PORTLAND, Ore. - 'Tis the season for high-calorie, sweet-tooth indulgence - that is, unless you use some commonsense strategies for preparing and serving healthier holiday foods.

Those end-of-year holiday parties and office get-togethers can be recipes for disaster if you're watching your weight or on a special diet. But it doesn't have to be that way, according to Portland caterer Joyce McGee of Pans, Pots & Skillets. She says caterers know the freshest foods are not only healthy choices – they're often the most colorful, so they look good and stand out on the buffet table. There is no shortage of creative ways to serve them, she adds.

"Homemade hummus with your vegetable tray. Salad rolls, filled with fresh vegetables. I do a black-eyed pea salad and I can use it as a salad and a salad wrap."

If you're invited to a potluck, CareOregon health educator Denise Johnson recommends setting a good example by bringing a healthy appetizer or salad to share. And if you're the host of the gathering, she says, it's important to arrange the food to help people resist temptation.

"Do you have candy out? Do you have fatty foods out on the end tables? You may want to consider having those on a buffet in one area, where someone has to mindfully go to the buffet. Make it comfortably challenging for them to get that extra food."

Portion control is a big part of catering for different reasons, explains McGee, like minimizing waste and the demand for party foods that are easy to eat. She adds that just about any dessert can be made in smaller portions – even her clients' favorite pies.

"You know, the pie crust has to be there, but I have learned to do 'em as tarts, so you don't have a big pie; you just cut down your portion. But you have to pay attention to those that really like sugar: they'll pop two or three of 'em in their mouth! That's how good they are."

Johnson notes that family members often prod each other into eating more, and one strategy for avoiding that kind of problem is honesty. Let them know that you're watching your food intake and ask for their support. She also advises never going to a party hungry. Have a small meal or some fruit and yogurt first.

McGee suggests experimenting with favorite family recipes, adapting them with low-salt or low-fat ingredients, or introducing new, healthier menu items that might become favorites – that is, if they look and taste great.




get more stories like this via email

Toughing it out during spring allergy season is not in your best interest if you want to avoid asthma later in life.

New Mexico has plenty of grass and weed pollens carried by the wind which contribute to itchy, watery eyes, a stuffy nose and sneezing fits this time of year.

Dr. Osman Dokmeci, associate professor of internal medicine at the University of New Mexico, suggested for those who suffer acutely, seek an allergy test and possibly medication to prevent asthma from taking hold.

"One out of 10 has asthma in America," Dokmeci pointed out. "Having seasonal allergies increases your chance of developing asthma at least fivefold."

He recommended treating allergies early and as aggressively as possible. May is "Asthma Awareness Month," which aims to bring attention to the health issue and highlight improvements in care and quality of life. Nationwide, asthma affects more than 25 million Americans, including 4 million children, and disproportionately affects certain racial and ethnic groups.

Allergies do not "cause" asthma but people who have allergies, or have family members who have allergies, are more likely to get asthma than those who do not. Research shows allergy season is starting earlier and lasting longer. A 2022 study from the University of Michigan found pollen count could increase by 200% by the end of the century due to climate change, which is why Dokmeci stressed it is important not to ignore the problem.

"There's no treatment that actually makes your asthma not happen," Dokmeci explained. "But once you develop asthma, there are good treatment options."

The estimated economic impact of asthma is more than $80 billion per year from direct and indirect costs, such as missed school and workdays.

Recent research shows approximately half of people who die by suicide had contact with a health care professional within the month prior to their death.

However, a recent study shows only 8% of hospitals are currently implementing all four recommended suicide prevention practices: safety planning, warm handoffs to outpatient care, patient follow-up and lethal means counseling.

Melissa Tolstyka, director of Behavioral Health Services for Trinity Health Ann Arbor, said a seamless transition from inpatient to outpatient care is critical. At Ann Arbor, she saw a 46% increase in compliance with comprehensive suicide risk assessments and patients discharged on the suicide care pathway now receive a safety plan, which she sees as progress.

"We continue to see a need for really robust programming," Tolstyka explained. "Not just within the behavioral health world, but in the medical world as well. Our organization really wanted to focus on bringing the behavioral health and the medical services together to enhance our safer suicide care practices for our patients."

The initiative is being piloted across various units at Trinity Hospitals in Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids including the emergency department, psychiatric medical and inpatient nursing units. If you or anyone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by calling or texting 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Casie Sultana, clinical nurse leader for Trinity Health Grand Rapids, prioritizes patient well-being, emphasizing support and improvement over solely managing risks within the facility.

"We want to be someplace that people feel welcome to come to who are dealing with suicide," Sultana emphasized. "You feel so alone. It's a very lonely journey and we want people to come seek help and feel welcomed when they do that."

Susan Burchardt, clinical services manager at Trinity Grand Rapids, advised other hospitals considering a similar program to learn from organizations already using it.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.


get more stories like this via email

Access to reduced-price medication is a necessity for many rural Missourians with low income.

Rep. Cindy O'Laughlin, R-Shelbina, the Senate Floor Leader, said Big Pharma is trying to confuse legislators with unrelated hot-button topics such as abortion access and illegal immigration in a last-ditch effort to stop the state from joining a program to force drugmakers to sell medicines at a discount.

"Appealing to nuclear topics, which really do not apply in this situation, is a disingenuous way to try to defeat a bill that is actually good for Missouri," O'Laughlin asserted.

O'Laughlin pointed out the program is transparent, and uses the tax money saved to help low-income families deal with chronic conditions such as diabetes.

The drugmakers object to the government forcing them to give significant discounts, arguing hospitals' and for-profit pharmacies' bottom lines, particularly those owned by pharmacy benefits managers, are being exploited. Nationally, 46% of contract pharmacy agreements involve pharmacies linked to the three largest benefits managers.

Rep. Tara Peters, R-Rolla, introduced the 340B contract pharmacy access billand said the lobbying is absurd.

"Federally, 340B program does not allow for abortion drugs," Peters stressed. "Why would any legislation that we're trying to pass in the state allow for that? I mean, the thought of that even being in existence is absolutely ludicrous."

The Missouri Senate passed the bill 27-3 on Monday and it now goes to the House.


get more stories like this via email