October 18, World Menopause Day How to Avoid Menopausal Weight Gain

Every woman will go through the “change of life,” around 50 years of age plus or minus. This is the time of her last period (or menstruation). Symptoms of menopause vary with every woman. Common symptoms include hot flashes; night sweats; sleep irregularity; mood changes; and possible weight gain around the middle. Some women go through menopause without symptoms.

Due to a decrease in hormone levels and the aging process, many women find themselves gaining weight in their forties and fifties. There is a loss of muscle, which decreases the metabolism; and a gain of fat, mainly in the belly area. Lifestyle factors will play an important role in how you handle menopause. Menopausal women tend to be less active and eat more calories than they need.

Nutrition, Eating and
Wellness Guidelines for Menopause

1. Maintain a healthy weight; it will decrease your risk of heart disease and other problems. 
2. Meet your calcium and vitamin D needs. This is important to maintain healthy bones and prevent bone loss that may occur after menopause. Good food sources of calcium include dairy products, such as milk, yogurt and cheese; fortified soy and rice beverages; fortified juices; and canned fish with bones. Good food sources of vitamin D include milk, fortified soy and rice beverages, fortified juices, and fatty fish. 
3. Be physically active every day. Physical activity helps maintain a healthy weight, keep bones strong and energy levels up, and decrease the risk of heart disease and other age-related complications.
4. Some women will try soy and flax in food to help relieve the side effects of menopause. Currently, studies have not proven that soy and flax help.
5. Wear lightweight and layered clothes. Body temperature fluctuates from hot to cold.
6. Keep a cold glass of water by your side. Due to hot flashes and excessive sweating, it is important to stay hydrated.
7. Relax.
8. Take time to laugh.

How to Avoid Menopausal Weight Gain

You don't have to gain weight as a result of menopause.
Elizabeth Somer, RD explains how to avoid weight gain after menopause.

The Menopause Blues

I Will Not Age

Is It Hot In Here, Or Is It Me?

Resources and References

The International Menopause Society (IMS), in collaboration with the World Health Organization, has designated October 18 as World Menopause Day. To celebrate World Menopause Day, IMS is launching a new campaign to create awareness of understanding weight gain at menopause and the implications it can have on the future health of women in the post-menopausal period. 

For women aged 55–65 years, weight gain is one of their major health concerns and many are not aware of the health implications of excessive weight gain, particularly around the abdomen, which is associated with a heightened risk of cardiovascular and metabolic disease, and also impacts adversely on health-related quality of life and sexual function.
An educational toolkit of materials have been developed to support local country initiatives throughout the month of October to raise awareness of this potential health issue and many have been translated into key languages to ensure the campaign has a truly international perspective.

The IMS hopes that national societies will take the opportunity of World Menopause Day to highlight the increasing importance of menopausal health issues, by contacting the women of their country to encourage them to talk to their doctors about menopause and its long-term effects.

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Eating Right during Menopause

World Food Day October 16, 2011

World Food Day was established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in November 1979. FAO celebrates World Food Day each year on October 16th, the day on which the Organization was founded in 1945.

“FOOD PRICES – FROM CRISIS TO STABILITY” has been chosen as the 2011 World Food Day theme to shed some light on this trend and what can be done to mitigate its impact on the most vulnerable.

WORLD FOOD DAY 2011

On World Food Day 2011, let us look seriously at what causes swings in food prices, and do what needs to be done to reduce their impact on the weakest members of global society.

The objectives of World Food Day are to:

*Encourage attention to agricultural food production and to stimulate national, bilateral, multilateral and non-governmental efforts to this end;

*Encourage economic and technical cooperation among developing countries;

*Encourage the participation of rural people, particularly women and the least privileged categories, in decisions and activities influencing their living conditions;

*Heighten public awareness of the problem of hunger in the world;

*Promote the transfer of technologies to the developing world; and

*Strengthen international and national solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty and draw attention to achievements in food and agricultural development.


To learn more about World Food Day, visit the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

October 3, 2011, Child Health Day

Child Health Day

On the first Monday of October, maternal and child health professionals across America remind us that nothing is more important then the health of our children. Under a Joint Resolution of Congress, the President of the United States proclaimed National Child Health Day every year since 1928.

Originally held in May, this is a poster from 1939.

This is the 83rd annual celebration of Child Health Day. The US Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) reminds us of maternal and child health programs that help children lead healthy lives every day.

This year’s theme is "Helping Children Lead Healthy Lives."

For Family-to-Family Health Information Centers (F2F HICs), Child Health Day has particular significance. F2F HICs provide information, training, technical assistance, and peer support to families of children with special health care needs, representing over 8.8 million families or 1 in 5 households in the U.S. As families are their children’s primary care givers, F2F HICs play an important role in helping families find health care financing, coordinate care, navigate community-based services, communicate with their child’s providers, and find support from a parent of a child with similar issues. Learn more about F2F HICs in this short video below or connect with the F2F HIC in your state.

On Child Health Day the president invites "all agencies and organizations interested in child welfare to unite on Child Health Day in observing exercises that will make the people of the United States aware of the fundamental necessity of a year-round program to protect and develop the health of the children of the United States."

Child Health and Nutrition
Resources

Organizations, Associations, and Programs
	American Dietetic Association is your source for trustworthy, science-based food and nutrition information. The worlds largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, ADA is committed to improving the nation's health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy.
	Kids Eat Right your source for scientifically-based health and nutrition information you can trust to help your child grow healthy. As a parent or caretaker you need reliable resources and you can find them here, backed by the expertise of nutrition professionals.
	Home Food Safety Tips The American Dietetic Association and ConAgra Foods public awareness campaign, Home Food Safety, is dedicated to providing home food safety statistics, information about foodborne illness and safe food handling information and tips. Safe Lunch Guide
	Choose MyPlate. The website features practical information and tips to help Americans build healthier diets.
	Let’s Move is about putting children on the path to a healthy future during their earliest months and years. Giving parents helpful information and fostering environments that support healthy choices. Providing healthier foods in our schools. Ensuring that every family has access to healthy, affordable food. And, helping children become more physically active.
	Choose MyPlate: Vegetarian Diet. Healthy Eating Tips for Vegetarians (pdf) Vegetarian diets can meet all the recommendations for nutrients. The key is to consume a variety of foods and the right amount of foods to meet your calorie needs. Nutrients that vegetarians may need to focus on include protein, iron, calcium, zinc, and vitamin B12
	Vegetarian Resource Group Vegetarian Kids, Teens, and Family
	Action for Healthy Kids, believe there are ways to reduce and prevent childhood obesity and undernourishment. Learn how Action for Healthy Kids is working with schools, families and communities to help our kids learn to be healthier and be ready to learn.
	Healthy Children The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and its member pediatricians dedicate their efforts and resources to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. Healthy Children - Nutrition Food Allergies in Children
	Team Nutrition 10 Tips Nutrition Education Series Menu Planner for Healthy School Meals Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ Materials. Campaign launched by USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to encourage and teach children, parents, and caregivers to eat healthy and be physically active every day. Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ is about making America's children healthier. It's about practical suggestions that will help you motivate children and their caregivers to eat healthy and be active. Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ Campaign messages and materials are fun for children and informative for caregivers. Building Blocks for Fun and Healthy Meals Fact Sheets For Healthier School Meals
	We Can The We Can! GO, SLOW, and WHOA Foods fact sheet (pdf) can be posted on the refrigerator or used when grocery shopping. The We Can! Parent Tips - Snack (pdf) 100 Calories or Less tip sheet can help consumers choose vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat (1 percent) milk for healthier snacks.
	Fruits and Veggies More Matters Gearing Up for Back to School
	National Dairy Council® (NDC) Child Nutrition Fuel Up To Play 60 sponsored by National Dairy Council and the National Football League, in collaboration with United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Fuel Up to Play 60 is an in-school program that encourages the availability and consumption of nutrient-rich foods, along with at least 60 minutes of daily physical activity.
	The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day. The program was established under the National School Lunch Act, signed by President Harry Truman in 1946.
	The School Breakfast Program (SBP) provides cash assistance to States to operate nonprofit breakfast programs in schools and residential childcare institutions. The program is administered at the Federal level by FNS. State education agencies administer the SBP at the State level, and local school food authorities operate it in schools.

October 2, 2011 Intergeneration Day

Generations United is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening connections between young and old through policies, programs and education. 

In 2010 Generated United held a photo contest. Here are the winners of  "Because We're Stronger Together". The photos represent multi-generations from all over the world.

Sharing Old Traditions and
Creating New Traditions

Generations of Cooking

Cooking With Kids: Tutti-Frutti Salad

Inspired by the reality of Childhood eating disorders and the lack of time families spend in the kitchen together, "Cooking With Kids" television segments were designed to motivate parents and children to cook healthy, nutritious meals together. Narrated by Michelle Weinbender, RD.

How to Get Your Kids Involved
in the Cooking Process

Circle of Life

From the Disney's Lion King, the "Circle of Life."
Written by Tim Rice and Elton John.

The Art of Hand Washing CDC Foundation showcases the work of artists who interpret the act of hand washing

The exhibit is called Watching Hands. Sponsored by Georgia Pacific and the CDC Foundation, and curated by Louise E. Shaw, CDC Museum Curator, this exhibit show cases the work of six artists who interpret the act of hand washing through painting, drawing, graphic design, sculpture, installation, and new media.

The artists include John Bankston (San Francisco); Didi Dunphy (Athens, GA); Joe Peragine (Atlanta); Katherine L. Ross (Chicago); Laura Splan (Brooklyn, NY); and James Victore (Brooklyn, NY).

The exhibit is located at the David J. Sencer CDC Museum in Association with the Smithsonian Institution and runs from September 24, 2011 – January 13, 2012.

A look at the Artists

Laura Splan.  "Surface Tension" by New York-based mixed-media artist and biologist Laura Splan, is a series of paintings that allude to the invisible worlds that are at play as we wash our hands. The drawings of hands and microbes underlie a latent image of bubbles rendered in enMotion® foam hand soap provided by Georgia-Pacific Professional. Each of the twelve paintings depicts hands in a different position of proper handwashing as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Katherine L. Ross.  Katherine L. Ross is a conceptual artist who uses ceramics as her primary medium to create haunting site-specific installations. Currently the chair of the Ceramics Department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), she is concerned with the psychology of water, cleansing, hygiene and contamination. In "Water Cure," a mound of over 1300 porcelain bars of soap lies on the floor.

John Bankston.  John Bankston, a self-declared storyteller and visual novelist based in San Francisco, uses the visual structures of children's coloring books to create fantastical stories exploring personal identities and inner worlds. In "Magic Handwashing," Bankston's protagonist, Donkey Boy, finds himself in a dilemma when his hands are turned into claws after immersing them into a glowing puddle. Only through the help of many fantastical friends does Donkey Boy restore his hands when he learns how to wash them properly.

Didi Dunphy.   Athens, Georgia-based artist Didi Dunphy's enthusiastic willingness to explore healthy handwashing habits through the filter of fun has resulted in "Bubbles, Bubbles"  -an installation that is as motivating as it is delightful. A design vocabulary of iconic figures and handwashing-related objects silhouetted within brightly colored polka dots has been translated to Dunphy's signature vinyl cut-outs, paper towels dispensed from Georgia-Pacific Professional's enMotion® automated touchless towel dispenser and relevant videos accessed through smartphones.

James Victore.  A self-declared independent designer based in New York, James Victore's participation in Watching Hands is a nod to the importance of good design in public health communications, as well as acknowledgement of the blurring of lines between design and fine art. His poster series, "Washing Hands: The single most important means of preventing the spread of infection," features hands overlaid with bubble images of various pathogens, such as influenza and E.coli, that can be transmitted by not washing one's hands.

Joe Peragine.  Joe Peragine is an Atlanta-based artist who uses painting, sculpture and animation to make deeply personal and often poignant associations between the everyday and the human condition. His multidisciplinary installation, "Easiest, cheapest, needfull'st," is surprisingly comforting, as he captures the soulfulness of our daily handwashing routines, as well as a sense of a shared human experience.

Keeping hands clean through improved hand hygiene is one of the most important steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. Many diseases and conditions are spread by not washing hands with soap and clean, running water. If clean, running water is not accessible, as is common in many parts of the world, use soap and available water. If soap and water are unavailable, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol to clean hands.

Salmonella Does Not Discriminate

Playing it Safe with Eggs

FDA Inspection Affirms HSUS Investigation



September 10th, TV Dinner Day Tracing the Roots of Modern Day Obesity

Invention and view of the original TV dinner

Health Issues

TV dinners have been associated with high amounts of salt and fat, which are linked to risk factors of heart disease and obesity. Today, a number of manufacturers and retailers are making meals that are lower in salt, fat, and artificial additives.

Read the label, be an educated consumer.

Resource

FDA. How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label

The Food Label Detective: Otis Spunkmeyer Wild Blueberry Muffin Can You Eat Just Half a Muffin?

*FDA 21 CFR 101.9 Nutrition labeling of food. (http://bit.ly/nVsDlD). FDA regulation allows manufacturers to round 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.

Most people assume one muffin is one serving.
As packaged foods get larger, so does the number of servings.
Read the label - Don't overeat.

The label can be misleading, but it is within the FDA Guidelines.*  

One Serving Size: 1/2 Muffin (57g/2 oz)

200 calories per Servings

Package Size: Net Wt. 12 oz (340g)

6 Servings per Container

One Muffin = 2 Servings (400 Calories per muffin)

MDA Telethon September 4th at 6 PM to Midnight Help Jerry's Kids

New Date and Time:

Sunday, September 4th, between 6 pm to midnight. 

To make a donation, click the link for MDA.

On 5/16/2011, Jerry Lewis announced his retirement as host of the annual MDA Telethon. Lewis has hosted the telethon since 1966 and will make his final appearance on  September 4, 2011. He will continue to serve MDA as the National Chairman. 

We are grateful for the years of dedication and the contributions Jerry Lewis has made to fight Muscular Dystrophy.

To make a donation, 

click the link for MDA.

Where Telethon Dollars Go

The Telethon is the single most important fundraising event of the year for MDA. Funds raised help the Association carry on its fight against muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases, including a worldwide program of basic and applied research, a nationwide network of comprehensive medical and support services, and extensive professional and public education. Children and adults with muscle-damaging diseases benefit directly from dollars raised during the Telethon.

Strolling through the Archives of MDA

Early MDA telethon, mid-1960s.

 

Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin
Reunion on the MDA Telethon

Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis reunite after twenty years on the 1976 MDA Jerry Lewis Telethon. Frank Sinatra surprises Jerry by bringing on Dean and then some nervous and hilarious clowning between the two ensue. This is followed by a medley of American Standards by Dean and Frank. In two parts, this is the complete segment of the reunion. An important and historic piece of entertainment history.

Sammy and Jerry Friendship

from 1987 MDA Telethon

A Dedication to Mattie Stepanek (7/17/90-6/22/04)

Mattie Stepanek was a 13 year old boy who had a rare form
of muscular dystrophy. He was a poet, a peacemaker, and a hero.
The song is "He Was Just Like Me" was written and recorded by
Mattie's friend Madison Cross in memory of him.

To make a donation,
click the link for the MDA website.

MDA Tribute to Ed McMahon (1923 – 2009)

Muscular Dystrophy Association (PBS)

To make a donation, click the link for the MDA website.

Abbey Umali Sings "For Good" on the 
2009 MDA Labor Day Telethon

Abbey Umali - Jerry Lewis
MDA Telethon Collection

2009 MDA Telethon finale,
“You’ll never walk alone”

Abbey Umali Opens the
2010 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon

2010 MDA Jerry Lewis Telethon
Final Total and Ending

To make a donation,
click the link for the MDA website.