Fitness Tip of the Month - December

This month's Fit Business Tips contain some quick and simple ideas for healthy living this time of year. You'll also learn more about juicy, Vitamin C-filled grapefruit and scrumptious, hearty sweet potatoes.

This month's Fit Business Tips contain some quick and simple ideas for healthy living this time of year. You'll also learn more about juicy, Vitamin C-filled grapefruit and scrumptious, hearty sweet potatoes.

QUICK AND SIMPLE TIPS

• Stay active indoors: Make the most of your time indoors during the cold winter months by using the stairs at work instead of the elevator as a form of daily physical activity. Try walking briskly around the building or on a different floor, and use the restroom and drinking fountains farthest away from where you work instead of going for the closest one.



• Convenience Food: For those who are in too much of a hurry in the morning to pack lunches and snacks for work, pick fruits and vegetables that require little peeling or chopping, like baby carrots, cauliflower, broccoli spears, tangerines, grapefruits, bananas, grapes, or apples. You can even try some of them with a lowfat dip.

December's Fruit of the Month
Grapefruit

Health Benefits
Grapefruits are a good source of Vitamin A and are high in Vitamin C and fiber. Including grapefruits in your lowfat diet along with a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables will help you to maintain heart health, vision health, a healthy immune system, and a lower risk of some cancers.

Selection
Choose fruits that are heavy for their size; the heavier it is, the juicier it will be. Grapefruits should be firm yet resilient and have shiny skin. The more blush of pink or red on the skin of a pink or red grapefruit, the deeper the color of the flesh.

Storage
Grapefruits can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Preparation Ideas
Peel the grapefruit like you would an orange and pull apart the slices. Half a grapefruit is a delicious addition to any breakfast or try adding grapefruit slices to a spinach salad at lunch or dinner.

FEATURED GRAPEFRUIT RECIPE: GRAPEFRUIT CRUNCH

Ingredients

1. red grapefruit, peeled and sectioned
2. tablespoons lowfat vanilla yogurt
3. tablespoon lowfat granola

Preparation

1. Arrange the grapefruit sections in a shallow bowl or on an individual salad plate.
2. Spoon yogurt over grapefruit.
3. Top with granola.

Nutrition Information Per Serving
Calories 132, Carbohydrate 30 g, Protein 3 g, Total Fat 1 g, Saturated Fat 0 g,
Cholesterol 1 mg, Sodium 18 mg,
Dietary Fiber 3 g

Recipe courtesy of Discover the Secret to Healthy Living, California 5 a Day-for Better Health! Campaign

December's Vegetable of the Month
Sweet Potato

Health Benefits
Sweet potatoes are one of the most nutritious vegetables available. They are high in Vitamins A and C and are good sources of Vitamin B6, fiber, and potassium. Including sweet potatoes in your lowfat diet along with a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables will help you to maintain heart health, vision health, a healthy immune system, and a lower risk of some cancers.

Selection
Choose firm, dark, dry, smooth sweet potatoes without blemishes. One decayed spot can make the entire sweet potato taste bad, even when cut away.

Storage
Do not store sweet potatoes in the refrigerator-the core will turn hard and develop an unpleasant taste. To keep sweet potatoes fresh, store them in a dry, cool (55-60°) place, like a pantry or garage. Do not wash sweet potatoes until you are ready to cook them, as the moisture makes them spoil faster. At normal room temperature, sweet potatoes should be used within a week of purchase. If stored properly, sweet potatoes will keep for a month or longer.

Preparation Ideas
Replace baked potatoes and fries with sweet potatoes. Instead of potato chips, peel and slice raw sweet potatoes and serve with a fat-free dip for a healthy snack. Dice or peel raw sweet potato flesh into salads and over soups.

FEATURED SWEET POTATOE RECIPE: APPLE GLAZED SWEET POTATOES

Ingredients
2½ cups unsweetened 100% apple juice
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

Preparation

1. Combine apple juice, cinnamon, and salt in a large skillet.
2. Add sliced sweet potatoes and bring to a boil over high heat.
3. Reduce heat slightly and simmer potatoes, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender and juice has been reduced to a glaze.

Makes 4 servings. ½ cup per serving.

Nutrition Information Per Serving
Calories 151, Carbohydrate 37 g, Protein 1 g, Total Fat 0 g, Saturated Fat 0 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 160 mg, Dietary Fiber 3 g

Recipe courtesy of Discover the Secret to Healthy Living,
California 5 a Day-for Better Health! Campaign