healthier and happier you

With Memorial Day Weekend right around the corner, it is always nice to have some reminders on how to be safe.  Most of us will be spending some time outside and there are numerous things that we need to remember.  These safety tips are from the Oklahoma poison control center.

For many families, picnics and backyard barbecues top the list for planned activities this Memorial Day weekend. While enjoying your outdoor festivities, the Oklahoma Poison Control Center offers the following safety tips to help ensure a safer holiday for you and your family.

Practice safe grilling habits by keeping charcoal lighter fluid out of young children's reach, as swallowing lighter fluid can lead to serious poisoning for toddlers. When finished using lighter fluid, immediately return it to a storage space that is up high, out of sight and out of reach – preferably in a locked cabinet. If a child swallows lighter fluid, immediately wipe off any fluid on the exposed skin. Do not make the child vomit. Ipecac syrup should never be used for this type of poisoning emergency. Immediately call the Oklahoma Poison Control Center. Charcoal lighter fluid can cause serious or potentially life-threatening chemical pneumonia. The substance can enter the lungs when the child tries to swallow or vomit. If an adult or child has difficulty breathing after swallowing any poison, especially charcoal lighter fluid, call 911 immediately.

While picnicking, keep such perishable foods as ham, potato or macaroni salad, hamburgers, hot dogs, lunch meat, cooked beef or chicken, deviled eggs, and custard or cream pies in an ice chest. Put leftovers back in the ice chest as soon as you finish eating. When possible, store the ice chest in the passenger area of the car during the trip, as it stays cooler than when in the trunk.

When hiking or camping, be aware of your surroundings; Oklahoma has poisonous snakes and spiders. Most snake bites occur when people handle snakes or when they stick their hands down holes or under logs and unknowingly touch a snake.

If you are in an isolated area when bitten by a snake, proceed slowly to a vehicle. Moving slowly will keep the heart rate low and help prevent the venom from spreading. Drive to the nearest hospital. If you are alone and unable to drive, call 911 or have someone else call 911 and let that person drive you to the hospital. If bitten by a spider, call the Oklahoma Poison Control Center right away.

Using insect repellents can help deal with such uninvited guests as mosquitoes and ticks. However, it is very important to follow the label's directions. Repellents containing a 10 to 30 percent concentration of DEET are safe for use on children 3 months of age and older. Spray the repellent on your hands and then apply it to the exposed areas on your child. Be careful not to apply the repellent around the eyes or mouth.

For bee stings, remove the bee's stinger by scraping it out with the edge of a plastic card or blunt instrument. Do not squeeze the stung area; it can cause the stinger to release more venom. Wash the area with soap and water. Immediately apply ice wrapped in a cloth for 10 to 15 minutes. Remember that ice applied directly to skin can cause damage to sensitive tissue. If a person is having difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, wheezing, swelling or itching eyes, or other symptoms of an allergic reaction, call 911 immediately.

The poison center is staffed 24 hours a day by specially trained pharmacists and registered nurses. In the event of an emergency, individuals can contact the center at 1 (800) 222-1222.

Hope you have a safe and fun weekend,
Lindsey

“Sugar-sweetened beverages have no nutritional value,” says OCCHD Dietitian Jennifer Like. “They only add a lot of calories that most people don’t need.” Like says that Americans are consuming an average 200 to 300 more calories each day than we did 30 years ago – and more than half of those extra calories come from sugary beverages.

After seeing this video, I hope it makes you think twice before picking up your next soda pop.
Lindsey

The Oklahoma City-Council Health Department gives us the facts about our favorite drinks.

My child isn’t overweight.  Why should I worry about what he or she drinks?

Good nutrition is for everyone, not just for people who are overweight. Sugar-sweetened beverages promote tooth decay and they increase a child’s risk of becoming overweight over time.  Water and low-fat or fat-free milk are healthier choices.

Do sugar-sweetened drinks cause other problems?

Yes.  Women who regularly drink sugar-sweetened beverages have a higher risk of coronary heart disease and diabetes.  Gaining weight from these drinks also increases the risk of arthritis and some cancers.

My child’s school has stopped offering sugar-sweetened beverages in school vending machines.  Isn’t that good enough?

Ridding schools of these products helps kids cut down, but most sugar-sweetened drinks are consumed at home.  This is true for both adults and children. Put a pitcher of water in your fridge and on your table at all meals. Everyone will benefit.

My kids are really into sports. Don’t active kids need sports drinks to stay hydrated?

These drinks are expensive and unnecessary.  Water is the best drink for active kids and adults. Keep water on hand before, during and after activities.

I don't drink sugary beverages, only 100% juice.That’s healthy, right?

Fruit juice is more nutritious than sugar-sweetened fruit drinks, but it’s packed with calories from the natural sugars found in fruit. Limit your intake to no more than six ounces daily, the amount in an old-fashioned juice glass. Or dilute juice with water or seltzer to cut down on calories and sugar.  As a rule, it’s better to eat your fruit than drink it.

Why should anyone decide what I can eat or drink?

You can eat and drink what you like—we just want you to have all the facts.  The beverage industry spends billions of dollars marketing products to children and adults.  Consumers deserve to know that these heavily-advertised beverages are the largest single driver of the obesity epidemic, and that there are healthy alternatives.

Isn’t lack of exercise the real cause of obesity?

Exercise is essential to good health, but calories are the main culprit in weight gain.  And controlling your calories is easier than consuming too many and then trying to burn them off.  A typical adult needs 27 minutes of brisk walking to burn off the calories in a single 12-ounce can of soda, 46 minutes to burn off a 20-ouncer. So skip the soda and take the same walk.  Your body will thank you in more ways than one.

Here is to making healthier choices,
Lindsey

Below the Oklahoma City Health Department addresses frequently asked questions regarding sugary drinks, take notes!

What is a sugar-sweetened beverage?

A sugar-sweetened beverage is a drink with sugar added. Sugar has many names.  To find out if a drink contains sugar, look for any of these words on the list of ingredients: sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, fruit juice concentrates, glucose, honey, invert sugar, molasses, sucrose, syrup or cane sugar.

How much sugar is in sugar-sweetened beverages?

Non-diet sodas, sweetened teas, sports and energy drinks, sweetened waters and juices, and blended coffee drinks contain a lot of sugar.  You can get 16 teaspoons of sugar in a single 20-ounce serving.

Can sugar-sweetened beverages make me gain weight?

The calories in these products come from sugar, and consuming extra calories makes you gain weight.  More than 10% of the calories kids and adolescents have a day come from sugar-sweetened beverages.  Worse yet, sugary drinks add calories that do not fill you up the way food does.  Don’t drink yourself fat!

Is there a recommended daily intake of added sugar?

You don’t need added sugars in your diet at all, but there is a recommended maximum intake.  A typical adult diet (2,000 calories per day) should include no more than 130 calories from added sugar.  One 20-ounce soda has nearly twice that many calories.

How can I cut back on sugar-sweetened beverages?

Your best bet is to drink water, seltzer or flavored waters with little or no added sugar.  Tap water is always a good choice. It’s healthful, has no calories and costs nothing. Beware of drinks that claim to be packed with vitamins, antioxidants or other healthful ingredients—they are often loaded with sugar. Read nutrition labels and choose drinks with no more than 25 calories per 8-ounce serving.  If you continue to drink sugary beverages, make them an occasional treat and not a part of your daily diet.  Choose a smaller bottle or serving size, such as a 12-ounce can, and order a “small” instead of a “large “at restaurants.

What about diet drinks?

Artificially sweetened diet drinks are low in calories but have little if any nutritional value.  They’re a good alternative to sugary beverages if you want to avoid weight gain.

Don’t drink yourself fat,
Lindsey

Flip flop and open toe shoe season is right around the corner!  For those of us who love sporting this fashion, it is exciting news to think of.  I know that we didn’t have a harsh winter; however after months of closed toed shoes and socks, your feet need a little attention before they can make their debut for the spring season.

Turquoise is so popular right now; it is my current polish of choice!

This would be a great idea if you are in a house full of girls, you should all go and pick up your favorite shade of polish and have a manicure and pedicure one evening before bed.  However, if the idea of painting your own nails terrifies you, hit a local salon around town for a spa day.  It truly is amazing how much better you feel after having freshly painted nails and toenails; gives you that pulled together feeling that all is right in the world.  Taking care of yourself takes a little time; just make sure that you do not neglect yourself. 

When we are polished, it’s easier to feel poised and all put together,
Lindsey

Easter is almost here, if you are anything like me you are doing last minuet preparations!  A lot of you will be traveling home to be with loved ones for the day.  When you have family gatherings, you usually have a few little ones running around the house all wound up on Easter candy!  The important thing to remember is keep it fun, let them enjoy their Easter candy that they received.  However, make sure you are monitoring their intake of sugary goods; it is not as bad with some moderation.

I came across this great idea to make lunch or snack time fun for little ones.  Most of you will have a ton of plastic eggs laying around and looking for ways to use them more than once.  You don’t want to toss them right away.  By filling these plastic eggs with snacks such as: carrot sticks, gold fish, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, just for starters.  After you have them filled, snap them back into place and you can serve them in an old egg carton.  Tada, you have a healthy and fun Easter afternoon snack! 

I hope that each and every one of you have a great Easter weekend,

Lindsey

I don’t know about you, but I am really excited spring is here.  Now when I get off of work there are still hours of sunshine left and that has me feeling productive.  With all of this new found productivity, I am thinking of ways to spend more time outside.  One way I plan on logging more outdoor time, is by moving my gym time to the great outdoors.  Something that I have noticed when I made the move to Shawnee is that there are a lot of sidewalks for running. 

I am not in tip-top shape, although I do enjoy a good run.  However, if you are not that into running you can go for a walk or jog.  There is a place in Shawnee that does a weekly 5K run.  This is a great way to meet new people in the community.  For more information, you should check out the local coffee shop, Sip’s (they are on twitter @sipskafe).  They run a 5K every Monday evening starting at 6:00 p.m. 

After dinner, load up your family and go for a walk or bike ride around your neighborhood, it is a fun way to bond and you feel great doing it.

Here in Oklahoma it seems that spring is in full swing.  The trees are blooming, we are finally getting some much needed rain, livestock shows are happening, and spring break is near.  That’s right; you read that correctly, spring break is near!  I have a feeling that your topic of discussion around the dinner table is centered on spring break.  There are a million questions that need answered: where are you going, what are you doing, how are you going to get there?

Let me guess, you are going somewhere?  Are you thinking road trip?  I thought so.  Traveling with kids is not the easiest activity.  Everyone gets hungry at different times because at school everyone has a different lunch hour.  Here are a few ideas for healthy, quick, and convenient snacks other than your usual granola bar or beef jerky.

It seems like almost everyone loves apples, the easiest thing to do would be to slice them, place them into a container with a dipping sauce.  Yogurt, peanut butter, or caramel pair really well with apples and you could find single size containers easily.

The next idea is celery—I realize that not everyone likes it, but hear me out.  When there is about 1/8 of the peanut butter left in the bottom your container, this works perfectly.  After you clean and slice your celery, place them directly into the peanut butter and put the lid back on.  You have a quick and easy snack ready for the road.  Hope you all travel safe over spring break.  If you happen to be like me, I hope you enjoy your stay-cation in Pottawatomie County!

Enjoy the sunshine,
Lindsey

Today we are going to jump right into another food group—the grains.  The key message here is to remember to make at least half of your grains be whole grain.

What makes up the grains group?  Any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or another cereal grain is a grain product. Bread, pasta, oatmeal, breakfast cereals, tortillas, and grits are examples of grain products.

Grains are divided into 2 subgroups: Whole Grains and Refined Grains.  Whole grains contain the entire grain kernel ― the bran, germ, and endosperm.  Refined grains have been milled, a process that removes the bran and germ. This is done to give grains a finer texture and improve their shelf life, but it also removes dietary fiber, iron, and many B vitamins.

How many grain foods are needed daily?

The amount of grains you need to eat depends on your age, sex, and level of physical activity. Recommended daily amounts are listed in the chart. Most Americans consume enough grains, but few are whole grains.

*These amounts are appropriate for individuals who get less than 30 minutes per day of moderate physical activity, beyond normal daily activities. Those who are more physically active may be able to consume more while staying within calorie needs.

Did you know?

• Consuming whole grains as part of a healthy diet may reduce the risk of heart disease.
• Consuming foods containing fiber, such as whole grains, as part of a healthy diet, may reduce constipation.
• Eating whole grains may help with weight management.
• Grains are important sources of many nutrients, including dietary fiber, several B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and folate), and minerals (iron, magnesium, and selenium).
• Dietary fiber from whole grains or other foods, may help reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower risk of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Fiber is important for proper bowel function. It helps reduce constipation and diverticulosis. Fiber-containing foods such as whole grains help provide a feeling of fullness with fewer calories.

Here are some tips for how you and your family can start to eat more grains.

• To eat more whole grains, substitute a whole-grain product for a refined product – such as eating whole-wheat bread instead of white bread or brown rice instead of white rice. It’s important to substitute the whole-grain product for the refined one, rather than adding the whole-grain product.
• For a change, try brown rice or whole-wheat pasta. Try brown rice stuffing in baked green peppers or tomatoes and whole-wheat macaroni in macaroni and cheese.
• Use whole grains in mixed dishes, such as barley in vegetable soup or stews and bulgur wheat in casserole or stir-fries.
• Popcorn, a whole grain, can be a healthy snack if made with little or no added salt and butter.

I hope that you can incorporate a few of these tips to help you add more grains into your daily routine,
Lindsey

In this post we are going to dig a little bit deeper into the vegetable food group.  I know that some of you are reading this and shaking your head with disgust.  Not everyone likes to eat their vegetables, I completely understand that.  However, there is a vegetable out there for you.  If you have not found one you like, just keep trying different ones.  I know that over time I have grown to like them more and more and try to incorporate them into lunch and dinner.  There are a lot of different ways to get creative.  Before we talk about all of those ideas, let’s get a basic understanding with what we are dealing with.

The USDA definition is: any vegetable or 100% vegetable juice counts as a member of the Vegetable Group. Vegetables may be raw or cooked; fresh, frozen, canned, or dried/dehydrated; and may be whole, cut-up, or mashed.  Now here is where things get tricky, there are five different subgroups of vegetables: the dark-green, starchy, red and orange, beans and peas, and others.

How many vegetables are needed daily or weekly?
Vegetable choices should be selected from among the vegetable subgroups. It is not necessary to eat vegetables from each subgroup daily.

The amount of vegetables you need to eat depends on your age, sex, and level of physical activity. Recommended total daily amounts are shown in the first chart.

*These amounts are appropriate for individuals who get less than 30 minutes per day of moderate physical activity, beyond normal daily activities. Those who are more physically active may be able to consume more while staying within calorie needs.

Did you know?

• Eating a diet rich in vegetables and fruits as part of an overall healthy diet may reduce risk for heart disease, including heart attack and stroke.
• Eating a diet rich in some vegetables and fruits as part of an overall healthy diet may protect against certain types of cancers.
• Diets rich in foods containing fiber, such as some vegetables and fruits, may reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.
• Eating vegetables and fruits rich in potassium as part of an overall healthy diet may lower blood pressure, and may also reduce the risk of developing kidney stones and help to decrease bone loss.

Here are some tips for how you and your family can start to eat more vegetables

• Set a good example for children by eating vegetables with meals and as snacks.
• Let children decide on the dinner vegetables or what goes into salads.
• Allow children to pick a new vegetable to try while shopping.
• Many vegetables taste great with a dip or dressing. Try a low-fat salad dressing with raw broccoli, red and green peppers, celery sticks or cauliflower.
• Add color to salads by adding baby carrots, shredded red cabbage, or spinach leaves. Include in-season vegetables for variety throughout the year.
• Plan some meals around a vegetable main dish, such as a vegetable stir-fry or soup. Then add other foods to complement it.
• Stock up on frozen vegetables for quick and easy cooking in the microwave.
• Buy vegetables that are easy to prepare. Pick up pre-washed bags of salad greens and add baby carrots or grape tomatoes for a salad in minutes. Buy packages of veggies such as baby carrots or celery sticks for quick snacks.

Hope you learned some interesting vegetable facts,
Lindsey

Happy Valentine’s Day fellow blog readers!  I know that many of you are trying to think of ways to be creative to show love to your family and friends.  There are many ways to go about doing so, but today I am going to share with you a few finds that are simple, healthy, and fun!

First off, let me start with this—if you haven’t checked out Pinterest, you should.  There are so many wonderful sections full with ideas that are yours for the taking.  Pinterest is a social media website that is basically a virtual bulletin board.  You can “pin” pictures and videos from different sites onto your boards that are categorized.  It can give you all kinds of different ideas and it’s a tool to help organize everything.  I started a “healthy” board, check it out and feel free to follow it: http://pinterest.com/lindseyll/healthy/  Below are a few things that I found that would be easy for you to fix for Valentine’s Day, enjoy!

How simple is this? You will need a piece of bread, a heart shape cookie cutter, butter, and one egg.  You are going to butter both sides of the bread lightly so it will brown evenly.  Stamp out a heart in the middle of the bread and then place into your skillet, toast one side and flip over.  Crack one egg into the heart shape you cut out and watch your egg cook right before your eyes into a heart.  Serve with fresh fruit and a breakfast meat.  Who doesn’t love breakfast for dinner?

With a smaller heart cookie cutter, take your favorite melon and make into fun mini hearts.  Who said eating healthy couldn’t be fun?

Hope your Valentine’s Day is filled with love,
Lindsey

Today we are going to jump right into the discussion of the food groups—specifically fruit.  The food groups and proportions have gotten a few face lifts over the years.  It’s important that we become familiar with the current USDA MyPlate.  This is a model that we should each strive for in our daily living. 

Here is MyPlates definition of fruit: any fruit or 100% fruit juice counts as part of the Fruit Group. Fruits may be fresh, canned, frozen, or dried, and may be whole, cut-up, or pureed.  When we think of fruits, the first ones that come to mind are some of the most common fruits: Apples, Apricots, Bananas, Grapefruit, Grapes, Kiwi fruit, Lemons, Limes, Mangoes, Nectarines, Oranges, Peaches, Pears, Papaya, Pineapple, Plums, Prunes, Raisins, and Tangerines.

How much fruit is needed daily?

The amount of fruit you need to eat depends on age, sex, and level of physical activity. Recommended daily amounts are shown in the chart.  Recommended amounts are shown in the table below according to MyPlate.

*These amounts are appropriate for individuals who get less than 30 minutes per day of moderate physical activity, beyond normal daily activities. Those who are more physically active may be able to consume more while staying within calorie needs.

Did you know?

• Eating a diet rich in vegetables and fruits as part of an overall healthy diet may reduce risk for heart disease, including heart attack and stroke.
• Eating a diet rich in some vegetables and fruits as part of an overall healthy diet may protect against certain types of cancers.
• Diets rich in foods containing fiber, such as some vegetables and fruits, may reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.
• Eating vegetables and fruits rich in potassium as part of an overall healthy diet may lower blood pressure, and may also reduce the risk of developing kidney stones and help to decrease bone loss.
• Eating foods such as fruits that are lower in calories per cup instead of some other higher-calorie food may be useful in helping to lower calorie intake.

Now that you have learned about how much fruit to eat daily and the benefits, you are probably wondering on how to incorporate fruits into you and your family’s meals.  Here are a few quick and easy tips that will have you munching on more fruit in no time!

• Keep a bowl of whole fruit on the table, counter, or in the refrigerator.
• Refrigerate cut-up fruit to store for later.
• Buy fresh fruits in season when they may be less expensive and at their peak flavor.
• Buy fruits that are dried, frozen, and canned (in water or 100% juice) as well as fresh, so that you always have a supply on hand.
• Consider convenience when shopping. Try pre-cut packages of fruit (such as melon or pineapple chunks) for a healthy snack in seconds. Choose packaged fruits that do not have added sugars.  (These make for a quick and easy breakfast on the go)
• When you are grocery shopping try and incorporate fruits into snack food items instead of chips and candy.

I hope that you have found these fruit facts easy and helpful,
Lindsey

I am what they would call a “twenty something “since I am 23 years old.  I grew up in Pawhuska, Oklahoma also known as the home of the Pioneer woman (the world famous blogger).   I have a very rich history being involved in Agriculture.  Being a 4^th generation 4-H’er, I was involved in numerous different projects ranging from food science, leadership, and livestock projects, just to name a few.  I attended college at Oklahoma State University where I studied Agricultural Leadership and obtained my Bachelors of Science.  Currently I am the 4-H Youth Development Educator in Pottawatomie County.  Shawnee is now where I call home.

Now that you know a little more about me, it’s time to learn about the purpose behind the blog.  A healthier, happier you is going to concentrate on healthy living—this is a community wide need that we need to address together.  I will feature anything from recipes, community happenings, learning opportunities to fun facts.  I would love to hear your needs and what you would like to see. 

Here is to a healthier and happier you,
Lindsey