It is
already a new month; summer is upon us and we’ll soon be complaining about the
heat - having forgotten our wish for hotter days during the past cold winter months.
And it is time to
turn another page on your Passport to Happiness calendar to June and the
month’s focus on Cardiovascular Health.
An important component of
Cardiovascular Health is treating and most importantly preventing high blood
pressure - which is considered a reading of 140/90 or
higher. High blood pressure can cause serious problems such as stroke, heart failure, heart attack and kidney failure. And because
it usually has no symptoms it is often referred to as the "silent
killer". The Center for Disease Control estimates that 31% of
Americans have high blood pressure and 2 out of 3 adults over
65.
One approach
to reducing high blood pressure, according
to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, is by following the DASH (Dietary
Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet which over time can reduce your systolic
blood pressure by seven to twelve points. That can make a significant
difference in your health risks. The DASH
diet is a lifelong approach to healthy eating that encourages eating vegetables,
fruit and low-fat dairy foods; and moderate amounts of whole grains, fish,
poultry and nuts.
.
The DASH
diet also includes reducing the use of sodium. But what are the recommended
levels of sodium for a day? In a typical day you
might consume around 3,500 mg of sodium. The Dietary Guidelines for
Americans suggests keeping your daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg a
day. And the American
Heart Association recommends no more than 1,500 mg for all adults. If you
aren't sure what sodium level is right for you, talk to your medical provider.
As you make
your food choices, you may want to know the Top Ten sources of sodium for folks 71+ years
old. They are: breads
and rolls; cold cuts and cured meats; soups; meat and mixed dishes; sandwiches;
biscuits, muffins, quick breads; pasta mixed dishes; poultry; cheese; and pizza.
If you want to stick to a low-sodium diet, check the
Nutrition Facts label and as a rule of thumb avoid anything that has more than
5% sodium per serving. And fortunately, you can retrain your taste buds to
appreciate and enjoy good food with less sodium and live a healthier life. Although
I do miss that Friday night Digiorno Pizza.
For the Tuesday Lecture on
June 10th, I will further discuss the DASH diet and ways to reduce
you sodium use. Bring your success stories of ways you have discovered to
reduce your sodium intake.
And for the rest of June,
before the Lecture series takes a break during July and August, there won’t be
a Lecture on the 17th (there just isn’t any room with the Zumba Gold
class led by Marsha Morrison downstairs and the AARP Smart Driver Class
upstairs on the third Tuesdays). And on the 24th, Jim Petrusich, local
audiologists at MCMC, will discuss the whats, whens and whys of hearing loss.
Martin and Friends will be
playing at the Center on Tuesday June 10th. Doors open at 6:00, music starts at
7:00 and everyone is welcome.
The answer to last week’s
“Remember When” question is a Beanie or Freshman Cap as Bill Van Nice remembers
them being called. (But the winner of a Saturday Breakfast has got to be Don McAllister
who still has his green beanie he wore as a freshman at Gonzaga University.)
This week's Remember When” question
is about a unique chewing gum with a colorful history.
In 1869, after buying a
ton of chicle from exiled former Mexican president Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna,
Thomas Adams boiled a small batch of the chicle in his kitchen creating chewing
gum which he later started producing. Then in 1884, he began adding licorice
flavoring creating the first flavored gum in the U.S. What was the name of this
gum that sold well into the 1970's? E-mail your answer to
mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788 or drop it off with five shares of
Mondelēz International, Inc. an American multinational confectionery, food and
beverage conglomerate.
Well, it has been another week
trying to remember which came first the chicken or – the - uh – pig? donkey?
The whatchamacallit! Until we meet
again, keep walking and try to stay on the sunny side of the street.
“It's possible to own too
much. A man with one watch knows what time it is; a man with two watches is
never quite sure." Lee Segall
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