Edible Flowers by Guest Blogger: Brittaney Bialas, MS, RD

Spring is a warm, bright, and sunny time of year when you may schedule time for outdoor picnics at local parks and beaches. While you are at it, you might as well pencil in some time to brighten up your herb or vegetable garden with some tasty flowers – edible flowers, that is! 

You may have seen floral garnishes adorning fancy meals or flashy desserts; but you may not know that you can eat many of these flowers fresh from the plant after rinsing. Edible flowers can be cooked like a vegetable, sprinkled on top of a favorite dish, used to make soups and sauces, or stuffed and sautéed as a main part of a recipe. They can be made into vinegar, syrups, butters, and jellies, or used in custards, sorbets, and other desserts. They can also be frozen into ice cubes to add extra excitement to an otherwise boring beverage on a hot day. Now is the time of year when many edible flowers are in peak bloom. They may even be in your garden already - just waiting to be added to your next dish!

Some of the edible flowers that may be in your backyard or vases include pansies, violas, chrysanthemums, carnations, fuchsias, geraniums, jasmine, lavender, violets, and certain roses. Flavors range from sweet and honey-like to spicy and peppery, while scents can add a floral aroma or a citrusy tang. Nasturtiums are a popular edible flower that adds a spicy, peppery kick. The purple flowers of banana trees and blossoms of citrus trees (lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, kumquat) are edible fruit flowers that may be in your back yard. Many herb flowers, including alliums (garlic, chives, leeks), cilantro/coriander, chicory, dill, mint, sage, and thyme are also safe to eat. Most of the flavors of herbal flowers resemble those of the herbs they come from. These can be added to a dish along with or in place of the herb itself. Several vegetable flowers probably already make a regular appearance in your diet, such as cauliflower (who would have thought?), broccoli, and artichoke, which are all flower blossoms. In addition, the flowers of arugula, okra, radishes, peas, and squash are edible. Squash blossoms appear quite often in the produce stands and taste a bit like the raw gourd from which it came.

Best of all, many edible flowers have vitamin C, vitamin A, and other beneficial essential nutrients. Edible flowers can replace sodium and sugar when used in conjunction with herbs and spices, adding more flavor and aroma to foods. However, keep in mind that edible flowers have a delicate taste that is detected best when added to simple dishes that do not have overpowering flavors.

Many flowers can be safely tossed onto our plates; but there are flowers that are poisonous and should never be eaten. Always make sure a flower is edible before adding it to your food. Some resources that list some edible flowers are at Colorado State Extension  and North Carolina State University. In general, edible flowers are best when they are picked during the morning when they have the most moisture. They can be rinsed and placed in a moist paper towel in the refrigerator for storage. Use within a short period to maintain quality.

There are also some safety rules to follow regarding where you find your edible flowers. Do not pick flowers from the side of the road where fumes from vehicles and other contaminants can make the plants unsafe to eat. Do not purchase edible flowers from nurseries or garden centers unless they are grown specifically for consumption. Do consume edible flowers that you have grown from seeds as long as you do not use pesticides or other chemicals. Do introduce small amounts of new flowers one at a time since pollen from the plants may trigger allergies. Do research which parts should and should not be used since each type of edible flower is different.

Flowers are nice to have. Their colors brighten a room, they give off a pleasing aroma, and they bring joy to people who take the time to notice them.

However, one of the most exciting reasons for dietitians to love flowers is that they may be food! Spring is the perfect time to try something new and let an edible flower be a part of your dining room table – and not just as an accent piece in a vase! 

Pansy Herb Salad 
4 cups mixed greens 
1/4 cup fresh sprigs of dill 
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves 
4 large basil leaves, rolled up and thinly sliced crosswise 
1 large lemon, halved 
Pinch of salt 
Fresh ground black pepper to taste 
1 /2 cup toasted walnuts 
3/4 cup crumbled feta 
1 cup fresh pansy flowers 

Toss salad greens and herbs in a large bowl. Squeeze lemon juice (without the seeds) over the greens and season with salt and pepper. Toss again. Add walnuts and feta and toss well. Divide salad and pansies among four serving plates and serve.

Nutrition Fact Per Serving (Serves 4) Calories: 179; Fat: 16g; Carbohydrate: 5g. Adapted from Pansy Herb Salad

International Assistance Dog Week

International Assistance Dog Week was established due to the efforts of Marcie Davis, a paraplegic for over 35 years and CEO of Davis Innovations, a consulting firm based in Santa Fe, NM.


International Assistance Dog Week

      Diabetes alert dog smells blood sugar changes

America's VetDogs CFC

Description of the Various Types of Assistance Dogs

Guide Dogs. Assist people with vision loss, leading these individuals around physical obstacles and to destinations such as seating, crossing streets, entering or exiting doorways, elevators and stairways.

Service Dogs. Assist people with disabilities with walking, balance, dressing, transferring from place to place, retrieving and carrying items, opening doors and drawers, pushing buttons, pulling wheelchairs and aiding with household chores, such as putting in and removing clothes from the washer and dryer.

Hearing Alert Dogs. Alert people with a hearing loss to the presence of specific sounds such as doorbells, telephones, crying babies, sirens, another person, buzzing timers or sensors, knocks at the door or smoke, fire and clock alarms.

Seizure Alert/Seizure Response Dogs. Alert or respond to medical conditions, such as heart attack, stroke, diabetes, epilepsy, panic attack, anxiety attack, post-traumatic stress and seizures.

Medical Alert/Medical Response Dogs. Alert to oncoming medical conditions, such as heart attack, stroke, diabetes, epilepsy, panic attack, anxiety attack, and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Assistance dogs are allowed to accompany their human partners to places of business including restaurants and shops. Under state law and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), they are guaranteed equal access to any and all establishments and accommodations; no extra charge can be levied because of the dog.

Resources.

International Assistance Dog Week (www.assistancedogweek)
Working Like Dogs (http://www.workinglikedogs.com/)

Assistance Dogs International (http://www.assistancedogsinternational.org/)
International Association of Assistance Dog Partners (http://www.iaadp.org/)

July 26, Americans with Disabilities Act Signed

National Disability Independence Day

President George Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House on July 26, 1990.


President Donald J. Trump Proclaims July 26, 2017, as a Day in Celebration of the 27th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

For Americans with disabilities,
Trump’s policies are dangerous.

Across the country, people with disabilities are continuing to lead the fight for inclusivity and recognition, with the support of their families, advocates, and human services professionals. What will happen under a Trump administration? The fight is going to get a lot harder.

Trump’s mocking of disabled New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski in 2016 has been widely recognized, but his actual policies for people with disabilities are just terrible. His plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), even without a replacement, is dangerous for the many people with disabilities who now worry about losing their health insurance. His promise to cut Medicaid is also disastrous for the more than 10 million people with disabilities who rely on it in order to receive services, like community-based care which promotes independent living opportunities and integrated work and community environments. And his record of haphazardly enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as the removal of the White House website’s pages on access and inclusion shortly after he came to office, indicate very clearly that people with disabilities are simply not a priority for a Trump administration.

Donald Trump Accused of Mocking Reporter with Disability

I don't understand how our President can make fun of a disabled person and numerous ethnic groups. 

Health Care
As our country decides on a new health care program, those of us with disabled and elderly family members - wait in fear. Though Trump promised he would not touch Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security,

Resources

United States Department of Labor, Americans with Disabilities Act
ADA.gov, Home Page
Wikipedia, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
Huffpost, 3 Trump Properties Hit With New Disabilities Violations Complaints
Including his brand-new, “very special” hotel in Washington, D.C.
Daily Beast, Donald Trump’s War on People With Disabilities

July 24, National Drive-Thru Day The Pros and Cons of "Drive-Thru Restaurants”

Nutrition Entertainment

Taco Bell Drive-Thru Song

As a Registered Dietitian, I was curious about how many calories, fat, and sodium was in their order. Per person, if everything was consumed, the total intake would be:

Calories: 3,549; Fat: 179 g; Sodium: 7782 mg

The calorie intake is excessive (by about 1000-2000 calories); Fat about 3 times the normal range; and sodium is off the chart (recommendation - less than 1500 to 2300 mg/day). However, the song is funny and I look forward to hearing more from Rhett and Link.

Drive-Thru Rap: Healthy Version

Rhett and Link are concerned about people's health and created the
Healthy Version of the Drive-Thru Rap.

Rhett and Link are a North Carolina-based comedy duo consisting of life-long best friends, Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal. They are best known for their Internet videos. In addition to their web presence, Rhett and Link are also musicians and filmmakers and have worked in network television as hosts. They own and operate a video production company, Rhett and Link, Inc. To learn more about the talented duo visit http://rhettandlink.com/.

National Macaroni and Cheese Day

Recipe from Cooking Light:
  Three-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

Recipes 

Cooking Light: Healthy Macaroni and Cheese Recipes  

July 6, National Fried Chicken Day

Oven-Fried Chicken

EatingWell

Nutrition Information

Resource
Recipe: Oven Fried Chicken, EatingWell. Omitted sesame seeds.

June 25, National Strawberry Parfait Day

June 25 is designated as National Strawberry Parfait Day. Parfaits are associated with high calories, but with portion planning, you can turn a parfait into a healthy snack.

Strawberry Parfait with Granola

Ingredients.
1/4 cup Light Strawberry Ice Cream
1 Tablespoon Granola
1/4 cup Strawberries, chopped
1/2 cup Strawberries

Nutrition Information

Strawberry Parfait with
Frozen Strawberry Yogurt and Granola

Ingredients.
1/3 cup Light Frozen Strawberry Yogurt
2 Tablespoon Granola
1/4 cup Strawberries, chopped
1/2 cup Strawberries
1.5 teaspoons Strawberry Preserves


Nutrition Information. 165 Calories; 3 g Protein; 34 g Carbohydrates; 2 g Dietary Fiber; 3 g Fat (g); 7 mg Cholesterol; 49 mg Vitamin C; 120 mcg Folate; 48 mg Sodium

National Egg Roll Day

Egg rolls are a variety of deep-fried appetizers served in American Chinese restaurants. An egg roll is a cylindrical, savory roll with shredded cabbage, chopped pork, and other fillings inside a thickly-wrapped wheat flour skin, which is fried in hot oil. The dish is served warm, and is usually eaten with the fingers, dipped in duck sauce, soy sauce, plum sauce, or hot mustard, often from a cellophane packet. 

Egg rolls are a ubiquitous feature of American Chinese cuisine and are often served as free additions to American Chinese combination platters throughout the United States, along with fried rice and fortune cookies.

National Egg Roll Day - Baked Egg Rolls
Low in fat and crispy; Taste of Home 

Resources.
1. Egg roll, Wikipedia 

June News, Events and Resources in Nutrition, Food, and Health

Current News, Resources, and Events in Nutrition, Food, Health, Environment, Safety, and Disability Rights. Encourages awareness and inspires ideas for Journalists, Educators, Consumers, and Health Professionals. Wellness News is updated daily and includes weekly and daily events. To view the entire Newsletter online click here.

June Wellness News

June Highlights

     International Men's Month
 Men's Health Month
  Father's Day

     June Dairy Month

     Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf Hurricane Season  (6/1-11/30)

  
   National Aphasia Awareness Month 
Migraine Awareness Month
Home Safety Month
Caribbean-American Heritage Month
Effective Communications Month
Audiobook Appreciation Month
Sports America Kids Month
Potty Training Awareness Month
Great Outdoors Month
June is Perennial Gardening Month
National Aquarium and Zoo Month
National Camping Month
National Rivers Month

Wellness News employs young adults with "Special Needs" (Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Down Syndrome, Muscular Dystrophy). Please make a donation with the proceeds going to special need adults. Contact Dr. Sandra Frank for additional information (recipenews@gmail.com).

Prepared by 

http://www.dietitians-online.com/

http://www.weighing-success.com/

Wellness News (www.weighing-success.com/WellnessNews.html)

Sandra Frank, Ed.D, RDN, LD, FAND

Jake Frank

May 20th- Today’s Events in Food, Nutrition, and Humanity

National Quiche Lorraine Day – Recipe: Mexican Vegetarian Quiche, #EatingWell  http://bit.ly/2IvOZFM

National Rescue Dog Day – Animal Rescue Team, #HumaneSociety  http://bit.ly/2KBQHSD  Every year they rescue thousands of animals from puppy mills, animal fighting’s, natural disasters, and other animals suffering from life-threatening cruelty and neglect #foreverhomes

National Take Your Parents to the Playground Day - 5 Simple, Fun Ideas for Family Fitness, #WebMD  https://wb.md/2ka9fhy  Family activities and fitness at an early age can help children form healthy habits for life and create fun memories for families.

Pick Strawberries Day

Strawberries are easy to grow indoors or outside. It's a fun family activity to plant, grow, harvest and eat. Virtually fat-free, no cholesterol & an excellent source of folic acid; good source of potassium. Eat them out-of-hand, on the run. Just wash and bite — anytime.  http://bit.ly/2IVeGig

Food History: 1810 On this day Dolly Madison, wife of President James Madison, supposedly served the first ice cream at the White House

Screen-Free Week - Check-out the Alternative Activities

Screen-Free Week (formerly TV-Turnoff, founded 1994) is an annual event in which parents, children, teachers and others across the country turn off screen media (TV, video games, computers, cell phones, etc.) and celebrate the magic of being unplugged. Screen-Free Week is a program of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.

Screen-Free Week

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time for children under 2 and less than 2 hours per day for older children. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents create an electronic-media-free environment in children’s bedrooms.
 

The Benefits of Reduced Screen Time

• Reducing screen time can help prevent childhood obesity.

• Children who spend less time watching television in the early years tend to do better in school, have a healthier diet, and are more physically active.

Hazards of Too Much Screen Time

•Adolescents with a television in their bedroom spend more time watching TV and report less physical activity, less healthy dietary habits, worse school performance, and fewer family meals.

• Children with a television in their bedroom are more likely to be overweight.

Alternative Activities During Screen-Free Week

• Prepare a family meal together
• Take a walk in the park or neighborhood
• Start a family fitness program
• Plant a vegetable garden or grow a fruit tree
• Plan a picnic or barbecue
• Take a nature hike around your neighborhood
• Organize a scavenger hunt
• Learn yoga
• Dance
• Volunteer 

Resources
1. American Heart Association, Limit Screen Time and Get Your Kids (and the WholeFamily) Moving 

2. Screen-Free Week: 50+ Fun Screen-Free Activities for Kids

National Pet Week Health Benefits

Health Benefits of a Pet

Studies have found that:
• Pet owners are less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets.
• People with pets have lower blood pressure in stressful situations than those without pets.
• Playing with a pet can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine, which calm and relax.
• Pet owners have lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels than those without pets.
• Heart attack patients with pets survive longer than those without.
• Pet owners over age 65 make 30 percent fewer visits to their doctors than those without pets.

Caring for a pet can help with those healthy lifestyle changes by:

• Increasing exercise. Exercise doesn’t have to involve boring repetition at a gym. Taking a dog for a walk, riding a horse, or simply chasing a kitten around are fun ways to fit healthy daily exercise into your schedule.

• Providing companionship. Isolation and loneliness can make disorders such as depression even worse. Caring for a living animal can help make you feel needed and wanted, and take the focus away from your problems. Most pet owners talk to their pets, some even use them to work through their troubles.

• Helping meet new people. Pets can be a great social lubricant for their owners. Dog owners frequently stop and talk to each other on walks or in a dog park. Pet owners also meet new people in pet stores, clubs, and training classes.
• Reducing anxiety. The companionship of a dog can offer comfort, help ease anxiety, and build self-confidence for people anxious about going out into the world.
• Adding structure and routine to your day. Many pets, especially dogs, require a regular feeding and exercise schedule. No matter your mood—depressed, anxious, or stressed—you’ll always have to get out of bed to feed, exercise, and care for your pet.
• Providing sensory stress relief. Touch and movement are two healthy ways to quickly manage stress. This could involve petting a cat or taking a dog for a walk.

Pets and older adults
The key to aging well is to effectively handle life’s major changes, such as retirement, the loss of loved ones, and the physical changes of aging. Pets can play an important role in healthy aging by:
• Helping you find meaning and joy in life. As you age, you’ll lose things that previously occupied your time and gave your life purpose. You may retire from your career or your children may move far away. Caring for a pet can bring pleasure and help boost your morale and optimism. Taking care of an animal can also provide a sense of self-worth.
• Staying connected. Maintaining a social network isn’t always as easy as you grow older. Retirement, illness, death, and moves can take away close friends and family members. And making new friends can get harder. Dogs especially are a great way for seniors to spark up conversations and meet new people.
• Boosting vitality. You can overcome many of the physical challenges associated with aging by taking good care of yourself. Pets encourage playfulness, laughter, and exercise, which can help boost your immune system and increase your energy.

Resources and References

American Humane Association
5 Ways Pets Can Improve Your Health

National Youth Sports Safety Month and Nutritional Needs

Written by Tracy S. Williams, BS, Nutrition Educator. 

Learn more about Tracy at Tracy's Plate

April is National Youth Sports Safety Month, created to focus attention on sports safety and injury prevention for children and teen athletes. Proper nutrition is also important for healthy youth athletics. Eating right will help children and teens to be healthier and stronger for competition and in their daily life.

National Playground Safety Week is a time to focus on children's outdoor play environments. A time to pledge to use good judgment when playing. A time for gratitude for all the adults who work tirelessly on maintaining our playgrounds.

Feeding Young Athletes

While feeding a child athlete may seem like a challenge, it only requires a little knowledge and extra planning. Children need optimal nutrition for fueling and recovery from training as well as meet the calorie demands of growth and maturation. It is important to help kids refuel with carbohydrates, focusing on family mealtime before and after practice or competition.

It is ideal for the family to sit down together for a pre-game breakfast. Three hours beforehand, an optimal pre-game breakfast could include sliced and slightly grilled potatoes, paired with scrambled eggs and nutrient-rich fruit such as berries and orange juice or fat-free or low-fat milk. Hydration is always important before, during and after practice and competitions. Dehydration occurs when your child fails to adequately replace fluid loss through sweating. Dehydration that exceeds 2% of body weight loss harms exercise performance, so make sure your child replace fluid loss after exercise performance, so make sure your child drinks small amounts of water throughout the game. Potassium and carbohydrates are important nutrients to replenish after exercise. Potassium and carbohydrates are found in bananas, potatoes, and fat-free or low-fat yogurt or milk. Chocolate milk is a particularly good post-competition recovery beverage.

If you have more than one child in sports, the hours after practice or a weekday competition may require snacking before dinner. Have pre-prepared snacks ready when kids arrive home hungry after a hard after-school practice or game. These snacks can be cut-up fresh fruit, low-fat yogurt and smoothies. For a tasty and filling post-game family dinner, serve baked or broiled lean cuts of meat such as lean beef or pork, chicken breast, salmon or tuna. Add whole grains, like whole-wheat pasta with a low-fat tomato or cheese sauce. Toss in vegetables or include a side salad. Parents and kids should complete their meal with fruit for dessert, such as baked apples or pears along with a glass of low-fat or fat-free milk. Or create an instant yogurt parfait with layers of low-fat vanilla yogurt, fresh, frozen or canned fruit, and crunchy whole grain cereal. Be sure to consume all five food groups throughout the day, protein, grains, vegetables, fruits and dairy to give your family and young athletes the nutrients and calories they need.

Eating Adequate Calories and Nutrients

Young athletes often push themselves harder than usual, training intensely to gain a competitive edge. This increased activity requires eating more calories to meet the demands of training and recovery in addition to calories needed for growth and development. Children and teens may not understand how their calorie need translate into daily food choices. Bone health is a major concern as girls and boys build 60 to 80 percent of their lifetime bone mass by age 18. If young athletes restrict their eating to keep weight down for sports like gymnastics, skating or wrestling, bone growth may be diminished. Restricted diets can also be low in calcium, vitamin D, which contributes to poor bone formation.

Other potential effects of eating too few calories are increased the risk of injury, and lowered endurance and decreased muscle strength. It can also reduce response to training, decrease coordination, and impair judgment and increase irritability and depression. The good news is correcting low-calorie intake can get athletic performance back to optimum levels.

It is important for parents to teach their children about the calorie demands of their training and the relationship proper nutrition, to good bone health and injury prevention and optimal training. Keep an eye out for weight loss and changes in mood as well as create a supportive environment in which girls and boys can consume three meals and one to three snacks per day. Missing one meal on a regular basis can result in an inadequate calorie intake.

School Nutrition for Athletes

A well-balanced diet provides children and teen athletes with the calories and nutrients they need to power their workouts and support their rapid growth. According to a study in the 2006 Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, children and teens who play team sports have slightly better eating habits and higher intakes of key nutrients than kids who do not, but there is still plenty of room for improvement.

Today breakfast is often available at school, so if students are late risers or are not ready to eat when they get up in the morning, they can still grab breakfast before class. When kids do not eat breakfast, they miss out on a big chunk of their day’s nutrition. That can rob them of important nutrients and also take its toll on their energy levels at practice later in the day.

Active kids need protein to support growth and build and repair hardworking muscles. Today protein is leaner than ever because of USDA guidelines encouraging schools to limit saturated fat to less than 10 percent of overall calories. That means leaner meats, skinless chicken and low-fat dairy in yogurt parfaits, bean and cheese burritos, and egg and cheese wraps for breakfast. Turkey burgers and southwestern chef salads and rice and bean bowls at lunch.

Carbohydrates are the optimal fuel for sports and exercise because they are naturally used for proper energy. The best place to get them is from slowly digested, nutrient-rich whole grains. At breakfast, kids will now start their day with whole grain versions of cereal, mini pancakes, and zucchini or banana bread. For lunch, they will dig into whole wheat spaghetti with meat sauce, chicken sandwiches on whole grain buns and baked chicken tenders with brown rice.

Good hydration should begin early in the day before kids even set foot on the playing field. While sports drinks might be a smart move, water is better for hydration for training that only lasts an hour. Sports drinks are best when used for a two-hour training session or during games.

Parents can provide nutritious meals after a game or training session. Hard training could contribute to an eating disorder if athletes do not have proper nutrition. School cafeterias can contribute to proper nutrition for student-athletes. Nutrition will always be a key component for the safety and strength for all athletes.