| Enriching Family Mealtimes 5 times or more a week and a chance to win gift cards |
| Children who eat family meals 5 times or more per week eat healthier, have higher academic scores and lower risk of behavior problems, according to The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (1). Use these creative tips and recipes to make family mealtimes enjoyable in 2015! Enter for a chance to win $25/$100 gift cards! Join us to reach a goal of 500 family meals pledged by Jan 31st. |
Easy ways to enjoy family mealtimes
- Get 5 tips to provide balanced & nutritious family meals with lean protein, fruits and veggies.
- Make it fun at family dinners - get 5 fun tips to improve family mealtime experiences.
- Talk about the day with our school children. Try these conversation starters.
- Plan one more family meal in every week. Too hectic on weeknights? Sunday breakfast is easy. Enjoy a simple bowl of oatmeal together, or try this Beef and Egg Breakfast Mugs or our other family recipes.
- Pledge 5 family meals a week; get creative tips and recipes and a chance to win $25/$100 gift cards now. Ends Jan 31st.
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Iron - an essential mineral
Iron carries oxygen to our muscles and brain, important for physical and cognitive development. Up to 60% of teenage girls do not consume enough dietary iron compared to Recommended Dietary Allowance (2), leading to 16% with iron-deficiency (3
), the most common nutrition deficiency, according to Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) (4). Sources of iron include meats, seafood, nuts, beans, enriched cereals, and bread.
- Iron from meat and seafood (heme iron) is utlized by our body 2-3 times better than iron from plants (non-heme iron)(5).
- Beef and seafood are among the most bioavailable food sources of iron.
- Consume vitamin C-rich foods, such as orange juice, to increase plant foods' iron absorption; but avoid phytate, polyphenols and calcium in tea, coffee and dairy foods at the same meal as they are inhibitors.
- An easy way to improve iron absorption from spinach? Add slices of beef to a spinach salad! (6)
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