Author: Alissa Vandenbark

June is not only a time for warm weather, summer vacation and soaking up the sun, it is also a great time to celebrate National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month! At MANNA, we take advantage of all the delicious seasonal produce this month has to offer and you can too. With the change of seasons, you might notice more local farmers markets and produce stands setting up shop in your neighborhood. Purchasing produce in season allows you to savor the flavor and save money as these items do not go bad as quickly compared to produce not in season. The more fruits and veggies the better! So what are the benefits of fresh produce? Let us discuss!

There are numerous health benefits to consuming fresh fruits and vegetables as they are lower in calories and are nutrient dense compared to most processed meal and snack items. More specifically, fruits and vegetables are packed with vitamins and minerals which help build a strong immune system. They are excellent sources of fiber which is needed to regulate digestion and help lower cholesterol. Consuming a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is also linked to maintaining a healthy weight, preventing chronic illnesses such as: heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and certain cancers.

It is never too late to start eating more fruits and vegetables! If this means doubling your portion of vegetables at meal time, trying a new fruit, or packing a fruit or vegetable for a quick healthy snack on the go, the health benefits are endless. The standard serving size of fruit is considered 1 medium fruit (size of a baseball), or ½ cup of chopped fruit or berries. The standard serving of a vegetable is considered 1 cup of leafy greens (size of fist), or ½ cup of any other chopped vegetable. The recommended daily intake for fruits and vegetables varies depending on age, gender, and activity level. For adult women the recommended daily intake of fruits is between 1 ½ to 2 cups per day and men 2 cups per day. The recommended daily intake of vegetables for women is between 2 to 2 ½ cups and men between 2 ½ to 3 cups per day.

The produce in season in June includes the following:

Apricots Lemons Plums Avocados Melons Carrots

Berries Nectarines Cucumber Cantaloupe  Onions  Green beans

Figs Peaches Tomatoes Cherries Oranges Sweet corn

While this blog emphasizes the importance of fresh being the best, remember that frozen or canned fruits and vegetables are also beneficial to your health. When purchasing these items make sure to check the front label for products lower in sodium and added sugars. Here’s to fruits and veggies!

Follow the links below for additional resources, tips and recipes:

• For tips for consuming more fruits and vegetables as well as recipes, click here.
• For a database to help locate farmers markets near you, click here. Some of these markets are open year round while others are only open on certain days and times. Take notice to Philly Food Bucks on this site and how you are rewarded for using your SNAP card to purchase produce.
• If it’s in your budget, Philly Magazine did an excellent job summarizing the details of share programs in the city. Click here to view.

We are celebrating the Mediterranean Diet all May! This diet is proven to be one of the most effective and successful diet options in the prevention of disease and improvement in health. Studies have found numerous health benefits associated with following the Mediterranean diet for example reduced risk of heart disease. The diet has even been linked to a reduced risk of early death and is proven to be a successful strategy for healthy weight loss!

The Mediterranean Diet focuses on making basic, yet essential changes in the way we eat in order to promote health.  The foundation of the diet encourages eating primarily plant based foods.  This includes incorporating a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds in meals and snacks on a regular basis.  The diet also emphasizes the use of healthy fats from olive oil as an alternative to butter or margarine.  Olive oil can be used to cook, as well as to drizzle on top of salads, vegetables, pasta, or bread.  In addition, the diet focuses on utilizing a variety of herbs and spices in place of salt and fat in recipes.  Cooking with ingredients such as garlic, basil, oregano, etc., are simple ways to incorporate healthy ingredients into your meals while avoiding excessive fat and sodium intake.

The Mediterranean diet strongly emphasizes the common consumption of fish.  Fish is a low calorie protein source, packed with essential nutrients and healthy fats.  According to the diet, fish should be eaten at least twice a week.  Tuna, salmon, trout, halibut, etc. are all healthy and delicious options that can easily be grilled, baked, or broiled.  A primary component of the diet emphasizes limiting red meat.  Red meats such as beef and pork should be eaten no more than a few times a month.  Fish and lean poultry should be a common substitute for red meats.  In addition, processed meats that are high in fat such as bacon and sausage should be avoided.  Finally, higher fat dairy products such as whole milk or 2% milk, cheese, and ice cream, should be replaced with low-fat dairy products.  A simple switch to skim milk, fat-free yogurt, and low-fat cheese is an easy way to reduce calories and fat in the diet.

In addition to healthy food choices, the diet emphasizes daily physical activity, such as walking, on a regular basis.  The combination of nutritious eating and physical activity create the perfect recipe for healthy living.  It is evident that the Mediterranean Diet is an effective and successful method that encourages a healthy lifestyle.  Living by these basic guidelines on a daily basis can help promote health, prevent disease, and improve overall wellness.  Follow the links listed below to learn more, and get started today!

Click here for delicious and simple Mediterranean diet recipes!

Learn more about the Mediterranean diet here!

This blog is brought to you by MANNA’s Nutrition Department.

Through the Catalyst Fund, The Barra Foundation invests in ideas that tackle problems or seize opportunities in new, different, better and significant ways. These timely and novel approaches push boundaries and have the potential to inspire change. The Catalyst Fund is positioning MANNA to create a new sustainable model for the expansion of therapeutic meal programs. They have awarded MANNA a $150,000 grant over the next 2 years to fund ClientTrack, an electronic medical records/case management system. As MANNA expands and serves more clients, this tool will help track our clients medical and quality of life outcomes to support our Food is Medicine policy change agenda. MANNA is very grateful to be a beneficiary of the Catalyst Fund and would like to sincerely thank the Barra Foundation for its support.

 

Each year the month of March is reserved to promote nutrition education and spread awareness about making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. The National Nutrition Month® theme for 2016 is “Savor the Flavor of Eating Right,” which encourages everyone to take time to enjoy food traditions and appreciate the pleasures, great flavors and social experiences food can add to our lives. MANNA, in partnership with Presenting Sponsor Health Partners Plans, is committed to spreading awareness about nutrition all month. We will show appreciation for our Nutrition Department on Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day, observed March 6th, and by hosting Nourish (see below) on March 24th!

Nourish presented by Health Partners Plans will be held on Thursday, March 24th. Nourish provides a closer look at MANNA’s “food is medicine” model coupled with an opportunity for industry leaders to share ideas with their peers. This year’s event will consist of two educational seminars along with the presentation of MANNA’s Nourish Award to Dr. Rickie Brawer of Jefferson. All are welcome to attend one or more of the sessions and the award presentation. Seminar seating is limited; RSVP is required. Please see our Nourish page to register or contact Kate Baron at 215-496-2662 x 137 for additional information.

Presenting Sponsor:

 

        Apple a Day Sponsors:

Our volunteers are the heart of MANNA. With more than 4,200 neighbors donating 40,000+ hours of uncompensated service, we truly could not be more thankful for all they do. We hired the University of North Carolina’s Department of Psychology to evaluate our volunteer program with a validated survey tool. The results we received were profound and will help us improve the MANNA volunteer experience. Thank you to all who participated in the survey! Our dedicated volunteer force never ceases to amaze us.

Findings & Results:

More than half of volunteers have reported improved emotional well-being

1 in 4 people have reported improved relationships with their colleagues, subordinates and supervisors

88% of people report that their volunteer assignments at MANNA inspire them

“The people at MANNA (staff and volunteers) are terrific – a pleasure to work with. MANNA’s mission continues to grow and flourish, and so does the importance of its volunteers.
– MANNA volunteer

“MANNA is one of my absolute favorite places to volunteer. Everyone at MANNA has a passion about helping others in a very direct and goal-oriented way.”
– MANNA volunteer

 

Volunteer Sponsor 2016

Thank you to our friends at West Laurel Hill for once again sponsoring our efforts to celebrate and honor our volunteers throughout the year! Not only do they partner with us for #Run4UrLife in October, they are our year-long Volunteer Appreciation Sponsor which includes our National Volunteer Appreciation Week events and our annual Volunteer Appreciation Party in fall. We are extremely grateful for their dedication to MANNA and their ongoing commitment to our volunteers!

At MANNA, we are dedicated to improving health and this month we are using our platform to promote heart health. Uncontrolled high blood pressure is a leading cause of heart disease and stroke. More than 67 million Americans have high blood pressure. Individuals with high blood pressure are 4 times more likely to die from a stroke and 3 times more likely to die from heart disease, compared to those with normal blood pressure. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend reducing sodium intake to 2,300 mg per day. This recommended reduction in sodium intake will help improve the population’s blood pressure and heart health.

Tips to Help Prevent & Lower High Blood Pressure:

• Aim to eat no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day
• Reducing daily intake to 1,500 mg is desirable, because it can lower blood pressure even further
• Reducing sodium intake by 1,000 mg per day can benefit blood pressure

So what does 2,300 mg of sodium look like? About 1 teaspoon. 1 teaspoon of salt = 2,300 mg of Sodium, which does not look like a lot, but it is more than enough sodium than our bodies need in one day.

Most of the sodium in our diet comes from pre-packaged and processed foods. So, when food shopping and trying to be heart hearty, look for these sodium related terms on food packages to better help understand how much products contain.

• Sodium/Salt Free – Less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving
• Very Low Sodium – 35 milligrams or less per serving
• Low Sodium – 140 milligrams or less per serving
• Reduced/Less Sodium – ~25% less sodium per serving than the usual
• Light in Sodium – Reduced by at least 50% per serving

Nutrition food labels also contain a measurement called a Percent Daily Value (%DV). Use the %DV on the food labels to compare products. The %DV tells you whether a food contributes a little or a lot to your total daily diet. For instance, 5% DV (120 mg) or less of sodium per serving is LOW. 20% DV (480 mg) or more of sodium per serving is HIGH.

Tips to Shake the Salt Habit:

• Don’t use salt during cooking
• Learn to use spices and herbs to enhance the natural flavor of food
• Don’t salt food before you taste it; enjoy the natural taste of food
• Take the salt shaker off the table
• Choose lower-sodium foods or low-sodium versions of your favorites

Overall, it is best to choose foods with Less Sodium and prepare foods with little or no salt. Lower salt intake means lower blood pressure, and lower blood pressure means a healthy heart!

Source – American Heart Association www.heart.org

World AIDS Day is held on the 1st of December each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV, and to commemorate people who have died. World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day, held for the first time in 1988. Whether we are raising awareness or serving clients, MANNA is committed to the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Make a donation today in honor of World AIDS Day.

M.A.C Cosmetics employees commemorated ‪#‎WorldAIDSDay‬ by volunteering for a week in our kitchen. This is their 7th annual Global Volunteer Initiative. Thank you M.A.C AIDS Fund and M.A.C Cosmetics for supporting MANNA and individuals living with HIV/AIDS.‪ We are very grateful for your support. Learn more about their efforts here.