| Nutrition News: Got Flavored Milk? There's a controversy bubbling in many schools: Should children be offered flavored milk, which is higher in sugar, or simply be offered white milk? Both have equal amounts of nutrients, such as calcium, vitamin D and phosphorus; however, flavored milks are higher in calories. In light of the rise in childhood obesity, that's a concern for many people.
An 8-ounce glass of chocolate milk has 158 calories and 24.9 grams of sugar. An 8-ounce glass of white milk has 102 calories and 12.7 grams sugar. The difference is 56 calories and 12.2 grams sugar. However, when chocolate milk wasn't offered, school kids often replace milk with juice or soda.
In a study at a school in suburban Connecticut, both flavored milk and white milk were offered from September to November 2007. One year later, only white milk was offered. The switch resulted in a 35 percent to 62 percent decline in milk consumption, according to Keith Ayoob, associate clinical professor in the department of pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, N.Y. Ayoob presented his findings at the American Dietetic Association annual meeting held recently in Boston.
In another study of 58 elementary and middle schools across seven school districts, when chocolate milk was not offered, schoolchildren chose 23 percent fewer cartons of milk and drank 35 percent less milk. Most replaced milk with carbonated soft drinks or juice.
"What happens is kids adapt to not drinking milk," said Ayoob. "Then they also miss out on 8 grams of protein, a third of their daily calcium. The first year, milk consumption dropped 28 to 31 percent, and by the second year, milk consumption dropped to 28 to 37 percent."
To replace milk's lost nutrients takes a bigger tray and requires three to four replacement foods, Ayoob said. "The cost of replacing nutrients in milk per student is $125 compared to the cost of a year's worth of school milk per child of $23.50."
Ayoob believes the extra nutrients kids get in flavored milk outweigh the extra 12 grams of sugar.
Q and A
Q: Just how much sodium is reduced when rinsing and draining a can of chili beans?
A: Now that sodium is apparently on its way to becoming Public Health Enemy #1 (the way fat used to be), a 15-ounce can of chili beans with 1,570 mg of sodium seems like a serious offender. Draining the beans can reduce the sodium count by 36 percent, according to a study conducted last year by University of Tennessee researchers.
They also found that the combination of rinsing and draining reduces sodium by another 5 percent. That shaves off about 644 mg of sodium -- almost 30 percent of your daily allowance. -- Cooking Light magazine
RECIPE
From Eating Well Magazine, this recipe for Crispy Turkey Tostadas is a great way to use the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving.
Crispy Turkey Tostadas
1 ( 14-ounce can) petite diced tomatoes, preferably with jalapenos
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 cups shredded cooked turkey, or chicken (12 ounces)
8 corn tortillas
Canola or olive oil cooking spray
1 avocado, pitted
1/4 cup prepared salsa
2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 375 degrees F. Bring tomatoes and their juice to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and most of the liquid has evaporated, 15 to 20 minutes. Add turkey (or chicken) and cook until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, coat tortillas on both sides with cooking spray. Divide the tortillas between 2 large baking sheets. Bake, turning once, until crisped and lightly brown, about 10 minutes. Mash avocado in a bowl. Stir in salsa, sour cream and cilantro until combined.
To assemble tostadas, spread each crisped tortilla with some of the avocado mixture. Top with the turkey (or chicken) mixture, lettuce and cheese. Serves 4; 2 tostadas each.
Per serving: 397 calories, 33 g protein, 34 g carbohydrates, 15 g fat, 86 mg cholesterol, 8 g fiber, 621 mg sodium.
========
Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian from Springfield, Ill. For comments or questions, contact her at charfarg@aol.com. To find out more about Charlyn Fargo and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com. |
| Thank you for your subscription to Health and Fitness from ArcaMax with the following email address:
ignoble.experiment@arconati.us Health and Fitness from ArcaMax may be non-commercially distributed unedited! Please share it! Pass it along to friends, family and associates. SUBSCRIBING To Subscribe to any of our Newsletters visit:
http://www.arcamax.com/cgi-bin/reg UNSUBSCRIBING To discontinue this newsletter - Select this link Having Trouble? You may also try this link:
http://www.arcamax.com/unsubscribe
It is our policy and practice not to send unwanted email. ArcaMax Publishing, Inc.
729 Thimble Shoals Boulevard
Suite B
Newport News, VA 23606 Copyright 1996-2009 ArcaMax Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Keep a civil tongue.