By Karen Collins

Q: What are some nutritious snacks I can bring in the car for my kids as I drive them from one activity to another?

A: Think about fruits, vegetables and whole grains, since they provide the energy and nutrients your children need most. Fresh fruits like apples and bananas or small bags of grapes work well.

Fill plastic containers with lightly sweetened shredded wheat cereal, whole-grain crackers or your own trail mix of small pretzels, cereal bits, nuts and raisins or other dried fruits.

For snacks with a little more staying power, try sticks of string cheese, but be sure to store the sticks with cold packs if you're riding around with them for long periods. You also might try small bags of nuts for kids who are too old to choke accidentally on them.

Getting enough fluid is as important for children as it is for the rest of us. So try to bring along some bottles of 100 percent juice or chilled water.

Q: How often should we eat cruciferous vegetables to receive their cancer-protection benefits?

A: Cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage.

The amount of cruciferous vegetables necessary to reduce your cancer risk probably varies depending upon how many carcinogens you are exposed to from sources such as smoking, second-hand smoke exposure, pollution, and consumption of red meat, and grilled or fried red meat, poultry or fish.

We don't have many studies on which to base conclusions, but so far we see lower risk of several types of cancer in people with long-term consumption of at least four or five half-cup servings of cruciferous vegetables per week.

For a more complete list of cruciferous vegetables and ideas on how to prepare them, check out the American Institute for Cancer Research.

Studies have associated substances found in cruciferous vegetables, called isothiocyanates, with lower cancer risk. These substances can stimulate enzymes that reduce the harm from potential carcinogens before they initiate cancer development.

Besides, these vegetables tend to be high in one or more important vitamins and are a good source of fiber.

However, within the four to six vegetable servings most of us should aim for each day, variety is important, too. There are enough cruciferous options that you could easily eat a different one every day of the week.

Q: Does juice that contains added fiber contain bits of the fruit from which the juice is made?

A: No. For nationally available products at this time, juice with added fiber is higher in fiber than regular juice, which contains virtually none.

The fiber comes from maltodextrins, a thickening agent usually made from cornstarch. This added ingredient turns juice into a good source of fiber, with about three grams per eight-ounce glass.

The fiber can help keep the digestive tract moving well. But since the fiber is not made from fruit, it cannot give you the full antioxidant and disease-protective benefits from all the substances found in solid fruit.

Karen Collins is a nationally known registered dietitian whose work appears on websites, such as Nubella News and MSNBC.com, and in newspapers throughout the country. She is nutrition advisor to the American Institute for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C.

Source: American Institute for Cancer Research
Reference: Nutrition Wise

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