Category: Health & Wellness

The holiday season is here, and with that come fancy dinners, work parties, potlucks, and family gatherings. Although breaking bread with your favorite people can be one of life’s simple joys, anxiety over what to make when feeding those with special dietary needs can make things feel complicated. Here are nine tips and tricks for hosting a holiday dinner that everyone can enjoy.

1. Ask for Advice

Who knows best? The person with special dietary needs! Once you have a menu in mind, discuss it with your guests ahead of time and ask how they can best be accommodated.

2. Read Labels

Dairy, gluten, and non-vegetarian ingredients are found in many packaged foods. If you are not sure whether an ingredient is safe for your party guests, ask the person you’re accommodating or skip it.

3. Don’t Cross-Contaminate

Use separate tongs when grilling meat and veggie burgers to spare vegetarian foods from meat juices. Don’t bake a nut-free cookie on the same tray you just roasted almonds. Thoroughly wash the strainer in between draining wheat spaghetti noodles and gluten-free ones. Being mindful of opportunities for cross-contamination can lower the risk of serving foods that your guest might not be able to eat.

4. Make Simple Swaps

Tossing your veggies with olive oil instead of butter means that vegans and those with dairy allergies can enjoy them too. Use vegetable stock instead of chicken or beef stock in the side dishes so that more people can enjoy them.

5. Leave the Toppings on the Side

Sometimes it’s just one or two ingredients that rule out a dish for those with dietary issues. If you leave the bacon crumble on the side, those who eat meat can still have it, and vegetarians can eat the dish too.

6. Build a Bowl

Rather than designing a menu with several parts, build a buffet of toppings and let your guests do the rest. From a yogurt parfait brunch to a smoky burrito bowl, there are many options for having a casual meal that is satisfying for everyone. Having a diverse spread of options will allow your guests to create a meal that fits their needs.

7. Serve Delicious Drinks

Even those not drinking alcohol enjoy fancy mock-tails. Include everyone in the festivities by making a pitcher or two of fruit and herb-infused waters or a dry bar with seltzer, juices, and herbs.

8. Polish Your Sales Pitch

We tend to be wary of foods we cannot easily identify. To encourage everyone to try different dishes, write the menu on a chalkboard or place a menu card on the table. On your buffet line, label each dish with enticing adjectives and include ingredients. Not only does this encourage a picky eater to try new things, but it also helps guests avoid food allergens.

9. Have Fun!

Remember: You don’t have to accommodate your guests for every single dish. If your holiday dinner would not be complete without your grandmother’s Yorkshire pudding, include it. Missing your personal favorites might lower your own enjoyment of the occasion. With a well-planned dinner, all of your guests can be happy and well-fed.

With a little know-how and advanced planning, you can enjoy nutritious foods while sticking to a tight budget.

Plan Around Sales

The key to smart, budget-friendly grocery shopping is planning ahead. Plan meals around fresh produce, lean protein foods, and low-fat dairy items that are on sale and in season to save money while eating healthy.

Check store sale flyers and available coupons on the same items for additional savings. Compare national brands and private store labels for the lowest price. Once you’ve identified sale items, incorporate them into simple meals; baked, grilled, or broiled lean meats or fish served with vegetables and whole grains are delicious and healthy with few added ingredients. Also, use the unit price to compare costs between different-sized packages of the same product.

Create a Shopping List

Use your weekly eating plan to create a master grocery list and stick to it. Prioritize your food dollars for nutrient-rich vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy, lean protein foods, and whole grains. To keep your grocery list from growing too long, prepare meals that include similar ingredients throughout the week.

In the Produce Section

When it comes to fresh vegetables and fruits, shop seasonally. Local, seasonal produce is at its peak flavor and is generally more abundant, so it’s usually sold at a lower price.

Frozen or Canned Alternatives

If the produce item you want isn’t in season or doesn’t fit in your budget, consider purchasing it frozen or canned. Fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruits and vegetables can be good for you. Canned fruits and vegetables are picked at peak freshness and can be just as nutritious as fresh foods because canning and freezing preserves many nutrients. Canned and frozen foods offer an alternative to fresh and may be more budget-friendly. Be sure to check the ingredients list to avoid items with added sugars or salt.

At the Meat Counter

Consider purchasing a larger quantity of meat that is on sale and preparing enough for two or more meals. Enjoy leftovers later in the week or freeze for future use. Because meat is often the highest-dollar ingredient in a recipe, consider planning meatless meals a few nights each week, or try replacing half the meat in dishes such as chili, meatloaf, or burger patties with beans, finely minced mushrooms, or chopped vegetables. Incorporating more non-meat proteins, including beans, nuts, and eggs, can be cost-effective and nutritious.

Whole Grains and Dry Goods

Whole grains and dried beans are generally inexpensive and are an easy way to get more nutrition for your buck. Stock up on these nonperishable items when on sale or take advantage of the bulk bin by purchasing only the amount you need. Dried beans, peas, and lentils are great options to keep on hand. You can buy in bulk, prepare ahead of time, and then freeze so you always have protein and fiber-rich foods on hand.

Reduce Waste

Once you’ve done your shopping, make the most of your food spending by cutting down on waste. Plan to use highly perishable items — such as fish and seafood, salad greens, berries, and fresh herbs — early in the week, and save more hearty items for later in the week. Enjoy leftovers for lunch or create new meals from leftover ingredients. Cooked meat and vegetables can be revamped as a filling for a casserole, frittata, or soup.

Most people don’t care about statistics until they become one. But approximately 10 million Americans have osteoporosis, and another 44 million have low bone density that increases the risk. The importance of regular bone density testing cannot be underestimated, especially for adults over 50 years of age.

Eighty percent of older adults sustaining a broken bone never had a bone density test (BDT) and subsequently were never treated for osteoporosis. A BDT is the best diagnosis. If one’s T-score is –2.5 or lower, chances are that osteoporosis is present and a plan of treatment needs to be developed.

Osteoporosis is called the “silent disease” simply because it’s impossible to know when bones begin to deteriorate. Over time, they can become so brittle that a simple cough or bumping into furniture causes a break. Bone density tests are a vital part of one’s regular healthcare regime and should be repeated at least every two years.

Women are more susceptible to osteoporosis. One in two women will break a bone in their lifespan, and their incidence of breaking a bone is higher than their risk of a heart attack or a stroke — and it’s equal to the combined risk of getting breast, uterine, or ovarian cancer.

Not only is breaking a bone painful, it’s also very costly. The burden on the healthcare system is nearly $20 billion a year and specialists predict a gloomy future — expecting as many as 3 million fractures by 2025, costing patients, families, and the healthcare system as much as $25.3 billion.

Prevention

Bone tissue is constantly being broken down and replaced, and with age the process does not occur as frequently. Peak bone mass is usually achieved by the late 20s, but people can still build and maintain strong bones for the remainder of their lives. Osteoporosis occurs when creating new bone doesn’t keep up with the loss of old bone. Your physician can prescribe medications or other treatment options, but to gain full benefit it’s important to exercise regularly, and be sure to take the recommended amount of calcium and vitamin D obtained from foods and/or supplements.

Symptoms

There are typically no symptoms in the early stages of bone loss. When bones being to weaken, however, one can experience back pain, loss of height, a stooped posture, and bones that break more easily than expected. Women who have experienced early menopause or have taken corticosteroids for several months are highly susceptible to weaker bones. Low sex hormone levels will also weaken bones. A fall in estrogen levels in women at menopause is one of the strongest risk factors in developing osteoporosis. In addition, if a person has taken too much thyroid hormone medication to treat underactive or overactive thyroid conditions or adrenal glands, bone loss is a probability.

Diet

A lack of calcium, eating disorders, and gastrointestinal surgery are issues that can put people in the high-risk category for osteoporosis. A lack of calcium leads to lower bone density, early bone loss, and increases the risk of fractures. Surgery can limit the amount of surface area available to absorb nutrients because the size of the stomach has been reduced.

Medical Conditions

The risk of osteoporosis is higher in people with chronic medical problems. These include celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, kidney or liver disease, cancer, multiple myeloma, or rheumatoid arthritis.

May is National Osteoporosis Awareness Month. It’s an opportunity to be proactive about your health and a great time to make an appointment with a primary-care physician and undergo a painless bone density test. For more information, visit the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation at www.bonehealthandosteoporosis.org.

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Prostate cancer is common and grows slowly. At onset, symptoms may be absent, but as it progresses, early warning signs include an increased urgency to urinate, frequency, and leaking. In more advanced stages, the cancer can metastasize to other organs such as the lungs, liver, and brain. In a majority of cases, bone pain will occur.

According to the American Cancer Society, cancer of the prostate is the second most common cancer, and men are 44 percent more likely to develop it than women.

Mehmet F. Hepgur, M.D., an oncologist/radiologist at Broward Health in Fort Lauderdale, says that depending on the size of the tumor, a person may feel pain in the prostate and see blood while urinating. “The only way to detect the specific stage is through an examination and taking a test to determine a person’s PSA (prostate-specific antigen) level,” said Dr. Hepgur. “The best chance for a successful treatment is through early detection when the tumor is still confined within the prostate gland.”

The PSA test is not for cancer detection but a means of measuring the levels of a specific antigen in the prostate gland. The PSA numbers can indicate other issues ranging from inflammation and infection to gland enlargement and subsequent cancer. According to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, a high PSA level does not always indicate prostate cancer. There are numerous types of prostate cancer, and there’s a treatment for each type. In summary, one approach doesn’t fit everyone, and treatment is on a case-by-case basis.

“A person in their 40s or 50s with a PSA greater than 3 milligrams per milliliter is abnormal and may need a further workup,” said Dr. Hepgur. “The PSA range is usually less than 1. For a person in their 70s, a PSA above 4 is abnormal, and if it rises above 0.3 milligrams per milliliter a year, additional testing is required.”

It’s important to identify prostate cancer in its early stage and to be aware of any history of cancer in the family, genetics, or abnormal lifestyle habits. “Reports show that African-American men have a higher incidence rate and may have to be screened at a younger age,” said Dr. Hepgur. “There’s no hard data to show why certain ethnicities have higher rates of incidence, but we encourage earlier screenings as the best method of prevention.”

There is debate in some circles about the age at which screenings should begin. The primary recommendation is between 55 and 69 years of age. “Exercise is important, as is cutting down alcohol consumption,” said Dr. Hepgur. “It’s critical to be screened at the proper time and talk to your doctor about treatment options.”

Older men and women with prostate cancer are under “active surveillance.” Specialists find that surgical versus radiation outcomes are very similar. In advanced stages, however, it’s recommended to see an oncologist for treatment protocols.

Dr. Hepgur’s advice is to be aware of any history of cancer in the family and of any genetic predisposition, and to live a healthy lifestyle through exercise and nutrition.