Is it finally spring? (if so, grill safely)

++ It's been a long, hard winter in much of the country; but, it's finally starting to look like spring is here.  As soon as the path to the grill thaws out, people will eager to start summer-time activities.  Here are some guidelines for keeping food safe:

• Clean - your hands, your grill, your equipment, etc.  For example, if you can sing "Happy Birthday" faster than you wash your hands, you haven't had time to scrub the germs away.
• Separate - cooked foods from raw, meat juice from anything else, etc.  For example, don't use the same plate to take raw burgers to the grill and cooked ones to the table (unless you wash it between those two trips). 
• Cook - food until done enough to be safe, and you can't always tell by the color.  Those burgers should be at least 160 degrees. 
• Chill - left-over food right away when finished with the meal

For more food safety information, go to foodsafety.org (see the Food Safety page).
For recipes on-line, start your search at KidsEatRight.org .

Exercising and still Gaining Weight?

++  Sometimes, people are frustrated when they start working out at a gym because they want to lose weight - and then they don't lose. 

There are several factors that contribute to this:

• In a few cases, the gain in muscle outweighs the loss in fat.  This is a slow process, however.  You can tell whether it applies to you by noticing any changes in how your clothing fits.
• It is tempting to rationalize overeating.  You say to yourself, "Of course, I'm more hungry.  I'm working out more.  I can eat more now."  Unfortunately, an hour at the gym does not burn enough calories to offset an extra serving of dessert!
• Modern marketting tells you that you need energy bars, energy drinks, rehydration drinks, etc., to get the energy for the workout.  Again, an hour or two at the gym does not burn enough calories for this.  Besides, if you're going to the gym to lose weight, the idea is to get the energy from your fat stores.  All you need is water after a normal workout.  After a longer, more intense workout, add a few ounces of chocolate milk, or similar product high in protein, and fluid, and modest in carbs.  If you need more than that, chances are that you are working with a team 'trainer' and already know how much more you need.

Maybe, it will help you to adopt the attitude that weight loss is a nice side-effect of working out.  After all, you do get other benefits from being physically fit:  stronger bones and muscles; more flexibility; lower risk of diabetes, heart disease, and some forms of cancer; even a better mood. 

Are you ready to hit the gym??  Good luck - and have fun.