A Smart Girl's Guide: Cooking - Patricia Daniels American Girl

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you would be really, really

      sick and tired of apples.

      There’s a saying that goes, “Variety is the spice of life.” It’s true. Food is

      more fun if you’re not eating the same thing all the time. Imagine your

      basic peanut butter sandwich—a little boring? But add some sweet

      banana or crispy apple slices, and it gets a lot more interesting. Now

      add maple cream cheese or raspberry jam, with or without the fruit. Or

      take away the bread and try it on graham crackers. Changing things up

      and adding ingredients with different colors, flavors, and textures makes

      food more appetizing. You can hardly wait to take a bite!

      And that’s not all. Variety doesn’t just make you happy. It also makes

      you healthy. Different foods have different vitamins, minerals, and other

       nutrients that people need. Some build bones and muscles. Some

       boost your energy. Some help you see better, or fight off

       the flu, or give your skin a beautiful glow. And you need

       them all.

      So when smart chefs decide what to cook, they

      think about what’s both happy and healthy. They think

      variety. One easy way to do that is to choose foods from each of the main food groups— fruits, veggies, protein, grains, and dairy.

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      Scientifically speaking, a fruit is the part of a plant where seeds grow.

      Foodishly speaking, fruits are sweet, tart, or spicy—and some of the most delicious things ever! Pop fresh berries into your mouth. Bake cherries or apples or peaches into pies and crisps. Blend a banana or mango into a smoothie, or squeeze lemons into zesty lemonade. Fruits can add flavor and beauty (and, yes, vitamins) to just about anything.

      Mmm-mmm-mashed potatoes. A cool green salad. Crisp carrots and

      corn on the cob and pumpkin pie. Like fruits, vegetables are also the

      part of a plant that you eat, such as its leaves or roots. Depending on

      how you make them, they’re crunchy or creamy, sweet tasting or sharp.

      They’re a great source of vitamins and minerals. And they come in every

      color of the rainbow, making a plate look delicious.

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      Foods from both plants and animals contain protein. Meat, fish, eggs,

      beans, nuts, and milk are the main sources. Think barbecued chicken,

      peanut butter, baked beans, grilled shrimp, a cheesy omelette, or a ham-

      burger. It’s good that protein is so easy to come by, because protein is

      needed by your muscles, bones, skin, blood, hair, and even your finger-

      nails—every cell in your body!

      Warm-from-the-oven bread. Jasmine rice and pizza crust, noodles

      and tortillas. Sweet granola. Oatmeal cookies. Usually we eat grains

      cooked—baked into breads or cereals, boiled for pasta or soups, or

      steamed into pilafs. All grains come from plants, and they give you the

      energy to move, to think, and to run every system in the body.

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      Cheeses, such as cheddar, feta, and mozzarella. Yogurt, ice cream, and

      pudding. A frosty shake or a mug of hot chocolate. Milk and foods made

      from milk are called the dairy group. They do double duty by counting

      in the protein group, too, but what makes dairy foods special is that

      they have lots of the mineral calcium. Without calcium, you wouldn’t have bones or teeth!

      Plan with MyPlate

      This cheerful plate shows you how

      much of which kind of food to

      eat each day. It also makes a great

      guide to planning meals for your-

      self, your family, and your friends.

      Fruits and vegetables take up half

      the plate, followed by grains, and

      then protein and dairy. You don’t

      have to eat each meal like this, but

      keep the plate in mind over the

      course of a day or a week.

      Girl Power

      Two minerals are really important

      for girls: calcium and iron. Calcium

      builds strong bones, and iron

      helps your blood carry oxygen

      around your body. Dairy foods

      are the richest source of calcium,

      but broccoli, almonds, and many

      beans are good, too. For iron,

      great sources are eggs, red meat,

      and broccoli. (Broccoli—a calcium

      and iron twofer!)

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      the staples

      The fridge and pantry are filled with

      foods that are always there, waiting to

      be added to anything from artichoke

      dip to zucchini bread. When you need a

      splash of olive oil or a teaspoon of cin-

      namon, you just reach for them. When

      you run out, you get more right away.

      Ingredients like these are called staples.

      Fats

      Cooks use fats to make food taste good,

      give it a nice texture, and keep it from

      sticking to pans or burning. Fats are an

      essential nutrient, too, keeping your skin

      and hair healthy, storing energy for when

      you need it, and more. They’re in meats,

      nuts, most dairy, and some fruits and veg-

      etables, such as avocados and olives. But

      you’ll need to have fats such as vegetable

      oils and butter on hand as staples, too.

      Salt Box

      Salt sharpens flavor—even though it isn’t food. It’s a

      chemical compound called sodium chloride, which is

      found in the ground as rock salt or dissolved in seawater.

      Every animal and plant contains some salt, too—ever

      notice how salty your tears or sweat is? Without salt,

      muscles and nerves wouldn’t work right. Just don’t

      overdo it in food, because too much is bad for you. The

      tongue is designed to taste small amounts of salt, so go

      light on it when you cook. It’s easy to add salt to food,

      but

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