Food notes

We Can! offers nutrition guidance for families online

Parents who fret over their children’s‘ nutrition and activity levels may find answers in the new National Institutes of Health outreach program called We Can!

It offers practical guidance for the whole family on eating healthfully.

The parent handbook that accompanies the program is available free online or by calling (866) 359-3226. It offers 26 pages of information and advice.

Here are a few pointers:

• Turn off the TV and walk away from the computer and take a family walk instead.

• Keep your strategies simple. Serve more vegetables at dinner and make a fruit salad for dessert.

• Eat smaller portions.

• Stop taking food cues from TV and print ads that encourage people to overeat.

Consuming 150 calories more than you burn each day will cause you to swell by 10 pounds in the course of a year. That works in reverse, too.

It’s true; small improvements pay off big.

Dulcineas take guesswork out of testing for ripeness

No more thumping and sniffing. Dulcinea Extra Sweet Tuscan Style Cantaloupes tell you when they’re ripe. Exterior grooves change from dark green to golden-cream as the fruit matures, letting buyers know the ripeness of fruit they are getting.

The melons are available in grocery stores nationwide and have a suggested retail price of $2.99 to $4.99. For more information and a list of local stores where they are sold, visit www.dulcinea.com.