September 2011 Wellness News

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 up-dated daily and includes weekly and daily events. To view the entire Newsletter online click here or subscribe to Wellness News by adding your email address to the link on the left.

 
 

September 2011 Events, Celebrations and Resources Weekly and Daily Events can be found in the Wellness Newsletter. Hunger Action Month National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month National Food Safety Education   Fruit and Veggies - More Matters America on the Move Better Breakfast Month Go Wild for California Wild Rice National Biscuit Month National Chicken Month National Ethnic Foods Month National Honey Month National Mushroom Month National Organic Harvest Month National Papaya Month National Potato Month National Prime Beef Month National Rice Month Whole Grains Month National Coupon Month National Yoga Month Healthy Aging Month 9/24-9/27 ADA FNCE (San Diego, California) National Cholesterol Education Hug a Texas Chef Month Mold Awareness Month Baby Safety Month National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month Childhood Injury Prevention Month National Menopause Awareness Childhood Cancer Awareness Gynecology Cancer Awareness National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Prostate Cancer Awareness Month National Sickle Cell Awareness Newborn Screening Awareness World Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness Month National Preparedness Month College Savings Month Library Card Sign up Month International Update Your Resume International Women's Friendship

Home Food Safety When the Power Goes Out

Be Prepared

Stock up on non-perishable foods that don't require refrigeration, and choose single-serve sizes if available to avoid the need for refrigeration of unused portions. Consider these easy, healthy, shelf-stable foods: 

The American Dietetic Association and ConAgra Foods’ Home Food Safety program is dedicated to raising consumer awareness about the seriousness of foodborne illness and providing solutions for easily and safely handling food in their own kitchens. More information can be found at http://www.homefoodsafety.org/. 

Is Your Desk Making You Sick?

For Release August 23, 2011 

CHICAGO – A whopping 83 percent of Americans typically eat in their office or cubicle in an effort to save time and money, but not practicing proper food safety could end up costing them both. When it comes to protecting themselves against foodborne illnesses, many professionals are still “out to lunch.”

According to a new survey by the American Dietetic Association and ConAgra Foods’ Home Food Safety program, a majority of Americans continue to eat lunch (62 percent) and snack throughout the day (50 percent) at their desks, while 27 percent typically find breakfast the first thing on their desktop to-do list. Late nights at the office even leave a small percentage (4 percent) dining at their desktop for dinner.

“For many people, multitasking through lunch is part of the average workday,” says registered dietitian and ADA Spokesperson Toby Smithson. “While shorter lunch hours may result in getting more accomplished, they could also be causing workers to log additional sick days, as desktops hide bacteria that can lead to foodborne illness.”

Top of the Workplace To-Do List –
Washing Hands and Surfaces

Only half of all Americans say they always wash their hands before eating lunch. In order to reduce the risk of foodborne illness, Smithson recommends washing your hands before and after handling food with soap and warm water, and keeping your desk stocked with moist towelettes or hand sanitizer for those times you can’t get to the sink. “A clean desktop and hands are your best defense to avoid foodborne illnesses at the office,” she says.

According to the Home Food Safety survey, only 36 percent of respondents clean their work areas—desktop, keyboard, mouse—weekly and 64 percent do so only once a month or less. A study updated in 2007 by the University of Arizona found the average desktop has 100 times more bacteria than a kitchen table and 400 times more than the average toilet seat. “Treat your desktop like you would your kitchen table and counters at home,” says Smithson. “Clean all surfaces, whether at home or work, before you prepare or eat food on them.”

Forget the Water Cooler,

Gather Around the Refrigerator

Even though virtually all work places now have a refrigerator, only 67 percent of those surveyed say it is where they store their lunch. Frighteningly though, approximately one in five people admit they don’t know if it is ever cleaned or say it is rarely or never cleaned. Smithson recommends not only cleaning the office refrigerator, but also using a refrigerator thermometer to ensure food is safely stored below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

When it comes to safe refrigeration of lunches, perishable foods need to be refrigerated within two hours (one hour if the temperature is greater than 90 degrees Fahrenheit) from when it was removed from the refrigerator at home. However, survey results show that 49 percent admit to letting perishable food sit out for three or more hours, meaning foods may have begun to spoil before the first bite.

Microwave Continuing Education

Besides a refrigerator, nearly all office kitchens also have a microwave oven (97 percent), making leftovers and frozen meals easy, quick and inexpensive lunch options. It is crucial to follow the microwave cooking instructions on the package closely when cooking prepared food in the microwave.

Microwave ovens can cook unevenly and leave cold spots, where harmful bacteria can survive. The recommended way to ensure that food is cooked to the correct temperature, thereby eliminating any harmful bacteria that may be present, is to use a food thermometer. Re-heat all leftovers to the proper temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Food safety is very important, whether at home or at work. Simple things like washing your hands before preparing food and following microwave cooking instructions can really go a long way,” said Joan Menke-Schaenzer, chief global quality officer, ConAgra Foods.

For the Executive Summary of the 2011 Desktop Dining Survey results—who snacks throughout the work day, desktop cleaning habits of men and women, and much more—or to speak with ADA food and nutrition experts about food safety, please contact Ryan O’Malley, media relations manager at the American Dietetic Association, at 800/877-1600, ext. 4769, or email media@eatright.org.

*HealthFocus International conducted the home food safety survey in April 2011 for the American Dietetic Association and ConAgra Foods through an online survey of a random sample of 2,191 full-time employees, both men and women, who work at a desk. The sample was chosen to closely match U.S. population demographics.

The American Dietetic Association and ConAgra Foods’ Home Food Safety program is dedicated to raising consumer awareness about the seriousness of foodborne illness and providing solutions for easily and safely handling food in their own kitchens. More information can be found at www.homefoodsafety.org.

The American Dietetic Association is the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. ADA is committed to improving the nation’s health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy. Visit the American Dietetic Association at www.eatright.org.

ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG) is one of North America's leading food companies, with brands in 97 percent of America's households. Consumers find Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Egg Beaters, Healthy Choice, Hebrew National, Hunt's, Marie Callender's, Orville Redenbacher's, PAM, Peter Pan, Reddi-wip, Slim Jim, Snack Pack and many other ConAgra Foods brands in grocery, convenience, mass merchandise and club stores. ConAgra Foods also has a strong business-to-business presence, supplying frozen potato and sweet potato products as well as other vegetable, spice and grain products to a variety of well-known restaurants, foodservice operators and commercial customers. For more information, please visit us at www.conagrafoods.com.

Back to School Nutrition 2011-2012 Resource Guide

All over the country, children and parents are getting ready for the new school year to begin. With so much information about food and nutrition available on the Internet and in the news, Dietitians-Online has prepared the 2011-2012 Back to School Nutrition Resource Guide.

Resources
Organizations, Associations, and Programs
School Nutrition Experts, Articles, and Videos

Graphics

Lunchbox Safety
Planning School Lunches Using MyPlate

Back to School Foods

The skit starts out in the kitchen; the day before the first day of school. The parents have planned and prepared their child's lunch box using the MyPlate recommendations. The next scene is in the lunch room where the foods discuss the importance of eating healthy. When the Lunch box arrives back home, she reminds us to wash and clean the lunch box to remove any germs that came from school. After dinner, the lunch will be made for the next day. The Final slides show excellent Back to School Resources you can locate online and are listed below.

Resources

Organizations, Associations, and Programs
	American Dietetic Association is your source for trustworthy, science-based food and nutrition information. The worlds largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, ADA is committed to improving the nation's health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy.
	Kids Eat Right your source for scientifically-based health and nutrition information you can trust to help your child grow healthy. As a parent or caretaker you need reliable resources and you can find them here, backed by the expertise of nutrition professionals.
	Home Food Safety Tips The American Dietetic Association and ConAgra Foods public awareness campaign, Home Food Safety, is dedicated to providing home food safety statistics, information about foodborne illness and safe food handling information and tips. Safe Lunch Guide
	Choose MyPlate.  The website features practical information and tips to help Americans build healthier diets.
	Let’s Move  is about putting children on the path to a healthy future during their earliest months and years. Giving parents helpful information and fostering environments that support healthy choices. Providing healthier foods in our schools. Ensuring that every family has access to healthy, affordable food. And, helping children become more physically active.
	Choose MyPlate: Vegetarian Diet. Healthy Eating Tips for Vegetarians (pdf) Vegetarian diets can meet all the recommendations for nutrients. The key is to consume a variety of foods and the right amount of foods to meet your calorie needs. Nutrients that vegetarians may need to focus on include protein, iron, calcium, zinc, and vitamin B12
	Vegetarian Resource Group Vegetarian Kids, Teens, and Family
	Action for Healthy Kids, believe there are ways to reduce and prevent childhood obesity and undernourishment. Learn how Action for Healthy Kids is working with schools, families and communities to help our kids learn to be healthier and be ready to learn.
	Healthy Children  The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and its member pediatricians dedicate their efforts and resources to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. Healthy Children - Nutrition Food Allergies in Children
	Team Nutrition 10 Tips Nutrition Education Series Menu Planner for Healthy School Meals Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ Materials. Campaign launched by USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to encourage and teach children, parents, and caregivers to eat healthy and be physically active every day. Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ is about making America's children healthier. It's about practical suggestions that will help you motivate children and their caregivers to eat healthy and be active. Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ Campaign messages and materials are fun for children and informative for caregivers. Building Blocks for Fun and Healthy Meals Fact Sheets For Healthier School Meals
	We Can The We Can! GO, SLOW, and WHOA Foods fact sheet (pdf) can be posted on the refrigerator or used when grocery shopping. The We Can! Parent Tips - Snack (pdf) 100 Calories or Less tip sheet can help consumers choose vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat (1 percent) milk for healthier snacks.
	Fruits and Veggies More Matters Gearing Up for Back to School
	National Dairy Council® (NDC) Child Nutrition Fuel Up To Play 60 sponsored by National Dairy Council and the National Football League, in collaboration with United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Fuel Up to Play 60 is an in-school program that encourages the availability and consumption of nutrient-rich foods, along with at least 60 minutes of daily physical activity.
	The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day. The program was established under the National School Lunch Act, signed by President Harry Truman in 1946.
	The School Breakfast Program (SBP) provides cash assistance to States to operate nonprofit breakfast programs in schools and residential childcare institutions. The program is administered at the Federal level by FNS. State education agencies administer the SBP at the State level, and local school food authorities operate it in schools.

  

School Nutrition Experts, Articles, and Videos

Dayle Hayes, MS, RD
Nutrition for the Future (Eat Well at School)

School Meals That Rock (Facebook)

Dayle Hayes is an award-winning Registered Dietitian, author, and educator. Dayle developed a program for parents, FIT KIDS = HAPPY KIDS; created 5 A Day BINGO; and produced several videos. As a parent and member of the School Nutrition Association, Dayle is dedicated to improving school environments. She collected success stories for Making It Happen; wrote a chapter on communicating with students in Managing Child Nutrition Programs: Leadership for Excellence; and developed Enriching Family Mealtimes, a kit for school leaders and educators. In 2008, she co-authored the Position of the American Dietetic Association: Nutrition Guidance for Healthy Children Ages 2 to 11 Years.

Building Healthy Lunches for Kids

Registered dietitian Angela Lemond gives tips on providing

healthy lunches for your kids this school year. 

Kids in School Yet??!! What to Pack for Lunch
Pamela Ofstein MS, RD, LDN

Healthy School Snacks, CSPI

Wondering What to Pack for School Lunches? Here are 15 healthier brown-bag lunch options now available in your supermarket. by Elaine Magee, MPH, RD

Back to School: Lunch Box Bootcamp Betsy Bingham Ramirez, M.Ed., RD

Feeding Vegan Kids by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Vegetarian Ideas – Creative Back to School Lunches by Kim Galeaz, RD CD 

Child Nutrition - Lunch Line Choices PSA

As an adult you are a role model for the children around you. Kids follow

 the lead of the adults they see everyday. So remember,

healthy choices start with you.

Priceless: School Lunch

"Priceless" launched the One Tray campaign depicting the

cafeteria tray as the conduit for a reformed school food system that

supports healthy children, local farms, and smart schools.