1. NUTRITION NEWSAbilene ISD Student Nutrition Department
M O N T H L Y N E W S L E T T E R
Starting in October, students and staff will have the
opportunity to create a meal catered to their taste buds.
Read more below!
Volume 1, Issue 2
October 2013
BUILD YOUR OWN FOOD!
tarting in October, new concepts will be
coming to a cafeteria line near you. To
personalize and better your eating experience,
Abilene ISD is now providing the ability to
build your own (BYO) burrito or taco salad.
Students and staff can start by choosing a tortilla wrap
for their burrito or a taco shell or nacho rounds for
their taco salad. You can then choose from rice,
chicken fajita or taco meat, black beans and or refried
beans, and shredded cheese or yellow queso (if
available). You can then top it off with as many
toppings as you wish such as romaine lettuce, chopped
tomatoes, corn and black bean salsa, jalapeño, or salsa!
Each Meal Includes: Burrito or taco salad, up to
two fruit choices, and milk
Still Hungry? Double your meat for $1.00, make it
extra cheezy for $0.25 more, or add guacamole or sour
cream for $0.50 each!
Schedule:
Elementary Schools: BYO Taco Salad is available every
Tuesday to teachers and staff
Middle Schools: BYO Taco Salad or Burrito is available
3 days a week (Starting Wednesday, October 2nd)
Woodson CFE & ATEMS Center: BYO Taco Salad or
Burrito is available 2 days a week (Starting Tuesday,
October 1st)
High Schools: BYO Taco Salad or Burrito is available
every day (Starting Tuesday, October 1st)
Page 1
Build Your Own Food!
Introducing a new concept that allows you
to make your own burritos and taco salads
Page 2
Good Fats vs. Bad Fats
Learn about different types of fat, the TLC
Diet, and enjoy a crossword puzzle
(answers on page 3)!
Page 3
All About Avocados
Everything you wanted to know, from how
to pick them to how to prepare them!
New Year, New Concepts
S
Inside This Issue:

2. Good Fats vs. Bad Fats
ietary fat can be classified as
saturated fat, trans fat,
monounsaturated fat, and
polyunsaturated fat.
Saturated fatty acids, or SFA, are
mainly found in meats and dairy
products. The consumption of
saturated fatty acids has a direct
correlation to an increase in LDL
cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol).
Because these fats directly increase
LDL cholesterol, the American Heart
Association recommends no more than
7% of total calories come from
saturated fat.
Trans fats, a man made fat created by
the food industry to increase the shelf
life of foods, is mostly found labeled as
“partially hydrogenated soybean oil”.
As well, trans fat has a direct impact on
LDL cholesterol and should therefore
be consumed as less than 1% of daily
calories. (Preferably zero percent says
the American Heart Association!)
Unsaturated fats can be split up into
monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated
fats.
Monounsaturated fats should be the
preferred source of fats in the diet.
Common sources of monounsaturated
fats are olive oil, peanuts, almonds, and
cashews. Monounsaturated fats, or
“MUFAs”, have the ability to lower
LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels
when replacing saturated fatty acids in
the diet. A great example of this would
be using olive oil (MUFA) instead of
butter (SFA) while cooking.
Polyunsaturated fats are extremely
similar to monounsaturated fats.
PUFAs reduce LDL cholesterol just
like MUFAs do, providing favorable
effects. However, in large quantities,
PUFAs can also lower HDL, your
“good” cholesterol. Because of this, the
AHA recommends only 10% of fat
comes from PUFAs and 20% from
MUFAs.
A beneficial type of PUFAs are
omega-3 fatty acids. Omega 3’s are
found mostly in fish oils and some
fruits and vegetables. Omega-3 fatty
acids can lower your risk of
cardiovascular disease, lower your
triglycerides, and have an anti-
inflammatory effect.
Reference: Mahan, K., Escott-Stump, S.,
Raymond J. Krause’s Food and the Nutrition
Care Process.
D
Percentage of Total Calories from Fats
The Therapeutic Lifestyle Change Dietary Pattern, developed by the American
Heart Association, is a heart healthy diet recommended to everyone over the age
of 2 to prevent cardiovascular diseases. With
fat coming from 25-35% of total caloric intake,
the percentages shown in the chart to the
right represent the maximum values to be
consumed from each source of fat.
64% 10%
1%
20%
5%
Saturated Fat
Monounsaturated
Trans Fat
Polyunsaturated
Non Fat Calories
Across
4: You will find these on a supreme pizza
5: A green nut
Down
1: A great snack at the circus
2: Oil used in Mediterranean cooking
3: A green fruit
“Good Fats” Crossword Puzzle

3. All About Avocados!
vocados are a great source of
both monounsaturated fat,
polyunsaturated fat, and some
omega-3 fatty acids!
Trying to find a ripe avocado at the
store can be a difficult task.
Concerning color, if you want to find a
ready to eat avocado you want to avoid
those that have a bright green skin.
Ready to eat avocados will be a glossy
brown, where as avocados that still
need a few days to mature will be
green, or have green streaks. If you
find a brown avocado that seems dull
and has no gloss, it is most likely over-
ripe and should be avoided. Ripe
avocados will also give slightly to firm
pressure, but will not be mushy. If the
avocado does not give way to any
pressure, it is not ripe and not ready to
eat.
After washing the avocado, lay the
fruit horizontally. Starting with the
narrow end, run a knife lengthwise,
going around the seed. Using your
hands, slowly rotate the two halves
apart. After removing the seed with a
spoon and peeling the outer skin off,
your avocado is ready to use!
Use an acidic agent like lemon juice or
vinegar brushed over your prepared
avocado to prevent browning!
A
Did you know that since
an avocado has a seed in
it, it’s actually a fruit?
“Knowledge is knowing a
tomato is a fruit, wisdom
is not putting it in a fruit
salad.”
Miles Kington
1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled anddiced
2 cups corn kernels
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed limejuice
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantroleaves
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Ingredients
Answerstocrossword:1:peanuts2:oliveoil3:avocado4:olives5:pistachios
Avocado Corn Salsa Recipe
Instructions
Combine corn, jalapeño, red onioncilantro, lime juice, sugar and salt.Stir in avocado.
Serve immediately with chip of yourchoice.
Recipe adapted from: http://freerecipenetwork.com/avocado-corn-salsa/
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