NO 1 ISSUE 48
BRINGING YOU ENLIGHTENING, EDUCATIONAL, EMPOWERING, INSPIRING, THOUGHT-PROVOKING INFORMATION
A Healthy You Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins declares State of Emergency Judge Clay Jenkins has declared a Public Health Emergency in Dallas County due to the West Nile Virus epidemic. In his capacity as the Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (OHSEM), Judge Jenkins instructed the department to file a Local Disaster Declaration with the state. A resource request will be made to other regional jurisdictions to provide assistance in the county’s efforts to stem the spread of the virus. Judge Jenkins said, “This declaration will expand our avenues for assistance in our ongoing battle with West Nile Virus. We are in constant communication with Zachary Thompson our state and regional DCHHS Director partners. We will continue to make data and research driven decisions in seeking to supplement the outstanding work of Dallas County’s director of Health and Human Services (DCHHS) Zachary Thompson. “The work of Commissioner David Lakey and the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has been exceptional. While we are busy doing everything we can to keep residents well informed and as protected as possible, we need your help.” The public is urged to do its part against the virus by following the 4-D’s: FIGHT THE BITES DEET – use insect repellents that contain DEET, or any other EPA approved insect repellent
FOOD FOR THOUGHT Mary Sue Cole, R.D., L.D. County Extension Agent-Family and Consumer Sciences Hunt County 903-455-9885 m-cole@tamu.edu
Q. Everyday I see new commercials on TV and advertisements for a new and “different” way to lose weight. In fact, I have tried a few of them myself. Is there a secret to weight loss, and keeping the weight off? A. Billions of dollars are made every year because people hope that the latest fad or craze is the secret that they just haven’t tried yet! There is no secret to losing weight, but there is a principle. The principle is to eat less calories than you use. For every 3500 calories you consume that you don’t need, your body will store a pound of fat. How much you weigh has to do with how much energy, or calories you consume. It has little or nothing to do with how nourished you are. Any time that you make a change in what you have been eating, i.e., eating less calories, you are going to lose weight. The method doesn’t really matter. It may be a low carbohydrate
diet, a high fiber diet, a gluten free diet, the cabbage diet, the grapefruit diet, or any one of the thousands of “diets” that have been promoted over the years. The key is sticking to whatever plan you have put yourself on. Fortunately, most people cannot comply with drastic dietary patterns that would be harmful to your body if you stayed on them very long. Additionally some of these “miracle” plans are so boring that you simply don’t want to eat anything! Research bears that out: a smaller variety of food will help you eat smaller portions. There are healthy principles of weight loss and you don’t have to buy the latest book or order the latest TV plan. 1) make small dietary changes that you are willing to keep over a period of time; 2) eat smaller portions; 3) eat healthy snacks; 4)prepare food with less oil or fat; 5) eat “mindfully”, meaning don’t multitask when you are eating your meals; 6) increase physical activity by doing something you like to do, and are physically able to stay with. This plan will “let” you eat the foods you like to eat, individualize your meal plan, and over a reasonable period of time will pay off dividends in pounds lost.
AUGUST 10, 2012
Indeed, any food can be contaminated with bacteria and, thereby, become a source of bacterial contamination. However, if you keep it free from bacteria, an onion is not considered a potentially hazardous food. Q. I love to prepare baked fish; however, my husband only likes it fried. How can I encourage him to try it baked? A. Here is a quick and easy recipe that we had a few days ago. My husband also prefers fried fish; however, he loved this recipe. I think it’s because of the extra flavor! We used maui-maui; however, this will work with catfish, tilapia, or any other mild, white fish. FIESTA FISH 4 fillets mild white fish ½ package dry Fiesta Ranch dressing mix 1 cup nonfat sour cream 1/3 cup mayonnaise crushed tortilla chips
Q. How long can you keep a sliced or chopped onion in the refrigerator?
Combine dry dressing mix with the sour cream and mayonnaise. Coat the fillets with the mixture and lay in a single layer in a casserole dish.
A. If the onion is not contaminated by handling in the kitchen, you can reasonably expect to last about a week. After that, it will deteriorate quickly. There have been urban legends on the internet claiming that sliced onions are a source of food poisoning.
Sprinkle the crushed tortilla chips on the top of the fillets. Bake in a 375 degree F. oven until the fish flakes and the chips brown a little. Serve immediately.
DRESS – Wear long, loose and light-colored clothing outside during dusk and dawn hours. DRAIN – Remove all areas of standing water. Change water in wading pools, pet dishes and birdbaths several times a week. DUSK/DAWN – Protect yourself during dusk and dawn hours For additional information on the West Nile Virus and the current Newsletter from DCHHS go to: http:// www.dallascounty.org/department/hhs/ home.html
Don’t wait until a designated month to go to the doctor-Cancer, hypertension, blood clots, kidney disease and other ills are not paying attention to a calendar and neither should you! PAGE 17
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