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Rethink the Drink

Rethink the Drink

by | Nov 22, 2023 | Being Well, Featured, Uncategorized, Work Well

For many people, the holiday season is filled with opportunities to gather with family and friends. Some gatherings may have alcoholic beverages as a drink option for adults who are the legal age to consume alcohol. If you are the legal age to consume alcohol and are offered an alcoholic beverage, I encourage you to take a moment to ‘Rethink the Drink’. Rethinking the drink will allow you time to reflect on the role alcohol plays in your life, plays in the lives of those around you, and will allow you time to consider if there are any changes that you would like to make concerning alcohol. 

Drinking alcohol can be harmful to a person’s health.  Alcohol use has both short-term and long-term health risks. Examples of short-term health risk include poisoning, accidents, and unsafe sexual behavior. Examples of long-term health risk include memory problems, increased risk of cancer, weakened immune system, and mental health problems. According to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), “More than 2,000 people in Oregon die from alcohol-related causes every year”. The OHA adds that the number of people who die from alcohol-related causes is three times higher than the number of people who die from other drug overdoses. To address this concern, the OHA created a campaign called ‘Rethink the Drink’. The target audience for this campaign are adults who are at the legal age to consume alcohol.  One of the main components of this campaign is a website. People who visit the website can learn about excessive alcohol use, health consequences of excessive alcohol use, and learn where to get support for excessive alcohol use. The campaign’s website is www.rethinkthedrink.com. 

My top takeaways from this campaign are:

  • Excessive drinking includes underage drinking, drinking while pregnant, binge drinking, and heavy drinking. According to the OHA, 1 in 5 people in Oregon drink excessively.  Excessive drinking increases a person’s risk of an alcohol use disorder, certain cancers (colorectal, prostate, breast, cancers of the mouth, etc.), heart disease, and liver disease. 
  • Excessive drinking includes both binge and heavy drinking. Binge drinking for a male is five or more drinks on one occasion. Binge drinking for females is four or more drinks on one occasion. Heavy drinking for a male is fifteen or more drinks per week. Heavy drinking for a female is, eight or more a drinks per week. 
  • Not all drinks have equal alcohol content. Alcohol calculators can help a person understand how many standard drinks are in each drink.  For more information about standard drinks, review the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at www.niaaa.nih.gov. 
  • A person can become more aware of their behaviors involving alcohol by utilizing the track, count, and shift method. Step 1, track the number of drinks, step 2, calculate the total alcohol in each drink, and step 3, get advice and/or shift to healthier options. 
  • Alcohol treatment services are available to help individuals explore how drinking impacts their life. The campaign’s website has an alcohol treatment navigator link. This link will take you to the NIH’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism website. On the website community members identify resources in their area. The resources featured on the website include alcohol treatment programs, counselors, therapists, and doctors. One local provider located on the navigator is the Tillamook Family Counseling Center, to learn more call (503) 842-8201. 

I encourage adults to spend time this holiday season having conversations with youth about the dangers of excessive drinking. These conversations can make a big impact in the prevention of underage alcohol use. 

Tips for having conversations with youth about alcohol: 

  • Learn about the harms of underage drinking. To learn about this topic, I recommend the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) website to review ‘Get the Facts About Underage Drinking’. The website can be accessed at www.niaaa.nih.gov. 
  • Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) website and review the ‘Talk. They Hear You’ campaign. This campaign can be found at www.samhsa.gov. 
  • Have conversations with youth early and continue the conversations into early adulthood.
  • Integrate topics about alcohol into everyday conversations.
  • Educate youth on the harms of underage alcohol consumption.
  • Help youth feel confident declining alcohol by roleplaying scenarios that they may be offered alcohol. 
  • Let youth know that they can come to you if they have questions about alcohol.

Author: Janeane Krongos, Tillamook Family Counseling Center

Other wellness questions? Email us at info@tillamookcountywellness.org. For more local health and wellness information, visit www.tillamookcountywellness.org or follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook and Instagram.

The Thanksgiving Sweet Potato Quandary

The Thanksgiving Sweet Potato Quandary

by | Nov 22, 2022 | Eat Well

AUTHOR: Judith Berman-Yamada, Kitchen Maven

Although the names sweet potato and yam are used interchangeably, these tubers belong to separate plant families and are quite different. In fact, sweet potatoes aren’t even a close relative to potatoes.

This starchy root vegetable is long and tapered with a smooth skin that can vary in color from beige to orange, brown or purple. Pale beige or light golden fleshed sweet potatoes have a much drier texture than the darker fleshed orange variety and are also less sweet. This robust (dark or light) vegetable has a storage life of around three months if kept in a cool dry place.

The bright orange variety of sweet potato is what Americans are typically used to finding at the grocery store, and the variety we most often serve at our holiday tables. They are fluffy and sweet and delicious in both dessert and savory recipes.

As for the health benefits of sweet potatoes: Orange fleshed sweet potatoes are rich in beta-carotene which converts to vitamin A (an antioxidant) in the body. Vitamin A supports vision and a healthy immune system. They’re a reliable source of B6, a regulator of metabolism, and are rich in vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. Incredible that an average sized sweet potato contains only 135 calories.

Well, it’s not too soon to plan those holiday meals – especially if you’re the chief cook and bottle washer. So, back to the “quandary”; what holiday worthy sweet potato dishes might adorn our holiday tables without ruining all those glowing sweet potato facts I just shared with you? How about recipes that aren’t slathered in globs of marshmallow and brown sugar?

Following is a recipe for Scalloped Apples & Sweet Potatoes with Walnuts & Cranberries from my recently published Cookbook, “Thrifty Comfort Cooking for Challenging Times” where 100% of author royalties go directly to the Oregon Food Bank to assist folks dealing with food insecurity. The cookbook is available on both Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com. It’s an eclectic cookbook to suit all diets and contains over 100 recipes. Thanks for your support. Hope you enjoy these tasty original recipes.

Following is a recipe for Scalloped Apples & Sweet Potatoes with Walnuts & Cranberries from my recently published Cookbook, “Thrifty Comfort Cooking for Challenging Times”.

100% of author royalties go directly to the Oregon Food Bank to assist folks dealing with food insecurity.

The cookbook is available on both Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com. It’s an eclectic cookbook to suit all diets and contains over 100 recipes.

Thanks for your support. Hope you enjoy these tasty original recipes.

Scalloped Sweet Potatoes & Apples with Walnuts & Cranberries

(Gluten free and vegan or vegetarian)

People seem forever looking for a better sweet potato or yam recipe; something simple and wholesome (sans marshmallows – please) yet lovely to look at and even better if it’s filled with both nutrition and flavor. Try this original recipe for spiced scalloped apples and yams (sweet potatoes) with toasted walnuts and Oregon cranberries. It takes about 10 minutes to prep and bakes without any checking and fussing. It makes an attractive (inexpensive) presentation for a special occasion, and you’ll be delighted with the simplicity and the taste.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tablespoon salted butter or vegan margarine, for baking pan
  • 2 or 3 medium Oregon garnet yams or sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced in ½ inch thick slices
  • 3 or 4 large Oregon apples (two types if possible: (Fuji, Pink Lady, Golden Delicious), cored, partly peeled (in strips) and sliced in ¾ inch thick slices
  • ¾ cup walnut chunks
  • ½ cup raw Oregon cranberries – unsweetened (fresh or frozen)
  • ¼ cup salted butter OR vegan margarine, melted
  • 1/3 cup real maple syrup OR honey
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom OR ground coriander

Directions:

  1. Generously grease a 9” x 13” oven safe glass or ceramic baking pan with butter or vegan margarine. Preheat oven to 375º F. Place oven rack in center position.
  2. Alternate yam and apple slices (scallop) decoratively, in rows, in prepared baking pan
  3. Sprinkle walnuts and cranberries over yams and apples.
  4. In the saucepan used to melt the butter, combine the butter with maple syrup (or honey) cinnamon, black pepper, salt, nutmeg and cardamom (or coriander). Pour syrup or honey mixture evenly over all in the baking dish.
  5. Bake, covered with foil, at 375 F. for around 35 – 45 minutes. Remove from oven; uncover and serve. This is healthy, colorful and almost like eating dessert. A good side dish with poultry, pork, bean and rice herb pilaf or stuffed winter squash. Serves 4.

Recipe Source: Judith Berman-Yamada, Kitchen Maven

Other wellness questions? Email us at info@tillamookcountywellness.org. For more local health and wellness information, visit www.tillamookcountywellness.org or follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook and Instagram.

Thanksgiving Green Beans w/ Cranberries & Hazelnuts

Thanksgiving Green Beans w/ Cranberries & Hazelnuts

by | Nov 23, 2021 | Recipes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 3 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 ¼ lbs green beans (trimmed)
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 2 ½ tbsp chopped hazelnuts
  • 2 tbsp dried cranberries
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
  • Zest of 1 lemon

Directions:

  1. In a small bowl, combine the oil, nuts, cranberries, salt & pepper. Top the green beans with the cranberry-nut mixture. Garnish with the lemon zest.
  2. Fill a large pot 2/3 full of water and bring to a boil. Add the green beans, turn off the heat, and let the green beans stand in the water for 3 minutes. Drain the beans and add them to a serving bowl of platter.

Source: Diabetes Forecast. Recipe Credit: Robyn Webb, MS, LN. Photo Credit: Terry Doran. https://www.diabetesfoodhub.org/recipes/thanksgiving-green-beans-with-cranberries-and-hazelnuts.html

Gingersnap Pumpkin Pie & Holiday Health Tips

Gingersnap Pumpkin Pie & Holiday Health Tips

by | Nov 19, 2020 | Eat Well, Recipes

Judy Barbe was a featured speaker for the Tillamook County “Year of Wellness” in 2016.

Thanks to a sponsorship by Tillamook County Wellness partner, Oregon Dairy & Nutrition Council, we will periodically feature articles and recipes from Judy Barbe, author, columnist and nutrition expert. As a registered dietician nutritionist and food enthusiast, Judy offers realistic food solutions to help people “live their best.”   Looking for an easy pumpkin pie recipe? Gingersnap Pumpkin Pie it is! With half the sugar of a traditional pumpkin pie recipe it’s healthier, too.  With the holidays in full swing, I am the Ghost of Christmas Practical. Yes, I’m baking cookies and pies. I mean, it really wouldn’t be a celebration without them, would it? But I’m trying to keep a handle on sugar.
Holiday weight gain
Most of us can use a hand reducing extra calories this time of year. The latest research (https://www.livescience.com/56206-holiday-weight-gain-america-japan-germany.html)  indicates that many of us gain just less than two pounds during the holidays. Two pounds. That’s not much. The good news is that half of us will lose most of the weight, but the other half will still be carrying the extra pounds in summer. Two pounds every year for ten years? Maybe that explains where that extra weight came from…Christmas 2006!
A healthy pumpkin pie recipe
That’s why I am excited about this pie. I reduced the sugar by half from a traditional recipe and the only one who will know it is the baker.
Gingersnap Pumpkin Pie = easy pumpkin pie
Piecrusts can be the enemy of pie bakers, but this crust takes the cake on easy. I use store-bought gingersnaps to make the crust. These spicy little cookies don’t need added sugar and there is no rolling pin required. The filling is spiced up, the sugar is toned down and the topper is a dollop of honey-flavored Greek yogurt. The yogurt provides tanginess to the spicy pie and crust. All in all, a fork-worthy pie. The healthier pumpkin pie could even be breakfast!
Holiday health tips
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a sugarplum, let alone one dance around my head, but with all the temptations during the next few weeks, this pie is a delicious and practical solution. Here are a few more holiday helpers:
  • Fill up on fiber. Every 10-gram increase in daily fiber reduces hunger and belly fat. Make oatmeal or bulgur your breakfast. Include an apple or pear for lunch. Add beans to soups, salads and stews.
  • Go to bed. Sleeping 6-7 hours per night helps maintain regular weight.
  • Move your feet. Physical activity burns calories and reduces stress. Consider a walk your mental filter for the holidays.
  • Feed your soul. Feeling grateful, volunteering, and laughing with friends boosts your mood and sense of well-being.
P.S. Hungry for more healthy living tips and recipes? Sign up for my newsletter at https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/v1q9c9

Lower Sugar Gingersnap Pumpkin Pie

Gingersnap Pumpkin Pie, with half the sugar from a traditional recipe, is a healthier pumpkin pie. And the only one who will know it is the baker! Top it with honey yogurt rather than whipped cream for even more calorie savings.
  • Author: Judy Barbe
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Yield: 8
Ingredients: Crust:
  • 20 gingersnaps, 2 1/4-inch diameter cookies
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
Pumpkin pie filling:
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1 15-ounce can pumpkin
  • 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
  • Honey flavored Greek-style yogurt
  Instructions:
  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. To make crust: Break gingersnaps in half. Process in food processor, pulsing 6-7 times until coarse crumbs. Pour in melted butter. Process 5-6 times until butter is incorporated and mixture looks sandy.
  3. Press crumbs into 9-inch pie plate. Use the back of a spoon or custard cup to press crumbs firmly into pie plate. Bake 8 minutes. Remove from oven to cool.
  4. To make pumpkin pie filling:
  5. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
  6. In a small bowl stir together sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt. Set aside.
  7. In large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat eggs and vanilla to blend. Add spices and pumpkin to egg mixture, combine thoroughly. Slowly pour in evaporated milk and stir gently until mixture is uniform consistency.
  8. Pour filling into crust. You may have some leftover filling. Place in 375 degree oven and bake 45-50 minutes. The filling should be set but may have a slight jiggle when you move the pie plate. Internal temperature of pumpkin pie filling should be 165 degrees.
  9. Bake the leftover filling in a custard cup to enjoy later.
  10. To serve, spoon on a dollop of honey flavored Greek-style yogurt.
Recipe source: Judy Barbe, www.LiveBest.info Judy Barbe is a registered dietitian, speaker, and author of Your 6-Week Guide to LiveBest: Simple Solutions for Fresh Food & Well-Being. Visit her website http://www.LiveBest.info for every day food solutions. What are you waiting for? For more local health and wellness information, follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Pear and Cranberry Crisp

Pear and Cranberry Crisp

by | Nov 12, 2020 | Recipes

Prep and Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons applesauce
  • 4 cups pears, cubed (about 3 pears)
  • 1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and applesauce.
  2. Combine pears, cranberries and cornstarch in an 8×8 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with oat mixture.
  3. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees until juices are bubbling and topping is browned, about 20 minutes.
  4. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Recipe and Photo Source: https://foodhero.org/recipes/pear-and-cranberry-crisp