MYTH: We need to drink 8 cups of water each day

Answer: Busted!

Water is an essential nutrient, needed to control body temperature, lubricate and cushion joints, transport nutrients, and remove waste. Consuming approximately 64 ounces of total water daily was the recommendation from the Nutrition Council in 1945. In 2005 the Food Nutrition Board set the Adequate Intake (AI) for total water at 101 ounces (about 12 cups) for men age 19-30 and 74 ounces (about 9 cups) for women age 19-30. However, that does not mean the requirement must be met by drinking plain glasses of water. Water also comes from the food we eat and the beverages we drink. For example, watermelon is 91% water, carrots are 88% water, and even roasted chicken is 65% water. Even your morning coffee or tea counts towards the fluid goal.

How much should we drink? Drinking to satisfy thirst is a good rule of thumb, but older adults beware. As we age, the sensation of thirst does not kick in as quickly, especially on hot summer days or cold dry days. Older adults should be more careful about staying hydrated during these times. Check out missourifamilies.org for more thirst-quenching info.

Cereal is a good choice for my child's breakfast, right?

Answer: Well...maybe.

A new report shows that kids cereals have 85% more sugar and 65% less fiber than adult cereals. So, maybe these are not the best choices for your child as they begin their day. Although there are healthy cereal choices - ones with less sugar and more whole grains and fiber - many cereals are high in sugar and low in fiber. Unfortunately, many of these cereals are marketed to kids. How do companies target kids? They use celebrity tie-ins, toys and prizes. You might reach for a cereal with whole grains BUT find that it also is high in sugar. Or you may see a label or logo on a cereal that makes it look like the cereal has been rated a good choice. Look closer! Here's how...

1. Pressed for time? Look high, look low at the grocery store. Healthier (and lower cost) cereals are usually on the top or bottom shelves, not at eye level where they are easiest to get.

2. Find cereals high in whole grains and fiber: First, look on the Nutrition Facts label under "Total Carbohydrate" - cereal high in fiber have 5 grams of Dietary Fiber listed. Also, look at the ingredient list. Look for "whole" or "100% whole" before the word "wheat" or other grain as the first ingredient.

Here's an example of an ingredient list for bran flakes:
INGREDIENTS: Whole grain wheat, wheat bran...

3. Find cereals low in sugar: First, look on the Nutrition Facts label under "Total Carbohydrate" are listed "Sugars." If you see 4 grams listed the cereal has 1 teaspoon of sugar, 8 grams and it has 2 teaspoons of sugar. Choose a cereal with 4 grams or less. You can also look at the ingredient list. If sugar is listed as one of the first 2 or 3 ingredients, then it is high in sugar.

Here are names for sugar you may see on ingredient lists:
High-fructose corn syrup
Corn sweetener
Dextrose
Glucose
Invert sugar
Malt syrup
Fruit juice concentrate
Fructose
Brown sugar
Lactose
Molasses
Sugar
Corn syrup
Sucrose
Honey
Maltose
Raw sugar
Syrup

Surely there is something that I can eat or drink to prevent me from getting the flu?

Answer: There's no magic food or drink to ward off the flu.

In fact, the Food and Drug Administration is identifying potential fraudulent products that claim to help prevent the flu. If you want to report a product you can do that online. Dubious products that appear on FDA's website include herbal extracts, supplements and teas. There are also non-food items on this list.

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) also suggests that you check with your doctor or pharmacist about any products that say they prevent, cure, treat, or diagnose H1N1 flu.

Another resource is the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. You can search their website for more information about products. The center's website reminds us that "natural" doesn't mean that something is safe. Also, herbal supplements may contain ingredients whose activity are unknown at this time.

**This just in, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and FTC (Federal Trade Commission) identifies a supplement called "Immune Support Formula" as unapproved for warding off swine flu.

What you CAN do: Make healthy food choices to keep your body and immune system in good shape, include physical activity as part of your lifestyle and wash your hands!

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!