Welcome Stephanie Faroh, New Purdue Extension Educator
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Stephanie Faroh-
Hello. My name is Stephanie Faroh and I am the new Purdue Extension Educator for Health and Human Sciences in Kosciusko County. You might remember reading wonderful articles by Joanie Younce. Now that she is enjoying retirement, I will do my best to bring you relevant, research-based and fun information. My background is in nutrition and I am a registered dietitian. Though my focus area is foods and nutrition, I will also be teaching classes and lessons related to health, money management, parenting, human development and more.
Now that it’s time to get back to our routine, let’s look at our lunch routine.
Do you typically pack a lunch for yourself or for your children? Does it include a vegetable, fruit, protein, a healthy beverage and an ice pack to keep it all safe? If so, you are already doing better than most. In a recent study conducted by the USDA’s Children’s Nutrition Research Center, it was found that the majority of kids are not packing what is considered a healthy lunch. When compared to the school lunch, lunches brought from home were more likely to contain sugary snacks and juices and were significantly less likely to include vegetables, fruit and dairy foods.
Many parents are choosing to pack things they know their children will eat rather than making sure the lunch is healthy. Packing nutritious foods we know our kids (or we, ourselves) will eat is key. Try taking them shopping with you to choose a new vegetable or fruit for the week. Let them help you prepare their lunches and give them healthy options to choose from. Encourage them to buy milk at school, rather than pack sugary juice, and remember that flavored milk is great choice too.
Short on time? Many things can be prepared the night before.
Here are some tips and tricks that might help:
• Wrap a salad or lean meat and cheese in a tortilla
• Roll a tortilla with hummus and grated carrots or refried beans mixed with cheese
• Make tuna and cheese subs instead of a traditional sandwich
• Stuff mini-pita pockets with different sandwich fillings
• Sprinkle cheese in a pita and spread with pizza sauce
• Combine fresh vegetables, cheese cubes, and whole-grain crackers
• Hard-boil an egg
• Pack yogurt with low-fat granola and fruit to mix in
• Mix a smoothie and send it in a thermos with graham crackers to dip
• Toss leftover pasta with veggies and light dressing
Enjoy getting back to your routine and try something healthy and new. Here’s to a healthier you.
For more information, call Stephanie at the Purdue Extension Kosciusko County office at 574-372-2340, or email her at [email protected][[In-content Ad]]
Hello. My name is Stephanie Faroh and I am the new Purdue Extension Educator for Health and Human Sciences in Kosciusko County. You might remember reading wonderful articles by Joanie Younce. Now that she is enjoying retirement, I will do my best to bring you relevant, research-based and fun information. My background is in nutrition and I am a registered dietitian. Though my focus area is foods and nutrition, I will also be teaching classes and lessons related to health, money management, parenting, human development and more.
Now that it’s time to get back to our routine, let’s look at our lunch routine.
Do you typically pack a lunch for yourself or for your children? Does it include a vegetable, fruit, protein, a healthy beverage and an ice pack to keep it all safe? If so, you are already doing better than most. In a recent study conducted by the USDA’s Children’s Nutrition Research Center, it was found that the majority of kids are not packing what is considered a healthy lunch. When compared to the school lunch, lunches brought from home were more likely to contain sugary snacks and juices and were significantly less likely to include vegetables, fruit and dairy foods.
Many parents are choosing to pack things they know their children will eat rather than making sure the lunch is healthy. Packing nutritious foods we know our kids (or we, ourselves) will eat is key. Try taking them shopping with you to choose a new vegetable or fruit for the week. Let them help you prepare their lunches and give them healthy options to choose from. Encourage them to buy milk at school, rather than pack sugary juice, and remember that flavored milk is great choice too.
Short on time? Many things can be prepared the night before.
Here are some tips and tricks that might help:
• Wrap a salad or lean meat and cheese in a tortilla
• Roll a tortilla with hummus and grated carrots or refried beans mixed with cheese
• Make tuna and cheese subs instead of a traditional sandwich
• Stuff mini-pita pockets with different sandwich fillings
• Sprinkle cheese in a pita and spread with pizza sauce
• Combine fresh vegetables, cheese cubes, and whole-grain crackers
• Hard-boil an egg
• Pack yogurt with low-fat granola and fruit to mix in
• Mix a smoothie and send it in a thermos with graham crackers to dip
• Toss leftover pasta with veggies and light dressing
Enjoy getting back to your routine and try something healthy and new. Here’s to a healthier you.
For more information, call Stephanie at the Purdue Extension Kosciusko County office at 574-372-2340, or email her at [email protected][[In-content Ad]]
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