I (Jen) just read a scary statistic in an Associated Press article. It stated that the number of individuals living with dementia will triple by 2050.
A contributing factor to the rise are the increased numbers of individuals with obesity and diabetes, which are both risk factors for dementia.
Ways to combat dementia? Make smart dietary choices and keep your mind and body active!
To me this marks yet another reason in a long list of why exercising and eating right are not just a smart idea but actually should be considered imperative!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Grilling Recipe
Here's a fun recipe from the food network that allows us to get some veggies on the grill. 'Gotta get at least 5 a day!
Sesame Grilled Asparagus Recipe
Total Time: 1 hr 38 min
Prep; 30 min
Inactive;1 hr 0 min
Cook; 8 min
Yield: 4 servings
Level: Easy
Ingredients:
Wooden toothpicks or bamboo skewers
1 pound asparagus
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Salt and black pepper
Directions:
In a shallow pan, soak skewers in cold water for 1 hour, then drain and set aside.
Preheat grill to high. Snap off the woody bases of the asparagus and discard. Skewer 4 or 5 asparagus spears together, using the toothpicks or 2 bamboo skewers, forming a raft shape.
In a small bowl, combine the sesame oil, soy sauce, and garlic and stir with a fork to mix. Brush this mixture on the asparagus rafts on both sides. Season the asparagus with a little salt and lots of pepper.
When ready to cook, place the asparagus rafts on the hot grate and grill until nicely browned on both sides, 2 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds as they grill. You can serve the asparagus as rafts or unskewered.
Sesame Grilled Asparagus Recipe
Total Time: 1 hr 38 min
Prep; 30 min
Inactive;1 hr 0 min
Cook; 8 min
Yield: 4 servings
Level: Easy
Ingredients:
Wooden toothpicks or bamboo skewers
1 pound asparagus
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Salt and black pepper
Directions:
In a shallow pan, soak skewers in cold water for 1 hour, then drain and set aside.
Preheat grill to high. Snap off the woody bases of the asparagus and discard. Skewer 4 or 5 asparagus spears together, using the toothpicks or 2 bamboo skewers, forming a raft shape.
In a small bowl, combine the sesame oil, soy sauce, and garlic and stir with a fork to mix. Brush this mixture on the asparagus rafts on both sides. Season the asparagus with a little salt and lots of pepper.
When ready to cook, place the asparagus rafts on the hot grate and grill until nicely browned on both sides, 2 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds as they grill. You can serve the asparagus as rafts or unskewered.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Medication FYI
Does your medicine cabinet have expired, unused, or unwanted medications? You now have an opportunity to properly dispose of those prescription or over-the-counter medications. In a true community partnership, Grinnell Regional Medical Center and the Grinnell Police Department will participate in the National Take Back Initiative on Saturday, April 28. Anyone may bring in medications for safe, proper disposal between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Spring Street side of the Grinnell Public Safety Building, 1020 Spring St.
This national initiative provides an easy way to clean out medications not needed or wanted in a home. There is no cost for disposal.
“This partnership between the police department and GRMC provides a simple process to safely dispose of any medication,” explains Corey Wilson, GRMC pharmacist. “From the medical center’s perspective, this program removes the potential for expired and inappropriate medications to be consumed in a home. It’s good for patient safety and it’s good for the environment.”
The medications that are brought in during this one-day national blitz will be incinerated. This is considered the safest manner to dispose of medications. In October 2011, the Department of Justice reported that 188.5 tons of unwanted or expired medications were disposed.
“We will have curb-side drop off so an individual may simply drive up and hand the unwanted medications in for disposal,” explains Dave Menninga, detective with Mid-Iowa Drug Task Force. “There’s no reporting, no inventory taken. It’s anonymous. We are providing the opportunity for anyone to remove unwanted medications from the home.”
GRMC will have two pharmacists available at the collection as well as Officer Menninga. This program is free.
This national initiative provides an easy way to clean out medications not needed or wanted in a home. There is no cost for disposal.
“This partnership between the police department and GRMC provides a simple process to safely dispose of any medication,” explains Corey Wilson, GRMC pharmacist. “From the medical center’s perspective, this program removes the potential for expired and inappropriate medications to be consumed in a home. It’s good for patient safety and it’s good for the environment.”
The medications that are brought in during this one-day national blitz will be incinerated. This is considered the safest manner to dispose of medications. In October 2011, the Department of Justice reported that 188.5 tons of unwanted or expired medications were disposed.
“We will have curb-side drop off so an individual may simply drive up and hand the unwanted medications in for disposal,” explains Dave Menninga, detective with Mid-Iowa Drug Task Force. “There’s no reporting, no inventory taken. It’s anonymous. We are providing the opportunity for anyone to remove unwanted medications from the home.”
GRMC will have two pharmacists available at the collection as well as Officer Menninga. This program is free.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
old shoes
Just a reminder as we start our spring cleaning that we take old shoes for recycling. Nicer pairs will be donated to those in need. The truly disgusting, unusable ones will be taken to a facility that grinds them up and makes them into tracks or other sport courts in lower income areas. Shoes can be brought to either of our locations. Thanks for your donations.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Funny quote
"Exercise: the process of converting big meals and fattening snacks into muscle by lifting things that don't need moved and running when no one is chasing you"
Good for you! Keep it up folks!
Good for you! Keep it up folks!
Friday, March 2, 2012
National Nutrition Month
March is National Nutrition Month, so let’s kick it off with healthy helping of better eating ideas for people at all levels of well-being.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) created National Nutrition Month as an education and information campaign to encourage better, more informed eating. This year’s theme is “Get Your Plate in Shape,” and here are just a few of the AND’s snackable bits of advice for better eating—make half of your plate fruits or vegetables, make at least half of your grains whole, and cook at home more often.
For the occasion, we wanted to put together our own list of simple, everyday things that we think everybody can peruse to improve basic eating habits. They’re meant to be realistic and repeatable, but also things that can be shared with others. Enjoy—
Put the healthy foods in your fridge in an easy-to-reach spot. Easy to reach means easy to eat! If there are times when you go to the fridge for a snack, why not plan for them and put the most nutritious items out front while placing some of the others in the bottom drawer?
Add two healthy snacks to your shopping list. Planning really can set you free! So when snack time rolls around, you’ll be prepared. And at the store, it just may be easier to pass by the ice cream when you’ve got fresh berries on your list.
Share the names of your three favorite in-season fruits and vegetables. Sure, you may know the best juicy or crunchy produce this time of year, but maybe your friends and co-workers would appreciate knowing it too, and where to find them.
Plan a healthy meal with friends or as a family. Eating has always been a social activity. Suggest putting together a refreshing and healthy meal with some folks you care about, and if it’s a success, consider making it a recurring event.
Pick one whole grain food to eat at a meal or as a snack today. It could be a some whole wheat toast, oatmeal with fresh fruit, or maybe even some popcorn. Hearty whole grains come from a variety of sources and can be prepared in many different, and enjoyable, ways.
Make one meal that contains only fresh or frozen unprocessed ingredients. Processing foods often removes beneficial nutrients (like fiber) and adds in other ingredients we don’t need (salt, sugar), so why not try a whole-foods approach for one meal today? It could inspire others to do the same.
Use the new MyPlate guide to help you create one balanced meal today. Plenty of people welcomed MyPlate as an improvement over the old food pyramid. Visit the website for MyPlate to see how closely your meals resemble the graphic, and how you can adopt some of the guidelines into everyday eating.
Gauge your hunger before biting into your next snack to see if you’re really hungry. Sometimes we eat because we’re bored, angry, or for a number of other reasons besides actually being hungry. If that’s the case, try reaching for a glass of water instead, or find something else to occupy your attention.
Choose a healthy recipe to prepare for your next special occasion. Maybe it’s fruit salsa with homemade pita chips. Or a fresh wild rice salad. What about whipping up a quick batch of hummus to complement a crudité? Let someone else bring the potato chips for a change and maybe others will appreciate the healthy gesture.
Put your fork down between bites at one meal today. When we eat slowly, we give our stomachs more time to realize that they are full, a feeling that can come several minutes after that last bite. So why not savor the meal and slow things down a little bit?
Treat yourself to a small bit of a food that you love today. Last but not least, let’s remember that people don’t eat nutrients, we eat foods, and we should enjoy them. So let’s be honest about the foods we love, choose a reasonable serving size, and enjoy!
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) created National Nutrition Month as an education and information campaign to encourage better, more informed eating. This year’s theme is “Get Your Plate in Shape,” and here are just a few of the AND’s snackable bits of advice for better eating—make half of your plate fruits or vegetables, make at least half of your grains whole, and cook at home more often.
For the occasion, we wanted to put together our own list of simple, everyday things that we think everybody can peruse to improve basic eating habits. They’re meant to be realistic and repeatable, but also things that can be shared with others. Enjoy—
Put the healthy foods in your fridge in an easy-to-reach spot. Easy to reach means easy to eat! If there are times when you go to the fridge for a snack, why not plan for them and put the most nutritious items out front while placing some of the others in the bottom drawer?
Add two healthy snacks to your shopping list. Planning really can set you free! So when snack time rolls around, you’ll be prepared. And at the store, it just may be easier to pass by the ice cream when you’ve got fresh berries on your list.
Share the names of your three favorite in-season fruits and vegetables. Sure, you may know the best juicy or crunchy produce this time of year, but maybe your friends and co-workers would appreciate knowing it too, and where to find them.
Plan a healthy meal with friends or as a family. Eating has always been a social activity. Suggest putting together a refreshing and healthy meal with some folks you care about, and if it’s a success, consider making it a recurring event.
Pick one whole grain food to eat at a meal or as a snack today. It could be a some whole wheat toast, oatmeal with fresh fruit, or maybe even some popcorn. Hearty whole grains come from a variety of sources and can be prepared in many different, and enjoyable, ways.
Make one meal that contains only fresh or frozen unprocessed ingredients. Processing foods often removes beneficial nutrients (like fiber) and adds in other ingredients we don’t need (salt, sugar), so why not try a whole-foods approach for one meal today? It could inspire others to do the same.
Use the new MyPlate guide to help you create one balanced meal today. Plenty of people welcomed MyPlate as an improvement over the old food pyramid. Visit the website for MyPlate to see how closely your meals resemble the graphic, and how you can adopt some of the guidelines into everyday eating.
Gauge your hunger before biting into your next snack to see if you’re really hungry. Sometimes we eat because we’re bored, angry, or for a number of other reasons besides actually being hungry. If that’s the case, try reaching for a glass of water instead, or find something else to occupy your attention.
Choose a healthy recipe to prepare for your next special occasion. Maybe it’s fruit salsa with homemade pita chips. Or a fresh wild rice salad. What about whipping up a quick batch of hummus to complement a crudité? Let someone else bring the potato chips for a change and maybe others will appreciate the healthy gesture.
Put your fork down between bites at one meal today. When we eat slowly, we give our stomachs more time to realize that they are full, a feeling that can come several minutes after that last bite. So why not savor the meal and slow things down a little bit?
Treat yourself to a small bit of a food that you love today. Last but not least, let’s remember that people don’t eat nutrients, we eat foods, and we should enjoy them. So let’s be honest about the foods we love, choose a reasonable serving size, and enjoy!
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