Soups and Stews

Soups and stews are a great way to use up the final fruits and vegetables from the end of the growing season. Stews and soups are filling, hot meals that warm you up on colder days.

• If you haven’t made soup before, keep it simple. Add a drained can of mixed vegetables to a pot of hot, low-sodium broth for a quick, easy soup.
• Dry and canned beans can be great beginnings for soups. Brothy or creamy bean soups can be a light meal on their own. If using dry beans, soak them overnight. Cook them in water or broth. Sliced onion, garlic cloves, bay leaves, and a jalapeño pepper are good for flavoring beans.
• Add rice, oats, or pasta to soups to make them thicker and more filling.
• Stews can be made in a slow cooker (crockpot) early in the morning. Load it with fresh or canned carrots and fresh or canned potatoes, a can of chicken, and your favorite vegetables for a low-effort dinner.
• Wait until the end of cooking to add salt. You can always add more, but you can’t take any out. If your soup feels like it is missing something, try adding lemon or lime juice to brighten it up.

The material provided is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual medical care.

Moving for Your Health

Keeping your body moving is very important for your physical and mental health. Staying active can help reduce disease risk while also keeping your body strong as you age.

• Getting some movement is better than none. Do simple things you enjoy. Going for walks is a great, low-stress way to move around.
• If you need to run errands, park further from the store. This is a small way to get more steps in.
• Stay active with friends! Connecting with friends feels good. Staying mobile can help you be more social as time goes on.
• Moving can help prevent falls and improve balance. Learn to stretch to stay flexible.
• Light resistance training helps keep you strong. This is recommended for people aged 65 and older.
• Swimming is a good way for people with arthritis to exercise without impacting their joints.
• Don’t try to do too much at once. Starting small helps you to keep a routine. Ask your doctor for advice on where you should begin.

The material provided is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual medical care.

Shelf-Stable Foods

Canned fruits and vegetables can be just as nutritious as their fresh or frozen forms.

• Fruits and vegetables are usually canned within hours after harvest. This keeps their peak freshness and best nutrient quality.
• Canning keeps many nutrients. For example, canned tomatoes have more lycopene (an antioxidant) and B vitamins than fresh tomatoes.
• Canning helps make fiber in certain vegetables, like beans, more soluble and more useful to the body.
• Low or no sodium canned vegetables can help older adults limit sodium and support healthy heart and blood pressure.
• Dairy foods such as low and non-fat shelf-stable milk and reduced-fat cheese add calcium to the diet to support bone health.

Canned vegetables contain fiber and low or no saturated fat. Canned fruits contain low or no added sugar if canned in water or juice. 

The material provided is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual medical care.

Eating Healthy on a Budget
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• Plan before you shop: Think about what meals you want to eat for the week and make your grocery list based on those meals.
• Look for the best price: Check for deals online or look for sales and coupons in your local newspaper.
• Consider buying in bulk: Bulk foods tend to be better priced. Just remember that you must have room to store it!
• Look for produce in season: In season produce tends to be cheaper.
• Cook from scratch: Frozen dinners, prepackaged produce, and instant rice and oatmeal tend to be more expensive.
• Double your recipes: Consider doubling or tripling your favorite recipes and freezing individual or family portions.
• Be creative: Use leftovers in meals like salads, soups, and casseroles.

For more information on healthy food budgeting, contact your local MSU Extension office.

​The material provided is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual medical care.

Understanding Nutrition Facts Labels

Food labels give us information, including:

• Serving size: This is the amount of food that is normally eaten at one time, and the amount that nutrition facts are based on.
• Servings per container: This helps you know how many servings to expect from the package if you eat the serving size listed.
• Calories: Monitoring calories can help you maintain a healthy weight. Eating too many calories can lead to weight gain, and eating too few calories can lead to low energy.
• % Daily Value (%DV): This tells how much nutrients like sodium, cholesterol, and sugar are in the food compared to a standard diet for one day. People tend to eat too much sodium, cholesterol, and sugar, so it is helpful to be aware of these specific values.
• You can use food labels to monitor what you are eating overall, or to just focus on certain nutrients. Maybe your doctor has asked you to watch your sodium or saturated fat intake. For more information on the importance of food labels, visit www.fda.gov and search for “nutrition facts label.”

The material provided is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual medical care.

Rice
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A single grain of rice may be small, but the nutritional benefits of rice are big! Rice is the most popular, well-known grain around the world. In fact, it serves as the main dish for more than half of the world’s population. Here are just a few reasons why you should think about adding this tiny-but-mighty grain to your diet:

• Rice gives our bodies fiber and more than 15 vitamins and minerals. Fiber helps to support digestion. Vitamins and minerals are important to help fight infection, heal wounds, balance hormones, and keep our bones strong.
• Rice is naturally gluten-free, sodium-free, and cholesterol-free.
• Whole grains like brown rice lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, and high blood pressure.
• Having rice as part of a balanced meal can help you feel satisfied for a longer time between meals.

Are you ready to add more rice to your meals? To learn even more about rice grown in the United States, visit www.usarice.com. 

Learn more in this month's edition of Tidbits!

The material provided is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual medical care.

Grains

Oats, farina, and grits are all types of grains. They help you feel full. Grains are separated into two groups called whole grains and refined grains.

Whole grains, like oats, still have the outside parts of the grain, called the kernel. It gives the grain a chewy texture and a nutty flavor. The kernel of the grain has vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Look at the package to see if it is a whole grain.

Refined grains like wheat, farina, and grits have parts of the grain kernel removed so they have a finer texture. Removing the grain kernel also removes some of the vitamins, minerals, and fiber, but they can be added back in by enriching the grains. Look at the package to see if your products are enriched.

At least half of the grains you eat should be whole grains. When you eat refined grains, they should be enriched. Look at the food label to see if they are whole or enriched grains.
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Your USDA food packages may include whole grains, oats, wheat farina, or corn grits.

Learn more in this month's edition of Tidbits!

​The material provided is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual medical care.

Getting Your Vegetables in Winter
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Frozen vegetables: Picked when it is ripe and jam-packed with vitamins, the freezing process saves the nutrients so you can get the health benefits all year long. Frozen vegetables can be added to soups and casseroles.

Canned vegetables: Look for reduced-sodium canned vegetables or rinse off regular canned items to reduce your salt intake. Canned vegetables are great to add to casseroles and to use as a tasty side dish.

Root vegetables: Locally grown and stored root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and sweet potatoes are great ways to continue to eat local produce. Vegetables eaten closer to when they were picked also have more vitamins and minerals!

Colorful diets: One way to know you are eating lots of vegetables is if your plate has lots of colors. Meals with red, orange, green, and purple vegetables are a great way to get in lots of variety and flavors!

Learn more in this month's edition of Tidbits!

​The material provided is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual medical care.

Healthy Eating Tips
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As we grow older, our nutritional needs change. We need fewer calories and different amounts of nutrients. It is important to choose foods that give us what we need. Below are some tips to help you choose healthy food:

• Know what a healthy plate looks like. Go to www.myplate.gov to learn more about what a balanced plate looks like.
• Look for important nutrients. A healthy meal includes lean protein, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy. Choose foods that are high in fiber and low in sodium or salt.
• The healthiest foods are whole foods. These are typically found on the perimeter of the grocery store in the produce, meat, and dairy sections.
• Use recommended servings. Eating the right amount of food for your age and body helps you maintain a healthy weight.
  
• Sip on water throughout the day.

Learn more in this month's edition of Tidbits!

​The material provided is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual medical care.

Lentils

Lentils are a dry seed you can eat. Lentils have a nutty, almost earthy flavor. They become tender but firm enough to hold their shape when cooked. Lentils can be added to salads, soups, stews, or served as a side dish.

Lentils are full of protein and can be used as an alternative to meat. They are also high in fiber and have a lot of vitamins and minerals. Lentils help protect your heart and improve cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

Lentils are easy to cook. You don’t need to soak them. Put the lentils in a pot and cover with water. Bring them to a boil and then simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Just ½ cup of cooked lentils has the same amount of protein as a serving of meat. One pound of dry lentils makes about 7 cups of cooked lentils.

Learn more in this month's edition of Tidbits!

​The material provided is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual medical care.