IN THIS ISSUE:
A Pinch of Plastic in Your Food?
Healthy Holiday Shopping from 24 Carrot Press
The Basics: Zinc
RECIPE: Pumpkin-Apple Muffins
NEWS IN BRIEF:
PBS Parents Features Connie as the October Expert
New Pyramid for Moms
Research: Children Eat More Fruit and Vegetables after Food Preparation Activities
Recommended Site: Beans.The Vegetable with More.™

A Pinch of Plastic in Your Food?

by Bridget Swinney, MS, RD

Guest contributor Bridget Swinney MS, RD discusses the safety of plastics, including what you can do to minimize your family's exposure to harmful contaminants.

When you stop to think about it, plastic plays a big role in our lives, particularly in food storage and preparation. But is it safe to have so much of our food in contact with plastic? The short answer is yes — but it depends — on what type of plastic, what type of food and what conditions the plastic is exposed to.

What's In Plastic?
Specific chemicals are added to plastic to give them the properties that make them so useful — hard, soft, flexible or stretchable. Over the past 10 years, the safety of some of these chemicals has been called into question, especially since under some conditions, the plastic can leach into food.

Phthalates and adipates belong to a group of chemicals called "plasticizers" that help soften plastics into flexible forms and are found in polyvinyl chloride plastic (PVC) and some cling wraps. So common are phthalates in the environment, it's difficult not to come into contact with them at home; they're found in nail polish, 5 gallon water bottles, cosmetics, fragrance in detergents and cleansers, adhesives, inks and vinyl shower curtains. Bisphenol A (BPA) is an industrial chemical used in plastic to make it clear and shatter resistant. It is also used in the epoxy linings of food cans, dental sealants, CDs and DVDs. Its use is widespread with close to 2 billion pounds used in 2003 for plastic and resins that come in contact with food.

What's the Problem?
Phthalates and BPA are considered "hormone or endocrine disrupters" because when present in large enough amounts, they mimic hormones in the body, which can affect many organs and systems including the reproductive system. Steven G. Hentges, Ph.D., Executive Director, Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group at the American Chemistry Council says, "As a general rule, the amount of any substance leaching from a plastic can increase with longer time and higher temperatures."
Continued... Click here to read the entire article

Healthy Holiday Shopping from 24 Carrot Press

• How to Teach Nutrition to Kids and our new activity book, Nutrition Fun with Brocc & Roll, make great gifts for your favorite educator or hands-on parent!
• If you know a child who loves Disney characters, Good for You! is the perfect way to fit the "fun" factor into learning about good health. This interactive book is filled with games (including punch-out game cards), quizzes and trivia. The book is geared toward 6-11 year-olds. If you want the book signed by the author, please include a request in the comments section when you check out.
• Be sure to add some sparkle to your gift with our popular prismatic fruit and vegetable stickers.
• Best of all, you can save 20% on your entire order from 24 Carrot Press when you order online and use the following coupon code at check out: FKHOL24

• The best food sources include meat, poultry, seafood, dairy products, legumes, nuts and fortified breakfast cereals. The table below gives examples of foods high in zinc.
• Vegetarians may need up to 50 percent more zinc, since a chemical in plants, called phytate, as well as calcium, hinder zinc absorption in the body.
• Human milk does not contain enough zinc for older infants between the ages of 7 months and 12 months, so children this age should consume zinc-containing foods if they are breastfeeding.
• Because zinc can have adverse affects in high doses, an upper limit (known as the UL) has been established. High levels of zinc impair the absorption of copper (another mineral important for immune function).
• The research is mixed when it comes to taking zinc supplements to prevent or treat colds. It's best to stick with food sources of zinc or take a supplement in line with the RDA.

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour*
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 15 ounce can pumpkin
1/3 cup canola oil
1 apple, peeled and chopped
Nonstick spray

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spray muffin tins with nonstick spray. Mix flour, sugar, spice, baking soda, baking powder and salt in large mixing bowl. In another bowl, slightly beat egg and mix in pumpkin and oil. Stir into dry ingredients and mix lightly. Gently fold in the chopped apple. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 25-30 minutes until done. Loosen muffins and serve warm.
Servings: 16-18 medium muffins
Per muffin: 154 calories, 3 grams protein, 23 grams carbohydrate, 5.6 grams fat, 2.7 grams fiber

Notes from Connie:

• *Whole wheat pastry flour is a great way to incorporate whole grains into items such as quick breads, muffins and even cookies. I have good luck with the whole wheat pastry flour from Bob's Red Mill.
• It took many trys to get these muffins "just right" in terms of flavor, texture and nutrition. You may have noticed that the recipe makes 16-18 muffins instead of the traditional 12. That's because I prefer to use up the entire can of pumpkin.

News in Brief

PBS Parents features Connie as the October Expert
Connie was the featured Q&A expert for PBS Parents during the month of October. Click here to read the discussion or leave a comment.

New Food Pyramid for Moms
USDA recently released MyPyramid for Moms. This new food guide helps women plan a diet that will cover their special nutritional needs during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The site also addresses pertinent issues such as weight, food safety and dietary supplements.

Research: Children Eat More Fruit and Vegetables after Food Preparation Activities
Dr. Karen Cullen and her colleagues at the USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center evaluated the impact of combining both food preparation and goal setting with 4th grade students. They looked at the impact of attaining goals to prepare fruit-juice or vegetable recipes on student fruit and vegetable consumption over 10 weeks. Access the study online at http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/4/1/28.

Recommended Site: Beans. The Vegetable with More.™
Did you know that beans have more fiber and protein than any other vegetable? They also provide other key nutrients that often are lacking in the diet, such as fiber, potassium, magnesium, folate, iron and zinc. Learn all about bean nutrition and find out more than 1000 delicious ways to add more beans to your diet by visiting www.vegetablewithmore.com.
Note: Connie is a member of the Bean Expert Advisory Network, a group of eleven professionals who serve as advisors for this initiative.

The information contained in this newsletter is not intended as a substitute for medical and/or nutrition advice. See your physician and/or registered dietitian for individual health and/or dietary concerns.

©2007 by Connie Evers, All Rights Reserved. There is a modest reprint fee for reproducing the material in this newsletter in either print or electronic publications. Please send an email to reprint@nutritionforkids.com for details and rates.

The FEEDING KIDS NEWSLETTER is published quarterly (January, April, August, and November) by 24 CARROT PRESS. To subscribe, click here.