February 2021

The Beacon Wellness Edition - February 2021 Food Planning During In the Home Poison Safety Tips the Coronavirus Pandemic Check What You Have at Home First Each year, more than 90% of exposures reported to local poison control Take a look at the foods you already have in your refrigerator, freezer, and centers occur in the home. Here are some ways you can keep your family, pantry; make sure to look at expiration dates and best by dates. This can friends, and yourself poison-safe at home. help you plan meals around what you already have, help you limit the Be Prepared for a Poison Emergency number of trips to the grocery store, and help you avoid spending money Put the Poison Help number, 1-800-222-1222, in your mobile phone and on items you don’t need. display it at home and work in case of emergencies, or if you have Make a Shopping List questions. You can also text POISON to 797979 to save the number in your Shopping may feel more stressful at this time. Make a list ahead of time to mobile phone. Calls are free, confidential, and answered by experts, stay focused, get the items you need, and keep your shopping trip short. 24/7/365. Since stores may not have some specific items, create a list with general Practice Safe Storage Habits items like “fruit” or “bread.” The following items should be stored up, away, and out of sight of children, Explore Your Shopping Options and in their original containers. Alternatively, keep these substances in Many grocery stores offer in-store pickup, curbside pickup, or delivery. cabinets secured with child-resistant locks. Keep in mind that there is no Third party options also exist for grocery store delivery. You may find these such thing as a 100-percent child-proof lock or container. services helpful during times of social distancing. If you are older, check if • All medicines and pharmaceuticals, including over-the-counter your store delivers or has early shopping hours for older Americans only. medicines, prescription medicines, vitamins, and supplements How Much Should I Buy? • Alcohol, Tobacco, and e-cigarette products, especially liquid nicotine Buy what you and your family need at this time and resist the urge to buy • Laundry and cleaning supplies in much larger quantities. Prepare a shopping list that will cover you and • Pesticides and insect repellents everyone in your household for 2 weeks. • Button batteries, such as those in musical greeting cards and key fobs What Foods Should I Buy? • Any type of oil or lubricant, including fragrance oils, tiki torch oils, Choose a mix of shelf-stable, frozen, and fresh foods. Examples of engine oil, etc. shelf-stable foods include pastas, rice, legumes, nut butters, and dried and • Personal care products, especially contact lens disinfectants and hand canned goods. Frozen options to think about might be breads, meats, sanitizers vegetables, fruits, and even milk. With fresh foods, buy a variety in Read and Follow Labels and Directions quantities that you would normally buy. Remember to include the special needs of all family members, including pets, infants, or those with dietary Make a habit of reviewing the label on any potentially hazardous substance restrictions. or product prior to use, especially before administering medicines. Take care to follow usage directions, as well as instructions for safe storage and What Should I Make? disposal. Call your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222 if you have While everyone is home together, you may feel inclined to try a new recipe any questions about the directions. or experiment with new flavors to keep things interesting. For others, sticking to simple items or familiar foods and tastes provides comfort. Plan Detect Invisible Threats what works for you and your family. To protect your family, install carbon monoxide detectors in your home. Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas that can lead to severe Access to Food While School is Closed illness and even death. Most carbon monoxide exposures occur during the Many school districts across the country are continuing to provide meals to winter months or during power outages. students in need during school closures. Check for local programs in your area, such as Meals to You. Contact your local school to learn about meals Prepare Food Safely that may be available through pop-up food systems, grab-and-go meal Practice safe food preparation and handling to avoid food poisoning. pickups, or school bus routes. Source: American Association of Poison Control Centers (www.aapcc.org) Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture - MyPlate (www.myplate.gov) App of the Month - MyFitnessPal Do you have a question or concern? Whether you want to lose weight, tone up, get healthy, change your habits, or start a new diet MyFitnessPal has you covered. If there is a topic you would like us to cover in an upcoming newsletter, See for yourself why MyFitnessPal is the world’s most popular please contact us at [email protected] with “Newsletter” in the subject health and fitness app, it provides food tracking, barcode scanner, recipe importer, restaurant logging, customizable line, along with a detailed description of a topic or question you would like to diary, and water tracking. be addressed. This app is available for free on iPhone and Android devices. NAVIGATING YOUR SUCCESS Dust Mites What Are Dust Mites? air for long. Dust mite allergens settle within minutes into dust or Dust mites are microscopic, insect-like pests that generate some of fabrics, such as pillows, bedding, or upholstered furniture, which the most common indoor substances—or allergens—that can serve as nests. Most exposure to dust mite allergens occurs while trigger allergic reactions and asthma in many people. Hundreds of sleeping and when dust is disturbed during bed-making or other thousands of dust mites can live in the bedding, mattresses, movements. upholstered furniture, carpets, or curtains in your home. They feed How Can Dust Mites Be Eliminated? on the dead human skin cells found in dust. You can take action to reduce or eliminate dust mites in your home. Dust mites are not parasites; they don't bite, sting, or burrow into • Reduce humidity. To minimize the growth of dust mites, keep our bodies. The harmful allergen they create comes from their fecal your home below 50 percent humidity. In humid areas, pellets and body fragments. Dust mites are nearly everywhere; air conditioning and dehumidifiers can help. On dry days, open roughly four out of five homes in the United States have detectable your windows for one hour per day to help remove humidity levels of dust mite allergen in at least one bed. from the house. How Do Dust Mite Allergens Affect Health? • Reduce the places where dust mites can grow. Remove some of Mites are one of the major indoor triggers for people with allergies the furniture or use furniture with smooth surfaces, eliminate and asthma. Chronic, ongoing exposure to dust mites at home can drapes and curtains, and cover mattresses and pillows to reduce dramatically impact the health of people with asthma and those dust mites. Wash bedding in hot water once a week. who are allergic or particularly sensitive to mites. These allergens • Replace carpets. Carpeting should be removed from the home, cause an immune system response, known as allergic rhinitis. A especially if occupants are allergic to dust mites. If you must dust mite allergy can range from mild to severe. A mild case may retain the carpet, use a vacuum cleaner with a high efficiency cause an occasional runny nose, watery eyes, and sneezing. In filter or a central vacuum cleaner. severe cases, the condition is ongoing, or chronic, resulting in persistent sneezing, cough, congestion, facial pressure, or severe • Damp mop floors often. When dusting, use a damp mop or damp asthma attack. People with asthma who are sensitive to mites face cloth to reduce the amount of dust stirred up when cleaning. an increased risk of flare-ups or asthma attacks. Source: American Lung Association (www.lung.org) Where Do Dust Mites Come From? Dust mites occur naturally and can appear in nearly all homes. Recipe of the Month - Granny’s Banana Bread Humidity is the most important factor in determining whether a Ingredients Nutrition (per serving) house has high concentrations of dust mites. Dust mites do not • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour Makes 12 servings drink water like we do; they absorb moisture from the air. In areas • 1 tsp baking soda • Calories - 298 kcal with low humidity, like deserts, dust mites cannot survive. • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon • Fat - 7.7g Who Should Be Concerned about Dust Mites? • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg • Carbs - 53.8 g • 1 cup white sugar • Protein - 5.6 g People with allergies to dust mites or with asthma triggered by dust • 2 eggs • Cholesterol - 35.3 mg mite allergens need to reduce dust mites in their homes. Older • 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce homes, homes located in regions with humid climates, lower • 4 ripe bananas, mashed • income residences, and homes where a musty or mildew odor is 1 tbsp vanilla extract present are more likely to have high concentrations of dust mites. • 1 cup raisins (optional) • 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional) Dust mite allergens, unlike pet allergens, do not usually stay airborne. They cling to particles that are too heavy to remain in the Directions 1. Preheat oven to 375° F (190° C). Lightly grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Additional Resources 2. In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and white sugar.

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