Food and Health Communications

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Food News: 10 Ways to Go Green, Food Away Calories

10 Ways to Go Green:1. Hearts - romaine hearts are economical and easy to “cut to order” during the week. We find they last longer than bagged lettuce.2. Apples - use green for des- serts, snacks and salads.3. Pears - in season now4. Broccoli, broccoli rabe - al- ways a good idea5. Asparagus - cooks quick in the microwave or toaster oven6. Herbs or herb paste7. Cabbage - make slaws, shred into tacos and add to stir-fry dishes.8. Spinach - the great thing about spinach is that it can be eaten raw or steamed so you get double duty for the same thing in one week.9. Avocado - a rich flavor treat.10. Limes - salads and many other dishes.Food Away CaloriesCompared with meals and snacks prepared at home, food prepared away from home increases caloric intake of children, especially older children. Each food-away-from- home meal adds 108 more calories to daily total intake among children ages 13-18 than a snack or meal from home; all food from school is estimated to add 145 more calories.By Lisa Mancino, Jessica E. Todd, Joanne Guthrie, and Biing- Hwan Lin, Economic Research Report No. (ERR-104) 33 pp, October 2010, usda.gov Based on 2 days of dietary data and panel data methods, this study includes estimates of how each child’s consumption of food away from home, food from school (which includes all foods available for purchase at schools, not only those offered as part of USDA reimbursable meals), and caloric sweetened beverages affects that child’s diet quality and calorie consumption.