Healthy Eating For The Summer

Step Into Wellness

Summer is an excellent time to renew your resolution for healthy eating. And a recent blood pressure study sweetens the deal, lend-ing support for putting watermelon among top choices for heart-healthy foods.

Celebrate the bounty of summer with water-melon and other fresh fruits and vegetables. Combined in healthy menus, summertime foods can help give you more than just one season of heart health.

Best summertime foods to choose

Dietitians Julia Zumpano and Kate Patton, both of Cleveland Clinic’s Section of Preven-tive Cardiology & Rehabilitation, put together some tips with the list of their five summertime heart-healthy food favorites:

1. Avocados A mashed avocado provides a healthy alterna-tive to mayonnaise or butter. A 1/4-cup serving of pureed avocado provides 6 grams of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and 90 calories.

Serving tips: Use it as a spread on sandwiches, wraps or burritos, in salads or as a dip. To prevent browning, add lemon juice to avocado flesh.

2. Tomatoes Enjoy summer’s kaleidoscopic tomato harvest. Most tomatoes are a good source of lycopene (an antioxidant that helps protect cells from damage and also may help lower bad choles-terol).

3. Salmon Wild-caught salmon is a heart-healthy choice that’s perfect for summertime grilling. Eating 4 ounces of wild-caught salmon twice weekly provides you with an adequate intake of es-sential omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids can help lower risk of sudden cardiac death, reduce blood clot formation, inhibit growth of plaque along artery walls and de-crease triglycerides. Lightly oil or spray the grill and keep the skin on fillets to prevent the salmon from sticking. Grill over medium heat.

4. Dark leafy greens These nutritional powerhouses can go way beyond salads. Choose from red or green leaf lettuce, romaine, kale, collards, turnip greens, Swiss chard, spinach and red or green cab-bage. Each selection is nutrient-dense and full of fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. An added plus: They are all low in calories. (One cup of raw spinach has only 7 calories. One cup of raw, shredded red cabbage has 22 calories.)

Serving tips: You can eat greens raw or cooked, added to cold pasta or bean salads. They also blend well in smoothies. For a carb-free sandwich, use a large leaf as a wrap instead of bread.

5. Fresh fruit Seasonal, local fresh fruit gives you the most nutrient-rich bang for your buck. Farmers mar-kets sell seasonal local fruit – melons, berries, peaches, pears, plums, cherries – at the peak of its flavor and nutrients. Fruit-rich diets can help lower your blood pressure and the water in fresh fruits keeps you hydrated on hot sum-mer days.

A summertime favorite, watermelon is another good source of lycopene and has only 46 calories per cup.

A study published in the American Journal of Hypertension and conducted by Florida State University says that specific nutrients in water-melon also may help reduce blood pressure.

Researchers examined how watermelon ex-tract influenced aortic blood pressure and vascular responses in 13 overweight, hyper-tensive middle-aged men and women.

Results showed improvement in blood pres-sure and vascular response when patients received daily doses of watermelon extract. It helped lower blood pressure when participants were at rest as well a s when subjected to cold temperature stress.

In This Issue:

Healthy Eating for the Summer

July Happenings

Cutting Board Safety

Take Care of YOU!

The Extra Push

Pet Safety for the Holi-days

Food Expiration Dates

Eye Injury Protection

Fireworks Safety

July 2014

Health Fairs Near You in 2014

August 5 - Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola, 10 a.m.- 1 p.m.

August 11 - St. Helen, 1 p.m.- 3 p.m.

August 13 - All Saints, 1 p.m.- 4 p.m.

August 14 - St. Jude, 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

August 19 - St. Anastasia/John Carroll High School, 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

September 12 - St. Juliana, 1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Annual Personal Health Assessment (PHA)

This year it will be even easier for you to earn your $50 gift card. Once you complete your biometric screening at one of the six health, wellness and safety fairs, the PHA will be completed on site and scanned, giv-ing you your results immediately and saving you the extra step of having to go online to complete it!

Each year we are working to make the proc-ess more streamlined and efficient for YOU! We want you to enjoy yourself and not get “stressed out” over those mes-sages…”Account or User Name Not Found”… YIKES! So, here it is, ONE STOP SHOPPING!! Be sure to schedule your ap-pointment by using the Pick A Time Sched-uler link below: h t t p s : / / p i c k a t i m e . c o m / c l i e n t ?ven=11604103

Page 2 Step Into Wellness

Pet Safety for the Holidays

For many people, nothing beats lounging in the backyard on the Fourth of July with good friends and family-including the four-legged members of the household. While it may seem like a great idea to reward Rover with scraps from the grill and bring him along to watch fireworks, in reality some fes-tive foods and products can be potentially hazardous to your pets. ~ Never leave alcoholic drinks unattended where pets can reach them. Alcoholic beverages have the potential to poi-son pets. If ingested, the animal could become very intoxi-cated and weak, severely depressed or could go into a coma. Death from respiratory failure is also a possibility in severe cases. ~ Do not apply any sunscreen or insect repellent product to your pet that is not labeled specifically for use on animals. Ingestion of sunscreen products can result in drooling, vom-iting, diarrhea, excessive thirst and lethargy. The misuse of insect repellent that contains DEET can lead to neurological problems. ~ Always keep matches and lighter fluid out of your pets' reach. Certain types of matches contain chlorates, which could potentially damage blood cells and result in difficulty breathing-or even kidney disease in severe cases. Lighter fluid can be irritating to skin, and if ingested can produce gastrointestinal irritation and central nervous system depres-sion. If lighter fluid is inhaled, aspiration pneumonia and breathing problems could develop. ~ Fireworks (and thunder) can be very frightening to pets. Make sure to keep pets indoors and wearing their collar with ID tags. Also make sure they are microchipped and their information is up-to-date with the chip company. ~ Keep your pets on their normal diet. Any change, even for one meal, can give your pets severe indigestion and diar-rhea. This is particularly true for older animals who have more delicate digestive systems and nutritional require-ments. And keep in mind that foods such as onions, choco-late, coffee, avocado, grapes & raisins, salt and yeast dough can all be potentially toxic to companion animals. ~ Do not put glow jewelry on your pets, or allow them to play with it. While the luminescent substance contained in these products is not highly toxic, excessive drooling and gastroin-testinal irritation could still result from ingestions, and intesti-nal blockage could occur from swallowing large pieces of the plastic containers. ~ Keep citronella candles, insect coils and oil products out of reach. Ingestions can produce stomach irritation and possibly even central nervous system depression. If inhaled, the oils could cause aspiration pneumonia in pets.

July 1 - 31 National Fireworks Safety Month

July 1 - 31 UV Safety Month

July 1 - 31 Eye Injury Prevention Month

July 4 Independence Day

July 20 - 26 National Drowning Prevention Week

July Happenings Calendar

Chop Chop…Cutting Board Safety

Cutting boards are very useful in the kitchen for preparing fruits, vegetables,

and meats. However, they can be breeding grounds for all kinds of make-you-

sick bacteria, including salmonella. To avoid cross-contamination, have two

cutting boards: one for meats and one for produce. Make sure to sanitize the

meat board by rinsing it in soapy water and then dropping it in the dishwasher.

If you don't have a dishwasher, spritz your board with a bleach/water solution.

(One tsp. bleach to 1 quart of water.) If your cutting board is cracking or has

grooves, toss it and buy another. Wood or plastic? Your choice. Either one is

fine, as long as it has been cleaned properly.

Here's to staying healthy in the kitchen!

Put on Your Oxygen Mask First!

Many times during your life you are sometimes overwhelmed with tasks and

responsibilities. Maybe you are taking care of a family or aging parents.

Maybe you are in a leadership role in your job or organizations you belong to.

Maybe you're going through a life crisis. Some days, even routine tasks can

overwhelm. Whatever the case for you, remember to take care of yourself

first. You can't give to others from an empty well. Get your rest, exercise, and

eat as well as you possibly can. Once you take care of yourself, you'll have

plenty to share with everyone else.

Digging Deeper...

Have you ever wondered why you really need to go to see a professional (a

coach, a trainer, a nutritionist, a therapist, etc.) to do the things you already

know how to do? Sometimes it's about getting new information. But most of

the time, it's about digging deeper and pushing past some self-imposed limita-

tion that all of us carry. Think about it, what have you been able to accomplish

with the help of someone else that you couldn't accomplish on your own? It's

not weak to ask for help. In fact, it might be the very thing that will help you

e x c e l b e y o n d y o u r w i l d e s t d r e a m s .

Here's to that little extra push!

Expiration dates can be a tricky thing—they’re not always set in stone

—which explains why so many of us are utterly befuddled by them.

A recent survey of more than 1,000 adults across the country con-ducted by NSF International, a nonprofit public health group, found that one in four people use visual cues to decide if something is still

safe to eat.

Here are a few of the survey’s most interesting highlights:

17 percent of people are most likely to toss food only when it starts

to smell.

14 percent of consumers never throw out frozen food.

Two in five people say they have avoided eating something at a friend’s or family member’s house because they didn’t trust the

safety or quality of the food.

People over the age of 55 are most likely to keep food that’s past any date printed on the label—including an expiration date, sell-by

date, or best-used by-date.

The expiration dates manufacturers stamp on your grocery store goods aren’t set in stone—plenty of foods are still safe to enjoy long past them. But if you can’t trust the label, how do you know how old is

too old?

Here’s your definitive guide to real expiration dates—trustworthy so

long as your refrigerator is kept at a cool 40 degrees or below .

Eggs. In the fridge, raw eggs stay good for up to five weeks . Hard-boiled eggs don’t last nearly as long; they’re good for just a week in

their shells, and only five days when peeled.

Milk. Most common types of milk—whole, 1- and 2-percent, and skim varieties—will last for up to a week past their sell-by dates. But lac-tose-free milk will stay good for up to 10 days, and organic milk tends to last longer than non-organic because of a process called ultrahigh

processing treatment (not pasteurization).

Cheese. Soft cheeses like brie and feta are A-OK for a week past their printed expiration dates before they start growing fuzz (and not the good kind ). Curds like muenster, gorgonzola, and havarti might last a little longer, two weeks past their sell-by dates. But semi-hard cheeses like Cheddar and Swiss can last up to two months past their

suggested expirations, and hard cheeses like Parmesan for up to four.

Food and Expiration Dates.. How Hard Could It Be??

Page 3

Fish. Properly cooled cooked fish won’t kill you if eaten after six days, though it might taste a little off. But don’t even think about saving sushi leftovers for more than a day or two—you want nothing

to do with raw fish older than that.

Chicken and pork. It’s totally cool to hold onto cooled chicken salad for up to five days. Raw chicken cutlets, whole chickens, or cuts of

pork, however, shouldn’t be in the fridge for more than two days.

Red meat. Raw roasts, steaks, and chops of beef, veal, and lamb are safe to eat for up to five days. Cooked, they’ll last another three

to four.

Ground meat and seafood. Throw out any raw ground meat that’s

older than a day or two —regardless if it’s chicken, beef, or shrimp.

Soups and stews. It doesn’t matter if soups or stews are made with meat, vegetables, or a combination of both, they shouldn’t spend more than four days in the fridge (though they may taste better at the

tail end of that time). ).

Vegetables. Fresh vegetables run the gamut. Broccoli can stay fresh for up to two weeks when refrigerated, but chopped loose lettuce is only good for about three to five days before it gets slimy . Winter squash can even sit in the back of your fridge for up to a whopping three months. Generally speaking, the hardier the vegetable, the better it will hold up in the fridge. Unopened canned vegetables will last up to two years past their expiration date, and frozen veggies

can hang around for up to another 10 months after theirs.

Eye Injury Protection Month

More than one million people suffer from eye injuries each year and 905 of the injuries could have been prevented if the individ-ual was wearing appropriate protective eye wear.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, fire-works accounted for approximately 7,000 injuries treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments. 1,000 of those were eye injuries.

Sparklers, fireworks, roman candles, and bottle rockets each contrib-uted to the eye injuries.

Injuries may result from being too close to fireworks when they ex-plode. Examples of this are bending over for a closer look at a fire-work that has been ignited or from a misguided bottle rocket. Chil-dren are often excited and curious around fireworks which can in-crease their chances of being injured.

Another cause of eye injury is yard work. Before using a lawnmower, power trimmer or edger be sure to check for any debris that may become a dangerous projectile. Always wear approved protective eyewear when working in the yard.

FIREWORKS SAFETY

Law enforcement is urging residents to think

about safety as they make plans to celebrate the Fourth of July. Every year thousands of people are killed or

critically injured by fireworks, and more than

half of those are children. Fireworks can result in

severe burns, scars and disfigurement that can

last a lifetime. For that reason, FIREWORKS

ARE ILLEGAL TO USE WITHOUT A PERMIT.

Some of the illegal fireworks prohibited for

normal resale are as follows:

- Common Bottle Rockets - Firecrackers (Rolls) -

Standard Fireworks

- M80’s with Mortar - M80’s - Projectile Fire-

works

- Launchable Rockets with Stands

(The above listed items are only a few samples

commonly purchased by people that are prohib-

ited for sale.)

WARNING!!!!!!!!!

YOU SHOULD NOT SIGN “WAIVERS”

in order to purchase fireworks. A “waiver”

will not clear you of responsibility should you be

caught using illegal fireworks. Many law enforce-

ment agencies will be enforcing the use of illegal

fireworks. Using fireworks illegally is a first degree

misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail

and a $1,000 fine.

If you are using “legal” sparklers, novelties and trick

noisemakers there is still a risk of injury.

When lit, some sparklers can reach temperatures

between 1,300 and 1,800 degrees, which is at least

200 degrees hotter than a standard butane lighter.

COMMON SENSE RULES

Follow these precautions to celebrate safely:

Use sparklers and other “legal” novelties on a flat,

hard surface. Do not light them on grass.

- Use sparklers in an open area. Keep children and

pets at least 30 feet away from all ignited fireworks.

Never use fireworks around pets! Keep in mind that

livestock such as horses and cows can be fright-

ened as well. While exposure to lit fireworks can poten-

tially result in severe burns and/or trauma to the face

and paws of curious pets, even unused fireworks can

pose a danger. Many types contain potentially toxic

substances, including potassium nitrate, arsenic and

other heavy metals.

- Light only one item at a time and never attempt to

re-light a dud.

- Don’t purchase or use any unwrapped items or

items that may have been tampered with.

- Keep a fire extinguisher or water hose on hand for

emergencies.

Remember: IF IT LAUNCHES

OR EXPLODES, IT IS MOST

DEFINITELY OFF LIMITS!