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1(1...\ Staff Support Kit Wh::1t' · T ns1(le· Educator's Handbook Discussion Sessions Family Meals- Easy, Tasty, and Healthy! Vegetables and Fruits- Simple Solutions How Much?- Food and Physical Activity Family Time- Active and Fun Loving You; Familygl Feedmg Their Future Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program Dear Nutrition Educator, SDA's Food and Nutrition Service is pleased to send you the attached Staff Support Kit for the Loving Your Family Feeding Their Future, Nutrition Education Through the Food Stamp Program initiative. These educational and promotional materials were designed to convey the messages in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) and MyPyramid in a user-friendly format that would appeal to low-literate and Spanish-language audiences. An Executive Summary of the Loving Your Family ... initiative that provides background information on the development and testing of the materials is posted on the Food Stamp Nutrition Connection (FSNC) Web site at http://www.nal.usda. gov/foodstamp/LovingYourFamily.html. Major components of the Staff Support Kit include: • staff support materials {handbook and discussion sessions) • English participant education materials (brochure, guidebook, handouts, and reproducibles) • Spanish participant education materials (Spanish versions of brochure, guidebook, handouts, and reproducibles) An on-line training module housed on FSNC at the same site provides an overview of the kit components and ideas for using the materials. Educators may download materials from this site. Also provided on-line are sample pre- and postsession feedback questions for educators to get customer feedback. Educators may need to modify these questions to meet local needs. Extra copies of selected Loving Your Family ... materials may be ordered at http://www. fns.usda.gov/fsp/nutrition education/ A User Response Card is attached for you to provide us feedback on these materials. Completed forms can be faxed to 703-305-2576, Attention NSS. If you have any questions or would like more information, please call 703-305-2585. We greatly value your input and look forward to receiving your comments. Thank you for Supporting the Loving Your Family ... initiative User Response Card Loving You; Family~ Feedmg Their Future Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program Help us serve you better! Complete this form and fax to 703-305-2576, Attention: NSS. We will use your suggestions and feedback to improve our materials and continue to provide you the resources that you need. Who Is using this Staff Support KHY {check all that apply) D Food Stamp Program State Agency Staff D Food Stamp Nutrition Education State Coordinator D Food Stamp Program Local Agency Staff Please tell us which components you found most useful. D Food Stamp Nutrition Education Local Coordinator D Other Food and Nutrition Service program D Other _________ _ Components Used (check) Mo~e Useful to Less Useful Educator's Handbook 5 4 3 2 1 Discussion Sessions English Handouts ' ' Spanish Handouts ,\ l English Brochure ! \ \ Spanish Brochure \ \ I ! English Participant Guidebook i \ Spanish Participant Guidebook / / I ' j English Reproducibles I / i Spanish Reproducibles I i \ Overall Theme and Kit i ' r Tell us what other materials would be useful to you. f /i I J i! \ { \ 1. I I \ j I \ I J \ I I \ I / \ I I \ \ I I Anything else we should know? I I \ I \ \ • j I I Thank you for answering these questions! \ \_ \ L __) l Loving You; Family · • Feed1n Their Future Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program Acknowledgtnents Loving Your Family Feeding Their Future, Nutrition Education Through the Food Stamp Program is an initiative of the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The educational and promotional materials are designed for Food Stamp Program participants or eligibles with children ages 2-18 who may possess low literacy skills and who may be Spanish speakers. The project also includes educational materials for persons delivering Food Stamp Nutrition Education (FSNE). However, these materials can be used in other settings with similar target audiences, such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, to help parents and other caregivers follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans with the goal of improving the eating and physical activity behaviors of their families. FNS wishes to thank the local, State and Federal practitioners from the Food Stamp Program (FSP) and FSNE in California, Kentucky, New Jersey, Illinois, Florida, Massachusetts, and Texas who have provided input, reviewed prototypes, or tested these materials. Additionally, the following individuals have provided technical expertise and excellent guidance for the successful completion of this project. Jan Adams Child Nutrition Programs, FNS Carol Stiller WIC Program, FNS Sandy Borrelli New York State Food Stamp Program Colleen Bray Mountain Plains Region, FNS Sandra Canales University of Florida Marisa Cheung Western Region, FNS Technical Reviewers Evelyn F. Crayton Auburn University Jamie Dollahite Cornell University Mavis Faulknor Newark WIC Program Sheldon Gordon Food Distribution Program, FNS Wendy Johnson-Taylor National Institutes of Health Jan Kallio Massachusetts WIC Program Louise Lapeze Child Nutrition Programs, FNS Joyce McDowell The Ohio State University Chris Sady University of Southern Maine Ellen Schuster University of Missouri Linda Wells New Mexico State University Project Officers: Jane Mandell and Donna Johnson-Bailey, Office of Analysis, Nutrition, and Evaluation, FNS Project Team Members: Alice Lockett, Food Stamp Program, FNS Alicia White and Judy Wilson, Office of Analysis, Nutrition, and Evaluation, FNS Melissa Walker, Food Stamp Program, FNS 2 These materials were prepared through a contract with BestS tart, Inc., Tampa, Florida with funding from USDA's Food Stamp Program. What is inside this handbook? The Loving Your Family ... initiative .. . . . . .................... 4 An Overview of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans ·~ - and MyPyramid . ........................................ 6 A Look at the Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Addressing Low Literacy Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 The Influence of Cultural Norms on Nutrition Habits ............. 15 Getting the Kids Involved. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Promoting and Marketing Loving Your Family:.. . ... . ........... 18 Additional Nutrition Education Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 3 Loving Your Family) Feeding Their Future: Nutrition Education Through the Food Stamp Program ... 4 This Educator's Handbook serves several functions. It: -+ Helps nutrition educators implement Loving Your Family, Feeding Their Future. -+ Provides an overview of the ready-to-use educational tools and available resources. -+ Introduces nutrition educators to the theme developed for this initiative and encourages its use in other nutrition education efforts. is an initiative of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). This project provides educational and promotional materials and techniques to help nutrition educators in their work with Food Stamp Program (FSP) participants and eligibles. The client materials are specifically targeted and designed for English- and Spanishspeaking women with children ages 2 through 18. They are written in simple, easy-to-read language appropriate for a fifth-grade reader. Other nutrition assistance programs could use these materials with similar audiences. This Educator's Handbook provides an overview of the Loving Your Family .. .initiative, a discussion on the relationship between Loving Your Family ... , My Pyramid, and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) , and information on how to use the materials. Loving Your Family ... Helps Clients Loving Your Family .. . is a tool that helps you provide low-literate English and Spanish speakers access to nutrition education that is useful, relevant, and reflects the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and My Pyramid, USDA'.s food guidance system. Loving Your Family ... is user-friendly and focuses on how women and their families can eat better and be more physically active by changing behaviors. In particular, the educational materials and discussion sessions will help clients and their families stretch their food dollars, fix easy and tasty meals, eat healthier, and be physically active. Focus of Loving Your Family Loving Your Family .. . supports these behaviors: -+ Eat fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products every day. -+ Be physically active every day as part of a healthy lifestyle. -+ Balance calorie intake with calories expended. These behaviors are based on some of the recommendations outlined in MyPyramid and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. According to research completed with FSP participants for this Loving Your Family. .. project, these are recommendations that participants would like to be able to follow. These behavioral outcomes are also emphasized in the Food Stamp Nutrition Education Guiding Principles and the FSNE State Plan Guidance1 . Loving Your Family ... Helps Educators As a nutrition educator, you have a tough job. You provide nutrition education to many different types of people who often are going through hard times. FSP participants may have limited reading skills and English-speaking abilities. They may also have little or no income. Loving Your Family ... offers a consistent model for working with these groups. This model includes: • Materials designed specifically for the target audiences • Background on their educational needs • Guidance for teaching relevant, understandable, and achievable behaviors • Resources to support your nutrition education efforts 5 An Overview of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are the basis of Federal food, nutrition education, and information programs. They provide science-based advice to promote health and to reduce risk for chronic disease through diet and physical activity. MyPyramid, USDA's food guidance system, provides information on how individuals can put the Dietary Guidelines into practice. MyPyramid depicts how one's total diet meets nutrient needs from food sources and aims to moderate or limit dietary components often consumed in excess. An important complementary tool is the Nutrition Facts label on food products. For more information on this tool, go to www.cfsan.fda.gov. The recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid are for persons over 2 years of age and support the basic premise that nutrient needs should be met primarily through consuming foods . MyPyramid food guidance system is not a therapeutic diet for any specific health condition. U::;;:S;--D=A . United States Department of Agnculture Individuals with a chronic health condition should talk with a health care provider to determine what dietary pattern is appropriate for them. Pregnant women should also follow the advice of their health care provider regarding food and physical activity recommendations. MyPyramid Web site If the time and situation permits, you can customize MyPyramid for each participant using the MyPyramid Web site. 2 On the site, you can enter information about the participants' age, gender, and activity level and generate a MyPyramid plan that is specific to the calorie and nutrient needs of the participant. The plan includes how much the individual should eat from each food group each day. You are encouraged to review and become familiar with the information on the MyPyramid Web site, especially the following sections: • For Professionals - Education Framework - Food Intake Patterns and Calorie Levels • Tips and Resources '1111111 MyPyramid.gov - IIJm About Us · News & Media ; Site Help · Online Ordering Contact Us En Espafiol Steps to a Healthier you • My Pyramid Plan • Inside the Pyramid • Tips & Resources • Dietary Guidelines • For Kids • For Professionals • Related Links 6 • My Pyramid Tracker My Pyramid Plan Age: Sex: - {r:I:S:-e:cle- ct-1;- -..,:) Physlul Activity: Amount of moderate or vigorous activity (such as brisk walking, jogging, biking, aerobics, or yard work) you do In addition to your normal daily routine, most days. ! (Select) • I • ) Participants can also visit the MyPyramid Web site independently. However, participants with limited literacy skills may have difficulty reading and understanding some of the text. Participants may access the Internet through home, schools, libraries, some public offices and public health and social service organizations. The MyPyramid Web site offers participants more ways to improve the health of their families. The Web site is available in Spanish by clicking on the "En Espafiol" button in the top right corner. Using the MyPyramid Web site, participants and educators can: • Work independently to address questions raised during nutrition education sessions. • Explore topics of particular interest and relevance to participants or educators. • Obtain information on MyPyramid recommendations for other family members. • Select educational items and activities for children. • Identify healthy lifestyle options for the entire family. For those participants who do not have access to the Internet, you may assist them by downloading files for use as handouts. Keep in mind that some of the information may not be at the appropriate literacy level for your audience. Food Intake Patterns Throughout this initiative, a 2,000-calorie food intake pattern is used as a reference for consistency with the Nutrition Facts label on food products. It was also selected because this initiative uses a family-based approach and the 2,000 calorie level is the appropriate calorie level for many sedentary and moderately active women and children over 8 years old. Although this calorie level is used as a reference, recommended calorie intakes will differ for individuals based on age, gender, and physical activity level. For example, the following chart shows three different calorie levels and the amount of food from each food group that might be appropriate for a young child (8 years or younger), a woman (19-50 years), and a teenaged boy (14-18 years). Daily Amount of Food From Each Group* Calorie Level 1 ,400 (young child, 8 yea rs or younger) 2, OOQ (woman, 19-50 years) 2,800 (teen boy, 14-18 years) Fruits 1.5 cups 2 cups 2.5 cups Vegetables 1.5 cups 2.5 cups 3.5 cups Grains 5 ounce-equivalents 6 ounce-equivalents 1 0 ounce-equivalents Lean meat and beans 4 ounce-equivalents 5.5 ounce-equivalents 7 ounce-equivalents Milk 2 cups 3 cups 3 cups * These are approximate amounts and may vary depending on exact age, gender, and physical activity level of each person. 7 8 A Look at the Materials Loving Your Family, Feeding Their Future The theme for this initiative, Loving Your Family, Feeding Tbeir Future: Nutrition Education Through the Food Stamp Loving You; Family~ Feed1ng Their Future Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program Program, was developed to provide brand support and promote nutrition education services for women with children. Research was conducted with key audiences for this initiative including FSP participants, staff and administrators, and those persons who deliver nutrition education to FSP participants. This approach helped ensure that the initiative theme was relevant and appealing to the target audiences. The Loving Your Family ... theme was selected based on findings from the audience groups that indicated Loving ... provides a warm, nurturing, feminine, and personal message. It directly reflects reported aspirations of participants for their families ... to have loving, supportive homes. It is a positive, affirming declaration that also suggests the central goal of mothers is to provide for the future of their children. Loving . .. says even in the face of dealing with the reality of everyday life, they are caring parents who want to provide a strong future for their children in spite of the obstacles they face. The tag line, Nutrition Education Through the Food Stamp Program, helps make the connection between nutrition education services and the FSP. Loving Your Family ... is a brand that not only marks these materials but also could be used at the State or local level to brand other FSP nutrition education efforts that are targeted to women and families. The three ethnic groups (AngloAmerican, African-American, and Hispanic-American) that are the focus for this initiative have much in common when it comes to food use behaviors. The research for this project confirms this idea. These shared characteristics allow educators to utilize instructional approaches that cross ethnic and cultural boundaries in many situations. Messages in the materials are applicable among all of the groups for which Loving Your Family ... is intended. Careful attention was paid to visually represent all of the primary groups for this initiative. While most educators are aware that different groups bring different challenges to nutrition education, participants have more in common than different in terms of their interests in and difficulties with establishing food behaviors and physically active lives. The sections of the Handbook called, Addressing Low Literacy Skills (page 14) and Cultural Considerations When Working with Spanish-Speaking Participants (page 14), provide additional information that is specific to low-literate and Spanish-speaking groups. The Loving Your Family ... initiative includes a promotional brochure and materials for clients and educators as shown in the following chart and brief descriptions of each material. A number of complementary resources that may assist you in your nutrition education efforts are also listed. Tools for Success Promotional Tool Educator's Tools Client's Tools 1. Their Future Means 1. Explore Loving Your Family .. . 1. The Healthy Family Guidebook Everything to You brochure Online Education Module 2. Educator's Handbook 3. Discussion Sessions for leaders 2. Take Home Handouts for participants • Family Meals- Easy, Tasty, • Family Meals- Easy, Tasty, and Healthy! and Healthy! • Vegetables & Fruits- Simple • What counts as one cup Solutions of fruits? • What counts as one cup of vegetables? • How Much?- Food and • Ways to Eat Smart and Physical Activity Move More • Family Time- Active and Fun Other Complementary Resources (These materials are not packaged with this kit, but information on how to access them is provided.) • Food Stamp Nutrition Connection Web site • FSNE Guiding Principles • FSNE State Plan Guidance • Dietary Guidelines for Americans • MyPyramid Web site • MyPyramid large and mini posters • My Pyramid for Kids Coloring Page • Nutrition Facts label • Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ Power Plans (lessons for adults and children), brochures and music3 9 10 Promotional Tool Their Future Means Everything to You is a multipurpose brochure. As a promotional tool, it provides an overview of nutrition education services and emphasizes the FSP commitment to assisting families with improving nutrition and physical activity behaviors. Organizations or agencies can place local contact information on the brochure to assist with their outreach efforts. It also improves participant awareness of the Loving Your Family ... initiative. You may use this brochure with clients as a take-home reinforcement of program services, and as an information-sharing tool for family members, friends , or others in the social networks of participants. Tools for You-the Nutrition Educator Loving You; Family~ Feedmg Their Future Nutm!OI'I Education Through The Food Stamp Progtam Their future means everything to you Several tools are available for the nutrition educator: an online education module, Explore Loving Your Family. .. , this Educator's Handbook, and four Discussion Sessions. The online education module provides a visually narrated tour through this Educator's Handbook and the four Discussion Sessions. To access the module, go to www.nal.usda.gov/foodstamp/. The four Discussion Sessions are·ready-to-use plans for conducting educational sessions with FSP participants and eligibles. The key topics covered in the sessions are linked to The Healthy Family Guidebook. Handouts for participants are provided or suggested for all of the sessions. ' . ~ All of the discussion sessions are planned for groups of about 5-7 mothers and each session can be completed in about 45 minutes. The discussion sessions use a participant-centered approach and include interactive group activities. They support and help the adult learner with low literacy skills understand the nutrition information and make a commitment to take action to improve eating and physical activity behaviors. The behavioral objectives for each discussion session are listed below. Discussion Session Family Meals- Easy, Tasty, and Healthy! Vegetables and FruitsSimple Solutions How Much?- Food and Physical Activity Family TimeActive and Fun Behavioral Objectives • Identify and use at least two time-saving or low-cost ways to prepare healthy family meals each week. • Name two tasks their child can do to help make a family meal and commit to letting their child help do a task at least once a week. • Identify and commit to try at least two vegetables and two fruits during the upcoming week with at least one vegetable a dark green or orange one. • Identify and commit to at least one activity to encourage their children to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables each day. • Recognize what a 1-cup portion of vegetables and a 1-cup portion of fruits look like. • Identify the amounts of food most women and children need from each food group. • Identify and commit to at least one action to get the right amount of foods from MyPyramid food groups. • Identify and commit to at least one action to get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity most days of the week. • Identify and commit to at least one action to get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity with their family most days of the week. • Identify and commit to at least two actions to help kids eat in a healthy way, every day. 11 These sessions can be used as single session discussions or combined and taught as a "mini" course. You could develop additional discussion sessions using this format as a model and tailor to your local needs based on the information in the The Healthy Family Guidebook. For example, discussion sessions on whole grains and low-fat or fat-free milk and milk products would support the behavioral outcomes for the Loving Your Family ... initiative. Consider preparing one of the recipes from The Guidebook for participants to taste at a discussion session. You may want to avoid recipes using peanut products since some persons are allergic to them. The Eat Smart. Play Hard. TM (ESPH) Campaign also has Power Plans (discussion sessions) targeted to parents and children that could be used in conjunction with the Guidebook. View these sessions at www.fns.usda.gov/ eatsmartplayhard. 12 Tools for Your Clients The Healthy Family Guidebook communicates MyPyramid messages in a way that is appropriate for low-literate audiences for both English and Spanish language speakers. The participant Guidebook is the foundation for the Loving Your Family. .. initiative. The Guidebook uses a "self-teaching" format to help participants understand the basics of the Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid recommendations for a healthier lifestyle. This "help" book assists FSNE participants with daily nutrition management and physical activities for their families while supporting positive behavioral changes. The Guidebook provides information about the amount of food to eat each day from each food group, tips on buying foods to stretch food dollars, tips on serving foods , including low-cost recipes, and ideas for getting children to eat healthier foods and be physically active every day. '. ~ Additional Reinforcement Materials Take-Home Handouts are provided or suggested for all of the Discussion Sessions. The handouts are designed to help participants commit to healthy eating or physical activity behaviors. As noted in the chart below, additional optional handouts are suggested. Discussion Session Take-Home Handout Family Meals- Family Meals-Easy, Tasty, and Healthy! Easy, Tasty, and Healthy! Optional handout: Power Up with Brealifast (Eat Smart. Play Hard. TM brochure) Vegetables and Fruits- What counts as one cup of vegetables? Simple Solutions What counts as one cup of fruits? Optional handout: Grab Quick and Easy Snacks (Eat Smart. Play Hard.TM brochure) How Much?-Food and Ways to Eat Smart and Move More Physical Activity Optional handout: Balance Your Day With Food and Play (Eat Smart. Play Hard. TM brochure) Family Time- Optional handout: Make Family Time an Active Active and Fun Time (Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ brochure) USDA's MyPyramid poster is used in all of the Discussion Sessions. You can download the poster and the MyPyramid for Kids Coloring Page that is referenced in the sessions from www.mypyramid.~ov. Eat Smart. Play Hard. TM campaign materials are used or referenced in several of the Discussion Sessions, including music, movement scripts, and adult brochures. These materials are available at www.fns. usda. gov I eatsmartplayhard/ . 13 Addressing Low Literacy Skills In the 1991 National Literacy Act, the United States Congress defined literacy as: an individuals ability to read, write, and speak in English, and compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society, to achieve one's goals, and develop one's knowledge and potential.4 Literacy is not a skill that individuals either have or don't have. Rather, people fall into a literacy continuum for different types of skills. These skills impact their ability to perform reallife tasks such as: • Finding information in texts, like newspaper articles. • Completing forms, such as a social security card application. • Interpreting graphs and charts, such as a table of employee benefits. The National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) is a nationally representative and continuing assessment of English language literacy skills among American adults. For more information, go to www.nces.ed.gov/ NAAL. What is most relevant to the Loving Your Family ... project is that three out of four Food Stamp Program participants performed in the two lowest literacy levels. This means that an alarming number of FSP participants read at levels that make it difficult for them to properly use many existing nutrition education materials. This initiative and the materials for participants have been developed and designed to help 14 those FSP participants who are having difficulty reading. Some of the key design features to make the Loving Your Family ... participant materials more user friendly include:5-6 • The use of audience-appropriate reading levels that are at or near 5th grade level • The use of full-color illustrations and images to help communicate key information and elicit reader attention • Design features that emphasize core information by the use of text blocks, bullet lists, and repetition • The use of real world examples to emphasize instructional points • Easy-to-read descriptions of key terms, for which no low literacy alternatives are available or that are new or technical in nature • Pretesting of all materials to assure that the intended audience groups view the materials as attractive, comprehensible, acceptable, persuasive, and relevant Cultural Considerations When Working with SpanishSpeaking Participants One of eight people in the United States was of Hispanic origin in 2002. About 34 percent were under 18 years of age, and around 70 percent were citizens. Approximately 17 percent of Food Stamp Program households heads were Hispanic in 2004.7 Loving Your Family ... is intended to improve availability of nutrition education information to Spanish-speaking FSP participants and eligibles. This requires attending to a number of variables that influence how materials are developed for this diverse population group. Some factors that influence nutrition education for Spanishspeaking participants are related to cultural differences, language skills, and transient/ migratory population clusters. Hispanics in the United States are a multicultural population, having migrated from different countries.8 Cultural and language elements vary across national origins.9 While the Loving Your Family .. . initiative is not designed as a cultural competencies training, the materials reflect appropriate ethnic and cultural images and messages based on the guidance of this project's formative research findings. 10 The following suggestions are not a definitive list of cultural competencies related to Spanish-speaking FSP participants. However, they are helpful tips that were reported by participants during the research phase of the Loving Your Family . .. initiative. Effective Cultural Elements11 -13 : • Promote respect for elders and interest in their traditions • Help people to share and discuss personal experiences • Rely on extended family to help with education • Build on Hispanic/ Latino communal neighborhood values and attitudes • Support practices/ events that promote their culture and traditions • Emphasize contemporary and historical role models • Use specific terms rather than general (i.e. , chicken, rather than poultry) • Avoid words that are vague • Use images culturally relevant to the audience • Use culturally familiar foods or activities The Influence of Cultural Norms on Nutrition Habits Society and cultural norms influence participants' abilities to adopt healthier lifestyles. Generally, contemporary, high-paced lifestyles and the media influence food use and physical activity practices.14 - 16 Many modern conveniences make it easier to avoid physical activity in the course of everyday lives. These conveniences include cars, elevators, television, computers, and more mechanized jobs. • Food advertising and promotions are prominent features of the commercial mainstream. • Advertising encourages consumption of affordable, high-calorie foods. • Children are increasingly the targets of food advertising. 15 Getting the Kids Involved One of the most significant barriers to introducing healthful lifestyle practices into the family is the influence of children who often play a role in food selections and preparation. Finding ways to encourage the active participation of kids in healthy food practices and active lifestyles can have a significant impact on the success of nutrition education. Here are some tips to help FSP participants get their kids involved. These tips reinforce information found in The Healthy Family Guidebook. ~ A parent's habits help kids make smart food choices.17 -19 Kids like to be copycats. They will follow a parent's example, if it is consistent. If parents drink milk and eat vegetables, so will kids. Teach parents to set a good example. This is a reason to encourage parents to adopt healthier practices. 16 ~ Encourage parents to have healthier foods in the house. Teach parents to keep a variety of healthy food choices around. Allowing kids to decide from among options like apples, graham crackers, or carrots is empowering for the children and maintains a varied nutritional complement of snack foods around. ~ Parents should eat meals with their children as often as possible. Meals are a valuable way to spend time together, break up the busy days, and provide opportunities for parents to "catch up on things" with their kids. Parents can also use meal times to talk about foods and plan fun physical activities. Parents can offer children time to discuss their interests, what types of physical activity they would like to do, what foods they've enjoyed recently, or what new foods they have discovered. Family meals also provide an opportunity for parents to model good eating habits. ~ Promote "new food nights" to introduce foods that the family hasn't tried before. New foods may take a few tries before the family likes them. Parents can make an event out of trying new foods by having "new food night." Parents can allow the kids to help pick the foods, plan the meals or snacks, and cook. This offers kids a feeling of ownership in the new food experiences and makes experimenting more entertaining and less like a chore. ~ Teach parents the value of balancing physical activity with what the family eats. Eating healthier foods is important but being physically active is equally valuable for healthy lives. Kids need at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day or most days of the week. Adults need at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week to reduce the risk of chronic disease. Moderate physical activity that the family can do together includes activities like: • Walking briskly • Gardening/yard work • Dancing • Bicycling ~ Let parents know the importance of engaging in physical activities with their children. Parents can help their children to be more active by participating in activities with them and modeling fun, easy, everyday activities that will help establish an interest in being more active. • Walk or play together. - Walk in an area that is comfortable for everyone like in the neighborhood, at a park, or in the mall. - Walk to school with your kids. - Walk with your kids to the store when you only need a few things. - Play with your children - basketball, soccer, or chase each other in a game of tag. • Involve kids in groups that do physical activities. • Teach kids to take the stairs, not the elevator. • Park as far away from stores as possible to add walking steps to everyday activities. • When the weather is bad, turn on the music and dance or march around the house with the kids. The children will love doing "kids" things with grownups. 17 Promoting and Marketing Loving Your Family ... FSP participants and eligibles come in contact with many organizations, institutions, and individuals in their communities. Loving Your Family ... can expand your capacity to influence change in FSP participants by utilizing all the available resources within the program and with your partners at the local, State, and national levels. Linking Loving Your Family. . . with the FSP and Other FNS Programs Loving Your Family . .. is a subset of the educational information that is found in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid. Being sure to always present Loving Your Family .. . as supportive of MyPyramid will help foster the shared brand identity and the relationship among the various nutrition education components. FSNE is often provided at locations other than where recipients receive FSP food benefits. The result is program participants often do not know that the FSP provides nutrition education. Communication and networking among the various FSP staff members who interface with participants can help to build a team that shares common goals associated with nutrition education. Making FSP offices a place where the promotional brochure, Their Future Means . .. , is distributed will help bridge this gap. This will help to include non-nutrition staff in the promotion and referral process for 18 nutrition education services. It will also help partcipants access resources and foster awareness of the Loving Your Family ... initiative. Developing Partnerships According to nutrition educators who participated in the study that guides Loving Your Family . . . , partnerships with FNS programs and other organizations that interface with FSP participants can foster referrals. These organizations are also potential sites where nutrition education may be offered. These partners can help improve awareness that the FSP is a source for nutrition education. They also serve as valuable distribution points for Loving Your Family ... participant materials. To improve partnerships: • Provide promotional brochures (Their Future Means Everything to You) that frame the initiative as a FSP nutrition education offering to local FSP offices, FNS nutrition-related programs, and other community venues. • Hold in-service orientations for non-nutrition, professional, paraprofessional, and clerical staff to introduce the initiative, review the value of nutrition education, and solicit support. • Hold in-service orientations for FNS program staff associated with other nutrition programs, such as WIC and Child Nutrition Programs. Partnerships can provide access to preformed groups within which educators may establish nutrition education classes. These include: Adult Settings:* • Local Food Stamp and TANF offices • Food banks and pantries and soup kitchens • Job training centers, career centers, and work sites • Housing authority locations • Faith-based organizations • WIC Farmers' Markets • WI C clinics • Grocery stores in low-income areas • School PTAs in low-income schools • Head Start centers • Health clinics and public health programs Children's Settings:* • Low-income public schools (K through 12) • Childcare centers 'Refer to FSNE State Plan Guidance for exact requirements. • Preschool programs • After school programs • Summer food programs • Head Start centers • Youth recreation programs The Loving Your Family . .. initiative provides basic tools to reach food stamp participants and eligibles with information and skills to help them adopt several healthy eating and physical activity behaviors. It is by no means the only set of nutrition education materials that can be used in FSNE, but may be a starting point for your efforts at reaching women with children who are Spanish speaking and who may have low literacy skills. The following additional resources may be helpful in your nutrition education endeavors. 19 20 Additional Nutrition Education Resources Nutrition education is an evolving field. As nutrition educators in the field, you are asked to master innovative instructional and curriculum approaches. Emerging science in the area of nutrition and physical activity is a constant. In order to stay current, nutrition educators must access an abundance of information and knowledge from a wide array of resources. philosophy under which one's respective program operates? To make the search for information more efficient, this listing of nutrition education resources provides a way to access a science-based collection of resources to complement and expand your program's educational goals and to guide clients to more healthful lives. This wealth of information can be an asset, or it can be a challenge. How does one select from among the vast array of resources? What resources are the most current, correct, and user-friendly? And what sources of information fit the nutrition education The foundation of all nutrition education efforts should be the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid, which reflect Federal nutrition policy. USDA's FNS recommends using the following resources for nutrition and physical activity information. Suggested Internet Resources Dietary Guidelines for Americans are published jointly every 5 years by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Guidelines provide authoritative advice for people 2 years and older about how good dietary habits can promote health and reduce risk for major chronic diseases. Complete information on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans can be found at: www.cnpp.usda.gov MyPyramid.gov STEPS TO A HEALTHIER YOU MyPyramid is a Webbased, consumer-oriented resource system from which nutrition education staff can better understand the Federal food guidance system and develop curriculum approaches and educational materials for Food Stamp Program participants and other clients. Check the section titled "For Professionals" to access accurate nutrition and physical activity information and the science behind MyPyramid. www.mypyramid.gov The Food Stamp Nutrition Connection is a resource for Food Stamp Program nutrition educators. This site provides training, resources, nutrition education materials, FSNE State Plan Guidance, recipes, photo gallery, information on particular nutrition topics, access to other state food stamp nutrition education resources, and discussion groups. The Loving Your Family .. , materials including the online education module can be found here. www.nal.usda.gov /foodstamp Food & Nutrition Service (FNS) Nutrition Link (www.fns.usda.gov/ nutritionlink) is a gateway page to some other initiatives of interest, including: Eat Smart. Play Hard. ™ Campaign provides educational and promotional materials to help motivate children and their caregivers to eat healthy and be active. www .fns. usda. gov / eatsmartplayhard Team Nutrition supports the Child Nutrition Programs through training, nutrition education for children and their caregivers, and school and community support for healthy eating and physical activity. www.fns. usda. gov /tn WIC Works Resource System provides nutrition service tools for nutrition education professionals. www.nal.usda.gov/wicworks/index.html Healthier US.gov provides information to help Americans choose to live healthier lives by focusing on nutrition, physical fitness, prevention, and making healthy choices. www.healthierus.gov Additional Federal Government Resources Nutrition.gov provides easy access to the best food and nutrition information from across the Federal Government. It serves as a gateway to reliable information on nutrition, healthy eating, physical activity, and food safety for consumers, educators, and health professionals. www.nutrition.gov The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is committed to programs that reduce the health and economic consequences of the leading causes of death and disability and ensure a long, productive, healthy life for all people. The CDC site provides nutrition and physical activity related data and statistics as well as health promotion information. www.cdc.gov The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition provides valuable information on food label education tools. www.cfsan.fda.gov The National Agricultural Library (NAL) provides access to a wide variety of agricultural information to educators and the public at large. NAL is one of the world's largest agricultural research libraries. www.nal.usda.gov 21 References 1. United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Food Stamp Program. Food Stamp Nutrition Education Guiding Principles. Available from: www.fns.usda.gov/ oane/menu/ FSNE/ GuidingPrinciples.pdf. Accessed February 9, 2006. 2. United States Department of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. MyPyramid. Available from: www.mypyramid.gov. Accessed February 7, 2006. 3. United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ Available from: www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhard. Accessed February 7, 2006. 4. National Institute for Literacy. National Literacy Act of 1991 , Pub. Law No. 102-73, 105 Stat. 333. 1991. Available from: www.nifl.gov/ public-law.html. Accessed August 15, 2006. 5. Department of Health and Human Services, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Health. Clear and simple: Developing print materials for low-literate readers. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office; 2003. 6. Doak CC, Doak LC, Root JT. Teaching patients with low literacy skills. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: JB Lippincott Company; 1996. 7. United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. Reaching low-income Hispanics with nutrition assistance: Federal assistance nutritional facts. Available from: www.fns.usda.gov/ cga/ FactSheets/ reaching.htm. Accessed February 9, 2006. 8. United States Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration. Ibe Hispanic population: Census 2000 Briq Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau 2001. 9. United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Agricultural Library. Hispanic American influence on the U.S. food industry. 2002. Available from: www.nal.usda.gov/ outreach/HFood.html. Accessed January 26, 2006. 10. Best Start, Inc. The Dietary Guidelines: A social marketing project to improve access to 22 and utilization of dietary guidelines for low-literacy and Spanish language groups. Unpublished research brief. Tampa, FL: Best Start, Inc. 2003 . .,., 11. Fidalgo G, Chapman-Novakofski K. Teaching nutrition to Hispanics at an English as a second language (ESL) center: Overcoming barriers. 2001 . journal of Extension [serial online]. 2001 ; 39(6). Available from: www.joe.org/ joe/ 2001december/a3.html. Accessed January 26, 2006. 12. Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) Communications Team. 1997. Teaching assistance bulletin: Developing effective messages and materials for Hispanics/ Latino audiences. Available from: www.urc-chs.com/ pdf/hispanic-latino.pdf. '·' Accessed August 15, 2006. 13. Lopez R. Understanding Hispanic USA. Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA) Views: Ideals and todlsforqualitative research. 2003; 1(3): 30-35. 14. Coon KA, Goldberg J, Rogers BI, Tucker KL. Relationship between use of television during meals and children's food consumption patterns. Pediatrics. 2001; 107. 15. Patrick H, Nicklas TA. A review of family and social determinants of children's eating patterns and quality. journal of the American College of Nutrition . 2005; 24(2): 83-92. 16. French SA, Story M, Jeffery RW. Environmental influences on eating and physical activity. Annual Review of Public Health. 2001 ; 22: 309-335. 17. Fisher JO, Mitchell DC, Smiciklas-Wright H, Birch LL. Parental influences on young girls' fruit and vegetables, micronutrient, and fat intakes. journal of American Dietetic Association. 2002; 102: 58-64. 18. Tibbs T, Haire-Joshu D, Schechtman KB, et al. The relationship between parental modeling, eating patterns, and dietary intake among African American parents. journal of American Dietetic Association. 2001 ; 101: 535-541. 19. Zive NM, Frank-Spohrer GC, Sallis JF, et al. Determinants of dietary intake in a sample of White and Mexican-American children. journal of American Dietetic Association. 1998; 98: 1282-1290. 23 USDA ~ Food and Nutrition Service U.S. Department of Agriculture In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national orig in, sex, age, religion, pol itica l beliefs, or disabi lity. To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA. Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or {202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. January 2007 DISCUSSION SESSION Vegetables and Fruits . Simple Solutions SESSION OVERVIEW This session is intended to help busy mothers include the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables in their daily meal plans and learn ways to encourage their children to eat fruits and vegetables. Participants will discuss the difficulties of including fruits and vegetables in their family's meals. An educator will facilitate a discussion about solutions to the problems identified by the group. Ideas shared by group members will be recorded on a flipchart. Using sample vegetables, participants will sort vegetables into their MyPyramid sub-groups (dark green, orange, starchy, dry beans and peas, and other vegetables). Then participants will measure ~-cup, 1-cup, and X-cup portions of fruits and vegetables. They will be able to visualize what 2 cups of fruits and 2Yz cups of vegetables look like (the recommended amount for a 2,000-calorie diet). Participants will then brainstorm some ways to encourage their children to eat fruits and vegetables followed by a discussion of which methods work best and why. Finally, mothers will be challenged to identify and commit to try two vegetables and two fruits during the upcoming week with at least one vegetable being a dark green or orange one. They will also identify and commit to at least one activity to encourage their children to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables each day. TARGET AUDIENCE: Mothers with children between the ages of 2 and 18 GROUP SIZE: 5 to 7 participants NEEDED TIME: 45 minutes BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES: After the session participants will be able to: • Identify and commit to try at least two vegetables and two fruits during the upcoming week with at least one vegetable being a dark green or orange one. • Identify and commit to at least one activity to encourage their children to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables each day. • Recognize what a 1-cup portion of vegetables and a 1-cup portion of fruits look like. KEY MESSAGES: • A family needs a variety of different colored vegetables and fruits each day for good health- not just one type. • Eat fruits and vegetables at meals and snacks. Pick fresh, frozen, canned, or dried and go easy on fruit juice. • Most families need to increase their intake of dark green and orange vegetables and dry beans and peas. MATERIALS NEEDED FOR SESSION • Nametags/ markers • Highlighters or pencils (one per participant) • Flipchart/ markers Loving You; Family~ Feeding Their Future Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program VEGETABLES AND FRUITS - 1 • Samples of vegetables and fruits to measure and display (See handout sheets, What counts as one cup of vegetables? and What counts as one cup of fruits?). • MyPyramid poster - Hang poster at eye level so everyone can see it. • Resources for mothers: The Healthy Family Guidebook What counts as one cup of fruits? handout What counts as one cup of vegetables? handout - Kids' Activity Sheets: Order or download at www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhard/ Outline of 45-minute session: HINT: Use empty boxes or cans for food samples. Food models or pictures can also be used. If your budget permits, have sample fruits and vegetables to taste. • Welcome and introduction to Vegetables and Fruits -Simple Solutions (5 minutes) • Discussion group activities (35 minutes) • Sum up and home activity (5 minutes) Review the information on the handouts What counts as one cup offruits? and What counts as one cup of vegetables? For additional background information, review "Inside the Pyramid" on the USDA website, www.mypyramid.gov. The section on "Tips to help you eat," for each of the food groups, provides additional information to use in your discussion, as time permits. Also review the information on pages 8-14 in The Healthy Family Guidebook. WELCOME TO VEGETABLES AND FRUITS-SIMPLE SOLUTIONS Welcome participants and ask them to make their own nametag (first names only). Make sure each has a copy of the two handouts, What counts as one cup of vegetables? and What counts as one cup of fruits?, the Guidebook, and a highlighter. Mention other points of interest as needed, such as the location of restrooms and water fountains. BEGIN: What is your favorite fruit? Give participants time to call . them out. Write responses on flipchart and/ or tape pictures of mentioned food to flipchart or wall. Repeat question with vegetables. DISCUSSION GROUP ACTIVITIES CONTINUE: Tell the mothers the group will be talking about: • Planning the types and amounts of vegetables and fruits needed each day to make meals healthier. • Including easy and low-cost fruits and vegetables in their daily meals • Helping their children learn to eat fruits and vegetables. 2- VEGETABLES AND FRUITS ASK: • How many cups of fruits and vegetables do you think each member of your family eats each day? • What are some reasons your children may not eat many fruits and vegetables? Provide time for mothers to share their responses for each question before moving to the next one. Write responses on flipchart. POINT OUT: • MyPyramid shows you how much to eat - the amounts for a 2,000-calorie meal plan are 2 cups of fruits and 2Y2 cups of vegetables (Point to the MyPyramid poster). Review the handouts with the mothers to help them understand what counts as 1 cup of fruits or vegetables. Note that younger children may need less fruits and vegetables and active teens and men may need more fruits and vegetables. • Eating a variety of vegetables helps your family get what they need to be healthy. Help mothers identify vegetables in each of the subgroups: dark green, orange, starchy, dry beans and peas, and other vegetables. Together let them arrange the vegetables in your display according to the subgroups. Refer them to page 9 in the Guidebook and the back page (My favorite vegetables) of the W'hat counts as one cup of vegetables? handout. • Fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruits and vegetables are smart choices - only drink enough juice to get up to half of the fruit needed for the day, no more than 1 cup per person for a 2,000-calorie meal plan. It's not necessary to have fruit juice every day. • Smart, low-cost ways to get vegetables and fruits in your meals and snacks - review low-cost ways to buy vegetables and fruits on pages 9 and 13 in the Guidebook. • Helping kids learn to eat fruits and vegetables- ask participants to share their ideas. Then, review tips on serving vegetables and fruits on pages 10 and 14 in the Guidebook. Serving fruits and vegetables in fun ways, offering them for meals and snacks, and letting children help prepare foods will help them eat more fruits and vegetables. THEN: • Let a participant measure Y2 cup and 1 cup of some fruits or vegetables and put them on a plate to visualize what it looks like on a plate. Let a mother measure Y2 cup of dried fruit onto a plate. Let another participant measure 1 cup of fruit juice into a glass. • Ask each mother to share with the group how she prepares her favorite vegetable or fruit (use listing from introductions to guide this discussion), or how she uses fruits and vegetables in meals for her family. Record ideas on flipchart. VEGETABLES AND FRUITS- 3 • Then let each mother name fruits and vegetables they have not tried. Make a list of these fruits and vegetables on the flipchart. • Ask the other mothers to share ways they could fix the fruits or vegetables that might taste good or encourage the mothers to try the fruits and vegetables. (Note: if you have samples of fruits and vegetables, encourage mothers to taste the ones that they have not tried.) SUM UP: • Let one participant measure or pick 2 cups of fruits from the display and one participant measure or pick 2Yz cups of vegetables from the display. Point out this is the amount a person would need for a 2,000-calorie menu plan. Refer to the handouts for W'hat counts as one cup of fruits and vegetables? • Point to pictures of foods on the MyPyramid poster for ideas on fruits and vegetables. Refer to the handouts for the variety of fruits and vegetables that could be used in meals and snacks. Mention that there is more information and easy menus and recipes in their Guidebook (pages 8-14). If your budget permits, prepare one of the recipes to share - especially one that uses dark green or orange vegetables. HOME ACTIVITY • Give each mother a highlighter or pencil and ask her to highlight or circle on the handouts at least two vegetables and two fruits that she will try during the upcoming week. Encourage them to include at least one dark green or orange vegetable. • Close session by reinforcing ways to help children learn to eat more fruits and vegetables. Encourage mothers to highlight or circle one of the tips on pages 10 and 14 of the Guidebook that they will try at home in the upcoming week. 4 -VEGETABLES AND FRUITS USDA :z-=-=;; Myl'yramid.gov STEPS TO A HfALTHIER you Food and Nutrition Service U.S. Department of Agricul t ure USDA is an equal opponunity provider and employer. j anuary 2007 TIP: Give Kids' Activity Sheets to participants to take home to their children. DISCUSSION SESSION HoW" Much? Food and Physical Activity SESSION OVERVIEW This session is intended to help busy mothers learn ways to get enough of the right kinds of food, but not too much, and recognize that a healthy lifestyle means paying attention to what they eat and how physically active they are each day. Participants will discuss the kinds and amounts of foods that are needed by women and children. Participants will measure and visualize different size portions of foods. Finally, participants will commit to one action to be physically active during the coming week and at least one action to get the recommended amounts of foods from the MyPyramid food groups based on a 2,000-calorie meal plan. The participants will receive two take-home tools to help them achieve these actions by working with their children: Ways to Eat Smart and Move More and MyPyramidfor Kids Coloring Page. TARGET AUDIENCE: Mothers with children between the ages of 2 and 18 GROUP SIZE: 5 to 7 participants NEEDED TIME: 45 minutes BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES: After the session participants will be able to: • Identify the amounts of food most women and children need from each food group. • Identify and commit to at least one action to get the right amount of foods from MyPyramid food groups. • Identify and commit to at least one action to get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity most days of the week. KEY MESSAGES: • Knowing the amount of food to eat from each food group can help you eat enough, but not too much. • Measuring foods with measuring cups and spoons can help you see how much food you are eating from each food group. • Kids need the right amount of food from all food groups to grow strong and healthy. • Physical activity can help burn off some of the food you eat. MATERIALS NEEDED FOR SESSION • Nametags/ markers • Food models (2- and 3-ounce portions of meats) • Measuring cups and spoons (let participants take home if: funds allow) • Foods to measure: cooked brown rice*, pasta*, fat-free milk, low-fat yogurt, cheese slices, fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, hard-cooked eggs, etc. • MyPyramid poster Hang poster at eye level so everyone can see it. • Handouts for mothers: *TIP: If making rice and pasta ahead of time for class, add oil or use nonstick spray so it does not clump together. - The Healthy Family Guidebook - Ways to Eat Smart and Move More - My Pyramid for Kids Coloring Page Loving You; Family~ Feed1n Their Future Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program HOW MUCH -1 Outline of 45-minute session: • Welcome and introduction to How Much?- Food and PhysicalActivity (5 minutes) • Discussion group activities (25 minutes) • Group activity-measure and visualize various amounts of foods (10 minutes) • Sum up and home activity (5 minutes) Review the information on the handouts, ~ys to Eat Smart and Move More, and My Pyramid for Kids Coloring Page. For additional background information, review "Inside the Pyramid," "Tips to help you eat," and "Tips for increasing physical activity" on the USDA website: www.mypyramid.gov. Also review the Guidebook, especially information on pages 6, 26 and 27. WELCOME TO HOW MUCH?- FOOD AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY Welcome participants and ask them to make their own nametag (first names only). Make sure each has a copy of the handouts; Ways to Eat Smart and Move More, MyPyramidfor Kids Coloring Page, the Guidebook, and a highlighter or pencil. Mention other points of interest as needed, such as the location of restrooms and water fountains. BEGIN: What do you enjoy about feeding your family? Call out your answers. Write responses on flipchart. DISCUSSION GROUP ACTIVITIES CONTINUE: Tell the mothers the group will be talking about: • The right amounts and kinds of foods you and your family need each day to be healthy • The connection between how much you eat and how physically active you are POINT OUT: Feeding your family can be enjoyable. It is a way of taking care of the people you love. Many women tell me that they know what foods are good for their families. But, they want to know how much of what kinds of foods they should eat. And what their children should eat. They may not know that each family member may need different amounts of food depending on their age, activity level, and gender. ASK: • How could knowing how much food to eat each day help you and your family? • What do you think it means to balance what you eat with what you do physically? • Think about riding bikes. What does your child need to learn to ride a bike without training wheels? (Balance, practice) 2- HOW MUCH Allow mothers to share their responses for each question before moving to the next one, using the appropriate responses from mothers. POINT OUT: • Balancing what you eat with how physically active you are requires practice and a "can-do" attitude- just like a child learning to ride a bike. • Kids need the right amount of food from all food groups to grow strong and healthy. If you don't eat enough you may not get everything your body needs for energy and health. • If you eat too much of certain foods you won't have room for the other foods your body needs. You could also gain weight. • We need to use up what we take in. This means burning off some of the calories we take in by being physically active. CONTINUE: It's important to eat foods from all of the food groups every day. The amount of food you need to eat each day depends on whether you are male or female, your age, and how physically active you are. Ask each mother to look at the MyPyramid poster (on the wall) and page 7 in the Guidebook. Read aloud the amount of food needed from each food group each day (based on a 2,000-calorie meal plan that is appropriate for many women and children): • Grains - Eat 6 ounces every day • Vegetables - Eat 2 ~ cups every day • Fruits - Eat 2 cups every day • Milk- Get 3 cups every day; for kids aged 2 to 8, it's 2 cups • Meat and Beans - Eat 5 ~ ounces every day Also, read the amount of physical activity that women and children need each day. POINT OUT: Women and kids who are not very physically active will need less food. Younger kids (2-8 years) may also need a little less food, while teenage boys who are very physically active may need more food. ASK: How does this amount of food match up to what your family normally eats at home? HOW MUCH- 3 POINT OUT: • MyPyramid shows you what types of food and how much to eat. The amounts of foods are listed in cups or ounces (show measuring cups/ spoons and discuss their sizes). It's easy to estimate amounts of foods if you practice measuring food a few times using the · measuring cup~ and spoons. After awhile you will recognize what 1 cup or 1/2 cup looks like on the plates and in the glasses that you use at home. Let participants measure different foods and encourage them to let their children measure food at home. • It's important to be physically active. Children need 60 minutes of physical activity and adults need at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity most days of the week. • Keep the right kinds of foods on hand to make it easy to get the amounts and kinds of foods your family needs for good health. Look at the MyPyramid poster to find the right foods from each of the food groups. Also, note that healthy choices are those that are low in solid fats and added sugars. SUM UP: • Balancing food choices to get what you and your family need can be done by making small changes. Each day, eat the recommended amounts of foods from the various food groups. • During this next week, what actions can you take to be more physically active and eat the recommended kinds and amounts of foods? Allow participants to share their ideas. Facilitator can write them on a flipchart. • Ask participants to look at the handout, lfays to Eat Smart and Move More. Read the ideas and ask "which ones make sense to you?" • Another idea is to eat fewer foods that are often high in added sugars, such as: • sodas • fruit drinks • candies and sweets • sports drinks HOME ACTIVITY: • Ask participants to commit to one action to be physically active and one action to get the recommended kinds and amounts of foods during the coming week by highlighting or circling the item on the handout Ways to Eat Smart and Move More. Tell participants they can add their own ideas. • Encourage them to give their younger child the My Pyramid for Kids Coloring Page and share what they have learned. 4- HOW MUCH USDA ??z7ii Food and Nutrition Service U. 5. Department of Agriculture USDA is an equal oppommiry provider and employer. january 2007 DISCUSSION SESSION . ·" SESSION OVERVIEW This session is intended to help busy mothers and their families be more physically active and begin to make healthy choices for meals and snacks. As an activity opener, participants will show how physically active they are. Then they will discuss why being physically active is important and the challenges to being active every day. Participants will work with partners to come up with solutions to the challenges of being more physically active every day and share with the group. Using The Healthy Family Guidebook participants will discuss ways to fit smart food choices into a healthy eating plan. At the end of the session, participants will be reminded to make being physically active and eating healthy a part of their daily habits. Participants will make a personal commitment to at least two actions to follow a healthy eating plan and be physically active for at least 30 minutes most days of the week. TARGET AUDIENCE: Mothers with children between the ages of 2 and 18 GROUP SIZE: 5 to 7 participants NEEDED TIME: 45 minutes BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES: After the session participants will be able to: • Identify and commit to at least one action to get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity with their family most days of the week. • Identify and commit to at least two actions to help kids eat in a healthy way, every day. KEY MESSAGES: • Being physically active and following a healthy eating plan can be fun and may promote a longer and healthier life in many ways. • Regular physical activity is a key factor in maintaining a healthy body weight for adults and children. • Parents play an important role in helping their children make physical activity an everyday habit. • Most families need to be more physically active. MATERIALS NEEDED FOR SESSION • Nametags/ markers • Highlighters or pencils (one per participant) • Flipchart/ markers • MyPyramid poster- Hang poster at eye level so everyone can see it • Lively and fun musical CDs and player • Resources for mothers: - The Healthy Family Guidebook • Optional: Order Make Family Time an Active Time as a take home brochure for each participant at www.fns.usda.gov/ eatsmartplayhard/ Loving You; Family~ Feed1ng Their Future Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program FAMILY TIME - 1 Outline of 45-minute session: • Welcome and introduction to the Family Time- Active and Fun session (5 minutes) • Discussion group activities (35 minutes) • Sum up and home activity (5 minutes) For additional background information, review "Inside the Pyramid" and "Tips and Resources" on the USDA website, www.mypyramid.gov. TIP: Consider using the Eat Smart. Play Hard:M music or Power Up Moves found at website www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhard/ WELCOME TO FAMILY TIME-ACTIVE AND FUN Welcome participants and ask them to make their own name tag (first names only). Make sure each has a copy of the Guidebook, and a highlighter or pencil. Mention other points of interest as needed, such as the location of restrooms and water fountains. BEGIN: What are your favorite ways to be physically active? Write responses on a flipchart. DISCUSSION GROUP ACTIVITIES CONTINUE: Tell the mothers that the group will be talking about: • Planning easy and low-cost ways to be physically active each day • Using the MyPyramid eating plan to choose foods and eat in a healthy way, every day • Discussing ways to include children in their physical activity and healthy eating plans every day Ask everyone to stand up and then discuss how physically active they think they are by asking the following questions. ASK: • Do you mostly sit during the day, at work, at home, or somewhere else? If so, cross your arms in front of your chest. • Do you think you move enough during the day? If so, shake your hands. • Is your day full of a lot of physical activity? If so, wave your arms wildly. SAY: Clap your hands .. .if you think moving more than you do now would be good for you. Now with that "applause for being on the move," it is time to get moving! While the participants are all still standing, have fun by being physically active together. • Explain~that being physically active does not mean you have to participate in sports. Any kind of moving around is good, including dancing or moving to music. 2- FAMILY TIME • Turn up the Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ music for "If You Wanna Be Like the Power Panther" or other lively, fun music. Lead (or ask someone else to lead) the group in some easy but active moves to the Power Panther song. They might step in place, do a line-dance, walk around the room, swing their arms, or just move to the music in any way they would like. Option: if you would like to talk to them as the music plays, use the instrumental version (without the lyrics). Note: "Power Panther is Here" is a shorter song and does not give as much time for parents to move. • Talk about their "moves." Ask: - How did it feel to move a little in our time together today? (Responses might include: fun, energizing, relaxing, helps relieve stress.) - Could you still talk while you were moving? Could you sing with the music? POINT OUT: The "talk-sing test" is a good way to see if you are getting the right level of physical activity. ASK: If you can talk while you move, it is probably a good pace for you; if you can sing while you move, you may need to move faster or harder; and if you are too breathless to talk while you move, slow down. • Why is dancing a good way to be physically active? • Why is it important to be physically active? • How much physical activity do you think adults need? How much do children need? Provide time for mothers to share their responses for each question before moving to the next one. POINT OUT: • Adults need at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days of the week. Children need at least 60 minutes. Ask participants to turn to pages 26 and 27 in the Guidebook and highlight or circle the amount of physical activity that adults and children need. • Physical activity helps you control body weight by balancing the calories you take in as food, with calories you use each day; and may reduce your risk of certain chronic diseases. • Dancing, walking, riding bikes, and climbing stairs are low-cost, fun ways to be physically active with your children. Have participants turn to pages 26 and 27 in the Guidebook for more ways to be physically active. FAMILY TIME - 3 ASK: • Why it is hard to be physically active? • Acknowledge their challenges and ask, What are some solutions to these challenges? • Let the group members share their challenges and possible solutions. REINFORCE POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: • "Too tired when I get home" (Solution: Make your lunch or break time active; take a 1 0-minute brisk walk.) • "No time - too many other things to do" (Solutions: Be more active in the everyday things you do; use the stairs instead of the elevator or park further away and walk.) • "Nobody to be active with" (Solution: Plan fun ways to be active with your family; play with your kids or walk the dog.) CONTINUE: Tell the mothers that food choices are also important to a healthy family. Remind them that making smart choices from every food group is the best way to give their bodies the nutrition they need. • Point to the MyPyramid poster and review that a healthy eating plan is one that: 1) emphasizes fruits , vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products; 2) includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; 3) is low in solid fats , salt (sodium), and added sugars; 4) balances food and physical activity. • Ask the participants to turn to page 7 of the Guidebook and together read aloud the amounts of food shown for a 2,000-calorie meal plan. • Ask: What makes it hard to follow this plan? • Let the participants discuss some solutions. Then ask them to turn to page 28 in the Guidebook and together read aloud some of the tips for making it easier to eat smart. SUM UP AND HOME ACTIVITY: Now that you know some fun and easy ways to be more physically active and eat healthy, you can take steps to make these habits part of your daily life. • Ask each mother to highlight or circle two activities on page 26 of the Guidebook that she will do with her children, and • Highlight or circle two actions on page 28 of the Guidebook that she will do to help her kids eat right. 4- FAMILY TIME \"~ ~.. -- · MyPyramid.gov Food and Nutnt1on Serv1ce STEPSTOAHEALJHIER}{)U U. 5. Department of Agnculture USDA is an equal opportu nity provider and employer. Januaty 2007 DISCUSSION SESSION Family Meals Easy, Tasty, and Healthy! SESSION OVERVIEW This session is intended to help busy mothers plan, shop, and prepare healthy, low-cost meals for their families and learn ways to let their children help. Participants will discuss the difficulties of making easy and healthy family meals. Participants will share challenges of making low-cost meals and snacks. An educator will facilitate a discussion about solutions to the problems identified by the group by sharing ideas from participants as they play the Make a Meal game. Each participant will share how she would make a meal using two "make and serve in a huny" foods that she has selected from items on display. The planned meals could be a snack, lunch, breakfast, or dinner. Ideas on making the planned meals low-cost will be shared. Participants will then brainstorm some ideas on how their children could help make the meal. Finally, each mother will be challenged to select two timesaving or low-cost ideas to plan, shop, or cook healthy meals that she will use in the upcoming week and one way she will let her child(ren) help her with the family meals. TARGET AUDIENCE: Mothers with children MATERIALS NEEDED FOR SESSION between the ages of 2 and 18 GROUP SIZE: 5 to 7 participants NEEDED TIME: 45 minutes BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES: After the session participants will be able to: • Identify and use at least two timesaving or low-cost ways to prepare healthy family meals each week. • Name two tasks their child can do to help make a family meal and commit to letting their child help do a task at least once a week. KEY MESSAGES: • Timesaving tips can help mothers make easy, tasty, and healthy family meals, with less stress and cost. • Children can help mothers get ready for, or make, family meals. • Nametags/markers • Highlighters or pencils (one per participant) • Flipchart/ markers • Samples of "make and serve in a hurry" foods (See handout sheet, Family Meals -Easy, Tasty, and Healthy!) Hint: Arrange the items on a table for everyone to see. TIP: Use empty boxes or cans for the canned and frozen items. Include examples of low-cost foods. • My Pyramid poster - Hang poster at eye level so everyone can see it. • Handouts for mothers: Family Meals- Easy, Tasty, and Healthy! The Healthy Family Guidebook Loving You; Family~ Feed1n Their Future Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program FAMILY MEALS - 1 Outline of 45-minute session: • Welcome and introduction to Family Meals- Easy, Tasty, and Healthy! (5 minutes) • Discussion group activities-How do you decide what to make for dinner? (10 minutes) • Group activity- Play the Make a Meal game (25 minutes) • Sum up and home activity- Identify ways to plan, shop, or cook fast and healthy meals and ways children can help (5 minutes) The educator should review the information on the handout Family Meals -Easy, Tasty, and Healthy! and directions for playing the Make a Meal game. For additional background information, review "Inside the Pyramid" on the USDA website, www.mypyramid.gov. The section on "Tips to help you eat" for each of the food groups provides additional information to use in your discussion as time permits. WELCOME TO FAMILY MEALS-EASY, TASTY, AND HEALTHY! Welcome participants and ask them to make their own nametag (first names only). Make sure each has a copy of the Family Meals handout, the Guidebook, and a highlighter or pencil. Add other points of interest, as needed, such as the location of restrooms and water fountains. BEGIN: What are the names and ages of your children? Give mothers time to share. DISCUSSION GROUP ACTIVITIES BEGIN: Tell the mothers the group will be talking about: • Planning ahead to make meals easier, tastier, healthier, faster, and less expensive • Shopping and buying low-cost foods to make and serve in a hurry • Using timesaving tips when cooking meals • Involving their children in making meals THEN: Read aloud the following from the Introduction section of the Guidebook. Encourage mothers to follow in their booklets on page 3, as you read: "Mom, What are you making for supper? I did not like to hear that question. I often did not have an answer. Like most moms, I wanted my family to eat healthier foods. I knew I had to take action. With help from the Food Stamp nutrition educator, !learned that my family needed to eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It still seemed hard to do. I needed a plan to change what we ate and how we ate. On top of that, my family is so busy. Work and school take up most of our time. Does this sound like you?" 2- FAMILY MEALS Pause and let the mothers think about the question, then: ASK: • How do you decide what to make for dinner? • How do you make a quick meal? • How do you make a healthy meal? • Point to the MyPyramid poster and ask, What ideas does this poster give you? • What are your favorite low-cost foods? Allow mothers to share their responses for each question before moving to the next one. Using the appropriate responses from mothers: POINT OUT: • Healthy meals can be simple-Add vegetables to a favorite low-cost food like packaged macaroni and cheese. • Cook when you have more time-On the weekend, make a double recipe of a casserole and freeze it for the next week. • Do some tasks ahead-Wash and trim vegetables or make fruit salad a few hours or the day before your meal. • Cook in a fast way-Microwave, broil, or stir-fry when you can. • Make no-cook meals or snacks- Salads with low-cost foods like canned tuna, chicken, or beans; cold sandwiches; raw vegetables with low-fat yogurt or dip; or fruit. Note: Kids like finger foods! • Use food stamps to stretch food dollars-Make a shopping list, check store sales, and buy generic or store brands. PLAY THE GAME: MAKE A MEAL • Have each mother pick two different foods from the "make and serve in a hurry" foods that are displayed on the table. • After evetyone has picked her foods, ask for a volunteer to tell how she would use her foods to make a snack or meal (breakfast, lunch, or dinner). They can add other foods to complete the meal. • Ask how the participant would make the meal low-cost. • Give everyone an opportunity to make a meal or snack. Write the menus on a flipchart or blackboard if available. ASK: • How can your children help make a meal? Let the group brainstorm some ideas. Write the ideas on the flipchart. FAMILY MEALS- 3 ASK: • Why it is hard to be physically active? • Acknowledge their challenges and ask, What are some solutions to these challenges? • Let the group members share their challenges and possible solutions. REINFORCE POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: • "Too tired when I get home" (Solution: Make your lunch or break time active; take a 10-minute brisk walk.) • "No time - too many other things to do" (Solutions: Be more active in the everyday things you do; use the stairs instead of the elevator or park further away and walk.) • "Nobody to be active with" (Solution: Plan fun ways to be active with your family; play with your kids or walk the dog.) CONTINUE: Tell the mothers that food choices are also important to a healthy family. Remind them that making smart choices from every food group is the best way to give their bodies the nutrition they need. • Point to the MyPyramid poster and review that a healthy eating plan is one that: 1) emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products; 2) includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; 3) is low in solid fats, salt (sodium), and added sugars; 4) balances food and physical activity. • Ask the participants to turn to page 7 of the Guidebook and together read aloud the amounts of food shown for a 2,000-calorie meal plan. • Ask: What makes it hard to follow this plan? • Let the participants discuss some solutions. Then ask them to turn to page 28 in the Guidebook and together read aloud some of the tips for making it easier to eat smart. SUM UP AND HOME ACTIVITY: Now that you know some fun and easy ways to be more physically active and eat healthy, you can take steps to make these habits part of your daily life. • Ask each mother to highlight or circle two activities on page 26 of the Guidebook that she will do with her children, and • Highlight or circle two actions on page 28 of the Guidebook that she will do to help her kids eat right. 4 - FAMILY TIME ~ ~ ~. \~ d ... Myl'yramid.gov Foo and Nutnt1on ServiCe STEPSTOAHEAl.JHIERyou U. 5. Department of Agnculture USDA is an equal opponuniry provider and employer. January 2007 English Participant Education Materials What's Inside: Their Future Means Everything to You Brochure The Healthy Family Guidebook Handouts Family Meals- Easy, Tasty, and Healthy! What counts as one cup of fruits? What counts as one cup of vegetables? Ways to Eat Smart and Move More Black and White Reproducibles Loving You; Family Feed1ng Their Future Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program The Healthy Family Guidebook What is inside this guidebook? My plan for a healthy family .................. .. ...... 3 A healthy eating plan: MyPyramid ..................... 5 Loving your family: Making healthier habits. . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Habit #1: Vary your veggies .................. . ...... 8 Habit #2: Focus on fruits ........................... 13 Habit #3: Get your calcium-rich foods . ....... . ........ 15 l hh1t # "f· \!hke half your grams \\ 11o1e. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Habit #5: Go lean with protein. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 :1b1t #( · 'ltf 11 \OUt' 1 ... n , SUQ,ll'. rl 1lt ( .... odiUt1l) . . . . . 25 Habit #7: Balance what you eat with physical activity . . . . . 26 Feeding their future: Good food habits last a lifetime .... 28 What everyone asks: Answers to your questions ......... 29 2 The Healthy Family Guidebook My plan for a healthy family Mom, what are you making for supper? I did not like to hear that question. I often did not have an answer. Like most moms, I wanted my family to eat healthier foods. I knew I had to take action. With help from the Food Stamp nutrition educator, I learned that my family needed to eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It still seemed hard to do. I needed a plan to change what we ate and how we ate. On top of that, my family is so busy. Work and school take up most of our time. Does this sound like you? The nutrition educator helped me learn some easy steps to get started. After a while, it was easier than I would have dreamed. I learned that healthier eating does not take a lot of time. My family could eat healthy without spending a lot of money on food. We could change how we eat, and we would feel better. What really helped was when the nutrition educator taught me about MyPyramid, a food and activity plan. MyPyramid shows us how to eat healthier foods and be physically active every day. This guidebook tells you about MyPyramid. It shows you how to plan, shop, and prepare meals for your family. This guidebook is for real families that are busy like mine. The information in this guidebook is for persons over 2 years of age. The Healthy Family Guidebook 3 4 The Healthy Family Guidebook MyPyramid.gov STEPS TO A HEALTHIER YOU A healthy eating plan: MyPyramid MyPyramid helps you know what foods are best for your family. MyPyramid includes five food groups: Grains Group Make half your grains whole Vegetables Group Fruits Group Vary your veggies Focus on fruits Milk Group Get your calcium-rich foods Meat & Beans Group Go lean with protein I have learned to use foods from every food group each day. I pick foods from each group because no single food has everything we need for good health. This guidebook will help you use foods from each food group. It is easy to use and gives tips on how to: • Cook easy, quick, and tasty meals that your whole family will love. • Get your kids to eat more fruits and vegetables and like them. • Stretch your food dollars. • Get your family to be more physically active and have fun. We all know deep down that planning and making healthy meals shows our love for our families and gives them hope for a good future. This book helps you do it. The Healthy Family Guidebook 5 Loving your family: Making healthier habits The good eating habits I teach my kids today will stick with them for life. As a mom, that is one of the best gifts I can give my kids. "Fast food" was easy for my busy family. But it often did not have healthy choices. The nutrition educator helped me learn that we can eat healthy, stay on our budget, and not spend hours in the kitchen. We took it one step at a time. The first step was to learn how much to eat. I wanted my family to eat the right foods in the right amounts. But I did not know what the right amounts of food were. I learned adults and kids need different amounts from each food group. Many children and women who are not very physically active will need fewer calories and less food. Many men and teen boys will need more food. MyPyramid shows us that many adult women need about 2,000 calories a day. This means they should eat these amounts each day from each food group: Vegetables Group 2Y2 cups Fruits Group 2 cups Milk Group 3 cups Grains Group 6 ounces Meat and Beans Group 5% ounces That seemed like a lot of food. I learned it was not as much as I thought it was when I looked at the amounts of food in my meals during the day. These amounts of food may not be right for you. It depends on how physically active you are, your age, and if you are a woman or man. Ask your nutrition educator to help you find a plan for healthy eating by going to the MyPyramid Web site at www.mypyramid.gov. MyPyramid showed me how to change, one step at a time, by using seven basic habits. Those habits have made our lives better. I made little changes at first. Soon my family was eating better. It did not happen right away, but we did change. We all learned together. Learning together made it easier and fun. Here are seven habits. Start slowly, but start. And stick with it. Your family will feel healthier, happier, and closer to each other. These changes are worth it. The Healthy Family Guidebook 7 Habit #l Vegetables Group Vary your veggies Vary your veggies Eating a variety of vegetables will help your family get the nutrition they need. I serve my family different vegetables like: Dark green -broccoli, spinach, and greens (turnip, mustard, collard). Orange - carrots and sweet potatoes. Starchy - corn, white potatoes, green peas. Legumes - dty beans and peas. Others - tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, cabbage, celery, cauliflower, zucchini, summer squash, and lettuce. Vegetables of different colors provide different vitamins and minerals. When I serve many colors of vegetables, I know my family is eating healthier. I needed to serve more dark green and orange vegetables. Here is how my family does it: Each member of my family needs about 271 cups of vegetables a day. This was hard for me to understand. So, I got out my measuring cups and started measuring my vegetables to see what that amount looked like. For one day, each one of us might eat: • One half cup of cooked green beans (counts as 1/2 cup of vegetables). • One cup of raw leafy vegetables, like lettuce or spinach (counts as 1/2 cup of vegetables). • One half cup of raw tomatoes (counts as 1/2 cup of vegetables). • One large baked sweet potato (counts as 1 cup of ~ vegetables). Tips on buying vegetables: • Fresh, frozen, and canned vegetables are all smart choices. • Fresh vegetables can be a great buy and taste great. Check prices and look for sales. • Frozen and canned vegetables may cost less than fresh vegetables. Check the prices. • Frozen and canned vegetables last longer than fresh vegetables. They can also save time - no washing and chopping. The Healthy Family Guidebook 9 Tips on serving vegetables: • I can mix vegetables with other foods that my kids like. My family loves macaroni and cheese. So, I mix it with chopped broccoli for a dark green vegetable. My family never leaves a bite on their plates. • We stir-fry vegetables like slices of zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, and onions in a nonstick pan or with a little oil. Then season to taste. Try your favorite vegetables this way. • I serve dark green and orange vegetables often. My family likes baked sweet potatoes with cinnamon sprinkled on top. • We keep vegetables in the refrigerator for snacks. My family likes cucumbers, carrots, and broccoli. The kids love to dip their veggies in low-fat ranch dressing or put peanut butter on their celery. They really like this recipe. Snack Menu Bugs on a Log Low-fat milk or water 1 0 The Healthy Family Guidebook Bugs on a Log Ingredients and Instructions: 1. Make "logs" from any of these foods: • Celery stalks, cut about 3 inches long • Apples, cut in halves or quarters with cores removed • Carrot sticks, cut to about 3 inches long 2. Top the logs with a spread such as: • Low-fat cream cheese and pineapple • Low-fat cheese and pimento • Peanut butter • Egg salad 3. Sprinkle "bugs" on the spread: • Raisins • Unsweetened whole-grain cereal • Sunflower seeds • Chopped peanuts Warning: Young children less than 3 years old can easily choke on nuts, seeds, popcorn, raw vegetables, grapes, peanut butter, meat sticks, and hot dogs. Do not give these foods to infants. Cut foods into small , easily chewed finger foods fo r toddlers and preschoolers who are still learning to bite and chew. Watch children of all ages closely when they are eating. Also, some children and adults may be allergic to peanut butter. 1 add vegetables to soups and stews like this recipe: Brunswick Ste-w Serving Size: 1 cup I Makes: 8 servings Ingredients: 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 medium sliced onion 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 2 cups cooked diced chicken or turkey 2 cups canned or cooked tomatoes 2 cups canned or cooked lima beans 2 cups canned or cooked whole-kernel corn Instructions: 1. Heat oil in a large pan. Add onion and cook in oil until tender. 2. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer for 30 minutes at medium-low. Delicious Greens Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe I Makes: 4 servings Ingredients: 1/2 pound mustard or collard greens 2 cups shredded cabbage 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil 2 tablespoons minced garlic 1 chopped onion 1 tablespoon vinegar Instructions: 1. Rinse greens, remove stems, and tear in small pieces. 2. In a large saucepan, boil 3 quarts of water. 3. Add mustard greens, return to a boil, and cook 3 minutes. Add cabbage and cook 1 more minute. Drain in colander. 4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and saute garlic and onion until light brown, about 3 minutes. 5. Add greens and vinegar and cook briefly, about 3 minutes. Serve hot. Lunch or Dinner Menu Brunswick Stew Whole-wheat bread slice Fresh orange wedges Low-fat milk or water Lunch or Dinner Menu Sliced ham Delicious Greens Baked sweet potatoes Small piece cornbread Pineapple slices Low-fat milk or water The Healthy Family Guidebook 11 Lunch or Dinner Menu Colorful Quesadillas Fruit salad Low-fat or fat-free milk 12 The Healthy Family Guidebook Colorful Quesadillas Serving Size: 4 wedges or one quesadilla I Makes: 8 servings Ingredients: 8 ounces fat-free cream cheese 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 8 small flour tortillas 1 cup chopped sweet red or green bell pepper 1 cup shredded low-fat cheese 2 cups fresh spinach leaves or 9 oz. frozen, thawed, and squeezed dry Instructions: 1. In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese and garlic powder. 2. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture on each tortilla. 3. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons bell pepper and 2 tablespoons shredded cheese on one half of each tortilla. 4. Add spinach: 1/4 cup if using fresh leaves or 2 tablespoons if using frozen. Fold tortillas in half. 5. Heat a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Put 2 folded tortillas in skillet and heat for 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. 6. Remove quesadillas from skillet, place on platter, and cover with foil to keep warm while cooking the remainder. 7. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges. Serve warm. Habit #2 Focus on fruits Fruits Group Focus on fruits Eat a variety of fruits every day. Fruits add vitamins, minerals, and fiber to our meals and snacks. Each member of my family needs about 2 cups of fruit every day. For one day, we might eat: • One half cup of fruit cocktail (counts as ) 1/2 cup of fruit). • A large banana (counts as 1 cup of fruit). • A small orange (counts as 1/2 cup of fruit). Tips on buying fruits: • I include fresh, frozen, canned, and dried fruits like raisins on my shopping list. • I always look for fruits on sale. Sales help stretch my food dollars. • I always buy 1 OOo/o juice and not fruit drinks. Fruit drinks might not have any fruit juice in them. They are (jOOo/o Juic~ Nutrition Facts Serving Size 8 fl oz (240 ml) Servings Per Container 12 Amount Per Serving Calories 110 Calories from Fat 0 % Dally Value• Total Fat Og 0% mostly sugar. My nutrition educator told me how to tell if a drink is 1 OOo/o fruit juice by looking at the food label. Family Guidebook 13 Tips on serving fruits: • My family likes fruit juice, but I might not serve it every day. We only drink enough juice to get up to half of the fruit we need for the day when we have juice. For my family, that would be no more than 1 cup per person. • I keep a bowl of fruit like apples, oranges, and bananas on the kitchen counter for quick snacks. • We often use fruit for dessert. Our favorites are: • Canned peaches, fruit cocktail, pineapple, and applesauce. • Mangoes, papayas, cantaloupes, strawberries, watermelons, grapes, and blueberries when they are on sale. Here is a great recipe to try as a snack or dessert. Snack Menu Frozen Fruit Cups Graham cracker Low-fat or fat-free milk 14 The Healthy Family Guidebook Frozen Fruit Cups Serving Size: 1 muffin tin cup I Makes: 18 servings Ingredients: 3 bananas 24 ounces fat-free strawberry yogurt 10 ounces frozen strawberries, thawed, with the juice 8 ounces canned crushed pineapple, with the juice Instructions: 1. Line 18 muffin-tin cups with paper baking cups. 2. Dice or mash bananas and place in a large mixing bowl. 3. Stir in remaining items. 4. Spoon into muffin-tin cups and freeze at least 3 hours or until firm. Remove frozen cups and store in a plastic bag in freezer. 5. Before serving, remove paper cups and let stand 10 minutes. Milk Group Get your calcium-rich foods Habit #3 Get your calcium-rich foods Each of my family members needs 3 cups of milk or milk products each day to get enough calcium. For one day, we might: • Drink 1 cup of low-fat milk or put it on our cereal for breakfast (counts as 1 cup of milk). • Drink 1 cup of fat-free or low-fat milk for lunch (counts as 1 cup of milk). • Eat 1 cup of low-fat yogurt as dessert at our evening meal (counts as 1 cup of milk). On other days for one of the cups of milk, we might eat 2 ounces of low-fat processed cheese. Tips on buying milk and milk products: • My family switched from whole milk to fat -free milk. We did not need the extra fat in whole milk. We changed a little at a time. First, we switched from whole to reduced-fat (2%) milk. Later, we changed to low-fat or fat-free milk. Now, that's all we drink. • We also eat fat-free or low-fat cheese and yogurt. I feel great knowing that my family is making healthy choices. Tips on serving milk and milk products: • One of my kids cannot drink milk. The doctor told me he is lactose intolerant. The nutrition educator showed me other items I can serve, like lactose-free milk and calcium-fortified foods such as calcium-fortified orange juices, soy/ rice drinks, and cereals. • I read labels carefully to make sure I'm buying calcium-fortified foods . • I use fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese in foods that I make. Try these recipes to get calcium-rich foods in your meals. 16 The Healthy Family Guidebook Orange Banana Frosty Serving Size : 1/2 cup I Makes: 2 servings Ingredients: 1 small frozen banana, cut into chunks 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt 1/2 cup orange juice Instructions: 1. Put all ingredients in a blender and mix well. 2. Add more liquid if you want the drink thinner. Snack Menu Orange Banana Frosty Sure To Please Baked Eggs and Cheese Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe I Makes: 4 servings Ingredients: 1 tablespoon oil 6 eggs* · 1/2 cup fat-free milk 1/2 cup low-fat grated cheese 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 ~ teaspoons oregano Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Put oil in a medium baking dish or small cake pan and heat in the oven for a few minutes. 3. In a bowl, beat eggs. Mix in remaining ingredients. Pour into hot pan. 4. Bake 20 minutes or until eggs are firm. Serve immediately. * 4 eggs plus 4 egg whites may be used instead of 6 eggs to reduce fat and cholesterol. Tl P: This recipe does not have to be just for breakfast. Consider using this recipe as a main dish at lunch or supper. Breakfast Menu Sure To Please Baked Eggs and Cheese Whole-wheat toast 100% fruit juice The Healthy Family Guidebook 17 18 The Healthy Family Guidebook Make half your grains whole Habit #4 Make half your grains w-hole We usually eat enough foods from the grains group ~ like bread, cereal, rice, and pasta. My family needs to eat 6 ounces of grains each day. Three of those ounces should be whole-grain. My trusty measuring cups help me serve the right amount. For one day, we might eat: • One cup of cereal (whole-wheat flakes) (counts as 1 ounce of whole grains). • Two slices of whole-wheat bread for our lunch sandwich (counts as 2 ounces of whole grains). • One cup of cooked rice at our evening n1eal (counts as 2 ounces of grains). • One small piece of corn bread at our evening meal (counts as 1 ounce of grains). Tips on buying grains: • At least half (3 ounces for my family) should be whole grains. This was new to me. I thought if the bread was brown, it was whole-grain. That is not always true. I learned to look on the label for the words 100% whole grain, or 100% whole wheat. If you see any of these words listed first on the label, it contains whole grain. • You can save money by shopping for grains at day-old bread stores. Ask your nutrition educator if there is one in your area that accepts food stamps. l Tips on serving grains: • Some whole grains that my family likes are whole-wheat breads and cereals, oatmeal, popcorn, brown rice, and whole-wheat or whole-grain corn tortillas. • I put grains in many of the recipes I fix. Here are some fun, delicious recipes that make using whole grains really easy. Fantastic French Toast Servi ng Size: 1/6 of recipe I Makes: 6 servings redients: 2 eggs 1/2 cup fat-free milk 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 6 slices whole-wheat bread Light syrup or fruit toppings (optional) Instructions: 1. Preheat the griddle over medium heat, or set an electric frying pan at 375 degrees. 2. Put eggs, milk, and vanilla in a shallow bowl and beat with a fork until well mixed. 3. Grease the griddle or pan with a thin layer of oil or use nonstick spray. 4. Dip both sides of bread, one slice at a time, in the egg mixture, and cook on the hot griddle or frying pan. 5. Cook on one side until golden brown. Turn the bread over to cook the other side. It will take about 4 minutes on each side. Breakfast Menu Fantastic French Toast Light syrup Applesauce Low-fat or fat-free milk The Healthy Family Guidebook 19 Lunch or Dinner Menu Spinach and Meat Cakes Brown rice Green salad with low fat dressing Strawberries or red grapes Low-fat or fat-free milk Spinach and Meat Cakes Serving Size: 2 meat cakes I Makes: 6 servings Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef or turkey, 7% fat (or 93% lean) 2 spinach bunches, washed and cut into pieces (may substitute a 1-pound bag of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained) 1/2 finely chopped onion 2 minced garlic cloves 1/2 teaspoon salt black pepper to taste 3 cups cooked brown rice Instructions: 1. Preheat frying pan (no oil). 2. Combine all ingredients except brown rice in a large mixing bowl. Mix well. 3. Form mixture into 12 small balls. Place in frying pan and flatten into patties using a spatula. 4. Cook over medium heat until cooked on both sides. 5. Serve over cooked brown rice. Banana Split Oattneal Serving Size: whole recipe I Makes: 1 serving Ingredients: 1/3 cup quick-cooking dty oatmeal 1/8 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup very hot water 1/2 sliced banana 1/2 cup fat-free frozen yogurt Breakfast MenU Banana Split Oatmeal 1/2 Whole-wheat English muffin Low-fat or fat-free milk 20 The Healthy Family Guidebook Instructions: 1. In a microwave-safe cereal bowl, mix together the oatmeal and salt. Stir in the water. 2. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave on high power for another minute. Stir again. 3. Microwave an additional 30-60 seconds on high power until the cereal reaches the desired thickness. Stir again. 4. Top with banana slices and frozen yogurt. TIP: The banana split oatmeal can also be a snack by itself. Habit #5: Go lean writh protein The Meat and Beans Food Group gives us protein. We need protein every day. Each member of my family needs 5Yz ounces from the meat and beans group each day. I had a hard time learning ounces. But my nutrition educator showed me how. For one day, we might eat: • One whole egg (or one tablespoon of peanut butter) at breakfast (counts as 1 ounce of meat and beans). • 1/ 2 cup cooked black beans at lunch (counts as 2 ounces of meat and beans). • One half of a small chicken breast (counts as 2 to 3 ounces of meat and beans). Tips on serving protein foods: • It helped me to start using my measuring cups and spoons. I learned that eating 1 cup of beans would equal 4 ounces of meat. That helped me judge how much food from the Meat and Beans group my family eats. • I take the skin off my chicken and trim the fat off meats. • I bake, microwave, or broil our meats. This was a big change. I used to fry a lot of our foods. • I often serve other protein foods like cooked dry beans and peas, fish, nuts, and eggs. The Healthy Family Guidebook 21 Tips on buying protein foods: • I buy low-fat or lean meats and poultry (chicken and turkey). They have less fat. • I use more fish. I buy fresh fish when it is on sale or canned tuna or salmon. Canned fish usually costs less. Try these low-cost recipes: Lunch or Dinner Menu Salmon Patties Oven fries Broccoli Peaches Low-fat or fat-free milk 22 The Healthy Family Guidebook Saln1on Patties Serving Size: 1 patty I Makes: 9 servings Ingredients: 15Yz ounces canned, drained salmon 1 cup crushed whole-grain cereal or crackers 2 lightly beaten large eggs 1/2 cup low-fat milk 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 1 tablespoon vegetable oil Instructions: 1. Use a fork or clean fingers to flake salmon until very fine. 2. Crumble cereal or crackers into crumbs. 3. Add cereal or cracker crumbs, eggs, milk, and pepper to salmon. 4. Mix thoroughly. 5. Shape into 9 patties. 6. Heat oil in a skillet. 7. Over medium heat, carefully brown both the sides until patty is thoroughly cooked. Tip: Replace the salmon with canned tuna fish. For fun, do a combination of the two! Bean Enchiladas Serving Size: 2 enchiladas (6 inches each) I Makes: 4 servings Ingredients: 3 ~ cups cooked pinto beans (or two 15-oz cans of low-sodium pinto beans) 1 tablespoon chili powder 1/2 cup low-fat shredded cheese, such as Monterey Jack 8 6-inch flour tortillas Salsa (optional) Instructions: 1. Place beans in a large bowl and mash coarsely with a fork or potato masher; stir in chili powder. 2. Wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel. Microwave on HIGH for 45 seconds, or until tortillas are soft and warm. 3. Divide bean mixture among tortillas and spread down center of tortilla. Sprinkle cheese on bean mixture. 4. Roll tortillas to enclose mixture. 5. Spray a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. 6. Place enchiladas, seam side down, into baking dish. 7. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through. 8. Serve warm with salsa. Lunch or Dinner Menu Bean Enchiladas Lettuce and tomato salad Pears Low-fat or fat-free milk The Healthy Family Guidebook 23 Lunch or Dinner Menu Sensational Six-Layer Dinner Whole-wheat bread slice Fruit cocktail Low-fat or fat-free milk Sensational Six-Layer Dinner Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe I Makes: 6 servings Ingredients: 2-3 raw, sliced potatoes (medium size) 2 cups sliced carrots 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon onion, sliced 1 pound lean ground beef, browned and drained 1Yz cups green beans 1 can of tomato soup Baking dish: Use a baking dish or pan large enough to fit all recipe items. Variation: Use peas or corn instead of green beans. Use your favorite cream soup instead of tomato soup. Instructions: 1. Lightly oil or spray baking dish with cooking spray. 2. Layer ingredients in order given. Cover. 3. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until tender and thoroughly heated. 4. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes. Habit #6 Watch your fats, sugar, and salt (sodium) I thought all fats were bad for you. But some types of fats are okay in the right amounts. I learned the fats I should use are oils like: • Canola oil • Safflower oil • Corn oil • Sunflower oil • Olive oil • Oils in fish, nuts, and seeds • Soybean oil Some types of fats are better to limit. These fats are: • Butter • Trans fats that are in a lot • Lard of prepared foods like some • Stick margarine • Fat on meats and poultry cakes, cookies, crackers, pies, donuts, stick margarines, fried foods , chips, and solid vegetable shortening. The nutrition educator helped me learn how to read the Nutrition Facts label to see what was in the food I bought. • I learned to eat small amounts of fat, even oils. They are high in calories. • I also watch the sugar my family gets. I pick food and drinks that are low in sugar. Sugars add calories to foods and not much else that we need. Some foods that are often high in sugars are sodas, candies and sweets, and fruit drinks. • One other thing I check on the Nutrition Facts label is the amount of sodium (salt). I try to buy canned foods that are low in sodium. Nutrition Facts Serving Size 1 cup (228g) Servings Per Container 2 Amount Per Serving C•loriH 250 Calories from Fat 110 i % D•I~V .. ue• ~at12g --_ 18% urated Fat 3Q J 15% lll~l=,.t3a ~ Cholesterol 30mg 10% <[odium 470mg -::> 20% Potassium 700mg 20% Total Carbohydrate 31g 10% Dietary Fiber Og 0% Sugars Sg Protein Sg Vitamin A 4% Vitamin C 2% Calcium 20'K Iron 4% • Percent Daily Values are based on a 2.000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be h1gher or lower depending on your calorie needs. Calories: 2.000 2,500 Total Fat Less than 65g 80g Sal Fat Less than 20g 25g Cholesterol Less than 300mg 300mg Sodium Less than 2,400mg 2,400mg !Total Carbohydrate 300g 375g Dietary Fiber 25!1 3Q9 The Healthy Family Guidebook 25 Habit #7 Balance vvhat you eat vvith physical activity Eating healthier foods is important, but I also learned that we need to be physically active. I learned that: Kids need at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day or most days of the week. Adults need to be physically active for at least 30 minutes most days of the week. You may need more physical activity to lose weight or maintain your weight at a healthy level. If you have questions about what is right for you, go to www.mypyramid.gov. Physical activity should be at least moderate-intensity like these activities: • Walking briskly • Dancing • Gardening/ yard ,work • Bicycling I like being more physically active because I feel better about myself. I also have more energy. I walk on most days, and it has helped me to handle my busy family. Walking is great for most people. One of the secrets to health for our families is to balance how much we eat and how physically active we are. We need to use up what we take in. This means burning off some of the calories we take in. Being physically active helps everyone in your family. Even if our families are busy, there are many ways for all of us to be active. Try these: • Walk or play together. • Walk in an area that is comfortable for you like in the neighborhood, at a park, or in the mall. • Walk to school with your kids. • Walk to the store when you need only a few things. • Play with your children - basketball, soccer, or chase each other in a game of tag. • Check with your local community center for exercise programs, dance classes, or other activities. • Join a church group that does physical activities. • Take the stairs, not the elevator. • Park as far away from stores as you can, so you will add walking steps to your day. • If the weather is bad, we turn on the music and dance or march around the house. The kids love this. I love it too. It gets all of us moving and away from the television. No matter what you choose to do, get moving. The more you move, the better you feel , and the healthier you will be. The Healthy Family Guidebook 27 Feeding their future: Good food habits last a lifetime Do you have a hard time getting your kids to eat right? Here are some tips to make it easier: • Your habits help kids make smart food choices. Kids like to be copycats. They will do what you do. If you drink milk and eat vegetables, so will they. Tty to set a good example. • Have healthier foods in the house. I let my kids decide if they want apples or graham crackers for a snack. Both are healthy choices. • Eat meals with your kids as often as you can. Meals are a nice way to be with each other and break up the busy days. Use meals to talk about new foods and plan ways to be physically active. , • Keep trying with new foods - it may take a few tries with a new food before the family likes it. One thing we like is new food night. We try a new food we have never had. • Let your kids help pick foods, plan meals and snacks, and fix meals. It took some time. But now my kids feel good about eating the foods we know are good for us. We learn together. The more you teach your kids now, the healthier they will be as adults. That is a great gift to give them. What everyone asks: Answ-ers to your questions If you are like me, and many of the women I know, you have questions about eating healthier. Many women know about bflsic nutrition. But we still have trouble using what we know to make sure our families eat healthier foods. I rely on my nutrition educator. She has helped me to learn how to improve my family's eating habits. Here are some of the questions that I needed help with. You might want to know these things too. How can I use my food stamps to stretch my food dollars? • Plan before going to the grocery store. Even if you are only buying a few things, make a shopping list. • Shop from your list. You will buy less if you use the list. Shop when you are not hungry. This way you will not buy more than you want and need. • Check the store's sales. Pick things that match your list that are on sale. Use coupons. These can be used with food stamps. Coupons can help your food stamps buy more. • Buy generic or store brands. They usually cost less. The Healthy Family Guidebook 29 How can I cook healthy meals that are quick and easy? I do not have hours to spend in the kitchen. Healthy cooking can be done without needing a lot of time. The key to healthy cooking is planning ahead and making wise choices. • Look for recipes that use only five to seven ingredients. These are quick and easy. • When you have only a little time for fixing meals and cleaning up, use recipes for "one dish" meals. These are recipes that combine all the foods in one dish. These are great for busy families (see page 24). • If your dinner meal includes a frozen item, put it in the refrigerator the night before or in the morning. By doing that, the item is thawed and ready to use when you begin to fix dinner. Shopping with my kids is so hard, bu,t a babysitter costs too much. How can I shop with the family along? We are all very busy, so this question is one most of us need help with. Set up rules before you leave home so the kids know what to expect. To start, let them know you will all stay together so everyone can help. • Let your child choose a fruit or vegetable to add to the shopping list. Let them tell you where to find that food in the store. • Give everyone, even your smallest child, a job. • If young kids are learning their colors, have them point out as many different colored vegetables as they can. • Have school-aged children read the labels to find healthy choices. Tell them why you are picking that food item based on what the label says. • When shopping, we try to find a vegetable or fruit that we have not tried before. Use grocery shopping as a time to teach your kids what you have learned. Shopping will take a little longer when the kids help. But this time will help your kids learn healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime. Where can I find menus and recipes for a whole week? The menus on the following pages are healthy and low-cost. These sample menus are for a 2,000-calorie food pattern. Averaged over a week, these menus provide all of the recommended amounts of food from each food group. You can find some of the recipes for these tasty meals at www.fns.usda.gov/ eatsmartplayhardhealthylifestyle. You can also find many low-cost recipes at the Food Stamp Nutrition Connection at www.nal.usda.gov/ foodstamp. If you need help finding the recipes, ask your nutrition educator for assistance. Acknow1edgtnents The following recipes used in this Guidebook were adapted from the USDA's Food Stamp Nutrition Connection at www.nal.usda.gov/foodstamp. You can find complete nutrient and cost information for each recipe on the Web site. Banana Split Oatmeal, page 20 Bean Enchiladas, page 23 Brunswick Stew, page 11 Colorful Quesadillas, page 12 Delicious Greens, page 11 Fantastic French Toast, page 19 Frozen Fruit Cups, page 14 Orange Banana Frosty, page 16 Salmon Patties, page 22 Sensational Six-Layer Dinner, page 24 Spinach and Meat Cakes, page 20 Sure to Please Baked Eggs and Cheese, page 17 And, the following recipe used in this Guidebook was adapted from the National Network for Child Care at www once org. Bugs on a Log, page 10 The Healthy Family Guidebook 31 WEEK ONE DAV1 DAV2 DAV3 Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Oatmeal with Raisins Bran Flake Cereal Puffed Wheat Cereal Low-fat Milk Low-fat Milk with Raisins Orange Juice Banana Low-fat Milk Whole-Wheat Toast with Banana Jelly Whole-Wheat Toast Grapefruit Juice with Jelly Lunch Lunch Lunch Southwestern Salad* Potato Soup* Ham Sandwich: Corn Tortilla Whole-Wheat Crackers (Whole-Wheat Bread, Cantaloupe Carrot Sticks Lettuce, Tomato, Ham, Lemon Iced Tea Low-fat Milk American Cheese, t Mayonnaise) Baked Beans* Apple Low-fat Milk Dinner Dinner Dinner Turkey Stir Fty* Beef Pot Roast* Baked Spicy Fish* Brown Rice Egg Noodles with Brown Rice Whole-Wheat Dinner Roll Soft Margarine Mashed, baked sweet Peach Apple Crisp* Green Beans potato with cinnamon Low-fat Milk Apple Turnip Greens Rice Pudding* Oatmeal Cookies* Low-fat Milk Low-fat Milk Snack Snack Snack Pears Plain Popcorn Apple Sauce Orange Gelatin Salad Lemonade Low-fat Plain Yogurt * Go to www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardhealthylifestyle for recipes with starred (*) foods and amounts of food to eat for a 2,000-calorie food pattern. Note: Use fat-free and low-fat milk and milk products. Prepare iced t ea w ith no added sugar. Use 100% f ruit ju ices. DAY4 DAYS DAY6 DAV7 Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Whole-Wheat English Whole-Wheat Toast Scrambled Egg Fantastic French Muffin with Soft with Peanut Butter Hash Brown Toast* Margarine and Jelly Banana Slices Potatoes Maple Syrup Grapefruit Low-fat Milk Whole-Wheat Toast Kiwi Fruit Low-fat Milk with Soft Margarine Honeydew Melon Orange Juice Low-fat Milk Low-fat Milk Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Tuna Pasta Salad* Grilled Cheese Baked Chicken Baked Cod with Rye Bread Sandwich: Nuggets* Cheese* Celery (Whole-Wheat Macaroni Salad* Black Beans with Mandarin Oranges Bread, Tomato, Peas with Soft Green Pepper and Low-fat Fruit Yogurt American Cheese) Margarine Onion Water Ranch Beans* Pears Broccoli with Soft Celery Low-fat Milk Margarine Fruit Cocktail Whole-Wheat Dinner Low-fat Milk Roll Water Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Chicken and Oven-Baked Chicken Pizza Meat Loaf* Spaghetti and Vegetables* Mashed, baked sweet Yellow Sweet Corn Meatballs: Scalloped Potatoes* potato with cinnamon Spinach (Spaghetti oodles, Grapes Broccoli with Pineapple Tomato Sauce, Whole-Wheat Bread Soft Margarine Whole-Wheat Dinner Baked Meatballs)* Low-fat Milk Whole-Wheat Dinner Roll French Bread Roll Fat-free Frozen Baby Spinach Salad Peaches Yogurt with Fat-free Low-fat Milk Low-fat Milk Vinaigrette Dressing Low-fat Milk Snack Snack Snack Snack Baked Crispy Chickpea Dip* Chili Bean Dip* Apple Potatoes* Pita Bread Pita Bread Low-fat Plain Yogurt Apple Juice The Healthy Family Guidebook 33 WEEK TWO DAY1 DAY2 DAY3 Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Egg Burrito* Egg Muffin Sandwich: Shredded Wheat Cereal Cantaloupe (Scrambled Egg and Low-fat Milk Orange Juice American Cheese Banana Low-fat Milk on a Whole-Wheat Orange Juice English Muffin) Orange Juice Lunch Lunch Lunch Lentil Stew* Broccoli & Cheese Bean & Cheese Mixed Green Salad Baked Potato: Enchiladas* with Reduced-Calorie (Potato, Broccoli, Mixed Green Salad Dressing Cheese) with Reduced-Calorie Corn Bread* Apple Dressing Lemon Iced Tea Lemon Iced Tea Grapes Lemon Iced Tea ' Dinner Dinner Dinner Pork Chops & Peppers* Baked Fish* Beef Stir Fry* Roasted Sweet Potatoes Cuban Beans* with Vegetables Green Peas Brown Rice White Enriched Rice Applesauce Sliced Tomato Low-fat Milk Dinner Roll with Dinner Rolls with Fat-free Frozen Yogurt Soft Margarine Soft Margarine Low-fat Milk Low-fat Milk Snack Snack Snack Oatmeal Raisin Low-fat Yogurt Baby Carrots Cookies* Raisins Saltine Crackers Low-fat Milk (Low Sodium) * Go to www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardhealthylifestyle for recipes with starred (*)foods and amounts of food to eat for a 2,000-calorie food pattern. Note: Use fat-free and low-fat milk and milk products. Prepare iced tea with no added sugar. Use 100% fruit juices. 34 The Healthy Family Guidebook DAV4 DAYS DAV6 DAV7 Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Whole-Wheat Toast Oatmeal with Raisins Pumpkin Muffin* Raisin Bran Cereal with Peanut Tropical Morning with Soft Margarine Low-fat Milk Butter Treat* Banana Apple Cantaloupe Low-fat Milk Orange Juice Low-fat Milk Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Spinach Salad Turkey Sandwich: Chicken Salad* Vegetarian Chili* Garlic Toast (Turkey, Lettuce, Sandwich: Whole-Wheat Garlic with Soft Margarine Tomato, Mayonnaise (Chicken Salad, Toast with Soft Mandarin Oranges on Whole-Wheat Lettuce, Tomato on Margarine Low-fat Milk Bread) Whole-Wheat Corn Apple Coleslaw* Bread) Low-fat Milk Low-fat Milk Carrot Raisin Salad* Baked Beans ' Low-fat Milk Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Baked Chicken Salmon Shepherd's Make-Your-Own Turkey Patty* on Egg Noodles Pie* Pizza* Roll with Soft Margarine Delicious Greens* (Green Pepper, Broccoli Green Beans Corn-on-the-Cob Mushroom, Onions) Mashed Potatoes Lemon Iced Tea Dinner Roll with Mixed Green Salad with Soft Margarine Fat-free Frozen Soft Margarine with Reduced- Fat-free Frozen Yogurt Peach Calorie Dressing Yogurt Low-fat Milk Applesauce Pineapple Low-fat Milk Low-fat Milk Banana Pudding* Snack Snack Snack Snack Apple Saltine Crackers S-Layer Bean Dip* Whole-Wheat Graham Crackers (Low Sodium) with Corn Tortilla Crackers (Low Low-fat Yogurt Sodium) with Peanut Butter The Healthy Family Guidebook 3 5 To learn more about food and nutrition, call: Att c.h c.ontact Jr format1or label here. To apply for food stamps, call or go to your local food stamp office. If you need help finding your local food stamp office, call 1-800-221-5689 or go to the Food Stamp Web site at www.fns.usda.gov/ fsp . Myl'yramid.gov STEPSTOAHEAtJHIER)'QU USDA ~ U. S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, political bel iefs, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Wash ington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800} 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Janua ry 2007 Family Meals Easy, Tasty, and Healthy! You're running in 10 directions! It's 4 p.m. You need to pick up your child at daycare, stop at the store, and run some errands. And, you need to get ready for an evening meeting. How do you put a healthy supper on the table, too? A few steps can help you make an easy family meal- with less stress. Use the time you save to enjoy your family. Plan ahead. Keep meals simple! You can make healthy meals fast. Cook when you have more time -maybe on weekends. Make soups, stews, or casseroles to freeze for the next week. Do some tasks the day before. Wash and cut vegetables or make fruit salad. Your child can help. Cook noodles for pasta salad. Cook lean ground beef or turkey for tacos. Refrigerate all food items until used. Fast family meals: Hearty soup: Add low-salt canned or frozen vegetables to soup. Pasta dish: Mix chopped lean ham, cooked chicken, or tuna, and cooked vegetables, into macaroni and cheese. Super chili: Serve homemade or canned chili over a baked potato or brown rice. Your ideas: Loving You; Family~ Feed1n Their Future Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program Shop for time savers. Check prices on foods that are grated, chopped, washed. These foods often cost more, but they can save time. Try grated lowfat cheese, cut-up chicken, and mixed salad greens when they are on sale. Stock your kitchen. Get food that you can make and serve in a hurry, such as: • Fruits (fresh, frozen, canned, or dried) • Vegetables (fresh, frozen, or canned) • Canned beans, fish, poultry, or meat • Canned soups or stews • Eggs • Whole-grain bread or pasta • Brown rice • Low-fat or fat-free cheese or yogurt Enjoy kitchen help. Make meals with your children. Ask them to: • Set the table. • Pour milk. • Help stir. • Measure. • Pick vegetables for supper. • Pick what goes in the salad. • Pick fruit for a snack. • Pick a new food to try. Write other ideas here: Your children will learn to do more to help you. Making family meals together gives you time to talk with your child, even on busy days. Save time in your kitchen. Cook once for everyone. Does your child like plain vegetables, meat, rice, or noodles? If so, set some aside before you add other ingredients. You won't need to take time to prepare different foods . Cook a fast way. Microwave, broil, or stir-fry when you can. Roasting and baking take longer. Make no-cook meals and snacks: • Salads with canned tuna, chicken, or beans • Cold sandwiches • Raw vegetables and low-fat yogurt dip • Fruit Hint: Kids like finger foods! Cook for
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Full-text | 1(1...\ Staff Support Kit Wh::1t' · T ns1(le· Educator's Handbook Discussion Sessions Family Meals- Easy, Tasty, and Healthy! Vegetables and Fruits- Simple Solutions How Much?- Food and Physical Activity Family Time- Active and Fun Loving You; Familygl Feedmg Their Future Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program Dear Nutrition Educator, SDA's Food and Nutrition Service is pleased to send you the attached Staff Support Kit for the Loving Your Family Feeding Their Future, Nutrition Education Through the Food Stamp Program initiative. These educational and promotional materials were designed to convey the messages in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) and MyPyramid in a user-friendly format that would appeal to low-literate and Spanish-language audiences. An Executive Summary of the Loving Your Family ... initiative that provides background information on the development and testing of the materials is posted on the Food Stamp Nutrition Connection (FSNC) Web site at http://www.nal.usda. gov/foodstamp/LovingYourFamily.html. Major components of the Staff Support Kit include: • staff support materials {handbook and discussion sessions) • English participant education materials (brochure, guidebook, handouts, and reproducibles) • Spanish participant education materials (Spanish versions of brochure, guidebook, handouts, and reproducibles) An on-line training module housed on FSNC at the same site provides an overview of the kit components and ideas for using the materials. Educators may download materials from this site. Also provided on-line are sample pre- and postsession feedback questions for educators to get customer feedback. Educators may need to modify these questions to meet local needs. Extra copies of selected Loving Your Family ... materials may be ordered at http://www. fns.usda.gov/fsp/nutrition education/ A User Response Card is attached for you to provide us feedback on these materials. Completed forms can be faxed to 703-305-2576, Attention NSS. If you have any questions or would like more information, please call 703-305-2585. We greatly value your input and look forward to receiving your comments. Thank you for Supporting the Loving Your Family ... initiative User Response Card Loving You; Family~ Feedmg Their Future Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program Help us serve you better! Complete this form and fax to 703-305-2576, Attention: NSS. We will use your suggestions and feedback to improve our materials and continue to provide you the resources that you need. Who Is using this Staff Support KHY {check all that apply) D Food Stamp Program State Agency Staff D Food Stamp Nutrition Education State Coordinator D Food Stamp Program Local Agency Staff Please tell us which components you found most useful. D Food Stamp Nutrition Education Local Coordinator D Other Food and Nutrition Service program D Other _________ _ Components Used (check) Mo~e Useful to Less Useful Educator's Handbook 5 4 3 2 1 Discussion Sessions English Handouts ' ' Spanish Handouts ,\ l English Brochure ! \ \ Spanish Brochure \ \ I ! English Participant Guidebook i \ Spanish Participant Guidebook / / I ' j English Reproducibles I / i Spanish Reproducibles I i \ Overall Theme and Kit i ' r Tell us what other materials would be useful to you. f /i I J i! \ { \ 1. I I \ j I \ I J \ I I \ I / \ I I \ \ I I Anything else we should know? I I \ I \ \ • j I I Thank you for answering these questions! \ \_ \ L __) l Loving You; Family · • Feed1n Their Future Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program Acknowledgtnents Loving Your Family Feeding Their Future, Nutrition Education Through the Food Stamp Program is an initiative of the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The educational and promotional materials are designed for Food Stamp Program participants or eligibles with children ages 2-18 who may possess low literacy skills and who may be Spanish speakers. The project also includes educational materials for persons delivering Food Stamp Nutrition Education (FSNE). However, these materials can be used in other settings with similar target audiences, such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, to help parents and other caregivers follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans with the goal of improving the eating and physical activity behaviors of their families. FNS wishes to thank the local, State and Federal practitioners from the Food Stamp Program (FSP) and FSNE in California, Kentucky, New Jersey, Illinois, Florida, Massachusetts, and Texas who have provided input, reviewed prototypes, or tested these materials. Additionally, the following individuals have provided technical expertise and excellent guidance for the successful completion of this project. Jan Adams Child Nutrition Programs, FNS Carol Stiller WIC Program, FNS Sandy Borrelli New York State Food Stamp Program Colleen Bray Mountain Plains Region, FNS Sandra Canales University of Florida Marisa Cheung Western Region, FNS Technical Reviewers Evelyn F. Crayton Auburn University Jamie Dollahite Cornell University Mavis Faulknor Newark WIC Program Sheldon Gordon Food Distribution Program, FNS Wendy Johnson-Taylor National Institutes of Health Jan Kallio Massachusetts WIC Program Louise Lapeze Child Nutrition Programs, FNS Joyce McDowell The Ohio State University Chris Sady University of Southern Maine Ellen Schuster University of Missouri Linda Wells New Mexico State University Project Officers: Jane Mandell and Donna Johnson-Bailey, Office of Analysis, Nutrition, and Evaluation, FNS Project Team Members: Alice Lockett, Food Stamp Program, FNS Alicia White and Judy Wilson, Office of Analysis, Nutrition, and Evaluation, FNS Melissa Walker, Food Stamp Program, FNS 2 These materials were prepared through a contract with BestS tart, Inc., Tampa, Florida with funding from USDA's Food Stamp Program. What is inside this handbook? The Loving Your Family ... initiative .. . . . . .................... 4 An Overview of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans ·~ - and MyPyramid . ........................................ 6 A Look at the Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Addressing Low Literacy Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 The Influence of Cultural Norms on Nutrition Habits ............. 15 Getting the Kids Involved. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Promoting and Marketing Loving Your Family:.. . ... . ........... 18 Additional Nutrition Education Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 3 Loving Your Family) Feeding Their Future: Nutrition Education Through the Food Stamp Program ... 4 This Educator's Handbook serves several functions. It: -+ Helps nutrition educators implement Loving Your Family, Feeding Their Future. -+ Provides an overview of the ready-to-use educational tools and available resources. -+ Introduces nutrition educators to the theme developed for this initiative and encourages its use in other nutrition education efforts. is an initiative of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). This project provides educational and promotional materials and techniques to help nutrition educators in their work with Food Stamp Program (FSP) participants and eligibles. The client materials are specifically targeted and designed for English- and Spanishspeaking women with children ages 2 through 18. They are written in simple, easy-to-read language appropriate for a fifth-grade reader. Other nutrition assistance programs could use these materials with similar audiences. This Educator's Handbook provides an overview of the Loving Your Family .. .initiative, a discussion on the relationship between Loving Your Family ... , My Pyramid, and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) , and information on how to use the materials. Loving Your Family ... Helps Clients Loving Your Family .. . is a tool that helps you provide low-literate English and Spanish speakers access to nutrition education that is useful, relevant, and reflects the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and My Pyramid, USDA'.s food guidance system. Loving Your Family ... is user-friendly and focuses on how women and their families can eat better and be more physically active by changing behaviors. In particular, the educational materials and discussion sessions will help clients and their families stretch their food dollars, fix easy and tasty meals, eat healthier, and be physically active. Focus of Loving Your Family Loving Your Family .. . supports these behaviors: -+ Eat fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products every day. -+ Be physically active every day as part of a healthy lifestyle. -+ Balance calorie intake with calories expended. These behaviors are based on some of the recommendations outlined in MyPyramid and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. According to research completed with FSP participants for this Loving Your Family. .. project, these are recommendations that participants would like to be able to follow. These behavioral outcomes are also emphasized in the Food Stamp Nutrition Education Guiding Principles and the FSNE State Plan Guidance1 . Loving Your Family ... Helps Educators As a nutrition educator, you have a tough job. You provide nutrition education to many different types of people who often are going through hard times. FSP participants may have limited reading skills and English-speaking abilities. They may also have little or no income. Loving Your Family ... offers a consistent model for working with these groups. This model includes: • Materials designed specifically for the target audiences • Background on their educational needs • Guidance for teaching relevant, understandable, and achievable behaviors • Resources to support your nutrition education efforts 5 An Overview of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are the basis of Federal food, nutrition education, and information programs. They provide science-based advice to promote health and to reduce risk for chronic disease through diet and physical activity. MyPyramid, USDA's food guidance system, provides information on how individuals can put the Dietary Guidelines into practice. MyPyramid depicts how one's total diet meets nutrient needs from food sources and aims to moderate or limit dietary components often consumed in excess. An important complementary tool is the Nutrition Facts label on food products. For more information on this tool, go to www.cfsan.fda.gov. The recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid are for persons over 2 years of age and support the basic premise that nutrient needs should be met primarily through consuming foods . MyPyramid food guidance system is not a therapeutic diet for any specific health condition. U::;;:S;--D=A . United States Department of Agnculture Individuals with a chronic health condition should talk with a health care provider to determine what dietary pattern is appropriate for them. Pregnant women should also follow the advice of their health care provider regarding food and physical activity recommendations. MyPyramid Web site If the time and situation permits, you can customize MyPyramid for each participant using the MyPyramid Web site. 2 On the site, you can enter information about the participants' age, gender, and activity level and generate a MyPyramid plan that is specific to the calorie and nutrient needs of the participant. The plan includes how much the individual should eat from each food group each day. You are encouraged to review and become familiar with the information on the MyPyramid Web site, especially the following sections: • For Professionals - Education Framework - Food Intake Patterns and Calorie Levels • Tips and Resources '1111111 MyPyramid.gov - IIJm About Us · News & Media ; Site Help · Online Ordering Contact Us En Espafiol Steps to a Healthier you • My Pyramid Plan • Inside the Pyramid • Tips & Resources • Dietary Guidelines • For Kids • For Professionals • Related Links 6 • My Pyramid Tracker My Pyramid Plan Age: Sex: - {r:I:S:-e:cle- ct-1;- -..,:) Physlul Activity: Amount of moderate or vigorous activity (such as brisk walking, jogging, biking, aerobics, or yard work) you do In addition to your normal daily routine, most days. ! (Select) • I • ) Participants can also visit the MyPyramid Web site independently. However, participants with limited literacy skills may have difficulty reading and understanding some of the text. Participants may access the Internet through home, schools, libraries, some public offices and public health and social service organizations. The MyPyramid Web site offers participants more ways to improve the health of their families. The Web site is available in Spanish by clicking on the "En Espafiol" button in the top right corner. Using the MyPyramid Web site, participants and educators can: • Work independently to address questions raised during nutrition education sessions. • Explore topics of particular interest and relevance to participants or educators. • Obtain information on MyPyramid recommendations for other family members. • Select educational items and activities for children. • Identify healthy lifestyle options for the entire family. For those participants who do not have access to the Internet, you may assist them by downloading files for use as handouts. Keep in mind that some of the information may not be at the appropriate literacy level for your audience. Food Intake Patterns Throughout this initiative, a 2,000-calorie food intake pattern is used as a reference for consistency with the Nutrition Facts label on food products. It was also selected because this initiative uses a family-based approach and the 2,000 calorie level is the appropriate calorie level for many sedentary and moderately active women and children over 8 years old. Although this calorie level is used as a reference, recommended calorie intakes will differ for individuals based on age, gender, and physical activity level. For example, the following chart shows three different calorie levels and the amount of food from each food group that might be appropriate for a young child (8 years or younger), a woman (19-50 years), and a teenaged boy (14-18 years). Daily Amount of Food From Each Group* Calorie Level 1 ,400 (young child, 8 yea rs or younger) 2, OOQ (woman, 19-50 years) 2,800 (teen boy, 14-18 years) Fruits 1.5 cups 2 cups 2.5 cups Vegetables 1.5 cups 2.5 cups 3.5 cups Grains 5 ounce-equivalents 6 ounce-equivalents 1 0 ounce-equivalents Lean meat and beans 4 ounce-equivalents 5.5 ounce-equivalents 7 ounce-equivalents Milk 2 cups 3 cups 3 cups * These are approximate amounts and may vary depending on exact age, gender, and physical activity level of each person. 7 8 A Look at the Materials Loving Your Family, Feeding Their Future The theme for this initiative, Loving Your Family, Feeding Tbeir Future: Nutrition Education Through the Food Stamp Loving You; Family~ Feed1ng Their Future Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program Program, was developed to provide brand support and promote nutrition education services for women with children. Research was conducted with key audiences for this initiative including FSP participants, staff and administrators, and those persons who deliver nutrition education to FSP participants. This approach helped ensure that the initiative theme was relevant and appealing to the target audiences. The Loving Your Family ... theme was selected based on findings from the audience groups that indicated Loving ... provides a warm, nurturing, feminine, and personal message. It directly reflects reported aspirations of participants for their families ... to have loving, supportive homes. It is a positive, affirming declaration that also suggests the central goal of mothers is to provide for the future of their children. Loving . .. says even in the face of dealing with the reality of everyday life, they are caring parents who want to provide a strong future for their children in spite of the obstacles they face. The tag line, Nutrition Education Through the Food Stamp Program, helps make the connection between nutrition education services and the FSP. Loving Your Family ... is a brand that not only marks these materials but also could be used at the State or local level to brand other FSP nutrition education efforts that are targeted to women and families. The three ethnic groups (AngloAmerican, African-American, and Hispanic-American) that are the focus for this initiative have much in common when it comes to food use behaviors. The research for this project confirms this idea. These shared characteristics allow educators to utilize instructional approaches that cross ethnic and cultural boundaries in many situations. Messages in the materials are applicable among all of the groups for which Loving Your Family ... is intended. Careful attention was paid to visually represent all of the primary groups for this initiative. While most educators are aware that different groups bring different challenges to nutrition education, participants have more in common than different in terms of their interests in and difficulties with establishing food behaviors and physically active lives. The sections of the Handbook called, Addressing Low Literacy Skills (page 14) and Cultural Considerations When Working with Spanish-Speaking Participants (page 14), provide additional information that is specific to low-literate and Spanish-speaking groups. The Loving Your Family ... initiative includes a promotional brochure and materials for clients and educators as shown in the following chart and brief descriptions of each material. A number of complementary resources that may assist you in your nutrition education efforts are also listed. Tools for Success Promotional Tool Educator's Tools Client's Tools 1. Their Future Means 1. Explore Loving Your Family .. . 1. The Healthy Family Guidebook Everything to You brochure Online Education Module 2. Educator's Handbook 3. Discussion Sessions for leaders 2. Take Home Handouts for participants • Family Meals- Easy, Tasty, • Family Meals- Easy, Tasty, and Healthy! and Healthy! • Vegetables & Fruits- Simple • What counts as one cup Solutions of fruits? • What counts as one cup of vegetables? • How Much?- Food and • Ways to Eat Smart and Physical Activity Move More • Family Time- Active and Fun Other Complementary Resources (These materials are not packaged with this kit, but information on how to access them is provided.) • Food Stamp Nutrition Connection Web site • FSNE Guiding Principles • FSNE State Plan Guidance • Dietary Guidelines for Americans • MyPyramid Web site • MyPyramid large and mini posters • My Pyramid for Kids Coloring Page • Nutrition Facts label • Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ Power Plans (lessons for adults and children), brochures and music3 9 10 Promotional Tool Their Future Means Everything to You is a multipurpose brochure. As a promotional tool, it provides an overview of nutrition education services and emphasizes the FSP commitment to assisting families with improving nutrition and physical activity behaviors. Organizations or agencies can place local contact information on the brochure to assist with their outreach efforts. It also improves participant awareness of the Loving Your Family ... initiative. You may use this brochure with clients as a take-home reinforcement of program services, and as an information-sharing tool for family members, friends , or others in the social networks of participants. Tools for You-the Nutrition Educator Loving You; Family~ Feedmg Their Future Nutm!OI'I Education Through The Food Stamp Progtam Their future means everything to you Several tools are available for the nutrition educator: an online education module, Explore Loving Your Family. .. , this Educator's Handbook, and four Discussion Sessions. The online education module provides a visually narrated tour through this Educator's Handbook and the four Discussion Sessions. To access the module, go to www.nal.usda.gov/foodstamp/. The four Discussion Sessions are·ready-to-use plans for conducting educational sessions with FSP participants and eligibles. The key topics covered in the sessions are linked to The Healthy Family Guidebook. Handouts for participants are provided or suggested for all of the sessions. ' . ~ All of the discussion sessions are planned for groups of about 5-7 mothers and each session can be completed in about 45 minutes. The discussion sessions use a participant-centered approach and include interactive group activities. They support and help the adult learner with low literacy skills understand the nutrition information and make a commitment to take action to improve eating and physical activity behaviors. The behavioral objectives for each discussion session are listed below. Discussion Session Family Meals- Easy, Tasty, and Healthy! Vegetables and FruitsSimple Solutions How Much?- Food and Physical Activity Family TimeActive and Fun Behavioral Objectives • Identify and use at least two time-saving or low-cost ways to prepare healthy family meals each week. • Name two tasks their child can do to help make a family meal and commit to letting their child help do a task at least once a week. • Identify and commit to try at least two vegetables and two fruits during the upcoming week with at least one vegetable a dark green or orange one. • Identify and commit to at least one activity to encourage their children to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables each day. • Recognize what a 1-cup portion of vegetables and a 1-cup portion of fruits look like. • Identify the amounts of food most women and children need from each food group. • Identify and commit to at least one action to get the right amount of foods from MyPyramid food groups. • Identify and commit to at least one action to get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity most days of the week. • Identify and commit to at least one action to get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity with their family most days of the week. • Identify and commit to at least two actions to help kids eat in a healthy way, every day. 11 These sessions can be used as single session discussions or combined and taught as a "mini" course. You could develop additional discussion sessions using this format as a model and tailor to your local needs based on the information in the The Healthy Family Guidebook. For example, discussion sessions on whole grains and low-fat or fat-free milk and milk products would support the behavioral outcomes for the Loving Your Family ... initiative. Consider preparing one of the recipes from The Guidebook for participants to taste at a discussion session. You may want to avoid recipes using peanut products since some persons are allergic to them. The Eat Smart. Play Hard. TM (ESPH) Campaign also has Power Plans (discussion sessions) targeted to parents and children that could be used in conjunction with the Guidebook. View these sessions at www.fns.usda.gov/ eatsmartplayhard. 12 Tools for Your Clients The Healthy Family Guidebook communicates MyPyramid messages in a way that is appropriate for low-literate audiences for both English and Spanish language speakers. The participant Guidebook is the foundation for the Loving Your Family. .. initiative. The Guidebook uses a "self-teaching" format to help participants understand the basics of the Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid recommendations for a healthier lifestyle. This "help" book assists FSNE participants with daily nutrition management and physical activities for their families while supporting positive behavioral changes. The Guidebook provides information about the amount of food to eat each day from each food group, tips on buying foods to stretch food dollars, tips on serving foods , including low-cost recipes, and ideas for getting children to eat healthier foods and be physically active every day. '. ~ Additional Reinforcement Materials Take-Home Handouts are provided or suggested for all of the Discussion Sessions. The handouts are designed to help participants commit to healthy eating or physical activity behaviors. As noted in the chart below, additional optional handouts are suggested. Discussion Session Take-Home Handout Family Meals- Family Meals-Easy, Tasty, and Healthy! Easy, Tasty, and Healthy! Optional handout: Power Up with Brealifast (Eat Smart. Play Hard. TM brochure) Vegetables and Fruits- What counts as one cup of vegetables? Simple Solutions What counts as one cup of fruits? Optional handout: Grab Quick and Easy Snacks (Eat Smart. Play Hard.TM brochure) How Much?-Food and Ways to Eat Smart and Move More Physical Activity Optional handout: Balance Your Day With Food and Play (Eat Smart. Play Hard. TM brochure) Family Time- Optional handout: Make Family Time an Active Active and Fun Time (Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ brochure) USDA's MyPyramid poster is used in all of the Discussion Sessions. You can download the poster and the MyPyramid for Kids Coloring Page that is referenced in the sessions from www.mypyramid.~ov. Eat Smart. Play Hard. TM campaign materials are used or referenced in several of the Discussion Sessions, including music, movement scripts, and adult brochures. These materials are available at www.fns. usda. gov I eatsmartplayhard/ . 13 Addressing Low Literacy Skills In the 1991 National Literacy Act, the United States Congress defined literacy as: an individuals ability to read, write, and speak in English, and compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society, to achieve one's goals, and develop one's knowledge and potential.4 Literacy is not a skill that individuals either have or don't have. Rather, people fall into a literacy continuum for different types of skills. These skills impact their ability to perform reallife tasks such as: • Finding information in texts, like newspaper articles. • Completing forms, such as a social security card application. • Interpreting graphs and charts, such as a table of employee benefits. The National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) is a nationally representative and continuing assessment of English language literacy skills among American adults. For more information, go to www.nces.ed.gov/ NAAL. What is most relevant to the Loving Your Family ... project is that three out of four Food Stamp Program participants performed in the two lowest literacy levels. This means that an alarming number of FSP participants read at levels that make it difficult for them to properly use many existing nutrition education materials. This initiative and the materials for participants have been developed and designed to help 14 those FSP participants who are having difficulty reading. Some of the key design features to make the Loving Your Family ... participant materials more user friendly include:5-6 • The use of audience-appropriate reading levels that are at or near 5th grade level • The use of full-color illustrations and images to help communicate key information and elicit reader attention • Design features that emphasize core information by the use of text blocks, bullet lists, and repetition • The use of real world examples to emphasize instructional points • Easy-to-read descriptions of key terms, for which no low literacy alternatives are available or that are new or technical in nature • Pretesting of all materials to assure that the intended audience groups view the materials as attractive, comprehensible, acceptable, persuasive, and relevant Cultural Considerations When Working with SpanishSpeaking Participants One of eight people in the United States was of Hispanic origin in 2002. About 34 percent were under 18 years of age, and around 70 percent were citizens. Approximately 17 percent of Food Stamp Program households heads were Hispanic in 2004.7 Loving Your Family ... is intended to improve availability of nutrition education information to Spanish-speaking FSP participants and eligibles. This requires attending to a number of variables that influence how materials are developed for this diverse population group. Some factors that influence nutrition education for Spanishspeaking participants are related to cultural differences, language skills, and transient/ migratory population clusters. Hispanics in the United States are a multicultural population, having migrated from different countries.8 Cultural and language elements vary across national origins.9 While the Loving Your Family .. . initiative is not designed as a cultural competencies training, the materials reflect appropriate ethnic and cultural images and messages based on the guidance of this project's formative research findings. 10 The following suggestions are not a definitive list of cultural competencies related to Spanish-speaking FSP participants. However, they are helpful tips that were reported by participants during the research phase of the Loving Your Family . .. initiative. Effective Cultural Elements11 -13 : • Promote respect for elders and interest in their traditions • Help people to share and discuss personal experiences • Rely on extended family to help with education • Build on Hispanic/ Latino communal neighborhood values and attitudes • Support practices/ events that promote their culture and traditions • Emphasize contemporary and historical role models • Use specific terms rather than general (i.e. , chicken, rather than poultry) • Avoid words that are vague • Use images culturally relevant to the audience • Use culturally familiar foods or activities The Influence of Cultural Norms on Nutrition Habits Society and cultural norms influence participants' abilities to adopt healthier lifestyles. Generally, contemporary, high-paced lifestyles and the media influence food use and physical activity practices.14 - 16 Many modern conveniences make it easier to avoid physical activity in the course of everyday lives. These conveniences include cars, elevators, television, computers, and more mechanized jobs. • Food advertising and promotions are prominent features of the commercial mainstream. • Advertising encourages consumption of affordable, high-calorie foods. • Children are increasingly the targets of food advertising. 15 Getting the Kids Involved One of the most significant barriers to introducing healthful lifestyle practices into the family is the influence of children who often play a role in food selections and preparation. Finding ways to encourage the active participation of kids in healthy food practices and active lifestyles can have a significant impact on the success of nutrition education. Here are some tips to help FSP participants get their kids involved. These tips reinforce information found in The Healthy Family Guidebook. ~ A parent's habits help kids make smart food choices.17 -19 Kids like to be copycats. They will follow a parent's example, if it is consistent. If parents drink milk and eat vegetables, so will kids. Teach parents to set a good example. This is a reason to encourage parents to adopt healthier practices. 16 ~ Encourage parents to have healthier foods in the house. Teach parents to keep a variety of healthy food choices around. Allowing kids to decide from among options like apples, graham crackers, or carrots is empowering for the children and maintains a varied nutritional complement of snack foods around. ~ Parents should eat meals with their children as often as possible. Meals are a valuable way to spend time together, break up the busy days, and provide opportunities for parents to "catch up on things" with their kids. Parents can also use meal times to talk about foods and plan fun physical activities. Parents can offer children time to discuss their interests, what types of physical activity they would like to do, what foods they've enjoyed recently, or what new foods they have discovered. Family meals also provide an opportunity for parents to model good eating habits. ~ Promote "new food nights" to introduce foods that the family hasn't tried before. New foods may take a few tries before the family likes them. Parents can make an event out of trying new foods by having "new food night." Parents can allow the kids to help pick the foods, plan the meals or snacks, and cook. This offers kids a feeling of ownership in the new food experiences and makes experimenting more entertaining and less like a chore. ~ Teach parents the value of balancing physical activity with what the family eats. Eating healthier foods is important but being physically active is equally valuable for healthy lives. Kids need at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day or most days of the week. Adults need at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week to reduce the risk of chronic disease. Moderate physical activity that the family can do together includes activities like: • Walking briskly • Gardening/yard work • Dancing • Bicycling ~ Let parents know the importance of engaging in physical activities with their children. Parents can help their children to be more active by participating in activities with them and modeling fun, easy, everyday activities that will help establish an interest in being more active. • Walk or play together. - Walk in an area that is comfortable for everyone like in the neighborhood, at a park, or in the mall. - Walk to school with your kids. - Walk with your kids to the store when you only need a few things. - Play with your children - basketball, soccer, or chase each other in a game of tag. • Involve kids in groups that do physical activities. • Teach kids to take the stairs, not the elevator. • Park as far away from stores as possible to add walking steps to everyday activities. • When the weather is bad, turn on the music and dance or march around the house with the kids. The children will love doing "kids" things with grownups. 17 Promoting and Marketing Loving Your Family ... FSP participants and eligibles come in contact with many organizations, institutions, and individuals in their communities. Loving Your Family ... can expand your capacity to influence change in FSP participants by utilizing all the available resources within the program and with your partners at the local, State, and national levels. Linking Loving Your Family. . . with the FSP and Other FNS Programs Loving Your Family . .. is a subset of the educational information that is found in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid. Being sure to always present Loving Your Family .. . as supportive of MyPyramid will help foster the shared brand identity and the relationship among the various nutrition education components. FSNE is often provided at locations other than where recipients receive FSP food benefits. The result is program participants often do not know that the FSP provides nutrition education. Communication and networking among the various FSP staff members who interface with participants can help to build a team that shares common goals associated with nutrition education. Making FSP offices a place where the promotional brochure, Their Future Means . .. , is distributed will help bridge this gap. This will help to include non-nutrition staff in the promotion and referral process for 18 nutrition education services. It will also help partcipants access resources and foster awareness of the Loving Your Family ... initiative. Developing Partnerships According to nutrition educators who participated in the study that guides Loving Your Family . . . , partnerships with FNS programs and other organizations that interface with FSP participants can foster referrals. These organizations are also potential sites where nutrition education may be offered. These partners can help improve awareness that the FSP is a source for nutrition education. They also serve as valuable distribution points for Loving Your Family ... participant materials. To improve partnerships: • Provide promotional brochures (Their Future Means Everything to You) that frame the initiative as a FSP nutrition education offering to local FSP offices, FNS nutrition-related programs, and other community venues. • Hold in-service orientations for non-nutrition, professional, paraprofessional, and clerical staff to introduce the initiative, review the value of nutrition education, and solicit support. • Hold in-service orientations for FNS program staff associated with other nutrition programs, such as WIC and Child Nutrition Programs. Partnerships can provide access to preformed groups within which educators may establish nutrition education classes. These include: Adult Settings:* • Local Food Stamp and TANF offices • Food banks and pantries and soup kitchens • Job training centers, career centers, and work sites • Housing authority locations • Faith-based organizations • WIC Farmers' Markets • WI C clinics • Grocery stores in low-income areas • School PTAs in low-income schools • Head Start centers • Health clinics and public health programs Children's Settings:* • Low-income public schools (K through 12) • Childcare centers 'Refer to FSNE State Plan Guidance for exact requirements. • Preschool programs • After school programs • Summer food programs • Head Start centers • Youth recreation programs The Loving Your Family . .. initiative provides basic tools to reach food stamp participants and eligibles with information and skills to help them adopt several healthy eating and physical activity behaviors. It is by no means the only set of nutrition education materials that can be used in FSNE, but may be a starting point for your efforts at reaching women with children who are Spanish speaking and who may have low literacy skills. The following additional resources may be helpful in your nutrition education endeavors. 19 20 Additional Nutrition Education Resources Nutrition education is an evolving field. As nutrition educators in the field, you are asked to master innovative instructional and curriculum approaches. Emerging science in the area of nutrition and physical activity is a constant. In order to stay current, nutrition educators must access an abundance of information and knowledge from a wide array of resources. philosophy under which one's respective program operates? To make the search for information more efficient, this listing of nutrition education resources provides a way to access a science-based collection of resources to complement and expand your program's educational goals and to guide clients to more healthful lives. This wealth of information can be an asset, or it can be a challenge. How does one select from among the vast array of resources? What resources are the most current, correct, and user-friendly? And what sources of information fit the nutrition education The foundation of all nutrition education efforts should be the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid, which reflect Federal nutrition policy. USDA's FNS recommends using the following resources for nutrition and physical activity information. Suggested Internet Resources Dietary Guidelines for Americans are published jointly every 5 years by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Guidelines provide authoritative advice for people 2 years and older about how good dietary habits can promote health and reduce risk for major chronic diseases. Complete information on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans can be found at: www.cnpp.usda.gov MyPyramid.gov STEPS TO A HEALTHIER YOU MyPyramid is a Webbased, consumer-oriented resource system from which nutrition education staff can better understand the Federal food guidance system and develop curriculum approaches and educational materials for Food Stamp Program participants and other clients. Check the section titled "For Professionals" to access accurate nutrition and physical activity information and the science behind MyPyramid. www.mypyramid.gov The Food Stamp Nutrition Connection is a resource for Food Stamp Program nutrition educators. This site provides training, resources, nutrition education materials, FSNE State Plan Guidance, recipes, photo gallery, information on particular nutrition topics, access to other state food stamp nutrition education resources, and discussion groups. The Loving Your Family .. , materials including the online education module can be found here. www.nal.usda.gov /foodstamp Food & Nutrition Service (FNS) Nutrition Link (www.fns.usda.gov/ nutritionlink) is a gateway page to some other initiatives of interest, including: Eat Smart. Play Hard. ™ Campaign provides educational and promotional materials to help motivate children and their caregivers to eat healthy and be active. www .fns. usda. gov / eatsmartplayhard Team Nutrition supports the Child Nutrition Programs through training, nutrition education for children and their caregivers, and school and community support for healthy eating and physical activity. www.fns. usda. gov /tn WIC Works Resource System provides nutrition service tools for nutrition education professionals. www.nal.usda.gov/wicworks/index.html Healthier US.gov provides information to help Americans choose to live healthier lives by focusing on nutrition, physical fitness, prevention, and making healthy choices. www.healthierus.gov Additional Federal Government Resources Nutrition.gov provides easy access to the best food and nutrition information from across the Federal Government. It serves as a gateway to reliable information on nutrition, healthy eating, physical activity, and food safety for consumers, educators, and health professionals. www.nutrition.gov The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is committed to programs that reduce the health and economic consequences of the leading causes of death and disability and ensure a long, productive, healthy life for all people. The CDC site provides nutrition and physical activity related data and statistics as well as health promotion information. www.cdc.gov The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition provides valuable information on food label education tools. www.cfsan.fda.gov The National Agricultural Library (NAL) provides access to a wide variety of agricultural information to educators and the public at large. NAL is one of the world's largest agricultural research libraries. www.nal.usda.gov 21 References 1. United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Food Stamp Program. Food Stamp Nutrition Education Guiding Principles. Available from: www.fns.usda.gov/ oane/menu/ FSNE/ GuidingPrinciples.pdf. Accessed February 9, 2006. 2. United States Department of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. MyPyramid. Available from: www.mypyramid.gov. Accessed February 7, 2006. 3. United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ Available from: www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhard. Accessed February 7, 2006. 4. National Institute for Literacy. National Literacy Act of 1991 , Pub. Law No. 102-73, 105 Stat. 333. 1991. Available from: www.nifl.gov/ public-law.html. Accessed August 15, 2006. 5. Department of Health and Human Services, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Health. Clear and simple: Developing print materials for low-literate readers. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office; 2003. 6. Doak CC, Doak LC, Root JT. Teaching patients with low literacy skills. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: JB Lippincott Company; 1996. 7. United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. Reaching low-income Hispanics with nutrition assistance: Federal assistance nutritional facts. Available from: www.fns.usda.gov/ cga/ FactSheets/ reaching.htm. Accessed February 9, 2006. 8. United States Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration. Ibe Hispanic population: Census 2000 Briq Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau 2001. 9. United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Agricultural Library. Hispanic American influence on the U.S. food industry. 2002. Available from: www.nal.usda.gov/ outreach/HFood.html. Accessed January 26, 2006. 10. Best Start, Inc. The Dietary Guidelines: A social marketing project to improve access to 22 and utilization of dietary guidelines for low-literacy and Spanish language groups. Unpublished research brief. Tampa, FL: Best Start, Inc. 2003 . .,., 11. Fidalgo G, Chapman-Novakofski K. Teaching nutrition to Hispanics at an English as a second language (ESL) center: Overcoming barriers. 2001 . journal of Extension [serial online]. 2001 ; 39(6). Available from: www.joe.org/ joe/ 2001december/a3.html. Accessed January 26, 2006. 12. Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) Communications Team. 1997. Teaching assistance bulletin: Developing effective messages and materials for Hispanics/ Latino audiences. Available from: www.urc-chs.com/ pdf/hispanic-latino.pdf. '·' Accessed August 15, 2006. 13. Lopez R. Understanding Hispanic USA. Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA) Views: Ideals and todlsforqualitative research. 2003; 1(3): 30-35. 14. Coon KA, Goldberg J, Rogers BI, Tucker KL. Relationship between use of television during meals and children's food consumption patterns. Pediatrics. 2001; 107. 15. Patrick H, Nicklas TA. A review of family and social determinants of children's eating patterns and quality. journal of the American College of Nutrition . 2005; 24(2): 83-92. 16. French SA, Story M, Jeffery RW. Environmental influences on eating and physical activity. Annual Review of Public Health. 2001 ; 22: 309-335. 17. Fisher JO, Mitchell DC, Smiciklas-Wright H, Birch LL. Parental influences on young girls' fruit and vegetables, micronutrient, and fat intakes. journal of American Dietetic Association. 2002; 102: 58-64. 18. Tibbs T, Haire-Joshu D, Schechtman KB, et al. The relationship between parental modeling, eating patterns, and dietary intake among African American parents. journal of American Dietetic Association. 2001 ; 101: 535-541. 19. Zive NM, Frank-Spohrer GC, Sallis JF, et al. Determinants of dietary intake in a sample of White and Mexican-American children. journal of American Dietetic Association. 1998; 98: 1282-1290. 23 USDA ~ Food and Nutrition Service U.S. Department of Agriculture In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national orig in, sex, age, religion, pol itica l beliefs, or disabi lity. To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA. Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or {202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. January 2007 DISCUSSION SESSION Vegetables and Fruits . Simple Solutions SESSION OVERVIEW This session is intended to help busy mothers include the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables in their daily meal plans and learn ways to encourage their children to eat fruits and vegetables. Participants will discuss the difficulties of including fruits and vegetables in their family's meals. An educator will facilitate a discussion about solutions to the problems identified by the group. Ideas shared by group members will be recorded on a flipchart. Using sample vegetables, participants will sort vegetables into their MyPyramid sub-groups (dark green, orange, starchy, dry beans and peas, and other vegetables). Then participants will measure ~-cup, 1-cup, and X-cup portions of fruits and vegetables. They will be able to visualize what 2 cups of fruits and 2Yz cups of vegetables look like (the recommended amount for a 2,000-calorie diet). Participants will then brainstorm some ways to encourage their children to eat fruits and vegetables followed by a discussion of which methods work best and why. Finally, mothers will be challenged to identify and commit to try two vegetables and two fruits during the upcoming week with at least one vegetable being a dark green or orange one. They will also identify and commit to at least one activity to encourage their children to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables each day. TARGET AUDIENCE: Mothers with children between the ages of 2 and 18 GROUP SIZE: 5 to 7 participants NEEDED TIME: 45 minutes BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES: After the session participants will be able to: • Identify and commit to try at least two vegetables and two fruits during the upcoming week with at least one vegetable being a dark green or orange one. • Identify and commit to at least one activity to encourage their children to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables each day. • Recognize what a 1-cup portion of vegetables and a 1-cup portion of fruits look like. KEY MESSAGES: • A family needs a variety of different colored vegetables and fruits each day for good health- not just one type. • Eat fruits and vegetables at meals and snacks. Pick fresh, frozen, canned, or dried and go easy on fruit juice. • Most families need to increase their intake of dark green and orange vegetables and dry beans and peas. MATERIALS NEEDED FOR SESSION • Nametags/ markers • Highlighters or pencils (one per participant) • Flipchart/ markers Loving You; Family~ Feeding Their Future Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program VEGETABLES AND FRUITS - 1 • Samples of vegetables and fruits to measure and display (See handout sheets, What counts as one cup of vegetables? and What counts as one cup of fruits?). • MyPyramid poster - Hang poster at eye level so everyone can see it. • Resources for mothers: The Healthy Family Guidebook What counts as one cup of fruits? handout What counts as one cup of vegetables? handout - Kids' Activity Sheets: Order or download at www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhard/ Outline of 45-minute session: HINT: Use empty boxes or cans for food samples. Food models or pictures can also be used. If your budget permits, have sample fruits and vegetables to taste. • Welcome and introduction to Vegetables and Fruits -Simple Solutions (5 minutes) • Discussion group activities (35 minutes) • Sum up and home activity (5 minutes) Review the information on the handouts What counts as one cup offruits? and What counts as one cup of vegetables? For additional background information, review "Inside the Pyramid" on the USDA website, www.mypyramid.gov. The section on "Tips to help you eat," for each of the food groups, provides additional information to use in your discussion, as time permits. Also review the information on pages 8-14 in The Healthy Family Guidebook. WELCOME TO VEGETABLES AND FRUITS-SIMPLE SOLUTIONS Welcome participants and ask them to make their own nametag (first names only). Make sure each has a copy of the two handouts, What counts as one cup of vegetables? and What counts as one cup of fruits?, the Guidebook, and a highlighter. Mention other points of interest as needed, such as the location of restrooms and water fountains. BEGIN: What is your favorite fruit? Give participants time to call . them out. Write responses on flipchart and/ or tape pictures of mentioned food to flipchart or wall. Repeat question with vegetables. DISCUSSION GROUP ACTIVITIES CONTINUE: Tell the mothers the group will be talking about: • Planning the types and amounts of vegetables and fruits needed each day to make meals healthier. • Including easy and low-cost fruits and vegetables in their daily meals • Helping their children learn to eat fruits and vegetables. 2- VEGETABLES AND FRUITS ASK: • How many cups of fruits and vegetables do you think each member of your family eats each day? • What are some reasons your children may not eat many fruits and vegetables? Provide time for mothers to share their responses for each question before moving to the next one. Write responses on flipchart. POINT OUT: • MyPyramid shows you how much to eat - the amounts for a 2,000-calorie meal plan are 2 cups of fruits and 2Y2 cups of vegetables (Point to the MyPyramid poster). Review the handouts with the mothers to help them understand what counts as 1 cup of fruits or vegetables. Note that younger children may need less fruits and vegetables and active teens and men may need more fruits and vegetables. • Eating a variety of vegetables helps your family get what they need to be healthy. Help mothers identify vegetables in each of the subgroups: dark green, orange, starchy, dry beans and peas, and other vegetables. Together let them arrange the vegetables in your display according to the subgroups. Refer them to page 9 in the Guidebook and the back page (My favorite vegetables) of the W'hat counts as one cup of vegetables? handout. • Fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruits and vegetables are smart choices - only drink enough juice to get up to half of the fruit needed for the day, no more than 1 cup per person for a 2,000-calorie meal plan. It's not necessary to have fruit juice every day. • Smart, low-cost ways to get vegetables and fruits in your meals and snacks - review low-cost ways to buy vegetables and fruits on pages 9 and 13 in the Guidebook. • Helping kids learn to eat fruits and vegetables- ask participants to share their ideas. Then, review tips on serving vegetables and fruits on pages 10 and 14 in the Guidebook. Serving fruits and vegetables in fun ways, offering them for meals and snacks, and letting children help prepare foods will help them eat more fruits and vegetables. THEN: • Let a participant measure Y2 cup and 1 cup of some fruits or vegetables and put them on a plate to visualize what it looks like on a plate. Let a mother measure Y2 cup of dried fruit onto a plate. Let another participant measure 1 cup of fruit juice into a glass. • Ask each mother to share with the group how she prepares her favorite vegetable or fruit (use listing from introductions to guide this discussion), or how she uses fruits and vegetables in meals for her family. Record ideas on flipchart. VEGETABLES AND FRUITS- 3 • Then let each mother name fruits and vegetables they have not tried. Make a list of these fruits and vegetables on the flipchart. • Ask the other mothers to share ways they could fix the fruits or vegetables that might taste good or encourage the mothers to try the fruits and vegetables. (Note: if you have samples of fruits and vegetables, encourage mothers to taste the ones that they have not tried.) SUM UP: • Let one participant measure or pick 2 cups of fruits from the display and one participant measure or pick 2Yz cups of vegetables from the display. Point out this is the amount a person would need for a 2,000-calorie menu plan. Refer to the handouts for W'hat counts as one cup of fruits and vegetables? • Point to pictures of foods on the MyPyramid poster for ideas on fruits and vegetables. Refer to the handouts for the variety of fruits and vegetables that could be used in meals and snacks. Mention that there is more information and easy menus and recipes in their Guidebook (pages 8-14). If your budget permits, prepare one of the recipes to share - especially one that uses dark green or orange vegetables. HOME ACTIVITY • Give each mother a highlighter or pencil and ask her to highlight or circle on the handouts at least two vegetables and two fruits that she will try during the upcoming week. Encourage them to include at least one dark green or orange vegetable. • Close session by reinforcing ways to help children learn to eat more fruits and vegetables. Encourage mothers to highlight or circle one of the tips on pages 10 and 14 of the Guidebook that they will try at home in the upcoming week. 4 -VEGETABLES AND FRUITS USDA :z-=-=;; Myl'yramid.gov STEPS TO A HfALTHIER you Food and Nutrition Service U.S. Department of Agricul t ure USDA is an equal opponunity provider and employer. j anuary 2007 TIP: Give Kids' Activity Sheets to participants to take home to their children. DISCUSSION SESSION HoW" Much? Food and Physical Activity SESSION OVERVIEW This session is intended to help busy mothers learn ways to get enough of the right kinds of food, but not too much, and recognize that a healthy lifestyle means paying attention to what they eat and how physically active they are each day. Participants will discuss the kinds and amounts of foods that are needed by women and children. Participants will measure and visualize different size portions of foods. Finally, participants will commit to one action to be physically active during the coming week and at least one action to get the recommended amounts of foods from the MyPyramid food groups based on a 2,000-calorie meal plan. The participants will receive two take-home tools to help them achieve these actions by working with their children: Ways to Eat Smart and Move More and MyPyramidfor Kids Coloring Page. TARGET AUDIENCE: Mothers with children between the ages of 2 and 18 GROUP SIZE: 5 to 7 participants NEEDED TIME: 45 minutes BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES: After the session participants will be able to: • Identify the amounts of food most women and children need from each food group. • Identify and commit to at least one action to get the right amount of foods from MyPyramid food groups. • Identify and commit to at least one action to get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity most days of the week. KEY MESSAGES: • Knowing the amount of food to eat from each food group can help you eat enough, but not too much. • Measuring foods with measuring cups and spoons can help you see how much food you are eating from each food group. • Kids need the right amount of food from all food groups to grow strong and healthy. • Physical activity can help burn off some of the food you eat. MATERIALS NEEDED FOR SESSION • Nametags/ markers • Food models (2- and 3-ounce portions of meats) • Measuring cups and spoons (let participants take home if: funds allow) • Foods to measure: cooked brown rice*, pasta*, fat-free milk, low-fat yogurt, cheese slices, fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, hard-cooked eggs, etc. • MyPyramid poster Hang poster at eye level so everyone can see it. • Handouts for mothers: *TIP: If making rice and pasta ahead of time for class, add oil or use nonstick spray so it does not clump together. - The Healthy Family Guidebook - Ways to Eat Smart and Move More - My Pyramid for Kids Coloring Page Loving You; Family~ Feed1n Their Future Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program HOW MUCH -1 Outline of 45-minute session: • Welcome and introduction to How Much?- Food and PhysicalActivity (5 minutes) • Discussion group activities (25 minutes) • Group activity-measure and visualize various amounts of foods (10 minutes) • Sum up and home activity (5 minutes) Review the information on the handouts, ~ys to Eat Smart and Move More, and My Pyramid for Kids Coloring Page. For additional background information, review "Inside the Pyramid," "Tips to help you eat," and "Tips for increasing physical activity" on the USDA website: www.mypyramid.gov. Also review the Guidebook, especially information on pages 6, 26 and 27. WELCOME TO HOW MUCH?- FOOD AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY Welcome participants and ask them to make their own nametag (first names only). Make sure each has a copy of the handouts; Ways to Eat Smart and Move More, MyPyramidfor Kids Coloring Page, the Guidebook, and a highlighter or pencil. Mention other points of interest as needed, such as the location of restrooms and water fountains. BEGIN: What do you enjoy about feeding your family? Call out your answers. Write responses on flipchart. DISCUSSION GROUP ACTIVITIES CONTINUE: Tell the mothers the group will be talking about: • The right amounts and kinds of foods you and your family need each day to be healthy • The connection between how much you eat and how physically active you are POINT OUT: Feeding your family can be enjoyable. It is a way of taking care of the people you love. Many women tell me that they know what foods are good for their families. But, they want to know how much of what kinds of foods they should eat. And what their children should eat. They may not know that each family member may need different amounts of food depending on their age, activity level, and gender. ASK: • How could knowing how much food to eat each day help you and your family? • What do you think it means to balance what you eat with what you do physically? • Think about riding bikes. What does your child need to learn to ride a bike without training wheels? (Balance, practice) 2- HOW MUCH Allow mothers to share their responses for each question before moving to the next one, using the appropriate responses from mothers. POINT OUT: • Balancing what you eat with how physically active you are requires practice and a "can-do" attitude- just like a child learning to ride a bike. • Kids need the right amount of food from all food groups to grow strong and healthy. If you don't eat enough you may not get everything your body needs for energy and health. • If you eat too much of certain foods you won't have room for the other foods your body needs. You could also gain weight. • We need to use up what we take in. This means burning off some of the calories we take in by being physically active. CONTINUE: It's important to eat foods from all of the food groups every day. The amount of food you need to eat each day depends on whether you are male or female, your age, and how physically active you are. Ask each mother to look at the MyPyramid poster (on the wall) and page 7 in the Guidebook. Read aloud the amount of food needed from each food group each day (based on a 2,000-calorie meal plan that is appropriate for many women and children): • Grains - Eat 6 ounces every day • Vegetables - Eat 2 ~ cups every day • Fruits - Eat 2 cups every day • Milk- Get 3 cups every day; for kids aged 2 to 8, it's 2 cups • Meat and Beans - Eat 5 ~ ounces every day Also, read the amount of physical activity that women and children need each day. POINT OUT: Women and kids who are not very physically active will need less food. Younger kids (2-8 years) may also need a little less food, while teenage boys who are very physically active may need more food. ASK: How does this amount of food match up to what your family normally eats at home? HOW MUCH- 3 POINT OUT: • MyPyramid shows you what types of food and how much to eat. The amounts of foods are listed in cups or ounces (show measuring cups/ spoons and discuss their sizes). It's easy to estimate amounts of foods if you practice measuring food a few times using the · measuring cup~ and spoons. After awhile you will recognize what 1 cup or 1/2 cup looks like on the plates and in the glasses that you use at home. Let participants measure different foods and encourage them to let their children measure food at home. • It's important to be physically active. Children need 60 minutes of physical activity and adults need at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity most days of the week. • Keep the right kinds of foods on hand to make it easy to get the amounts and kinds of foods your family needs for good health. Look at the MyPyramid poster to find the right foods from each of the food groups. Also, note that healthy choices are those that are low in solid fats and added sugars. SUM UP: • Balancing food choices to get what you and your family need can be done by making small changes. Each day, eat the recommended amounts of foods from the various food groups. • During this next week, what actions can you take to be more physically active and eat the recommended kinds and amounts of foods? Allow participants to share their ideas. Facilitator can write them on a flipchart. • Ask participants to look at the handout, lfays to Eat Smart and Move More. Read the ideas and ask "which ones make sense to you?" • Another idea is to eat fewer foods that are often high in added sugars, such as: • sodas • fruit drinks • candies and sweets • sports drinks HOME ACTIVITY: • Ask participants to commit to one action to be physically active and one action to get the recommended kinds and amounts of foods during the coming week by highlighting or circling the item on the handout Ways to Eat Smart and Move More. Tell participants they can add their own ideas. • Encourage them to give their younger child the My Pyramid for Kids Coloring Page and share what they have learned. 4- HOW MUCH USDA ??z7ii Food and Nutrition Service U. 5. Department of Agriculture USDA is an equal oppommiry provider and employer. january 2007 DISCUSSION SESSION . ·" SESSION OVERVIEW This session is intended to help busy mothers and their families be more physically active and begin to make healthy choices for meals and snacks. As an activity opener, participants will show how physically active they are. Then they will discuss why being physically active is important and the challenges to being active every day. Participants will work with partners to come up with solutions to the challenges of being more physically active every day and share with the group. Using The Healthy Family Guidebook participants will discuss ways to fit smart food choices into a healthy eating plan. At the end of the session, participants will be reminded to make being physically active and eating healthy a part of their daily habits. Participants will make a personal commitment to at least two actions to follow a healthy eating plan and be physically active for at least 30 minutes most days of the week. TARGET AUDIENCE: Mothers with children between the ages of 2 and 18 GROUP SIZE: 5 to 7 participants NEEDED TIME: 45 minutes BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES: After the session participants will be able to: • Identify and commit to at least one action to get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity with their family most days of the week. • Identify and commit to at least two actions to help kids eat in a healthy way, every day. KEY MESSAGES: • Being physically active and following a healthy eating plan can be fun and may promote a longer and healthier life in many ways. • Regular physical activity is a key factor in maintaining a healthy body weight for adults and children. • Parents play an important role in helping their children make physical activity an everyday habit. • Most families need to be more physically active. MATERIALS NEEDED FOR SESSION • Nametags/ markers • Highlighters or pencils (one per participant) • Flipchart/ markers • MyPyramid poster- Hang poster at eye level so everyone can see it • Lively and fun musical CDs and player • Resources for mothers: - The Healthy Family Guidebook • Optional: Order Make Family Time an Active Time as a take home brochure for each participant at www.fns.usda.gov/ eatsmartplayhard/ Loving You; Family~ Feed1ng Their Future Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program FAMILY TIME - 1 Outline of 45-minute session: • Welcome and introduction to the Family Time- Active and Fun session (5 minutes) • Discussion group activities (35 minutes) • Sum up and home activity (5 minutes) For additional background information, review "Inside the Pyramid" and "Tips and Resources" on the USDA website, www.mypyramid.gov. TIP: Consider using the Eat Smart. Play Hard:M music or Power Up Moves found at website www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhard/ WELCOME TO FAMILY TIME-ACTIVE AND FUN Welcome participants and ask them to make their own name tag (first names only). Make sure each has a copy of the Guidebook, and a highlighter or pencil. Mention other points of interest as needed, such as the location of restrooms and water fountains. BEGIN: What are your favorite ways to be physically active? Write responses on a flipchart. DISCUSSION GROUP ACTIVITIES CONTINUE: Tell the mothers that the group will be talking about: • Planning easy and low-cost ways to be physically active each day • Using the MyPyramid eating plan to choose foods and eat in a healthy way, every day • Discussing ways to include children in their physical activity and healthy eating plans every day Ask everyone to stand up and then discuss how physically active they think they are by asking the following questions. ASK: • Do you mostly sit during the day, at work, at home, or somewhere else? If so, cross your arms in front of your chest. • Do you think you move enough during the day? If so, shake your hands. • Is your day full of a lot of physical activity? If so, wave your arms wildly. SAY: Clap your hands .. .if you think moving more than you do now would be good for you. Now with that "applause for being on the move," it is time to get moving! While the participants are all still standing, have fun by being physically active together. • Explain~that being physically active does not mean you have to participate in sports. Any kind of moving around is good, including dancing or moving to music. 2- FAMILY TIME • Turn up the Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ music for "If You Wanna Be Like the Power Panther" or other lively, fun music. Lead (or ask someone else to lead) the group in some easy but active moves to the Power Panther song. They might step in place, do a line-dance, walk around the room, swing their arms, or just move to the music in any way they would like. Option: if you would like to talk to them as the music plays, use the instrumental version (without the lyrics). Note: "Power Panther is Here" is a shorter song and does not give as much time for parents to move. • Talk about their "moves." Ask: - How did it feel to move a little in our time together today? (Responses might include: fun, energizing, relaxing, helps relieve stress.) - Could you still talk while you were moving? Could you sing with the music? POINT OUT: The "talk-sing test" is a good way to see if you are getting the right level of physical activity. ASK: If you can talk while you move, it is probably a good pace for you; if you can sing while you move, you may need to move faster or harder; and if you are too breathless to talk while you move, slow down. • Why is dancing a good way to be physically active? • Why is it important to be physically active? • How much physical activity do you think adults need? How much do children need? Provide time for mothers to share their responses for each question before moving to the next one. POINT OUT: • Adults need at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days of the week. Children need at least 60 minutes. Ask participants to turn to pages 26 and 27 in the Guidebook and highlight or circle the amount of physical activity that adults and children need. • Physical activity helps you control body weight by balancing the calories you take in as food, with calories you use each day; and may reduce your risk of certain chronic diseases. • Dancing, walking, riding bikes, and climbing stairs are low-cost, fun ways to be physically active with your children. Have participants turn to pages 26 and 27 in the Guidebook for more ways to be physically active. FAMILY TIME - 3 ASK: • Why it is hard to be physically active? • Acknowledge their challenges and ask, What are some solutions to these challenges? • Let the group members share their challenges and possible solutions. REINFORCE POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: • "Too tired when I get home" (Solution: Make your lunch or break time active; take a 1 0-minute brisk walk.) • "No time - too many other things to do" (Solutions: Be more active in the everyday things you do; use the stairs instead of the elevator or park further away and walk.) • "Nobody to be active with" (Solution: Plan fun ways to be active with your family; play with your kids or walk the dog.) CONTINUE: Tell the mothers that food choices are also important to a healthy family. Remind them that making smart choices from every food group is the best way to give their bodies the nutrition they need. • Point to the MyPyramid poster and review that a healthy eating plan is one that: 1) emphasizes fruits , vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products; 2) includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; 3) is low in solid fats , salt (sodium), and added sugars; 4) balances food and physical activity. • Ask the participants to turn to page 7 of the Guidebook and together read aloud the amounts of food shown for a 2,000-calorie meal plan. • Ask: What makes it hard to follow this plan? • Let the participants discuss some solutions. Then ask them to turn to page 28 in the Guidebook and together read aloud some of the tips for making it easier to eat smart. SUM UP AND HOME ACTIVITY: Now that you know some fun and easy ways to be more physically active and eat healthy, you can take steps to make these habits part of your daily life. • Ask each mother to highlight or circle two activities on page 26 of the Guidebook that she will do with her children, and • Highlight or circle two actions on page 28 of the Guidebook that she will do to help her kids eat right. 4- FAMILY TIME \"~ ~.. -- · MyPyramid.gov Food and Nutnt1on Serv1ce STEPSTOAHEALJHIER}{)U U. 5. Department of Agnculture USDA is an equal opportu nity provider and employer. Januaty 2007 DISCUSSION SESSION Family Meals Easy, Tasty, and Healthy! SESSION OVERVIEW This session is intended to help busy mothers plan, shop, and prepare healthy, low-cost meals for their families and learn ways to let their children help. Participants will discuss the difficulties of making easy and healthy family meals. Participants will share challenges of making low-cost meals and snacks. An educator will facilitate a discussion about solutions to the problems identified by the group by sharing ideas from participants as they play the Make a Meal game. Each participant will share how she would make a meal using two "make and serve in a huny" foods that she has selected from items on display. The planned meals could be a snack, lunch, breakfast, or dinner. Ideas on making the planned meals low-cost will be shared. Participants will then brainstorm some ideas on how their children could help make the meal. Finally, each mother will be challenged to select two timesaving or low-cost ideas to plan, shop, or cook healthy meals that she will use in the upcoming week and one way she will let her child(ren) help her with the family meals. TARGET AUDIENCE: Mothers with children MATERIALS NEEDED FOR SESSION between the ages of 2 and 18 GROUP SIZE: 5 to 7 participants NEEDED TIME: 45 minutes BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES: After the session participants will be able to: • Identify and use at least two timesaving or low-cost ways to prepare healthy family meals each week. • Name two tasks their child can do to help make a family meal and commit to letting their child help do a task at least once a week. KEY MESSAGES: • Timesaving tips can help mothers make easy, tasty, and healthy family meals, with less stress and cost. • Children can help mothers get ready for, or make, family meals. • Nametags/markers • Highlighters or pencils (one per participant) • Flipchart/ markers • Samples of "make and serve in a hurry" foods (See handout sheet, Family Meals -Easy, Tasty, and Healthy!) Hint: Arrange the items on a table for everyone to see. TIP: Use empty boxes or cans for the canned and frozen items. Include examples of low-cost foods. • My Pyramid poster - Hang poster at eye level so everyone can see it. • Handouts for mothers: Family Meals- Easy, Tasty, and Healthy! The Healthy Family Guidebook Loving You; Family~ Feed1n Their Future Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program FAMILY MEALS - 1 Outline of 45-minute session: • Welcome and introduction to Family Meals- Easy, Tasty, and Healthy! (5 minutes) • Discussion group activities-How do you decide what to make for dinner? (10 minutes) • Group activity- Play the Make a Meal game (25 minutes) • Sum up and home activity- Identify ways to plan, shop, or cook fast and healthy meals and ways children can help (5 minutes) The educator should review the information on the handout Family Meals -Easy, Tasty, and Healthy! and directions for playing the Make a Meal game. For additional background information, review "Inside the Pyramid" on the USDA website, www.mypyramid.gov. The section on "Tips to help you eat" for each of the food groups provides additional information to use in your discussion as time permits. WELCOME TO FAMILY MEALS-EASY, TASTY, AND HEALTHY! Welcome participants and ask them to make their own nametag (first names only). Make sure each has a copy of the Family Meals handout, the Guidebook, and a highlighter or pencil. Add other points of interest, as needed, such as the location of restrooms and water fountains. BEGIN: What are the names and ages of your children? Give mothers time to share. DISCUSSION GROUP ACTIVITIES BEGIN: Tell the mothers the group will be talking about: • Planning ahead to make meals easier, tastier, healthier, faster, and less expensive • Shopping and buying low-cost foods to make and serve in a hurry • Using timesaving tips when cooking meals • Involving their children in making meals THEN: Read aloud the following from the Introduction section of the Guidebook. Encourage mothers to follow in their booklets on page 3, as you read: "Mom, What are you making for supper? I did not like to hear that question. I often did not have an answer. Like most moms, I wanted my family to eat healthier foods. I knew I had to take action. With help from the Food Stamp nutrition educator, !learned that my family needed to eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It still seemed hard to do. I needed a plan to change what we ate and how we ate. On top of that, my family is so busy. Work and school take up most of our time. Does this sound like you?" 2- FAMILY MEALS Pause and let the mothers think about the question, then: ASK: • How do you decide what to make for dinner? • How do you make a quick meal? • How do you make a healthy meal? • Point to the MyPyramid poster and ask, What ideas does this poster give you? • What are your favorite low-cost foods? Allow mothers to share their responses for each question before moving to the next one. Using the appropriate responses from mothers: POINT OUT: • Healthy meals can be simple-Add vegetables to a favorite low-cost food like packaged macaroni and cheese. • Cook when you have more time-On the weekend, make a double recipe of a casserole and freeze it for the next week. • Do some tasks ahead-Wash and trim vegetables or make fruit salad a few hours or the day before your meal. • Cook in a fast way-Microwave, broil, or stir-fry when you can. • Make no-cook meals or snacks- Salads with low-cost foods like canned tuna, chicken, or beans; cold sandwiches; raw vegetables with low-fat yogurt or dip; or fruit. Note: Kids like finger foods! • Use food stamps to stretch food dollars-Make a shopping list, check store sales, and buy generic or store brands. PLAY THE GAME: MAKE A MEAL • Have each mother pick two different foods from the "make and serve in a hurry" foods that are displayed on the table. • After evetyone has picked her foods, ask for a volunteer to tell how she would use her foods to make a snack or meal (breakfast, lunch, or dinner). They can add other foods to complete the meal. • Ask how the participant would make the meal low-cost. • Give everyone an opportunity to make a meal or snack. Write the menus on a flipchart or blackboard if available. ASK: • How can your children help make a meal? Let the group brainstorm some ideas. Write the ideas on the flipchart. FAMILY MEALS- 3 ASK: • Why it is hard to be physically active? • Acknowledge their challenges and ask, What are some solutions to these challenges? • Let the group members share their challenges and possible solutions. REINFORCE POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: • "Too tired when I get home" (Solution: Make your lunch or break time active; take a 10-minute brisk walk.) • "No time - too many other things to do" (Solutions: Be more active in the everyday things you do; use the stairs instead of the elevator or park further away and walk.) • "Nobody to be active with" (Solution: Plan fun ways to be active with your family; play with your kids or walk the dog.) CONTINUE: Tell the mothers that food choices are also important to a healthy family. Remind them that making smart choices from every food group is the best way to give their bodies the nutrition they need. • Point to the MyPyramid poster and review that a healthy eating plan is one that: 1) emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products; 2) includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; 3) is low in solid fats, salt (sodium), and added sugars; 4) balances food and physical activity. • Ask the participants to turn to page 7 of the Guidebook and together read aloud the amounts of food shown for a 2,000-calorie meal plan. • Ask: What makes it hard to follow this plan? • Let the participants discuss some solutions. Then ask them to turn to page 28 in the Guidebook and together read aloud some of the tips for making it easier to eat smart. SUM UP AND HOME ACTIVITY: Now that you know some fun and easy ways to be more physically active and eat healthy, you can take steps to make these habits part of your daily life. • Ask each mother to highlight or circle two activities on page 26 of the Guidebook that she will do with her children, and • Highlight or circle two actions on page 28 of the Guidebook that she will do to help her kids eat right. 4 - FAMILY TIME ~ ~ ~. \~ d ... Myl'yramid.gov Foo and Nutnt1on ServiCe STEPSTOAHEAl.JHIERyou U. 5. Department of Agnculture USDA is an equal opponuniry provider and employer. January 2007 English Participant Education Materials What's Inside: Their Future Means Everything to You Brochure The Healthy Family Guidebook Handouts Family Meals- Easy, Tasty, and Healthy! What counts as one cup of fruits? What counts as one cup of vegetables? Ways to Eat Smart and Move More Black and White Reproducibles Loving You; Family Feed1ng Their Future Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program The Healthy Family Guidebook What is inside this guidebook? My plan for a healthy family .................. .. ...... 3 A healthy eating plan: MyPyramid ..................... 5 Loving your family: Making healthier habits. . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Habit #1: Vary your veggies .................. . ...... 8 Habit #2: Focus on fruits ........................... 13 Habit #3: Get your calcium-rich foods . ....... . ........ 15 l hh1t # "f· \!hke half your grams \\ 11o1e. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Habit #5: Go lean with protein. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 :1b1t #( · 'ltf 11 \OUt' 1 ... n , SUQ,ll'. rl 1lt ( .... odiUt1l) . . . . . 25 Habit #7: Balance what you eat with physical activity . . . . . 26 Feeding their future: Good food habits last a lifetime .... 28 What everyone asks: Answers to your questions ......... 29 2 The Healthy Family Guidebook My plan for a healthy family Mom, what are you making for supper? I did not like to hear that question. I often did not have an answer. Like most moms, I wanted my family to eat healthier foods. I knew I had to take action. With help from the Food Stamp nutrition educator, I learned that my family needed to eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It still seemed hard to do. I needed a plan to change what we ate and how we ate. On top of that, my family is so busy. Work and school take up most of our time. Does this sound like you? The nutrition educator helped me learn some easy steps to get started. After a while, it was easier than I would have dreamed. I learned that healthier eating does not take a lot of time. My family could eat healthy without spending a lot of money on food. We could change how we eat, and we would feel better. What really helped was when the nutrition educator taught me about MyPyramid, a food and activity plan. MyPyramid shows us how to eat healthier foods and be physically active every day. This guidebook tells you about MyPyramid. It shows you how to plan, shop, and prepare meals for your family. This guidebook is for real families that are busy like mine. The information in this guidebook is for persons over 2 years of age. The Healthy Family Guidebook 3 4 The Healthy Family Guidebook MyPyramid.gov STEPS TO A HEALTHIER YOU A healthy eating plan: MyPyramid MyPyramid helps you know what foods are best for your family. MyPyramid includes five food groups: Grains Group Make half your grains whole Vegetables Group Fruits Group Vary your veggies Focus on fruits Milk Group Get your calcium-rich foods Meat & Beans Group Go lean with protein I have learned to use foods from every food group each day. I pick foods from each group because no single food has everything we need for good health. This guidebook will help you use foods from each food group. It is easy to use and gives tips on how to: • Cook easy, quick, and tasty meals that your whole family will love. • Get your kids to eat more fruits and vegetables and like them. • Stretch your food dollars. • Get your family to be more physically active and have fun. We all know deep down that planning and making healthy meals shows our love for our families and gives them hope for a good future. This book helps you do it. The Healthy Family Guidebook 5 Loving your family: Making healthier habits The good eating habits I teach my kids today will stick with them for life. As a mom, that is one of the best gifts I can give my kids. "Fast food" was easy for my busy family. But it often did not have healthy choices. The nutrition educator helped me learn that we can eat healthy, stay on our budget, and not spend hours in the kitchen. We took it one step at a time. The first step was to learn how much to eat. I wanted my family to eat the right foods in the right amounts. But I did not know what the right amounts of food were. I learned adults and kids need different amounts from each food group. Many children and women who are not very physically active will need fewer calories and less food. Many men and teen boys will need more food. MyPyramid shows us that many adult women need about 2,000 calories a day. This means they should eat these amounts each day from each food group: Vegetables Group 2Y2 cups Fruits Group 2 cups Milk Group 3 cups Grains Group 6 ounces Meat and Beans Group 5% ounces That seemed like a lot of food. I learned it was not as much as I thought it was when I looked at the amounts of food in my meals during the day. These amounts of food may not be right for you. It depends on how physically active you are, your age, and if you are a woman or man. Ask your nutrition educator to help you find a plan for healthy eating by going to the MyPyramid Web site at www.mypyramid.gov. MyPyramid showed me how to change, one step at a time, by using seven basic habits. Those habits have made our lives better. I made little changes at first. Soon my family was eating better. It did not happen right away, but we did change. We all learned together. Learning together made it easier and fun. Here are seven habits. Start slowly, but start. And stick with it. Your family will feel healthier, happier, and closer to each other. These changes are worth it. The Healthy Family Guidebook 7 Habit #l Vegetables Group Vary your veggies Vary your veggies Eating a variety of vegetables will help your family get the nutrition they need. I serve my family different vegetables like: Dark green -broccoli, spinach, and greens (turnip, mustard, collard). Orange - carrots and sweet potatoes. Starchy - corn, white potatoes, green peas. Legumes - dty beans and peas. Others - tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, cabbage, celery, cauliflower, zucchini, summer squash, and lettuce. Vegetables of different colors provide different vitamins and minerals. When I serve many colors of vegetables, I know my family is eating healthier. I needed to serve more dark green and orange vegetables. Here is how my family does it: Each member of my family needs about 271 cups of vegetables a day. This was hard for me to understand. So, I got out my measuring cups and started measuring my vegetables to see what that amount looked like. For one day, each one of us might eat: • One half cup of cooked green beans (counts as 1/2 cup of vegetables). • One cup of raw leafy vegetables, like lettuce or spinach (counts as 1/2 cup of vegetables). • One half cup of raw tomatoes (counts as 1/2 cup of vegetables). • One large baked sweet potato (counts as 1 cup of ~ vegetables). Tips on buying vegetables: • Fresh, frozen, and canned vegetables are all smart choices. • Fresh vegetables can be a great buy and taste great. Check prices and look for sales. • Frozen and canned vegetables may cost less than fresh vegetables. Check the prices. • Frozen and canned vegetables last longer than fresh vegetables. They can also save time - no washing and chopping. The Healthy Family Guidebook 9 Tips on serving vegetables: • I can mix vegetables with other foods that my kids like. My family loves macaroni and cheese. So, I mix it with chopped broccoli for a dark green vegetable. My family never leaves a bite on their plates. • We stir-fry vegetables like slices of zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, and onions in a nonstick pan or with a little oil. Then season to taste. Try your favorite vegetables this way. • I serve dark green and orange vegetables often. My family likes baked sweet potatoes with cinnamon sprinkled on top. • We keep vegetables in the refrigerator for snacks. My family likes cucumbers, carrots, and broccoli. The kids love to dip their veggies in low-fat ranch dressing or put peanut butter on their celery. They really like this recipe. Snack Menu Bugs on a Log Low-fat milk or water 1 0 The Healthy Family Guidebook Bugs on a Log Ingredients and Instructions: 1. Make "logs" from any of these foods: • Celery stalks, cut about 3 inches long • Apples, cut in halves or quarters with cores removed • Carrot sticks, cut to about 3 inches long 2. Top the logs with a spread such as: • Low-fat cream cheese and pineapple • Low-fat cheese and pimento • Peanut butter • Egg salad 3. Sprinkle "bugs" on the spread: • Raisins • Unsweetened whole-grain cereal • Sunflower seeds • Chopped peanuts Warning: Young children less than 3 years old can easily choke on nuts, seeds, popcorn, raw vegetables, grapes, peanut butter, meat sticks, and hot dogs. Do not give these foods to infants. Cut foods into small , easily chewed finger foods fo r toddlers and preschoolers who are still learning to bite and chew. Watch children of all ages closely when they are eating. Also, some children and adults may be allergic to peanut butter. 1 add vegetables to soups and stews like this recipe: Brunswick Ste-w Serving Size: 1 cup I Makes: 8 servings Ingredients: 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 medium sliced onion 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 2 cups cooked diced chicken or turkey 2 cups canned or cooked tomatoes 2 cups canned or cooked lima beans 2 cups canned or cooked whole-kernel corn Instructions: 1. Heat oil in a large pan. Add onion and cook in oil until tender. 2. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer for 30 minutes at medium-low. Delicious Greens Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe I Makes: 4 servings Ingredients: 1/2 pound mustard or collard greens 2 cups shredded cabbage 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil 2 tablespoons minced garlic 1 chopped onion 1 tablespoon vinegar Instructions: 1. Rinse greens, remove stems, and tear in small pieces. 2. In a large saucepan, boil 3 quarts of water. 3. Add mustard greens, return to a boil, and cook 3 minutes. Add cabbage and cook 1 more minute. Drain in colander. 4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and saute garlic and onion until light brown, about 3 minutes. 5. Add greens and vinegar and cook briefly, about 3 minutes. Serve hot. Lunch or Dinner Menu Brunswick Stew Whole-wheat bread slice Fresh orange wedges Low-fat milk or water Lunch or Dinner Menu Sliced ham Delicious Greens Baked sweet potatoes Small piece cornbread Pineapple slices Low-fat milk or water The Healthy Family Guidebook 11 Lunch or Dinner Menu Colorful Quesadillas Fruit salad Low-fat or fat-free milk 12 The Healthy Family Guidebook Colorful Quesadillas Serving Size: 4 wedges or one quesadilla I Makes: 8 servings Ingredients: 8 ounces fat-free cream cheese 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 8 small flour tortillas 1 cup chopped sweet red or green bell pepper 1 cup shredded low-fat cheese 2 cups fresh spinach leaves or 9 oz. frozen, thawed, and squeezed dry Instructions: 1. In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese and garlic powder. 2. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture on each tortilla. 3. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons bell pepper and 2 tablespoons shredded cheese on one half of each tortilla. 4. Add spinach: 1/4 cup if using fresh leaves or 2 tablespoons if using frozen. Fold tortillas in half. 5. Heat a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Put 2 folded tortillas in skillet and heat for 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. 6. Remove quesadillas from skillet, place on platter, and cover with foil to keep warm while cooking the remainder. 7. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges. Serve warm. Habit #2 Focus on fruits Fruits Group Focus on fruits Eat a variety of fruits every day. Fruits add vitamins, minerals, and fiber to our meals and snacks. Each member of my family needs about 2 cups of fruit every day. For one day, we might eat: • One half cup of fruit cocktail (counts as ) 1/2 cup of fruit). • A large banana (counts as 1 cup of fruit). • A small orange (counts as 1/2 cup of fruit). Tips on buying fruits: • I include fresh, frozen, canned, and dried fruits like raisins on my shopping list. • I always look for fruits on sale. Sales help stretch my food dollars. • I always buy 1 OOo/o juice and not fruit drinks. Fruit drinks might not have any fruit juice in them. They are (jOOo/o Juic~ Nutrition Facts Serving Size 8 fl oz (240 ml) Servings Per Container 12 Amount Per Serving Calories 110 Calories from Fat 0 % Dally Value• Total Fat Og 0% mostly sugar. My nutrition educator told me how to tell if a drink is 1 OOo/o fruit juice by looking at the food label. Family Guidebook 13 Tips on serving fruits: • My family likes fruit juice, but I might not serve it every day. We only drink enough juice to get up to half of the fruit we need for the day when we have juice. For my family, that would be no more than 1 cup per person. • I keep a bowl of fruit like apples, oranges, and bananas on the kitchen counter for quick snacks. • We often use fruit for dessert. Our favorites are: • Canned peaches, fruit cocktail, pineapple, and applesauce. • Mangoes, papayas, cantaloupes, strawberries, watermelons, grapes, and blueberries when they are on sale. Here is a great recipe to try as a snack or dessert. Snack Menu Frozen Fruit Cups Graham cracker Low-fat or fat-free milk 14 The Healthy Family Guidebook Frozen Fruit Cups Serving Size: 1 muffin tin cup I Makes: 18 servings Ingredients: 3 bananas 24 ounces fat-free strawberry yogurt 10 ounces frozen strawberries, thawed, with the juice 8 ounces canned crushed pineapple, with the juice Instructions: 1. Line 18 muffin-tin cups with paper baking cups. 2. Dice or mash bananas and place in a large mixing bowl. 3. Stir in remaining items. 4. Spoon into muffin-tin cups and freeze at least 3 hours or until firm. Remove frozen cups and store in a plastic bag in freezer. 5. Before serving, remove paper cups and let stand 10 minutes. Milk Group Get your calcium-rich foods Habit #3 Get your calcium-rich foods Each of my family members needs 3 cups of milk or milk products each day to get enough calcium. For one day, we might: • Drink 1 cup of low-fat milk or put it on our cereal for breakfast (counts as 1 cup of milk). • Drink 1 cup of fat-free or low-fat milk for lunch (counts as 1 cup of milk). • Eat 1 cup of low-fat yogurt as dessert at our evening meal (counts as 1 cup of milk). On other days for one of the cups of milk, we might eat 2 ounces of low-fat processed cheese. Tips on buying milk and milk products: • My family switched from whole milk to fat -free milk. We did not need the extra fat in whole milk. We changed a little at a time. First, we switched from whole to reduced-fat (2%) milk. Later, we changed to low-fat or fat-free milk. Now, that's all we drink. • We also eat fat-free or low-fat cheese and yogurt. I feel great knowing that my family is making healthy choices. Tips on serving milk and milk products: • One of my kids cannot drink milk. The doctor told me he is lactose intolerant. The nutrition educator showed me other items I can serve, like lactose-free milk and calcium-fortified foods such as calcium-fortified orange juices, soy/ rice drinks, and cereals. • I read labels carefully to make sure I'm buying calcium-fortified foods . • I use fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese in foods that I make. Try these recipes to get calcium-rich foods in your meals. 16 The Healthy Family Guidebook Orange Banana Frosty Serving Size : 1/2 cup I Makes: 2 servings Ingredients: 1 small frozen banana, cut into chunks 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt 1/2 cup orange juice Instructions: 1. Put all ingredients in a blender and mix well. 2. Add more liquid if you want the drink thinner. Snack Menu Orange Banana Frosty Sure To Please Baked Eggs and Cheese Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe I Makes: 4 servings Ingredients: 1 tablespoon oil 6 eggs* · 1/2 cup fat-free milk 1/2 cup low-fat grated cheese 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 ~ teaspoons oregano Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Put oil in a medium baking dish or small cake pan and heat in the oven for a few minutes. 3. In a bowl, beat eggs. Mix in remaining ingredients. Pour into hot pan. 4. Bake 20 minutes or until eggs are firm. Serve immediately. * 4 eggs plus 4 egg whites may be used instead of 6 eggs to reduce fat and cholesterol. Tl P: This recipe does not have to be just for breakfast. Consider using this recipe as a main dish at lunch or supper. Breakfast Menu Sure To Please Baked Eggs and Cheese Whole-wheat toast 100% fruit juice The Healthy Family Guidebook 17 18 The Healthy Family Guidebook Make half your grains whole Habit #4 Make half your grains w-hole We usually eat enough foods from the grains group ~ like bread, cereal, rice, and pasta. My family needs to eat 6 ounces of grains each day. Three of those ounces should be whole-grain. My trusty measuring cups help me serve the right amount. For one day, we might eat: • One cup of cereal (whole-wheat flakes) (counts as 1 ounce of whole grains). • Two slices of whole-wheat bread for our lunch sandwich (counts as 2 ounces of whole grains). • One cup of cooked rice at our evening n1eal (counts as 2 ounces of grains). • One small piece of corn bread at our evening meal (counts as 1 ounce of grains). Tips on buying grains: • At least half (3 ounces for my family) should be whole grains. This was new to me. I thought if the bread was brown, it was whole-grain. That is not always true. I learned to look on the label for the words 100% whole grain, or 100% whole wheat. If you see any of these words listed first on the label, it contains whole grain. • You can save money by shopping for grains at day-old bread stores. Ask your nutrition educator if there is one in your area that accepts food stamps. l Tips on serving grains: • Some whole grains that my family likes are whole-wheat breads and cereals, oatmeal, popcorn, brown rice, and whole-wheat or whole-grain corn tortillas. • I put grains in many of the recipes I fix. Here are some fun, delicious recipes that make using whole grains really easy. Fantastic French Toast Servi ng Size: 1/6 of recipe I Makes: 6 servings redients: 2 eggs 1/2 cup fat-free milk 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 6 slices whole-wheat bread Light syrup or fruit toppings (optional) Instructions: 1. Preheat the griddle over medium heat, or set an electric frying pan at 375 degrees. 2. Put eggs, milk, and vanilla in a shallow bowl and beat with a fork until well mixed. 3. Grease the griddle or pan with a thin layer of oil or use nonstick spray. 4. Dip both sides of bread, one slice at a time, in the egg mixture, and cook on the hot griddle or frying pan. 5. Cook on one side until golden brown. Turn the bread over to cook the other side. It will take about 4 minutes on each side. Breakfast Menu Fantastic French Toast Light syrup Applesauce Low-fat or fat-free milk The Healthy Family Guidebook 19 Lunch or Dinner Menu Spinach and Meat Cakes Brown rice Green salad with low fat dressing Strawberries or red grapes Low-fat or fat-free milk Spinach and Meat Cakes Serving Size: 2 meat cakes I Makes: 6 servings Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef or turkey, 7% fat (or 93% lean) 2 spinach bunches, washed and cut into pieces (may substitute a 1-pound bag of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained) 1/2 finely chopped onion 2 minced garlic cloves 1/2 teaspoon salt black pepper to taste 3 cups cooked brown rice Instructions: 1. Preheat frying pan (no oil). 2. Combine all ingredients except brown rice in a large mixing bowl. Mix well. 3. Form mixture into 12 small balls. Place in frying pan and flatten into patties using a spatula. 4. Cook over medium heat until cooked on both sides. 5. Serve over cooked brown rice. Banana Split Oattneal Serving Size: whole recipe I Makes: 1 serving Ingredients: 1/3 cup quick-cooking dty oatmeal 1/8 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup very hot water 1/2 sliced banana 1/2 cup fat-free frozen yogurt Breakfast MenU Banana Split Oatmeal 1/2 Whole-wheat English muffin Low-fat or fat-free milk 20 The Healthy Family Guidebook Instructions: 1. In a microwave-safe cereal bowl, mix together the oatmeal and salt. Stir in the water. 2. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave on high power for another minute. Stir again. 3. Microwave an additional 30-60 seconds on high power until the cereal reaches the desired thickness. Stir again. 4. Top with banana slices and frozen yogurt. TIP: The banana split oatmeal can also be a snack by itself. Habit #5: Go lean writh protein The Meat and Beans Food Group gives us protein. We need protein every day. Each member of my family needs 5Yz ounces from the meat and beans group each day. I had a hard time learning ounces. But my nutrition educator showed me how. For one day, we might eat: • One whole egg (or one tablespoon of peanut butter) at breakfast (counts as 1 ounce of meat and beans). • 1/ 2 cup cooked black beans at lunch (counts as 2 ounces of meat and beans). • One half of a small chicken breast (counts as 2 to 3 ounces of meat and beans). Tips on serving protein foods: • It helped me to start using my measuring cups and spoons. I learned that eating 1 cup of beans would equal 4 ounces of meat. That helped me judge how much food from the Meat and Beans group my family eats. • I take the skin off my chicken and trim the fat off meats. • I bake, microwave, or broil our meats. This was a big change. I used to fry a lot of our foods. • I often serve other protein foods like cooked dry beans and peas, fish, nuts, and eggs. The Healthy Family Guidebook 21 Tips on buying protein foods: • I buy low-fat or lean meats and poultry (chicken and turkey). They have less fat. • I use more fish. I buy fresh fish when it is on sale or canned tuna or salmon. Canned fish usually costs less. Try these low-cost recipes: Lunch or Dinner Menu Salmon Patties Oven fries Broccoli Peaches Low-fat or fat-free milk 22 The Healthy Family Guidebook Saln1on Patties Serving Size: 1 patty I Makes: 9 servings Ingredients: 15Yz ounces canned, drained salmon 1 cup crushed whole-grain cereal or crackers 2 lightly beaten large eggs 1/2 cup low-fat milk 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 1 tablespoon vegetable oil Instructions: 1. Use a fork or clean fingers to flake salmon until very fine. 2. Crumble cereal or crackers into crumbs. 3. Add cereal or cracker crumbs, eggs, milk, and pepper to salmon. 4. Mix thoroughly. 5. Shape into 9 patties. 6. Heat oil in a skillet. 7. Over medium heat, carefully brown both the sides until patty is thoroughly cooked. Tip: Replace the salmon with canned tuna fish. For fun, do a combination of the two! Bean Enchiladas Serving Size: 2 enchiladas (6 inches each) I Makes: 4 servings Ingredients: 3 ~ cups cooked pinto beans (or two 15-oz cans of low-sodium pinto beans) 1 tablespoon chili powder 1/2 cup low-fat shredded cheese, such as Monterey Jack 8 6-inch flour tortillas Salsa (optional) Instructions: 1. Place beans in a large bowl and mash coarsely with a fork or potato masher; stir in chili powder. 2. Wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel. Microwave on HIGH for 45 seconds, or until tortillas are soft and warm. 3. Divide bean mixture among tortillas and spread down center of tortilla. Sprinkle cheese on bean mixture. 4. Roll tortillas to enclose mixture. 5. Spray a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. 6. Place enchiladas, seam side down, into baking dish. 7. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through. 8. Serve warm with salsa. Lunch or Dinner Menu Bean Enchiladas Lettuce and tomato salad Pears Low-fat or fat-free milk The Healthy Family Guidebook 23 Lunch or Dinner Menu Sensational Six-Layer Dinner Whole-wheat bread slice Fruit cocktail Low-fat or fat-free milk Sensational Six-Layer Dinner Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe I Makes: 6 servings Ingredients: 2-3 raw, sliced potatoes (medium size) 2 cups sliced carrots 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon onion, sliced 1 pound lean ground beef, browned and drained 1Yz cups green beans 1 can of tomato soup Baking dish: Use a baking dish or pan large enough to fit all recipe items. Variation: Use peas or corn instead of green beans. Use your favorite cream soup instead of tomato soup. Instructions: 1. Lightly oil or spray baking dish with cooking spray. 2. Layer ingredients in order given. Cover. 3. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until tender and thoroughly heated. 4. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes. Habit #6 Watch your fats, sugar, and salt (sodium) I thought all fats were bad for you. But some types of fats are okay in the right amounts. I learned the fats I should use are oils like: • Canola oil • Safflower oil • Corn oil • Sunflower oil • Olive oil • Oils in fish, nuts, and seeds • Soybean oil Some types of fats are better to limit. These fats are: • Butter • Trans fats that are in a lot • Lard of prepared foods like some • Stick margarine • Fat on meats and poultry cakes, cookies, crackers, pies, donuts, stick margarines, fried foods , chips, and solid vegetable shortening. The nutrition educator helped me learn how to read the Nutrition Facts label to see what was in the food I bought. • I learned to eat small amounts of fat, even oils. They are high in calories. • I also watch the sugar my family gets. I pick food and drinks that are low in sugar. Sugars add calories to foods and not much else that we need. Some foods that are often high in sugars are sodas, candies and sweets, and fruit drinks. • One other thing I check on the Nutrition Facts label is the amount of sodium (salt). I try to buy canned foods that are low in sodium. Nutrition Facts Serving Size 1 cup (228g) Servings Per Container 2 Amount Per Serving C•loriH 250 Calories from Fat 110 i % D•I~V .. ue• ~at12g --_ 18% urated Fat 3Q J 15% lll~l=,.t3a ~ Cholesterol 30mg 10% <[odium 470mg -::> 20% Potassium 700mg 20% Total Carbohydrate 31g 10% Dietary Fiber Og 0% Sugars Sg Protein Sg Vitamin A 4% Vitamin C 2% Calcium 20'K Iron 4% • Percent Daily Values are based on a 2.000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be h1gher or lower depending on your calorie needs. Calories: 2.000 2,500 Total Fat Less than 65g 80g Sal Fat Less than 20g 25g Cholesterol Less than 300mg 300mg Sodium Less than 2,400mg 2,400mg !Total Carbohydrate 300g 375g Dietary Fiber 25!1 3Q9 The Healthy Family Guidebook 25 Habit #7 Balance vvhat you eat vvith physical activity Eating healthier foods is important, but I also learned that we need to be physically active. I learned that: Kids need at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day or most days of the week. Adults need to be physically active for at least 30 minutes most days of the week. You may need more physical activity to lose weight or maintain your weight at a healthy level. If you have questions about what is right for you, go to www.mypyramid.gov. Physical activity should be at least moderate-intensity like these activities: • Walking briskly • Dancing • Gardening/ yard ,work • Bicycling I like being more physically active because I feel better about myself. I also have more energy. I walk on most days, and it has helped me to handle my busy family. Walking is great for most people. One of the secrets to health for our families is to balance how much we eat and how physically active we are. We need to use up what we take in. This means burning off some of the calories we take in. Being physically active helps everyone in your family. Even if our families are busy, there are many ways for all of us to be active. Try these: • Walk or play together. • Walk in an area that is comfortable for you like in the neighborhood, at a park, or in the mall. • Walk to school with your kids. • Walk to the store when you need only a few things. • Play with your children - basketball, soccer, or chase each other in a game of tag. • Check with your local community center for exercise programs, dance classes, or other activities. • Join a church group that does physical activities. • Take the stairs, not the elevator. • Park as far away from stores as you can, so you will add walking steps to your day. • If the weather is bad, we turn on the music and dance or march around the house. The kids love this. I love it too. It gets all of us moving and away from the television. No matter what you choose to do, get moving. The more you move, the better you feel , and the healthier you will be. The Healthy Family Guidebook 27 Feeding their future: Good food habits last a lifetime Do you have a hard time getting your kids to eat right? Here are some tips to make it easier: • Your habits help kids make smart food choices. Kids like to be copycats. They will do what you do. If you drink milk and eat vegetables, so will they. Tty to set a good example. • Have healthier foods in the house. I let my kids decide if they want apples or graham crackers for a snack. Both are healthy choices. • Eat meals with your kids as often as you can. Meals are a nice way to be with each other and break up the busy days. Use meals to talk about new foods and plan ways to be physically active. , • Keep trying with new foods - it may take a few tries with a new food before the family likes it. One thing we like is new food night. We try a new food we have never had. • Let your kids help pick foods, plan meals and snacks, and fix meals. It took some time. But now my kids feel good about eating the foods we know are good for us. We learn together. The more you teach your kids now, the healthier they will be as adults. That is a great gift to give them. What everyone asks: Answ-ers to your questions If you are like me, and many of the women I know, you have questions about eating healthier. Many women know about bflsic nutrition. But we still have trouble using what we know to make sure our families eat healthier foods. I rely on my nutrition educator. She has helped me to learn how to improve my family's eating habits. Here are some of the questions that I needed help with. You might want to know these things too. How can I use my food stamps to stretch my food dollars? • Plan before going to the grocery store. Even if you are only buying a few things, make a shopping list. • Shop from your list. You will buy less if you use the list. Shop when you are not hungry. This way you will not buy more than you want and need. • Check the store's sales. Pick things that match your list that are on sale. Use coupons. These can be used with food stamps. Coupons can help your food stamps buy more. • Buy generic or store brands. They usually cost less. The Healthy Family Guidebook 29 How can I cook healthy meals that are quick and easy? I do not have hours to spend in the kitchen. Healthy cooking can be done without needing a lot of time. The key to healthy cooking is planning ahead and making wise choices. • Look for recipes that use only five to seven ingredients. These are quick and easy. • When you have only a little time for fixing meals and cleaning up, use recipes for "one dish" meals. These are recipes that combine all the foods in one dish. These are great for busy families (see page 24). • If your dinner meal includes a frozen item, put it in the refrigerator the night before or in the morning. By doing that, the item is thawed and ready to use when you begin to fix dinner. Shopping with my kids is so hard, bu,t a babysitter costs too much. How can I shop with the family along? We are all very busy, so this question is one most of us need help with. Set up rules before you leave home so the kids know what to expect. To start, let them know you will all stay together so everyone can help. • Let your child choose a fruit or vegetable to add to the shopping list. Let them tell you where to find that food in the store. • Give everyone, even your smallest child, a job. • If young kids are learning their colors, have them point out as many different colored vegetables as they can. • Have school-aged children read the labels to find healthy choices. Tell them why you are picking that food item based on what the label says. • When shopping, we try to find a vegetable or fruit that we have not tried before. Use grocery shopping as a time to teach your kids what you have learned. Shopping will take a little longer when the kids help. But this time will help your kids learn healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime. Where can I find menus and recipes for a whole week? The menus on the following pages are healthy and low-cost. These sample menus are for a 2,000-calorie food pattern. Averaged over a week, these menus provide all of the recommended amounts of food from each food group. You can find some of the recipes for these tasty meals at www.fns.usda.gov/ eatsmartplayhardhealthylifestyle. You can also find many low-cost recipes at the Food Stamp Nutrition Connection at www.nal.usda.gov/ foodstamp. If you need help finding the recipes, ask your nutrition educator for assistance. Acknow1edgtnents The following recipes used in this Guidebook were adapted from the USDA's Food Stamp Nutrition Connection at www.nal.usda.gov/foodstamp. You can find complete nutrient and cost information for each recipe on the Web site. Banana Split Oatmeal, page 20 Bean Enchiladas, page 23 Brunswick Stew, page 11 Colorful Quesadillas, page 12 Delicious Greens, page 11 Fantastic French Toast, page 19 Frozen Fruit Cups, page 14 Orange Banana Frosty, page 16 Salmon Patties, page 22 Sensational Six-Layer Dinner, page 24 Spinach and Meat Cakes, page 20 Sure to Please Baked Eggs and Cheese, page 17 And, the following recipe used in this Guidebook was adapted from the National Network for Child Care at www once org. Bugs on a Log, page 10 The Healthy Family Guidebook 31 WEEK ONE DAV1 DAV2 DAV3 Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Oatmeal with Raisins Bran Flake Cereal Puffed Wheat Cereal Low-fat Milk Low-fat Milk with Raisins Orange Juice Banana Low-fat Milk Whole-Wheat Toast with Banana Jelly Whole-Wheat Toast Grapefruit Juice with Jelly Lunch Lunch Lunch Southwestern Salad* Potato Soup* Ham Sandwich: Corn Tortilla Whole-Wheat Crackers (Whole-Wheat Bread, Cantaloupe Carrot Sticks Lettuce, Tomato, Ham, Lemon Iced Tea Low-fat Milk American Cheese, t Mayonnaise) Baked Beans* Apple Low-fat Milk Dinner Dinner Dinner Turkey Stir Fty* Beef Pot Roast* Baked Spicy Fish* Brown Rice Egg Noodles with Brown Rice Whole-Wheat Dinner Roll Soft Margarine Mashed, baked sweet Peach Apple Crisp* Green Beans potato with cinnamon Low-fat Milk Apple Turnip Greens Rice Pudding* Oatmeal Cookies* Low-fat Milk Low-fat Milk Snack Snack Snack Pears Plain Popcorn Apple Sauce Orange Gelatin Salad Lemonade Low-fat Plain Yogurt * Go to www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardhealthylifestyle for recipes with starred (*) foods and amounts of food to eat for a 2,000-calorie food pattern. Note: Use fat-free and low-fat milk and milk products. Prepare iced t ea w ith no added sugar. Use 100% f ruit ju ices. DAY4 DAYS DAY6 DAV7 Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Whole-Wheat English Whole-Wheat Toast Scrambled Egg Fantastic French Muffin with Soft with Peanut Butter Hash Brown Toast* Margarine and Jelly Banana Slices Potatoes Maple Syrup Grapefruit Low-fat Milk Whole-Wheat Toast Kiwi Fruit Low-fat Milk with Soft Margarine Honeydew Melon Orange Juice Low-fat Milk Low-fat Milk Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Tuna Pasta Salad* Grilled Cheese Baked Chicken Baked Cod with Rye Bread Sandwich: Nuggets* Cheese* Celery (Whole-Wheat Macaroni Salad* Black Beans with Mandarin Oranges Bread, Tomato, Peas with Soft Green Pepper and Low-fat Fruit Yogurt American Cheese) Margarine Onion Water Ranch Beans* Pears Broccoli with Soft Celery Low-fat Milk Margarine Fruit Cocktail Whole-Wheat Dinner Low-fat Milk Roll Water Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Chicken and Oven-Baked Chicken Pizza Meat Loaf* Spaghetti and Vegetables* Mashed, baked sweet Yellow Sweet Corn Meatballs: Scalloped Potatoes* potato with cinnamon Spinach (Spaghetti oodles, Grapes Broccoli with Pineapple Tomato Sauce, Whole-Wheat Bread Soft Margarine Whole-Wheat Dinner Baked Meatballs)* Low-fat Milk Whole-Wheat Dinner Roll French Bread Roll Fat-free Frozen Baby Spinach Salad Peaches Yogurt with Fat-free Low-fat Milk Low-fat Milk Vinaigrette Dressing Low-fat Milk Snack Snack Snack Snack Baked Crispy Chickpea Dip* Chili Bean Dip* Apple Potatoes* Pita Bread Pita Bread Low-fat Plain Yogurt Apple Juice The Healthy Family Guidebook 33 WEEK TWO DAY1 DAY2 DAY3 Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Egg Burrito* Egg Muffin Sandwich: Shredded Wheat Cereal Cantaloupe (Scrambled Egg and Low-fat Milk Orange Juice American Cheese Banana Low-fat Milk on a Whole-Wheat Orange Juice English Muffin) Orange Juice Lunch Lunch Lunch Lentil Stew* Broccoli & Cheese Bean & Cheese Mixed Green Salad Baked Potato: Enchiladas* with Reduced-Calorie (Potato, Broccoli, Mixed Green Salad Dressing Cheese) with Reduced-Calorie Corn Bread* Apple Dressing Lemon Iced Tea Lemon Iced Tea Grapes Lemon Iced Tea ' Dinner Dinner Dinner Pork Chops & Peppers* Baked Fish* Beef Stir Fry* Roasted Sweet Potatoes Cuban Beans* with Vegetables Green Peas Brown Rice White Enriched Rice Applesauce Sliced Tomato Low-fat Milk Dinner Roll with Dinner Rolls with Fat-free Frozen Yogurt Soft Margarine Soft Margarine Low-fat Milk Low-fat Milk Snack Snack Snack Oatmeal Raisin Low-fat Yogurt Baby Carrots Cookies* Raisins Saltine Crackers Low-fat Milk (Low Sodium) * Go to www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardhealthylifestyle for recipes with starred (*)foods and amounts of food to eat for a 2,000-calorie food pattern. Note: Use fat-free and low-fat milk and milk products. Prepare iced tea with no added sugar. Use 100% fruit juices. 34 The Healthy Family Guidebook DAV4 DAYS DAV6 DAV7 Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Whole-Wheat Toast Oatmeal with Raisins Pumpkin Muffin* Raisin Bran Cereal with Peanut Tropical Morning with Soft Margarine Low-fat Milk Butter Treat* Banana Apple Cantaloupe Low-fat Milk Orange Juice Low-fat Milk Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Spinach Salad Turkey Sandwich: Chicken Salad* Vegetarian Chili* Garlic Toast (Turkey, Lettuce, Sandwich: Whole-Wheat Garlic with Soft Margarine Tomato, Mayonnaise (Chicken Salad, Toast with Soft Mandarin Oranges on Whole-Wheat Lettuce, Tomato on Margarine Low-fat Milk Bread) Whole-Wheat Corn Apple Coleslaw* Bread) Low-fat Milk Low-fat Milk Carrot Raisin Salad* Baked Beans ' Low-fat Milk Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Baked Chicken Salmon Shepherd's Make-Your-Own Turkey Patty* on Egg Noodles Pie* Pizza* Roll with Soft Margarine Delicious Greens* (Green Pepper, Broccoli Green Beans Corn-on-the-Cob Mushroom, Onions) Mashed Potatoes Lemon Iced Tea Dinner Roll with Mixed Green Salad with Soft Margarine Fat-free Frozen Soft Margarine with Reduced- Fat-free Frozen Yogurt Peach Calorie Dressing Yogurt Low-fat Milk Applesauce Pineapple Low-fat Milk Low-fat Milk Banana Pudding* Snack Snack Snack Snack Apple Saltine Crackers S-Layer Bean Dip* Whole-Wheat Graham Crackers (Low Sodium) with Corn Tortilla Crackers (Low Low-fat Yogurt Sodium) with Peanut Butter The Healthy Family Guidebook 3 5 To learn more about food and nutrition, call: Att c.h c.ontact Jr format1or label here. To apply for food stamps, call or go to your local food stamp office. If you need help finding your local food stamp office, call 1-800-221-5689 or go to the Food Stamp Web site at www.fns.usda.gov/ fsp . Myl'yramid.gov STEPSTOAHEAtJHIER)'QU USDA ~ U. S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, political bel iefs, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Wash ington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800} 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Janua ry 2007 Family Meals Easy, Tasty, and Healthy! You're running in 10 directions! It's 4 p.m. You need to pick up your child at daycare, stop at the store, and run some errands. And, you need to get ready for an evening meeting. How do you put a healthy supper on the table, too? A few steps can help you make an easy family meal- with less stress. Use the time you save to enjoy your family. Plan ahead. Keep meals simple! You can make healthy meals fast. Cook when you have more time -maybe on weekends. Make soups, stews, or casseroles to freeze for the next week. Do some tasks the day before. Wash and cut vegetables or make fruit salad. Your child can help. Cook noodles for pasta salad. Cook lean ground beef or turkey for tacos. Refrigerate all food items until used. Fast family meals: Hearty soup: Add low-salt canned or frozen vegetables to soup. Pasta dish: Mix chopped lean ham, cooked chicken, or tuna, and cooked vegetables, into macaroni and cheese. Super chili: Serve homemade or canned chili over a baked potato or brown rice. Your ideas: Loving You; Family~ Feed1n Their Future Nutrition Education Through The Food Stamp Program Shop for time savers. Check prices on foods that are grated, chopped, washed. These foods often cost more, but they can save time. Try grated lowfat cheese, cut-up chicken, and mixed salad greens when they are on sale. Stock your kitchen. Get food that you can make and serve in a hurry, such as: • Fruits (fresh, frozen, canned, or dried) • Vegetables (fresh, frozen, or canned) • Canned beans, fish, poultry, or meat • Canned soups or stews • Eggs • Whole-grain bread or pasta • Brown rice • Low-fat or fat-free cheese or yogurt Enjoy kitchen help. Make meals with your children. Ask them to: • Set the table. • Pour milk. • Help stir. • Measure. • Pick vegetables for supper. • Pick what goes in the salad. • Pick fruit for a snack. • Pick a new food to try. Write other ideas here: Your children will learn to do more to help you. Making family meals together gives you time to talk with your child, even on busy days. Save time in your kitchen. Cook once for everyone. Does your child like plain vegetables, meat, rice, or noodles? If so, set some aside before you add other ingredients. You won't need to take time to prepare different foods . Cook a fast way. Microwave, broil, or stir-fry when you can. Roasting and baking take longer. Make no-cook meals and snacks: • Salads with canned tuna, chicken, or beans • Cold sandwiches • Raw vegetables and low-fat yogurt dip • Fruit Hint: Kids like finger foods! Cook for |