How Do You Get Your Plate in Shape?

National Nutrition Month is the perfect time to think about your overall health and well being and consider how to improve your food choices for better nutrition. Since the 1980's, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has been bringing recognition to nutrition in the month of March to improve the nation's health.

"Get Your Plate in Shape" this month with these tips (http://www.eatright.org/):

• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables
• Make at least half your grains whole
• Switch to fat-free or low-fat milk
• Vary your protein choices
• Cut back on sodium and empty calories from solid fats and added sugars
• Enjoy your food but eat less
• Be physically active your way

As a dairy farmer and dairymom, I take great pride in providing high-quality milk that plays an important role for good nutrition for children and adults. Families can choose from a variety of milk, cheese and yogurt products to meet their taste and nutritional goals. It's a fact: that together, milk,cheese, and yogurt play a critical role in providing nine essential nutrients, including calcium,magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus, in addition to 48 percent daily value of protein.

You can find more information about ways to improve your plate and nutritious recipes at http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ or http://www.midwestdairy.com/.

Wagon Full of Love

Several years ago I found a small wagon seat stuffed in the back of an old garage on our farm. The wagon seat had been used on a small wagon pulled by a team of mules  to haul wood in the early 1920's by Ryan's grandfather.  The boards on the wagon seat were very weathered and rotten but in good enough shape to sit on the patio and hold a few colorful summer potted plants. A few weeks ago, the wagon finally rotted and fell completely apart. I mentioned to youngest son Casey that I would give up on the wagon and throw it away.  The rotten boards and metal springs disappeared soon after my remark and I assumed it was carried to the dumpster.

Last week I was shocked when Casey presented me with the rebuilt wagon seat. I was speechless and deeply touched by this thoughtful gift.  Casey and a friend with carpentry experience spent several evenings secretly working to rebuild the wagon just for me.  It is a great keepsake for me and our family because it connects us to Grandfather Grover and the establishment of our family farm.  This sentimental gift of the heart is truly priceless and too precious to sit out in the weather but it's perfect for my indoor plants and interesting conversation connecting the past and present. It's not every wagon seat that is so full of love and has a fourth generation story to tell!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

The first flowers of spring to appear are always a welcome sight. I'm thankful for the mild winter weather and for the flowers that remind us to  enjoy the beauty around us each day.

Dairy Characters

Even though we do many of the same chores everyday to produce a perfect product, each day  on the dairy is different because of the various cow  characters:

Sweet babies!

 Fiesty Teenagers!

Mature Mother

                                                                        Perfect Food

 Although everyday presents new challenges and situations to deal with on the family  dairy farm ,we love what we do and  are committed to providing high-quality,nutritious  milk  by  taking good care of our cows and land.  I love all these characters!

Are You at Risk for Vitamin D Deficiency?

Recently when I was attending a continuing education nursing workshop, I was informed about the need for increased amounts of Vitamin D  in the aging population. Vitamin D is called the "sunshine vitamin" because the body can make it when exposed to enough sunlight. It is considered to be an essential nutrient needed by every cell in the body and works with calcium to build strong,healthy bones. Deficiency of vitamin D affects all age groups. Only three out of ten individuals (>1 year old) consume the recommended daily intake of vitamin D--and most individuals over 50 years do not achieve adequate intakes.(http://www.thedairyreport.com/)

Pasteurized milk has been fortified with vitamin D in the United States since the 1930's virtually eliminating the bone crippling disease of rickets in children. Ongoing research from the Institue of Medicine is suggesting that vitamin D may help support a healthy immune system, improve brain function, and may protect against diabetes,heart disease,hypertension, and certain cancers.

You may be at higher risk for Vitamin D deficiency if:

• You have limited exposure to sunlight
• Your diet is deficient in dairy or other sources such as cod liver oil,sardines, or salmon
• You are aging
• You are a woman
• You have dark skin color

Milk is the leading source of Vitamin D in the American diet. Three 8-ounce glasses of low-fat or fat-free milk provide seventy-five percent of the current recommended daily value.  More information about Vitamin D and ways to increase your intake can be found at http://www.dairyspot.com/ or http://www.getyourd.com/.

                       As a member of the "aging" population, I think I'll have another glass of milk!!

Fixing Fence and Picking Flowers

When the neighbor calls to tell us that  a Holstein heifer is looking in his  bedroom window, we respond as quickly as possible. Oldest son Cody received the call this afternoon and I was quickly voted to be the assistant for this cattle round-up.  Fortunately for Cody, it was only  one heifer that happened to be loose and  I didn't get a real chance to show off all my cattle skills! My main job was to help head her in the direction of the gate.  While Cody mended the fence, I walked down the fence row checking for other broken wires.

One by one, the heifers came to watch Cody fixing the fence. I wonder if they sensed that they would no longer be able to visit the neighbor's yard?

Not finding any other gaps in the fence, I began to notice daffodils blooming around a few trees.  When I got back to the truck, Cody was ready to leave and noticing the bouquet in my hand, his smile said it all as he shook his head and said, "I'm fixing fence and you're picking flowers!"

                         I wouldn't take anything for these moments on the dairy farm with my family!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Delivering a check from Benton County Farm Bureau Women's Committee to the Northwest Arkansas Foodbank was a great way to celebrate Food Check-Out Week. I'm thankful for  America's farmers and ranchers who work hard everyday to  provide the safest,most affordable and healthy food supply in the world and for those who work to feed people in our communities.