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!

Score! Bowling for the Dover Children's Home

Miss Strafford County was thrilled to join Miss Capital Area's Outstanding Teen, Miss Deerfield Fair, Miss Hooksett, Miss University, Miss New Hampshire and the new Miss New Hampshire's Outstanding Teen to help raise $25,000 for the Dover Children's Home. Congratulations to Janine Mitchell, Miss Hooksett who worked incredibly hard to organize this special event in support of http://doverchildrenshome.org/ a treasured community home founded in Dover in 1892 by thirteen members of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. To learn more about this event, please visit http://fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120227/GJNEWS_01/702279962

P.S. Notice how many pins are UP in the last photo. :)

Kompliqué/Miss America Swimwear Winner

Congratulations to Lauren Carter, Miss Strafford County 2012 the winner of Kompliqué's luxurious Alabaster Deauville bikini. Lauren will wear her new Kompliqué's swimwear onstage at Miss New Hampshire April 26-28, 2012. To purchase your Miss New Hampshire tickets please visit http://www.missnh.com. Lauren is a beautiful, healthy, and intelligent young woman, and we are proud to call her; Kompliqué.

http://www.komplique.com/miss-america/

"Perform beyond your WILDest dreams"

Congratulations to the beautiful, talented Miss New Hampshire's Outstanding Teen 2012 Eileen Kelley!