National Stress-Free Family Holiday Month Tips for Coping with Holiday Stress and Depression

18 tips for coping with holiday stress and depression:

1.       Make realistic expectations for the holiday season.

2.       Set realistic goals for yourself.

3.       Do not take on more responsibilities than you can handle. Pace yourself.

4.       Make a list and prioritize the important activities. This can help make holiday tasks
     more manageable.

5.       Be realistic about what you can and cannot do.

6.       Do not put all your energy into just one day. The holiday cheer can be spread from
     one holiday event to the next.

7.       Live and enjoy the present. Look to the future with optimism.

8.       Don't set yourself up for disappointment and sadness by comparing today with the
    good old days of the past.

9.      If you are lonely, try volunteering some time to help others.

10.   Find holiday activities that are free, such as looking at holiday decorations, going
   window shopping without buying, and watching the winter weather, whether it's a
   snowflake or a raindrop.

11.   Limit your drinking, since excessive drinking will only increase your feelings of
  depression.

12.   Try something new. Celebrate the holidays in a new way.

13.   Spend time with supportive and caring people.

14.   Reach out and make new friends.

15.   Make time to contact a long-lost friend or relative and spread some holiday cheer.

16.   Make time for yourself!

17.   Let others share the responsibilities of holiday tasks.

18.   Keep track of your holiday spending. Overspending can lead to depression when the bills arrive after the holidays are over. Extra bills with little budget to pay them can lead to further stress and depression.

Resource
1. Holiday Stress and Depression, WebMD   http://wb.md/2kw3Lh7

December 8, National Brownie Day Comparing the Brands

The chocolate brownie is either fudge or cake-like, depending on its density. They may include nuts, frosting, whipped cream, chocolate chips, fruits, or other ingredients. 

Comparing the Brands

Recipe Resources

Fitsugar, Healthy Brownie Recipes That Make a Diet Seem Decadent

   

December 1, National Eat a Red Apple Day

Health Benefits
Apple is a fruit rich in antioxidants and a good source of fiber. Quercetin is an antioxidant found in apples and may inhibit lung cancer. Pectin found in apples help treat diarrhea and constipation by adding bulk to the stool. Other benefits being studied include treatments for diabetes, heart disease, lowering blood pressure, lowering blood levels of LDL, reducing risks of Alzheimer’s, and decreasing bone fractures.

Apple seeds should never be eaten. They contain the poison cyanide.

Let’s not forget the peel. The apple peel contains ursolic acid, a chemical that may prevent muscle wasting.

There may be some truth to “An Apple a Day, Keeps the Doctor Away”.

Recipe

Baked Stuffed Apple

Yield 2 servings

Ingredients 
2 medium apples 
1/2 cup bran flakes 
1/4 cup applesauce, unsweetened
1 Tbsp raisins 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, ground 
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions 
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Core and slightly hollow out the apples with a spoon, leaving the bottom of the apples intact to create a well for the filling. Place the apples in a pan.
3. In a bowl, combine the bran flakes, applesauce, raisins, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Fill and top each apple with the cereal mixture.
4. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the sides of the apples are soft and easily pierced with a knife.

Nutrition Information

U.S. Apple Association Members

NY Apples Are a Smart Choice for Healthy Eating
Kelly Springer, RDN

References and Resources
1. U.S. Apple Association
2. Apple Recipes, Washington Apple Commission

 

Nutritional Analysis Services
Ensure accurate and cost-effective nutritional analysis and food nutrition facts labels for your recipes and menus utilizing an extensive research database. A great service for the Media, Cookbook Publishers, Writers, Chefs, Recipe Websites, and Blogs. Your readers will enjoy and benefit from the Nutrition information.

For more information, visit Dietitians-Online Nutritional Analysis Services

contact:
Sandra Frank, Ed.D, RDN, FAND
recipenews@gmail.com
954-294-6300

World Prematurity Awareness Day - Nutritional Challenges and Resources

Premature birth is the leading cause of death in children under the age of five worldwide. 
#WorldPrematurityAwarenessDay
#MarchofDimes

Premature Infant - Getting to Know the
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
#WorldPrematurityAwarenessDay
 http://wb.md/2zSKnCh  #MarchofDimes #WebMD

Feeding your baby in the NICU
#WorldPrematurityAwarenessDay 
http://bit.ly/2A9VcT6  #MarchofDimes

How can a premature baby
affect a family emotionally?
#WorldPrematurityAwarenessDay
http://bit.ly/2AP6R6p #MarchofDimes 

Nutrition and the Premature Infant -
The First Weeks at Home
#WorldPrematurityAwarenessDay 
http://wb.md/2hHutWD #MarchofDimes

In honor of babies born too soon and little ones we've lost,
please support the March of Dimes’ work to prevent and
reduce premature birth.
#WorldPrematurityAwarenessDay 
Donate 

World Diabetes Day: Education To Protect Tomorrow

World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization. World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2007. The campaign draws attention to the issues of importance to the diabetes world and keeps diabetes in the public spotlight. 

World Diabetes Day (WDD) is celebrated every year on November 14th. The World Diabetes Day campaign is led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and its association members. It joins millions of people worldwide in diabetes advocacy and awareness.

The theme for World Diabetes Day 2021-23 is Access to Diabetes Care. The emphasis for 2022 is “Education to Protect Tomorrow.”

This World Diabetes Day, IDF calls on policymakers to increase access to diabetes education to help improve the lives of the more than half a billion people living with diabetes worldwide. 

Millions of people with diabetes worldwide do not have access to diabetes care.

People with diabetes require ongoing care and support to manage their condition and avoid complications. 

Medicine, technologies, support, and care are to be made available to all people with diabetes that require them.

Governments to increase investment in diabetes care and prevention.

The centenary of the discovery of insulin presents a unique opportunity to bring about meaningful change for the more than 530 million people living with diabetes and the millions more at risk.

 

EDUCATION TO PROTECT TOMORROW

What can we do to control diabetes? 

Halting the rise in diabetes is possible and goes hand in hand with implementing strategies such as:

Prevention of diabetes and its risk factors, especially overweight/obesity and insufficient physical activity.

Screening for diabetes in the general population and closely monitoring the population at risk.

Improving the diagnostic capacity of health services for diabetes.

Continuous monitoring of people living with diabetes.

The capacity for referral and care at the secondary health care level.

Access to quality diabetes education guarantees adequate training for the healthcare team, people living with diabetes, their immediate environment, their caregivers, and society in general.

Access to essential diabetes medicines and technologies, including insulin.

Information systems for data collection for monitoring and surveillance of diabetes.

The change caused by the COVID-19 pandemic makes it essential to integrate evidence-based digital solutions, such as telemedicine and educational and monitoring applications in diabetes health care.

Diabetes care should be part of preparedness and response to health emergencies. People living with diabetes must be guaranteed the uninterrupted availability of their medicines in situations of this type.

Diabetes currently affects one in ten people worldwide. Understanding the condition is the first step towards managing and preventing it. In conjunction with the World Diabetes Day 2022 focus on access to diabetes education, the IDF School of Diabetes has developed a new online education platform to help people with diabetes and those who care for them to make informed decisions about their condition.

For Nutrition Education and Counseling

Contact Family Nutrition Center to schedule an appointment with our Registered Dietitians. Let us help you meet your health and nutrition goals.

October 23, National Boston Cream Pie Day and Alternatives

Healthcare Foodservice Workers Week

Healthcare Foodservice Workers Week™. 

This week is set aside annually to honor healthcare food and nutrition professionals. 

Take this opportunity to thank those dedicated individuals who provide food and nutrition services in your facilities.