Myth: There aren’t any good food choices when traveling on spring break.

Answer: BUSTED!

Want to eat healthy while traveling on spring break? Here are 3 good tips:

• Scope out the airports you will be in by doing an online search to see what healthy restaurants they have available.
• For the restaurants in the airports or along your driving route, check out their menus online to find healthy options.
• Bring bottled water and other healthy snacks like pre-cut veggies, nuts, fruits. Whole wheat bread with peanut or other nut butter is also a good snack.

For more ideas, check out Road food on MissouriFamilies.org.

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

Myth: There aren’t any good free apps that teach my child about making healthy food choices.

Answer: BUSTED!

There’s a new entry into the world of mobile apps for parents and caregivers looking for free apps that teach children about healthy eating in a fun and engaging way. Body Quest: Food of the Warrior! is a series of seven iPad apps tested with third graders. Six Body Quest warriors are the narrators/guides in these mobile apps: Body Doc, Muscle Max, Graino Supa, Shining Rainbow, Fiberlicious and Super Slurper. Each of these warriors have super powers that come from healthy foods and drinks.

• Body Doc explores the goodness of fruits.
• Muscle Max ‘pumps you up’ with healthy sources of protein.
• Graino Supa is the warrior focused on healthy grains.
• Shining Rainbow shines the light on vegetables.
• Fiberlicious reminds us where to find fiber and why it’s good for us.
• Super Slurper is the warrior touting cool drinks for kids – water and milk.

Your child will learn what it takes to be a Body Quest warrior. Each of the seven apps includes challenges like getting over fears of trying new foods and more.

For information about the content of each free app go to www.aces.edu/family-health/health-nutrition/bodyquest/iPadApps.php or download them using the search title, Body Quest.

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

Myth: There are no new quick and easy weekday breakfast ideas for me and my family.

Answer: BUSTED!

Breakfast is an important meal but it can be hard to figure out what to eat first thing in the morning. Whether you and your family have time to sit down and eat together during the week or if you want some ideas as you head out the door, these tips will get you started.

1. Think different! Cereal is not your only option for breakfast. Leftovers from the night before are OK to eat in the morning. Or try a whole wheat pita with eggs and diced tomatoes as a grab-and-go or sit-down option.
2. Other grab-and go-ideas: low-fat yogurt, fruit, whole wheat crackers and hummus.
3. Most of us don’t get enough vegetables in our diet. Breakfast may provide some opportunities to add these nutrient-packed and low calorie foods. Try hummus and carrots, or raw veggies with low calorie dip. The good thing about veggies is that they fill you up so you are good to go until lunch.
4. Make a smoothie in the morning to sip on your way to work or school. This is a good way to add low-fat milk or yogurt and fruit to your diet. An interesting tip: add some spinach leaves to your smoothie. You won’t taste them and this is another way to get more daily vegetables.
5. Plan it! While you are washing the dinner dishes or setting aside everyone's clothes for the next day, plan what you will have in the morning before you head out the door. Start with these suggestions and have your family members conjure up some new breakfast ideas.

Try these No-Bake Breakfast Bars for a new morning treat. They can be made quickly and easily ahead of time and they're perfect for a breakfast on-the-go.

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

Myth: Some of the information on food packages isn’t very clear.

Answer: YOU’RE RIGHT!

But, help is on the way. Like you, about 42% of adults look at the label while shopping, according to a USDA study. Unveiled today were proposed changes to the Nutrition Facts panel you see on food packages. If these changes are made, the information on your food label would get a reality check. How so?

• Serving sizes would be more realistic. A bottle of 20-ounce soda would be considered as one serving instead of two. No more having to do the math to get the total calories in a bottle. That pint of ice cream? 4 servings? Really? No, in the real world we serve ourselves one cup so a pint would be two servings.
• Added (refined) sugars would be new information provided on the label because Americans consume too much sugar and there is much evidence linking high sugar in the diet to heart disease.
• There will be no hiding from the calorie information on the label. The number of calories will be bigger and bolder. Calories from fat would no longer be on the label next to the total calories.
• Vitamins and minerals that appear on the label will change. Vitamins A and C will be dropped. Vitamin D and potassium will be added. Americans aren’t getting enough vitamin D for good bone health. Potassium is also an important part of our diets as it may help to lower blood pressure. Calcium and iron will remain on the label.
• In addition to the proposed new format with the changes above, an alternative label format is provided. The amount of various nutrients is presented differently in sections. There’s a ‘Quick Facts’ section that includes fats, carbohydrates and protein, an ‘Avoid too much’ section for saturated and trans fat, cholesterol, sodium and added sugars, and a ‘Get enough’ section with fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium.

The public is asked to provide comments for the next 90 days. For more information, go to www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm387418.htm. There is a button at the top of the page for the Spanish version of this announcement.

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

Myth: Superfruits are the best fruit choices for my family.

Answer: BUSTED!

All fruits are beneficial, not just superfruits

Superfruit – sounds like a fruit that is SUPER good for your health and maybe even has some superpowers. You might have first heard of superfruits when watching TV where they are touted on informational TV shows or advertised in commercials. Or maybe you read about the superfruit of the moment when a new study was released.

Introduced in 2005, superfruit is a marketing term, not a scientific one. Over time the superfruit of the moment has changed from pomegranates to acai berries to goji berries. Generally, superfruits get their name because of their antioxidants. Antioxidants may prevent or delay cell damage. This cell damage is thought to occur in some chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer.

Superfruits are marketed as exotic and they aren’t widely available. This means they will cost you more money than other fruits in your grocery store. The bottom line is that eating a variety of fruits and vegetables is an important part of good health. They contain antioxidants that fight disease and also contain vitamins, minerals and fiber. Another reason to choose fruits and vegetables? They are low in calories.

Read more about the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables at http://missourifamilies.org/features/nutritionarticles/nut393.htm

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