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[ Background music ]
FEMALE VOICE 1: The hardest thing is just
coming home from a day of work and making dinner.
FEMALE VOICE 2: Planning dinner.
That’s the big one.
FEMALE VOICE 3: The hardest thing about eating healthy is the
junk food.
MALE VOICE 1: Especially the propaganda on TV.
They suggest some of the kind of food.
FEMALE VOICE 4: It’s hard to eat fruits and vegetables because
some of them, I don’t like.
FEMALE VOICE 5: It’s difficult for me just trying to manage a
household, manage work, and manage this house.
MS. NATALIE WEBB: Does that sound familiar?
Eating tasty food is one of life’s most enjoyable experiences,
but all the planning and shopping and cooking of healthy foods
can seem overwhelming at times.
[ Background music ] FEMALE VOICE 1: I think it’s a combination of time and creativity.
MS. WEBB: And if you add a teen to the mix?
FEMALE VOICE 1: It’s a lot more difficult to control.
They have money.
She works.
She has change in her pocket.
She can stop and get things.
MS. WEBB: The whole business can seem downright impossible, right?
FEMALE VOICE 2: You feel like, “I don’t feel like cooking
this week,” and it’s, like, “Okay. I give in.
We’re going to go to McDonald’s.”
MS. WEBB: Well, I have some good news.
My name is Natalie Webb.
I’m a nutritionist and a registered dietician.
My message is simple.
Healthy foods can be fun, easy, and personal.
Now, what we all want is food that tastes good, is quick and
easy to prepare, nutritious, and economical,
but can we get everything we want?
Absolutely.
[ Background conversation ] CLARICE: Natalie, come on in.
MS. WEBB: Okay. Thanks. CLARICE: Did you have any problems with the directions? [ End background conversation ]
MS. WEBB: Clarice is a single mom who lives with her daughter,
Alexis, and other family members.
They know the importance of eating healthy, but they want to
make it a part of their daily lives.
I’m going to give them some of my best tips for getting more of
what they want without having to make big changes
in who they are.
One of the most important things is to have a plan, so we need
to get our menus together for about a week.
I like to say you can paint your own picture of a healthy life.
I have a great minestrone soup that you can do on the weekend.
It’s packed with a lot of great vegetables.
When you plan your meals, you want to choose foods that make up
a healthy diet. [ Background conversation ] One of the first things that we have to do is get a list together.
ALEXIS: Hey, Mom. I’m hungry.
CLARICE: Well, what do you want to eat?
ALEXIS: How about a smoothie?
CLARICE: Okay.
I think we have all the ingredients.
ALEXIS: Natalie, would you like one?
MS. WEBB: Yeah, I’d love to have one, thanks. [ End background conversation ]
MS. WEBB: One way Alexis and her mom eat healthy and have fun is by
making different kinds of smoothies, a great way to get extra
calcium and fruit.
All it takes to make a smoothie is fat-free
or low-fat yogurt or milk,
fruit, and ice.
Put it all in the blender, and blend until it’s foamy.
How easy is this?
I like to make a batch ahead of time and pop them in the freezer
for later.
[ Background conversation ] CLARICE: Natalie, we’re going to have a problem with
Alexis and the peas.
MS. WEBB: So she’s not a pea fan? CLARICE: No, not at all.
MS. WEBB: Okay. Well, we can make a substitution.
How about corn or green beans?
CLARICE: Yeah, either one of those will work. [ End background conversation ] MS. WEBB: It’s okay if your family doesn’t
love every nutritious food.
The important thing is to keep trying.
Even small, healthy changes can add up to a big difference.
[ Background conversation ] ALEXIS: Here you go, guys.
CLARICE: Oh, those look good.
MS. WEBB: Thank you.
Guys, do you like fried chicken?
ALEXIS: Oh, yeah. CLARICE: Yeah. Who doesn’t?
MS. WEBB: Well, I have a great one that’s oven baked, instead of
fried, so a lot less fat, and it uses corn flakes to make it
nice and crispy. You want to try it?
CLARICE: Yes, let me see it. [ End background conversation ]
MS. WEBB: Besides reminding us to mix new,
healthier foods with ones we’re used to buying,
making a list saves us time and money.
When something unhealthy catches your eye,
it’s easy to walk right on by, if it’s not on our list.
[ Background conversation ] ALEXIS: Cupcakes. Let’s get cupcakes.
CLARICE: No, they’re not on the list.
ALEXIS: Yes they are. See, cupcakes.
MS. WEBB: Not quite.
We’re going to make sure we’re going to fill up our basket with
some healthier food choices for us, so it’s a good thing that we
had a snack before we came in here.
We have our list to keep us on tack. [ End background conversation ]
MS. WEBB: With about 30,000 items in the average American
supermarket, you’re going to face a lot of tough choices, so use
this simple battle plan.
Armed with your list, start with the produce, move on to the
canned goods and the grains, and finish with the frozen foods,
dairy, and meat.
[ Background conversation ] MS. WEBB: All right, you guys, we’re
in my favorite section of the store.
The great thing about this soup is that it’s packed with a
variety of vegetables for us.
What’s on our list that we need to make sure that we get?
CLARICE: We have green beans.
We have broccoli, cabbage, and celery.
MS. WEBB: Well, the great thing is that all those things are in
season, and when we look for foods that are in season, they’re
going to be lower in cost and they’re going
to have great flavor.
ALEXIS: Okay. MS. WEBB: I’ll get the cabbage
ALEXIS: All right. [ End background conversation ]
MS. WEBB: If the fresh fruit or vegetable you’re looking for isn’t
in season, try frozen or canned — and here is when you become a
detective.
Your mission?
Finding healthy canned or packaged foods.
Your clues?
The information on the nutrition label.
[ Background conversation ] CLARICE: Tomatoes. We need a pound of diced,
canned tomatoes.
MS. WEBB: A pound of diced, canned tomatoes.
There’s lots of varieties here to choose from.
One of the things you want to be careful about is the ones that
are flavored.
They often add sugar.
The one way to find that out is to look at the ingredient list.
You’ll see that we have tomatoes.
We have tomato juice.
Then we have high fructose corn syrup —
another name for sugar —
so it’s going to be a way that sneaks in a lot of calories. [ End background conversation ]
MS. WEBB: A lot of times, sugar and salt sneak into all kinds of
canned foods, but just like everything else in the can, they
leave clues on the nutrition label.
What do we look for?
Check your servings.
How many servings are you getting?
How much fat, sugar, and salt are in each serving?
We want foods low in saturated fats, trans fats, and
cholesterol, as well as foods that are low in sodium or salt.
We don’t want to sugarcoat it.
Look for foods and drinks low in added sugars.
You can tell if a food is low in fats, sodium, and sugar by
cluing in to the “percent of daily values” column.
Five percent DV or less is low, 20 percent or more is high.
Next, check the list of nutrients.
Pay special attention for potassium, fiber, vitamins A and C,
calcium, and iron.
Foods with 20 percent or more DV of these healthy nutrients are
a great choice for your family.
[ Background conversation ] CLARICE: We need some kidney beans.
MS. WEBB: Kidney beans, okay.
There are lots of options here.
Here’s some kidney beans right here for us. CLARICE: Okay.
MS. WEBB: Kidney beans are a great source of fiber for us.
It’s a good source of protein.
We’re going to have meatless meals, like having minestrone soup.
It has very similar nutrient content, just like if we had meat,
or fish, or poultry.
But there’s a surprise in here for us.
Let’s take a look at the label and see what the
surprise might be.
When we look at the sodium —
360 milligrams of sodium — that’s a lot. CLARICE: That is pretty high.
MS. WEBB: It is very high.
And especially for people that are salt sensitive, we have
the tendency to retain more water with that.
It causes our blood pressure to go up, and we need to be careful
about how much salt we have.
Look at — this one is no salt added,
and we turn it over, look at the sodium content,
10 milligrams.
ALEXIS: Much better.
MS. WEBB: Much better. [ End background conversation ]
MS. WEBB: The same detective work kicks in when we get to the cereal
aisle, and sometimes it’s even more of a challenge, because our
choices can be even more confusing and tempting.
[ Background conversation ] ALEXIS: Okay. Corn flakes for the chicken.
Oh, look, mom, your favorite cereal —
marshmallowy goodness in every bite.
CLARICE: We’ll just stick with this.
ALEXIS: But they’re so colorful.
MS. WEBB: When it comes to cereal, there’s a lot of options for us.
When we look at cereal, they’re going to be fortified with
vitamins and minerals, just what we need.
It’s great as a breakfast.
We know breakfast is an important meal for us to have,
especially before you head on out to school, but also, it’s a
great snack.
We want to be careful about how much sugar is added, but this is
also a great place for us to get more fiber.
So when we look at the boxes, we want to make sure that they
have whole grains in there. [ End background conversation ]
MS. WEBB: The whole grains aren’t the only clue.
Some foods advertise whole grains and still
don’t have a lot of fiber.
We also want to check the nutrition panel for at least 2½ grams
of fiber per serving.
[ Background conversation ] MS. WEBB: So when we look at fiber, 5 grams.
CLARICE: Okay. MS. WEBB: This definitely will make the match.
This is lightly sweetened, so for that sweet tooth when you want
a sweetened cereal, go for the lightly sweetened.
ALEXIS: But there’s no colors.
MS. WEBB: We can add strawberries. They’ll be red. ALEXIS: Yay.
[ Background music ]
FEMALE VOICE 1: Cereal, I love eating cereal.
FEMALE VOICE 2: A bowl of cereal and a ham sandwich.
FEMALE VOICE 3: Bacon and grits.
FEMALE VOICE 4: At school — because my bus gets there early —
they have breakfast in the cafeteria.
FEMALE VOICE 5: They usually serve pancakes with sausages, French
toast sticks.
FEMALE VOICE 6: I’m not probably as good as I should be, but I
usually grab some fruit in the morning.
FEMALE VOICE 7: I take a large cappuccino with me to work, and
then I maybe remember to take an orange or an apple, but more
often, I don’t remember.
And then I usually don’t eat anything, except maybe a few pieces
of candy from the woman who has the office a couple doors down
from me, and then I come home famished.
[ Background music ]
[ Background conversation ] MS. ANDREA GOMEZ: [ foreign audio ]
MS. WEBB: Mornings are a crazy time for most families,
with everyone getting ready for work and school.
Helman and Andrea Gomez know that the key to a healthy start is
a good breakfast, which they prepare for their three children
every day.
[ Background conversation ] MR. HELMAN GOMEZ: [ foreign audio ]
[ Foreign Audio ]
[ End background conversation ]
MS. WEBB: Breakfast doesn’t have to be limited to eggs, cereal,
or a muffin.
Some days, Helman even bakes a fish and vegetables for
breakfast.
For those of us who don’t have much time to cook, a peanut
butter sandwich on whole wheat will do nicely — or even heat up
a slice of last night’s veggie pizza.
There are so many fun ways of mixing up foods: substituting one
for another, making a breakfast food for dinner, or a dinner
food for breakfast.
Just don’t get stuck.
The point is to fuel up your kid’s day with healthy food,
whatever your choice.
[ Background music ]
FEMALE VOICE 1: Healthy eating, to me, is
really important because, since I do sports, it really plays a
dominant role.
FEMALE VOICE 2: Having a lot of
whole grains.
FEMALE VOICE 3: I would say a variety of things, a little bit
from each food group.
FEMALE VOICE 4: Eat your vegetables and fruit, and don’t eat
junk food that much.
FEMALE VOICE 5: Eat a lot of salads, a lot of vegetables.
FEMALE VOICE 6: Balance.
[ Background conversation ] MS. WEBB: Hey, what’s next on the list?
CLARICE: We have carrots, carrots to go in the minestrone soup.
MS. WEBB: Okay. Great. We have carrots right here.
A couple of things that I wanted to point out to you is that
when it comes to frozen vegetables,
they’re just as nutritious as fresh.
CLARICE: I thought I was cheating if I wasn’t using fresh
vegetables and I went and got something that was frozen.
MS. WEBB: Oh, absolutely not.
It’s a shortcut, and when they pick fresh vegetables, right
before they freeze them, they freeze them within a short period
of time.
It locks in the nutrients.
Here’s some peas, Alexis, your favorite.
ALEXIS: Eww.
MS. WEBB: Should I pick up a pack for the soup?
ALEXIS: Oh, please, no. [ End background conversation ]
MS. WEBB: Remember the parenting advice “pick your battles”?
It holds true for picky eaters.
Considering our choices, why make an issue over peas, or
broccoli, or meat?
ALEXIS: Is there something else we could use?
MS. WEBB: We could substitute some corn instead.
ALEXIS: Much better. [ End background conversation ]
MS. WEBB: Our goal is to provide healthy
food that our family will enjoy.
Next to the last stop, the dairy aisle.
[ Background conversation ] CLARICE: We need some milk for the chicken.
MS. WEBB: That actually reminds me of something.
This is one area that, typically, teen girls fall short.
It’s that you don’t get enough calcium-rich dairy foods.
It’s not only important during our teen years, but it’s also
important for us as adult women.
How many do you think we actually need to have each day?
ALEXIS: Maybe about three?
MS. WEBB: You’re right on the money, three every day.
Do you get three?
ALEXIS: Probably not. Not on a daily basis.
CLARICE: She’s lactose intolerant, so she doesn’t drink a lot
of milk. [ End background conversation ]
MS. WEBB: If you’re lactose intolerant, it doesn’t mean
you have to be dairy intolerant.
It’s actually a matter of degree.
You can drink lactose-free milk, or a less expensive alternative
is lactase tablets or drops.
You can have aged cheese, like cheddar cheese, or you can have
low-fat or fat-free yogurt.
But we all need those three servings each day.
They’re really important for strong bones.
After buying dairy products, we end our shopping trip at the
fresh meats and poultry aisle.
Why the last stop?
Because we want those items to stay cold as long as possible.
Also, be sure to always wrap meat, chicken, and fish in plastic,
and keep them separated from the rest of the items in your cart.
[ Background music ]
Let’s stop and talk about fish for a minute.
Fish is so good for us, but it can seem confusing if you’re not
used to it.
When you buy fish, check the flesh.
It should be firm and shiny, and spring back when you press it.
Dull flesh may mean that the fish is old.
Check the smell.
Fish should smell fresh, not fishy.
Fish may seem exotic and complicated, but preparing it is quick
and easy, and it’s delicious.
[ Background music ]
Andrea is baking some cod, but you could
use catfish, flounder, salmon, or any kind of fish filet for
this recipe.
All she does is mix tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and lime juice.
Pour it over the fish,
and pop it in a 350-degree oven for 15 minutes.
[ Background music ]
Yum, that looks great.
Eating healthy doesn’t have to be complicated,
and it’s a lot more about quality than quantity.
In fact, you’d be surprised at the size of a healthy portion of
rice, compared to what many people think.
A portion of rice or pasta is about a half a cup, which is
equal to about the size of a computer mouse or a
quarter of your plate.
A serving of fish or chicken should be about the
size of a deck of cards,
and a serving of vegetable is a half a cup —
again, about the size of a computer mouse.
Having a few extra fruits and vegetables isn’t such a bad
thing, but you really want to pay attention to portion sizes
with treats and sodas.
[ Background conversation ] MS. WEBB: Okay. Alexis, in your bag,
you selected some root beer.
ALEXIS: Yup.
MS. WEBB: Let’s take a look at the label and see
how many calories it is.
What’s a serving?
ALEXIS: A hundred calories per serving.
MS. WEBB: And the serving size is?
ALEXIS: About eight fluid ounces.
MS. WEBB: Pour in this glass how much you
think about eight ounces is.
[ Pouring sound ]
ALEXIS: Here.
MS. WEBB: Not quite.
This is actually eight ounces.
ALEXIS: Oh, wow. I missed it by quite a bit.
MS. WEBB: Do you know how much sugar is in an eight-ounce serving?
ALEXIS: Maybe about one or two teaspoons?
MS. WEBB: A little bit more than that.
Actually, it’s about seven teaspoons, and this is seven
teaspoons of sugar in this bag.
ALEXIS: Wow, that’s a lot of sugar. [ End background conversation ]
MS. WEBB: There are lots of delicious alternatives to soda.
We can combine 100 percent fruit juice with seltzer, add a
flavoring to low-fat milk like chocolate or strawberry, or, even
better, choose water.
[ Background conversation ] CLARICE: Alexis, come over and help me with the corn flakes.
ALEXIS: Okay, Mom. [ End background conversation ]
MS. WEBB: After our shopping trip, Clarice and Alexis get to work on
their new chicken recipe.
Cooking together is a great chance to bond and have fun.
It’s a pretty easy recipe.
They just dip skinless chicken in low-fat milk and seasonings,
then they shake it with some crushed corn flakes and spices.
[ Background conversation ]
While the chicken refrigerates, they
make the minestrone soup, a yummy mix of vegetables, beans, and
pasta.
[ Background conversation ]
MS. WEBB: First they saute onions and celery, and then they add the
rest of the ingredients to the pot.
Bring it to a boil.
Then they let it simmer on its own for 45 minutes.
It’s a great recipe to make on the weekend and freeze for later
in the week.
After the chicken rests in the fridge for an hour, Clarice
takes it out and pops it in the oven.
That’s it.
No messy frying pans to clean, and no unhealthy
fats in your diet.
MALE VOICE 4: First the seed, then the grain.
Thank you, God, for sudden rain.
First a flower, then the bread.
Thank you, God, that we are fed.
Amen.
FEMALE VOICE 1: Amen.
MS. WEBB: Cooking and eating with our families is more than just
sharing a meal.
We’re sharing our lives with each other.
Food creates a common ground in which to strengthen
relationships and create memories.
[ Background conversation ] CLARICE: It’s not quite like grandma’s
old-fashioned
vegetable soup,
but it comes close.
FEMALE VOICE: I think it would be better with a few more peas in it.
ALEXIS: Oh!
[ Background music ]
MS. WEBB: We’ve talked a lot about healthy strategies when it comes
to eating, but a healthy lifestyle is also about
physical activity.
Regular exercise, at least 30 minutes a day for adults and 60
minutes for children, is critical for our overall health and
fitness.
It makes us feel good about our body, mind, and spirit.
Studies show that when parents join their girls in exercise,
everyone benefits.
[ Background music ]
FEMALE VOICE 1: I play soccer. I usually play basketball with my dad.
FEMALE VOICE 2: I jog and I play tennis.
I play tennis weekly.
She dances.
I’ve been looking into — and I asked her — when I bought
rollerblades, so we could go rollerblading together, would she
go with me, and the verdict is still out.
FEMALE VOICE 3: Shopping is exercise.
FEMALE VOICE 4: I run sometimes.
FEMALE VOICE 5: They say jumping is exercise, and I like doing
double dutch.
FEMALE VOICE 6: Just playing outside with my brother and my
siblings, just going to the park.
FEMALE VOICE 7: I get on the treadmill.
I was lifting weights.
FEMALE VOICE 8: I go to yoga.
I take yoga classes.
FEMALE VOICE 9: My favorite form of exercise is dance.
FEMALE VOICE 10: Volleyball.
FEMALE VOICE 11: For exercise, I walk my dog.
MALE VOICE 1: I like to go to the park and just walk.
Sometimes, we do biking.
MS. WEBB: It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive.
The key is to turn off the TV and the computer and get moving as
often as you can.
The important thing is to make exercise a regular part of your
family routine.
[ Background music ]
FEMALE VOICE 1: So they can live longer.
FEMALE VOICE 2: Not to have bad bones, and not be
strong all the time.
FEMALE VOICE 3: I just want to make sure everything’s all right
with my body.
I don’t want anything wrong with me.
FEMALE VOICE 4: To prevent
the body from getting a lot of diseases, like
diabetes,
heart diseases.
MALE VOICE 1: All of us gained weight, so we decided to think
it over again and try to start with a new menu.
FEMALE VOICE 5: Especially being African-Americans also,
high blood pressure is always an issue, so you want to make sure
that you don’t have the high salt content, because
we’re more prone to high blood pressure.
FEMALE VOICE 6: Probably because you probably live longer and
you feel better about yourself, and you feel better and you have
more energy.
FEMALE VOICE 7: I don’t want to be in danger for all those
health-related risks that comes with being that large, so
knowing that could happen.
When I was younger, I was large and on the round side.
I don’t want to go back to that.
FEMALE VOICE 8: Feed your brain. It makes your ability to learn easier.
FEMALE VOICE 9: It gives you such good self-esteem, like a big
self-confidence booster, just to eat healthy and stay fit.
MS. WEBB: What are the main things to remember about creating a
healthy lifestyle?
Most important, it can be fun and easy, and it doesn’t have to
take a lot of time.
Even a few small steps can lead to big, positive changes.
You can
start with a plan.
Shop with a list.
Watch the nutrition facts labels for added sugar, salt, and
fats.
Look for whole grains and fiber in breads and cereals.
Try adding more fruits and vegetables to your meals and snacks,
and remember, calcium is really important.
Look for low-fat and fat-free products.
When you can, try to cook and eat together as a family.
It is important and fun family time.
And lastly, we all need a lot of exercise.
Growing kids should get at least an hour a day, and it’s great
for everyone when parents join in the fun.
You and your family can make choices that work for you.
You can paint your own picture of a healthy life.
I’ll see you at the park.
[ Background music ]