Study: Breakfast Impacts Psychosocial Behaviors in Children

Posted on May 1, 2023 by Fill Your Plate

By: Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

The first thing that my mom and brothers do when they wake up in the morning is eat breakfast. If they don’t eat first thing upon arising, they get “hangry,” and they remain that way until they get some food. In contrast, my dad and I are the complete opposite. Both of us skip breakfast almost every day and feel just fine, if not better. Obviously eating or skipping breakfast impacts people differently, but it turns out that it impacts young kids pretty significantly.

Eggs are a delicious and economical breakfast option.

According to a study, consumption of breakfast, source of the meal, and food quality play a large role in the psychosocial behaviors of children ages 4-14. Specifically, in terms of skipping breakfast regularly, the odds of developing psychosocial behavioral issues were more than 3 times that of children who ate every morning. Likewise, those who ate breakfast outside of the home were also significantly more likely to develop these behavioral issues compared to those who ate at home. Researchers also noted that what kids ate for breakfast impacts their behaviors as well. The behavioral issues that resulted from poor breakfasts affected kids’ emotions, conduct, hyperactivity, relationships with peers, and prosocial behaviors.

We’ve long known that eating a good, nourishing meal in the mornings is important, but it is especially important for young kids. So, before sending your kids off to school in the morning, make them a healthy breakfast! Not only will it ensure that they have fuel for their day, but it could help to improve their psychosocial behaviors!

Did you know that Arizona agriculture provides everything you need to make a complete and nourishing breakfast? Eggs, milk, butter, cheese, veggies, fruits, and more are produced right here in our home state!

For more breakfast articles, check out the Fill Your Plate blog!

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Sweet Potatoes Versus Regular Potatoes – Which is Healthier?

Posted on April 28, 2023 by Fill Your Plate

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

Forget the age-old debate of whether it’s pronounced po-tay-toe or po-tah-ta, how about which kind of potato has more to offer to our health? Sweet potatoes and regular potatoes are both super delicious and versatile and loved all over the world. Besides the fact that one is usually yellow or white inside, and the other is orange, and also that one is very plain flavored while the other is sweet, what are the nutrient differences between them, and which one is better? Let’s take a look at which spud takes the prize in terms of nutritional advantage.

potatoes

However you pronounce it, a potato is another good source of all sorts of good stuff. (photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com)

According to registered dietician Beth Czerwony, sweet potatoes, and regular potatoes are both incredibly nutritious vegetables, and they actually have quite a few similarities, including that they are lower-calorie and low-fat foods. Both kinds of potatoes are also good sources of fiber, carbohydrates, potassium, vitamin B6, and vitamin C.

In terms of a side-by-side comparison of the two, sweet potatoes end up being just a slight bit healthier than regular potatoes, as they are slightly lower in calories, and are a better source of beta carotene and vitamin A. But that’s not to say that regular potatoes aren’t a nutritious choice. So, try alternating between the two, as it will add variety to your diet, and you’ll be able to reap the benefits of both!

Czerwony says that when cooking potatoes, baking is the best method, as you lose the least amount of nutrients this way. She also says to be mindful of the toppings that you put on, as this is an easy way to make that healthy potato not so healthy! And, to get the full amount of fiber that these potatoes offer, eat the skin as well!

So, pronounce “potato” however you’d like, and just remember to incorporate them into your diet, since both sweet and regular potatoes are chock full of nutrients! Not to mention, it’s pretty easy to find ways to use potatoes!

For recipes that use potatoes, check out the recipes page on the Fill Your Plate blog!

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The Wonders of Walking

Posted on April 26, 2023 by Fill Your Plate

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

When you think of working out, what typically comes to mind? Often, it’s lifting heavy weights, biking, or running. These are all great examples of different ways to exercise and work out, but did you know that walking is another exercise that can give you plenty of results without a bunch of heavy impact on your joints? Let’s look at some of the ways that walking can be a good addition to your workout routine.

According to the Mayo Clinic, walking can provide you with so many different health benefits. Some of the most significant include:

  • Weight loss
  • Improved mood
  • Reduced stress
  • Improves cardiovascular fitness
  • Increases energy levels

It is important to note, however, that while we do walk as we go about our everyday lives, walking for fitness takes just a little more effort. To Turn walking into more of a workout, consider increasing your speed, holding a good posture, tightening your thigh and core muscles with each step, and walking for long distances. Another tip is to do intervals of speed walking and intervals of slower-paced walking, as this burns more calories than just regular walking. Also, to increase your motivation, try setting aside a specific time of day to take a walk. I would argue that the best time is right as the sun begins to come out because it’s cooler and it’s a great way to make you feel energized for the rest of the day.

Finally, don’t let the stigma that walking is for old people or that it is just a wimpy workout ruin your perception of this great exercise. After all, I’m only 19 and I love power walking because it doesn’t take as much of a toll on joints as running and biking do. After I injured one of my knees many years ago, running would make it get inflamed and painful, so I opted for power walking as an alternative form of cardio.  So, get outside and get walking!

For more exercise articles, check out the Fill Your Plate blog!

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Vitamin E Can Keep You Healthy Later in Life

Posted on April 24, 2023 by Fill Your Plate

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

Vitamins, vitamins, vitamins. It seems as though we are always hearing about vitamins, whether it be about how much we should be getting, what foods contain them, or how they benefit our health. I hate to break it to you, but this article is also about all of those things. But not to worry, it isn’t another typical article about the commonly discussed vitamin B, or vitamin C. Rather, it is about vitamin E, a lesser-mentioned vitamin that is one that we don’t get much of in our everyday diet but is vital to our health. White beans, kidney beans, pinto beans and black beans,

According to registered dietician Kim Yawitz, “Vitamin E strengthens the immune system and helps your cells communicate with each other, but it’s best known for being a powerful antioxidant.” Yawitz explains that getting enough vitamin E is important because as an antioxidant, it neutralizes the free radicals in our bodies, which we encounter every day just from the environment in which we live. If free radicals are left to build up in our bodies, they can cause big health problems later in life, such as heart disease and cancer.

So, how do we incorporate vitamin E-rich foods into our diets? According to Yawitz, vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin, so eating foods that have fat in them is one way to get vitamin E. Additionally, here are some other vitamin E-rich foods:

  • Black beans
  • Wheat germ oil
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Dry-roasted almonds
  • Peanut butter
  • Asparagus
  • Mango

Since we don’t get much vitamin E in our typical daily diets, taking the extra step to eat some foods that are rich in vitamin E is important. That way, we can ensure that we are getting enough antioxidants and protecting ourselves from disease later in life.

For more health-related articles, check out the Fill Your Plate blog!

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Is Stress Causing Your Heartburn?

Posted on April 21, 2023 by Fill Your Plate

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

I’m sure that it is safe to say that we’ve all experienced that uncomfortable feeling of heartburn at least once in our lives. Some experience it when they’ve eaten too many acidic foods or drinks. For some, it comes after eating spicy foods. And yet others might get heartburn and not know what caused it. I used to have horrible heartburn, but mine was due to my obsession and overuse of any kind of spicy pepper, hot sauce, or acidic, vinegary sauce. Whatever the cause of your heartburn may be, researchers may have yet another cause for acid reflux or heartburn.

According to a study published in the Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility, a connection has been found between anxiety and heartburn. The study observed over 19,000 individuals and found that those who exhibited symptoms of heartburn were linked to being more likely to also have depression and or anxiety.

This leads to the question of whether depression and anxiety cause heartburn or vice versa. Functional nutritional therapist Ma’an Romana believes that depression and anxiety cause stress, which ultimately causes heartburn. Thus, by managing stress, heartburn can be reduced. Specifically, she says that “When we are in a state of stress, we are in what we call a fight-or-flight and our sympathetic nervous system is activated. The sympathetic nervous system actually inhibits the activities in our digestive system and as a result stomach acid production is affected.”

In order to combat stress, Romana suggests that we try to reduce stress both before and after meals. Some suggestions include taking deep breaths to calm yourself, eliminating stressful distractions from the table, focusing on enjoying your food, exercising regularly, or spending time in nature. Also, if there are known foods that cause digestive distress, eliminate them from your diet!

Nobody likes that uncomfortable burning sensation in their throat and chest. But by getting ahead of and managing your stress, you might be able to reduce the frequency or intensity of that heartburn!

For more health-related articles, check out the Fill Your Plate blog!

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