Healthy bone growth and maintenance requires adequate calcium intake. You can meet your calcium needs from foods, beverages, and if necessary, supplements. This publication contains the calorie and calcium content of some foods from each group of the Food Guide Pyramid which includes bread, cereal, rice, & pasta group; vegetable group; fruit group; milk, yogurt, & cheese group; meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, & nuts group; and fats, oils & sweets.

It is important to know how much calcium you need to consume each day as more than 2500 mg of calcium each day can be harmful. Calcium should be obtained from foods and beverages first, then from supplements if necessary. Taking more than 500 mg of calcium at one time should be avoided. If you choose to take a calcium supplement, calcium citrate or calcium carbonate should be chosen.

Weight management is more than just cutting back on carbohydrate or fat. Controlling calories is key to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. This publication reviews how calories count, not matter what type of diet you choose to follow.

The saying “you are what you eat” takes on a new meaning when a woman learns she is expecting a baby. For the next several months, her growing baby’s health is directly dependent upon what she eats, and what she chooses to avoid. What is more, a woman’s diet during pregnancy has been shown to affect her child’s health long after she is no longer eating for two.

Before they may even know they are pregnant; women’s bodies and their level of folate play a critical role in preventing certain birth defects, specifically neural tube defects (NTDs). NTDs are birth defects in the brain, spinal cord, or spine. Considered ‘one of the most important public health discoveries of this century’ is that daily supplemental folic acid taken before becoming pregnant significantly reduces the risk of NTDs (1). In 1998, the United States made sweeping efforts that fortified cereal grains with folic acid to ensure all Americans consume adequate amounts of this vitamin. So what exactly is folate? What are the functions of this vitamin? What foods have high levels of folate and what is the recommended daily intake? This article will answer these questions and will go on to explain folic acid fortification and the impact fortification has had on the incidence of NTDs in Arizona.

Many parents struggle with getting their preschool age children (3 to 5 years of age) to eat fruits and vegetables, or having them try a fruit or vegetable that is new to them or prepared in a new way. Reluctance to eat certain foods or try new foods may be a way for children to express some control over at least this one small part of their lives. As with other aspects of parenting, it’s important not to turn the situation into a power struggle. Rather, it is best to be patient and realize that it may take many attempts before a child will try a new fruit or vegetable, or go back to eating a fruit or vegetable they claim not to like. Some basic suggestions are to continue to offer a variety of fruits and vegetables, eat fruits and vegetables yourself, and allow your children to participate in selecting and preparing fruits and vegetables for them to eat. Below are a few tips to encourage your children to eat fruits and vegetables, some things to avoid doing, and a few strategies you might choose to employ.

Why healthy meetings? Many choices go into having a successful 4-H club meeting, training, community workshop, or grower meeting. Extension staff, and volunteers should include healthy lifestyle behaviors into their education and "Walk the Talk" for healthy living in Arizona. Learn how your next meeting or event can promote healthy habits like good nutrition, physical activity and safe food.

Parents of picky eaters often find it challenging to motivate their children to eat healthy, balanced meals. Two important goals of ensuring healthy lifestyles for our children include teaching them about the importance of a balanced, nutritious diet, and modeling healthy meals at home. For parents of picky eaters, this can seem like an impossible task!

This publication lists laboratories that provide soil, plant, feed, and water testing within the state of Arizona. Revised September 2016.