National Nutrition Month Media Tour

 I had so much fun visiting all of my favorite radio stations and bringing healthy snacks to Mike Pomp at WTSN, Dan Lunnie at The Bay, Karen Kiley at WOKQ, Greg Kretschmar at WHEB and Charles McMahon at the Portsmouth Herald to celebrate National Nutrition Month and build excitement for Miss New Hampshire 2012!  Starting April 1, YOU get to vote TWO finalists into the Top 12.

Not sure who to vote for?  Watch this:  http://youtu.be/QSua-m32JuI  and then click on http://www.facebook.com/MissNH
and http://www.MissNH.com to vote for Miss Strafford County!

Happy National Nutrition Month!  We celebrated at Portsmouth Regional Hospital with a MyPlate Community Education Class.  Learn how to make healthier food choices at www.choosemyplate.gov.

MyPlate provides tips and ideas to help you get started toward a healthy diet. Choose a change that you can make today, and move toward a healthier you!  Follow @MyPlate on Twitter for daily tips like:  'Drink water instead of sugary drinks', 'Enjoy your food - but eat less', 'Make 1/2 your plate fruits and vegetables'.

Let's get healthy and Fit To Win in 2012!

Time for Tea!

 

 

 

I attended my first ever tea party...and it was lovely!  Twenty Misses and twelve Outstanding Teens joined lots of little princess for a perfect party hosted by Pattie Lamontagne and the amazing Eileen Kelley, Miss New Hampshire's Outstanding Teen 2012 - who was dazzling in her official debut as hostess.  Thank you to all of the volunteers who organized this wonderful event (which raised a little over $2,000), especially Audra Burns, Gerry (Audra's mom), Dr. Stephanie Mills, and all of the adorable guests.  Hope to see you at next year's Tea!

Sweet! My first Tree Tapping Celebration

On March 8th, I joined the New Hampshire Maple Producers’ Association, Governor and Dr Lynch, and a very excited crowd of school children for the Annual Tree Tapping ceremony to officially begin the maple season in New Hampshire.  The celebration was held at Fadden’s Sugar House, operated by Jim Fadden, Jr. and his family. Jim is a sixth generation sugar maker. His family has been sugaring the same 120 acres of trees since Thomas Jefferson was president. The sugar house is located in downtown North Woodstock NH neighboring Fadden’s General Store and Peg’s Restaurant, are all operated by the Fadden family.

The ceremony celebrates the importance of the NH maple industry. Maple sugaring contributes $5 million dollars to the state’s economy annually. The sugaring season typically runs from late February to early April. Last year, NH had a record breaking season with 125,000 gallons of syrup produced.  For more info visit the NH Maple Producers Association www.nhmapleproducers.com

Press Conference

2012 is the Year of the Girl

Best birthday party ever!  Mayor Dean Trefethen and I joined Dover's Daisy, Brownie and Girl Scout Troops for a special party at City Hall on March 12.  The Girl Scouts are celebrating 100 years of building girls of courage, confidence, and character.  In New Hampshire, former Governor and U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte, Nashua Mayor Donnalee Lozeau, and the late astronaut/teacher Christa McAuliffe were proud Girl Scouts.  (I was a Brownie and a Girl Scout too!)

To join Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains, which served 15,600 girls in New Hampshire and Vermont, go to girlscoutsgwm.org.  (Lots more photos at http://www.facebook.com/MissStraffordCounty)

New Hampshire's Farmer's Markets

Lauren celebrated National Nutrition Month with a visit to her favorite local Farmer's Market.  Find your local New Hampshire's Farmer's Market http://www.nhfma.org and learn Lauren's tips for staying healthy with local and organic foods at http://laurenfit2win.blogspot.com/

 

March is National Nutrition Month. Eat Right!

This year’s National Nutrition Month theme is “Get Your Plate in Shape” and encourages consumers to remember to include a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and dairy on their plates every day.  Here are a few ways to “Get Your Plate in Shape”:

• Make half of your plate fruits and vegetables: Eat a variety of vegetables, especially dark-green, red and orange varieties. Add fresh, dried, frozen or canned fruits to meals and snacks.
• Make at least half your grains whole: Choose 100 percent whole-grain breads, cereals, crackers, pasta and brown rice. Check the ingredients list on food packages to find whole-grain foods.
• Switch to fat-free or low-fat milk: Fat-free and low-fat milk have the same amount of calcium and other essential nutrients as whole milk, but less fat and calories. For those who are lactose intolerant, try lactose-free milk or a calcium-fortified soy beverage.
• Vary your protein choices: Eat a variety of foods from the protein food group each week, such as seafood, nuts and beans, as well as lean meat, poultry and eggs. Keep meat and poultry portions small and lean. And be sure to choose seafood as the protein at least twice a week.
• Cut back on sodium and empty calories from solid fats and added sugars: Compare sodium in foods and choose those with lower numbers, and season your foods with herbs and spices instead of salt. Switch from solid fats to healthy oils like olive and canola oil. Replace sugary drinks with water and choose fruit for dessert.
• Enjoy your foods but eat less: Avoid oversized portions. Use a smaller plate, bowl and glass. Cook more often at home where you are in control of what’s in your food. When eating out, choose lower calorie menu options.

Be physically active your way: Adults need at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of physical activity every week. Choose activities that you enjoy, and start by doing as much as you can. Contact your physician prior to beginning any exercise program.

Learn more at www.eatright.org.

Home Base

I had the honor of hosting a live Question & Answer Event with Home Base last week. This incredible organization raises funds to provide clinical care for veterans with combat stress or traumatic brain injury; support services and counseling for wounded vets families; research into improving treatments and preventing these devastating injuries that effect as many as 30% of troops returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan; and community education for health care providers, clergy and the public.

The 2012 Run-Walk to Home Base Presented by New Balance honors heroic veterans and raises much needed funds for the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program.

Please visit http://www.runtohomebase.org/ to donate and volunteer.

National Pancake Day 2012 raised more than $3M!

In its seventh year, National Pancake Day, IHOP’s annual free flapjack fundraiser, shattered a fundraising record, giving away nearly four million of it's famous pancakes and raising more than $3 million in donations for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals like Children's Hospital Boston and other local charities. National Pancake Day and IHOP beat its 2011 fundraising total of $2.5 million by more than 20 percent.

We hope to see you at IHOP for www.ihoppancakeday.com next year!