The Shopper Quench your thirst without regret Sipping on an iced cold drink can help quench the thirst and reduce the heat of the hot summer days, but those cool liquid calories can add up faster than you might think. Hydration is important, so with a little planning you can enjoy those cool beverages without seeing later regret on the scales. Choose beverages more often that have no calories or the fewest calories and the most nutritional advantages. • Drink plain water more often. It is calorie free, healthful and readily available. Many flavored waters are loaded with sugar and labels can be deceptive. If you are not sharing a 12 ounce drink, it is 2 servings and not one which is twice the calories. If water isn’t your first choice, choose alternate caloric drinks with plain water. • Make your own infused flavored water minus the calories. Add fresh citrus slices from oranges, lemons and limes or crushed fresh mint. For those who like fizzy drinks, go for sparkling water and step it up with a splash of juice. • When choosing juice to drink, make sure it is 100 percent juice. Many juices have added sweeteners such as sugar, sucrose, or high fructose corn syrup. Read the label and the ingredients to find out if the juice you select is 100 percent. If you choose a fruit punch or other fruit beverage you may consume as little as 10 percent juice and lots of added sugar. Also a word of caution is to not fill up on juice in place of other healthy foods. • Many people love the flavored iced coffee beverages. The ice does not dilute the extra sugar calories from the flavored syrups and fat calories. Try drinks with fat free or low fat milk or just plain iced coffee. Though plain iced coffee is not as fun, it is a better choice even if you add your own sugar. • Tea is a good choice for a calorie free drink. There are many varieties including caffeinated or decaf and herbal teas. Most bottled teas are high in calories, but home brewed teas are easy to make and are less expensive. Teas flavored with fruit, herbs and spices can add a sweet taste with no calories. For an extra zip add citrus zest and a teaspoon of sugar or honey and you add only 15 calories or try caloriefree sweeteners. Teas are also high in antioxidants and flavonoids. • What about alcoholic beverages? Many people enjoy an ice cold beer or glass of wine to cool down, but those extra alcohol calories can result in added weight. To reduce calories make your wine a spritzer or your beer a shandy. Mix wine half and half with sparkling water for a spritzer. To make a shandy, mix your beer in equal amounts with a low-calorie carbonated citrus beverage. Spritzer or a shandy allows you to have two drinks for about the calorie cost of one alcoholic drink. Enjoy your favorite beverages during the summer and take advantage of the outdoors to compensate those extra calories. Having fun in the sun walking, jogging, or biking burns them off and gives you another reason to look forward to cool liquid refreshments. Source: Colorado State University Extension and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. For more information on healthy drink choices, contact Elsie Lacy, Montague County Extension Agent at 940-8942831 or emlacy@ag.tamu.edu Thursday, August 29, 2013 3 A OK SEPTIC Septic Tank Cleaning We are here to help! Located in Bowie serving Montague, Wise & Denton County We will work with you to provide the service you deserve & we guarantee the lowest prices. BEST RATES • BEST SERVICE Texas Retired Teachers Association During the 83rd Legislative Session, the Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) and active teacher groups worked together with legislators to pass Senate Bill 1458. The “TRS Actuarial Soundness Bill,” as it has been termed, makes the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) pension fund actuarially sound for the first time in many years. The TRS pension fund has a value of $117 billion and provides retirement security for over 300,000 Texas public education retirees and nearly 1,000,000 active school personnel. The fund must meet the state requirement of “actuarial soundness” in order for current retirees to receive a permanent cost-of-living raise, which hasn’t occurred since 2001. With the passing of SB 1458, the TRS fund is now financially sound and is able to provide a 3% ad-hoc COLA to over 200,000 current retirees. The raise will go into effect in the fall of 2013. SB 1458 protects the TRS pension fund by improving its revenue streams and even adding a new one. The state contribution will increase from its current rate of 6.4% to 6.8% in both years of the coming biennium. The active teacher contribution will increase gradually over time, rising from 6.4% in 2014 to 6.7% in 2015, then 7.2% in 2016 and finally capping at 7.7% in 2017. School districts that do not pay into Social Security (about 95% of Texas school districts) will begin contributing 1.5% towards their employees’ retirement fund beginning in 2015. The TRS pension fund is vital to the financial futures of all active public education employees in Texas, since most employees will not receive any Social Security benefits during their retirement years. TRS, as one of the largest and strongest pension funds in the nation, is leading the way in preserving the benefits that hard-working educators have earned over the course of their careers. Many pension funds in other states have struggled to maintain their systems and some have reduced benefits or changed their pension funds into 401(k)style plans. SB 1458 preserves the benefits of all vested TRS employees, those who have been working for at least five years as of September 2014. Those employees who are not yet vested (less than 5 years paying into the system), will have a minimum retirement age of 62 to qualify for full benefits. SB 1458 was signed by Governor Rick Perry in June 2013 and goes into effect in September 2013. 255-9331 or 393-5494 Equine Industry Day The North Central Texas College Agriculture Department will host their annual Equine Industry Day on August 28th. The free event will run from 1:00 to 5:30 p.m., inside NCTC’s Little Theater on the Gainesville campus. The come-and-go event is open to everyone who wants to hear successful equine industry professionals talk about their career path, about “making it” in the equine industry and current issues facing the equine industry. Among the speakers who will be presenting at the event are Steve Adams (Ranch Manager, EE Ranches), Shawna Weaver (Publicity Manager for Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo), Teryn Munch (Mustang Makeover winner), Anne Hutchinson (Cutting horse trainer), Gene and Sonya Brown (Trainers of Chariots in “The Hunger Games” movie sequel), Julie Mohan (Mustang Video Productions), Dr. Lisa Schultz (Veterinarian at Weems and Stephens Equine Hospital), Rob Werstler (Director of Racing TQHA), Kirk Chilson (Cargill/Nutrena), Shelly Switzer (APHA youth/amateur programs), Mark Hurley (Saddle maker), Rod Teuscher (Bit/Spur maker), Robin Gregory (Executive Director, Nonprofit/Therapeutic Riding Center) and many more industry professionals from all areas of the equine industry along with many NCTC Equine program alumni that are currently working in the industry. For more information on the free event, contact Becky Terrell at 940-668-7731 Ext. 4372. M.H. Henry Pro Rodeo Pro Rodeo is returning to Montague County! After many years, the PRCA will have an event in Bowie, Texas. The rodeo will be named after long-time resident and Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame member, M.H. Henry. The M.H. Henry Pro Rodeo will be staying with the original premises of its founder Gary “Roach” Hedeman of giving back to the community. Hopefully a scholarship program named in honor of Mr. Henry will also be added to benefit up and coming artists. Hedeman Productions and Brehmer Rodeo, LLC will use many of the youth groups of the county as part of the work force bringing top notch rodeo action to Montague County. Proceeds from the rodeo will be awarded to those various youth groups. This big event will be on Saturday, September 14th, beginning at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, September 15th, beginning at 3:00 p.m. at the Bowie Rodeo Arena. For more information, sponsorship, etc., call 940-8413093. Summer... A time for smiles. Not a time to worry about your propane bill. 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