Saturday, April 4, 2020

International Carrot Day

Carrots

The carrot is a root vegetable, usually orange in color, though purple, red, white, and yellow varieties are available. It has a crisp texture when fresh. Carrots add sweetness and color to stews, soups, stir-fries, slaws, and cakes, plus an excellent source of Vitamin A and a good source of fiber.

Nutritional Information

Carrots are known for their rich supply of the antioxidant, beta-carotene. Research has focused on the health benefits in the areas of vision, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

Recipe: Carrot Ginger Bisque

Yield: 6 servings
Serving Size: about 1 cup

Ingredients
2 cup Vegetable Broth, low sodium
1.5 cup Carrots, diced
1/4 cup Cranberries, dried, sweetened
1 box (17.6 oz) Cashew Carrot Ginger Bisque, Pacific Natural Foods
3/4 cup White Beans, unsalted, drained

Directions
Heat the vegetable broth. Add diced carrots and dried cranberries. Simmer until carrots and cranberries are tender. Using a strainer separate the carrots and cranberries from the broth. Reserve carrots and cranberries.

Combine the broth and "Cashew Carrot Ginger Bisque". Heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Add the white beans and reserved carrots and cranberries. Mix and reheat to serving temperature.

Notes. I used a low sodium vegetable broth to lower the sodium content of the Cashew Carrot Ginger Bisque. To increase the fiber content, I garnished the recipe with white beans, diced carrots, and dried cranberries.

Nutrition Information

Growing Carrots: Red, Yellow, Purple & Orange

Selection.
Carrots should be firm, smooth, crisp, fresh, deep in color, and free of cuts.

Storage.
Remove tops of carrots. Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks in a plastic bag.

Serving Ideas.
1. Add shredded raw carrots to salads.
2. Add carrots to soup or puree carrots to make a carrot soup.
3. Combine cooked carrots with dried fruit
4. Snack with a low-fat dip or plain.

Resources
1. Fruits & Veggies More Matters: Carrots
2. The World's Healthiest Foods: Carrots
3. WebMD: 5 Healthy Facts About Carrots

Ensure accurate nutritional analysis for your recipes utilizing an extensive research database and over 25 years experience. A great service for the Recipe Blogger, Media, Cookbook Publishers, Writers, Chefs, and Recipe Websites. Your readers will benefit from the Nutrition information and a Registered Dietitian. Contact: Dietitians-Online.com; Sandra Frank, Ed.D, RDN, LN at recipenews@gmail.com

Nutrition History: April 4, 1932 Vitamin C First Isolated
Foods Rich in Vitamin C

On April 4, 1932, Vitamin C was first isolated by CC King at the University of Pittsburgh.

Food Sources. Vitamin C is abundant in many fruits and vegetables.

Health Benefits of Vitamin C
There is numerous research on the health benefits of vitamin C; many conflicting results. Vitamin C cannot prevent the common cold but may help reduce complications. Vitamin C helps in wound healing, aids in the absorption of iron, and promotes a healthy immune system.

Ways to Increase Vitamin C Intake:
•Add bell peppers, broccoli, collard greens, tomatoes to pasta, rice, soup, or salad.
•Snack on strawberries, kiwi, oranges, or papaya.
•Add cabbage leaves and tomato slices on a sandwich.

Orange Sections with Blueberries

Friday, April 3, 2020

Medication Safety Week

Medication Safety Week: Draws attention to this health problem as the 6th leading cause of death. The Women's Heart Foundation started a Medication Safety Week, offering communities strategies to reduce risk while raising awareness.

1. Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet

Discard outdated medicines and old prescriptions. Store medicines in their original containers and in a cool, dry place. Locate medicines away from children and pets and from those who do not understand.

2. Know Your Medicines

Make a list of your medicines and know what each is for. Learn to identify each pill size, shape and color by name. Note times to take, drug action and any side effects. Know both the generic and trade names of your medicines and what each is for. This may prevent inadvertently double-dosing. Include in your list over-the-counter medicines, birth control pills, patches, and supplements. Keep the list updated and keep it with you at all times. Don't mix medicine with alcohol - a combination that can be lethal.

3. Read Medicine Labels Carefully

Are you taking what your doctor ordered and the way he ordered it? Note precautionary stickers on the label.

4. Organize Your Medicines

Keep an updated record listing all medicines and supplements you are taking. Use of a medicine organizer box may be helpful, especially for those taking more than one pill several times a day, however, a medicine organizer box requires close monitoring, especially when there is a change in medicines.

5: Transitional Care Aware

Changes in care (i.e. being moved from one hospital floor to another, being transferred from one care facility to another, being discharged home) all require intense coordination of services and good communication amongst health providers. When there are lapses, you are at risk of an adverse event or hospital readmission. One study estimated that 80 percent of serious medical errors involve miscommunication during the hand-off between medical providers.

6: Know Your Individual Risk before Starting a New Rx

Talk to your pharmacist. Discuss your possible risk of a serious side effect to occur.

7: Better Communication with Health Professionals is Key. Share information with all your prescribing practitioners and with your pharmacist about every medicine and supplement you are taking. Discuss all risks and benefits with your prescribing practitioner. Discuss expected effects and possible side effects.

Resource:
Women’s Heart Foundation: Medication Safety Week

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

World Autism Awareness Day
Judy Converse, MPH, RD, LD
A Look at Nutrition and Autism

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that manifests itself usually during the first three years of life. The rate of autism in all regions of the world is high and it has a tremendous impact on children, their families, communities, and societies.

The Center for Disease Control reported the number of U.S. children with autism has surged to one in 68, this is a 30 percent increase since the agency estimated just two years ago that one child in 88 suffered from the disorder.

World Autism Awareness Day

We are dealing with a national emergency that is in need of a national strategy. At 1 in 68, we now have over 1 million children directly affected by autism.

Throughout its history, the United Nations family has promoted the rights and well-being of the disabled, including children with developmental disabilities. In 2008, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities entered into force, reaffirming the fundamental principle of universal human rights for all.

The United Nations General Assembly unanimously declared April 2nd as World Autism Awareness Day to highlight the need to help improve the lives of children and adults who suffer from the disorder so they can lead full and meaningful lives. The United Nations officials highlighted the contributions to humanity by people with autism, noting that shunning them is a “violation of human rights” and a “waste of human potential.”

Nutrition and Autism

For decades nutrition and diet therapies have been used to treat people with autism, yet no single protocol has emerged. The development of individualized nutritional assessment and a plan of care is crucial in meeting the needs of people with autism.

Research has shown nutritional deficiencies can impair learning, growth, and development in all children. Children with autism have nutrition problems and gastrointestinal issues more often than other children. These problems can present developmental challenges.

Judy Converse, MPH, RD, LD is a registered dietitian and the founder of Nutrition Care for Children, LLC (NCPA). She specializes in autism diets, special diets, biomedical interventions for autism, nutrition-focused strategies for babies and kids that help them learn, grow, and thrive.

Judy provides nutrition services for children ages 0-21, and works with non-profits, federal programs, and nutrition companies to provide education, training, and support on how nutrition and diets work for children with special needs.

The goal of NCPA is to assess nutritional status and develop a plan of care to "restore adequate and appropriate sources for calories, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates and correct essential mineral deficits. This can accommodate users of a variety of special diets."

For families affected by autism, gluten is one of the first items to be evaluated. Gluten sensitivity can have devastating effects on learning, growth, and behavior. Many studies have shown improvement in these factors when a gluten-free diet is followed.

To learn more about the work of Judy Converse, MPH, RD, LD follow her online at:
Website. Integrative Health and Nutrition For Kids
Twitter. @NutrCareAutism
Facebook. Nutrition Care for Children

Judy Converse, RDN talks about
Integrative Health and Nutrition For Kids!

National Autism Awareness Month

The Autism Society, the nation’s leading grassroots autism organization, exists to improve the lives of all affected by autism. They do this by increasing public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the spectrum, advocating for appropriate services for individuals across the lifespan, and providing the latest information regarding treatment, education, research and advocacy.

Founded in 1965 by Dr. Bernard Rimland, Dr. Ruth Sullivan and many other parents of children with autism. The Autism Society is the leading source of reliable information about autism. The Autism Society's Advisory Panel is comprised solely of individuals with autism. They help Autism Society staff create programs and services that will advocate for the rights of all people with autism to live fulfilling, interdependent lives.

National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day

Ingredients
2 slices Whole Wheat Raisin Cinnamon Bread
1 Tbsp Jelly, favorite
2 Tbsp Low Sodium Crunchy Peanut Butter

International Children's Book Day

International Children's Book Day A day to inspire children to pick up a book and get reading.

For the Health Foodie

Good Enough to Eat: A Kid's Guide to Food and Nutrition
by Lizzy Rockwell

Healthy Foods around the World
by Beth Bence Reinke, RDN

National Geographic Kids Cookbook:
A Year-Round Fun FoodAdventure
by Barton Seave

Kid Chef Junior: My First Kids Cookbook

by Anjali Shah

Oh, The Things You Can Do That Are
Good for You: AllAbout Staying Healthy
by Tish Rabe

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