* To get rid of ants, simply put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it "home," & can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so but it works & you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

* When a recipe calls for melted semisweet chocolate chips, it's cheaper to use semisweet baking chocolate squares in the same amount ounce-for-ounce.

* Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected, they will ripen faster.

A Maddox Family Fundraiser will be held at the Oblong Municipal Building on Thursday, April 17 from 4:00 – 7:30 p.m. The Extension Office is sponsoring a spaghetti dinner fundraiser for the Maddox family. As you may know Karen has been hospitalized in Florida (several weeks) and we want to show our support! It is a free will donation for spaghetti, salad, Italian bread, drink, and dessert. Carry outs will be available. This will be a chance to see your Extension office staff in action! Karen has been a huge help to our office for years either by serving on our Foundation board, being a 4-H fair superintendent, and being solely responsible to make sure all fair auction animals get where they need to be! Please mark this date on your calendars!

We know that food is the fuel our bodies need for energy. It comes from the calories in the foods we eat. The parts of food that have calories are carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Food gives us more than calories it gives us vitamins and minerals.

Vitamins are the essential nutrients found in foods. Requirements for vitamins vary and the amount we need is small, but each vitamin and mineral plays a part in keeping our bodies healthy.

Vitamins are classified according to the substance they will dissolve in.

Watersoluble vitamins dissolve in water and are not stored in the body. Excess of these vitamins is excreted in the urine. Since our bodies do not store water-soluble vitamins, we need a continuous supply of them. Water-soluble vitamins are the B-complex vitamins and vitamin C.

The other classification for vitamins is fat soluble. These are vitamins A, D, E, and K. We will take a closer look at those next month.

B-complex Vitamins

There are eight water soluble B-complex vitamins. They are found in many of the foods we eat every day. B-complex vitamins help the body use the energy from food and are important for normal appetite, good vision, healthy skin, healthy nervous system and forming red blood cells. Here is a list of B-complex vitamins and how they affect our body:

• Thiamin (B1) is found in pork, liver, whole grains, enriched grain products, peas, meat, and legumes. Thiamin helps our body release energy from foods.
• Vitamin B2 or riboflavin is found in liver, milk, dark green vegetables, whole and enriched grain products, and eggs. This vitamin helps promote good vision and healthy skin.
• Niacin is found in liver, fish, poultry, meat, peanuts, and whole and enriched grain products. Niacin aids in digestion, promotes normal appetite, and promotes healthy skin and nerves.
• Vitamin B6 is found in pork, meats, whole grains and cereals, legumes, and green leafy vegetables. B6 helps in protein metabolism and absorption and aids in red blood cell formation. It also helps your body use fats.
• Folacin is found in liver, kidney, dark green leafy vegetables, meats, fish, whole grains, fortified grains and cereals, legumes, and citrus fruits. This vitamin is known for helping prevent birth defects of the spine. It also reduces risk of coronary heart disease.
• B12 is found only in animal foods. B12 helps in building genetic material and aids in the development of normal red blood cells.
• Pantothenic acid is found in liver, kidney, meats, egg yolk, whole grains and legumes. Pantothenic acid is involved in energy production and aids in the formation of hormones.
• Biotin is found in liver, kidney, egg yolk, milk, and most fresh vegetables. Biotin helps release energy from carbohydrates and aids in fat synthesis.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is also known as ascorbic acid. It works to help hold body cells together and aids in wound healing. Vitamin C also assists in bone/tooth formation, helps in the immune system, strengthens blood vessel walls, and improves the absorption of iron.

Vitamin C cannot be made in the body; therefore we need to include good sources of vitamin C in the foods we eat. Citrus fruits are the best sources of vitamin C. One orange, a kiwi fruit, 6 ounces of grapefruit juice or 1/3 cup of chopped sweet red pepper contain enough vitamin C for your body for one day.

Vitamin C is also found in foods like broccoli, strawberries, melon, green pepper, tomatoes, dark green vegetables and potatoes.

- Shirley Camp, U of I Educator

Why Calcium?

As we get older, other beverages like soda, coffee, tea, etc. take the place of milk as the beverage we drink with our meals. Since milk is the best source of calcium in our diets, adults should consume milk, too, if possible. We need at least 1200 mg of calcium every day. Each glass of milk gives us about 300 milligrams of calcium.

Dairy sources of calcium: Milk, Hard cheese, Yogurt, Cottage cheese and Pudding, custard

What is a serving?1 cup milk, 1-1/2 to 2 ounces of cheese, 6 to 8 ounces yogurt

Non-dairy sources of calcium:

• Calcium-enriched orange juice
• Tofu (with calcium sulfate)
• Sardines and canned salmon (with bones)
• Broccoli
• Greens (turnip and beet), okra
• Cooked dried beans

What About Lactose Intolerance?

If you can't or don't drink milk, try to get your calcium from non-dairy sources. Also, check with your physician to see if you should be taking calcium supplements.

Include more milk in your diet:

• Use milk when making homemade or canned soups
• Make hot cereals and instant hot chocolate with milk instead of water
• Add nonfat dry milk powder to meat loaf, milk drinks, cream soups, and pudding recipes.

- Shirley Camp, U of I Educator