This newsletter provides tips for having a healthy Thanksgiving. It recommends taking time to eat and digest food, involving kids in meal preparation and teaching them about nutrition, and controlling portion sizes by focusing on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It also includes recipes to make Thanksgiving favorites healthier, food safety reminders, ways to be physically active in November like geocaching, and a quiz about Thanksgiving history and foods.

1. NUTRITION NEWSAbilene ISD Student Nutrition Department
M O N T H L Y N E W S L E T T E R
This special edition provides great tips on how
to have a happy, healthy, and tasty Thanksgiving!
Volume 1, issue 3
november 2013
THANKSGIVING EDITION
hanksgiving is a time for
friends, family, giving thanks,
and of course....food. Lots of
it. Food is an essential element of life,
providing our bodies with energy and
nutrients. However, too much food can
lead to becoming overweight and
developing chronic diseases. Follow
some of these tips to help you have a
healthy, happy, and unforgettable
Thanksgiving!
Take your time! Sit back, relax, and
allow your body time to digest and
process the food you are eating. It takes
around 15 minutes for your body to
process that you are full, so give your
body time before you over stuff.
Involve your kids! Take this opportunity
to teach them about different types of
food, how to cook, and what different
nutrients food provides to our body.
Don’t let the stress of getting your big
meal ready prevent you from taking this
great opportunity to teach your kids
about food!
Treat yourself to all the food, but
control your portions. MyPlate
recommends making half of your plate
fruits and vegetables. Have larger
portions of fruits, vegetables, and whole
grains, and smaller portions of the high
fat products like stuffing, gravy, and
mashed potatoes.
Page 1
How to enjoy a happy, healthy, and
tasty Thanksgiving!
Page 2
Learn how to make your
Thanksgiving dinner favorites a
little bit healthier!
Check out some food safety
reminders to keep your food safe
this holiday season.
Also, take the quiz to test your
knowledge about Thanksgiving
history and food facts!
Page 3
Get Moving Abilene! Find out
about some ways to get your
family moving in the month of
November.
Find the answers to the
Thanksgiving food quiz
on page 3.
Happy, healthy, and tasty
T
Inside This Issue:

2. TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE
HISTORY AND FOODS OF THANKSGIVING!
1.
The
first
Thanksgiving
lasted
how
many
days?
A.
1
B.
2
C.
3
D.
4
2.
The
Turkey
didn’t
become
a
popular
and
representa;ve
of
the
Thanksgiving
Holiday
un;l
which
year?
A.
1621
B.
1787
C.
1827
D.
1901
3.
Which
food
was
used
by
the
se?lers
to
fer;lize
their
fields
in
prepara;on
for
their
Thanksgiving
Feast?
A.
Corn
B.
Fish
C.
Deer
Meat
D.
Fruit
4.
True
or
False:
The
colonist
had
their
own
version
of
pumpkin
pie,
consisGng
of
stewed
pumpkins.
5.
The
first
Thanksgiving
consisted
of
which
foods?
A. Turkey,
dressing,
green
bean
casserole,
cranberry
sauce
B. Ham,
corn,
bread,
and
fruit
C. Deer,
corn,
shellfish,
and
roasted
meat
D. Corn,
beans,
bread,
and
vegetables
6.
Squanto,
a
Na;ve
American
tribe
leader,
helped
the
colonist
grow:
A. Squash
B.
Zucchini
C.
Tomatoes
D.
Corn
Food Quiz
Side Dish Smash up!
Green Bean
Casserole
Green bean
casserole is an all
time Thanksgiving
favorite. Follow
these tips to cut
back on calories,
fat, and sodium.
• Use low-fat cream of mushroom
soup
• Use fresh green beans instead of
canned to reduce sodium
• Use skim-milk instead of whole milk
Food Safety 101
• Make sure to store raw meats on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Storing
meat below items such as salad, fruit, and other foods prevents raw juice from
dripping and contaminating these foods.
• Check that your turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Be
sure to check in multiple spots, not allowing the thermometer to touch the
pan. This is important to gain an accurate temperature and assess that the
turkey is cooking evenly.
• For left over food, split up large portions of stuffing and mashed potatoes
into smaller bags or containers to be refrigerated. The smaller the portions,
the easier and quicker the food can cool to a temperature in the refrigerator
to prevent the growth of bacteria and food borne illnesses.
Rolls
Bread is a common staple at most
meals. Try switching white bread to
100% whole grain or pumpernickel.
Increased levels of whole grains are
good for your digestive health and
decrease risk for certain cancers and
chronic diseases such as heart disease
and diabetes.
Sweet Potatoes
Although low in fat, marshmallows are
packed with calories and sugar. Try
eliminating the marshmallow topping
and replacing it with a generous
sprinkling of brown sugar. You can
take it a step further and cut even
more calories and sugar by using a
nutritive sweetener, like Splenda
brown sugar.
Butter
From the
mashed
potatoes to
the rolls, butter will no doubt be a part
of your Thanksgiving day meal
preparation and feast. Try using
moderate amounts of butters that are
made from plant based origins such as
Take Control or Benecol. These
spreads use plant stanol and sterol
esters to inhibit your absorption of
Information from National Geographic, Whats
CookingAmerica, and NPR

3. Get Moving, Abilene!
ooking for a fun way to get
outside and enjoy the Fall
weather? Try Geocaching!
Geocaching is a fun and
adventurous way to get moving!
Geocaching is a real-world treasure
hunt. Once you are given a set of
coordinates, you and your family
can take off to find your hidden
container. Not only is geocaching
fun, it is a great way to get in some
exercise and spend time with
family!
Geocaching-West
Texas Style!
When: November 8-10
Where: Abilene State Park
This event is meant to introduce
new families in the hobby of
geocaching and to bring
geocachers from all over for a
weekend of food, fun, and
geocaching!
L
This
Recipe
Saves
You:
-­‐105
Calories/slice
-­‐9
g
of
Fat/slice
-­‐32
mg
of
Cholesterol/slice
By
eliminaGng
oil
and
eggs,
you
are
sure
to
have
a
lighter
and
healthier
treat
without
sacrificing
the
taste!
Calcula&ons
are
based
on
the
comparison
between
the
recipe
listed
and
the
tradi&onal
spice
cake
made
from
direc&ons
with
cream
cheese
icing
Cake:
1 Box Spice Cake Mix
1 15 oz. Can of Pumpkin
2 tbsp. Water
Cake: Mix ingredients together untilcombined. Spread into a lightly
greased 9X13 baking pan or bunt panand bake at 350 degrees for 30
minutes, or until done in the center.
Glaze:
1 1/4 C Powdered Sugar
3 Tbsp. Milk
Glaze: Add each tablespoon of milkone at a time. Whisk ingredients
together until combined. Pour glazeover cooled pumpkin cake.
Perfect Pumpkin Cake
Monthly recipe
1.C2.C3.B4.True5.C6.D
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