World Aids Day-Light For Rights

            World AIDS Day is celebrated on December 1 each year around the world.  It has become one of the most recognized international health days and a key opportunity to raise awareness, commemorate those who have passed on, and celebrate victories such as increased access to treatment and prevention services.

            UNAIDS took the lead on World AIDS Day campaigning from its creation until 2004.  From 2004 onwards the World AIDS Campaign’s Global Steering Committee began selecting a theme for World AIDS Day in consultation with civil society, organizations and government agencies involved in the AIDS response. 

            The theme for 2010 Worlds AIDS Day is “Light for Rights.”

            The Light for Rights campaign strives to underscore this year’s focus on HIV and human rights by encouraging people in cities around the world to dim the lights on key landmarks to remember the devastating affect AIDS has had on us all, and to turn the lights back on to illuminate the fundamental human rights we all share but that are often denied people living with HIV.

            Go to http://lightforrights.org/events.php  to see a listing of events in the US.

A GLOBAL SNAPSHOT OF AIDS FACTS

Ø      33 million people now live with HIV/AIDS. Two million are under age 15.

Ø      Everyday 7,397 people contract HIV-308 every hour.

Ø      In 2008, 2.0 million people died from AIDS.

Ø      More than 2/3 of all people living HIV, 22 million, live in sub-Saharan Africa-including 90% of the world’s HIV-positive children.

Ø      Globally, men who have sex with men are 19 times more likely to be infected with HIV than the general population.

Ø      Worldwide, women make up half of all people living with HIV.

US AIDS FACTS

Ø    Approximately 1.1 million people in the US are living with HIV/AIDS.

Ø    An estimated 56,300 new HIV infections occurred in the US in 2006.

Ø    African Americans accounted for 46% of new HIV infections diagnosed in 2006, although they comprise only 12% of the population.

Ø    Men who have sex with men (MSM) accounted for 53% of all HIV/AIDS cases diagnosed in 2006. A third of these MSM were younger than 30 years old.

Ø    The number of women living with HIV in the US has tripled in the last two decades; by 2005, 26% of people living with HIV were women.

Sources: UNAIDS, AIDS Epidemic Update, 2009; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; amfAR, MSM, HIV, and the Road to Universal Access-How Far Have we Come? August 2008.

Learn more about WORLD AIDS Day and the impact that HIV/AIDS has had on our world by going to http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/    

TURKEY SAFETY TIPS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

• Thawing—Thaw frozen turkeys in the refrigerator, if possible. A 20-pound turkey should thaw in 4-5 days. Rapid thawing of turkeys may be done by submerging the wrapped turkey in cold water that is changed every 30 minutes until the turkey is thawed. Allow 30 minutes per pound thawing time. Cook the turkey immediately after it is thawed.

• Preparation—Stuffing should be moist, not dry, since heat kills bacteria more easily in a moist environment. Stuff the turkey loosely – about ¾ cup stuffing per pound. Allow more time to cook a stuffed turkey than an unstuffed turkey. A stuffed turkey will take about 20 to 25 minutes more per pound to cook than an unstuffed turkey.

• Cooking—The turkey is cooked when all parts of the bird are at least 165°F. Follow cooking instructions on the turkey label. A stuffed, 20-pound turkey will take a little less than 5 hours to cook in a conventational oven at 325°F. Use a meat thermometer to determine when the turkey is thoroughly cooked. Insert the thermometer into the innermost part of the thigh, wing and the thickest part of the breast. The center of the stuffing in the turkey cavity must also reach a minimum of 165°F. Let the turkey stand 20 minutes before removing the stuffing and carving the turkey

• Leftovers—To rapidly cool leftovers, cut the turkey into small pieces and refrigerate stuffing in separate containers. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking. Food that is not frozen should be consumed or discarded within seven days.

For more food safety information, please visit: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Poultry_Preparation_Fact_Sheets/index

Or call:   The FDA Food Information Line   1-888-SAFEFOOD (1-888-723-3366)

Ideas on How to Make Holiday Recipies More Healthy

Baked goods are symbolic of happy times with friends and family, especially around the Holidays.  Making substitutions to some of your favorite recipes will not only make your baked good a show stopper and the rave of the party, but also be friendly to the waist line. Try some of these substitutions to make even the sweetest treat, packed full of nutrients:

Whole Wheat Flour: First step with whole wheat flour is to get it in your cupboard - from there the possibilities are endless. Start with substituting 1/3 or a ½ of the white flour that the recipe calls for with whole wheat flour. As you get used to the taste and texture continue to increase the ratio of whole wheat flour to white flour.

Applesauce: Use as an equal substitution for fat in a recipe. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 cup of vegetable oil, add 1 cup of applesauce instead. Purchase ‘no sugar added’ applesauce, or make your own applesauce without any added sugar. Fruit has enough natural sweetness and does not need anything added to it (except for maybe some cinnamon and nutmeg).

Pumpkin: Use pumpkin as a substitute for fat, much like you would use applesauce.  In most recipes there will be a ‘pumpkin’ taste so make sure you think about how the tastes will meld before substituting it for the fat in a recipe. See below for an easy recipe to try to start using pumpkin with baking.

Black Beans…yes, I said black beans! Black beans can be substituted for either the fat or the flour in a recipe. Google ‘black bean brownies’ to get ideas for how you can incorporate beans into some of your favorite recipes. Black beans not only are a great source of protein but also include many beneficial nutrients like folic acid, magnesium, phosphorus and iron.

Pumpkin Muffin Recipe

Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin pan or line with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves until smooth. Spoon equal amounts of batter into the prepared muffin cups.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean.

Amount Per Serving 

Calories: 199 | Total Fat: 5.2g | Cholesterol: < 1mg | Total Carbs: 36.8 g | Fiber 1.6 g

Powered by ESHA Nutrient Database

Brenda Nurmela, RD, CD-Dietician, Oneida County Health Department

Family Traditions for Healthy Holidays

It’s important to make a conscious decision to be more active and eat healthier over the holidays.  This is something that many people have trouble doing, but by making increased physical activity part of a holiday tradition, it can actually become something that the whole family looks forward to. Oneida County Public Health has looked at a variety of ways to assist people in becoming more active, and the holidays actually offer all kinds of creative and fun outlets for family physical activity.

• Dance to your favorite holiday music. 
• Encourage a friendly game of football, horseshoes, billiards, ping pong, or other sports for those who wish to go outside.
• Incorporate active ice breakers to learn more about family members.
• Suggest a walk after the “Holiday Dinner” no matter what the weather.
• Involve family members in actively volunteering in a service project to help others.  
• If shopping is part of the upcoming holiday season, park the car “a short hike” from the mall entrance.

The Center for Disease Control recommends a guideline of 150 minutes per week of moderate activity.  It can become a game to play to see how many different things families can do (at a moderate intensity level) that last at least 10 minutes that count towards the 150 minute guideline. 

Family traditions play a crucial role in the healthy or unhealthy choices a family makes about eating and physical activity, and with the holidays just around the corner, why not choose to start some healthy traditions this year.  Oneida County Public Health has a great, free resource called Get Moving Oneida County (http://www.co.oneida.wi.gov/docview.asp?docid=4293&locid=136 ), a detailed list of free or low cost physical activity opportunities in Oneida County.         

These healthy holiday tips work year round, but trying them out around the holidays may help jumpstart some new family traditions.     All the tips focus on small, simple things, that when combined, can have a positive effect on your family’s health and well-being. What are you doing to help create healthy family traditions?

New Report Shows Smoking Boosts Alzheimer’s Risk

 

Smoking during middle age more than doubles the odds for developing Alzheimer’s, according to a new study from Oakland-based Kaiser Permanente on Monday.

The study examined the medical records of over 20,000 men and women from 1994 to 2008.  The results found that those who smoked two or more packs a day increased their risk of developing Alzheimer’s by 157%, and raised their risk of developing vascular dementia (the second most comment form of dementia after Alzheimer’s) by 172%.  The findings were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

“Sadly, we can now add Alzheimer’s to the already extensive list of tobacco’s harmful effects,” said Niki Kostrova, Oneida County Tobacco Control Coordinator.  “This study further demonstrates how important it is to prevent young people from smoking and help current smokers quit.  The state must continue to fund these programs to decrease tobacco’s deadly burden on Wisconsin.”

79 people die from smoking annually in Oneida County, according to the 2010 Burden of Tobacco in Wisconsin report.  Smoking is the also the number one cause of preventable disease and costs the state $4.5 billion in health care costs and lost productivity.

Smokers who want to quit should talk to their doctor or call the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line at 1-800-QUIT NOW.