Summer is here! The kids are out of school and home more and they’re going to be eating more of the foods that you keep stocked for them at home. Active children burn through their energy stores very quickly and need to replenish them often. Snacking is an important part of keeping your kids energized for their play-filled summer days. Snacks should be a combination of fiber and protein so that they are filling and satisfying. Pistachios are a good snack as they contain both fiber and protein. You can also pick out two foods that will meet the fiber and protein combination needs. Some ideas are: •An apple and a teaspoon of peanut butter •String cheese and a few whole wheat crackers •Baby carrots and hummus •Low-fat yogurt and almonds •Mixed nuts and raisins •Celery sticks filled with peanut or almond butter. Just be sure to keep in mind that snacks are just to get by until the next mealtime, so snacks should not be a significant source of calories. Kids have small stomachs so keep the portion sizes small as well. This is a good time to instill healthy habits in your child so try to avoid having the TV or video games going during snack time in order to discourage mindless munching. Any fruit, vegetable, low-fat dairy product, or whole wheat grain product makes a good snack so find out what your child likes and get creative with the combinations! -Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN
I was going through my emails the other day and I came across one that reminded me of everything going on with the COVID-19 pandemic. It stated: Dear Life: When I said “can my day get any worse”, it was a rhetorical question, not a challenge. We still have to follow the social distancing, and avoid large groups, and if going out, the CDC still recommends people wearing masks. Some days are tougher than others. Many facts, and myths, are going around. Listening to the news, and especially Facebook, you don’t always hear the truth. So, to start off with, some facts.
Symptoms of COVID-19 that truly have the most significance include cough, or Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing. These are the two main symptoms when considering testing. Other symptoms to consider include: Fever, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste of smell. We have to consider all things when deciding on who to test. We also have to consider who has had exposure to someone that they know of who has tested positive. Two kinds of tests are available for COVID-19: viral tests, and antibody tests. A viral test tells you if you have a current infection. It is a nasal swab. An antibody test might tell you if you had a previous infection, but a “positive” test is difficult to interpret due to the variable performance of the antibody test currently available. This one is a blood test.
You also hear of the terms isolation and quarantine. Isolation is for people who are already sick. It means isolating, or separating yourself from others to reduce the potential of the spread of the disease. Quarantine is for people who are not sick, but may have been exposed. They must stay at home, or another location, so they don’t unknowingly spread the disease. There are recommendations in regards to the decision to discontinue isolation that should be made in the context of local circumstances. These are taken directly from the Department of Health:
Time-since-illness-onset and time-since-recovery strategy: Persons with COVID-19 who have symptoms and were directed to care for themselves at home may discontinue isolation under the following conditions: –At least 3 days (72 Hours) have passed since recovery defined as resolution of fever without the use of fever reducing medications AND Improvement of symptoms (cough, shortness of breath, etc), AND at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.
Persons with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who have NOT had any symptoms may discontinue isolation when: at least 10 days have passed since the date of their first positive COVID-19 diagnostic test and have had no subsequent illness provided they remain asymptomatic. For 3 days following discontinuation of isolation, these persons should continue to limit contact (stay 6 feet apart) and wear a face mask to limit dispersal of respiratory secretions.
Individuals with suspected COVID-19 who have stayed home (home isolation) can stop home isolation after 3 things have happened: You have no fever for at least 72 hours without the use of any medicines to reduce fevers, AND you have had improvement of symptoms, AND at least 10 days have passed since your symptoms first appeared.
If you have fever with symptoms (cough, shortness of breath, etc) but have not been exposed to someone with COVID-19, and have not tested positive for COVID-19, you should stay home away from others until 72 hours after the fever and symptoms get better.
You have heard Governor Noem state many times that this COVID-19 pandemic is a marathon. I cannot think of a better description for this pandemic. For those of you who are not familiar with what a marathon truly is, let me explain. I have done multiple marathons in the past, and until you have done one, you truly do not know what this entails. This is also a perfect description of this pandemic. A marathon is not something you just jump into. It is 26.2 miles! Getting ready to run one can take 4 months, and even as long as a year. This is what we have been doing now in regards to this pandemic. Then the day finally comes and you think you are ready. The marathon starts, and it takes that first 5 or 6 miles to even get into a groove. Then you start feeling a little bit more comfortable and start finding your pace as you are building up with it. From mile 10-15 you are kind of in cruise control, and everything is going along fine. You get past mile 15, and then you start feeling it. Things start getting tougher. Your mind starts wandering a little bit more. You wonder if you have done enough to be prepared for everything of this. You keep pushing it, and then you get to mile 20. Things have been going along ok, and then just like that, it feels like you just got smacked with a 2 x 4. You only have 6.2 miles to go, but that 6.2 miles feels like another 20! This is where it gets tough. You are now monitoring things by the quarter mile, and half mile intervals, trying to get your way through it, and to convince yourself that you can do it. You get to the point where you do not think that you can finish. And then, finally, you get there. You feel relief…exhaustion…and the feeling of a huge sense of accomplishment that you did it. Just like we have all been doing during this pandemic. Where are we at in this marathon pandemic right now? I don’t know, but I think somewhere in that mile 10-15 where we are on cruise control. But, it is not over by any stretch of the imagination. It is still coming, and the numbers have been picking up. We need to focus, and hang on. The tough part is coming. Don’t let your guard down now. This is a marathon like no other…one that we have never experienced before. Finishing a marathon is a state of mind that says anything is possible. So, overall, while we are going through this, be somebody who makes everybody feel like somebody!
There will be light at the end of the tunnel! Keep going forward. Stay focused. And…keep moving everybody!
Memorial Day is just a few days away and I am guessing many of you have picnics and outdoor cooking/eating plans! Practicing proper food safety is essential with summer outdoor cooking. Here are some easy tips to make sure that you and your family have the safest and best picnics possible this summer:
Safe food handling:
◦ Wash your hands before preparing your food and when dealing with meats and fresh produce. Try to limit cross-contamination by cleaning prep surfaces often. If you don’t have running water where you are, be sure to bring anti-bacterial wipes with.
•When putting your beautifully prepared food in a basket make sure that you have utensils for raw food and cooked foods. If you have uncooked meats like hamburger, chicken, etc., make sure that they are packed in secure containers that won’t leak. Pack them together and at the bottom of the cooler in case juice from the food leaks.
•One recommendation for properly cooked food would be a food thermometer. Make sure that your grilled foods reach a temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit for steaks, roasts, and chops, 160 degrees for ground meat and 15 degrees for poultry. Chilling picnic foods Keep food at or below 40 degrees F.
◦Pack in insulated cooler with ice or ice packs.
◦A filled cooler keeps cooler longer than a partially full cooler
◦Have meat thawed in the refrigerator before your put in the cooler.
◦Wait until the last moment to put perishable food items in the cooler ◦If bringing food and drinks, try to keep drinks in separate cooler This will allow for less cool air to escape when getting beverages from cooler Keep cooler in the shade.
◦If perishable food left out for more than two hours throw away. If it is especially warm (greater than 90 degrees F) throw away in one hour.
◦Keep cooked food above 140 degrees.
Most of all enjoy the fun times spent with family and friends!
The official kick off to summer and picnic season is this weekend: Memorial Day Holiday! This time of year always bring great cookouts and picnics. Typical picnic foods consist of burgers, brats, hotdogs, chips, and high calorie salads such as macaroni and potato salads. These are all very tasty foods, but they are also all very high in calories, fat, and sodium. Cookouts don’t have to bust the calorie bank. Choose your foods wisely and plan your menus to include a few healthy options and make substitutions like the meal examples below to help you fully enjoy each cookout while aiding in a healthy heart and waistline.
Choose This:
90% lean hamburger with whole wheat thin bun
Grilled chicken breast
Grilled shrimp
One small tossed Salad with 1Tbsp light dressing
Fresh veggies with light ranch dip
Baked chips
½ c fruit salad
One small slice of angel food cake with light cool whip and strawberries
With all of the issues surrounding this COVID-19 pandemic, it is now even more important to get out and exercise, whether biking, running, walking, or whatever. The stress from all of this gets to a point where you just need to blow off some steam, and frustrations, and at the same time, just plain get away from everything that is going on now. You can’t listen to the TV, or the radio, without getting an every 30 second update on everything related to COVID. There are other things going on too. First and foremost, you cannot neglect taking care of yourself either! The weeks are stressful enough, and now with Memorial Day weekend coming up next week, it will be a nice 3 day break from everything. After all…
Exactly! It is time for a break. Utilize this opportunity coming up, and do yourself a favor, and shut off the TV, and radio, and your phone, and get outside and enjoy some activity. Whatever it is, just get outside!
Time to put a smile back on your own face, and enjoy some time for you. My walks after a day at the clinic have been a great way to unwind from the day, and Dakota loves it too.
There have been more virtual running events going on lately, and we have done two of them already. One was a 5k, and another a 10k run. Here Sarah is after finishing her 10k last weekend.
The bottom line with all of this, get outside, and forget about what is all going on lately. Take care of you, and your mind, as well as your body. You can’t under estimate how exhausting all of this can be, and the stress caused by all of this. Depression is a big deal, especially now! If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t help anybody else.
This too will pass. Eventually…when though, is the question. Keep looking at the positives in your life. I had to go look through some other pictures here lately, and I found this next one of the Sunrise occurring over Lake Kampeska a few years ago. I could sit and look at the this picture for a long time, just like I spent a lot of time looking at the view that day I took the picture as well.
Someday, and hopefully very soon, we will be running with our run club twice a week again. We have been holding off, practicing the social distancing, but as the weeks have gone by, it has been tougher and tougher, and I miss running with my friends. We need to start getting back to some degree of reality. What that reality is though is unknown at this time. Keep trying. Keep being safe. Don’t let your guard down.
I definitely will be jumping for joy again when we can all get back together running, and actually post pictures about it as well! The Wednesday evenings, and Sunday mornings are now just leaving an empty space. I don’t know how much longer we can keep doing this. Continue on trying to get out at least on your own, and take in the scenery. Drive to the lake and take off walking or running from there. Especially early in the morning, or late in the evening. The view is breath taking.
Sarah and I just signed up for the Run From Covid Virtual 5k being held the weekend of June 19-22. How fitting to be having this now! Watertown DASH is sponsoring this, so start getting ready. Walk or run, it does not matter. Just get going! Keep moving everybody!
Sometimes we need a break from cooking and need to enjoy take out or now limited dining in. You can still make healthy and wise choices when dining out. Check out these tips to help you make good choices!
• Go for a smaller portion of the meal such as half of the meal, lunch portion, or appetizer size portion.
• Look for key words such as baked, broiled, grilled, or roasted. Stay away from descriptive words such as crispy, creamy, crunchy, and crispy as those typically mean fried and more fat added.
• Substitute the fries for a salad (dressing on the side and use sparingly) or if available a second serving of cooked veggies or fruit.
• If dining in, get a to-go box right away before you start eating and package half of your meal in the box and eat at another meal at home. If eating carry out, only take a portion of the meal on your plate and put the rest in the fridge. If it’s on your plate, you’ll be more apt to eat it, so put it away right away so you aren’t tempted and you are more apt to practice proper portion control.
• Share! It’s ok to share an entree with you friend, spouse, etc to help you practice better portion control.
• Look at the options ahead of time online or using your smart phone. Many restaurants have their nutrition information included in their websites or you can use the Calorie King app to explore the options and make a healthy choice when dining out.
• If eating out is a rare occurrence, it is ok to splurge, but keep in mind it should be a special occasion and only every once in awhile, not every day or every week as those extra calories will add up and cause weight gain quickly!
• To help balance out the extra calories consumed when eating out, be sure to get your activity in and engage in at least 30-60 minutes/day!
