepper, mushrooms, broccoli and other favorite veggies.
• Making lasagna? Add chopped veggies. You can also add chopped veggies to your favorite pasta sauce.
• Nothing says winter and comfort more than baked apples – a satisfying way to get more fruits.

For more tips about nutrition and health, visit the MissouriFamilies website.

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

Myth: Sitting too long isn't unhealthy as long as I don't overeat.

Answer: BUSTED!

New data from the American Institute for Cancer Research suggests that sitting too long may increase your chances of developing some cancers like breast and colon cancer. We already know that physical activity decreases the risk of diabetes and heart disease. And people who exercise have lower blood pressure than those who don't. This and other data suggests that following current physical activity guidelines of about 30 minutes of activity most days of the week (for adults) and 60 minutes (for youth) is not enough. We sit an average of about 9 hours a day at our desk or in front of the TV or computer — we need to get up and move more! Here are some ideas to get you up and moving around:

1. Add a chime to your computer to remind you to get up and walk around. These chimes are used to incorporate mindfulness techniques in your everyday life but they can also be used to remind you to get up and take a walk.
2. Thinking about sending an email to a colleague in your building? Forget about it! Get up and walk to your colleague’s office instead.
3. While watching TV, think of commercials as activity breaks. Get on the phone and walk around while talking. Do some jumping jacks. Have some light scarves (or light paper napkins) handy and throw them up in the air and catch them – you can also play this game with others!

For additional ideas to get you moving, see Real guidelines for real people: Everyday activity solutions.

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

Myth: There's no way to manage my weight during the holidays.

Answer: BUSTED!

And so it begins, the holidays and too many opportunities to eat… and eat… and eat. Think it’s hopeless? Not so! Here are 3 tips to help you succeed in managing your weight throughout the holidays:

1. Keep up with your daily exercise! Few things do as much good as being active every day. Activity burns calories and - here’s a bonus - helps you to deal with stress. And the holidays can be stressful. So keep those walking or athletic shoes handy!
2. Engineer your food environment. What does this mean? When at a holiday meal or buffet, use a small plate and take small sample-size portions. Use a tall, slender glass for high-calorie drinks or alcoholic beverages rather than a short, squat glass. With both of these techniques, it is giving you the illusion of more but you are actually receiving less. Position yourself away from food at holiday parties or in the office. If you have to get up and walk over to treats, you may rethink getting another piece of cake or candy. Have too much Halloween candy or other treats at home? Put them far, far away in a cabinet or in the freezer. You might even consider taping the package closed instead of just sealing it with a bag clip. More effort to get at treats might help you think twice about dipping into them.
3. Get back to “normal” eating as soon as you can. OK, so you indulged at one meal – not to worry. Go back to making healthy food choices and being active each day. The longer you stretch your holiday over-eating, the harder it is to get back to your normal, healthy diet and lifestyle.

For more tips, see Holiday eating strategies on the MissouriFamilies website.

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

Myth: There's no way to make Halloween healthier for my children.

Answer: BUSTED!

YES, you can make Halloween a healthier holiday for your kids! Here are some ideas to consider:

• Inject physical activity into trick or treating. The longer your children walk during the trick or treating, the more exercise they get. Go along with them to make it a fun family activity.
• Have your children eat a meal or snack before they go trick or treating. They will be less likely to stuff themselves with candy when they return.
• Keep the daily candy treats your children eat to a minimum. Small fun-size candy bars are a good alternative to larger candy portions. They have less calories, sugar and fat.
• After a period of time, say a couple of weeks, consider removing the treats from the home. What to do with these treats? You might think about donating them to a work colleague who could use them as treats for an upcoming meeting.

Want to make Halloween healthier for neighborhood children? Offer healthier treats like popcorn, fruit and trail mix. Consider offering alternatives to treats like small toys, stickers, bracelets or small school supplies that you can find at the dollar store. You might also consider having a neighborhood party where you can offer treats and activities that are fun, ghoulish and healthy.

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

Myth: I can use front-of-package labels to make healthier food choices.

Answer: BUSTED! (for now)...

If you’ve looked closely at food packages recently, you’ve seen that many products now have additional nutrition information on the front. Some food companies have been voluntarily using different nutrition labels on food packages based on different criteria. The lack of a consistent approach leads to confusion and makes it difficult for a consumer to compare products using the labels.

The government has stepped into the fray. The IOM (Institute of Medicine) issued a report last week calling for a standardized point system that would use levels of saturated and trans fats, sodium and sugar to evaluate foods. These front-of-package labels would also include calories. Why only calories, saturated and trans fats, sodium and sugar? They are most closely tied to disease. This labeling would be much like the Energy Star® system that identifies products that meet certain standards.

One system will be used by all companies. It will be a rating system that will interpret the nutrition information of a product using symbols to represent each level of the rating system. These symbols will become easily recognized by consumers after a period of time and will act as a quick reference guide to help consumers compare products and make the best decision. When you consider that the average consumer spends less than 30 seconds making choices in the grocery store you can see that a rating system like the one recommended would be helpful.

What are the drawbacks? The recommended rating system wouldn’t include other information about food like the vitamin, mineral or fiber content. Likely, this information would continue to be available on the Nutrition Facts label found elsewhere on a food package. (FDA is working to update and improve the Nutrition Facts label required on food packages.) Additionally, it is possible that some foods that aren’t “best” choices could get high ratings. As with any system, it would not be perfect.

Don’t expect to see what the IOM has recommended on packages just yet. If such a rating system is approved (rules have to be developed and there is a period of public comment), the system would need to be developed and tested first.

For more information, check out the 4-page brief of the IOM report's recommendations.

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