World Heart Day - Heart Heroes

Heart Heroes … people from all walks of life who are acting now to live longer, better, heart-healthy lives by making a promise:

• A promise to our families to cook and eat more healthily
• A promise to our children to exercise more and help them to be more active, to say no to smoking, and help our loved ones to stop
• A promise as a healthcare professional to help patients give up smoking and lower their cholesterol
• A promise as a policymaker to support policies that promote healthy hearts
• A promise as an employee to invest in heart-healthy workplaces
• A simple promise … for My Heart, for Your Heart, for All Our Hearts.

World Heart Day

Heart health is at the heart of all health. When you look after your heart, it means eating and drinking well, exercising, stopping smoking... all the things that make you not only healthier but also feel good and able to enjoy your life to the fullest.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and disability in the world, killing 17.5 million people a year. That's a third of all deaths on the planet and half of all non-communicable disease-related deaths. Around 80% of these deaths are in low- and middle-income countries where human and financial resources are least able to address the CVD burden.

World Heart Day plays a crucial role in changing all of this. It is a vital global platform that raises awareness and encourages individuals, families, communities, and governments to take action now. Together we have the power to reduce the burden of, and premature deaths from, CVD, helping people everywhere to live longer, better, heart-healthy lives.

The World Heart Federation exists to prevent and control these diseases through awareness campaigns and action, promoting the exchange of information, ideas, and science among those involved in cardiovascular care, advocating for disease prevention and control by promoting healthy diets, physical activity, and tobacco-free living at an individual, community and policymaker level. There work is organized in four programme areas.

     Awareness

     Advocacy

     Applied Research
     Sharing Science and  Building Capacity

Over 70 percent of all cardiac and breathing emergencies occur in the home when a family member is present and available to help a victim.

The world’s most common cause of death. CVDs Facts and Figures

Learn the signs and symptoms of a heart attack or stroke 

Warning Signs of a Heart Attack include:
* Chest discomfort, including squeezing or pain in the center of the chest between the breasts or behind the breastbone
*  Discomfort and/or pain spreading to other areas of the upper body such as one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach
*  Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort
Other signs include unexplained weakness or fatigue, anxiety or unusual nervousness, indigestion or gas-like pain, breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, vomiting, light-headedness, and collapse.

Warning Signs of a Stroke include:

*  Sudden weakness of the face, arm, or leg, most often on one side of the body
*  Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
*  Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
*  Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination

*  Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
If experiencing any of these signs, which could come and go, call your emergency services/ambulance immediately.  If there is no emergency response number, seek medical attention as soon as possible.

CVD risk factors include:
Women and CVD  - Facts and Tips
Visit the World Heart Foundation for more information.

National Potato Month - Rose, Gold, and Purple Potato Salad with Mustard Curry Vinaigrette

Potatoes are one of the vegetables in the nightshade (Solanaceae) family, which includes eggplant, tomatoes and bell peppers. It is a starchy, tuberous crop. Potatoes are the world's fourth-largest food crop, following maize, wheat, and rice.

Nutrition

One medium potato (5.3 oz) with the skin contains:
110 Calories; Vitamin C (45 % DV); 620 mg potassium; Vitamin B6 (10 % DV); No Fat; No Sodium; No Cholesterol; and Trace amounts of thiamine, riboflavin, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc. Potatoes also contain a variety of phytonutrients that have antioxidant activity. Among these important health-promoting compounds are carotenoids and flavonoids.

About 20% of the potato’s nutrition is found in the skin.  Most of the vitamin C and potassium are found in the potato’s flesh, but the fiber is found in the skin.  That’s why it’s best to enjoy every part of the potato.

According to MyPlate, Potatoes are a vegetable.  It counts toward the total recommended servings of vegetables. One medium-sized potato (5.3 oz.) counts as 1 cup of starchy vegetables.

Recipe

Rose, Gold, and Purple Potato Salad

Ingredients

5 Small Round Potatoes: 
  1 Honey Gold 
  2 Enchanted Rose
  2 Purple Splendor
Dash Curry Powder
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp Italian Dressing, fat-free

Directions
1. Roast potatoes and dice.
2. In a bowl combine curry, mustard, and Italian dressing. Mix.
3. Add potatoes to marinade and coat well.

Nutrition Information

Family Health and Fitness Day USA

Family Health and Fitness Day USA is a national health and fitness event for families on the second Saturday in June.  

The event aims to promote the importance of regular physical activity for children and their parents. Families will participate in health promotion events at hundreds of locations nationwide, including YMCAs and health clubs, park districts, schools, houses of worship, and state and local health organizations.

It's Family Time!

You can jump rope, ride bikes, and take a walk as a family. Remember to be safe by using sunscreen, bike helmets, and staying hydrated.

National Chocolate Milk Day - Should My Child Drink Chocolate Milk?

Should My Child Drink Chocolate Milk?

Trina Robertson, RDN

Resources
1.  Should Children Drink Chocolate Milk? United Dairy Industry

National Johnny Appleseed Day

John Chapman (September 26, 1774 – March 18, 1845), called Johnny Appleseed, was an American pioneer nurseryman who introduced apple trees to large parts of Pennsylvania, Ontario, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, as well as the northern counties of present-day West Virginia. He became an American legend while still alive, due to his kind, generous ways, his leadership in conservation, and the symbolic importance he attributed to apples.

The Story of Johnny Appleseed

Johnny Appleseed, Wikipedia 

Pancakes: Bringing fun, family, and creativity to every bite!

Celebrate National Pancake Day as a fun family activity.

1 stack (10 pancakes) equals approximately 1000 calories

"Perfect Pancake" - "Sid the Science Kid"

What is a Pancake?

A pancake is a thin, flat cake prepared from a batter and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. Most pancakes are quick breads; some use a yeast-raised or fermented batter. Most pancakes are cooked one side on a griddle and flipped partway through to cook the other side. Depending on the region, pancakes may be served at any time, with a variety of toppings or fillings including jam, fruit, syrup or meat.

The pancake's shape and structure varies worldwide. There are numerous variations of them throughout Europe. A crêpe is a French variety of thin pancake cooked on one or both sides in a special crepe pan to achieve a network of fine bubbles often compared to lace - a savory variety made from buckwheat is usually known as a galette. In Germany, pancakes can be made from potatoes. In Italy, they can be fried and stuffed with ricotta and chocolate into what is known as a cannoli.

Healthy Pancake Recipes

Blueberry Pancakes

Serves One

Ingredients
2 Blueberry Pancakes, frozen

1/3 cup Fresh Blueberries

Healthy Pancake Recipes
EatingWell, Healthy Pancake Recipes

National Women's Health and Fitness Day

National Women's Health and Fitness Day is the nation’s largest annual health promotion event for women of all ages. The event is always held on the last Wednesday in September.

This unique national program — with participation by local organizations throughout the U.S. — focuses on the importance of regular physical activity and health awareness for women.

The goal of this event is to encourage women to take control of their health: to learn the facts they need to make intelligent health choices and to make time for regular physical activity.

Because of its grassroots nature, the event provides an excellent opportunity for local organizations to showcase the health-related programs and services they offer to women in their communities.

Some women are so busy caring for their families, and others neglect to care for themselves. On this day, remind the women in your life to improve their health and prevent disease.

It is essential for women to get regular checkups because screening tests, such as mammograms and Pap tests, can find diseases early when they are easier to treat. Some women need specific screening tests earlier or more often than others. Screenings and routine care can help women lower their risks of many health conditions, including heart disease. 

National Women's Health and Fitness Day is a public/private good health partnership organized by the Health Information Resource Center (HIRC), a national clearinghouse for consumer health information professionals.

locations. An estimated 100,000 women of all ages will participate in the 10th annual National Women's Health and Fitness Day at hundreds of community locations across the country.

More than 1,400 groups across the country will host women’s health and fitness events at senior centers, hospitals, health clubs, park and recreation districts, local health and service organizations, schools, retirement communities, houses of worship, and other communities.

National Lobster Day - Nutrition and Recipes

Suggestions on how to Eat Lobster to stay
Healthy and Avoid a Mess (or make a mess)

*No Butter and No Cream
*Ask for Lemon, Olive Oil, and Dijon Mustard
and Make Your Own Dressing.

*Wear A Bib

Lobster Facts
From Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen’s Association (AOLA)

The difference between a hard shell and soft shell lobster.  Lobsters will periodically shed their shells as they grow. This can happen as many as 25 times before they are 6-7 years old; then males shed every year and mature, females every two years. When lobsters become very large molting is less frequent. After they shed they have a paper-thin shell, which can take up to two months to harden and are called soft-shell, new shell, or shedders. The debate goes on as to which is most tasty, though the soft-shell is definitely easier to crack!

Lobsters do not have vocal cords. They do not scream when being cooked.

The teeth of the lobster are in its stomach. The stomach is located a very short distance from the mouth, and the food is actually chewed in the stomach between three grinding surfaces that look like molar surfaces, called the "gastric mill".

Besides the greenish-brown colored lobsters, there are also rare blue, yellow, red and white ones. Except for the white ones, they all turn red when cooked.

A 2-pound female lobster usually carries approximately 8000 eggs. A 9-pound female may carry more than 100,000 eggs. The female carries the eggs inside for 9 to 12 months, and then for another 9 to 12 months externally attached to the swimmerets under her tail.

When the eggs hatch, the larvae will float near the surface for 4 to 6 weeks. The few that survive will settle to the bottom and continue to develop as baby lobsters. From every 50,000 eggs, only 2 lobsters are expected to survive to legal size. It takes 5 to 7 years for a lobster to grow to legal size in the ocean. A lobster at legal size will weigh approximately 1 pound.

Lobster Cooking and Eating

The Lobster and the Beer,
A Story of Survival

   

National Cholesterol Education Month - What You Need to Know

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance your body needs. But when you have too much in your blood, it can build up on the walls of your arteries and form blockages. This can lead to heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.



There are two kinds of cholesterol: high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). HDL is also called "good" cholesterol. LDL is called "bad" cholesterol. When we talk about high cholesterol, we are talking about "bad" LDL cholesterol.

Seventy-one million American adults have high cholesterol, but only one-third of them have the condition under control.1 September is National Cholesterol Education Month—a good time to resolve to get your cholesterol screened.

Screening

Screening is the key to detecting high cholesterol. Because high cholesterol does not have symptoms, many people do not know their cholesterol is too high. Your doctor can do a simple blood test to check your cholesterol level.

The National Cholesterol Education Program recommends that adults aged 20 years or older have their cholesterol checked every 5 years.

You may need to have your cholesterol checked more often if any of the following statements apply to you:

· Your total cholesterol is 200 mg/dL or higher.

· You are a man older than age 45 or a woman older than age 50.

· Your HDL cholesterol is lower than 40 mg/dL.

· You have other risk factors for heart disease and stroke.

The Healthy People 2020 objective is to have 82% of the population screened. The number of people who said they were screened for cholesterol between 2005-2009 increased from 73% to 76%, only a handful of states met the 82% Healthy People 2020 objective.

Prevention and Treatment of High Cholesterol

Make lifestyle changes by:

·   Eating a healthy diet. Avoid saturated fats and trans fats, which tend to raise cholesterol levels. Other types of fats, such as polyunsaturated fats, can lower blood cholesterol levels. Eating fiber also can help lower cholesterol.

·   Exercising regularly. Physical activity can help lower cholesterol. The Surgeon General recommends that adults engage in moderate-intensity exercise for 2 hours and 30 minutes every week.

·   Maintaining a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese can raise your cholesterol levels. Losing weight can help lower your cholesterol.

·   Not smoking. If you smoke, quit as soon as possible.

Be sure to follow your doctor's instructions and stay on your medications, if prescribed, to control your cholesterol.

For more information about cholesterol and how you can prevent high cholesterol or keep it in check, see "Your Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol with TLC" from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Reference
CDC, Cholesterol

 

National Family Meal Month and Family Day: a Day to Eat Dinner With Your Children

Family Day—A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children™ is a national movement promoting parental engagement as a tool to help keep kids substance-free. Family Day began as a grassroots initiative and has grown to become a nationwide celebration. In 2010, President Obama, all the Governors, and over 1,000 Mayors and County Executives proclaimed and supported Family Day!

More than a decade of research by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University has consistently found that the more often kids eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs.

Dinners Make A Difference! While there are no silver bullets – substance abuse can strike any family regardless of ethnicity, affluence, age, or gender – the parental engagement fostered at the dinner table can be a simple, effective tool to help prevent substance abuse in kids.

Join the Movement - National Family Meals Month

Family mealtime is an ageless tradition shared by people all around the world. Eating dinner together keeps the doors of communication open. It's a perfect time to show your children they are your priority. Studies have shown children who eat dinner with their families are less likely to use alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs and more likely to develop good eating habits.

Sesame Street: Eat Together!


Quick and Easy Meals to
Bring Families Together at Meal Time

To learn more about Family Day, visit:
Website. Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children™

Website: Informed Families - Family Day is a Day to Eat Dinner With Your Children

September 22, Dear Food Diary - A Secret to Weight Control

Today is Dear Diary Day, a perfect time to introduce the Food and Activity Diary (or Journal).

Food and Activity Diary

No matter how many great weight control programs are out there, the Food and Activity Diary is one of the key tools to successful weight control.

The research for my doctoral degree was on the study of people who successfully lost at least 20 pounds, kept it off for at least five years and were still at their desired weight range at the time of the study. I wanted to know if there were common factors leading to their success at maintaining weight loss. One of the factors turned out to be the Food Diary. Seventy-three percent of the individuals studied used a diary, journal or some form of record keeping.

You might be surprised by what you discover about your habits. It’s easy to overlook a handful of Parmesan cheese tossed on your pasta or the amount of salad dressing you use. In addition, you may notice patterns of eating; such as boredom, anger, sadness, happiness, or 12 noon. By becoming aware of habits, you can start to make changes.

A Diary is a record of your life in progress. Use the diary to record your daily foods, activities, thoughts, and goals. You will lose weight and keep it off. And if you have the chance to read it ten years from now, you will have fond memories and a documented journey of your adventure and success.

The Food and Activity Diary was designed to be used by any weight control program. So whether your counting calories, carbohydrates, fat, proteins, points, or food groups you can easily use the Food and Activity Diary.

How to Use the Diary

Motivation, Inspiration and Positive Thinking. Start your day off on a positive note. If you start to slide, remember the positive thought for the day.

Record the foods and the amounts of everything you eat and drink, even one grape. Don’t forget to weigh or measure your food. In time, you will be able to guess the size, but for now make sure you have a kitchen scale, measuring cups, and measuring spoons. See the portion control section at Weighing Success for suggested measuring tools.

Be honest. Do not write down a carrot when you just ate a hot fudge sundae.

Record foods right after eating, otherwise you may forget.

In the tracking column, note the number of calories, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, points or food groups you have consumed. The food plan you are on will determine what you will track.

Obtaining nutrition information on food products is easy today. Check the Internet, the nutrition label, or a book on foods and nutrients.

At the end of the day, total up your numbers and place them in the summary box. How did you do? There is also a place for you to monitor your activities or exercise, thoughts, and goals.

At the end of each 7 days, there is a week in review section. Look at what you have accomplished and set new goals. Practice positive thinking and complete the weekly self-awareness assignment.

Click on the link below to take you to a practice sheet and a seven day food diary. I have filled in the first day as an example for you to follow.
Seven Day Food Diary (pdf files)

Free Resources
USDA, Choose MyPlate 
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH. Daily Food and Activity Diary
WebMD Portion Size Guide 

International Day of Peace

International Day of Peace
The International Day of Peace ("Peace Day") allows individuals, organizations, and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date. It was established by a United Nations resolution in 1981 to coincide with the opening of the General Assembly. The first Peace Day was celebrated in September 1982.

In 2002, the General Assembly officially declared September 21 as the permanent date for the International Day of Peace. By creating the International Day of Peace, the UN devoted itself to worldwide peace and encouraged all of mankind to cooperate for this goal. During the discussion of the U.N. Resolution that established the International Day of Peace, it was suggested that:

"Peace Day should be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples…This day will serve as a reminder to all people that our organization, with all its limitations, is a living instrument in the service of peace and should serve all of us here within the organization as a constantly pealing bell reminding us that our permanent commitment, above all interests or differences of any kind, is to peace."

International Day of Peace

The International Day of Peace,
observed each year on 21 September 

“Together, let us stand up against bigotry
and for human rights.
Together, let us build bridges. Together,
let us transform fear into hope.”
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres

2024 Theme: Cultivating a Culture of Peace
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the Declaration on a Culture of Peace. The declaration reminds us that peace is more than the absence of conflict – it requires active participation, dialogue, and mutual understanding.

In today’s world of rising tensions, the values laid out in 1999 are more important than ever: respect for life, human rights, non-violence, and a commitment to dialogue over confrontation.

As UNESCO’s Constitution states, “wars begin in the minds of men,” and so must the defenses of peace. The International Day of Peace isn’t just about ceasefires – it’s about recognizing our shared humanity and cultivating peace through education and cooperation across generations and nations.

Our survival as a global community depends on it.