What, when and why to buy: Eating right for the season

LOCAL CROP	IN SEASON	NUTRITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS	CHOOSE
Apples	August to November	Rich in fiber, which may reduce heart disease risk	Firm fruits with no soft or brown spots; avoid those that are the wrong color for their variety
Asparagus	Late April to late June	Good source of folate, potassium, thiamin, and vitamin B6	Firm, fresh spears with closed, compact tips
Berries	June to October	Packed with potassium, which helps maintain a healty blood pressure, plus vitamins A and C and fiber	Firm, plump blueberries; raspberries with no blemishes; and bright red strawberries with strawberries with fresh green stems
Cherries	Late June to August	High levels of antioxidants, along with beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium and fiber	Large, glossy, plump cherries with no bruises or cuts
Cucumbers	July and August	Good source of folate, along with vitamins A and C, potassium, fiber and magneisum	Firm cucumbers with a rich green color, no soft spots and no bulge in the middle
Melons	June through October	Good source of potassium and vitamins A and C	Canteloupes with a yellow or tan rind and thick, coarse netting; watermelon that's symmetrical and heavy for its size with a hard, smooth rind
Peaches	Early July to mid-September	Rich in potassium and vitamins A and C	Soft, blemish-free peaches with a yellow or cream background and light fragrance
Spinach	May to October	High in vitamins A and K, and rich in manganese, folate and magnesium	Fresh-looking, brightly colored leaves; avoid wilted and yellowing leaves
Squash	June to October	High in vitamins A, B6, C and E, thiamin, niacin, potassium, beta-carotene and manganese	Squash with a heavy stem for its size; avoid bruised, nicked rinds or soft spots
Sweet corn	July through September	Lots of protein and carbohydrates, plus vitamin C	Ears with green, tight husks; open them to check that kernels are plump and get smaller at the tip
Tomatoes	August and September	Loaded with lycopene, which in some studies suggest wards off prostate cancer and heart disease, plus vitamins A and C	Smooth-skinned, plump tomatoes with no cracks, blemishes or bruises

 

                                  Adapted from: Living Healthy/Spring 2012- Nutrition

Inspiration for a Healthy New Year

Many popular New Year's resolutions focus on how to improve our health. That is good news, considering that being healthy provides us protection against disease and injury, as well as strength and energy to help us have a good quality of life.

5 Healthy Tips for 2013

Whatever your situation, see your health care provider and find out how you can live a safer and healthier life. Here are a few general tips for a safe and healthy life:

• Find health resources to help you achieve your New Year's goals.

• Protect yourself from injury or disease by wearing a helmet, sunscreen, or insect repellent when necessary.

• Make an appointment for a check-up, vaccination, or screening. Know where to go for care if you do not have health insurance.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

• Learn health tips that take 5 minutes or less.

Healthy You

• Make healthy food choices. Grab a healthy snack such as fruit, nuts, or low-fat cheese.
• Be active. Try simple things such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Be active for at least 2½ hours a week.
• Find out more about the benefits of regular physical activity . Sometimes getting started is the hardest part. Learn what counts as aerobic exercise .
• Be smoke-free. If you are ready to quit, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW for free counseling. Need inspiration? Check out Tips from Former Smokers .
• Get enough sleep. Remember that sleep is a necessity, not a luxury.

Learn more about Healthy Living.

Healthy Family

• Learn how to be healthy before, during, and after pregnancy.
• Reduce auto-related injuries by using seat belts, child safety seats, and booster seats that are appropriate for your child's age and weight.
• Learn positive parenting tips to keep teens safe on the road.
• Develop and enforce rules about acceptable and safe behaviors using electronic media.
• Lower the risk of foodborne illness as you prepare meals for your family.
• Serve healthy meals and snacks.
• Encourage and support physical activity.
• Gather and share family health history.
• Be a healthy caregiver.
• Encourage family members to get check-ups and screenings. Make sure they know where to go for care if they do not have health insurance.
• Get pets vaccinated and keep pets healthy.
• Add the 5 Minutes or Less for Health widget to your website to get new health tips each week.

Learn more about Family Health and Kids' Health, and visit the Parent Portal.

 

Adapted from: http://www.cdc.gov/features/healthynewyear/

'Tis the Season...for the Flu

Fall is in full swing and that means influenza (flu) season is here, too. The flu is caused by viruses that infect your nose, throat and lungs. It's easily spread from person to person, so be sure to follow these tips to protect yourself and your family: 

  •   Wash your hands frequently
  •   Keep your home and office clean and disinfected
  •   Get a flu vaccination
  •   Know when to stay home from work or school

Want more details? Keep reading to learn more about how to avoid the flu this season.

Wash Your Hands
Proper hand washing can prevent the spread of colds, flu and other common illnesses. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) suggests using this technique when washing your hands: Wet your hands with clean running water and apply soap. Rub your hands together to make a lather and continue rubbing hands for 20 seconds. Rinse well under running water.

Stay healthy this season by washing your hands in these instances:

  •   After sneezing or coughing
  •   After handling pets
  •   Before eating or touching food
  •   After using the bathroom/toilet
  •   When they are filmy, sticky or visibly dirty

Disinfect Your Home and Office
It's important to keep your home and workplace clean and disinfected to avoid spreading germs. Cleaning with soap and water removes dirt and most germs, but disinfecting actually kills germs.

Use antibacterial wipes to kill germs from commonly used spaces in your home or office. Examples include countertops, faucet handles, doorknobs, desktops, phones, computer screens and keyboards.

 

Get a Flu Vaccine
Everyone six months and older should get a flu vaccine. It's especially important for certain people to get the vaccine, including:

  •   People with certain medical conditions, like asthma, diabetes and
      chronic lung disease.
  •   Pregnant women.
  •   People ages 65 and older.
  •   People who live with or care for those at high risk of developing serious
      complications, such as caregivers of people with certain medical
      conditions, including asthma, diabetes and chronic lung disease.

Even if you've received a flu vaccine in the past, you should get one each year. That's because flu viruses are always changing and it's possible that a new flu strain will appear each year. By getting a vaccination each year, you are getting the best protection.

Learn more about the seasonal flu vaccine by visiting the CDC website.

 

Know When to Stay Home
If you have symptoms of the flu, stay home from school or work until you are fever-free (without the help of fever-reducing medicine) for at least 24 hours.

Red wine, minus the alcohol, may lower blood pressure

 

 

 

Doctors have been telling us for years that a glass of red wine at night may be good for our hearts. But they still can't tell us why, exactly.

Does the answer lie in the antioxidants known as polyphenols, which may or may not boost blood-vessel function, improve cholesterol levels, and fight inflammation? Or does alcohol play the more important role?

A small new study may provide a clue. To compare the effect of polyphenols and alcohol on blood pressure, researchers instructed 67 older men at risk for heart disease to consume the same beverage every day for one month at a time: red wine (about two glasses), non-alcoholic red wine, or gin (about two shots).

The daily doses of alcoholic red wine and of gin—which doesn't contain polyphenols—had no discernible effect on blood pressure. By contrast, when the men drank the non-alcoholic red wine, theirsystolic anddiastolic blood pressure fell by an average of 6 and 2 points, respectively, over the course of the month. (Systolic pressure is the top number in a blood pressure reading.)

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Though modest, blood-pressure declines in the same range have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke by up to 20%, according to the study, which was published today in the American Heart Association journal Circulation Research.

"Our opinion is that [these] blood pressure-lowering...effects should be attributed to the polyphenols contained in wine," says senior author Dr. Ramon Estruch, M.D., Ph.D., a researcher at the University of Barcelona, in Spain.

"Alcohol," he adds, "seems to counteract the effects of the non-alcoholic fraction in red wine."

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The researchers suspect that polyphenols lowered blood pressure by raising blood levels of nitric oxide, which relaxes the arteries and allows blood to circulate more freely. In the study, only non-alcoholic red wine was associated with an increase in nitric oxide levels.

Despite the growing evidence of red wine's heart benefits, doctors generally don't recommend it to their patients because of the hazards associated with alcohol. Non-alcoholic red wine might be an option for people who want to consume polyphenols without the alcohol, Estruch and his colleagues say.

The study, however, left several questions unanswered that will need to be addressed in future research.

It's not clear, for instance, whether the same experiment would produce similar results in healthy people or in women. And the researchers didn't measure the exact polyphenol content of the wines, raising the possibility that some other property of the non-alcoholic wine helped lower blood pressure.

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Another important drawback is that the researchers measured blood pressure on one day only, at the end of each month-long period, says Dr. Sharonne Hayes, M.D., founder of the Women's Heart Clinic at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

"Whether this [effect] would be sustained with longer-term use is unknown," Hayes says.

Copyright Health Magazine 2011

Post by: Amanda Gardner - Health.com Filed under: Health.com • Heart • Living Well