Department of Food Services
and Nutrition Education
Vol. IX, Issue I, 2001-2002
Too Much Fruit Juice Is Not Good
Fruit juice is marketed as a healthy, natural source
of vitamins, and children like it because it is sweet. Therefore children
consume more juice than any other age group. Pediatricians recommend
no juice for infants under 6 months and no more than 6 ounces a day for
older infants and children. All juices should be 100 % juice
and not the drinks that are mostly sugar and water.
Not all juices in the supermarket contain the same nutritional
content. It is important to read the label to assure that there is 100%
fruit juice. Juices with 100% fruit juice contain Vitamin C, potassium,
and folic acid that are all required nutrients for the body.
To determine if your fruit juice is 100%, don't be fooled
by labels that state "made with real fruit juice", "real fruit beverage",
"all natural", or "cocktail". Read the label yourself to see how
fruit juice in actually there. For example Tropicana Twister is 10 % juice,
Hawaiian punch is 5 % juice and Ocean Spray Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice Drink
is 30% juice. Tropicana Orange Juice, Ocean Spray Pink Grapefruit Juice
and Juicy Juice are all 100% juices.
Bioavailability of Calcium in the Diet
Bioavailability is simply the amount of a nutrient
the body absorbs and uses from food. Plant foods contain calcium but
it is not well absorbed. The reason is there are a number of chemicals
found in plants that inhibit mineral absorption. For example, a serving
of spinach contains 129 mg. but only 7 mg. are absorbable. One half cup
serving of broccoli contains 38 mg., but only 20 mg. are absorbed. However
an eight-ounce serving of milk contains 315 mg. of calcium and 101 mg.
are absorbed.
Breakfast Will Be Served
School breakfast will be servedone
half hour before the start of the school day in the all the schools.
Please encourage students to have breakfast at school or at home so they
will be ready to learn. Look for breakfast promotions that involve classrooms
throughout the year.
Golden Muffin Award Winning Schools
During the 2000-01 school year, the following schools
won the Golden Muffin Award for increasing their participation in
the school breakfast program: Quirk Middle School (25% increase),
Kennelly
(28 % increase),
Noah Webster (21 % increase), M.D. Fox (18
% increase), and Dwight (a steady increase). Congratulations to
the breakfast staff and educators at the winning schools.
Did you know......?
.....Slim Down classes will be offered for parents
and staff. If you are interested in having classes
at your school, please contact Susan Davis, (860) 695-8596
.....Nutrition classes for students can be scheduled
throughout the year.
.....Removing the skin from the chicken can reduce
the calories by half.
.....When hot peppers burn your mouth, cool it with
milk or yogurt.
......Allowing water to heat slowly with the vegetable,
destroys more nutrients. Boil the water before adding the vegetables.
If you have nutrition questions or would like a
nutrition
lesson presented to students or parents, please contact::
Susan
Davis, (860) 695-8596
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