America's Favorite Fish

America’s Favorite Fish

America’s favorite fish is shrimp.  Shrimp and other shellfish can be a healthy alternative to other protein sources. Shrimp is very low in saturated fat and doesn’t contain trans fat—unless it’s been fried or cooked in a way that adds trans fat. But if you already have high cholesterol, follow the advice of your doctor about dietary cholesterol as shrimp is a source of cholesterol.  Shrimp is also low in calories. 

Three ounces of baked or broiled shrimp provides about 20 grams of protein, just a few grams less than that a 3-ounce chicken breast. Aside from protein, shrimp provide a pretty impressive array of nutrients. Four ounces steamed contains over 100% of the Daily Value for selenium, over 75% for vitamin B12, over 50% for phosphorous and over 30% for choline, copper, and iodine.

As a note, they are also lower in omega-3 fatty acids.

CDC Releases 2015 Prevention Status Reports

CDC Releases 2015 Prevention Status Reports

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released the latest Prevention Status Reports (PSRs).  The PSRs highlight—for all 50 states and the District of Columbia—the status of public health policies and practices designed to prevent or reduce 10 important public health problems. Heart disease and stroke, which are the leading causes of death for men and women in the United States, are featured in the report.

Each year, more than 800,000 people die from cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease and stroke, although many of these deaths can be prevented.  As highlighted in the PSRs, the use of electronic health records (EHR) and pharmacist collaborative drug therapy management policies are key evidence-based strategies that can help reduce or prevent heart disease and stroke. 

Health care providers can help save lives by using EHRs to identify and support patients who need help addressing risk factors for heart disease and stroke, including controlling high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Pharmacists can play a role through participating in team-based approaches to improve the quality of care for patients.

According to the 2015 reports, all 50 states increased the number of office-based physicians who use EHRs to engage with patients. The majority of states have a pharmacist collaborative drug therapy management policy in place for all health conditions. These policies are vital because they can increase the chances that patients will adhere to medications used to treat high blood pressure and cholesterol and potentially improve patient outcomes.

You can find your state’s report at PSRs by State.  To help you use the reports, CDC created the PSR Quick Start Guide, which provides tools to increase the use of evidence-based public health practices in your state. We encourage you to use these reports and share with partners who can help raise awareness and heart disease and stroke prevention.  If you have questions about the PSRs, please email psrinfo@cdc.gov.  For more on cardiovascular disease, visit http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/

 

Nutrition and the Caregiver

Nutrition and the Caregiver

Are you providing care to a loved one? According to the Caregiver Action Network, more than 65 million people, 29% of the U.S. population, provide care for a chronically ill, disabled or aged family member or friend during any given year and spend an average of 20 hours per week providing care for their loved one.

On an airplane, an oxygen mask descends in front of you. What do you do? As we all know, the first rule is to put on your own oxygen mask before you assist anyone else. Only when we first help ourselves can we effectively help others. Caring for yourself is one of the most important—and one of the most often forgotten—things you can do as a caregiver. When your needs are taken care of, the person you care for will benefit, too.

You may wonder what your day-to-day nutritional choices have to do with being a caregiver.  The food that you eat affects your moods, overall health and immune system.  When you experience the ongoing stress of caregiving, good nutrition becomes critical to maintain your health and well-being.

Here are some tips for making healthy, time efficient meals.

• Make breakfast for dinner i.e. omelets, egg sandwiches, pancakes, waffles or breakfast casserole.
• Microwave potatoes and serve with cheese, broccoli or chili.
• Make or purchase soup and freeze the remainder for future meals.
• Take advantage of the deli in your local supermarket.
• Look for a new array of snacks appearing in supermarkets that are higher amounts of protein and often include healthy ingredients.
• Place an assortment of vegetables like carrots, squash, onion, peppers, and potatoes on a baking sheet and roast in the oven at 425 degrees and check after 25-30 minutes.
• Have some leftover fruit? Freeze and use in smoothies.



Ways to Boost Memory

Ways to Boost Memory

Have you ever wondered what you could do to improve your memory? There are many things that can help expand your brain power at any age.  Your brain has the ability to form new neuro pathways and to alter existing connections that can increase your cognitive abilities.  Here are a few ways that may help.

• Eat memory-boosting foods such as vegetables, especially those that re cruciferous or dark leafy greens (broccoli, cabbage, spinach, leaf lettuce).  Berries and cherries, especially dark ones are rich in anthocyanins and flavonoids that may boost memory function.  Healthy fats that contain omega-3 are essential for good brain health.
• Give your brain a workout.  Your memory is like muscle strength; you lose it if you don’t use it.  The best brain activities to increase memory are ones that break your routine, challenge and engage you.  Something you could try is learning to play an instrument, learn a new language, or a new game.
• Physical exercise increases oxygen to the brain and increases growth factors, which in turn, stimulate new neuronal connections in the brain.  Aerobic exercise keeps the blood pumping.  Try a short walk or even some jumping jacks.
• Getting enough sleep impacts memory greatly.  Ninety-five percent of adults need 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Even losing a few hours makes a difference.  Your memory, creativity and critical thinking skills can be jeopardized if you don’t get enough sleep.
• Having a strong support system and active social life have shown to have a slowing effect on memory decline as studied by the Harvard School of Health.  Try joining a club, visiting friends more often or even adopting a pet.

Source: Brown County Aging and Disability Resource Center    

MyPlate Snack Tips for Parents10 Tips for Healthy Snacking

MyPlate Snack Tips for Parents

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/sites/default/files/tentips/DGTipSheet24MyPlateSnackTipsforParents.pdf

 

Did You Know?

Did You Know?

• About 86 million American adults have prediabetes, but 90% of them don’t know it!
• You can add our prediabetes quiz to your website to help people find out in minutes if they’re at risk.
• You can also help spread the word about prediabetes and how to prevent diabetes by sharing these CDC resources, including links to social media, infographics, and podcasts.

 

Polyunsaturated Fat Levels in Foods

Polyunsaturated Fat Levels in Foods

Polyunsaturated fats can have a beneficial effect on your heart when eaten in moderation and when used to replace saturated fat and trans fat in your diet.

From a chemical standpoint, polyunsaturated fats are simply fat molecules that have more than one unsaturated carbon bond in the molecule; this is also called a double bond. Oils that contain polyunsaturated fats are typically liquid at room temperature but start to turn solid when chilled. Olive oil is an example of a type of oil that contains polyunsaturated fats.

Polyunsaturated fats can help reduce bad cholesterol levels in your blood which can lower your risk of heart disease and stroke. They also provide nutrients to help develop and maintain your body’s cells. Oils rich in polyunsaturated fats also contribute vitamin E to the diet, an antioxidant vitamin most Americans need more of oils rich in polyunsaturated fats also provide essential fats that your body needs but can’t produce itself – such as omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. You must get essential fats through food. Omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids are important for many functions in the body.

Yes. While, all fats provide 9 calories per gram, monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats can have a positive effect on your health, when eaten in moderation. The bad fats – saturated fats and trans fats

Here is list of some vegetable oils and percentage of polyunsaturated fat.
Safflower oil – 78%
Sunflower oil – 69%
Corn oil – 62%
Soybean oil – 61%

Other good sources of polyunsaturated fats include: walnuts, pecans, pistachios and almonds.

Some fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) include:
Herring – Atlantic
Salmon
Sardines – Pacific
Trout
Tuna

Take Control of Your Blood Pressure

Take Control of your Blood Pressure

February is Heart Month, a time for us all to think about heart health for ourselves and those we love. Heart health is complicated and many factors contribute to it, but many of those factors are within our control.

High blood pressure is a leading cause of heart disease and stroke. One in every six Americans has high blood pressure and for certain groups the rate is even higher. Two out of every five African Americans have high blood pressure. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), people with high blood pressure are 4 times more likely to die from a stroke and 3 times more likely to die from heart disease, compared to those with normal blood pressure.

 So what can you do?

1. Ask your doctor what your blood pressure should be and check it every few months. You can have it checked at your doctor or at your local pharmacy. If you have high blood pressure you may want to have a blood pressure cuff at home for regular monitoring.
2. If you smoke, quit! If you don’t smoke, don’t start.
3. If your doctor prescribes blood pressure medicine, take it as directed.
4. Reduce the amount of sodium you eat. Follow these steps from the CDC to reduce sodium in your diet.

• Cook more food at home and eat less food from restaurants.
• Buy fresh, frozen (no sauce) or no salt added canned vegetables.
• Buy low sodium or reduced sodium versions of products like soups, sauces and ready-made dishes like flavored rice or pasta.
• Compare Nutrition Facts labels on food packages.
   
  Source: Christine Hradek is a State Nutrition Specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
   

Mindful Eating vs Dieting

Mindful Eating vs. Dieting

I recently read the following article written by Michigan State University Extension.  I thought it was very interesting, so am including it on my blog.

Mindfulness is a practice of slowing down and staying in the moment without judgment. In contrast, dieting is often judgement-based and promotes abstinence from certain foods or caloric reduction. Slowing down and being aware without judgment seems much easier than dieting until you actually physically try it. However, there is some great information available to help anyone who wants to start introducing mindful eating into their lives.

Dr. Jan Chozen Bays book, “Mindful Eating – A Guide to Rediscovering a Healthy and Joyful Relationship with Food,” makes you realize that the reasons people eat are a complex subject. In her book, she explains seven kinds of hunger and patterns of eating and how habits form. The book explains how to unwind these patterns through six simple guidelines to become more mindful of the pleasures of eating. Mindfulness truly is the basics of eating and getting back to listening and appreciating what our body is communicating to us, much like an infant instinctively does.

This article explores the third principle- The energy equation (learn about the first principle, slowing down). In the last article, eating the right amount of food was explained. The energy equation is similar in that it focuses on being mindful of the amount of food we buy, prepare and eat but this third principle of mindful eating focusses on the idea of food as an energy source. Dr. Bays explains that when we eat, we take in energy. When we live our lives, we are releasing and spending that energy. If our weight stays constant, it is a sure sign that the energy flowing through our bodies is equal to the energy flowing out. 

The main way we get energy into our bodies (besides breathing) is by eating. You can’t absorb calories mysteriously just by working or looking at foods, you have to eat them. The release or flow of energy coming out  of our bodies is complex and may not be fully understood. However, we know energy flows out in all the activities we do including unconscious activities like keeping the body warm and keeping the metabolic factories in all our cells operating. We also use energy when we exhale warm breath, urinate, shiver or when we have a fever, energy use of this kind is called “insensible loss.”

America has an obesity issue and although the issue remains a complex one, in many ways it also continues to be an issue of energy imbalance. American’s portion sizes, choice of cheaper calorie-rich foods, grazing and snacking and other less-mindful eating practices all add-up to a greater intake of energy than previous generations. We have less energy flow coming out due to working less for our food, having more sedentary lifestyles than a generation ago and more entertainment that requires minimum or no exercise and reduced recess and physical education in schools. 

Being mindful when eating involves paying attention to what we are eating and what we can do to help maintain a balanced energy flow. Making just one small adjustment can make a huge difference. Try parking the car further away from the office and taking the stairs or taking moderate first servings and looking at why you are taking seconds – hunger or habit?  

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension

 

How Much Money Should I Spend on Food

How Much Money Should I Spend On Food

I often get questions about how much money should households spend on food on a monthly basis.  Below is a link to a calculator that will lead you to a calculator designed to provide an estimate based on the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Low-Cost Food Plan. 

 

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/foodsavings/page/what-you-should-spend