Top ten unhealthy foods

1.  Gravy( almost all fat)
2.  Cheesecake (very high in calories, fat, and sugar)
3.  Pop (all sugar and chemicals)
4. Donuts (sugar and fat)
5.  Bacon, bologna, pepperoni, salami(high fat meats)
6.  Fried cheese, fried onion rings, french fries
7.  Snack cakes(Twinkies, HoHos), frosting
8.  Salad dressing, mayonaisse, butter
9.  Anything in a cream sauce
10.  Candy

No more food pyramid

The USDA has eliminated the food pyramid.  They have replaced it with "Fill my Plate".

This new design allows children(and adults!) to see clearly that half of their plate should be filled with fruits and vegetables.  The other half should be lean proteins and whole grains.  Most children and adults do not eat enough vegetables(vitamins and fiber), and few eat lean proteins (turkey and chicken no skin, seafood, and beans- white, black, brown, and red).  Half of the grains that we eat should be whole grains which also provides a lot of fiber. Most Americans eat almost no whole grains.  Here is what we have been talking about in our Nutrition lessons and practicing in our activities and games:

_ Most foods are a combination of healthy and fats/sugars such as chicken nuggets, ice cream, and peanut butter and jelly

-We need some fat in our diet, but most people eat way too much fat

-If you do not eat meat, you need to get protein from Beans, tofu, lentils, nuts, and seeds

*Drink skim milk instead of whole milk   *Eat vegetables like carrots at lunch *Eat more fruit, less candy  *Drink milk instead of pop   *Eat lower sugar cereals *Eat frozen yogurt instead of ice cream   *Eat lower fat snacks like pretzels or goldfish  * Drink 100% juice instead of juice drinks    *Order smaller sizes of high fat/sugar items *Order grilled, steamed or baked instead of fried  * Take off the skin or breading if fried

Sources of fat:

-Any meat except skinless grilled or baked turkey, chicken, or seafood with no

  breading or butter

-Any nuts or eggs-come from an animal

Any dairy except skim milk or fat free dairy products

Skin on meat (on chicken and turkey)

Anything fried, butter, mayo, or salad dressing(unless fat free or low fat )

Any kind of cream (whipped cream, ice cream, sour cream, cream cheese)

Baked goods(cakes, pies, cookies, brownies)- they are made with oil, butter and eggs

Chips and crackers ( they are fried and/or made with oil)

** Healthy oils can be found in salmon, fish(not fried), almonds, walnuts, olive oil,

         and dark chocolate

Sources of sugar:

Sugar, brown sugar, syrup, honey, corn syrup

Fruit drinks, cocktails, or blends, Sunny Delight, Hi C, kool aid, soda, Gatorade- ( Check the label.  If it does not say 100% juice, mark it as a sugar.  If it has 50% or more juice, you can mark  both.)

Candy, frosting , icing, glaze

Baked goods(cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, donuts, Danish, etc.

Anything that is not fruit, but tastes sweet

Empty calories: foods/drinks with no nutritional value.  Pop, gum, hard candy, jello, cotton candy, Gatorade, koolaid, syrup, sprinkles, honey, salad dressing, oil, mayo

*Remember- this is not just junk food, it’s food with NO nutritional value that doesn’t really fit into any of the food groups.  For example, a donut is not an empty calorie even though it is high in sugar and fat.  It is still made from some flour and eggs, so it has some nutritional value  Hard candy or jelly beans, however, are just sugar.

*Remember that product information can be deceptive (they are not honest).  For example, you would assume that a product labeled 90% lean ground beef would only have 10% fat.  That is not true.  The 10 % comes from the amount of fat that you can have in an entire day.  The real fat content is more than 30%!  You need to be a smart reader and eater to stay healthy.