Overall Health - Swine Flu

Hello from Vancouver, WA! I am here for the Washington State Dietetic Association annual meeting and conference which has been combined this year with the Oregon Dietetic Association. I will post more on my learnings here at the conference later on topics like the "slow food" movement, sustainable food systems, saturated fat, menu labelling, probiotics, eating disorders, etc. I know, you are so excited :)

What I wanted to discuss today was the outbreak of the Swine Flu that has now hit the US. Even though I am a dietitian, and most of what I talk about is food and nutrition related, that doesn't mean that eating balanced and in moderation will prevent you from being sick. If this is the first you're hearing of The Swine Flu, make it a personal goal to try and check a newspaper, news website, or maybe just interact with another human being at least once a day....just kidding, I'm being a brat...but seriously...you can read right?

The Swine Flu is a new virus that our medical professionals have not seen before, therefore humans do not have any immunity to it. Our bodies have never seen it before, so they don't know how to fight it. The symptoms are almost exactly the same as "The Flu" that we are used to getting and fighting off, so if you think you may be coming down with the regular flu, see the doctor immediately, do not go to work, wash your hands and be overly cautious. Your doctor will most likely take swabs of your nose and throat and send a sample to be tested to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control).

More detailed information can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/ but here are some quick facts:

• 20 Cases have been reported so far in the US: California (7), Kansas (2), New York (8), Ohio (1), Texas (2)


• You CANNOT catch Swine Flu from eating pork. It is NOT transmitted this way. Cooking pork to 160 degrees kills Swine Flu just like it does other bacterias.


• Over 100 People in Mexico have died from Swine Flu so far


• There are 2 antiviral drugs - oseltamivir and zanamivir - that are able to treat and prevent infection from Swine Flu


• Wash your hands often, sneeze into kleenex and avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth

According to the CDC, at this time, there are four main influenza type A virus subtypes that have been isolated in pigs: H1N1, H1N2, H3N2, and H3N1. However, most of the recently isolated influenza viruses from pigs have been H1N1 viruses.

Be healthy by being aware of the health risks out there, those caused by poor lifestyle choices and those that we have no control of like viruses. Wash your hands, eat well, and listen to your body.

Ok, off to wash my hands and continue my conference! And as a side note, any of you who know me well know that I have a random but passionate interest in viruses and microbiology (so much that I paint them...seriously, my poor parents have a beautiful Lassa Virus hanging in their house) so if you ever have spare time, the CDC's website has amazing information on all types of viruses - rare and common - as well as a plethora of wonderful health information: http://www.cdc.gov/.

Blessings,

Ashley

Read More

Junk Science

As we all know, there are people out there that will take a tiny bit of scientific information (that they may or may not acutally understand) and blow it out of proportion and into some fad diet, new supplement, crazy whatever - that happens to cost you 4 payments of $19.95. Its so important as consumers (everybody eats right?) in the food and nutrition world, to really understand how to sort through all of the information that is thrown at you. We see nutrition info and advice everyday, even though we may not be looking for it. Its on covers of gossip magazines, on the sidebars of AOL or Facebook, and even hidden in what may seem like reputable sources, are articles written by a "PhD" about this brand new juice drink...no one knows his PhD is in English, not Nutrition.

My point is this: be smart enough to be skeptical.

The ADA put out a great list of the "10 Red Flags of Junk Science" that can be found at www.eatright.org along with lots of other great (and reputable) nutrition information.

While registered dietitians are your best source of advice when it comes to food and nutrition, you can learn to cut through the clutter of conflicting nutrition health claims and find the facts. Watch for the “Ten Red Flags of Junk Science”:

1. Recommendations that promise a quick fix.
2. Dire warnings of danger from a single complex study.
3. Claims that sound too good to be true.
4. Simplistic conclusions drawn from a complex study.
5. Recommendations based on a single study.
6. Dramatic statements that are refuted by reputable scientific organizations.
7. Lists of “good” and “bad” foods.
8. Recommendations made to help sell a product.
9. Recommendations based on studies published without peer review.
10. Recommendations from studies that ignore differences among individuals or groups.

For more information about any food-related statement, product or service, contact a registered dietitian.
Produced by ADA’s Public Relations Team

Happy Eating, and Reading!

Blessings,
Ashley

Read More