National Chocolate Milk Day - Should My Child Drink Chocolate Milk?

Should My Child Drink Chocolate Milk?

Trina Robertson, RDN

Resources
1.  Should Children Drink Chocolate Milk? United Dairy Industry

National Johnny Appleseed Day

John Chapman (September 26, 1774 – March 18, 1845), called Johnny Appleseed, was an American pioneer nurseryman who introduced apple trees to large parts of Pennsylvania, Ontario, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, as well as the northern counties of present-day West Virginia. He became an American legend while still alive, due to his kind, generous ways, his leadership in conservation, and the symbolic importance he attributed to apples.

The Story of Johnny Appleseed

Johnny Appleseed, Wikipedia 

National Lobster Day - Nutrition and Recipes

Suggestions on how to Eat Lobster to stay
Healthy and Avoid a Mess (or make a mess)

*No Butter and No Cream
*Ask for Lemon, Olive Oil, and Dijon Mustard
and Make Your Own Dressing.

*Wear A Bib

Lobster Facts
From Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen’s Association (AOLA)

The difference between a hard shell and soft shell lobster.  Lobsters will periodically shed their shells as they grow. This can happen as many as 25 times before they are 6-7 years old; then males shed every year and mature, females every two years. When lobsters become very large molting is less frequent. After they shed they have a paper-thin shell, which can take up to two months to harden and are called soft-shell, new shell, or shedders. The debate goes on as to which is most tasty, though the soft-shell is definitely easier to crack!

Lobsters do not have vocal cords. They do not scream when being cooked.

The teeth of the lobster are in its stomach. The stomach is located a very short distance from the mouth, and the food is actually chewed in the stomach between three grinding surfaces that look like molar surfaces, called the "gastric mill".

Besides the greenish-brown colored lobsters, there are also rare blue, yellow, red and white ones. Except for the white ones, they all turn red when cooked.

A 2-pound female lobster usually carries approximately 8000 eggs. A 9-pound female may carry more than 100,000 eggs. The female carries the eggs inside for 9 to 12 months, and then for another 9 to 12 months externally attached to the swimmerets under her tail.

When the eggs hatch, the larvae will float near the surface for 4 to 6 weeks. The few that survive will settle to the bottom and continue to develop as baby lobsters. From every 50,000 eggs, only 2 lobsters are expected to survive to legal size. It takes 5 to 7 years for a lobster to grow to legal size in the ocean. A lobster at legal size will weigh approximately 1 pound.

Lobster Cooking and Eating

The Lobster and the Beer,
A Story of Survival

   

National Cholesterol Education Month - What You Need to Know

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance your body needs. But when you have too much in your blood, it can build up on the walls of your arteries and form blockages. This can lead to heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.



There are two kinds of cholesterol: high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). HDL is also called "good" cholesterol. LDL is called "bad" cholesterol. When we talk about high cholesterol, we are talking about "bad" LDL cholesterol.

Seventy-one million American adults have high cholesterol, but only one-third of them have the condition under control.1 September is National Cholesterol Education Month—a good time to resolve to get your cholesterol screened.

Screening

Screening is the key to detecting high cholesterol. Because high cholesterol does not have symptoms, many people do not know their cholesterol is too high. Your doctor can do a simple blood test to check your cholesterol level.

The National Cholesterol Education Program recommends that adults aged 20 years or older have their cholesterol checked every 5 years.

You may need to have your cholesterol checked more often if any of the following statements apply to you:

· Your total cholesterol is 200 mg/dL or higher.

· You are a man older than age 45 or a woman older than age 50.

· Your HDL cholesterol is lower than 40 mg/dL.

· You have other risk factors for heart disease and stroke.

The Healthy People 2020 objective is to have 82% of the population screened. The number of people who said they were screened for cholesterol between 2005-2009 increased from 73% to 76%, only a handful of states met the 82% Healthy People 2020 objective.

Prevention and Treatment of High Cholesterol

Make lifestyle changes by:

·   Eating a healthy diet. Avoid saturated fats and trans fats, which tend to raise cholesterol levels. Other types of fats, such as polyunsaturated fats, can lower blood cholesterol levels. Eating fiber also can help lower cholesterol.

·   Exercising regularly. Physical activity can help lower cholesterol. The Surgeon General recommends that adults engage in moderate-intensity exercise for 2 hours and 30 minutes every week.

·   Maintaining a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese can raise your cholesterol levels. Losing weight can help lower your cholesterol.

·   Not smoking. If you smoke, quit as soon as possible.

Be sure to follow your doctor's instructions and stay on your medications, if prescribed, to control your cholesterol.

For more information about cholesterol and how you can prevent high cholesterol or keep it in check, see "Your Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol with TLC" from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Reference
CDC, Cholesterol

 

National Family Meal Month and Family Day: a Day to Eat Dinner With Your Children

Family Day—A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children™ is a national movement promoting parental engagement as a tool to help keep kids substance-free. Family Day began as a grassroots initiative and has grown to become a nationwide celebration. In 2010, President Obama, all the Governors, and over 1,000 Mayors and County Executives proclaimed and supported Family Day!

More than a decade of research by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University has consistently found that the more often kids eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs.

Dinners Make A Difference! While there are no silver bullets – substance abuse can strike any family regardless of ethnicity, affluence, age, or gender – the parental engagement fostered at the dinner table can be a simple, effective tool to help prevent substance abuse in kids.

Join the Movement - National Family Meals Month

Family mealtime is an ageless tradition shared by people all around the world. Eating dinner together keeps the doors of communication open. It's a perfect time to show your children they are your priority. Studies have shown children who eat dinner with their families are less likely to use alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs and more likely to develop good eating habits.

Sesame Street: Eat Together!


Quick and Easy Meals to
Bring Families Together at Meal Time

To learn more about Family Day, visit:
Website. Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children™

Website: Informed Families - Family Day is a Day to Eat Dinner With Your Children