Q.  My children love to color hard-cooked Easter eggs.  How  can I be sure we decorate them safely?
A.  At Easter time, eggs are handled a great deal more than usual.  Each handling occasion provides an opportunity for the eggs to come into contact with bacteria.  So, be sure to follow the tips below.

Wash your hands thoroughly before handling the eggs at every step including cooking, cooling, dyeing and hiding.  If you won’t be coloring your eggs right after cooking them, store them in their cartons in the refrigerator.

Don’t color or hide cracked eggs.  When coloring the eggs, use water warmer than the eggs and refrigerate them in their cartons right after coloring.  If you want to eat your colored eggs later, be sure to use food coloring or specially made food-grade egg dyes.  When hiding eggs, consider hiding places carefully.  Avoid areas where the eggs might come into contact with pets, wild animals, birds, reptiles, insects or lawn chemicals.

Refrigerate your eggs again after they’ve been hidden and found.  Don’t eat cracked eggs or eggs that have been out of refrigeration for more than 2 hours.  If you plan to use hard-cooked eggs as a centerpiece or other decoration and they will be out of refrigeration for many hours or several days, cook extra eggs for eating and discard the eggs that have been left out as a decoration.
  Source: American Egg Board


15 Top Nutrition Tips

1. Add more plant foods- fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains - to boost your protection against disease.  (Read “Strive for 5" on next page).
2. Chose dark green salad leaves - the darker, the more nutritious.
3. Add beans- high in fiber and protein - to soups, salads, etc.
4. If you add mayonnaise, salad dressings, sour cream and other high-fat condiments, use very small amounts; or choose reduced-fat options.
5.  In place of butter or margarine in cooking - use olive or canola oils - these contain more monounsaturated fats than saturated.
6. Eat fewer processed, packaged foods such as crackers and cookies, which contain “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” oils (or trans fatty acids).
7.  Cook at home more- it’s the best way to control nutrition.
8.  Keep healthy snacks on hand: flavored rice cakes, low-fat yogurt, whole-grain cereal, veggie sticks with salsa, and fresh fruit.
9.  Avoid charring grilled foods.  Remove visible fat before cooking to minimize flare-ups and the formation of potential carcinogens (cancer-causing substances).
10.  When food shopping use the food labels to make smart choices.  Check the serving size first to learn the calorie and nutrient amounts.
11.  Eat three square a day: Never skip your breakfast boost.  Eat a protein-rich lunch to keep you going.  At night, eat light. 
12.  Order restaurant food prepared the way you want it.  For example, broiled fish instead of fried, and pizza with half the cheese.  Most eateries will accommodate you.
13.  If you’re trying to control your weight, don’t deprive yourself.  You can still eat your high calorie favorites - just eat them less often and in smaller portions.
14.  Above all, enjoy food for its wonderful variety of flavors, textures, colors and nutritional qualities.
15.  Make a free phone call - to the American Dietetic Association’s Consumer nutrition Hotline - 800-366-1655 (www.eatright.org)-to talk to a dietitian, or access 

Source: American Institute For Cancer Research