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February 1st-7th is World Salt Awareness Week.
There is strong evidence that links our current high salt intakes to high blood pressure. High blood pressure is the main cause of strokes and a major cause of heart attacks and heart failures, the most common causes of death and illness in the world. It is also widely recognized that a high salt diet is linked to other conditions, such as osteoporosis, cancer of the stomach, kidney disease, kidney stones, obesity and exacerbating the symptoms of asthma, Meniere's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease and Diabetes.
There is now evidence to show that a high salt intake in children also influences blood pressure and may predispose an individual to the development of a number of diseases including: high blood pressure, osteoporosis, stomach cancer and obesity. The older population and certain ethnic minorities are also at a great risk of health-related problems due to salt intake.
Learn more on how to limit your salt intake and the risks of having too much in your diet here.
Have a wonderful week! Alicia
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| Recipe of the Week |
Sweet Potato Soup with Chipotle Cream
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 14-ounce cans low sodium chicken broth
- 3 tbsps maple syrup
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 1/4 tsps kosher salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- 3/4 tsp dried sage
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 bay leaf
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 chipotle chile (from canned chipotle in adobo) seeds removed, finely chopped
- 2 tsps adobo sauce
- 1/2 cup unsalted pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds) toasted
- In a large pot, heat oil over low heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Increase heat to medium; stir in potato, carrot, and tomato paste. Cook until vegetables begin to caramelize, about 4 minutes. Add broth, syrup, juice, salt, cumin, sage, pepper, nutmeg, and bay leaf. Cover and cook until vegetables are fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Puree using an immersion blender or in batches using a standing blender.
- For chipotle cream: in a small mixer bowl, beat cream on medium speed to firm peaks. Fold in chile and adobo sauce.
- Ladle soup into bowls, top each with a dollop of Chipotle cream and sprinke with pepitas.
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Volunteer Opportunities
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Did you know that volunteering is good for the soul? It helps rid yourself of stress, makes you feel good about yourself, and allows you to meet people who you would have never met before.
- January-February: Volunteer Center of Green Bay needs volunteers to assist in delivering copies of The Volunteer Guide to area businesses and organizations. This is a listing of service opportunities available within nearly 60 local non-profit organizations. You must have your own vehicle. Some lifting required. Transportation reimbursed upon request. Contact: Michael Schwartz-Oscar at 429-9445 or email at Michael@volunteergb.org.
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| OUR SPONSORS |
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| Contact us at livehealthybc@deperechamber.org
Sincerely,
Cheryl Detrick, President
De Pere Area Chamber of Commerce |
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| Issue: #5-2014 | January 29th, 2014
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Healthy Tip of the Week:
Winter Nutrition
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The winter months can prove a nutritional challenge for all of us. Huddling in front of the fire and television on a wet, windy night can bring on a longing for warming comfort food. The potential for damage to our waistlines comes from the combination of large amounts of these comfort foods and not doing as much moving around.
9 Top Tips For Winter
- Top up your immune system by eating lots of antioxidant containing fruit, especially seasonal citrus fruits such as mandarin oranges and grapefruit. Make the most of frozen and canned fruit, which are readily available, and cheaper, at this time of year.
- Vegetables are all full of antioxidants: broccoli, brussel sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, fennel, mushrooms, potatoes, and silverbeet are abundant and cheap. Add vegetables to all your winter dishes.
- You are able to use economical cuts of meat with slow cooking methods - blade and chuck steak, pork shoulder and hock, lamb neck and shoulder shops, chicken things. Be adventurous and look for a new mince recipe this winter.
- Experiment with legumes. They are an excellent source of protein, low fat, high fiber, low GI, and economical. Add chickpeas, kidney beans, split peas, soy beans, and lentils to those comforting soups, stews, and casseroles. Remember the old favorite baked beans for a snack - filling and cheap.
- Watch your portion sizes. It is very tempting to have a large plate, or seconds, when you are indoors all evening. Things that may help include: eat your meals at the table with the family, turn off the TV, use smaller plates, have vegetables cover half your dinner plate.
- Limit high-energy foods (those that are high in fat and sugar), save those winter desserts for a special treat once a week.
- Use the time you are indoors to expand your cooking skills - try a new recipe, or adding some new ingredients to an old favorite.
- Keep hydrated, as this helps your immune system keep working well. You still need 6-8 glasses of fluid (including tea, coffee, juice, water) each day, even though the temperature outside is chilly.
- Keep moving. Find an indoor sport or exercise class, tough up and brave the elements for a walk, arrange to meet a fried so that you have to turn up, increase the amount of incidental exercise you do (example: take the stairs instead of the lift; walk and talk instead of emailing a nearby colleague).
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| Articles We Found Interesting | |
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Folic Acid
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 Folic Acid What is Folic Acid? Folic acid is a water-soluble B vitamin. Since 1998, it has been added to cold cereals, flour, breads, pasta, bakery items, cookies, and crackers, as required by federal law. Foods that are naturally high in folic acid include leafy vegetables (such as spinach, broccoli, and lettuce), okra, asparagus, fruits (such as bananas, melons, and lemons) beans, yeast, mushrooms, meat (such as beef liver and kidney), orange juice, and tomato juice.
Folic acid is used for preventing and treating low blood levels of folic acid (folic acid deficiency), as well as its complications, including "tired blood" (anemia) and the inability of the bowel to absorb nutrients properly. Folic acid is also used for other conditions commonly associated with folic acid deficiency, including ulcerative colitis, liver disease, alcoholism, and kidney dialysis.
Women who are pregnant or might become pregnant take folic acid to prevent miscarriage and "neural tube defects," birth defects such as spina bifida that occur when the fetus's spine and back don't close during development. Some people use folic acid to prevent colon cancer or cervical cancer. It is also used to prevent heart disease and stroke, as well as to reduce blood levels of a chemical called homocysteine. High homocysteine levels might be a risk for heart disease.
Folic acid is used for memory loss, Alzheimer's disease, age-related hearing loss, preventing the eye disease age-related macular degeneration (AMD), reducing signs of aging, weak bones (osteoporosis), jumpy legs (restless leg syndrome), sleep problems, depression, nerve pain, muscle pain, AIDS, a skin disease called vitiligo, and an inherited disease called Fragile-X syndrome. It is also used for reducing harmful side effects of treatment with the medications lometrexol and methotrexate. Some people apply folic acid directly to the gum for treating gum infections. How does it work?
Folic acid is needed for the proper development of the human body. It is involved in producing the genetic material called DNA and in numerous other bodily functions.
How much should you take? The adequate intakes (AI) for infants are 65 mcg for infants 0-6 months and 80 mcg for infants 7-12 months of age. The recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) for folate in DFE, including both food folate and folic acid from fortified foods and supplements are: Children 1-3 years, 150 mcg; Children 4-8 years, 200 mcg; Children 9-13 years, 300 mcg; Adults over 13 years, 400 mcg; Pregnant women 600 mcg; and breast-feeding women, 500 mcg. The tolerable upper intake levels (UL) of folate are 300 mcg for children 1-3 years of age, 400 mcg for children 4-8 years, 600 mcg for children 9-13 years, 800 mcg for adolescents 14-18 years, and 1000 mcg for everyone over 18 years of age. |
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