Hello everyone! It’s Nathan Tucker here, and I’m the CEP 4-H Agent in Travis County. I hope you are having a great summer so far. I would like to share with you some different resources about nutrition and healthy living with a focus on fruits and vegetables. There will also be some links on physical activity as well.

Here is a great resource, a database of fruits and vegetables that contains information on how to select and store the fruit or vegetable, as well as the nutrition benefits and ideas on how to prepare and enjoy them:
http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/fruit-vegetable-nutrition-database





Here is a link from the CDC on how to manage weight by eating fruits and vegetables:

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/fruits_vegetables.html

Office Workers, On Your Feet! Report calls for at least 2 hours a day standing on the job
Source: United States National Library of Medicine

Desk jockeys should make a point to stand up for at least two hours during the workday in order to avoid the negative health consequences linked to too much sitting, new research suggests.

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http://1.usa.gov/1IpHzKC

(from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Help Hints)

Exercise to Help Kick the Habit!
Source: The Cooper Institute

Have you tried to quit smoking but been unsuccessful? Well, you’re not alone. In this country, 70% of adult smokers report that they want to quit, yet research shows that it takes the average smoker up to ten attempts to permanently stop this unhealthy behavior. Even with medical assistance such as nicotine replacement therapy or the aid of counseling, success rates are still relatively low.

Sounds pretty dim but there is hope and it’s not surprising (or at least not surprising to me!) that it comes in the form of EXERCISE.

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http://bit.ly/1AFymhn

Older Adults Need This to Keep Muscles Strong
Source: WebMD

Older adults need a protein-rich diet to maintain muscle mass and strength, a new study suggests.

Protein should come from animal and plant sources, since each type of protein appears to play different roles in maintaining lean muscle mass and leg strength. Plant protein helps preserve muscle strength, while animal protein is linked to muscle mass, the researchers said.

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http://wb.md/1IFXnMa

Strengthen Your Core: The Plank
Source: University of California, Berkeley

If your time is limited, you may want to incorporate the plank into your workout. It takes only a couple of minutes a day, requires no special equipment and strengthens your core—and more.

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http://bit.ly/1J4kKPS

Avocados Could Improve Your Cholesterol – and More

Not so long ago, avocados were a seasonal delicacy in most of the country, and when they were available, their high fat content scared away health-conscious consumers. With loosened import rules from Mexico, however, sales of Hass avocados (about 95% of the US market) have more than doubled in the past decade. Last year, Americans peeled about 4.25 billion avocados, and in February avocados even boasted their own Super Bowl commercial.

It’s not just a growing taste for guacamole that’s pushing avocados to record popularity. Consumers are increasingly aware that not all fat is to be equally avoided: Of the 18.6 grams of fat in a typical avocado, only 2.9 grams are unhealthy saturated fat; the rest is heart-healthy unsaturated fat – primarily monounsaturated fat (13.3 grams). Think of the fats in this healthy fruit (yes, avocados are technically a fruit) as similar to those in olives (also botanically a fruit).

“Consumed in moderation – one cup of avocado slices does contain 230 calories – the unsaturated fats in avocados may have cardiovascular benefits,” explains Diane L. McKay, PhD, an assistant professor at Tufts’ Friedman School and a scientist in the HNRCA Antioxidants Research Laboratory. “Avocados are also good sources of several B vitamins, dietary fiber, potassium and copper, carotenoids, and vitamins C, E and K.”

CHOLESTEROL CONTROL: A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association adds evidence to avocados’ potential to improve cardiovascular health. Penn State researchers compared the cholesterol effects of three controlled diets for five weeks each in a group of 45 overweight and obese volunteers. Both a lower-fat (24% of calories) and moderate-fat (34%) diet reduced unhealthy LDL and total cholesterol. But when one avocado a day was substituted for a comparable amount of oleic acid (the main monounsaturated fat in olive oil) in the moderate-fat diet, cholesterol improved even more: LDL dropped 13.5 mg/dL on the avocado regimen, compared to 8.3 mg/dL on the moderate-fat and 7.4 mg/dL on the low-fat diets.

Adding an avocado to other vegetables, like the leafy greens in a salad, can also help you absorb carotenoid compounds such as beta-carotene from those foods. That’s because the healthy fats in avocados excel at helping the body absorb those fat-soluble nutrients. One study in the Journal of Nutrition found that topping salads with avocado boosted carotenoid absorption by three to five times.

You may also want to try avocado oil on its own. Similar in fat profile to olive oil, which is key to the heart-healthy Mediterranean-style diet, avocado oil has a higher smoke point, making it more suitable (and safer) for high-temperature cooking.

SATIETY AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PROPERTIES: Since avocados get a majority of their calories from fat (and from 2.7 grams of protein per fruit), they are relatively low-carb (11.7 grams). Subtract the impressive 9.2 grams of dietary fiber per avocado and you get only 2.5 grams “net” carbs. Avocados are also very low on the glycemic index, meaning they’re gentle on blood sugar. And a study in Nutrition Journal found that participants who ate half an avocado with lunch reported a 40% decreased desire to eat for hours afterward.

The chemical constituents of avocados’ fats may also have specific health benefits. These include cholesterol-lowering phytosterols, anti-inflammatory polyhydroxylated fatty alcohols (PFAs), and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the plant form of omega-3 fatty acids.

Compounds called unsaponifiables derived from avocado and soybean oil are being tested as a treatment for osteoarthritis. A 2008 meta-analysis found that avocado-soybean unsaponifiables (ASUs) improved symptoms of hip and knee arthritis and reduced the need for anti-inflammatory drugs. A large, three-year study published in 2013 reported that ASUs significantly reduced the progression of hip arthritis.

(from Tufts University Health & Nutrition Update)