National Healthy Fats Day

Has anyone ever said the words, “all in moderation” to you?   It might have been a parent, a doctor or a nutritionist but most of us have heard those words in a sentence at some point.

I ask because when it comes to the word “fats” in food it gets right to the point.  Today is the day where we look to the “good” fats that are helpful to our bodies, especially when used in moderation.

Fat in foods usually has a bad connotation but healthy fats are critical to a person’s well being.  Healthy fats help with keeping a healthy brain, it helps with cell membranes and hormone production.  They also help you absorb nutrients like vitamins like A, D, E and K.  Healthy fats can also help you feel full longer. All good things!

What are healthy fats you ask?  

Olive oil and avocado oil are a great substitute for butter.  Speaking of avocados, add these into your diet.  Try having avocado with a poached egg or in a sandwich.  They are a great source for healthy fat.

Nuts are another good source.  Nuts like almonds, pistachios, walnuts, cashews and pecans.  Do you like cheese?  The good news is that mozzarella, blue cheese, feta and cottage cheese are among the top five cheeses for healthy fats.  If you are looking for something sweet, small amounts of dark chocolate can fit the bill.

Private Home Health Care loves healthy fats, and wants you to remember to be certain to eat them in moderation.  Like many things in life, moderation is the key to a happy and healthy life.

National Certified Nurses Day

Private Home Health Care would like you to take time tomorrow to thank and celebrate a certified nurse in your life.  

Certified nurses, along with registered nurses, dedicate their lives to helping others.  They must balance clinical needs and patient care each and every day.  They are in the front lines to provide high quality health care to the young and old.

A certified nurse and a registered nurse must both complete a four-year bachelor degree.  A certified nurse receives additional training to specialize in certain areas.  They have specialties and subspecialties.  Certified nurses get certificates in areas like Ambulatory Care, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Medical-Surgical and Nurse Practitioner for example. Certified nurses must also have continuing education and re-certifications to keep their standing.

Private Home Health Care appreciates all nurses and on March 19 we salute the certified nurses.

#NationalCertifiedNursesDay

National Peanut Month

One celebration in the month of March is for the National Peanut. Peanut week started in 1941 and grew into Peanut month in 1974. 

 Interestingly peanuts are more like a legume than a nut since they grow in pods under the ground!  This may be why they are full of health benefits.

One ounce or about 28 peanuts has 161 calories, depending on how they are prepared. The carbs in peanuts have a low glycemic index so that helps with blood sugar.  The fats are considered heart healthy because they are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.  Vitamins include niacin, vitamin E, manganese, folate and thiamine, all good nutrients! 

Private Home Health Care is aware of peanut allergies and we want you to be careful.  If allergies are not a problem buy some peanuts and enjoy the tasty treats and the health benefits.  Peanuts can help with blood sugar control and can help support weight loss.  Peanuts may also reduce risk of heart disease and aid in lowering risk of gallstones.  These are not proven 100% but every little bit can help.

Brain Awareness Week

This week begins the global initiative of Brain Awareness Week.  The goal is to nurture public interest and support for brain science.

Your brain is the most complicated organ in your body.  We’ve made progress understanding the brain’s functions but with 100 billion neurons in each brain there is still much to discover.

Private Home Health Care understands the aging process of our brains.  Cognitive abilities change.  It can be harder to learn new information.  Recalling names can be tricky.  In a noisy environment it can be hard to focus on a conversation.  Changes can vary for each of us.

Private Home Health Care reviewed a study by Harvard with recommendations of how to help your brain as you age. Sharing key highlights below.

Keep learning – get a hobby, learn a new skill, volunteer or mentor

Use all your senses – be aware of your senses in new situations

Believe in yourself – don’t buy into negativity around aging

Prioritize your brain use – leave notes, use calendars, planners and address books to remember important things.  Have one spot for things you use a lot (keys, glasses, wallet, purse)

Repeat what you know – repeat or write down something you just learned

Space it out – Don’t try learning all at once.  Learn it over time, an hour, a day, a week.

Here is the website if you want more details:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/6-simple-steps-to-keep-your-mind-sharp-at-any-age

Time to Change the Clocks

Private Home Health Care wants to remind you that this is the weekend to spring forward with your clocks!

When you wake up on Sunday morning, 7AM will be 8AM!  We don’t want you to miss out on any of your Sunday activities!  

You’ll be able to enjoy extended daylight once again. Oftentimes the Daylight Savings Time change in the Fall can be difficult.  We end up having less daylight in the evening and that can be hard, especially for people with depression.  We are hoping that the added daylight will help lighten the spirit.

Here’s a quick history of Daylight Savings Time (DST).  A proposal for the DST version we have now came from George Vernon Hudson in 1895.  He hailed from New Zealand.  Next the countries of Germany and Austria-Hungary used it in April of 1916.  In the 1970’s the energy crisis got the ball rolling in many areas of the world, including the United States.

Leave yourself a note!  The change may take a bit of adjustment for your body but give it a few days and look forward to the coming of Spring!

#SpringForward

National Cereal Day

Today is National Cereal Day. A day to celebrate that popular breakfast item so many enjoy.

Here’s a fun fact.  The first cereal was invented by mistake!  The Kellogg brothers tried to make a cereal out of boiled wheat but that didn’t work.  Next they tried an experiment with corn and it was a success.  Kellogg’s Corn Flakes were born!

As we get older we can run into problems with osteoporosis.  When you visit the grocery store you see an entire row of different cereals.  It can be hard to decide what to buy.   Having foods with calcium becomes very important.  Did you know that there are cereals that can be a good source of calcium?  Read the labels.  Watch out for the ones high in sugar.  Cereal with milk can be a good way to start off your day with calcium. 

Cereal also doesn’t need to be just for breakfast.  You can always enjoy it as a snack or even lunch if you crave it.

Private Home Health Care wants you to boost your calcium.  One way is by finding cereals that are low in sugar and high in calcium.  It is one way to get calcium into your day.

What’s in a Wordle?

There is a new digital game called Wordle that’s attracting more and more people each day.

It’s great exercise for your brain.  You have all the letters of the alphabet to choose from.  The words are all five letters in length.  Letters can only be used once.  You have to guess the Wordle in six tries.

You get hints for the wordle by the color coding of the letter.  Gray if it is not used in the word.  Yellow if the letter is used but in the wrong position.  Green if the letter is used and in the correct position.  Remember, the word has a total of five letters and is a real word. 

Private Home Health Care wants to share the fun with you!  Below are two sites where you can get the game online:

One game a day:  https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html

Multiple games in a day:  https://wordle-play.com

Good luck and enjoy!

Today

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the lenten season preparing for Easter.  Around the world Christians receive ashes on their foreheads to begin the journey to the celebration of Easter on April 17th.   The Greek Orthodox Church celebrates Easter, also called Pascha, one week later on April 24th.

Preparing for Easter or Pascha is a time for meditation and quiet moments.  Time just for you even if it’s just a short time. Try to find time to read or enjoy nature.  You can work towards finding balance in a busy life.  

Private Home Health Care wants you to think about rejuvenation of the mind, body and soul during this time.  Each of us can feel happy and fulfilled, no matter our age.

This Last Day of February

Private Home Health Care has shared information and tips about the heart this month of February.  On this last day we would like to leave you with a poem.  Our hope is that you have found inspiration to begin or to continue a healthy diet and lifestyle for the best you can be.

“I Love You” by Carl Sandberg

I love you for what you are, but I love you yet more for what you are going to be.

I love you not so much for your realities as for your ideals. I pray for your desires that they may be great, rather than for your satisfactions, which may be so hazardously little.

A satisfied flower is one whose petals are about to fall. The most beautiful rose is one hardly more than a bud wherein the pangs and ecstasies of desire are working for a larger and finer growth. Not always shall you be what you are now. You are going forward toward something great. I am on the way with you and therefore I love you.

Staying Calm

The world can be a crazy and stressful place.  Do you feel stressed? 

The American Heart Association has a quick two-minute exercise that can help keep you calm.  Staying calm can help your mental health and your heart health.

Private Home Health Care would like to share the short video on how to help yourself stay calm.  This works for all ages, young and old.

We hope you will enjoy this and find a way to incorporate this method into your life to help keep you balanced and calm.

Here is the link:  5, 4, 3, 2, 1 CALM

You can also get more information on managing stress at www.heart.org.