Kids Eat Right, Monday Message for May 28, 2012

Article of the Week

Young people with a positive image of themselves don’t obsess about calories, food or weight. 

4 ways to give your child the gift of a positive body image. http://bit.ly/K0Ynv3  

Hot Tip

Pack food right from the refrigerator into your picnic cooler
immediately before leaving home. http://bit.ly/KuWAOp 

Recipe of the Week

Pick up a precooked pork loin roast from your
supermarket deli counter to make these
quick sandwiches for your kids. http://bit.ly/KZLrmG  

Featured Video

Want to give your kids a tasty, creamy snack that hits the spot on hot days? 

Try Mom's Mango Smoothie! http://bit.ly/pYWKAl  

The Kids Eat Right Monday Message is a benefit of the Kids Eat Right Campaign Volunteer program.

Memorial Day Traditions and Safety

Memorial Day Food Safety

visit www.fightbac.org

and Home Food Safety

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service.  Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries and memorials of soldiers who lost their lives protecting our freedoms.  On Memorial Day the flag is raised briskly to the top of the staff and then solemnly lowered to the half-staff position, where it remains until noon. It is then raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day. At 3 p.m. local time, a national moment of remembrance takes place.

Honoring Our Fallen Heroes this Memorial Day

Memorial Day often marks the start of the summer vacation season. Families gather together for a long weekend marked by barbecuing, fireworks and trips to the beach. This is an important time to remember food safety practices.

The History of Memorial Day

Safe Summer Grilling Advice 
from the Department of Agriculture


Food Safety Advice for

Beach and Boat Outings

May 25, 2012 Nutrition Highlights, Events, and Food Finds

Heat Safety Awareness
Brown-Bag-It Day
Gifts from the Garden

Cooking with Spaghetti Squash

National Brown-Bag-It Day

Gifts from the Garden Month

Not yet, but in about 6 to 8 weeks I should have a
garden filled with fresh vegetables.

Cooking with Spaghetti Squash

Recipe Makeover: Bon Appétit Slow-Roasted Salmon with Cherry Tomatoes and Couscous

The original recipe is located at the following link: Slow-Roasted Salmon with Cherry Tomatoes and Couscous 

With some slight changes and portion control, you can save over 200 calories, 10 g fat, 30 mg Cholesterol, and 237 mg Sodium.

Modified Slow-Roasted Salmon with
Cherry Tomatoes and Couscous

Ingredients
Yogurt Sauce
1 cup plain low fat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup plain low fat yogurt
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

Salmon
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 bunch dill fronds
1/2 bunch thyme sprigs
3-pound center-cut skin-on salmon fillet (prepare 4 oz cooked Salmon per person)
8 ounces small cherry tomatoes on the vine

Tomatoes and Couscous
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 cup Israeli couscous, dry (1/2 cup cooked per person)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions
Yogurt Sauce. Mix yogurts, dill, chives, and lemon zest in a medium bowl until well combined. Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Salmon. Preheat oven to 325°. Pour 3 Tbsp. oil in a roasting pan just large enough to fit the salmon. Make a bed of herbs in bottom of pan; top with salmon, skin side down. Drizzle salmon with remaining 2 Tbsp. oil. Top with tomatoes. Bake until salmon is just cooked through in the center (a small knife will slide easily through flesh), 25–30 minutes.

Tomatoes and Couscous. Toss tomatoes in a medium bowl with 2 Tbsp. oil and parsley. Set aside. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add couscous and cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain couscous; transfer to a large bowl. Stir in butter and 1 Tbsp. oil. Gently fold tomatoes into couscous.

Serving. Use a large spoon or fork to serve salmon, leaving skin in pan. Serve with yogurt sauce and couscous.

May, National Hamburger Month Fast Foods, Varieties, Recipes and Safety

The Burger has many variations. The article looks at the nutrition information
of Fast Food Burgers, varieties, recipes and food safety.

The Fast Food Burger

Burger Love Handles is a song written by Don MacLeod about his personal battle with being overweight. The song focuses on the fast food burger as one of his difficulties in losing weight.

Many fast food items are high in Fat, Cholesterol, Saturated Fat and Sodium and are Risk Factors associated with Heart Disease. However, the informed customer can make healthier choices at fast food restaurants. Below is the nutrition information of some Fast Food Hamburgers. Calories range from 140 for a White Castle Slyder to 1061 calories for a Burger King Cheeseburger, Double Whopper.

Burger Variations

The variations of burgers are constantly changing and expanding to meet our personal preferences, cultural differences and/or nutritional needs.

A burger is not just a ground beef patty served on a bun with the numerous extras, such as tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, onions, jalapeno, cheese, ketchup, mayo, mustard, relish - the list is endless. Today, you can prepare or order a burger made from just about any food you can ground up and serve on a bun.

Some of the ground beef alternatives include:

Beans

Tofu

Seitan

Turkey

Chicken

Veal

Pork

Lamb

Bison

Deer

Seafood

In addition, to the variations listed above, there are numerous variations based on the percent of fat in ground beef and ground poultry.

Recipes using Alternatives to Ground Beef

Click the recipe title to obtain a copy of the recipe.

Black Bean Burgers. courtesy Sandra Lee from Sandra's Money Saving Meals.
This recipe is 302 Calories and 5 g Fat

Boca Burger, Meatless California Burger by Boca Burger.
Calories 250 and 7 grams Fat.

Stuffed Turkey Burgers, Ellie Krieger, Show: Food Network Specials Episode.
Calories 286 and 10 grams Fat.

Food Safety

Memorial Day is quickly approaching and many Americans will be using the Barbecue to prepare there favorite Burgers. It is extremely important to practice good food safety techniques.

Safe Summer Grilling Advice from the Department of Agriculture

Food safety officials and partners have some tips for a successful barbecue season.

The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline

can help answer your questions about the safe storage, handling

and preparation of meat, poultry, and egg products.

May 22, International Day for Biological Diversity Marine Biodiversity

The United Nations proclaimed May 22 The International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. The 2012 theme is Marine Biodiversity. 

For many coastal communities, the survival of marine and coastal ecosystems and biodiversity is essential to their nutritional, spiritual, societal and religious well-being. But even for the many millions of people who may not think that they have any strong reliance on the ocean, marine ecosystems and wildlife provide all kinds of benefits. Many coastal environments provide protection for those farther inland from the ravages of the sea. Coral reefs buffer land from waves and storms and prevent beach erosion. Dune systems on beaches stabilize shorelines from erosion and encroachment. Mangroves, mudflats and deltas trap sediment, preventing the land behind it from sliding ever-seaward.

The ocean world is in all our daily lives. For example, sponges from the Mediterranean have been used for painting, cooking, cleaning and even contraception for at least 5,000 years. Substances derived from seaweeds stabilize and thicken creams, sauces, and pastes, are mixed into paint and used to make paper and even in skin lotion and toothpaste.

Many marine plants and animals also contain a multitude of substances already being used, or identified as being of potential use, in medicines. Each of the 700 known species of cone snail produces a unique cocktail of 100 to 200 toxins, some of which have already been developed into pain killers: one, which has been on the market since 2004, is more than 100 times more powerful than morphine. A 2010 study predicted the existence of between 250,000 and close to 600,000 chemicals in the marine environment, approximately 92 percent of which remained undiscovered; those chemicals, the study’s authors estimated, might yield up to 214 new anti-cancer drugs, worth anywhere from US $563 billion to $5.69 trillion.

Most importantly of all, tiny marine plants called phytoplankton produce energy, like plants on land, through photosynthesis. As a result of that photosynthesis, they release oxygen. In fact, phytoplankton release half of all oxygen in the atmosphere.

Under the Sea

Video Message from Mr. Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias
International Day for Biological Diversity

Resources.

The International Day for Biological Diversity 
Ocean Conservancy

The Ocean Foundation

Save the Sea

Kids Eat Right, Monday Message for May 21, 2012

Article of the Week

Kids who eat with their families are healthier and do better in school.   Make Sunday night dinner a family affair!  http://bit.ly/JHZpKW  

Hot Tip 

Lower the risk of your kids getting diabetes and other diseases by making sure they consume fiber-rich foods. http://bit.ly/Kt5ygo

Featured Video

Are your kids tired of same old snack? Try this Meal-in-a-Peel Potato Bar!  http://bit.ly/LRYtnM

Food Allergy Awareness Week May 13 -19, 2012

The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) was founded in 1991 and is the world’s largest nonprofit organization providing information about food allergy to the media, schools, health professionals, pharmaceutical companies, the food industry, and government officials, as well as the food-allergic community.

FAAN’s mission is to raise public awareness, to provide advocacy and education, and to advance research on behalf of all those affected by food allergy and anaphylaxis.

Respect Every Bite

In 1997, FAAN created Food Allergy Awareness Week to educate others about food allergies, a potentially life threatening medical condition. This year they are celebrating the 15th annual Food Allergy Awareness Week (FAAW), May 13-19, 2012.

Food Allergy Awareness Week 

FAAN’s annual programs, include: Food Allergy Awareness Week, Food Allergy Conferences, Mariel C. Furlong Awards for Making a Difference, Food Allergy News for Kids Poster Contest, Teen Summit, Trick-or-Treat for Food Allergy, Walk for Food Allergy, Kids’ Congress on Capitol Hill.

Allergic? Don't Ignore The Fine Print

Teresa Beach, Registered Dietitian

Food Allergy Substitutes

Camp Tag

Camp TAG is a 5-day, half-day camp for children ages 3-12. It provides a safe place for children with food allergies and their siblings to have fun with no worries about having an allergic reaction, as well as give them an opportunity to meet other children who share the same conditions and know they are not alone.

For further information on FAAN, visit:
Websites: http://www.foodallergy.org/
http://www.faankids.org/
http://www.foodallergyevents.org/
http://www.foodallergyalliance.org/
Facebook. FAAN 
Twitter: @FoodAllergy

YouTube Channel: FAANPAL

Contact Information:

The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network

11781 Lee Jackson Hwy., Suite 160

Fairfax, VA 22033

(800) 929-4040 

http://www.foodallergy.org/