Things you can do to prevent getting the H1N1 flu:

• Wash your hands.
• Cover a cough with a sleeve.
• Don’t touch your face with your hands.
• Eat healthy foods.
• Get enough sleep.
• Stay away from people who are sick.
• Stay home if you are sick.

Make sure you know what is going on with the flu on campus. Be watching for when the vaccines become available.

More information:

Dyer KA. How to Prevent Getting H1N1 Flu or Swine Flu.

WIC is a federally-funded health and nutrition program for women, infants, and children.  WIC helps families by providing checks for buying healthy supplemental foods from WIC-authorized vendors, nutrition education, and help finding healthcare and other community services.

What makes a cereal a WIC Approved Cereal?

WIC-approved cereals are ones that are low in sugar and have a lot of nutrients, vitamins and minerals in them. Two of the vitamins included in many of the cereals:

• Iron
• Folic Acid

List of WIC Approved Cereals in California for Children

All of these cereal are low in sugar and high in nutrients like iron and folic acid. Any cereal specified on the food instrument Box or bags – 12 oz. package or larger except for brand Instant Oatmeal which may be an 11.8 or 12 oz. box General Mills

• Cheerios (plain)
• Kix (plain)

Kellogg’s

• Corn Flakes (plain)
• Frosted or Unfrosted Mini- Wheats (Big Bite or Bite Size)

B&G Foods

• Cream of Wheat (1 minute, 2-1/2 Minute, 10 minute)

Post

• Honey Bunches of Oats (Honey Roast)

Quaker

• Life (plain)
• Crunchy Corn Bran Store Brands (See list of authorized labels)
• Crisp(y) Rice
• Instant Oatmeal (Regular unflavored, in 11.8 oz or 12 oz. box of individual serving packets)

Cereals that Can not be Bought on WIC Programs

• Brands or labels not specifically listed on WIC Authorized Food List and California Shopping Guide WIC Authorized Foods
• Individual serving packets, except for store brand Instant Oatmeal – Packages smaller than 12 oz., except for store brand Instant Oatmeal
• Honey (except for Honey Bunches of Oats, Honey Roast), frosted, cinnamon, or fruit flavored
• Cereals with chocolate, fruit, nuts, marshmallows, or yogurt clusters/pieces

California WIC Sources

PDF File of California WIC Authorized Food List.

California WIC Program Website.

Additional Sources:

Minnesota Department of Health. WIC-Allowed Cereal.

Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Maine WIC Program Approved Foods List.

Image Source: Annette Gulick. Cheerios. Royalty Free Use.

The majority of the cereals (23 of the top 27 cereals marketed to children) reviewed were classified as “good” or “fair.”

Rice Krispies only ended up with a “fair” rating. Although low in sugar it is also low in fiber. Cocoa Puffs and Frosted Flakes ended up in the “good” category because they had some fiber (1 gm) and were a good source of iron. Fruit Loops ended up with a “fair” rating, with a low fiber amount and 12 grams of sugar.

Two childrens’ cereals Honey Smacks (15 gms) and Golden Crisp (14 gms) classified as “fair” are more than 50 percent sugar by weight; this is as much sugar per serving as a glazed donut from Dunkin’ Donuts. This amount of sugar is less than the amount of sugar in a serving of yogurt.

The Classifications

• Very Good – Relatively low in sugars, with some fiber; high in iron and a good source of calcium.
• Good – Room for improvement in sugars and/or figer; high in or a good source of iron.
• Fair – Eat only occasionally; most have a lot of sugar and too little figer; most are high in or a good source of iron, but not calcium.

The Good Cereals
Cheerios topped the list with only 1 gram of sugar and 3 grams of fiber per serving.

• Cheerios
• Kix
• Honey Nut Cheerios
• Life (Quaker Oats)

These four cereals earned points for relatively lower sugar and higher dietary fiber, the two categories weighed as most important.

Cereal Not Just for Children Anymore

While sugary cereals are heavily marketed to children ($229 million advertising dollars per year) an estimated 58 percent of children’s cereals are consumed by those over 18 a strong indication that childrens cereals are not just for children anymore.

Watch Serving Sizes

Another issue when eating cereals is to watch the serving size. Most children and many adults serve themselves 50 to 65 percent more than the serving size on the package or have a second serving which ultimately increases the number of calories eaten.

One student several years ago in my nutrition course admitted to eating a very large bowl of cereal, one that would hold three to four servings.

Paid subscribers can view the entire list of cereals reviewed at the Consumer Reports Website or for free at My Fox Twin Cities.

Sources:

MyFox 9. October 1, 2008. Report Rates Cereal Nutrition, with Surprising Results Is your kid getting too much sugar, enough fiber? My Fox Twin Cities.

Rob Stein. October 1, 2008. Kids’ Cereals Rated. The Washington Post.

Image Source: Carolyn Coles. Fruit Loops Donut. Some rights Reserved.

Link to How the Digestive System Works or watch the embedded video below (if it shows in your browser).

A More Basic Look at Digestion:

• Teacher Digestion this one is aimed at a gradeschool leve.

Another interactive online animation:

• Digestive System from the National Geographic has an interactive way of looking at the digestive sytem.
• A normal, healthy digestive system this one is from a constipation advice company in the U.K.

More Resources:

• The Digestive System. WebMD. 2006.
• Healthy Digestion. Discovery Health.

Online students look for an email message sent to your email of record with the college. If you are stuck logging onto the Blackboard Course System, see the Blog Page on Blackboard.

Face to Face students I will see you on Monday or Tuesday.

Figure out when your exams and assignments are due, mark them on a calendar or day planner.

Decide how you are going to budget your time to learn the material and complete the assignments. The “Course” Page of this blog includes many helpful resources and assessments to help you figure out how to assess your study skills and manage your time.

Also included are suggestions and tips that I have compiled for the Nutrition students including Tips for Success in Nutrition & Wellness, Tips for Learning the Lecture Material and General Study Tips.

Taking a look at these resources early in the class, getting yourself organized for the semester will help you to succeed in the Nutrition and Wellness Course.

Jenny W. Get Organized. Royalty Free Use.

This page includes “Are You Ready to Learn Online?” a great introduction from Cerro Coso College, on to determining if you are ready to take an online course. I highly recommend that all online students take some kind of self-assessment to determine if their learning styles, study and computer skills are in line with taking an online course.

There are also some Suggestions for Being a Successful Online Student, part of the Online Orientation for Columbia College Students along with links to Other Online Self Assessments.

For students who are near Columbia College, the College offers “How to Succeed as an Online Student” or CMPSC101 is offered both Fall and Spring semesters and is designed as an orientation to online learning and our current online course management system, Blackboard Learning System.

Image Sources:

Steve Woods. Surfing 2. Royalty Free Use.

The consumer advocacy group had threatened in December 2007 to sue Sara Lee because the company’s claims of “whole grain goodness” on Soft & Smooth have been misleading.

The bread is really made mainly from refined white flour, not whole grains.

Other Misleading Product Statements

The Center for Science in the Public Interest also points out that plenty of food companies try to give consumers the impression that their white-flour-based products are “made with whole grain” even if there is only a small amount. Kraft uses phrases like “good source of whole grain” or “excellent source of whole grain” on labels even if the product is mostly refined white flour.

CSPI litigation director Steve Gardner points out that

Companies that use the phrase ‘whole grain’ absolutely have the legal responsibility under state consumer protection laws to disclose exactly how much whole grain is there.

Yet another case of Caveat emptor or Let the Buyer Beware.

Source: Center for Science in the Public Interest. July 21, 2008. Sara Lee to Make Clear its “Made with Whole Grain White Bread” is 30 Percent Whole Grain. Press Release.

We’re All Winners

“We’re All Winners” is an educational fitness activity designed to let young children have fun, learn a bit about being safe in the sun and then participate in a non-racing, solo running activity.

The main goal of the event is to create an environment in which each child gets to feel special, like a winner and goes home feeling and believing for at least one day that “I’m a Winner!” This is the message that we want them to internalize and to believe.

This educational activity an idea that I developed while my young daughters were in pre-school. We staged for five years in the pre-school or kindergarten setting and last year also put on a modified version for my older daughter’s first grade setting.

Thanks to Docstoc, you can watch the lecture online. Simply click on the arrow to start the presentation:

We’re All Winners

More information about how to stage your own activity can be found online at the We’re All Winners page, http:www.squidoo.comwereallwinners

Note: This lecture is copyright under Attribution-Non-Commercial-NoDerivs license.

Thanks to Docstoc, you can watch the lecture online. Simply click on the arrow to start the presentation:

How to Live a Healthy Life

Note: This lecture is copyright under Attribution-Non-Commercial-NoDerivs license.