Tag Archives: free handout

Energy Drinks: Just the Facts

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It seems like we’ll eat or drink anything that will increase our lagging energy levels. Put the phrase “boost your energy” on a food or beverage, and we think, “Hey, I need that!”

Marketed to improve energy, promote weight loss, increase stamina, and boost athletic performance/mental concentration, energy drink sales are expected to reach $52 billion by 2016. Energy drinks are most popular with teens and young adults — 30-50% of them frequently consume energy drinks.

What’s in Energy Drinks?

Energy drinks start off with a combination of sugar or sugar substitutes and caffeine. Then herbal extracts like ginseng, guarana, yohimbine, and ginko biloba are added. There also might be amino acids, taurine, L-carnitine, or B vitamins too.

Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limits caffeine content in soft drinks, there is no regulation of energy drinks, which are classified as dietary supplements. Many energy drinks contain 70-80 milligrams (mg) of caffeine per 8 ounces, which is three times the amount of caffeine in cola drinks. Since many energy drinks are packaged in containers that hold 12 ounces or more, the amount of caffeine can easily reach 200 mg or greater. 200-300 mg of caffeine per day is considered a safe amount for adults, and the American Academy of Pediatrics states that energy drinks are never appropriate for children and teens.

Manufacturers are not required to list the caffeine content from additives, which means that the actual caffeine content can exceed what is listed on the label – if it’s listed at all.

Plus, with 220-260 calories per 16-oz serving (that’s equal to 13-16 teaspoons of sugar), energy drinks also contain more sugar and calories than carbonated cola beverages. Sweetened beverages are a primary source of sugar in our diet, and they contribute to obesity and dental caries.

Should I Drink Energy Drinks?

I recommend that you skip energy drinks and instead choose beverages that promote health and hydration. Think water, fat-free milk, and 100% fruit juice. For optimum energy, eat a balanced diet, get plenty of sleep, and participate in regular physical activity.

By Lynn Grieger RDN, CDE, CPT, CWC

References:

  1. The History of Energy Drinks: A Look Back. Wall Street Insanity. Samantha Lile. 5-6-2013. http://wallstreetinsanity.com/the-history-of-energy-drinks-a-look-back/ Accessed 5-21-14.
  2. Caffeine in the Diet. MedLine Plus. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002445.htm Updated 4-20-2013. Accessed 5-21-14.
  3. Proposed Actions for the US Food and Drug Administration to Implement to Minimize Adverse Effects Associated With Energy Drink Consumption. Thorlton J, Colby DA, Devine P. Am J Public Health. 2014 May 15.
  4. Sports & Energy Drinks: Answers for Fitness Professionals. Jerry J. Mayo, Ph.D., R.D. and Len Kravitz, Ph.D. http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/sportsdrinksUNM.html
  5. Health Effects of Energy Drinks on Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults. Seifert, Schaechter, Hershorin, Lipshultz. Pediatrics. Mar 2011; 127(3): 511–528.
  6. Clinical Report – Sports Drinks and Energy Drinks for Children and Adolescents: Are They Appropriate? Committee on Nutrition and the Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness. Pediatrics 2011 Jun;127(6):1182-9.
  7. Energy Drinks. The American Association of Poison Control Centers. http://www.aapcc.org/alerts/energy-drinks/ Accessed 5-21-14

Handout:

Here’s a link to the free handout. Download it anytime!

Energy Drinks

More Resources:

The Nutrition Education Store is always evolving. Check out the latest resources for beverages and health!

Sugar Awareness Handout

Don’t Drink Your Calories: PowerPoint and Handout Set

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nutrition Poster

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To Thump or Not to Thump: A Watermelon Quiz

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Try this fun quiz from Cheryle Jones Syracuse to celebrate watermelons while promoting good health…

National Watermelon Day is August 3rdI often wonder when I see people at the grocery store thumping on watermelons. Do they really know what they are listening for?

There’s an old saying about thumping a watermelon:

A good watermelon should sound hollow… like if you thumped your chest.
If it sounds like you’re hitting your head… it’s not ripe.
If it sounds like thumping on your stomach… it’s definitely too ripe.

Now I’ve given this saying some thought, and I’m not sure that I could judge any of those sounds. There has to be a better way to evaluate these fruits. I did some research, consulted with some colleagues, and have returned with a fun quiz that offers insight into how to select, store, and prepare watermelon. Of course, I’ve also included information about a watermelon’s nutrient content and health benefits. What better way to celebrate National Watermelon Day?

The quiz is available in the text of this blog, and an abridged version is also available as a downloadable handout! So check out the options below and, if you like what you see, get the handout for free!

See the yellow “belly” on that watermelon?

Watermelon Quiz:

How much do you know about watermelon? Take this quiz and find out!

  1. True or False? Uncut whole watermelon should be refrigerated.
  2. True or False? Since you’re not eating the rind, you don’t need to wash the outside of a watermelon before cutting into it.
  3. True or False? The red pigment in watermelon is a good source of the phytochemical lycopene.
  4. True or False? The “belly” of a ripe watermelon should be yellow.
  5. True or False? Like the name implies, watermelon is made of mostly water.
  6. True or False? Watermelon does not really have any nutritional value.
  7. True or False? Watermelon is a good source of potassium and sodium.
  8. True or False? The rind of a watermelon should not be eaten.
  9. True or False? It’s okay to swallow watermelon seeds.
  10. True or False? The “hollow” heart sometimes found inside a watermelon is caused by someone dropping the melon.
  11. True or False? Watermelon is a cousin to cucumbers and squash.
  12. True or False? A good way to tell if a watermelon is ripe is by giving it a good thump.

_FHC5141-3Answer Key:

  1. FALSE: Uncut whole watermelon can be kept in a cool, dry place and does not need to be refrigerated. Stored this way, a watermelon will keep for 7-10 days at room temperature. Once cut, leftover watermelon should be covered and refrigerated. Be cautious of purchasing cut melons at farmer’s markets if they have not been kept cool after cutting. Use cut watermelon within 5 days.
  2. FALSE: The outside rind of the watermelon should be washed before you cut into it. Bacteria found on the outside may easily be transferred to the interior during cutting. Before slicing up your watermelon, be sure to wash your hands and wash the melon under cold running water. You may need to use a clean brush to help scrub off excess dirt.
  3. TRUE: There may be up to 20 mg of lycopene in a two-cup serving of watermelon. Studies have shown that people with diets high in lycopene have a reduced risk of prostate, breast, and oral cancer. The redder the melon is, the more lycopene it contains.
  4. TRUE: A yellowish spot on the underside or “belly” of a watermelon indicates that it is ripe. This spot should not be white or green — if it is, then it means that the watermelon is underripe.
  5. TRUE: A watermelon is 92% water, which makes it light in calories and a good tool for proper hydration. A two-cup serving of watermelon contains only 80 calories and counts for two servings of fruit.
  6. FALSE: Watermelon is an excellent source of vitamins A and C. A 2-cup serving provides 25% of your needed daily Vitamin C and 30% of the needed Vitamin A. It’s also a good source of vitamin B6 and contains 1 gram of fiber and 20 grams of natural sugar.
  7. FALSE: Although watermelon is a good source of potassium, it is low in sodium, with zero fat and zero cholesterol.
  8. FALSE: Watermelon rind is edible and can even be delicious. There are a variety of recipes available for items made with watermelon rind. Try using it in everything from slaw to chutney to pickles.
  9. TRUE: Despite what you may have heard when you were growing up, watermelon seeds will not grow in your stomach. It will not harm you to swallow watermelon seeds. Some people even save them, dry them, and eat them as a snack. The small white seed coats that are often found in “seedless” watermelons are seeds that have not matured. These “seeds” are sterile and, if planted, will not produce a watermelon.
  10. FALSE: The “broken heart,” “hollow heart,” or cracked center that is sometimes found inside a watermelon is caused by weather conditions during the growing season. This flesh is still good and safe to eat. Some folks say watermelon with a these internal cracks are sweeter due to concentration of the sugars.
  11. TRUE: Watermelon are a vine crop and must have honeybees pollinate the blossoms. Watermelon is in the same botanical family as cucumber, pumpkins, and squash. Seedless watermelons are created by crossing different kinds of melons and are not genetically modified. There are many varieties of watermelons available and options include: seeded, seedless, mini, yellow, and orange.
  12. FALSE: Unless you are a very experienced watermelon picker, it is difficult to tell if a watermelon is ripe solely by evaluating the sound you make when thumping on it. A good watermelon should be symmetrical, heavy for its size, and firm. It should have no cuts, dents, or bruises. Also, look for a pale or buttery yellow “belly” and a dry stem end near the base of the fruit.

By Cheryle Jones Syracuse, MS, Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University

Want to send this quiz to your clients? You can download it here!

Watermelon Handout

Check out other nutrition education resources too!

Fruit Bulletin Board Kit

I Heart Fruit and Veggies Poster

Watermelon “Cake” Recipe Card

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Salad Secrets

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I had a mission. I was going to take pictures of all 1,000 recipes in the free recipe database.

Salad Secrets Cookbook and Demo Set

It didn’t seem especially daunting. I figured that I would print a copy of each recipe, then sort everything into piles of similar recipes. I would tackle salads, then fruits, pasta, rice, chicken, fish, veggies, beans, soups, holidays, desserts, etc.

As I began to sort, I was blown away by the hundreds and hundreds of salad recipes. There seemed to be way more salads than anything else. In fact, we had roughly 10 times the number of salads than recipes in any other category.

Since I had so many healthful salad recipes, I decided to take pictures of those first.

Little did I know that this would take a whole summer.

You see, once I started taking pictures of the salads, I got a little sidetracked. There were just so many wonderful recipes to share. I ended up putting all the salad recipes into a book and combining them with an instruction set. That’s how Salad Secrets was born.

I also posted some of my favorite salads and presentation tips on the Food and Health blog, and they quickly became some of the most popular posts I’d ever written. I shouldn’t really have been surprised — who doesn’t want to learn about healthful new ways to make tasty and creative salads?

Carrot Cake Salad from the Salad Secrets Cookbook

One of my best salad features was the carrot cake salad. It uses the same spices as carrot cake and can be served dessert-style in a stemmed glass. I was so pleased with the resources that I’d made to help people fall in love with salad. In fact, that delight soon led to the creation of a nutrition poster called Fall in Love with Salad.

Who knew that all of those wonderful nutrition education materials would come out of a simple photography project?

Of course, I eventually did get back on track. I finished my pile of salads, and you can see the recipes (with photos!) in the salad section of the free recipe database.

Once the salads were done, I decided to tackle fruit.

Well, that was my intention.

Home Run Cooking Book and Demo Program

The recipes just kept inspiring me, and before I knew it, I had compiled my favorite show-stopping fruit desserts into Fruit Tooth, a cookbook that helps people turn a sweet tooth into a “fruit tooth” with simple and delicious fruit desserts.

At that point, I decided to roll with it, turning the holiday recipes into Holiday Secrets, my best healthful holiday cooking book yet. That was quickly followed by the Home Run Cooking Book, which is basically a compilation of my very favorite recipes that I’ve ever created.

So, here we are in 2014, and I’ve still got a few stacks of recipes to photograph. Plus, I’m constantly adding new and exciting recipes to the database, which means that my to-do list is always growing.

But really, I’m sure I’ll finish it all any minute now.

By Judy Doherty PC II and Founder of Food and Health Communcations 

PS Because I love you, here’s a free handout with one of my latest salad creations, the Chicken Fajita Salad. Get your copy today!

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Making MyPlate a Reality

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Freebie Alert: This post contains a free MyPlate handout!

Does your plate look like MyPlate?

Food 002-2

The new USDA food icon for healthful eating is much simpler to implement and understand than the older version, MyPyramid. Rather than trying to visualize the foods in a pyramid of varying composition, people simply look at their plates during meals and ask themselves whether their plates are balanced like MyPlate. With healthful portions and proportions of fruit, vegetables, protein, grains, and dairy, MyPlate offers a great way to approach eating right.

Now eyeballing those same portions and proportions just got easier.

With the new Nutrition Education Store MyPlate plastic plates, you can eat meals off of an actual MyPlate. Each plate comes printed with MyPlate, so that eating healthfully is just a matter of filling each section with foods that are good for you and that fit the MyPlate categories. And each plate is 9.5 inches, just like most real plates!

Think of the possibilities!

All the guesswork of healthful eating could be eliminated, replaced by an easy and consistent model. You could have a MyPlate party, incorporate these plates into your next cooking demonstration, offer them as a giveaway at your next health fair or event, use them in one-on-one consultations, and much more!

They are available as singles, 10 packs, and 50-pack super savers.

Your clients’ lives just got a whole lot easier.

Pick up your own MyPlates today!

Looking for more MyPlate? Check out all the options in the Nutrition Education Store! We’ve picked out some of the most popular to feature below…

MyPlate Poster

MyPlate for Kids Handout Tearpad

MyPlate Plastic Window Clings

And now, because we love you, here is a free MyPlate handout. Simply download it and use it as you will! It’s perfect for emails, bulletin boards, handouts, and more!

MakeMyPlateHandout

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Bootcamps and PowerPoints: Health Education for Women

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I love helping health educators work.

Last week, Michelle Ernaga, MPH, RD, ordered 3 PowerPoint presentations for her students.

She bought…

Why these three?

Well, Michelle teaches health classes for women at local churches and in school health programs. Each of these PowerPoints speaks to key women’s health issues, and since each presentation comes with free additional health education materials, Michelle could save time by simply downloading what she needed without having to deal with researching the latest science, formatting the slides, creating graphics, or any other headaches. All the work was already done for her, thanks to our team of experts.

But why put together health classes especially for women? Well, according to
Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Adults: National Health Interview Survey, 2012, 13.7% of adult women in the United States are only in fair or even poor health. Moreover, 32.8% of American women have hypertension, 35.9% are obese, and 17.3% smoke cigarettes (source). Millions of women in American are underserved when it comes to health, and many more don’t have access to the information that could help them improve their health. Michelle is doing her best to change that, setting up classes that cover key topics in women’s health: breast cancer, osteoporosis, and heart health.

According to the National Library of Medicine, “Breast cancer affects one in eight women during their lives.” In fact, not counting certain skin cancers and lung cancers, it is the most common cancer in women, no matter what their race or ethnicity. In 2009 — the most recent year that comprehensive data was available at the time of this show’s publication – 211,731 American women were diagnosed with breast cancer and 40,676 women in the United States died from it (source).

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. In fact, the CDC asserts that 1 in 4 American women will die of heart disease.

Last but not least, let’s turn to osteoporosis. The National Library of Medicine maintains, “Anyone can develop osteoporosis, but it is common in older women. As many as half of all women and a quarter of men older than 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis.” Furthermore, according to the National Institutes of Health, “In the United States, more than 40 million people either already have osteoporosis or are at high risk due to low bone mass, placing them at risk for more serious bone loss and fractures. Although osteoporosis can strike at any age, it is most common among older people, especially older women.”

I was impressed by Michelle’s goals and her commitment to teaching these key health lessons… so I threw in two more health presentations for free.

I added…

I chose those two in order to round out the presentations that Michelle had already planned. The Diet and Breast Cancer PowerPoint presentation was a great resource for adding more information to the Women’s Health Bootcamp. With it, Michelle could lead her participants into a more detailed discussion about the link between what they eat and their risk of breast cancer.

The Women and Heart Disease PowerPoint presentation adds another level to the Diet and Heart Disease PowerPoint presentation that Michelle had already purchased. By using this show too, Michelle can address the specific heart health issues that are most important to women.

Michelle was thrilled with the additions, and wowed by the shows she’d purchased. She wrote to me to say that there is no other company like Food and Health Communications. She ended her email with “I am most appreciative of your generosity and your professionalism.”

What praise!

It is such a treat to put together the best nutrition and health education resources in the business, and I love the opportunities that I get to really help the people who are making such a difference in so many lives.

To continue the tradition, I’ve uploaded a free handout to this very post. Get your copy of the free Women’s Heart Health handout today!

Women Heart Health

 

I’m proud of the many and varied nutrition education materials in the Nutrition Education Store. Some of the most popular resources include…

MyPlate for Kids Poster

Case of 12 Home Run Cooking Books

Nutrition Tree Poster

By Judy Doherty, PC II and Founder of Food and Health Communications, Inc

PS Michelle is going to work on men’s health next and will be ordering the Men’s Health Bootcamp in the fall. What are you preparing for?

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Freedom from Chronic Disease

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Bonus Alert: This post contains a free handout!

What do healthful eating and the Statue of Liberty have in common? You may be surprised by the answer.

When I went to see the Statue of Liberty, I was struck by her beauty. To my surprise, her natural green patina reminded me of kale. Kale is beautiful too, but I certainly didn’t expect it to pop into my head when I was looking at the Statue of Liberty.

But the more I looked, the more the statue reminded me of the colors and textures of fruits and vegetables.

I pictured the statue dressed in kale, holding a fiery fruit and veggie torch. In that moment, I knew I had to use that imagery in a poster. Both the statue and the vegetables represent freedom to me. In the statue’s case, it is the freedom from tyranny, and, in the food’s case, the fresh fruits and vegetables offer freedom from chronic disease.

Fruit, Vegetables, and Freedom from Chronic Disease

According to MyPlate, the USDA’s guide to healthful and balanced eating, “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.”

As always, a wide variety of fruits and vegetables is best, in order to take advantage of their amazing health benefits. Blueberries, for example, are loaded with anthocyanins, which have been shown to slow and even reverse age-related declines in brain function, as well as cognitive and motor performance. Other compounds in blueberries may delay the effects of vascular dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Dark leafy greens, on the other hand, contain different compounds with other health benefits. They offer excellent supplies of vitamins A, C, and K, for example, and it is these vitamins that protect your bones, decrease inflammation, support cell growth and development, protect vision, support your circulatory system, and improve immune function. The Agricultural Research Service asserts that “Because of their high content of antioxidants, green leafy vegetables may be one of the best cancer-preventing foods. Studies have shown that eating 2 to 3 servings of green leafy vegetables per week may lower the risk of stomach, breast and skin cancer.”

With their disease-fighting compounds and health-boosting effects, fresh fruits and vegetables may offer the very thing that so many people truly want: freedom from chronic disease.

Making the Poster

After I had the idea to make a fruit and vegetable Statue of Liberty, I raced to my artist to see what he could put together. His creative take on the fresh foods that offer freedom from chronic disease completely wowed me, and I immediately put our research team to work. They crafted a fantastic handout that outlines just how vital fruits and vegetables are in the fight against chronic disease. Want to see it for yourself? The handout will be a free accompaniment to the poster.

After that, all I had to do was put the poster in the store.

Once it was up, I was blown away by the customer response! Since so many people asked how I had thought up the idea to combine two ways of looking at freedom, I decided to write this post. I hope you enjoyed it. If you’re looking for more about the Statue of Liberty, check out the amazing torch webcams or read through the fascinating story of the Statue of Liberty’s past.

By Judy Doherty, PC II and Founder of Food and Health Communications

Get your own copy of the Freedom from Chronic Disease poster today! And check out the latest and greatest additions to the Nutrition Education Store…

Freedom from Chronic Disease Poster

Healthful Fast Food Choices Brochure

Healthier Choices 1-2-3 Poster

Looking for that free handout? Look no further! Here’s your guide to the health benefits of fruits and vegetables, which offer freedom from chronic disease. Download your copy today!

Freedom Handout

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I Heart Fruits and Veggies

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Hooray for fruits and vegetables!

Iheartfruitsandveggies

Everyone loves the “I heart” message, and now it’s coming to a wellness poster for you! This eye-catching nutrition poster will help remind your clients to eat more fruits and vegetables each day.

We combine color, a simple visual message, beautiful food photos, a heart icon, and a fresh look at health in this poster. It can serve as a wellness poster, motivational poster, fruit and vegetable promotion poster, school poster, or a food art poster. Which role would you like it to play?

So why use a health poster?

The possibilities are endless! You can pep up any space, communicate key health messages in a fresh new way, and even introduce people to fruits and vegetables that they haven’t tried before.

Check out these rave reviews of the posters we’ve created…

  • “I think our folks can get and are getting a lot of information from these posters. Thank you!” —  Melissa A. Chlupach, MS, RD, LD, ANMC Food and Nutrition Services
  • “The poster, as is true with many of the posters from Nutrition Education Store are colorful, interesting to the eye, and fun to look at.  They are a real draw to a booth!” — Marla Hill, RD, CD
  • “The materials and poster I ordered were great.” — Michelle McCracken-Brown, PA-C, Physician Assistant, Health Center Manager, Take Care Health Systems, Inc.

So what are you waiting for? Get your copy of the I Heart Fruits and Veggies Poster today! Or preview this free handout that accompanies the poster!

Remember, there’s always more in the Nutrition Education Store! The latest bestsellers include…

6 Grocery Shopping Tour Guide CD

The Way to Eat with Diabetes Color Handout Tearpad

Nutrition Healthy Food Poster

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Free Handout: Nutrition for Kids

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It’s time for another free handout! Are you lucky or what?

This week’s free nutrition education handout is called Nutrition for Kids. It lays out simple questions for kids to ask about their meals and snacks, which combine to help them make healthful and balanced choices. This handout is a perfect accompaniment to a nutrition game or bulletin board for kids. Get it now!

Kids Nutrition Handout

Of course, if you’re looking for nutrition posters, resources for kids, or even school health education materials, the Nutrition Education Store has you covered. Check out the Free Resources for Educators section, or just browse the store. Some of the most popular health and nutrition guides for kids are featured below…

Food Label Bookmark Pack

Eat From the Rainbow Banner

MyPlate Activity Book for Kids

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Free Handout: Back to Basics with MyPlate

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It’s time to get back to basics with MyPlate. Let’s take a break from the latest updates and in-depth explorations of nutrition science and take a good look at the building blocks of health and balanced eating. Sometimes, a moment back to the basics is all you need, and this MyPlate resource is perfect for your clients. You definitely don’t want to miss this free handout.

MyPlate Basics

The free nutrition handout is the MyPlate Strategy Guide. It’s two pages long and covers all the basics of the USDA plate. We call it a strategy guide because it offers simple ways to incorporate the lessons of MyPlate into everyday life. So download it today and share it with your clients! It’s perfect for an email blast, bulletin board display, or simple handout.

(You know what goes well with this handout? MyPlate posters! And, if you’re looking for another way to approach the lessons of MyPlate, then be sure to check out the MyPlate for Kids section of the Nutrition Education Store).

MyPlate Poster

MyPlate for Kids Bulletin Board Kit

MyPlate Set of Paper Plates

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Free Handout: Survive the Holidays with MyPlate

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The holiday season is upon us! How are you keeping your celebrations healthful? This month’s free holiday nutrition handout offers some great advice for enjoying the holidays in a fun and balanced way, using tips and tricks from My Plate.

Survive the Holidays with Health

Download Survive the Holidays with MyPlate now!

The holidays can be a crazy time of year, with so many activities and nary a free moment in sight. Yet your health and fitness goals shouldn’t go out the window in this scenario — it’s still important to stay healthy. This free handout offers a great start. For more holiday nutrition handouts, check out the Nutrition Education Store or browse the featured products below…

Holiday Secrets: Healthful Holiday Recipe Cookbook

Holiday Poster Value Set

Holiday Color Handout Trio

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