LA CROSSE, WI (WXOW)— Two-thirds of adults and 1/3rd of kids are overweight in America.
The Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition said the summer is the perfect time to introduce healthier foods into your diet because there are so many farmers markets around.
The recommend making half of your plate fruits and vegetables, ¼ meat and ¼ grain.
"If you can get people eating more fruits and vegetables, eating smaller portions of meat, not getting rid of the meat all together just reducing the size of the portion and potentially eating less processed foods you're going to have a healthier diet," Linda Lee, Nutrition Manager, La Crosse County Health Department said.
Snack smart, instead of bringing a bag of chips to your picnic try pita chips and hummus, celery stuffed with peanut butter or a vegetable platter with pea pods, carrots and cherry tomatoes.
"One of my favorite things to take to a picnic is take summer fruit and just cut it up into bite size pieces pour a little orange juice on it. It's a wonderful, refreshing side salad," Lee said.
Typical ground beef patties can be 15-20-percent fat and hot dogs have a even more fat.
Switch to grilling lean meats like turkey brats or burgers, grilled portabella mushrooms or kebabs with vegetables and meat.
For more information on where to find fresh produce visit http://www.co.la-crosse.wi.us/health/environmental/docs/farmersmarket.htm.
For tips on healthy and active living visit http://childhoodobesitycoalition.org/.
