A4 - THE PERKINS JOURNAL, Thursday, August 2, 2012
Op" ®
Inlons
Priorities
Unfortunately, this heat wave has caused a water shortage
in Perkins. I understand and no doubt the other residents
will understand the need to limit water usage and do so.
However, when I recentlyattempted to hand water some
wilted scrubs, the water pressure was near zero. Suspecting a
water line break, I began a search for the problem. My search
was short as I discovered a large semi tank track being filled
from a fire hydrant. Still curious, I found the water was being
sprinkled on the gravel road north of town! Am I wrong or
does someone have their priorities askew?
Ott Johnson
Perkins
Thank You!
The Oklahoma Territorial Plaza Trust would like to thank all
of those who participated and/or bought items in the "Christ-
mas in July" silent auction. Five hundred twenty-seven doUars
was raised for plants and materials to be used at the Oklahoma
Territorial Plaza. A special thanks to Dan and Marsha Johnson
of the Main Street Mall for providing the space for the auction;
Loft Fitzgerald for making and donating the fleece blankets;
and Virginia Rains for providing coordinating items and books
for the blankets. Perkins is a wonderful place to live because
citizens work together to improve the community.
Virginia Sasser
OTP Trust Member
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' By Cecil Acuff
U.S. healthcare costs in 2009 reached an estimated $2.5
trillion, yet America still ranks below several countries in
life expectancy and many key indicators of healthy living.
Americans need a healthfifl diet and lifestyle to prevent chronic
diseases before they begin, and, to reduce healthcare costs.
Monitoring of nutrition is noteworthy: the amount and
types of food consumed by the U.S. population is of the
utmost importance to researchers and policy makers. The
Agricultural Research magazine, March, 2012, reports that
about two-thirds of adults and one fifth of children aged six
and under are overweight or obese.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has provided
data about the nutrient composition of foods in the American
diet for almost 115 years.
A glossary of acronyms: BHNRC - Beltsville Human
Nutrition Research Center. HRMS - High Resolution Mass
Spectrometer. FDA - Food and Drug Administration. SR -
Standard Reference. NDL - Nutrient Data Laboratory. CDCP
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention. NIH - National
Institute of Health. FNDDS - Food and Nutrient Database for
Dietary Studies. ARS - Agricultural Research Service.
The Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research
Center is located outside the Maryland suburbs of northeast
Washington, D.C. Among 7,000 acres of fields, farmland, and
science buildings, is the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research
Center (BHNRC). It's the oldest and most comprehensive of
six such centers within the Agricultural Research Service. Two
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O00TiMATe
"00tCD
By Sperin.ndnt,
I love the Olympics - the pageantry; the stories of athletes
who have worked much of their lives to achieve this ultimate
test of their skills; 'q'he Star Spangled Banner" playing as the
United State's best stand atop the podium sporting their gold
medals; the camera capturing the tears and the joy on the faces
of their friends and family; the pride and the unity we all feel
as these athletes represent the county we love.
I want those same experiences for our students and the
educators and parents who daily work to help them achieve
their fullest potential. We need to be giving out gold medals to
these people, and we plan to - at least something of equivalent
value.
Several weeks ago, I got to announce the 12 finalists for the
2013 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year. These educators each
have that spark, that drive, that energy that will help each of their
students succeed- not just in school, but in life. In September,
one of these teachers will be selected to represent the state as
the Teacher of the Year. As in the past, we expect that many
community partners will shower this person with gifts and cash,
and they will have the state's recognition and admiration - a
gold medal, if you will.
During the July 26 State Board of Education meeting I got to
congratulate Jonathan Crider, a recent graduate from Central
Hi School in Marlow. Jonathan was one of 102 students
nationwide to be awarded this year' s Prudential Spirit of Com-
munity Awards. Jonathan raised more than $45,000 to help
feed hungry children in this state. Boy, if that doesn't deserve
a gold medal.
Also at Thursday's State Board of Education meeting, board
members heard a report on statewide results from Oklahoma's
core curriculum and end-of-instruction tests. The news is heart-
ening. Passing scores in Algebra II, for instance, have jumped
21 percent over the past four years. Passing scores in Algebra I,
Geometry, and English II also showed noteworthy gains in that
time period, r d like to congratulate each teacher and educator
across the state, as well as the parents who helped their children,
and the students who took these tests. Some of these gaim are
terrific. I'm very proud.
Later this fall we will be talking about some significant grant
awards to our Reward Schools. These schoolsare the ones
identified as being 'the highest achieving in the state. I can't
wait to give out those "gold medals."
Let me be clear here. I'm not just talking about rewarding
student achievement. I'm talking about rewarding work that will
give each student the best opportunity to enjoy success in life.
We' re giving students tools to use in college, the work force,
the military and to be successful community members, people
who make a difference in the lives of all those around them.
Aristotle said, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence,
then, is not an act, but a habit."
I encourage each of us to continually strive for excellence
in academics. It is in such work that we will achieve fiches far
greater than gold.
buildings were added in 2003.
The mission of the Nutrient Data Laboratory (NDL) is to
ensure that science-based nutrient profiles exist for the U.S.
food supply. The lab works with private and public scientific
organizations to acquire, evaluate, and disseminate accurate
nutrient-profile data on foods and certain dietary supplements
consumed in the United States.
Researchers at NDL are the conservators of the National
Nutrient Database for Reference - the major authoritative
source of information about food composition in America
The Standard Reference (SR) database includes more than
7,900 foods, providing nutrient profiles for each.
A major challenge in keeping the database current: the U.S.
food supply has changed dramatically, becoming increasingly
dynamic.
Thirty years ago, most people cooked at home. Now, they
often pick out multi-component prepared foods from a vari-
ety of restaurants and ready-to-eat meals t market counters
nationwide.
Another problem; hundreds of thousands of food products in
stores are on and off the market annually. More than 600,000
unique Universal Product Codes, (bar codes), are found on
grocery store shelves. Each bar code is made up of a unique
12-digit manufacturer's identification number. Also, bar codes
are created for different sizes of the same product.
The food profile which SR provides for each entry can
include 140 nutrients and other dietary components. In conlrast,
packaged-food labels carry only about 15 nutrients.
The NDL researchers accurately track the food supply to
create nutrient profiles by continuously monitoring food sup-
plies, using annual data from the BHNRC National, "What
we Eat in America" survey, and other sources.
And, the NDL learns of new products that have become
popular in the U.S. when the survey respondents report having
eaten the new foods.
This careful sampling of the food supply is important to
other government entities: The Center for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDCP), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), and The National Institute of Health (NIH).
The NDL lab has methods to consolidate multiple, nearly
identical brand name food products into an accurate generic
profile. Nutritional parallels among multiple brands of a single
grocery product are recognized. Only analysts who use scien-
tifically validated food-analysts methods are conWacted. This
ensures that an accurate nutrient profile exists for each type
of food item.
For example, there are many brands of Yellow Mustard. But
through the years, NDL researchers have determined a single
nutrient can represent these brands in a national nutrient data-
base under the name, "Mustard, Prepared, Yellow."
A number of professionals use software products containing
the SR database. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has
a membership of nearly 52,000 registered dietitians, many of
whom run small businesses in which they provide nutritional
advice one-on-one.
Food manufacturers tap the BHNRC national nutrient
databases. This industry is regponsible for the accuracy of
nutritional facts panels required on packaged-food labels as
regulated by the FDA and the USDA Food Safety and Inspec-
tion Service, which also regulates meat products. Also, the
FDA has nutrition-labeling requirements for restaurants with
20 or more locations.
USDA's recently launched ChooseMyPlate.gov is based
on BHNRC's national nutrient database. The site empha-
sizes five food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins,
and dairy. Visitors are asked to make half their plate fruits
and vegetables.
Individuals at ChooseMyPlate.com can easily create their
own customized healthy dietary plan by entering their age,
weight, height, gender, and physical activity level. This will
ensure that they get their required daily vitamins and miner-
als, while consuming age-gender appropriate daily portions
and calories.
The new USDA "Super Tracker" poll provides users 'with
free diet and physical assessments and planning tools. The
site demonstrates how a person!s diet and physical activity I
compare to the Dietary Guidelines's recommended intakes for
nutrients and physical activity. Users can get a free nutrient
report with a status (Over, Under, OK), for single nutrients.
THe interactive USDA "Food-a-Pedia" provides quick
access to comparable food groups and calories. If users want
to check the difference between spinach lasagna and meat lasa-
gna, Food-a-Pedia provides an almost instant comparison.
More than 5,000 hospitals, registered with the Washington
D.C. based American Hospital Association, are challenged
to provide nutrition appropriate meals to 38 million patients
admitted annually. One of the ways hospital food service direc-
tors achieve their goals - use software which incorporates the
BHNRC National Nutrient database.
The Food Service Research Group examined (FSRG) 2007-
2008 survey data from 5,334 adults aged 20 years and older
for a brief that focuses on snacking. This habit (obsession?)
is associated with an increased nutrient caloric intake and
decreased nutrient intake.
Snacking, adietary behavior, has increasedinreccnt decades
- while the percentages of the population overweight and obese
have also increased. The briefs indicate that snacks provide
(32% for women, and 31% for men) of all daily calories from
solid fats and added sugar.
The average intake of added solid fat and/or added sugars
for men aged 20 and older, surveyed in 2007-2008, was 923
calories. So, men, on average, consume 2 to 3 times their limit
in the fats and sugar categories.
For women aged 20 or older, the average intake of solid fat
and/or added sugars was 624 calories. So, women, on average,
consume almost 2 times their limit in those categories.
A positive side in snacking: snacks provide just over one-
third of the total daily fruit intake for women and men.
Most restaurant chefs dish out portioris two to four times
larger than the government recommended serving size. They
know these large amounts are supersizing their dinners, but
they believe their customers expect large amounts when eating
out. A typical restaurant meal has at least 6o% more calories
than the average meal made at home.
