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Nutrition in a Nutshell

Does trying to figure out nutritional facts drive you nuts? We’ve made it simple. Here’s a list of basic things you need every day, where they come from, and what they do:

Proteins are constructed from the amino acids in meat, fish, poultry, and some other sources like beans and nuts. They’re used to build and repair body tissues, blood cells, hormones, and skin.

Fat is found in whole milk, cheese, bologna, ham, salad dressing, butter, etc. You only need about one tablespoon of fat a day, but most people eat much more. Fats are tempting because they make things creamy, satisfy your appetite, and also enhance flavor.

Carbohydrates are sugars, starches, and dietary fiber found in fruits, vegetables, and grains. The main function of carbohydrates is to provide energy, but they are also important in the central nervous system and the fat-burning process. Carbohydrates are the safest bets for healthy snacks and meals.

Vitamins and minerals. Minerals are inorganic, but necessary for good health. Vitamins are organic, and they are found in both plants and animals. Neither contains any calories, but both enable fats and carbohydrates to release their energy and build and maintain body tissues. Since vitamins and minerals cannot be manufactured by the body, the best way to get your recommended dietary allowance is to eat a variety of foods. But you won’t need huge helpings.

Healthy, Not Hard

If the mere thought of eating healthy makes you cringe, here’s some good news: Eating right doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, you can start by making some very simple changes:

Think lean. Go more for light fish and poultry than for heavier, fattier meats. “Eat the red; leave the white” is a good reminder to trim the visible fat off any meat. Also, skip the breading and deep-fat frying.

Forget frying. Instead of french fries, go for a baked potato, but watch the butter and sour cream. Instead of eating fried chicken, have it baked or grilled.

Be picky. When you go out to eat, pick milk over a milkshake, a salad over a hamburger, fruit juice or water over a soft drink. Pick snacks like low-salt pretzels or bagels over potato chips.

Know less is more. Take little portions. You don’t have to completely eliminate foods from your diet if you just reduce your helpings.

Don’t be fooled. Snacks like dried fruit, raisins, nuts, granola bars, and peanut butter are nutritious, but they’re also high in calories and can be fattening. Stick with raw vegetables and fruits.

Water down. Drink lots and lots! Water is so good for you, why not learn to enjoy it without the extra calories and cost of some of the current popular soft drinks? Your body will love it if it can get eight glasses of liquid a day.

Sweet Snack

Most Americans eat more than 100 pounds of table sugar a year. Sugar is a carbohydrate, and by the time it gets to your table, it has 48 calories per tablespoon and 16 per teaspoon. But you hardly ever eat sugar plain. The calories start adding up when you put sugar with butter, chocolate, eggs, milk products, and most of the other things that go into sweets.

So before you bite into that sweet snack, add up the damage. There are 100 calories of sugar in one small brownie, 150 calories in a one-ounce chocolate bar or 12-ounce soda, and 350 calories in one cup of ice cream.

David Irwin of Exeter, England, and Clayton Smith of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, may live on different sides of the Atlantic Ocean, but they’re both all wet most of the time. They’re top swimmers.

David, 13, trains four mornings and three evenings a week, and has competed at the very prestigious meet in Coventry, where the best swimmers from all over England gather. Out of the water, he likes to play the piano.

Clayton holds several state records. Since he works out early in the morning, he takes home-study seminary. He also keeps his grades up and tries to share the gospel with his teammates by setting a good example.

If you lived in England last Christmas and listened to Radio Devon, chances are you would have heard a song by Carys Anne Irwin of the Exeter Ward, Plymouth England Stake. She and a friend from school entered the station’s carol competition, and while they didn’t win, their song was played over the air on the Christmas program, and part of their performance was played constantly over the air to advertise the event. She used Luke 1:38, “be it unto me according to thy word,” for her text.

Carys Anne has passed top grade exams in violin, piano, and singing, and is Sunday School music leader in her ward.

We know that many wards lately have staged service projects featuring cemetery cleanups, but youth in the Goldsboro North Carolina Stake added another dimension: a historical visitor from the past.

After the youth weeded, hoed, mowed, scrubbed, and cleaned, Brother Allen Holloman, dressed in a Civil War uniform, appeared beside the tombstone of his great-great-grandfather and talked about the hardships that were faced during the war.

What would you do if a frantic mother came running toward you with a lifeless baby in her arms? If you had hours of lifesaving training in Scouts like Karl Durst does, you’d probably do what he did. He administered CPR to the child and saved its life.

Karl’s neighbor’s 11-month-old baby had slipped under the bath water and lost consciousness. The mother dialed 911, then ran her baby next door for help. Karl, an Eagle Scout, had come home early for lunch (the only day all summer he’d done that), and was the only one at home when his neighbor came. Karl was shocked but acted quickly and efficiently, and soon the baby was breathing and crying again.

Karl is a priest in the Rigby Fifth Ward, Rigby Idaho Stake.

What do you think life in the Missionary Training Center will be like? The youth of the Meridian Idaho Stake found out, thanks to some energetic and creative missionaries.

They were looking for a way to get the young people excited about missionary work, so they planned “The MTC Experience,” which simulated a day at the MTC. The youth were divided into companionships, given name tags and an orientation, then sent to classes. They learned and practiced gospel-sharing techniques and were taught about the Savior and Joseph Smith and about recognizing the Spirit. The local mission president, David Stanley, also addressed them.

The best part of all, according to Sister Laurisa White, a missionary serving in the area, was when everyone stood at the end and sang “Called to Serve.” “Everyone was blown away by it,” she said.

Somewhere out there, just off the coast of northern Africa, is a small island named Tenerife, where the LDS youth are strong and unified and the missionary work is going crazy.

Tenerife is one of the Canary Islands, which are an official part of Spain. The residents look Spanish and speak Spanish. The Church is barely a dozen years old in the Canaries, and there are many complete families in the wards and branches, but the youth are a major source of strength in the congregations. They work with the missionaries constantly and bring as many new friends to church as they can.

“We have something great that others don’t have, and we feel it’s important to share it,” says Oscar Herrera Rivero, 17.

They also think it’s important to help with activities for the rest of the members. Recently they spent a day helping take the Primary children to the park, and in the evening, they threw a talent show for the whole stake. Not only did it help the members feel closer, but many investigators and less-active members were able to see just how much fun you can have at the LDS church. They’ll be back.

Can you imagine a 25-hour long meeting that was actually a good experience? Youth leaders in the Madison Third Ward, Madison Wisconsin Stake, can. They met together on both the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving to read the entire Book of Mormon at once.

They met at a leader’s home and read from nine in the morning until nine at night, stopping only long enough to say the blessing over dinner. After that, the young men camped out there, and the young women spent the night at a neighbor’s house. They reconvened the next morning for a similar schedule.

But there was no excited cheer when the last verse was read. “I bid unto all, farewell … until … I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead. Amen.” (Moro. 10:34) was met with a very solemn and united “Amen.”