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Resolutions
worth keeping
Every new year, countless people with good intentions make New Year’s resolutions to eat better and exercise more—only for their goals to implode before February. The reason could be they’re forcing themselves to do boring workouts or choke down healthful foods they don’t enjoy. USDA nutritionists have a couple of tips that may increase chances of long-term success: Make a menu plan that regularly incorporates new foods that are important to your ethnic heritage and swap out “exercising” for new physical activities you find fun. That way, you’ll have changes to look forward to rather than dread. For more tips, visit nutrition.gov.
Spreading the word about
butter boards
If you haven’t heard of butter boards, you may not spend much time on social media. This party trend—softened butter spread on a flat surface with toppings such as herbs, chopped fruits or honey—has become all the rage among foodie influencers. Unlike a charcuterie board, a butter board doesn’t include a variety of small snacks but is intended to be a communal condiment to have with French bread, flatbread, crackers, raw veggies—or whatever would taste great with flavored butter. Safety tips: Provide clean dipping spoons so nobody touches the butter and spread it on a nonporous surface to discourage bacteria growth.
Farm-to-school
The USDA Farm to School Program is known for helping schools incorporate locally grown foods into their meals and supporting agriculture education—but it may also help cut down on food waste. According to the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study, a comprehensive assessment of school meal programs conducted in 2019, 31% of vegetables, 41% of milk and 21% of all calories have been discarded from lunch trays since 2012. But the study also showed that participation in a farm-to- school program was associated with less waste, possibly because those programs emphasize minimizing waste and children may feel a more personal connection to the food they’re eating. program gets food into tummies
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