With Halloween behind you, it’s likely that you have some not-so-healthy snacks around your house. Encourage your kids to make healthy food choices with these healthy snack ideas.

Snacks can and should be part of every child’s diet. Children’s stomachs are small, so they need snacks between meals to supply them energy to keep them going. In the summer, a light midmorning snack can hold them over until lunch, and a healthy afternoon snack gives them the added oomph to make it to dinner time. Kids receive one-quarter of their calories from snacks. Since they are usually very active, especially in the summer, they need those extra calories to keep them going.

Often we associate snacks with junk food. However, snacks should be nutrient-laden foods that supply vitamins and minerals to help kids’ bodies grow and develop.

Kids love choices. If all the choices you give them are reasonably nutritious, then everyone is happy. Your kids get their choice of what to eat, and you are assured they are eating healthy, nutritious foods.

You probably have your own tricks to get your kids to eat healthy snacks, but here are a few more tried and true methods to help entice little ones.

Kids love anything they can dip!

Give them a baggie full of carrot and celery sticks, cherry tomatoes or sugar snap peas from the garden. Make low-fat ranch dressing and let them dip.

Slice fruit to dip in yogurt or applesauce.

Make it fun! Kids love to construct their own snacks.

Thread fruit chunks on toothpicks or make ants on a log (peanut butter on celery topped with raisins). Make mini sandwiches from crackers or cut up bread. Add cheese, lunchmeat and a small cookie cutter to make tiny, fun-shaped sandwiches. Or make a lion’s face made from a rice cake with peanut butter spread on it. Top with grated carrots for the mane, raisins for eyes and apple slices for a mouth. Kids can be creative, then they get to eat their artwork.

Freeze healthy treats.

Frozen grapes are cool like Popsicles and sweet like candy, but have plenty of vitamins and fiber. Try bananas rolled in chocolate syrup and nuts, peach and nectarine slices and berries of all kinds. Make your own milkshakes with fruit and milk or juice.

Make it bite sized!

Cut up watermelon or cantaloupe. Or use mini cheese chunks with crackers, grapes, baby carrots and cherry tomatoes for a handy, pop-in-the-mouth snack.

It’s a good idea to have a few things prepared ahead of time. When kids burst through the door, they will grab the first thing available. It’s easier to gobble down a few handfuls of chips than to take the time to peel and cut up fruit. So…designate a shelf in the refrigerator for snacks, and anything on that shelf is okay to eat. Keep the shelf stocked with several choices so you don’t have to worry about the kids eating junk food.

Try to include all the food groups to get well rounded vitamins and minerals.

Older kids seem to be in more of a hurry and don’t like to construct their snacks. Do you know a teenager who will take the time to slice and cut a watermelon? Make sure the watermelon is cut in bite-sized pieces. Make sure there are grab-and-go snacks on the shelf. Have the string cheese handy. A little preparation will produce healthy results.

This article was written by Ellen Serfustini-USU Extension FCS Agent.

Happy Halloween! Today we’ve got the scoop on candy and sugar. Not everything about sugar is sweet!

Sugar:The Trickiest Treat There Is

It’s Halloween night, and you know what that means: candy. Research states that 156 million Americans participate in Halloween, and 95 percent of those people will purchase candy as the treat. That candy adds up to 600 million pounds each year, and averages out to 3.4 pounds of candy for each of those 156 million people.

To break it down even further, the average trick or treater will eat about 3 cups of sugar, which is equivalent to 220 packets of sugar.

Sugar has become a sneaky “super-villain” of sorts; it is popping up in many items that consumers may not be aware of. According to a 2014 report from the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, the major sources of added sugar in the U.S. diet are:

• Beverages: 47 percent. Those include soft drinks (25 percent), fruit drinks (11 percent), sweetened coffee and tea (7 percent), sport and energy drinks (3 percent) and alcohol (1 percent).
• Snacks and sweets such as cakes, pies and cookies: 31 percent.
• Everything else, including condiments and dressings: 22 percent.

According to the FDA, on average, Americans get about 16 percent of their daily calories from added sugars. The American Heart Association recommends the amount of sugar calories you consume should not exceed half of your discretionary calorie intake for the day. Discretionary calories or “empty calories” as they are often called, applies to food such as solid fats and/or added sugars. These discretionary calories supply food energy but little or no other nutrition.

Health officials say one way to make sure you and your family remain healthy is to maintain and manage sugar intake. Reading the ingredient list on food labels can tell you if the product contains added sugars. There are many different types of sugar, but the two types of sugars in the diets of most Americans are natural sugars and added sugars.

• Natural sugars are found naturally in foods such as fruit (fructose) and milk (lactose).
• Added sugars include any sugars, syrups or caloric sweeteners put in foods during preparation or processing or that are added at the table.

Two Important facts to keep in mind when reading nutrition labels and ingredients:

1. 4 grams of sugar = 1 teaspoon
2. Learn the lingo, look for the “ose.” If an ingredient ends in those letters — sucrose, fructose, maltose and dextrose — it’s a sugar. Scan ingredient lists and pass on most foods where sugar (or a sugar alias) is listed toward the top.

Holidays and other special occasions can be tough when it comes to sugar and sweets. If you haven’t already purchased candy for trick-or-treaters, try a few of these “tricky” candy alternatives. Hopefully they will make your Halloween a little bit healthier.

1. Almonds
2. Baked Chips
3. Fruits and Veggies
4. Fruit Juice Boxes or Bottles
5. Fruit Snacks (packaged)
6. Glow Sticks
7. Granola Bars
8. Mini Flashlights
9. $$$$$$$$
10. Peanuts
11. Popcorn
12. Pretzels
13. Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
14. School Supplies
15. Silicone Wristbands
16. Stickers
17. Toothbrush
18. Toys
19. Trail Mix
20. Vegetable & Herb Garden Seed Packets
21. Veggie Snacks (packaged)
22. Water Bottles

This article was written by Paula Scott, EFNEP State Director, republished from October 2015.

References:

American Heart Association
USA Today
Live Strong
Food Network

This is the last installment in our aging series. Read part one on mobility and part two on healthy eating. Whether you are aging yourself, or caring for an aging loved-one, this series offers some great tips to help you.

Attitude is the one thing that can change any situation for better or worse.  As you age, you may find the things that came easily before are now difficult.  You may have habits that can be hard to quit, though you want to change.  Aging can bring discouragement and great joy just like every other stage of life, but whatever happens, we control our outlook.

Much of success and positive health is how you choose to view your circumstances.  Ask yourself, “How will I react the next time I receive bad news?”  Making the best out of what you are given can be the difference between joy and depression.

Sometimes it doesn’t work to just tell yourself to think positive. What else can you do to improve your attitude toward life?  Consider being more grateful, serving others, and being social.

1. Be grateful: Look for the good in your life. You may be surprised there is more than you realized when you actually start paying attention. As you recognize the good in your life your attitude will naturally improve.  The Utah State University Extension website has some great advice on how to increase personal gratitude.  You can check it out here.
2. Serve others: You can serve your own family or serve members in your community.  try cooking for a neighbor in need, make blankets for humanitarian kits, or help someone with yard work.  You can also volunteer at your local extension office, more information can be found here. There are many opportunities to serve and they all help keep your mind off your own troubles as you share joy with those you serve.
3. Find a hobby: If you already live an active lifestyle you may be doing regular activities like tennis, jogging, swimming, fishing etc.; but for some it may hard to transition from taking care of children to being an empty-nester.  If possible, continue personal hobbies through all stages of life.  If you are just getting back into the groove of things, try looking up local classes and events you can attend.  For example, community education classes, lectures, college courses, certifications, concerts, theatrical productions, sports events.  Local senior centers may have social dancing, crafts, line dancing, ceramics, golf, and more.  Learning something new and meeting new people is a great way to improve your attitude.

Moving into your 50’s and 60’s opens up the opportunity to participate in your local Senior Center Activities.  Most activities provided are free; all you need to do is show up.  If you don’t have transportation, find someone willing to drive you.

My grandmother is taking care of my grandfather and has much weighing on her shoulders, but she has continued a positive attitude through her struggles by keeping fun hobbies and habits.  She goes out to get her nails and hair done which also allows her to socialize with her stylist.  She has weekly bridge games she attends with other community friends.  She is a perfect example of how socializing and keeping a good attitude helps you have great quality of life as you age.

This article was written by Kirsten Lamplugh, Intern at the Salt Lake County USU Extension office, BS in Family and Consumer Sciences 

Sources:

USU Extension – http://extension.usu.edu/htm/news-multimedia/articleID=4002

Live Well Utah Blog – https://livewellutah.org/2015/02/14/spread-the-love-by-volunteering/

Today we’re sharing some Halloween safety tips for you and your little ghouls and goblins. Keep track of these tips by pinning them on Pinterest.

This article was re-published from October 2015, with information taken from cdc.gov.

This month we’ll be sharing some of our favorite pumpkin recipes. Today we’re talking about pumpkin seeds— how to prepare them and different ways to use them. So as you get ready to carve pumpkins this year, don’t forget to save the seeds!

When you are carving that Halloween Jack-o’-lantern this year, here is one request I have for you, keep your seeds! Did you know that 1 oz of pumpkin seeds has around 5 grams of protein? Pumpkin seeds are an easy, cheap way to add a nutritious boost to your trail mix, baked goods and granola.

First and foremost, remove the pulp and seeds from the inside of your pumpkin. I like to put the seeds and pulp in a bowl of water while carving my pumpkin. This helps to pull away all the strings from the seeds. When you have only seeds left in your bowl, give them a good rinse. Move seeds to a new bowl and sprinkle with your favorite seasonings and oil. Make sure to mix well.  Next you will want to spread them evenly over a large baking tray. Bake at 350 F for 10 to 20 minutes or until lightly brown. Make sure to check and stir the seeds frequently to avoid burning. Cool pumpkin seeds and then store them in an air-tight container.

When choosing a seasoning for your pumpkin seeds, think about what you plan to do with them. The outer part of the pumpkin seed can be removed (hulled) after they have been roasted. The inner part of the pumpkin seed is a green color and is a great addition to breads and muffins.

Check out these five ways to use pumpkin seeds below:

Traditional Roast

When using this method, try different spices to give your seeds some flair. Here are some combinations:

• Cinnamon Toast Pumpkin Seeds: 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp salt, 2 Tbsp sugar, 3 Tbsp melted butter or olive oil
• Chili Pumpkin Seeds: 1 Tbsp chili powder, 1 Tbsp tamari sauce, 2 tsp garlic powder, salt to taste, 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Spicy Pumpkin Seeds: ½ tsp paprika, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes, 2 Tbsp melted butter or olive oil
• Ginger Zest Pumpkin Seeds: 2 Tbsp ground ginger, 2 Tbsp sugar, ½ tsp orange zest, 2 Tbsp melted butter or oil
• Parmesan Pumpkin Seeds: ¼ c Parmesan cheese, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 2 Tbsp melted butter or oil.

Pumpkin Seed Pesto

This one was new to me, but has quickly turned into a favorite. Making a traditional pesto with pine nuts can be pricy, but not when you are using your pumpkin seeds! For this it is important to have hulled (green) pumpkin seeds.

Ingredients- 2 c. hulled pumpkin seeds, 4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, ¼ tsp sea salt, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 c. fresh cilantro, and ¼ c. water. Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Cover and chill until ready to use.

More Ideas

• Add them to trail mix or granola. Do your granola or trail mix recipes call for nuts? Reduce the portion of nuts and add pumpkin seeds for the remaining portion.
• Add them to baked goods or use in brittle. Instead of making a nut brittle this year, sub in hulled pumpkin seeds to make a new fall favorite.
• Garnish soups, salads and desserts. Add a little extra crunch to any meal by topping your dish off with pumpkin seeds!

This article was written by Jaqueline Neid-Avila, Utah State University Extension nutrition faculty for Davis County. Comments or questions may be sent to jaqueline.neid-avila@usu.edu or call 801-451-3404.

Join Live Well Utah blog editor Marta Nielsen as she talks with Brooke Walker of Studio 5 about Family Mealtime, and demonstrates some breakfast recipes from the Live Well Utah Cookbook, Family Mealtime Edition.

Did you see us on Studio 5? If you missed the show, you can watch the clip here. We have also posted the full recipes for the veggie frittata, granola, and overnight oats with all the variations.

This is the second installment in a three-part series on aging. Read part one on mobility, and stay tuned for a post on socializing. Whether you are aging yourself, or caring for an aging loved-one, this series offers some great tips to help you.

The phrase, “You are what you eat,” seems to have greater meaning as we get older.  The foods we eat in youth may not affect us immediately, but we start seeing the long-term effects of our regular diet in time.  If we are not careful or wait too long to make necessary changes, aging gracefully may not be an option.

Staying healthy as we age involves not only increasing mobility and strength, but also what we take into our bodies.  Exercise and nutrition go hand in hand to get the best results.  As mentioned in Part 1 of the aging series, aging can lead to limited mobility and other health issues.  Many diseases are associated with aging, but they can be prevented or delayed with consistent healthy habits.  Remember, the choices made in youth will influence how we age, but it is also never too late to take steps toward better health.

Have you ever set out to have a good habit that stuck? Once we master proper nutrition, it is so much easier to carry it into our older years. The Strong Women: Lifting Women to Better Health website suggests focusing on whole foods, especially those directly from the earth.  It is important to have regular meals and portions, and keep healthy snacks on hand for when you get the afternoon munchies.  Smaller portions eaten throughout the day sustain energy better than three large meals.

I don’t know about you, but I notice a big difference between eating one large meal and eating smaller portions throughout the day.  The large meal always leaves me feeling sluggish and tired.  I feel better throughout the day when I keep the healthy snacks with me, and it keeps me from overeating during meals.

Be aware of the calorie intake you need, because consuming more than your body needs can lead to weight gain, which leads to health concerns such as diabetes and high blood pressure.  Are you aware of how your body reacts to the foods you eat?  The NIH Senior Health website has some great information on how the food we eat affects our bodies. It addresses energy, weight and digestion.  Below are some great recipes provided by Utah State University’s Food$ense Nutrition Program.  More simple recipes can be found at care.com.

Main Dishes

Casseroles

Soups

Stir Fry

Sides

Veggies

Salads

Snacks

This article was written by Kirsten Lamplugh, Intern at the Salt Lake County USU Extension office, BS in Family and Consumer Sciences 

Source:

NIH Senior Health website- https://nihseniorhealth.gov/eatingwellasyougetolder/benefitsofeatingwell/01.html

This month we’ll be sharing some of our favorite pumpkin recipes. Today’s recipe technically calls for butternut squash, cousin to everyone’s favorite orange pumpkin. You can go with butternut squash, or get festive and substitute pumpkin. Look for small pie pumpkins for the best flavor and texture.

Ingredients

• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced (substitute pumpkin, if desired)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 small carrots, diced
• 2 small celery stalks, diced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cups milk
• Spices of choice
• Fresh herbs
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 lb. pasta of choice

Directions

Boil squash in salted, boiling water until tender, roughly 15 minutes. While squash is cooking, sauté onion in oil for 2-3 minutes, or until onion begins to turn translucent. Add garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Add carrot and celery and cover pan. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender. Next add in cooked and drained squash and tomato paste. Stir to combine, and remove from heat. Add ingredients to a blender along with milk. Blend until smooth and creamy. Season as desired and serve over pasta of your choice with a generous topping of Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs.

Recipe adapted from Eat Well Utah.

October is here, and Halloween is coming. The temperature has dropped a bit, and you may have found your kids spending more time indoors and looking for things to do. We’ve searched for some of the best Halloween-themed activities to do with your kids, whether for everyday entertainment, a classroom party, or a gathering with friends. Check out our Pinterest Board for even more ideas.

1. Healthy Halloween Snack Ideas from Eat Well Utah

2. 31 Days of Halloween STEM Activities from STEAM Powered Family

3. Weaving a Spider Web Alphabet Activity from Mom Inspired Life

4. Create Your Own Monster Cookie Bar from Babble

5. Spider Races from Still Playing School

6. Paper Cone Witch from Krokotak

7. Super Simple Spider Web Art from Kids Play Box

8. Self-inflating Halloween Ghost from Mama Smiles

9. Origami Bats from A Girl & a Glue Gun

10. Halloween Masks to Print and Color from It’s Always Autumn

What are some of your favorite Halloween activities? Let us know in the comments!

This is the first installment in a three-part series on aging. Stay tuned for posts on nutrition and socializing. Whether you are aging yourself, or caring for an aging loved-one, this series offers some great tips to help you.

How can we prevent losing critical muscle strength as we age?  Habits shape our future and we need to decide what habits we want defining who we are.  It is easy to get into the rut of not exercising, and with that comes quick atrophy of muscle and bone strength.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle throughout life is essential in preventing chronic illness and other issues while aging.  The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion has published a book titled, The State of Aging & Health in America 2013.  It says, “More than a quarter of all Americans and two out of every three older Americans have multiple chronic conditions.”  Some of the factors they studied to attribute to America’s health include physical activity during the month, obesity, smoking, and regular medical checkups.

The book suggests,  “Mobility is fundamental to everyday life.” Decreased mobility is related to multiple health problems like depression, cardiovascular disease, cancer, injuries from falls and automobile crashes.  If you could live longer and healthier by exercising 20 minutes a day, would you do it?  It is easy to say yes, but I know for myself it can be hard if you don’t schedule it into your daily routine.  It is never too late to improve personal mobility; all that is required is gradual daily changes.

There are great success stories on the Strong Women: Lifting Women to Better Health website of women regaining strength they lost over the years.  These women show what is possible for not only women, but men also.

As adults transition into their 50s and 60s, they may change their regular exercise activities.  To maintain health, older adults need both aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercises. For example:

• 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week (i.e., brisk walking).
• Muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).

Or

• 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity every week (i.e., jogging or running).
• Muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).

Balance Exercises

• Tai Chi
• Stand on one foot holding onto a sturdy chair; hold for 10-15 seconds
• Walking heal to toe; take 20 steps

Stretching Exercises

• Yoga
• Shoulder rolls

Endurance Exercises

• Swimming
• Biking
• Walking
• Jogging
• Raking leaves
• Mowing the lawn

Strength Exercises

• Weight lifting
• Back leg raises while holding onto a sturdy chair
• Side leg raises while holding onto a sturdy chair

Many more examples along with a virtual trainer can be found on the “Strong Women” website.  Also be aware of resources at your local recreation or senior center.  For example, the  Murray City Heritage Center has classes that provide different opportunities to keep an active lifestyle as you enter the 50s and 60s.

One thing to remember is that if you have been maintaining a healthy lifestyle by consistently exercising, it should be fine to continue as long as you follow guidelines from health care providers and professionals.

This article was written by Kirsten Lamplugh, Intern at the Salt Lake County USU Extension office, BS in Family and Consumer Sciences