Food Safety 101

There are benefits to storing foods the right way. In addition to preventing foodborne illness, you also can preserve quality and taste.
Follow these five basic rules:

• Set your refrigerator temperature below 40 degrees Fahrenheit and your freezer below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a refrigerator thermometer to ensure temperatures.
• Store leftovers in airtight, shallow containers (2 inches deep or less).
• Refrigerate or freeze leftovers within two hours of cooking.
• Use or freeze packaged items by the "sell-by" or "use-by" date.
• Store canned goods in a cool area away from light.

September is National Food Safety Education Month. Learn more about food safety at http://www.homefoodsafety.org/.

Information from American Dietetic Association's Tip of the Day. 

A Dietitian's Review of The Dukan Diet

The Dukan Diet has become well known thanks to Kate Middleton and the media attention surrounding the royal wedding in April. Other celebrities are said to have adopted the French weight loss plan that emphasizes a high-protein, low-calorie diet. But is The Dukan Diet an appropriate weight loss plan? You can read the review by Karen Ansel, MS, RD, CDN on the American Dietetic Association's website. For more information about ADA's Consumer Diet and Lifestyle Book Reviews, please see the following information.

Because new diet plans and books seem to come out daily, the American Dietetic Association spokespeople review a number of diet books to help you understand which diets are reasonable and which should be avoided. They ask such questions as:

• What claims does the author make?
• What does his or her diet plan entail?
• Are there nutritional weaknesses in the plan? Strengths?
• What’s the registered dietitian’s bottom-line assessment of the book?

As registered dietitians, ADA spokespeople have the knowledge and expertise to help decipher fact from fad in order to help you develop a healthy eating plan that is right for you.

Information from American Dietetic Association's Media Press Room.

Choose MyPlate: 10 Tips to a Great Plate!

Looking for ways to improve your plate? Check out these tips from the new MyPlate!


From the USDA's MyPlate website; accessed August 23, 2011



Eat Well with Late-Summer Foods

Summer may be wrapping up, but farmers' markets are still going strong. August brings large quantities of great-tasting produce. Here are just a few of the fruits and vegetables in season during late summer:

• Bell peppers
• Carrots
• Corn
• Eggplant
• Garlic
• Melons
• Onions
• Peaches
• Plums
• Radishes
• Summer squash
• Tomatoes
• Watermelons
• Zucchini

Information from American Dietetic Association's Tip of the Day. 

School Lunch: Brown Bagging It

Children are headed back to school, and packing a lunch can ensure healthy options that fit your child's taste buds. Just make sure to plan ahead, since last-minute choices often rely on fat-laden pre-packaged foods. Try these tips:

• Involve your child in the planning process. This will make it less likely that lunchbox items will get traded or tossed.
• Can the soda. One 12-ounce serving can contain as much as 12 teaspoons of sugar. Pack a water bottle or 100-percent juice box instead.
• Change it up. Keep lunches interesting by varying the contents. Go heavy on veggies, fruits and whole grains.

Children tend to copy our behavior, so set an example. Eat healthy at home, and consider packing your own healthy lunch to take to work.

Information from American Dietetic Association's Tip of the Day.