sharmi das, consumer education expert at the food and drug administration. welcome. >> hello. >> so, before we get into the specifics, how is the new nutrition label different from the old one? >> the new nutrition label that we're proposing will align the information with the latest scientific information. and the other thing that we want to do is give it a fresh look by emphasizing some of the key points in the nutrition-facts label, such as serving size and calories. >> okay. so, there's a lot of information. can you break down what we should be looking for? let's start with why serving size is important. >> serving size is actually very important in the nutrition-facts label. and as we already know, one packet or one box is not always one serving. so it might contain multiple servings, and it's very important for us to know how many servings are in each box or in a packet of food. >> how about calories? what's important about the number of calories? >> calories are very important. there are a few numbers that i do want you all to remember when you're looking at calories -- 40 and 100 and 400. so, 40 is low, 100 is moderate and 400 is high. so, whenever you're looking at the nutrition-facts label, please look at the calories and see. if it's close to 40, then you know it's low in calories. around 100, it's moderate, and 400, it's high. >> so should we be eating things that have a moderate number of calories? >> you should definitely try to keep around the moderate number and not get close to the high-calorie number, which is 400. >> the label groups together the items that we should be careful to not eat too much of, right? >> absolutely. so, there are some nutrients we don't want to get too much of. and those nutrients are certain fats, like trans fats and saturated fats, cholesterol, as well as sodium and sugars. >> what kinds of things should we eat more of? >> the nutrients to get more of are fiber and vitamins a and c iron, and calcium. >> what is a dv, and why is it important? >> so, dv is the daily value and you'll see on the nutrition-facts label, you have a percent dv for all of our nutrients. and 5% is a low-percent dv, and 20% is high. what i mean by that is -- when you know that you should get more of certain nutrients, you should try to aim to get a higher-percent dv, which is close to 20%. >> now let's talk about the list of ingredients. what should we look for there? >> so the list of ingredients in the nutrition-facts label -- they are in the order of what's most of in the product. and so you really need to pay attention to the list of ingredients, because if you have sugar that's first or second in the list, then you know that the sugar is high in that product. >> and sometimes you're not sure it's a sugar. what are other words for sugar that we should watch out for? >> yes, so there are many names, different names for sugar. the most common ones are glucose and fructose, but then there's maltose and dextrose, so it's lots of different names for sugars. one quick way of knowing if it's a sugar is if the word ends with an "o-s-e," but not all sugars end with an "o-s-e." for example, corn syrup. >> well, thanks for taking the time to explain all this to us. >> thank you very much for having me. >> since we started this report with an old saying, here's another one. it's about computers -- if you put garbage in, you'll just get garbage back out. the same is true about food. if we want to be at our best we need to avoid eating the stuff that's not good for us. one way to do that -- read the labels. >> this report is brought to you by a grant from the connecticut tobacco & health trust fund. we're continuing our special series on the dangers of tobacco. this week, i'll tell you about a program to stop kids from smoking before they ever start. >> hello, everybody. i'm dr. fowler, and i'm here today to present "tar wars." "tar wars" is a tobacco-prevention program to teach children the importance of remaining tobacco-free. everybody knows that smoking is dangerous for your health, right? >> yeah. >> in fact, tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in america. almost half a million people die every year from smoking. >> and what's really alarming is that the age group of teenagers to young adults is smoking at a very high rate. >> that's why dr. fowler visits schools like torrington middle school. >> the easiest way to not smoke is to not even start. because once you start, you become addicted to the nicotine, and it's very, very hard to stop. can somebody raise their hand and tell me what peer pressure is? lydia? >> well, it's when there's people your age who want to get you into smoking to make you maybe be cool or try to get you to do something that you maybe don't want to do, but you're gonna do it because they're your age, and you want to try to be cool. >> besides the presentation, another important part of "tar wars" is its poster contest. you could say that matt embrey's design was certainly in good taste. it helped the fifth grader win first place. >> i really, really love chinese, and i like other food and my favorite part is the fortune cookie. so i decided to do a closed fortune cookie and an opened fortune cookie, like when someone's gonna eat it. so their fortune is gonna be "be tobacco free" so that maybe the fortune will, like, make them realize that it's really bad to smoke and that they should be a smart cookie, like it says on the poster, and not to smoke. >> the first-place winners from each state go to the national competition in washington, d.c. >> i thought it was really cool that i was representing the state of connecticut. i was able to meet our state representatives, and it was really cool to be able to meet them, because that's, like, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. >> connecticut's "tar wars" program is sponsored by charlotte hungerford hospital. >> "tar wars" is a good idea because it shows kids to not smoke and the consequences and what it could do to your health and how it could affect you in ways that are bad. >> dr. fowler told us how to learn more about "tar wars." >> it's very easy to find the information on the american academy of family physicians' website, or you can just type "tar wars" in your web browser and you'll get the information. >> by the way, if you're wondering why the program is called "tar wars," it's because the sticky yellow substance that's left over when you smoke is called tar. who'd want that in their lungs? >> so, definitely, if i see my friends doing it, i'm definitely gonna have a talk with them and be like, "can you stop? because it's just not a good thing to do, and i want you to stay around for as long as you can." >> truly words to live by. for "teen kids news," i'm katie. >> even if college is still some years away, listen to this. chances are, the admissions people will sneak a peek at your facebook pages. in fact, an overwhelming 80% of colleges already check out applicant online profiles. but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. knowing that they're probably looking, you can score points with the admissions office by liking their school on facebook or by following it on twitter. and you can use a personal blog to show why you're a great applicant. >> coming up, we'll show you how to speak dog. >> there are 50 of them, and each one has a story. here's this week's "flag facts." >> in 1910, a national rifle competition was held in ohio. that's when the members of arizona's rifle team realized they were the only ones without a state flag. but then, arizona wasn't a state yet. that would take another two years. in 1912, arizona became our 48th state -- the last in the continental u.s. to join the country. and finally, arizona got its flag. >> arizona is one of my favorite flags. actually, the last five states added to the union used very simplistic, distinctive designs, and arizona is one of those. it's known as the copper-star flag, because copper mining was so popular in arizona. >> arizona still produces more copper than any other state in the nation. but it's also known for its magnificent natural beauty. >> since arizona is in the west, there's a reference to the setting sun with 13 beams of sunlight. the number 13 is chosen as a reference to the original 13 colonies. >> the beams are red and gold, like an arizona sunset. but they're also the colors of the spanish conquistadors, arizona's first european visitors. beneath the rays, a large field of blue represents loyalty. by the way, arizona is sometimes called the "valentine state" because it was admitted to the union on february 14th. with "flag facts," i'm veronique. >> they can't talk, but they can make themselves understood if you know what to look for. brandon continues our series on dog body language. >> can you tell if your dog is loving, tolerating, or hating something? the clues are in the dog's body language. to help us learn how to speak dog, we welcome back robin bennett and susan briggs the dog gurus. hi. >> hi. >> hi. it's great to be with you. >> susan, where do we start? >> well, let's start with the mouth. is the mouth open, which means usually the dog is loving the interactions, or is the mouth closed, which is your first clue that they may be tolerating or moving towards hating an encounter. the other thing is, you know when we get uncomfortable, we kind of have signs that we're stressed a little bit. well, so do dogs. so they may lick their lips or they may even yawn. those are clues that the dog may just be tolerating the situation that they're in right now. >> robin, how about when dogs jump on you? does that just mean he's happy to see you? >> well, if you just came home from school, it might mean he's just happy to see you. but if he's in a new environment and he's jumping on you a lot and you've been with him the whole time, it might be him saying, "hey, i really need help. can you get me out of here?" it might mean that he's really starting to get upset with the situation and wants to go home. >> susan, let's talk about sniffing and scratching. do they have special significance? >> well, they do, and it can mean that the dog just has an itch with a flea or he's smelling something interesting. but sometimes you'll notice that your dog may sniff or scratch when you know he doesn't have those things. and what it can mean -- it kind of goes back to those stress signals -- that they're uncomfortable and really trying to determine if this situation is safe or not. so it's really a sign that they're a little bit uncomfortable. >> robin, if your dog is signaling it's not comfortable in a situation, what can we do? >> well, one of the easiest things to do is just move some distance between you and your dog and whatever it is that might be scaring him. so just back away or take him down the street a little bit. another thing you can do is, if you can't get away, you can just step in between your dog and whatever it is he might be afraid of. so those are two really good options. if you happen to have something really fun or tasty that your dog can play with or eat, you can try that, too. so try just distracting your dog. get him to do something else -- take some treats from you, throw a ball for him, run around and play with him. just get him to think about something other than what is worrying him. >> all right, great advice. thanks, susan and robin. >> you're welcome. thanks for having us. >> it's great to be here with you. >> one of the best quotes about dogs comes from the american writer josh billings. he said, "a dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself." next to your parents, of course. anyway, a dog's love is a two-way street. you have a responsibility to treat your dog with love and respect, as well. >> this week's "driving tip" is brought to you by the national road safety foundation. [ indistinct conversations laughter ] >> cool party. >> what do you guys want to drink? >> can i have a head-on collision with a concussion twist? [ tires screech, crashing ] >> make mine a fatal accident with no survivors. [ tires screech, siren wails crashing ] >> and you? >> a designated driver, please. you know, just a bottle of water. >> awesome! >> you're a life-saver. >> teens find out what it takes to become a firefighter. n't focus. i was always interrupting my t eammates. earlier in my career my coach approached me. he had some questions for me and, you know, first question was, do i ever have, you know, growing up did i have focus problems? and i said, "yes, coach, you know i obviously suffered from adhd as a kid." i felt like i've outgrown it. and he said, "i think that you know sometimes i don't feel like you're focused." so the next day i went and saw a doctor. i had no reason to be embarrassed, no reason to be, you know, ashamed of having adhd. you know, that's why i'm here telling my story. if you were diagnosed with adhd as a kid you might still have it. find out more. take a quiz at ownitquiz.com to help recognize the symptoms like inattention, impulsivity, hyperactivity, then talk with your doctor. seek help. don't be afraid. it 's your adhd. own it. >> there are basically two types of firefighters in this country -- professionals who are paid to do the job and volunteers who drop what they're doing, even if they're at work to respond to an alarm in their community. whether professional or volunteer, you need special training to be a firefighter. and as carina reports, there are even programs for teens. >> this is the bergen county fire academy in northern new jersey. it's a giant state-of-the-art complex for training firefighters. >> they do 52 three-hour lessons, and they're taught everything from how to carry hose and how to attach the nozzles and how to put out fires, how to search buildings and things like that. >> while many of the participants are adults, the program is also open to teens 16 or older. and it's not just for guys. >> i joined this program because i wanted to become a volunteer firefighter, because my dad was and so was my grandpa, so it was kind of in the family. >> but things have sure changed since her grandfather fought fires. firefighters today use a lot of special equipment. >> this station here, the students will demonstrate how to do an in-service check of their air pack to make sure it's functioning properly and they have enough air in it, and then they will demonstrate how to properly put it on their back, as well as their facepiece, and breathe air through it. >> and it's important because if it's damaged, it might fail when you're firefighting, and then you'd be in trouble, and you could possibly kill yourself. >> safety is part of every aspect of firefighting. even with just tying knots, you really have to know the ropes. >> they have basic fire knots they have to be able to tie. >> you have your bowline, your clove hitch, you have your half hitch, have your becket bend. >> certain knots are designed to carry certain loads. >> if you don't tie the knot correctly, if you're hoisting a tool, it might come loose and hit somebody in the head or injure somebody. >> even just putting up a ladder requires training and practice. it takes a whole other skill set to climb the aerial ladder especially since this ladder can reach as high as a 10-story building. >> they go halfway up. at that point, they have a ladder belt that they tie in to one of the rungs on the aerial ladder. >> on the aerial, stop and lock in. >> leaning back, holding, and being able to understand that they can trust the belt, they can trust the ladder, because they need their hands free to actually do work while they're up there. >> after raising their hands to show that they've correctly attached the safety belt to the ladder, they unhook and continue to the window. these junior firefighters are practicing what's called a minuteman load. >> a minuteman load is a hose line that you can pull off a truck very quickly in case you need to put water on the fire as soon as you get off the truck. >> but there's another reason for the minuteman load. budget cuts and a shortage of volunteers have left many fire departments understaffed. >> in our diminishing ranks, if you will, of volunteer and career firefighters, it's very important to accomplish many tasks at the same time. so it allows one firefighter to bring the entire hose load from the truck directly to the fire rather than having multiple people doing it. >> the idea of volunteer firefighters dates all the way back to one of our nation's founding fathers -- ben franklin. we'll have more on becoming a firefighter when "teen kids news" continues. selling cookies is about... -the big picture. you have to have a goal. -a big goal. something you and your team... -want to do in the world. we choose... -where the money goes. a trip. -an adventure. helping people out. -helping a lot of people out. something never been... -done before. we have to decide. -make a plan. we all... -have to agree. it's not always easy. and about the money? -we are responsible for it. handling it... -managing it... tracking it... -doing great things with it. this is business. -girl business. girl business. -the biggest... girl-run business... -in the world. it's kind of amazing. girl scouts are everywhere. -over 2 million of us. my mom is one. -my little sister is one. my cousin michelle is one. -maybe you're one. girl scouts should totally run the world. -i think we already do. i'm not surprised. -are you surprised? we're not surprised. did you think this was just about cookies? >> all right, brian, checking for heat. >> we're at the bergen county fire academy, following teen trainees learning to be firefighters. >> so we're gonna force entry. >> sometimes, firefighters have to be able to force their way through a locked door. >> ready? ready? strike. strike. strike. >> once inside a burning building, a top priority is looking for people who need to be rescued. >> it's completely dark. and what they're gonna do is they're gonna go in and do a full primary search of the room, search for all occupants, on top of couches, on top of beds laying on the floor, right behind the door, underneath windows. >> there's a lot of science to firefighting. for example, these trainees are using a simple physics principle to create what's called a fog vent. that's why the water stream is aimed out the window. >> basically, they open it up into a cone shape just enough to fill the window, and it creates a negative pressure in the room, and it sucks all the heat, gas and smoke out of the room. >> once that happens, get up off your knees. okay? approach it. give me an overhaul. any questions? okay. >> the academy prides itself on re-creating conditions as realistically as possible, along with maximum safety, of course. here, trainees are put in the line of fire -- literally. the flames and heat are real. and so is the hose that twists and jerks like a giant snake on steroids. >> it's a lot heavier than it seems, and there's a lot of pressure when the water comes out, so it can really throw you back. >> that's why knowledge and teamwork are so important. no question about it. this is not easy. >> hardest part of the program is lugging around all of your equipment all day in the hot sun and getting all sweaty. >> which brings up a question -- can girls be as good as guys at firefighting? >> i feel it's an equal team effort. i feel girls can do just as well as guys and vice versa. >> it doesn't matter your sex or race or anything. you're a firefighter. you can do it just as good as anybody else. >> way back in 1736, benjamin franklin helped start the first volunteer fire department. ever since then, america has depended on volunteer firefighters. but the ranks are thinning. >> 42 years ago, when i joined the volunteer fire service, we had 1.2 million firefighters and 900,000 were volunteers. today, we only have 700,000 volunteers. it's much harder for families and their work environment to have time to volunteer. >> are you hoping programs like this will change that? >> oh, yes, i am. i'm hoping, in the future, we can get more volunteers. >> i see firefighting in my future. i really enjoy it. >> i would say go for it. you know, it's a lot of fun, and it's a great way to get involved in your community. >> no matter where you live, your families and your homes are a bit safer because of programs like these. for "teen kids news," i'm carina. >> that wraps up our show, but we'll be back soon with more "teen kids news." thanks for joining us and have a great week. >> here's a shout-out to pr newswire for including "teen kids news" on their big screen in times square new york city. jack hanna's animal adventures, brought to you by sea world and busch gardens. for more than forty years, working to preserve the world we share. take a trip to the zoo, and you'll laugh with the animals, fall in love with them ...and maybe even help protect them. (music)