health Archives - Page 2 of 2

Celebrating American Heart Month

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Alissa Vandenbark

This February we celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of American Heart Month!

Established in 1964 by President Lyndon Baines Johnson (a heart attack survivor himself), American Heart Month and the American Heart Association has worked to lower the amount of American deaths each year from heart disease through education, research and awareness. It’s a big job because heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.

Although there are a lot of risk factors (family history, diet, exercise and smoking), most cases of heart disease are preventable (and even reversible!) through proper diet and exercise. And that’s where MANNA comes in!

MANNA ensures that every meal we deliver is heart healthy by sending fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, and using herbs and spices in place of salt as often as possible. Even our soups are made with low sodium bases to keep our sodium levels within the healthy levels of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA).

You can follow a heart healthy diet on your own at home. Keep your blood pressure down and your heart healthy by monitoring the amount of salt that you take in daily. Many pre-packaged foods use sodium as a preservative and for flavor, including canned vegetables. While the dietitians at MANNA would never discourage someone from eating a serving of veggies, we recommend checking the food label before eating some of those canned varieties. The best way to do this is by using your nutrition food label and paying specific attention to the sodium content. The Institute of Medicine recommends 1500 mg of sodium per day as the Adequate Intake level for most Americans and advises everyone to limit sodium intake to less than 2300 mg per day, the Tolerable Upper Limit. You can also look at the %RDA for a serving size of the product and if the label reads that a serving is higher than 20%, this is considered to be high in sodium.

There are plenty of ways to reduce sodium content in your canned vegetables. Pour the contents of the can into a pot of room temperature water and let sit for at least 5 minutes. After the time has passed, drain the water from your veggies and you will have lowered the sodium content! You can also look for low-sodium labels on many products.

Enjoy February…have a wonderful Valentine’s Day…and check those nutrition labels so your heart can be ready – and healthy – for romance!

Health During the Holidays

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Alissa Vandenbark

Holidays are a time of festivities, family and food. Let MANNA help you put health into your holiday season with this recipe that will transform an everyday dessert into a healthy ending for a holiday meal: MANNA’s Black Bean Brownies.

These brownies are a new addition to the MANNA menu. They tempt our clients but are a more protein-rich version of this everyday dessert.

15 ounces cooked black beans – drained and rinsed

3 large eggs

3 Tablespoons canola oil

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon baking powder

Pinch salt

½ cup chocolate chips

1.Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Place the black beans in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, oil, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt and process until smooth. Add ¼ cup of the chips and pulse a few times until the chips are incorporated.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top with a rubber spatula, and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips.

4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan before slicing into 2-inch squares.

November Is American Diabetes Month

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Alissa Vandenbark

Did you know that 30% of MANNA clients have diabetes, a chronic disease that causes elevated blood glucose levels and can lead to life-threatening complications over time? The goal of American Diabetes month is to raise awareness and understanding of diabetes, its consequences, management and prevention. In the United States, it is estimated that 26 million children and adults are living with diabetes and 79 million more are at risk for developing diabetes. Recent estimates project that as many as one in three American adults will have diabetes in 2050 unless steps are taken.

Symptoms of diabetes can include frequent urination, feeling very thirsty or hungry – even though you are eating, extreme fatigue, blurry vision, cuts or bruises that are slow to heal, and tingling, pain, or numbness in the hands and feet. Due to the fact that these symptoms mirror many other types of disease side effects, diabetes can easily go without being diagnosed making it a “hidden disease.” In order to identify and properly diagnose diabetes you must know and understand the risk factors, which include family history of diabetes, being overweight, age and race, having pre-diabetes, not exercising regularly, high blood pressure, low HDL and/or high levels of triglycerides, and a history of gestational diabetes.

If you are at risk, MANNA suggests focusing on the risk factors that you can change. For example, you can manage and sometimes prevent diabetes by eating a healthy diet and exercising. Maintain a healthy weight, stay physically active and by get regular physicals.

At MANNA one of the most common dietary modifications that we give our clients is our diabetic, heart healthy menu. Our diabetic meals are carbohydrate-controlled and we prepare diabetic desserts with sucralose-based artificial sweeteners like Splenda. We strive to keep all MANNA desserts fruit and vegetable-based.

For more information, visit http://www.diabetes.org/in-my-community/programs/american-diabetes-month/

Healthy Halloween

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Alissa Vandenbark

Halloween is the time of the year that you can have your candy and eat it too! But with obesity rates rising and other health issues related to excess sugar and process foods, these sweet treats can do nightmares to your body. According to Donna Arnett, Ph.D, chair of the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Alabama-Birmingham’s School of Public Health, the average child accumulates 3,500-7,000 calories worth of treats on Halloween night.

Here at MANNA, we want you to have your fun so here are five tips for a healthy Halloween:

Eat before you go Trick or Treating. Have a healthy meal before getting dressed up and hitting the streets – this will reduce the amount of candy you eat along your travels.
Get moving! Pick neighborhoods that are easily walkable – this way your kids are adding in exercise with their fun.
Keep your favorites and hide the rest. Moderation is key to all things in life. Either agree with the amount of candy they can have per day from their stash or keep their favorites and get rid of the rest by donating them to Operation Gratitude as part of a Halloween Candy Buy-Back program that sends care packages to US troops overseas.
Hand out non-sugar foods such as granola bars, crackers, pretzels or trail mix.
When you have the option… go for the dark chocolate option!

Halloween is the beginning of the holiday season – so make sure it is a healthy start!

Sue Daugherty – Our #Health Hero

Posted on September 4, 2013 by Alissa Vandenbark

Philadelphia’s health blog staple – Be Well Philly of Philadelphia Magazine has announced its 16 semi-finalist for their annual Health Hero Challenge. Out of over 500 entries, MANNA’s Executive Director, Sue Daugherty was named one of the 16. Voters can start voting and showing their support on September 10^th when voting begins. Voters are allowed to vote once a day – every day until September 16^th when voting for Sue’s round ends. We sat down with Sue to find out what she thinks about the nomination and what she is doing to make MANNA a health hero to thousands of ill neighbors throughout the greater Philadelphia area. Make sure to Like Be Well Philly’s Facebook page to be able to vote!

How did you feel when you found out you were nominated and a semi-finalist for the Be Well Philly Health Hero?

I was shocked and honored. What a great forum for me to talk about MANNA and the work we do.

What is your idea of what a Health Hero means?

Someone who takes seriously their role in learning and understanding what being healthy means and spreads that message. Your health needs to be a lifelong commitment that requires discipline.

MANNA focuses on nutrition and food as medicine and you have been a key force in the science of the MANNA meals. Could you speak more about what “food as medicine means”?

I often tell patients that your body is like a car – if you don’t put gas in it you are not going anywhere. You may splutter along for a little while, but eventually without the proper fuel, you aren’t going to get too far. Like a car, you need to fuel your body with good nutrition as the foundation and base for all your treatments. The prescription bottle and its contents are next to useless without certain nutrition standards met first.

Speaking of food as medicine, MANNA was recently published in The Journal of Primary Medicine and Community Health: Examining Health Care Costs Among MANNA Clients and a Comparison Group. What were the key finds from the research?

Keeping someone nourished in the home is saving significant health care cost – study results. MANNA clients who received complete nutrition cost the health care system less, are hospitalized for less days and when discharged they are more likely to be discharged to home versus sub-acute or long term care.

When did your love/passion for health begin?

Hmm, I think my passion began early in my profession working with the HIV/AIDS population. I always had an interest and studied nutrition. I knew it was important, but I don’t think I really fully understood its impact until I saw patients fighting for their lives first hand. I was watching patients wasting away/dying from AIDS – but over and over again I saw patients that were nourished and physically strong able to tolerate their treatments better. It was at this time that I started to talk about food as medicine. I counseled my patients to think of food as a pill and just like you needed to take your pills at a certain time it was just as critical to eat at regular times.

What do you believe is the best way to stay healthy?

I think everything in moderation and balance. Eating healthy and physical exercise should be part of your life routine but not rule your life. Too many times I’ve made the mistake of going on a “diet” or some intense exercise regimen. The problem with diets and crazy workouts is their not sustainable; there is a start and an end. Often when you fail (missing a day at the gym or eating a “forbidden” food) you feel bad about it and end up eating worse or not working out at all. It really is a balance for me – it is a routine but it’s okay to take a day off.

Besides good nutrition, do you do anything else to stay healthy?

For me health is defined by a lot. Yes, good nutrition and regular exercise (the kind that makes you sweat) are important. Just as important for me is laughter and not taking life too seriously. It’s so easy to get caught up in work demands and my profession is important to my mental health and my identity, but sometimes you just have to have a good laugh and usually it’s at myself – I have 7 nieces and nephews who are all under the age of 11 and I have to tell you they are pretty good at keeping me in check!

What is your favorite exercise?

Running is therapy for me and always surprises me – I’ve been running for the past 20 years and I still can’t predict a good or bad run? Spin is another favorite exercise – I love the music!

Who is your personal health hero?

Patricia Sola founder of Hope Initiative – Namibia, Southwest Africa. In 2007 I had the honor of traveling to Namibia with a small team to work with Patricia to help develop nutrition programs for OVC’s (orphans and vulnerable children) living in squatter settlements. Patricia was an inspiration and continues to be.

Who or what makes you motivated to stay healthy?

MANNA clients – they are fighting for their life. I know what a gift my health is – I never take it for granted and want to do everything in my power to ensure I continue a healthy lifestyle.

How do you treat yourself? Any forbidden foods that you just can’t stay away from?

Of course, I don’t believe in forbidden foods – my belief is “all foods fit.” I would have to say that Chickie and Pete’s crab fries with cheese sauce are my favorite.

While eating out, what’s your trick on watching your calorie intake with all of Philadelphia’s amazing restaurants around?

I hardly ever order an entrée for myself – I love to share or get a salad and an appetizer for my meal.

What is your favorite MANNA pie?

Sky Pie

Food as Medicine: Prestigious medical publication affirms nourishment has beneficial results for the critically ill

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Alissa Vandenbark

Sue Daugherty is used to grateful thank you notes that trumpet the benefits of nutrition and nourishment.

As Executive Director of MANNA, (Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance), she heads up a local charity that has been providing life-saving nourishment to the critically ill since 1990. MANNA prepares, cooks and delivers over 70,000 meals monthly and just recently celebrated the delivery of its 10 millionth meal. Meal plans have 11 different diet modifications created for such serious illnesses as cancer, renal and cardiac disease, HIV/AIDS and diabetes.

Though evidence suggested that neglecting the importance of adequate nutrition in chronically ill patients had far-reaching implications on their health (as well as health care costs), solid research was lacking. So MANNA conducted a study exploring health care expenditures in MANNA clients over time compared to a control group of patients without MANNA services. Health care costs were examined before and after clients began receiving services. The study found that the mean monthly health care costs decreased for three consecutive months after initiation of MANNA services. Other health care cost–related factors, such as inpatient costs, length of stay, and number of hospital admissions also displayed a downward trend.

When the Journal of Primary Care and Community Health reviewed the research and found it worthy enough for publication, Daugherty had the satisfaction of adding the weight of this prestigious publication to the organization’s long heralded benefits. Research printed in The Journal of Primary Care and Community Health will show, among other things:

Average monthly health care costs of MANNA clients fell 62% for three consecutive months after beginning service – a drop of almost $30,000.
For HIV/AIDS patients, costs fell over 80% in the first three months.
Even when MANNA clients’ needed hospitalization, their improved nutritional status resulted in reducing the average number of monthly visits to half that of the comparison group and their length of stay for inpatient visits was 37% shorter.
Monthly inpatient hospital costs of clients were 30% lower over the six months following initiation of services as compared to the six months prior to starting MANNA.
The costs of inpatient hospitalizations of MANNA clients were 40% lower. On average, the MCO paid out $12,000 less per month for MANNA clients.
MANNA clients were over 20% more likely to be released from the hospital to home rather than to long-term care or health care facility.
MANNA clients living with HIV/AIDS cost the MCO (Managed Care Organization) an average of $20,000 less per month.

For MANNA, the publication provided long sought after credentials for their work that could convince providers there was a less expensive and more effective way to reduce healthcare expenditures.

“With national healthcare looming just months away, hospitals and other healthcare organizations can breathe a little easier knowing that MANNA is a reliable partner to help them reduce costs and keep people healthier,” says Daugherty. The nourishment provided “is life affirming” she continued, “and keeps people in their homes longer, enhancing quality of life as well as extending it.”

Walking through MANNA’s busy kitchen where a full culinary staff and 1500 volunteers monthly chop and dice busily, Daugherty says, “The publication of our study in the Journal of Primary Care just affirms what we always knew – there’s a miracle brewing on 23^rd Street in Philadelphia. And that miracle is MANNA.”

Read our study in the Journal of Primary Care by clicking here.

A MANNA Client Who is Back in the Game!

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Alissa Vandenbark

“It was crazy,” Luz shared. “I had no feelings in my arms. I was having severe headaches and awful back pain. It was really scary.” Luz symptoms were caused by a herniation in her cerebellum called Chairi Malformation.

Luz’ doctor took immediate action and scheduled brain surgery. Next he called for MANNA meals.

Luz is a cancer survivor and has extremely high cholesterol and triglycerides. Her nutritional needs were complex. MANNA was the perfect solution. The heart-healthy meals full of lean proteins and vegetables prepared lovingly in the MANNA kitchen filled all of Luz’ needs. And the little touches brightened her recovery – her wonderful driver and the birthday cake and card. “MANNA sent me a birthday cake, AND even sent a cake for my son when HE turned 14. It was so sweet!”

Luz is healthy again – she is back in the game! MANNA meals helped her heal AND reduced her cholesterol and triglycerides. When you support MANNA, you support clients like Luz who rely on MANNA’s help during a crisis – want to help?