National Oatmeal Day - Health Benefits

Oatmeal is ground oat groats or porridge made from oats. Oatmeal can also be ground oats, steel-cut oats, crushed oats, or rolled oats.

Nutrition Profile - National Oatmeal and Cat Day

Health Benefits

Consumption of oatmeal is known to help lower blood cholesterol because of its soluble fiber content. The popularity of oatmeal and oat products increased after January 1997 when the Food and Drug Administration allowed labels to claim it may reduce the risk of heart disease when combined with a low-fat diet.

Nutrition Information

Ingredients

3/4 cup Oatmeal, cooked
1/3 cup Raspberries

Resources and References
1. Wikipedia: Oatmeal
2. Healthier Steps, Amazing Health Benefits of Oatmeal

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

National Bologna Day

Aside from pork, bologna can alternatively be made out of chicken, turkey, beef, venison, a combination, or soy protein. Typical seasoning for bologna includes black pepper, nutmeg, allspice, celery seed, coriander, and like mortadella, myrtle berries give it its distinctive flavor, U.S. Government regulations require American bologna to be finely ground and without visible pieces of fat.

Resources

Bologna sausage, Wikipedia   

Sausages and Food Safety, USDA  

October 23, National Boston Cream Pie Day and Alternatives

October 15, Global Handwashing Day

Global Handwashing Day will involve millions of people in over 100 countries around the world. Global Handwashing Day (GHD) was created to:
• Foster and support a global culture of handwashing with soap.
• Shine a spotlight on the state of handwashing in every country.
• Raise awareness about the benefits of handwashing with soap.

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 the age of five by two-thirds by 2015.

Global Handwashing Day focuses on children because they suffer the most from diarrheal and respiratory diseases and deaths, but 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
 

For more information on handwashing with soap, including research, tools, and news visit www.globalhandwashing.org.

It’s In Your Hands

Resources and References

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

2. Partnership for Food Safety Education, Fight BAC!

3. The Scrub Club. A fun, interactive, and educational Web site that teaches children the proper way to wash their hands. The site contains interactive games, educational music, downloadable activities for kids, educational materials for teachers and program information for parents.

4. Healthy Schools, Healthy People, It’s a SNAP! (School Network for Absenteeism Prevention) the program is a joint initiative of the CDC and the American Cleaning Institute. This program seeks to improve hand hygiene habits to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases and reduce related absenteeism. This grassroots, education-based effort can help improve health by making hand cleaning an integral part of the school day. Without proper hand cleaning, a single infection can quickly spread among students, teachers, family, and friends.

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.

What happens to the people effected by Hurricane Ian

Our hearts, strength, and prayers go out to those affected by Hurricane Ian. Hold on to your loved ones and pray. The next year, if not longer, will be different and sometimes really difficult. The hardest part is finding temporary housing and then the essentials.

Hopefully, you will never have to suffer a natural disaster, but many have. All of us experience natural tragedy differently.

How do I know?

On September 24, 2021, my home in South Florida was hit by lightning and caught fire during a strong thunderstorm, nothing like Ian. My son used siri to call 911, I was sleeping. He saved my life. We lost one of our pets, Snoopy, from smoke inhalation. The house was not liveable for over 10 months.

Bless the Red Cross for finding us a place for the first few days. After that, we became dependent on the Florida insurance industry. It has been over a year, and the house is still not done.

Searching for a place was difficult. I have a son who is quadriplegia. They were going to separate us. Finally, I found a bottom-floor apartment, I knew it was not accessible, but I felt we had no choice. We lived there for 10 months. They prepared the house so my son could move back in, except for the backyard. His ramp disappeared.

The fire was in the back of the house where I was. They are still not done and I haven't slept in a bed in over a year. They say be grateful you are alive, but as the blank walls go up nothing is familiar, I find myself crying.

40 years of my career lost with the backups. 70 years of family films gone. I lost all my clothes, shoes, books, photos, lesson plans, etc. I know I didn't lose my life, but in some way, I really did. I feel lost without a purpose. 

Jake made quite a few holes in walls and doors. The people and the area were nice, but it wasn't home.

Prior to the fire, I had a thriving practice providing nutrition information for recipes and menus in books, newspapers, and magazines. I still have a semi-active Social Media presence called @DieietitianOnline (on Twitter & Facebook). I provide basic nutrition education to the consumer and educator. I love teaching farm-to-table. I do social media as a volunteer.

The construction company has made some progress, but this should have been done 6 months ago. I only ordered items in stock.

This is my house 1 year later. The project manager forgot to order a bathroom, closets, and a ramp for Jake to get out in the backyard.

Sadly, at my age, we pee a lot, and I can't make it to the other side of the house in time, so I go outside with the dogs. Maybe Lola will learn to potty train from me.
.

I've brought you up to date. I wish I could say I am doing well.  Lately, I've lost my purpose, and I pray I get it back. I love to laugh and smile and miss it.


Maybe with the New Year, we will be filled with happiness and joy.  "Shanah Tovah" “May you have a good and sweet new year.”

Thank you all for your love and support.

Sandra

Teal Pumpkin Project and Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE)

About the Teal Pumpkin Project®

Every child should be able to experience the joy and tradition of trick-or-treating on Halloween. But kids with food allergies are often left out of the fun since most candy is off-limits. Beware of small items a child can choke on.

Food Allergy Research & Education's (FARE) Teal Pumpkin Project helps make sure all children will come home on Halloween night with something they can enjoy. It just takes one simple act: offering non-food treats, such as glow sticks or small toys, as an alternative to candy.

Get Involved

1. Provide non-food treats for trick-or-treaters.

2. Place a teal pumpkin in front of your home to indicate to passersby that you have non-food treats available.

3. Free Teal Pumpkin Project Resources. Make the most of this year's Teal Pumpkin Project by downloading these free resources

Resources
Website: Teal Pumpkin Project
Facebook: FARE’s Teal Pumpkin Project
Twitter: FARE

National Family Meal Month and Family Day: a Day to Eat Dinner With Your Children

Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children™ is a national movement promoting parental engagement as a tool to help keep kids substance-free. Family Day began as a grassroots initiative and has grown to become a nationwide celebration. In 2010 President Obama, all the Governors and over a 1,000 Mayors and County Executives proclaimed and supported Family Day!

More than a decade of research by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University has consistently found that the more often kids eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs.

Dinners Make A Difference! While there are no silver bullets – substance abuse can strike any family regardless of ethnicity, affluence, age or gender – the parental engagement fostered at the dinner table can be a simple, effective tool to help prevent substance abuse in kids.

Join the Movement - National Family Meals Month

Family mealtime is an ageless tradition shared by people all around the world. Eating dinner together keeps the doors of communication open. It's a perfect time to show your children they are your priority. Studies have shown children who eat dinner with their families are less likely to use alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs and more likely to develop good eating habits.

Sesame Street: Eat Together!


Quick and Easy Meals to
Bring Families Together at Meal Time

To learn more about Family Day, visit:
Website. Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children™

Facebook. Family Day: A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children

Website: Informed Families - Family Day is a Day to Eat Dinner With Your Children
Family Day Parent Toolkit https://www.informedfamilies.org/campaigns/family-day 

Symbolic Foods of Rosh Hashanah

September 15, National Linguine Day - Nutrition and Recipes

Linguine is a form of pasta – like fettuccine and trenette, but elliptical in section rather than flat. It is wider than spaghetti, about 4 mm, but not as wide as fettuccine. Linguine is also called trenette or bavette.

Linguine originated in Genoa and the Liguria region of Italy. Linguine are often served with seafood or pesto. Linguine is typically available in both white flour and whole-wheat versions.

Recipe
Lemony Linguine with Spring Vegetables

by Carolyn Malcoun, EatingWell

Resources

Wikipedia, Linguine

Banana Lovers Day: Our Banana Plant . What do you do with over 100 Bananas Check out the Banana Muffins

This is one of our Banana Plants. It is ready to be harvested. How do we know it is ready - check the bananas and see if any have turned yellow. If so, it is ready. 

Cutting the Banana Bunch
Be careful. The Bunch is Heavy.

John has taken on the challenge to

bring the bananas to the kitchen.

Once we placed the bananas on the table, we weighed them. To our surprise they weighed 72.8 pounds, and there were over 100 bananas. I stopped counting.

What do I do with over 100 bananas?

First, we divided the bunch into 4 sections. One for my family, two for my extended family, and one for a church.

I decided to make banana muffins
 (some with chocolate chips)

Banana Muffins

Ingredients
Makes 12 muffins.
4 bananas, about 1 ⅓ cups, mashed
1 large egg
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons light brown sugar
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose whole wheat flour
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Directions

1. Grease a muffin pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mash bananas in a mixing bowl. Add egg, vanilla, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir well to combine.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to banana mixture and stir.
4. Stir in melted butter.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pans and bake for about 20 minutes.

Nutrition Information
1 Muffin

126 Calories (kcal)
3 Protein (g)
26 Carbohydrates (g)  
3 Total Dietary Fiber (g)
10 Total Sugars (g) 
5 Added Sugar (g)
2 Fat (g) 
1 Saturated Fat (g)
18 Cholesterol (mg)
208 Sodium (mg) 

Notes

• For variety, add chocolate chips, walnuts, and dried cranberries. Use your imagination.
• To freeze: Allow muffins to cool completely. Store them in a freezer-safe ziplock bag or air-tight container

August 31, National Trail Mix Day The Food Label Detective: Emerald Trail Mix

*FDA 21 CFR 101.9 Nutrition labeling of food. FDA regulation allows manufacturers to round a number of servings to the nearest 0.5 serving, as long as they use the term “about”. Serving size is based on RACC = Reference Amount Customarily Consumed per Eating Occasion.

One Serving Size: 1oz (28g)

130 calories per Serving

Package Size: Net Wt. 2.25 oz (63.8g)

About 2 Servings per package

Findings
Actual Serving per Package = 2.3
299 Calories per Package

Read the Label; an Educated Consumer has the knowledge
to make the Best Choices.

August 19 - World Humanitarian Day - Inspire Humanitarian Work Around the World

This year’s focus salutes the efforts of women humanitarian workers across the world who rally to people in need and are often the first to respond and the last to leave.

“From supporting civilians caught up in crisis to addressing disease outbreaks, women humanitarians are on the front lines”, said Secretary-General António Guterres.

These unsung heroes have long been working in their own communities in some of the most difficult terrains – from the war-wounded in Afghanistan to the food insecure in the Sahel, to those who have lost their homes and livelihoods in places such as Central African Republic, South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.

“Their presence makes aid operations more effective by increasing their reach”, said the UN chief. “It also improves the humanitarian response to gender-based violence, which increases during emergencies”.

Across the globe, 250,000 aid workers are women – a figure that amounts to more than 40 percent of the humanitarian workforce. But aid work is becoming increasingly dangerous.

Since August 2003, more than 4,500 aid workers of all genders have been killed, injured, detained, assaulted or kidnapped while carrying out their work. That averages out to five attacks per week.

Moreover, women humanitarians are at particularly high risk of robbery, sexual assault, and other violence.

World Humanitarian Day is a time to recognize those who face danger and adversity in order to help others. The day was designated by the General Assembly to coincide with the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, which killed 22 UN staff. 

Natural disasters, conflicts, and other emergencies threaten the lives and health of millions of people every year. In the middle of such crises, thousands of dedicated humanitarian workers strive to care for those who have been affected and support local authorities to deliver assistance. On World Humanitarian Day, WHO and other international bodies are highlighting the roles performed by humanitarian workers and remembering aid workers who have been killed or injured while performing their vital roles. 

World Humanitarian Day offers the chance:

· for the public to learn more about the humanitarian community, what aid workers do and the challenges they face;

· for nongovernmental and international bodies and UN agencies, to demonstrate their humanitarian activities;

· to pay respect to those who have died or been injured in the course of their humanitarian work.

To show your support for World Humanitarian Day visit  http://worldhumanitarianday.org/

July 27, The Discovery of Insulin

1923 Nobel Prize: Banting's Discovery of Insulin

Diabetes Resources and Cookbooks

Diabetes For Dummies Paperback

Mango: From Our Mango Tree to the Table

Nutrition Profile

Recipes
 Mango, Tomato, and Green Onion Salad

Ingredients

1/3 cup Mango

1/2 cup Tomato, diced

2 Tbsp Green Onions

Nutrition Information

National Mango Month - From Our Mango Tree to the Table

Nutrition Profile

Recipes
 Mango, Tomato, and Green Onion Salad

Ingredients

1/3 cup Mango

1/2 cup Tomato, diced

2 Tbsp Green Onions

Nutrition Information