DASH for High Blood Pressure

Nurse's Notes

If you have high blood pressure than the DASH diet is for you.  Studies by the National Institutes of Health show that you can help lower your blood pressure by following the DASH Diet.  DASH stands for Dietary Approaches To Stop Hypertension (High Blood Pressure).  The DASH diet is low in saturated fats, but rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods.

DASH Dietary Plan               

 Food Groups                                Servings per day

Grains and grain products                    7 to 8
Vegetables                                            4 to 5
Fruits                                                    4 to 5
Low-fat/ fat free dairy products            2 to 3
Meats, poultry and fish                       up to 2
Nuts, seeds, legumes            4 to 5 per week

Death of Terror

While every blog across the Internet is writing about Osama Bin Laden’s demise and the lack of definitive proof from the White House, I am wondering what is going to happen next.  Yes, I am concerned about the possibility of retaliation from his supporters; however, I am far more concerned with threats closer to home.  Whenever something as large as the death of the elusive Bin Laden occurs, there is a whole host of wannabe criminals waiting in the wings to take advantage of the chaos to commit random acts of violence.  For the wannabe terrorist, is there any time better than now to get a piece of the limelight? Practically, the who country is celebrating the death of the face of terror and bracing for an attack from afar when, really, the next attack could come from down the street or around the corner. My concern is that we do not rest on our laurels, but, keep an even keener eye open for odd behaviors and be ever more vigilant about being aware of our surroundings.

Creamsicle Smoothie - No bananas but still delicious!

Kitchen Bananas

Creamsicle Smoothie - No bananas but still delicious!

¾ cup of frozen orange juice concentrate

½ cup of cold water

1 cup of vanilla ice cream

1 cup of ice

Blend all ingredients and enjoy this tasty treat.

May 2011 Hot Banana

 Banana's Delight

May's hot banana pic is up and awaiting your vote.  Is this guy HOT or NOT?  Fans voted April's banana as hot.  Will May's banana prove to be hotter even hotter?  Vote today! http://tiny.cc/hot_bananas

Hypertension, 6 Changes You Should Make Now!

Nurse's Notes

The medical term for high blood pressure is hypertension. Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of arteries. High blood pressure is dangerous because it makes the heart work too hard and contributes to atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). It increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, which are the first- and third-leading causes of death among Americans. High blood pressure also can result in other conditions, such as congestive heart failure, kidney disease, and blindness.

A blood pressure level of 140/90 mmHg or higher is considered high. About two-thirds of people over age 65 have high blood pressure. If your blood pressure is between 120/80 mmHg and 139/89 mmHg, then you have pre-hypertension. This means that you don’t have high blood pressure now but are likely to develop it in the future unless you adopt healthy lifestyle changes.

If you have hypertension or pre-hypertension adopting the following six-lifestyle changes will help you to manage your blood pressure and reduce your risk of developing heart disease and stroke.

✓          Maintain a healthy weight

• Check with your health care provider to see if you need to lose weight.

• If you do, lose weight slowly using a healthy eating plan and engaging in physical activity.

✓          Be physically active

• Engage in physical activity for a total of 30 minutes on most days of the week.

• Combine everyday chores with moderate-level sporting activities, such as walking, to achieve your physical activity goals.

✓          Follow a healthy eating plan

• Set up a healthy eating plan with foods low in saturated fat, total fat, and cholesterol, and high in fruits, vegetables, and low fat dairy foods.

• Write down everything that you eat and drink in a food diary. Note areas that are successful or need improvement.

• If you are trying to lose weight, choose an eating plan that is lower in calories.

✓          Reduce sodium in your diet

• Choose foods that are low in salt and other forms of sodium.

• Use spices, garlic, and onions to add flavor to your meals without adding more sodium.

✓          Drink alcohol only in moderation

• In addition to raising blood pressure, too much alcohol can add unneeded calories to your diet.

• If you drink alcoholic beverages, have only a moderate amount—one drink a day for women, two drinks a day for men.

✓          Take prescribed drugs as directed

• If you need drugs to help lower your blood pressure, you still must follow the lifestyle changes mentioned above.

• Use notes and other reminders to help you remember to take your drugs. Ask your family to help you with reminder phone calls and messages.

Are You That Guy?

Nobody wants to be That Guy, the one who after one too many drinks, loses control of self or situation with humiliating or embarrassing results.  To prevent excessive drinking as we move into spring, or during “101 Critical days of Summer,” and beyond Our Banana Moments is participating in a military service-wide initiative called That Guy to help reduce excessive drinking among young enlisted personnel.  Even though this program is designed to target young enlisted military personnel, we are hoping to raise awareness outside of the military to high school and college aged students.  In any setting, being That Guy is not cool.

The 2005 Department of Defense Survey of Health Related Behaviors revealed a rising rate of “binge” drinking among junior enlisted personnel in all Services. Additionally, the data in the survey indicated the problem was particularly evident among young enlisted males between the ages of 18 and 24. This trend toward heavy, or binge drinking, has the potential of adversely affecting the health and welfare of service members and their families and the combat readiness of the military as well. In response, in 2005, the Department of Defense’s TRICARE Management Activity (TMA) retained Fleishman-Hillard International Communications (FH) to create a multi-year, integrated communications campaign with goals to: 1) help reduce alcohol abuse among active duty military, and 2) raise awareness of the negative effects of excessive drinking among enlisted personnel ages 18 through 24. That Guy is designed to respond to this problem through an innovative multimedia campaign that focuses on enlisted personnel, E1-E4, age 18 to 24. The theme, “Don’t be That Guy,” aims to increase social disapproval of excessive drinking by highlighting the resulting embarrassment and negative consequences that most resonate with young adults in general, and specifically with those serving in the military. The campaign has been tested at multiple installations since the launch of the campaign in 2006. Feedback from testing has been used to shape a campaign strategy and components that will be most effective. Moreover, it is working!

Results from the 2008 DoD Survey of Health Related Behaviors show a decline in binge drinking among the target audience. This represents a statistically significant drop in binge drinking from the 2005 level. In 2005, 51 percent of the target audience admitted to binge drinking, and by 2008, that figure dropped to 46 percent. There was a statistically significant decline of 11 percent at installations* that had implemented the That Guy campaign over those that had not. (*Marines not included in this total because the control sample among Marines is too small to use for comparison with the treated sample (n=3).) (http://www.thatguy.com/)

Get 3 Scoops and Honor America's Firefighters

Join us for 31 Cent Scoop Night at Baskin-Robbins® and help us honor America's firefighters. Baskin-Robbins is donating $100,000 to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation™ (NFFF).

Participating stores will reduce prices of ice cream scoops to 31 cents*. At some locations, you may also have an opportunity to make a donation to your local fire charities.

Go the F@#k to Sleep!

Go the F@#k to sleep is a hilarious new book by novelist and dad Adam Mansbach that has hit Amazon’s top 300 before hitting the shelves.  Go the F@#k to sleep is a book for the weary parents tired of reading Goodnight Moon for the nth time in one night.  It is meant to provide comic relief to the nightly torture of getting kids to go to sleep.   Across the country and across the world in every little boy or girl's bedroom this scene has taken place; please read one more story, I am thirsty, I have to pee, or anything else the crafty little ones can think of  to prolong going the f@#k to sleep. An excerpt reads:

 “The cats nestle close to their kittens.
The lambs have laid down with the sheep.
You're cozy and warm in your bed, my dear
Please go the f@#k to sleep.”

This is a must read for all of the weary parents who love their little ones more than anything in the world but just wish that they would Go the F@#k to Sleep.  Look for it at a bookstore near you from Akashic Books, comes out on Oct. 11.