Author: Alissa Vandenbark

In the fast paced society that we live in it can be very difficult to get the family together for a healthy, well balanced meal. This leaves many families left to choose high calorie, fat and sugar options that are commonly found in local convenience stores, take-out joints and fast food restaurants. Taking the time to plan a family meal has shown to have many positive health benefits, especially with children. Studies have shown that children who participate in homemade family meal gatherings are more likely to form healthy eating habits that carry into adulthood compared to those who do not. More specifically, children who do not participate in family meals are more prone to snack on high sugary foods and beverages and less likely to consume fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Family meal time also allows families to reconnect and for parents and children to develop a strong bond which is essential for behavioral development in adolescence.

Remember family meals do not have to be stressful. Here are some tips to plan quick and healthy meals for you and your family.

• At the beginning of each week look at the calendar to determine the best days you and your family can have a sit down meal and mark them down. Do not worry if this number is only once per week. You can always strive for more family sit downs in the future.
• Plan the meals you are going to make ahead of time when making your food-shopping list. It’s best to start by looking in your cabinets at what you already have and build from there.
• Try to keep a supply of nonperishable food items on hand in the kitchen including: brown rice, whole grain pasta, beans, frozen fruits and vegetables, cooking oils, sauces, and seasonings.
• If you have a busy work week and a lot of family meals scheduled, choose a day where you can chop vegetables, prepare, and freeze your meals. Have extra storage containers on hand. The only work that needs to be done at meal time is to heat up the food.
• If time allows, involve your children in meal preparation. This allows for extra family bonding time. It has also been shown that the more exposure children have to certain foods like fruits and vegetables, the more likely they are to try them.

Here are some websites that can further aid in your family meal planning:

• http://food.unl.edu/fnh/basic-list This website helps develop a grocery list from items that are already in the kitchen.
• http://food.unl.edu/fnh/recipe-central This website provides information on cooking with your children, quick healthy recipes, and food safety and storage tips.

Resources

Child Development Institute. Why Your Family Should Eat Together: 2 Critical Reasons. Available at childdevelopmentinfo.com/development/why-your-family-should-eat-together-2-critical-reasons/ Accessed 30 July 2015.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Family Meals Month. Available at food.unl.edu/fnh/august#family_mealsmonth/ Accessed 30 July 2015.

At MANNA, food safety is a TOP priority because many of our clients have compromised immune systems.  The hot summer months are a great time to update your own food safety knowledge. With many outdoor events and barbecues, we often overlook proper handling food. 1 in 6 Americans gets sick from food poisoning, resulting in roughly 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths each year. You can prevent food-borne illness by being more cautious and it’s easy! Help keep your family and friends safe and healthy with these simple food safety practices below.

1. Practice good hygiene and wash your hands before eating, preparing food, or between foods that would cross contaminate such as red meat and fresh vegetables. Always wash hands with warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds.
2. Marinate your food in the refrigerator to prevent bacteria from growing.   Always reserve a portion of unused marinade to brush on food while it is cooking. Never re-use marinade that was used to flavor raw meat, poultry or fish.
3. Preheat your grill approximately 20-30 minutes before grilling. For charcoal grills, the coals should be just coated with ash.
4. Use a food thermometer to ensure that food is cooked to the proper temperatures.
5. Food should never sit at room temperature for more than two hours. Use chafing dishes, slow cookers, and warming trays to keep hot food hot. Keep cold foods cold by nesting them in bowls of ice or rotating items into the refrigerator/freezer.

Keep these tips in mind always and grill on!

We are lucky to have interns who make an important impact at MANNA. Interns such as Lisa Wartemberg, an M.S.Ed student in the International Education Development Program at The University of Pennsylvania and Samantha Mogil, an M.S. student in the Human Nutrition Program at Drexel University. Lisa and Samantha recently completed a research project collecting and analyzing data on our referral process. They developed an online survey which was sent to more than 200 health care providers and referral sources and then spent two months evaluating the responses.

The survey provided MANNA with robust information that our staff will use to help to develop a more efficient outreach protocol, including best practices for and times of the year to provide outreach, a more streamlined referral form, and a reference chart to help service providers clarify client eligibility criteria.  Using these tools, health care providers will be able to make more informed decisions when referring clients to MANNA, helping to stabilize our client numbers and ensuring that our services are provided to the individuals who need them most.

We cannot thank Lisa and Samantha enough for their contributions to MANNA and our clients.

If you are interested in interning at MANNA, please visit our career page for open opportunities.

June is AIDS Education Month. More than 1 million people in the United States are living with HIV/AIDS and 1 in 5 do not know their status. In Philadelphia, the HIV rate is 5 times the national average. Raising awareness of HIV/AIDS, spreading accurate information and making resources available are key to helping stop the spread of infection. At MANNA, we teach our clients living with HIV/AIDS how to effectively manage their condition and nutrition is a key component especially as the diseases changes or progresses. In these circumstances issues like weight loss, taste changes, nausea and mouth soreness need to be addressed.  Proper nutrition addresses weight issues, immune system complications and individual dietary needs that can help provide a better quality of life.

Nutrition therapy for individuals living with HIV/AIDS should focus on a balanced diet. Eating a variety of healthy foods will replace essential vitamins and minerals that may be lost during the disease process, help maintain and strengthen immune function to fight the disease and help your body respond better to treatment. Here are some healthy eating tips if you’re living with HIV/AIDS:

• Include items from each of the five food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy. Choose low-fat dairy and lean proteins as much as possible.
• Eat enough calories to maintain a healthy weight
• Choose healthy fats like those found in olive oil, avocado, walnuts, tuna and salmon
• Limit saturated fats and trans fats which are found in processed foods, some red meat and full-fat dairy. Instead, opt for low-fat sources of dairy and lean protein such as low-fat milk, chicken, turkey and fish.
• Drink enough fluids. Choose healthy options like water, low-fat milk or occasionally 100% fruit juice instead of soda, energy drinks, or other sugary beverages
• Protein needs are slightly higher in individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Make sure you’re getting enough protein each day by choosing items like lean meats, eggs, low-fat dairy and beans
• Try to engage in regular exercise. Physical activity can improve muscle mass, decrease weakness, improve mood and improve quality of life. Good options include walking, biking, yoga or joining an exercise class.

MANNA is committed to helping individuals living with HIV/AIDS get the proper nutrition they need to gain strength, build a better immune system and live a better quality of life.

Sources

AIDSEducationMonth.Org.  What is Aids Education Month? Available at https://www.aidseducationmonth.org/about/. Accessed 28 May 2015.

EatRight.Org. Nutrition and HIV-AIDS. 1 Feb. 2014. Available at http://www.eatright.org/resource/health/diseases-and-conditions/hiv-aids/nutrition-and-hiv-aids. Accessed 28 May 2015.

According to the American Heart Association, nearly 2/3 of adults have blood pressure that is higher than normal. Now is a great time to become aware of your blood pressure, and to learn how to reduce or maintain it within a healthy range.

Why does it matter? High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is considered a “silent killer” because it often has no symptoms. Did you know that high blood pressure affects more than just your heart? In addition to increasing your risk for heart disease and heart attack, over time, it can lead to kidney damage, vision loss, peripheral vascular disease, angina, fluid in the lungs, and stroke. The best way to keep these negative consequences away is to keep your blood pressure in check!
How do I find out what my blood pressure is? The only way to know your blood pressure is to have it checked regularly. This can be done at your doctor’s office, at home with a home blood pressure monitor, or in a grocery or drug store that has a free blood pressure monitoring station.
What do the numbers mean? You may have heard that your blood pressure should be 120 over 80, but what does that mean? Blood pressure is the amount of force that your blood exerts on your blood vessels as it travels through your body. The top number (systolic pressure) tells you the amount of force that your blood is exerting when the heart is pumping out blood, while the bottom number (diastolic pressure) is the amount of force your blood is exerting between heart beats. For healthy blood pressure, your top number should be less than 120 mmHg, and your bottom number should be less than 80 mmHg. When it is higher than that, it means that your blood is putting extra pressure on the blood vessels, which can cause complications over time.

What can you do about it? If your numbers are high, gaining control of your blood pressure is as easy as 1-2-3!

1. Get moving. Regular exercise is a great way for you to take care of your heart. You may see a reduction in your top number within 1-3 months of starting a consistent exercise regimen.
2. Shape up your diet. When it comes to hypertension, it’s important to control the amount of salt in your diet. As a general rule in your body, water follows salt. If you eat too much salt, your body will retain more water. This extra water increases your blood volume, which in turn may increase your blood pressure. Processed foods have a lot of sodium, so be sure to read labels and shoot for less than 2300mg of sodium per day.
   Other ways to make your diet more heart healthy include increasing fruits and vegetables, limiting saturated and trans fats, and adding potassium to your day. Foods that are high in potassium can help to mitigate the negative effects of consuming too much sodium and include potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, bananas, and beans.
3. Talk with your doctor. Be sure to speak with your doctor about your blood pressure. In addition to exercise and a healthy diet, there are medications that may be prescribed to help regulate your blood pressure.

Here at MANNA, we understand the importance of a heart healthy diet, so all of the meals that we prepare are made without added salt. Our standard meal plan contains around 2300mg of sodium per day, and some of our modified diets contain even less. We understand that everyone has nutritional needs that are as unique as they are, so we have many diet variations to meet a variety of needs.

Sources

Cdc.gov. High Blood Pressure Fact Sheet|Data & Statistics|DHDSP|CDC. 2015. Available at:                 http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fs_bloodpressure.htm. Accessed April 27, 2015.

Heart.org. High Blood Pressure or Hypertension. Available at:                 http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/High-Blood-Pressure-or-                Hypertension_UCM_002020_SubHomePage.jsp. Accessed April 27, 2015.

Today is Cinco de Mayo and the perfect day for guacamole, a Mexican tradition! Did you know that guacamole’s main ingredient, the avocado, has many nutritional benefits? The avocado may very well be the creamiest and most filling fruit in the whole produce aisle. And yes, it is technically a fruit and not a vegetable. It is naturally sodium free, cholesterol free, and low in saturated fat. You may have heard that avocado is high in fat. Avocado is high in monounsaturated fat, which is actually a healthy fat in moderation

The skinny on fats. Fats can be classified into two basic categories: good fats and bad fats. While all fats have 9 calories per gram, they are not all created equally. The main difference between saturated and unsaturated fats is the chemical composition. Saturated fats are generally solid at room temperature, while unsaturated fats are typically liquid at room temperature. These differences make some fats healthier for us than others.
Which fats are bad? Fats that are considered “bad” are saturated and trans fats. These fats can have negative effects on health when eaten in excess. The negative effects can include clogging of arteries and raising of LDL (bad) cholesterol which can lead to heart disease.² These fats are typically found in butter, lard, margarines, and red meat.
Which fats are good? Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are considered the good fats. These are the fats that are typically liquid at room temperature. Healthy fats, especially the monounsaturated fats, have many benefits. These include reducing bad cholesterol, lowering risk of heart disease or stroke, and providing vitamin E to the diet which is a natural antioxidant.^3,4 Healthy fats are found in vegetable oils, nuts, fish, and of course, avocados! While the monounsaturated fats found in avocados are considered the “good fats”, just make sure you don’t overdo it on the portion size. All fats are equally high in calories, so be sure to eat them in moderation as a part of a healthy diet.  The serving size for avocado is 1/5 of the fruit, which provides 5g fat and 50 calories.¹
Picking the Perfect Avocado. When avocado shopping, you need to shop with your hands more than your eyes. Pick up the avocado and give it a squeeze. A ripe avocado will be firm but will give a little under your fingers. If the avocado is a little too firm, you can store it in a brown paper bag at room temperature until it softens, and then you can store it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. ¹ Use these tips to select the perfect avocado, so you can make the perfect guacamole.

Try our Executive Chef, Keith Lucas’s guacamole recipe below:

2 ripe avocados

1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

¼ red onion, minced

½ ripe Roma tomato, seeded, diced

1 serrrano pepper, seeded if desired, diced

Cilantro chopped, to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cumin ½ teaspoon

A touch of garlic

Do you love guac as much as we do? Join us for the 3rd Annual Guac Off at Morgan’s Pier on Thursday, May 21st, from 6-9 pm! Sample creative guacamole from some of Philly’s best chefs and restaurants while sipping beers and signature MANNA Margaritas on the riverfront. Vote for the best guacamole and help us crown the Guac Master – all while supporting MANNA’s Mission. To learn more about this event and to purchase tickets, click here.

Sources

1. Fruits & Veggies More Matters. Avocado: Nutrition . Selection . Storage – Fruits & Veggies More Matters. Available at: www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/avocado-nutrition-selection-storage. Accessed April 28, 2015.
2. org. Saturated Fats. Available at: www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyEating/Saturated-Fats_UCM_301110_Article.jsp. Accessed April 28, 2015.
3. org. Monounsaturated Fats. Available at: www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyEating/Monounsaturated-Fats_UCM_301460_Article.jsp. Accessed April 28, 2015.
4. Heart.org. Polyunsaturated Fats. Available at: www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyEating/Polyunsaturated-Fats_UCM_301461_Article.jsp. Accessed April 28, 2015.

Nourish 2015 was a success and a great way to celebrate National Nutrition Month®! Our Nourish event welcomed healthcare thought leaders from across the region to attend a series of networking sessions on March 11th and 12th to discuss MANNA’s “food is medicine” model and develop partnership opportunities. Thanks to the policy makers and funders, elected officials and candidates, researchers and academics, medical and insurance providers and others invested in the health of our community for participating. The event concluded with a cocktail reception where we honored Health Partners Plans with the 2015 Nourish Award. The award recognized them for their commitment to our neighbors in need and for joining us on this road towards reimbursement, sustainability and growth.

Health Partners Plans (HPP) is a local, non-profit health maintenance organization serving more than 190,000 members in the Greater Philadelphia region, and they have signed a contract that will enable us to provide medically-appropriate meals and nutrition counseling to select Health Partners Plans Medicaid members in Philadelphia. Each month we proudly serve 750 clients battling life-threatening illnesses in the Greater Philadelphia area and Southern New Jersey. The partnership enables us to expand and serve 200 additional clients in need of nourishment. Health Partners Plans is the first health insurer to offer its members this valuable service through MANNA. Together, MANNA and Health Partners Plans will increase access to quality care and nutrition!

“One of the qualities that makes Health Partners Plans unique is our eagerness to partner with organizations that share in our commitment to caring for underserved populations,” said William S. George, president & CEO. “Therefore, we jumped at the chance to partner with an organization who for decades, like HPP, has been a force of positive change in the Greater Philadelphia community.”

“I am so excited for our partnership with Health Partners Plans,” shares Susan Daugherty, CEO of MANNA. “I truly believe this is the start to changing the health care model and that someday everyone will have access to proper nutrition.”

The future of MANNA is VERY exciting. Happy National Nutrition Month® everyone!

A special thanks to our National Nutrition Month® sponsor:

March is National Nutrition Month® and we are excited to share that this year’s theme is “Bite into a Healthy Lifestyle.”  The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is promoting daily exercise and encouraging everyone to make healthier, lower calorie food choices. The combination of a balanced, consistent diet and exercise plan will help you maintain or achieve a healthy weight. Attaining a healthy weight helps to reduce the risk of many chronic diseases including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics promotes eating a variety of nutritious foods ranging from fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and low fat dairy.  It is not about drastically limiting yourself, but rather eating food in moderation.  Keep track of your portion sizes and use MyPlate as a tool to for a healthy meal. MyPlate encourages that you fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables. MyPlate also emphasizes choosing whole grains, lean protein sources and low fat dairy products. Whole grains contain more nutrients than refined grains because they contain 3 layers called the bran, germ, and endosperm. Refined grains only contain the endosperm, thereby providing fewer nutrients. Lean protein choices include: lean cuts of meat, poultry, fish and beans. Low fat dairy items include: low-fat milk, cheese and yogurt.  Another recommendation from MyPlate is to limit sodium intake by eating less processed foods and microwaved dishes. When it comes to food, fresh is always better!

Daily physical activity is just as important for achieving a healthy weight. For children and teens, 60 minutes of exercise is recommended each day. For adults, at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of exercise is recommended each week. Make an exercise plan and stick to it! You could try common forms of exercise like running, jogging, power walking, weight lifting and aerobics. There are also many other options to explore that will still increase your heart rate. You could try dancing, rock-climbing or even swimming. Be creative with your cardio and commit to getting active.

A special thanks to our National Nutrition Month® sponsor:

Ian Hussey, a Principal Dancer of the Pennsylvania Ballet, has participated in Shut Up & Dance for 11 years. He is serving as Producing Director for his fourth year. MANNA is endlessly impressed by Hussey’s hard work and dedication to this benefit performance. We are so grateful to have the support of the Dancers of Pennsylvania Ballet. We asked Ian to share some thoughts about the event and this year’s performance below.

Shut Up & Dance is truly one of a kind. The event is so unique because it is choreographed, produced, directed and performed by Dancers of Pennsylvania Ballet. A one-night-only event, it is given life by dancers who volunteer their time to put on an incredible show to benefit MANNA clients. We dance to raise awareness of MANNA’s work and to provide nourishment to neighbors who are battling life-threatening illnesses. Many emotions are felt the night of the show: tears, laughter, inspiration and more. It is all very inspiring and moving.

Attendees can expect a memorable night. I don’t want to give away too much because the surprise element is a big component of Shut Up & Dance. However, we certainly believe the audience has a lot to look forward to. I can promise that the original pieces presented by the Dancers of Pennsylvania Ballet will be beautiful. Also, there will be cameos from dancers of other highly sought after ballet companies that represent the Philadelphia community. Oh, and there will be at least one drag queen onstage!

Shut Up & Dance is incredibly important to me. I grew up in this area and it is essential that I give back to my community. I have volunteered in MANNA’s kitchen before, but this is a different way to give back. I’m able to have an impact on the Greater Philadelphia area all while doing what I love, dancing. The opportunity to be Producing Director of Shut Up & Dance is an honorable experience.

Each year, Shut Up & Dance has a new theme. Below are playbill images throughout the years that display different concepts from the past.

To purchase tickets go to www.mannapa.org/dance.

For more details about Shut Up & Dance, contact Laura Payne, Events Manager, at 215-496-2662 x115.

Thank you to all of our sponsors!

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