Explore Eat Right with Colors - Taste the Rainbow

"Eat Right with Colors"  explores the health benefits associated with eating foods of many colors. "Eating a rainbow" includes color diversity in your meals and food choices, so as to enhance your intake of a wide range of nutrients. 

Recipe: Rainbow Veggie Flatbread Pizza
@gimmesomeoven 
Nutrition Profile by @DietitianOnline

Red and Pink Foods

Apples, Beets, Cayenne, Cherries, Cranberries, Guava, Kidney Beans, Papaya, Pink Beans, Pink/Red Grapefruit, Pomegranates, Radicchio, Radishes, Raspberries, Red Bell Peppers, Red Cabbages, Red Chili Peppers, Red Corn, Red Currants, Red Grapes, Red Onions, Red Pears, Red Peppers, Red Plums, Red Potatoes, Red Tomatoes, Rhubarb, Strawberries, Tomatoes, Watermelons

Green Foods

Alfalfa, Artichokes, Arugula, Asparagus, Avocado, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Broccoli rabe, Brussels Sprouts, Celery, Chives, Collard Greens, Cucumbers, Dandelion Greens, Edamame, Endive, Fennel, Green apples, Green Beans, Green Cabbage, Green Grapes, Green Olives, Green Onion, Green Pears, Green Peas, Green Pepper, Green Tomatoes, Honeydew, Kale, Kiwi, Leeks, Lettuce, Limes, Mint, Okra, Oregano, Parsley, Pistachios, Snow Peas, Spinach, Sugar snap peas, Swiss Chard, Tarragon, Tomatillo, Wasabi, Watercress, Zucchini

Blue and Purple Foods

Blue Grapes, Blue and Purple Potatoes, Blueberries, Dried Plums, Plums, Eggplant, Pomegranates, Elderberries, Juniper Berries, Kelp (Seaweed), Purple Belgian Endive, Purple Cabbage, Purple Figs

Yellow and Orange Foods

Apricots, Bananas, Butternut Squash, Cantaloupe, Carrots, Cheddar Cheese, Citrus Fruits, Clementines, Corn, Creamsicle, Garbanzo Beans, Golden Apples, Golden Flax Seed, Golden Raisins, Grapefruit, Honey, Lemon, Lemongrass, Mandarin Oranges, Mangoes, Nectarines, Orange Jello, Orange Peppers, Orange Tomatoes, Oranges, Papaya, Parsnips, Peaches, Pears, Persimmons, Pineapple, Pumpkin, Rutabagas, Saffron, Salmon, Spaghetti Squash, Squash Blossoms, Sweet Corn, Sweet Potatoes, Tangerines, Whole Grains, Yams, Yellow Apples, Yellow Beans, Yellow Peppers, Yellow Summer Squash, Yellow Wax Beans

White and Black Foods

White: Cauliflower, Coconut, Garlic, Ginger, Green Onions, Scallions, Horseradish, Jicama, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Millet, Mushrooms, Onions, Parsnips, Quinoa, Shallots, Soy Products, Sunflower Seeds, Tofu, Turnips, White Beans, White Corn, White Sesame Seeds

Black: Black Beans, Black Cherries, Black Currants, Black Mushrooms, Black Olives, Black Quinoa, Black Raspberry, Black Rice, Black Sesame Seeds, Black Soybeans, Blackberries, Boysenberries, Prunes, Raisins, Seaweeds, Tamari (Soy Sauce)

Wellness News employs young adults with "Special Needs" (Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Down Syndrome, Muscular Dystrophy). My staff started the project in September 2010. Over the next five months, we would take more than 600 photographs of colorful foods to create the March presentation for NNM. Contact Dr. Sandra Frank for additional information (recipenews@gmail.com).

March 20, Great American Meatout Day

About Meatout

Meatout is an international event exposing the public to the benefits of plant-based foods while promoting the availability and selection of alternatives to meat and dairy in mainstream grocery stores, restaurants, and catering operations. Meatout was launched in 1985 and is coordinated yearly by FARM, a national nonprofit and public interest organization. FARM advocates plant-based (vegan) diets to save animals, protect the environment, and improve health.

Recipe: Hummus with Peppers and Cucumbers Wrap

Meatout TV Ad

Meatout has grown to become the world's “largest annual grassroots diet education campaign”. Participants are asked to "kick the meat habit on March 20 (first day of spring) and explore a wholesome, diet of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Meatout Facts:
•Over 30 million Americans have explored a meat-free diet.
•One in five teens thinks vegetarianism is "cool."
•National beef and veal consumption have dropped by 25 and 70%, respectively.
•Major manufacturers and retailers are marketing meat-free and dairy-free meals.
•Several national fast-food chains are offering veggie burgers and several major baseball parks are selling veggie dogs.

Meatout Mondays
Meatout Mondays were developed to keep the spirit of Meatout alive throughout the year. Those who sign up for Meatout Mondays pledge to eat compassionate plant-based foods every Monday. 

Paul McCartney sings the "Meat Free Monday Song."
Not one of his best, but a great message.

The Benefits of Meatout
"Kicking the meat habit" holds lasting benefits for consumer health, world hunger, resource conservation, environmental quality, and animal protection.

Kicking the meat habit reduces our risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, and other chronic diseases that cripple and kill nearly 1.4 million Americans annually.

Kicking the meat habit raises our energy level, lowers our food budget, and simplifies food preparation and cleanup.

Kicking the meat habit preserves our topsoil, water, and other food production resources vital to the survival of our children and their children.

Kicking the meat habit protects our forests, grasslands, and other wildlife habitats.

Kicking the meat habit saves animals from caging, crowding, deprivation, drugging, mutilation, manhandling, and agonizing slaughter. Each person who adopts a plant-based diet saves over 80 innocent animals each year. Over a lifetime, an individual can save more than 6,000 animals just by going vegan.

Resources
1. To learn more, visit the Meatout website.
2. The Vegan R.D.
3. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group
4. The Vegetarian Resource Group Blog 

Artichoke Adventures. Unlock the secrets of artichokes:

Artichoke Adventures. Unlock the secrets of artichokes.

A study conducted by the USDA shows artichokes contain a large amount of antioxidants, in the form of phytonutrients. Among the most powerful phytonutrients are Cynarin and Silymarin, which have strong positive effects on the liver. 

Artichoke Harvest

Serving an Artichoke

Resources:

Ocean Mist Farms. Since 1924, Ocean Mist Farms has provided multiple generations of customers with Artichokes and vegetables and is still family-owned. Called the California Artichoke and Vegetable Growers Corporation until 1995, Ocean Mist Farms is headquartered in Castroville, California - “The Artichoke Capital of the World” and home of the annual Castroville Artichoke Festival.

Artichoke Basics

International Women's Day

"Each year, International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8. Thousands of events occur not just on this day but throughout March to mark women's economic, political, and social achievements. Organizations, governments, charities, educational institutions, women's groups, corporations, and the media celebrate the day. Many groups worldwide choose different themes each year that are relevant to global and local gender issues.

2026 Theme:  “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls”, calls for action to dismantle all barriers to equal justice: discriminatory laws, weak legal protections, and harmful practices and social norms that erode the rights of women and girls."

Imagine a gender-equal world.
A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.
A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
A world where difference is valued and celebrated.
Together, we can forge women's equality.
Collectively, we can all #BreakTheBias.
Celebrate women's achievements. Raise awareness against bias. 

International Women’s Day

Almonds: A Super Seed

Almonds: A Super Seed
Health Benefits of Almonds
 

Nutrition

Portion Control

Almond Safety

Almond pasteurization became mandatory for the California almond industry on September 1, 2007, and was implemented on a voluntary basis over the previous two years. All almonds must be pasteurized before being sold to consumers in North America.

Pasteurization

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), along with a technical review panel comprised of almond scientific experts, is responsible for evaluating and approving the treatment processes that demonstrate effectiveness in achieving a reduction of possible contamination in almonds while not impacting their quality and sensory attributes. To date, FDA has approved oil roasting, dry roasting, blanching, steam processing, and propylene oxide (PPO) processes as acceptable forms of pasteurization for almonds. Organic almonds will be pasteurized using treatments, such as steam pasteurization, that meet the USDA Organic Program’s national standards. Other forms of pasteurization continue to be researched, evaluated and tested. ABC worked over several years with leading experts and weighed all perspectives and issues in developing this industry-wide pasteurization plan.

Recipe: Strawberry-Spinach-Almond Salad
Recipe by Southern Living
Nutrition Profile by @DietitianOnline 

Resources

Almond Board of California

Almonds, From Wikipedia

January is National Get Organized Month

The National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) Get Organized (GO) Month. GO Month is dedicated to raising awareness of the benefits of being organized. 

I always considered myself an organized person, but sometime in the 1980s, I started saving everything from – old lesson plans, grocery receipts (from recipe testing), scrap papers with numbers (no names), clothes (from size 2 to 24); my son’s artwork; ADA journals; textbooks, VHS; cassettes; broken phones; wires.. the list is too long to include everything here. 

In September, I started to go through my collection of “stuff” to see what I had and what I no longer needed. I knew this would be a massive undertaking; this was almost 30 years of my life collecting dust in boxes, files, drawers, cupboards, closets, the garage, and the attic. In just 3 months, I had thrown out over 15 large garbage bags of junk and still did not feel I had made a dent. 

This week, I decided to focus only on one part of the house. I chose my office, which is connected to my bedroom. I would not be going through my clothes yet, but it was on the to-do list. I gathered all the boxes from my office, bedroom, under-the-bed, cupboards, shelves, drawers, filing cabinets, and the hidden closet. I placed everything in my den to use as my staging area. This was also the only place in my home that still had a record player. I thought while I was going through this massive amount of paper, I would listen to some of my old favorites before I donated (or threw out) my albums. I have to check to see if they are recyclable. 

Who Is NAPO?

The National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) is a group of about 4,200 professional organizers dedicated to helping individuals and businesses bring order and efficiency to their lives. Their vision is to have the world recognize the value of organizing and turn to NAPO as the leading organizing authority. Their mission is to develop, lead, and promote professional organizers and the organizing industry. In addition to serving professional organizers, they aim to help consumers and those interested in becoming professional organizers.

Get Rid of Clutter

Benefits of Organization
Organization improves one’s work, life, financial situation and frees up time and space.

10 Benefits of Getting Organized
1. Stress levels will go down, and there will be less chaos and a more relaxed life.
2. Efficiency gets projects done quicker with less time wasted on looking for things and being able to make quicker decisions.
3. An organized person is able to fit in time for friends, family members, and helping out in the community.
4. Getting organized helps you feel better about your environment, and you are more likely to invite people into your environment without embarrassment.
5. You'll be a better role model for your children.
6. Get organized, and you'll have more than enough time to exercise and cook healthy meals for yourself and your family.
7. An organized environment also tends to be a much cleaner environment.
8. An organized person gives a much better business impression than someone who can't find a phone number, has an office piled with cardboard boxes, or is always late for appointments.
9. When you're organized, you'll always know what you have before you buy more.
10. Organized people find ways to eliminate tasks that aren't necessary and to streamline those that are taking too much time. This leaves plenty of time to work on achieving your goals. 

“Organization brings a level of peace and tranquility to your life,” says Jennifer Snyder of Neat as a Pin! Organizing Experts. Snyder also advises people not to keep things around “just in case.” 

“Clutter makes noise; it makes energetic noise. It sucks your energy from you.” Clutter also attracts dust and pests. “Clutter is basically sending a message there’s something in your life that you need to get at. 

Snyder organizes for no more than four hours at a time to give her clients time to adjust to the improvements. “It didn’t get that way overnight. It’s a lifestyle change. You’re changing the way you think about things and becoming more emotionally healthy,” she said. 

What to do with castoffs. Once space is organized, there will be bags of items to discard. An itemized list of donations to receive tax deductions and discard things properly, such as erasing computer hard drives before dropping them off at a donation center.

Being better organized can provide
energy, time, and happiness. 

Get the Children Involved

Resources:
National Association of Professional Organizers 

A Final Message.

I read that one should take a photo of your child's artwork, and then the boxes of schoolwork can be thrown away. I had one problem - my son. As I was admiring the years of his efforts, he came by to see how I was doing. With a look of shock and horror - Jake told me how could I throw away his work? "I made it for you, mom."

So here is the photo. I ended up keeping his cherished work. I guess I'm not ready to get rid of everything yet.

The Edible Christmas Tree

A fun and healthy project for the family to enjoy.

Supplies
Styrofoam Cones, assorted sizes (available at a craft shop).
Toothpicks (Young children should be assisted by an adult)
An assortment of Fruits and Vegetables, such as Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Grapes, Watermelon, mushrooms, Arugula, Broccoli, Kiwi, Mango, Carrots, Tomatoes, Figs, Blueberries, Strawberries, Peppers, Squash, Carambola, and pomegranate seeds
Protein: Cottage Cheese or Goat Cheese for snow

1. Wash your hands.
2. Wash the fresh fruits and vegetables.
3. Wash your hands again.

4. Cut fruits and vegetables into a variety of shapes. Make sure the pieces are large enough to fit onto a toothpick.

5. Start at the bottom and work your way up. Use the largest fruits and vegetables first.
6. Be creative

7. Top your Christmas tree with Carambola (Starfruit).
8. Sprinkle Goat Cheese over the tree.
9. Serve with low-fat vanilla yogurt.

National Handwashing Awareness Month Resources

A Guide to Handwashing

Will Sawyer, MD, is a Family Physician and the creator of the Henry the Hand Foundation and Henry the Hand Champion Handwasher.

Goal: To improve health by making us more aware of our hands' role in spreading disease.

Mission: To propagate Henry the Hand's 4 Principles of Hand Awareness throughout the United States and the world!
1. WASH your hands when they are dirty and BEFORE eating.
2. DO NOT cough into your hands.
3. DO NOT sneeze into your hands.
4. Above all, DO NOT put your fingers into your eyes, nose, or mouth!

Henry the Hand Champion
Handwashing School Visit

Dr. Will has created a wonderful website for children and educators. The site contains posters, coloring books, school programs, tips on Food Safety, and a lot more. Visit Henry the Handwashing Champion.

Why Handwashing with Soap?

Handwashing with soap is the most effective and inexpensive way to prevent diarrheal and acute respiratory infections, which take the lives of millions of children in developing countries every year. Together, they are responsible for the majority of all child deaths. Yet, despite its lifesaving potential, handwashing with soap is seldom practiced and difficult to promote.

Turning handwashing with soap before eating and after using the toilet into a habit could save more lives than any single vaccine or medical intervention, cutting deaths from diarrhea by almost half and deaths from acute respiratory infections by one-quarter. A vast change in handwashing behavior is critical to meeting the Millennium Development Goal of reducing deaths among children under five by two-thirds by 2015.

Global Handwashing Day focuses on children because they suffer the most from diarrheal and respiratory diseases and deaths. Still, research shows that children can also be powerful agents for changing behaviors like handwashing with soap in their communities.

When should you wash your hands?
·         Before, during, and after preparing food
·         Before eating food
·         Before and after caring for someone who is sick
·         Before and after treating a cut or wound
·         After using the toilet
·         After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has               used the toilet
·         After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
·         After touching an animal or animal waste
·         After touching garbage

It's In Your Hands

Resources and References

1. CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives

2. Global Handwashing Day

3. Partnership for Food Safety Education, Fight BAC!

4. The Scrub Club is a fun, interactive, and educational Website that teaches children how to wash their hands properly. The site contains interactive games, academic music, downloadable activities for kids, educational materials for teachers, and program information for parents.

5. Healthy Schools, Healthy People is a joint initiative between the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) dedicated to supporting school systems nationwide with tools to help reinforce hand hygiene and cleaning practices to prevent the spread of infectious disease and reduce related absenteeism.

   

updated 12/9/2024

December Wellness News: Health, Nutrition, and Food Events

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. 

December Highlights

December Produce

Monthly Events

Safe Toys and Gifts Month
National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month
Coats & Toys for Kids Month (check local listings)
National Handwashing Awareness Month
National Stress-Free Family Holiday Month
National Write a Business Plan Month
Root Vegetable Month
Buckwheat Month
National Pear Month
Exotic Fruit Month
National Fruit Cake Month
Worldwide Food Service Safety Month

Weekly Events

1-7 Cookie Cutter Week
1-7 Crohn's & Colitis Awareness Week
1-17 Operation Santa Paws
7-13 National Hand Washing Awareness Week

7-13 Recipe Greetings for The Holidays

10-17 Human Rights Week**

14-22 Hanukkah

14-20 Gluten-free Baking Week

15-19 Cookie Exchange Week

12/26-1/1 Kwanzaa

December Daily Event
Monday	1	UN World Aids Day, National Eat a Red Apple Day, Cyber Monday
Tuesday	2	Special Education Day, National Fritters Day, National Mutt Day, Giving Tuesday
Wednesday	3	UN Intl Day of Persons with Disabilities, Illinois 21st State, Special Kids Day, Make a Gift day
Thursday	4	National Cookie Day
Friday	5	UN Intl Volunteer Day, National Sacher Torte Day, World Soil Day
Saturday	6	National Gazpacho Day, National Microwave Oven Day, World Pear Day
Sunday	7	Pearl Harbor Day, National Cotton Candy Day, National Fire Safety Council Day
Monday	8	National Chocolate Brownie Day, National Day of Lard, Green Monday
Tuesday	9	National Pastry Day, Birdseye Frozen Food Day
Wednesday	10	Human Rights Day, Mississippi 20th State, International Animal Rights Day
Thursday	11	UN Mountain Day,  UNICEF Anniversary, 1946, Indiana 19th State, National Noodle Ring Day
Friday	12	Gingerbread House Day, National Ambrosia Day, Pennsylvania 2nd State
Saturday	13	National Cocoa Day, Root Vegetable Month, Gingerbread Man, Gingerbread Decorating Day
Sunday	14	Chanukkah (14-22), Bouillabaisse Day, Yoga Day, Alabama 22nd State
Monday	15	Bill of Rights Day, National Cupcake Day
Tuesday	16	National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day
Wednesday	17	Maple Syrup Day
Thursday	18	International Migrants Day, Roast Suckling Pig Day, New Jersey 3rd State, National Bake Cookies Day, Re-Gifting Day
Friday	19	National Hard Candy Day, Oatmeal Muffin Day, National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day
Saturday	20	Intl Human Solidarity Day, National Sangria Day
Sunday	21	Winter Solstice, World Peace Day, National Fried Shrimp, National Kiwifruit Day, National Re-gifting Day
Monday	22	National Date Nut Bread Day
Tuesday	23	National Pfeffernuesse Day
Wednesday	24	Christmas Eve, National Egg Nog Day
Thursday	25	Christmas, Pumpkin Pie Day, Christmas Pudding Day
Friday	26	Kwanzaa Begins (12/6-1/1), National Candy Cane Day
Saturday	27	National Fruitcake Day
Sunday	28	Iowa 29th State, National Chocolate Day
Monday	29	Pepper Pot Day, Texas 28th State
Tuesday	30	Bicarbonate of Soda Day, National Bacon Day
Wednesday	31	New Year's Eve, National Champagne Day, Universal Hour of Peace
Thursday

 

A Happy & Healthy Holiday from

All of Us at Dietitians-Online and Wellness News

Thank you for your support.

Have a happy, healthy, and safe holiday.

Sandra and Jake.

Prepared by
Sandra Frank, Ed.D, RDN, LN
Jake Frank

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