February Wellness News - American Heart Month

Monthly Events

 American Heart Month

International Prenatal Infection Prevention Month
International Boost Self-esteem Month
International Expect Success Month
Library Lovers Month
National African American History Month
National Children's Dental Health Month
National Time Management Month
Spunky Old Broad Month
Youth Leadership Month
Dog Training Education Month
National Pet Dental Health Month
Responsible Pet Owners Month
Bake for Family Fun Month
Canned Food Month
Chocolate Month
February is Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month
National Grapefruit Month
Great American Pies Month
National Cherry Month
National Snack Food Month
National Wise Health Consumer Month
North Carolina Sweet Potato Month
National Hot Breakfast Month
Potato Lovers Month
Plant the Seeds of Greatness Month

Weekly

1-7 Women's Heart Week

4-10 Burn Awareness Week

4-10 Feeding Tube Awareness Week

5-9 International Networking Week

5-9 Pride in Foodservice Week

7-12 Solo Diners Eat Out Weekend

7-14 Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week

11-17 Children of Alcoholics Week

13-15 World AG Expo

14-21 Alzheimer’s Disease & Dementia Care Staff Education Week

16-25 Date Fruit Week

25-3/2 National Eating Disorders Awareness Week

Daily Event
Sunday	1	Freedom Day, National Baked Alaska Day, International Day of Black Women in The Arts, Ice Cream For Breakfast Day
Monday	2	Groundhog Day, Hedgehog Day, National Tater Tot Day, Crêpe Day, Heavenly Hash Day
Tuesday	3	National Carrot Cake Day
Wednesday	4	Homemade Soup Day, World Cancer Day, Medjool Date Day, National Hemp Day
Thursday	5	National Weatherperson Day, World Nutella Day, National Girls & Women in Sports Day
Friday	6	National Frozen Yogurt Day, Massachusetts 6th State Canadian Maple Syrup Day
Saturday	7	Wear Red Day, National Fettuccine Alfredo Day
Sunday	8	National Molasses Bar Day
Monday	9	National Pizza Day, National Toothache Day, Cut the Cord Day, Bagel & Lox Day, Super Bowl, Autism Sunday, Popcorn Day
Tuesday	10	National Cream Cheese Brownie Day, World Pulses Day
Wednesday	11	National Shut-in Visitation Day, International Day of Women and Girls in Science, National Peppermint Patty Day
Thursday	12	National Plum Pudding Day, Lincoln’s Birthday
Friday	13	National Tortellini Day, National Cheddar Day, National Crab Rangoon Day, Giving Hearts Day
Saturday	14	Valentine's Day,  Ash Wednesday, Natl Donor Day, Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day, Library Lovers Day, Oregon 33rd State, Arizona 48th State,  National Cream-Filled Chocolates Day
Sunday	15	National Gumdrop Day
Monday	16	National Almond Day, National Caregivers Day, No one Eats Alone Day, National Buna Day
Tuesday	17	President's Day, World Human Spirit Day, National Cafe Au Lait Day, Random Act of Kindness, National Cabbage Day
Wednesday	18	Crab-Stuffed Flounder Day, National Drink Wine Day
Thursday	19	National Chocolate Mint Day
Friday	20	World Day of Social Justice, National Cherry Pie Day, Love Your Pet Day, National Muffin Day
Saturday	21	National Sticky Bun Day, National Grain-Free Day, Caregivers Day
Sunday	22	National Margarita Day, National Cook a Sweet Potato Day
Monday	23	National Banana Bread Day,  National Dog Biscuit Day, Tootsie Roll Day
Tuesday	24	National Tortilla Chip Day, National Dance Day, STAND UP to Bullying Day, World Bartender Day
Wednesday	25	National Chocolate Covered Nut Day, National Clam Chowder Day
Thursday	26	World Pistachio Day, National Personal Chef Day
Friday	27	National Kahlua Day, National Strawberry Day, World NGO Day
Saturday	28	National Tooth Fairy Day, National Chocolate Souffle Day
Sunday	29

 

 

	Months
	January	July
	February	August
	March	September
	April	October
	May	November
	June	December

 

Unlock the World of Pomegranates

How To Select
Select pomegranates that are plump, round, and heavy for their size.

How to Store
Whole pomegranates can be stored in a cool, dry area in the refrigerator for about 1 month or up to 2 months.

Nutrition Benefits
It is low in fat, saturated fat-free, cholesterol-free, and sodium-free and is an excellent source of fiber, vitamins C and K, and a good source of potassium, folate, and copper.

POM SALSA

by POM Wonderful
Visit POM for the Recipe

Pomegranate Breakfast Parfait
by @Jar_Of_Lemons  

How to Grow Pomegranate

Resources and References
1. POM Wonderful: Website
2. Wikipedia: Pomegranate

3. Healthy Pomegranate Recipes, EatingWell

. 

   

Cashew Chronicles. From Farm to Table

Cashew Chronicles. From Farm to Table

Cashews are a good source of protein, copper, magnesium, phytonutrients, antioxidants, and heart-friendly unsaturated fats.

Nutrition Information

Recipes and Serving Suggestions

1. Taste of Home, Cashew Recipes

2. Snack: eat alone; mix with other nuts and/or dried fruits
3. Add cashews to sauteed vegetables or salad greens
4. Sauté cashews with shrimp, beef, or chicken
5. Add to hot cereals
6. Roast cashews
7. Use cashew butter to make a sauce for fish, vegetables, tofu, or rice.

Nutritional Analysis Services

Ensure accurate, cost-effective nutritional analysis for your recipes with an extensive research database and 40 years of experience. An excellent service for the Recipe Bloggers, Media, Cookbook Publishers, Writers, Chefs, and Recipe Websites. 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

National Stuffing Day: Vegan Cornbread Stuffing, A classic Thanksgiving side—made fully plant-based. Food Safety

Vegan Cornbread Stuffing 

A classic Thanksgiving side—made entirely plant-based. Whether you call it stuffing or dressing, this familiar holiday favorite is now completely vegan. The deep cornbread flavor anchors the dish, while poultry seasoning (which contains no poultry!) delivers that nostalgic Thanksgiving aroma without chicken broth or turkey stock.

This high-fiber recipe is perfect for serving a crowd, and the cornbread can be made ahead for easy holiday prep.

Vegan Cornbread. 
Servings: 12

Yield: 6 cups

Nutrition Profile:

Nut-Free Dairy-Free High-Fiber Vegan Vegetarian Egg-Free Low-Calorie

Ingredients

• 5 Tbsp water

• 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal

• 1 ¼ cups whole-grain cornmeal

• ¾ cup white whole-wheat flour

• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar

• 1 tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp salt

• ¾ cup unsweetened plain soymilk

• 3 Tbsp avocado or canola oil

Stuffing

• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 ½ cups chopped onion

• 1 ½ cups chopped celery

• 1 ½ tsp poultry seasoning

• ½ tsp ground pepper

• 5 cups crumbled day-old Vegan Cornbread

• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth

---

Instructions

Make the Cornbread

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.

2. In a small bowl, stir together water and flaxseed meal; let sit 3–5 minutes to thicken.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

4. In another bowl, whisk soymilk, oil, and the flax mixture. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

5. Pour batter into the baking dish and smooth the top.

6. Bake 25–30 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

7. Loosely cover and let sit 1 day to dry slightly (ideal for stuffing).

---

Make the Stuffing

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring often, until softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

3. Remove from heat; stir in poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper.

4. Add crumbled cornbread and broth, mixing gently to moisten.

5. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.

6. Cover and bake 25 minutes.

7. Uncover and bake another 20–25 minutes, or until the top is golden and crisp.

To make ahead

Store Vegan Cornbread, well-wrapped, at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Fillers

Almost anything can serve as stuffing. Many popular Anglo-American stuffings contain bread or cereals, usually with vegetables, herbs, spices, and eggs. Middle Eastern vegetable stuffings may be based on seasoned rice, on minced meat, or a combination. Other stuffings may contain only vegetables and herbs. Some stuffing types include sausage meat, while vegetarian stuffing sometimes contains tofu. Roast pork is often accompanied by sage and onion stuffing in England; roast poultry in a Christmas dinner may be stuffed with sweet chestnuts. Oysters are used in one traditional stuffing for Thanksgiving. These may also be combined with mashed potatoes for heavy stuffing. Fruits and dried fruits can be added to stuffing, including apples, apricots, dried prunes, and raisins. In England, a stuffing is sometimes made of minced pork shoulder seasoned with various ingredients, such as sage, onion, bread, chestnuts, dried apricots, dried cranberries, etc. The stuffing mixture may be cooked separately and served as a side dish. This may still be called stuffing, or it may be called dressing.

Food Safety

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) states that cooking animals with a body cavity filled with stuffing can present potential food safety issues. These can occur because when the meat reaches a safe temperature, the stuffing inside can still harbor bacteria (and if the meat is cooked until the stuffing reaches a safe temperature, the meat may be overcooked). For turkeys, the USDA recommends cooking stuffing/dressing separately from the bird and not buying pre-stuffed birds. (Stuffing is never recommended for turkeys to be fried, grilled, microwaved, or smoked). The turkey's internal temperature must reach a safe minimum of 165 °F. Check the temperature in the thigh, the innermost part of the wing, and the thickest part of the breast.

Resources
1. Stuffing, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2. Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipes, EatingWell

World Children's Day - Resources from Around the World

2025 Theme:   "My day, my rights"

with an emphasis on amplifying children's voices to ensure their rights are heard and respected. This theme, promoted by UNICEF, highlights the importance of children's self-expression and participation in decisions that affect them.

World Children’s Day is UNICEF’s global day of action for children, by children, marking the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Child rights are human rights. They are non-negotiable and universal. But in too many places today, children’s rights are being misunderstood, disregarded, or even denied and attacked.

Upholding children’s rights is the path to a better world today, tomorrow, and in the future.

Join us on this World Children’s Day and listen to the future.

By listening to children, we can fulfil their right to self-expression, understand their ideas for a better world, and incorporate their priorities into our actions today.

Discover what’s happening and take part.

The future of tomorrow is the children of today.

A review of organizations dedicated to improving the quality of Children's lives. Presented through songs, news reports, mission statements, and children.

UNICEF, World Children's Day
WHO (World Health Organization)

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Kids Eat Right 
We Day

Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring

Listen to the future.

Stand up for children’s rights.

 152 million children are trapped in child labor. Most of them are in agriculture. #Childlabour is depriving millions of girls and boys of their childhoods. Every child has the right to a childhood. #StopChildLabour @FAO

Love Is All | Playing For Change

By resolution 836(IX) of 14 December 1954, the General Assembly recommended that all countries institute a Universal Children's Day, to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children. It suggested that the Day was to be observed also as a day of activity devoted to promoting the ideals and objectives of the Charter and the welfare of the children of the world. The Assembly suggested to governments that the Day be observed on the date and in the way that each considers appropriate. The date, 20 November, marks the day the Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989.

In 2000, world leaders outlined Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date 2015. Though the Goals are for all humankind, they are primarily about children.

WHO 10 Facts On Nutrition

1. Malnutrition is a significant contributor to disease and early deaths for mothers and children. Undernutrition, including vitamin and mineral deficiencies, contributes to about one-third of all child deaths and impairs healthy development. At the same time, growing rates of overweight are linked to a rise in chronic diseases. The result is a double burden of malnutrition.

2. An indicator of chronic malnutrition is stunting. This is when children are too short for their age group. About 165 million children globally are stunted, resulting from not enough food, a vitamin-mineral poor diet, inadequate child care, and disease. As growth slows down, brain development lags, and stunted children learn poorly.

3. Wasting and bilateral edema are severe forms of malnutrition - resulting from acute food shortages and compounded by illness. About 1.5 million children die annually due to wasting. Rising food prices, food scarcity in conflict areas, and natural disasters diminish household access to appropriate and adequate food, all of which can lead to waste.

4. Essential vitamins and minerals in the diet are vital to boost immunity and healthy development. Vitamin A, zinc, iron, and iodine deficiencies are primary public health concerns. About 2 billion people are affected by inadequate iodine nutrition worldwide. More than one-third of preschool-age children globally are vitamin A deficient. Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children.

5. Maternal undernutrition leads to poor fetal development and a higher risk of pregnancy complications. Maternal and child undernutrition accounts for more than 10 percent of the global disease burden.

6. For healthier babies, WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months, introducing age-appropriate and safe complementary foods at six months, and continuing breastfeeding for up to two years or beyond. Worldwide, about 20% of deaths among children under five could be avoided if these feeding guidelines are followed. Appropriate feeding decreases rates of stunting and obesity and stimulates intellectual development in young children.

7. Nutritional problems in adolescents start during childhood and continue into adulthood. Anemia is a critical nutritional problem in adolescent girls. Preventing early pregnancies and assuring adequate intake of essential nutrients for developing girls can reduce maternal and child deaths later and stop cycles of malnutrition from one generation to the next. Globally, anemia affects 42% of pregnant women.

8. The rise in overweight and obesity worldwide is a significant public health challenge. People of all ages and backgrounds face this form of malnutrition. As a consequence, rates of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other diet-related conditions are escalating worldwide. These are very difficult to treat in places with limited resources and already overburdened health systems. About 43 million children under age five are overweight, according to 2011 figures. 

9. Nutrition information is required to identify the areas where assistance is most needed. WHO released international child growth standards that provide benchmarks to compare children's nutritional status within and across countries and regions. 

10. Public education is another way to improve nutritional health. Starting in China during the Beijing Olympics and continuing in other countries, WHO and the Member States will promote the "5 keys" to a healthy diet:

a. give your baby only breast milk for the first six months of life

b. eat a variety of foods

c. eat plenty of vegetables and fruits

d. eat moderate amounts of fat and oils

e. eat less salt and sugars

Resources

Kids Eat Right

In November 2010, the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and ADA Foundation officially launched their first joint initiative, Kids Eat Right. The two-tiered campaign aims to mobilize ADA members to participate in childhood obesity prevention efforts and to educate families, communities, and policymakers about the importance of quality nutrition.

Mission: The Kids Eat Right campaign was launched to support public education projects and programs that address the national health concern of obesity among our children. 

To learn more about the Kids Eat Right Campaign, visit:

Website. Kids Eat Right

Facebook.  Kids Eat Right

"Raffi" (Raffi Cavoukian), C.M., O.B.C. 

Founder and Chair 
Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring

"Imagine a new idea as vital as a democracy.
Now imagine helping it spread
quickly throughout the world!
Child Honouring is one such idea,
an idea whose time has come.

 - Raffi

He is known to millions as "Raffi,"" a beloved songwriter and performer, author, ecology advocate, and founder of the Centre for Child Honouring. Child Honouring is a vision for creating a humane and sustainable world by addressing the universal needs of children.

Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring and join "the compassion revolution."

Young People Marching

Turn This World Around

Raffi's tribute to humanity's hero sprang from Mandela's call to global leaders in 2000 to turn this world around for the children. In 2001, Raffi sang this for Nelson Mandela at Toronto's Ryerson University. The song expresses the essence of Raffi's Child Honouring philosophy, a children-first paradigm for societal change. A child-friendly world enriches all of us and offers the best chance to create sustainable cultures. All children want to live in peace and to follow their dreams.

World Food Programme

As the most significant humanitarian provider of school meals worldwide, the World Food Programme ( WFP), along with governments and partners, supports education, reduces malnutrition, and promotes development, especially during crises and emergencies.

Nearly all countries worldwide have a school meals program, and about 368 million children from kindergarten to secondary school receive daily food. Governments recognize school meals as an essential tool for developing and growing children, communities, and society.

WFP provides school meals to more than 20 million children every year. But many more children do not benefit from school meals, and in countries with the highest poverty rates where school meals would make a big difference, the reach of school meal programs is far smaller. 

Schools are critical in WFP's efforts to create a world where educational and nutritional opportunities reach the hungry poor. It's where we lay the foundation for future generations to grow and thrive.