The following snacks are good for everyone but especially good for kids and teens…

1. 5 piece of crackers with 20 grapes and 5 cubes of hard cheese
2. A piece of fruit with an once (20 pieces) of raw unsalted nuts , like almonds, walnuts, pistachios etc.
3. peanut butter dip with a fruit such apple or pear
4. hard boiled egg with an apple or pear
5. hummus with soft pretzles
6. 1 cup unsalted no butter popcorn mixed with dried fruit and nuts
7. baked black bean or corn chips with bean dip
8. low fat yogart with berries
9. string cheese with 1 oz almonds or a piece of fruit
10. granola bar with fruit
11. a hand full of yogart covered almonds
12. Dole fruit cup with 100% fruit juice with few cubes of hard cheese
13. 1-2% cottage cheese
14. Whole grain or Whole wheat saltine crackers with almond or peanut butter spread
15. 1/2 of the bagel with raisins and nuts in it with a piece of ham or turkey or salmon.

The following breakfast foods are healthy for adults and especially for kids and teens…

1. Oatmeal (Steel cut oats and rolled oats are the best, package oatmeal is last) with few berries such as blueberries or blackberries and some crushed nuts like walnuts or almonds. It is ok to drizzle with some natural honey.
2. Whole grain, whole wheat bread or bagel (bagel is best with raisins and nuts in it) and spread peanut butter in it. Plus a piece of fruit like apple, pear, banana, orange, 1/2 c. of fresh berries.
3. Assorted fruits like grapes of any color, berries like strawberry, blueberries and blackberry with yogart and sprinkled with almonds
4. 20 grapes of your choice with a 4-5 cubes of chedder cheese, with 4-5 whole grain saltine crackers
5. Good old fashioned peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole grain or whole wheat bread and a piece of fruit
6. Whole grain or whole wheat english muffin with “one egg” with “one slice of canadian bacon (ham)” with “one slice of swiss cheese”.
7. Veggie sticks and a fruit
8. Ready to go chicken noodle soup
9. Omelette with egg whites + 1 yolk with spinach, mushrooms, colored bell peppers and onions.  Sprinkle an once of feta or parmesan cheese.
10. Yogurt and sprinkle it with crushed whole grain cereal and some crush almonds.
11. Smoothy

• 1/4 cup fresh or frozen berries like blackberry, blueberry or strawberry
• 1  bannana
• 3 tbls of plain yogart
• 1 cup orange juice

Our body is made up of 50-70% water. Our kidneys need 83% of this water, the liver 86%, our bones 22%, or muscles 75%, our blood 83%, brain 75% and most of all our heart 79%.

There are many benefits to drinking water…

• It protects or organs and tissue.
• It regulates our body temperature.
• It helps moisten our tissues such as our eys, nose and mouth.
• It enhances our metabolism.
• It prevents constipation and muscle cramps.
• Water lessens the burden on our kidneys and liver by flushing out waste products and excess body fat.
• Water keeps your  skin clear .
• Water keeps you full, and helps keep you from craving the bad food.

So please, I highly encourage you   to express the importance of water to your family, friends, and especially to your children….

This week I would like to put my brother Rick in the spotlight. He is a FitQuest, Volunteer Coordinator and personal trainer at the YMCA in Elizabeth City, NC and has been working with the handicapped. I am very proud to express my pride in the work he is doing. He has been training a disabled client named Tom who is an inspiration to all of us. Rick customized Toms workout so that he is able to perform his workout as well or better than any of the rest of us. If Tom can do it there are no excusses for the rest of us. Everyone at the Y loves the true passion that Rick has for helping people out. And isn’t it great that for all these years the YMCA is still going strong!