March is National Nutrition Month. This year’s theme revolves around using color to improve your diet.

"Adding a splash of colorful seasonal foods to your plate makes for more than just a festive meal. A rainbow of foods creates a palette of nutrients, each with a different bundle of potential benefits for a healthful eating plan," registered dietitian and American Dietetic Association Spokesperson Karen Ansel said in a news release. Each year the American Dietetic Association sponsors National Nutrition Month.

The American Dietetic Association offers the following color guide when planning your menu:

Green produce indicates antioxidant potential and may help promote healthy vision and reduce cancer risks.

>Fruits: avocado, apples, grapes, honeydew, kiwi and lime

>Vegetables: artichoke, asparagus, broccoli, green beans, green peppers and leafy greens such as spinach

Orange and deep yellow fruits and vegetables contain nutrients that promote healthy vision and immunity, and reduce the risk of some cancers.

>Fruits: apricot, cantaloupe, grapefruit, mango, papaya, peach and pineapple

>Vegetables: carrots, yellow pepper, yellow corn and sweet potatoes

Getting more vegetables in your diet doesn’t have to mean a lot of wok … but it can help.

If you’re looking to increase the amount of vegetables in your diet stir frying can be a quick, easy way to do it.

Cornell Cooperative Extension in Fulton and Montgomery Counties is offering a class to help area residents use stir frying to increase the amount of vegetables they eat. Stir Fry Magic is set for Tuesday, March 15 at 6 p.m. The one and a half hour long class will be held at the Shirley Luck Senior Center, 109 E. Main St., Johnstown. The class is $12 (free for CDPHP members).

Participants will create, prepare and sample their own stir fry recipes including chicken, beef, vegetables and sauces.

Stir-frying cooks small pieces of vegetables and meat quickly at medium-high heat in a small amount of oil. Constant stirring is a must because the foods cook so rapidly. The mixture is then tossed with a savory sauce right in the skillet or wok.

1. Which of the following oils is high in saturated fat?

a. Canola oil

b. Palm oil

c. Safflower oil

d. Corn oil

e. Soybean oil

2. How much soy should you eat each day to lower cholesterol levels?

a. 5 grams (g)

b. 10 g

c. 15 g

d. 20 g

e. 25 g

1. Which of the following foods is not specifically linked to a reduced risk of heart disease?

a. Garlic

b. Oats

c. Corn

d. Grape juice

e. Nuts

2. The fiber in which of the following foods will lead to a reduction of blood cholesterol?

a. Whole-grain bread

b. Brown rice

c. Bran cereal

d. Carrots

e. Oats

Sandra Varno, a resource educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Albany County, shares this fudge Heart Healthy Walnut Fudge recipe adapted from Weight Watchers. Enjoy the benefits of omega-3 fats from the walnuts and the antioxidant rich dark chocolate.

Ingredients:

1 spray of cooking spray

1 2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup fat-free evaporated milk

2 Tbsp light margarine

12 oz dark chocolate chips

14 large marshmallows

8 oz chopped walnuts

Coat an 8 inch square pan with spray. Stir sugar, margarine and evaporated milk together in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes. Stir in chocolate, marshmallows and walnuts. Remove from heat and stir until smooth. Pour into square pan and refrigerate until firm (about 2 hours). Cut into 48 pieces.

Our hearts should be on our minds more often than just Valentine’s Day. Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of Americans.

With that in mind, CCEFM nutrition educators are presenting a new class to help area residents cook their way to a healthy heart.

Heart Smarts will be presented for the first time Tuesday, Feb. 15 at 6 p.m. at the Shirley J. Luck Senior Citizen Center at 109 E. Main St. in Johnstown. The cost is $12 (free for CDPHP members).

The new Heart Smarts workshop will present the very latest information about eating for heart health and provide participants with new heart-friendly ways of cooking.

According to the U.S. Department of Health, 81.1 million Americans have cardio cardiovascular disease. This disease can be prevented almost completely through diet and physical activity.

Eat less and move more — those are two recommendations among more than 20 included in new federal dietary guidelines.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released new dietary guidelines last week.

Acknowledging that more than one-third of children and more than two-thirds of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese, the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans emphasis increased physical activity and calorie reduction.

“These new and improved dietary recommendations give individuals the information to make thoughtful choices of healthier foods in the right portions and to complement those choices with physical activity,” Agriculture Secretary TomVilsack said in a news release. “The bottom line is that most Americans need to trim our waistlines to reduce the risk of developing diet-related chronic disease. Improving our eating habits is not only good for every individual and family, but also for our country.”

The new guidelines include the following 23 Key Recommendations for the general public:

1. Prevent and/or reduce overweight and obesity through improved eating and physical activity behaviors.

2. Control total calorie intake to manage body weight. For people who are overweight or obese, this will mean consuming fewer calories from foods and beverages.

3. Increase physical activity and reduce time spent in sedentary behaviors.

4. Maintain appropriate calorie balance during each stage of life—childhood, adolescence, adulthood, pregnancy and breastfeeding, and older age.

5. Reduce daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) and further reduce intake to 1,500 mg among persons who are 51 and older and those of any age who are African American or have hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease. The 1,500 mg recommendation applies to about half of the U.S. population, including children, and the majority of adults. 

Click below for more recommendations.

As they watch the Super Bowl this Sunday, the Fight BAC campaign is reminding football fans to remember the two-hour rule.

Following the two-hour rule will help prevent food borne illness, the Partnership for Food Safety Education’s Fight BAC campaign says.

“Don't keep perishable foods at room temperature for more than two hours. If you put out a platter of food at kick off, best to get it back in the refrigerator during the half-time show,” the Fight BAC website says. “If food has been sitting out for more than two hours, don't eat it. When in doubt, throw it out.”

Also remember to keep food hot or cold either by nesting in a bowl of ice or using a crock pot or sterno cans.

For more tips regarding Super Bowl party food safety visit Fight BAC’s Brilliant Buffets & Party Platters web page.

If you’re looking to drop a few pounds keeping a food diary and graphing your weight loss are two effective techniques that could help.

“Researchers have studied the use of food diaries and their role in weight loss. In a study reported in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers noted that overweight people who kept food diaries lost twice as much weight compared with those who did not keep food diaries,” a recent North Dakota Cooperative Extension article says.

In the article Keeping a food diary can be an eye-opening experience, Food and Nutrition Specialist Julie Garden-Robinson says people often eat much more than they realize. She recommends keeping a diary detailing the type of food and amount you eat, the time of day and your mood.

“Were you really hungry or maybe a little bored when you grabbed a snack on the way to the TV? You also can note if you were alone or with a companion,” she writes.

Graphing your weight loss is also an effective tool.

“You can't drive a car if you can't see where you're going.  You can't control your weight if you can't see where it's going! An important weight control technique is to keep a visual record of your weight,” the Medical University of South Carolina’s website says.

Earlier this month the Food Safety Modernization Act was signed into law. According to the Food Insight Blog prevention is a clear theme in the new law. Except for mandatory food recalls, the bloggers from the International Food Information Council Foundation don’t the new legislation to be immediately visible to consumers. The blog says overtime, however, consumers will see a safer food supply.

“While the passage of Food Safety Modernization Act is an exciting and necessary event, its main focus is on the food system prior to the food entering our kitchen,” the blog says. “While it will make major improvements to the safety of our food supply, it is important that we do not become complacent and forget the cardinal rules of food safety: Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill. Remember that you are the final defense against foodborne illness.”

Watch the above video to learn more about the four cardinal rules of food safety.