Coffee alone is not enough! Eating breakfast in the morning fuels your body. It helps adults and kids stay focused at home, school, and work. Eating a healthy breakfast may lower your chances of getting diabetes, heart disease, and being overweight. It is also a good opportunity to get vitamins and nutrients from healthy foods like fruits, dairy, protein, and grains. Keep reading for 3 ways to make your breakfast a little bit healthier!

Whole grains have more fiber and nutrients. This keeps you feeling fuller longer and provides your body with lots of nutrition. Instead of plain, white toast, plain pancake mix, or a plain bagel, make it whole wheat! Oatmeal, whole wheat tortillas, whole grain cereals, and quinoa are other great options! Check out Why Whole Grains Will Change Your Life to learn how to find whole grain foods at the grocery store.

Remember that MyPlate, our healthy eating guide, recommends that we make 1/2 of our plates fruits and vegetables. That doesn't just mean our lunch and dinner plates! Fruits and veggies can be easily added to your morning meal.

Try adding bananas, raisins, or berries to hot or cold cereals. Chopped up vegetables make a great addition to eggs or potatoes. Or simply serve apples, oranges, or another piece of fruit alongside your meal. Fresh, frozen, or canned fruits and veggies will do the trick!

When you look at the nutrition facts label on your favorite breakfast food or drink, is sugar listed as one of the first ingredients? If so, it may not be the healthiest choice.

Fruit flavored yogurt and muffins are popular breakfast foods, but the first meal of the day can be healthier. Swapping them out for plain yogurt with berries and granola will give your body less sugar and more nutrition, plus these are all items you can buy in bulk. That means you will save money!

Another easy way to reduce the amount of sugar in your breakfast is to skip the juice! We know it seems healthy because it's made from fruit, but even 100% fruit juice is high in sugar. It's also missing the healthy fiber that whole fruit provides. Try eating a piece of fruit instead or limiting yourself (and the kids) to 1/2 cup or 4 oz of juice per day.

• Watch this video from MyPlate.gov to see how simple swaps can help you build a better breakfast:
  

• Check out How to Make Breakfast a Healthy Habit from the American Heart Association
  
• Read Breakfast: Key to Growing Healthy from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
• Don't eat a typical American breakfast? Don't worry, all foods can fit! Check out MyPlate for Different Cultures to learn how.

Dairy provides many healthy nutrients including calcium, potassium, vitamin D, and protein. But what if you or a loved one is lactose intolerant? Luckily, you don’t have to say goodbye to all of these foods! There are many ways you can still enjoy the taste and health benefits of low fat and nonfat dairy and dairy alternatives. Keep reading to find out how!

Lactose intolerance is a disorder caused by the inability to digest lactose, the natural sugar found in milk and other dairy foods made from milk. After eating or drinking dairy products, people with this condition may experience cramping, diarrhea, bloating, and gas.

Think you might be lactose intolerant? 
Talk to your doctor so you can be properly diagnosed.

Don't confuse lactose intolerance with a milk allergy! A milk allergy is an allergic reaction to the protein in milk. Lactose intolerance can cause discomfort, but is not life-threatening like a milk allergy. Visit our Food Allergies on a Budget blog for tips to avoid allergens.

To avoid those unwanted symptoms, limit the amount of lactose you eat.

Foods that contain lactose:

Foods that may contain lactose:

MyPlate recommends older children, teens, and adults get 3 servings low fat or nonfat dairy per day. Here's a list of dairy products you can eat and easy recipes to make with them!

Eating or drinking solid foods with milk helps slow digestion and decrease discomfort. Or you can try lactose-free (cow's) milk or plant-based milks like soy, rice, almond, or cashew. Both are easy swaps for traditional milk! Choose plain, unsweetened milks to limit added sugar. If you must choose a dairy alternative, it is important to look for ones fortified with the calcium and vitamin D needed for bone health. For more info, see Non-Dairy Sources of Calcium from MyPlate.

Enjoy regular or Greek style, live active cultures in the yogurt help your body digest the lactose. You can also buy lactose-free or dairy-free (made from soy, almonds, coconut, etc.) yogurts if you must avoid lactose completely. Yogurt can be full of added sugar too, so opt for plain, unsweetened varieties and sweeten it yourself with fruit or honey.

Aged cheeses like Parmesan, Swiss, and cheddar have less lactose than fresh or soft cheeses like feta, mozzarella, and cottage cheese. That makes them easier to digest for people with lactose intolerance. Lactose-free and dairy-free options are also available, if you choose to avoid cheese completely.

The amount of lactose varies by brand and recipe, but lactose-free and dairy-free options are available! Either choice, enjoy in moderation.

• Lactose Intolerance - from National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
  
• 7 Ways to Start Adding Dairy Back Into Your Diet - from National Dairy Council
• Milk Allergy vs. Lactose Intolerance - from Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE)

On average Americans throw out close to a pound of food a day! One reason for such food waste is confusion over the dates on food labels. 

***What does the “sell-by” date actually mean?
***Do you HAVE to throw out food once it’s “expired”?  
***How do we really know if food is safe to eat?

Knowing the answers to these questions can help you prevent food waste, save money, and stay safe. In part one of our 2-part guide, we’ll help you sort through the information so you won’t have to throw out good food ever again.

If dates are just a guide, how can you tell if a food is fresh and still safe to eat? Your own senses can give you the answer – especially your nose. If a food or drink smells bad or rotten, it will likely taste bad too. You can also look for any visible signs that the food is going bad such as:

• The color is different or off
  
• A slimy, or white coating is forming
• Black or green fuzz is present (signs of mold)
  

The high risk foods are the ones that you want to eat first. Be sure to keep these perishable foods refrigerated, and follow these basic guidelines.

• Meats, fish and shellfish – good for 3-5 days.
• Milk – good for 5-7 days after its “sell-by” date  
  

Remember to use your senses to determine if a food is still good. The FoodKeeper App gives you additional guidance on how long foods will last .

Dry, nonperishable foods will last a long time in your pantry or refrigerator. Here is a quick guide of some long-lasting foods:  

• Eggs - although raw eggs (outside of their shell) fall into the high risk food category, when eggs are in their shell they can last 3-5 weeks in the refrigerator. 
• Dry foods - like beans and lentils will be safe for years. Most grains will keep up to a year. Foods like cereal and grains (oats) are not likely to make you sick. Of course, they may get stale once opened and not taste as fresh, but they won’t actually harm you.
• Canned foods - like soup, vegetables, or tuna can last 2-5 years, especially when kept in a dark, dry, cool area. Foods with a high amount of acid (canned juices, pickles, and tomatoes) are generally good up to 18 months. Throw out bulging or dented cans, as that is a sign that bacteria might be present.
• Nuts & Seeds - since nuts and seeds contain fat (natural oils), they will go rancid after a few months in the pantry. They will last much longer in the refrigerator and can last for years once frozen.
• Condiments & Spices - salad dressings will last for months to up to a year. Ketchup, mustard, steak sauce can all last for a year or more. When kept in a cool, dry place, spices will last for years. Toasting old spices will help to wake up their flavor.

It’s a good idea to follow the “best by” dates even on dry and canned foods so you can enjoy them at their best quality. Also, to keep foods fresher longer, try to limit their exposure to air. Wrap foods tightly or store in airtight containers.

Watch for next month’s blog, "Your Guide to Preventing Food Waste: Part 2" where we uncover more tips on how to get the most from your food.

• FoodKeeper App – an interactive, online guide with food storage information on foods by category.
  
• Is This Still Fresh? How to Judge Your Produce - from Eat Smart, Move More – Virginia SNAP-Ed
  
• Reducing Wasted Food at Home – a guide from the EPA.gov.
  
• Kitchen Companion: Your Safe Food Handbook (PDF) – detailed guide including a food storage chart from ChooseMyPlate.
  
• Is Fresh Produce Safe to Eat? - an article on the importance of eating fresh fruits and vegetables and how to wash them correctly.
  

Change is coming – and it’s good for your health! A new decade brings a new Nutrition Facts Label with even more helpful information. These changes will help you make the best choices when shopping for healthy foods.

Image Source: FDA

The changes to the nutrition facts label come from years of research on how American’s actually eat, along with how diet impacts health. Using the sample label above, let’s walk through the 6 main changes and why they are so helpful.

1. Serving sizes are more realistic
Why? This means less math for you! It will be easier for you to see how many nutrients you are getting in a package. This is particularly helpful when estimating the calories or sugar content in beverages like soda which we usually drink all at once. In the past, serving sizes were often listed as 2-3 in a bottle, which meant you had to double or triple the numbers. TIP: You still need to pay attention to the serving size to know exactly how much you are eating or drinking.

2. Calories are larger and in bold
Why? This is so that you won’t miss them. The calories we take in through our diet directly impact our weight. Knowledge is power! Knowing how many calories you are getting is an essential tool in fighting weight gain and assisting in weight loss.

3. Calories from fat info was removed
Why? Research has shown that the type of fat is more important than the amount. So, the focus is now on lowering saturated or trans fat to assist with heart health.

4. Added sugars are included
Why? We’ve talked about how sneaky sugar is. It seems to be lurking everywhere. In order to get the nutrients you need, it is best to stick to less than 10 percent of calories from added sugar. The new added sugar information will help you follow that guideline.  

5. Vitamin D & Potassium were added, and Vitamins A & C were removed
Why? Vitamin D is vital for strong bones, and potassium plays a role in healthy blood pressure. Many Americans do not get enough of these nutrients. By featuring them on the label it will be easier for us to get enough. Luckily, most people get plenty of Vitamins A & C, so they no longer need to be featured.   
 

6. There is more info on the Daily Values (DV)
Why? The Daily Values for nutrients like sodium, dietary fiber, and Vitamin D changed based on the latest science. In addition, the wording on the DV footnote is a little easier to understand.

If you want to keep things super simple when buying healthy foods, stick to whole, fresh foods like fruits and vegetables. You won't need a label to know that they are good for you!

You can also find the nutrients of almost any food in the USDA's FoodData Central online database.

• Read the Food Label from ChooseMyPlate.gov
• The New and Improved Nutrition Facts Label (PDF)
  
• Understanding the Nutrition Facts Label