Sorghum bran, often a low-cost byproduct of sorghum milling, can enhance gluten-free bread's nutritional value without compromising its flavor, according to a study published in the Journal of Food Science.

While gluten-free foods are in demand to meet consumers' medical needs and dietary preferences, these foods sometimes are deficient in nutrients and lack taste and texture that appeals to consumers. In gluten-free bread, wheat flour is typically replaced with refined flour and starches from other sources. Adding dietary fiber, a carbohydrate found in whole grains that has important health benefits, to gluten-free bread can lead to a hard texture and more rapid staling. Sorghum bran could provide both good flavor and nutritional value. Read this article to learn more.

Take the Healthy Eating Challenge

A healthy eating routine is essential at every stage of life and can have positive effects that add up over time. It’s important to eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy (or dairy substitute). When deciding what to eat or drink, choose options that are full of nutrients, and make every bite count.

But how do you know if the food you eat is nutritious? Are you eating all of your food groups daily? Do you know if the foods you are eating contain added sugars, sodium, and unhealthy fats?

About the Experiment

Take the Nutrition Challenge, to find out if you are eating more of what you need, and less of what you don’t. It’s easy, it can be life changing, and you’ll probably be surprised at the results.

 What You'll Need

• Laptop or smartphone with internet service

• Pencil and paper or a logsheet (see appendix A)

• Calculator

Let's Do This!

For 3 days, keep track of what you eat and drink for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and snacks.

1. Log your food intake either using a nutrition data app or on the logsheets provided in this challenge, and try to be as specific as possible, including the brand name of the food (ex: Life cereal) or specific type of fruit, vegetable, or protein (ex: Gala apple).

2. Try to also include the quantity that you eat, using the serving size on the packaging as a guide.

3. For fruits, log onto MyPlate and check out the fruit table on the page. Do the same for vegetables, proteins and grains.

Option 1: Using FoodData Central and the Logsheets

Once your food types and quantity are logged onto your sheet, use the nutritional label on the food containers to determine the nutritional content of each food item eaten. For grains, fruits, vegetables, proteins, and other items without a nutritional label, visit USDA's FoodData Central.

In the search bar, type in the food item and try to be specific at first. If the search results do not align with what you ate, be a little more general. 

On the results page you will see several options: Most items, including fruits, vegetables, and proteins, are typically found under "SR Legacy Foods" or "Branded Foods". Choose the selection that fits best.

Now it's time to do a little math. Use the portion dropdown to best align with the amount of that particular food that you ate. For example, if you ate 200 grams of a corn muffin, and the portion dropdown is set at 100 grams, you'll want to double the nutritional content when logging it down on your spreadsheet. If you ate a quarter of the portion, then divide the nutritional content by 25 (percent).

Read through the nutritional content (either from the food container or FoodData Central) and log the amount of the following:

• protein (g)

• dietary fiber (g)

• calcium (mg)

• potassium (mg)

• iron (mg)

• sodium (mg)

• added sugar (g)

• saturated fat (g)

Keep in mind that fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy foods naturally do not contain added sugars. But, if they are processed, they could contain added sugars. Remember to log these amounts based on the portions you ate.

Option 2: Using A Nutrition Data App

There are many Apps on the market that can calculate and log your daily food intake. When choosing an App, make sure it contains a large inventory of foods and can determine and log portion size. For each food item, you will want to enter the food item and portion consumed. If you cannot find an App to accomplish this, use the FoodData Central method (Option 1).

Read through the nutritional content (either from the food container or FoodData Central) and log the amount of the items below.

• protein (g)

• dietary fiber (g)

• calcium (mg)

• potassium (mg)

• iron (mg)

• sodium (mg)

• added sugar (g)

• saturated fat (g)

Keep in mind that fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy foods naturally do not contain added sugars. But, if they are processed, they could contain added sugars. Remember to log these amounts based on the portions you ate.

Are You Eating Healthy?

Now that your chart is complete, let’s see how it compares to USDA’s recommended nutrient consumption. Log onto USDA’s DRI Calculator. Fill out the required data about yourself and click Submit. Scroll down to view the recommended intake per day for the 8 nutritional items that you tracked. Compare with your spreadsheet (or on your App) and notate which items you met the recommended guidelines and which you did not. Now let’s take a look at your sugar, sodium, and fat consumption. The Dietary Guidelines are below:

Daily Added Sugar Intake

Less than 10 percent of calories per day starting at age 2. Avoid foods and beverages with added sugars for those younger than age 2.

Daily Sodium Intake

No more than 2,300 milligrams (mg) per day and even less for children younger than age 14.

Saturated Fat

Less than 10 percent of calories per day starting at age 2.

Transfats – Trans fats are unhealthy and should be avoided in your diet. Trans fats can be found in many foods – including fried foods, baked goods, and spreads. It’s worth noting that products can be listed as “0 grams of trans fats” if they contain 0 grams to less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving. You can also spot trans fats by reading ingredient lists and looking for the ingredients referred to as “partially hydrogenated oils.”

What Did You Learn?

1. Observe your logsheets, paying particular attention to where you met and did not meet your recommended guidelines.

2. In what areas did you meet the My Plate Plan?

3. In what areas did you exceed or not get enough compared to the My Plate Plan?

4. What type of foods should you be eating more of daily?

5. What type of foods should you be eating less of daily?

6. After taking this challenge, should you alter your daily/weekly food intake, and if so, what food changes should you make?

7. What are your big takeaways from this challenge?

Resources

For more information on eating healthy, making a plan and exploring MyPlate, visit https://www.myplate.gov.

How Does Your Plate Stack Up?

What you eat matters, from your overall health to your stress levels to your everyday activities. What we put on our plates for breakfast, lunch, and dinner affect our mood, energy, and well-being.

What do your food plates look like, and how do they compare to the USDA’s MyPlate? Let’s find out.

About the Experiment

In this challenge, you’ll first see how your plates stack up against MyPlate. Next, you will determine which food groups you need more of or less of to meet your targeted goals for eating. Finally, you will assess what changes you can make overall to your diet to help ensure a healthy lifestyle.

 What You'll Need

• Laptop or smartphone with internet service

• Pencil and paper or a logsheet (see appendix A)

• Calculator

Let's Do This!

Let’s start by looking at your current food plate selections. Use a sheet of paper or the spreadsheet in this challenge to log your daily amount (cups or ounces) of fruits, vegetables, protein, grains, and dairy (or dairy substitute). If you are unsure which items fall under those categories, visit What is MyPlate, scroll down to “MyPlate Messages,” and click “More Information” under each food group.

Next, go to the USDA MyPlate site and click “Start” under "Get Your MyPlate Plan"

Answer the questions and then click “Calculate Food Plan.” You will then receive a count of your recommended daily allotment of calories. Click the calories link to get a more detailed look at your dietary guidelines, including your daily recommendations for fruit, protein, vegetables, grains, and dairy (or dairy substitute).

Click “Read more” for each food group to view the daily recommendations by age and also to see how much of a certain fruit item, such as apple sauce, counts as a cup/ounce.

Use your sheet of paper or the spreadsheet to record how much of each food group you are eating per day (ex, 1/2 cup of vegetables) and how much of each food group is recommended daily (ex, 2 cups vegetables). Calculate the difference.

How Did Your Plate Stack Up?

1. Which food groups did you meet for your daily recommended intake?

2. Which food groups did you not meet for your daily recommended intake?

3. How do your food plates compare with the rest of your family or friends?

4. Which food group is your biggest challenge of meeting the guidelines and why?

5. What most surprised you about what you eat and what is recommended?

6. How can meal prep, including making a detailed grocery list and planning meals in advance, help you meet your nutritional goals?

7. How will this challenge change your daily food plate for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacktime?

Resources

For more information on eating healthy, explore the Nutrition Corner.

For more fun and interesting projects, check out AgLab's Science Projects.

The fall armyworm is a pest that devours crops like corn and cotton. Since 2016, it has spread from the Americas to Africa, Asia, and Australia, leaving agricultural destruction in its wake.

Many farmers use insecticide to control the worm but knowing how much and what kind to apply can be a challenge. Researchers at ARS are conducting experiments to help answer these questions and more, in part by tracking the migration patterns of the moth. Watch this video to learn more.

Good News Coffee Drinkers, There's an App for That! 

Hawaii’s unique climate and volcanic soils make it an ideal growing location for several distinctive crops, including coffee and macadamia nuts. Recently, however, Kona coffee—one of Hawaii's most legendary and valuable agricultural crops—has been under increasing threats from two economically devasting foes, coffee berry borer and coffee leaf rust.

Coffee leaf rust is a fungal pathogen that results in severe defoliation. Until 2020, Hawaii was the only major coffee producing region that was free of coffee leaf rust. The coffee berry borer,  an insect pest that causes millions in losses of coffee beans each year, was discovered in Hawaii in 2010.

The delicious macadamia nut, another one of Hawaii's legendary crops, is also under threat from insect infestations and diseases. Early detection and identification of these threats is crucial.  

Now, a team of ARS researchers in Hilo, HI, is providing growers with new apps to help manage these threats. Check out the apps.

Bees are essential to supporting both agriculture and ecosystems. But they are vulnerable to a number of different diseases that can endanger them and the plants they pollinate. Scientists at ARS are exploring solutions to help boost bees’ defenses and keep them buzzing.

Learn more about how researchers study disease in bees, and how they investigate possible treatments in the video A Honey Bee's Life.