Category Archives: Asian Media Access

EBT At Farmers Markets!

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“Thirteen farmers markets in Minneapolis now accept EBT and offer a Market Bucks coupon to help low income residents purchase more healthy, fresh food at affordable prices.”

I know how expensive it can get when trying to find healthier ways to eat. Fresh fruits and vegetables are always so expensive. But hey! Are you with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps)? If yes, there may be a way for you to purchase fresh vegetables and fruits more affordably.

SNAP is delivered via an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card and guess what? Over 30 farmers markets across Minnesota accept EBT!! Going to local farmers markets to purchase your greens and fruits can be a cheaper alternative compared to super markets and grocery stores.

“In 2010, the Minneapolis Health Department (MHD), Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross), and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy worked together to make Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) services available at the Minneapolis Farmers Market and Northeast Farmers Markets, which has accepted EBT since 2006. Partners also launched an incentive program called ‘Market Bucks’ to encourage EBT customers to use their benefits at the markets. Customers who spent at least $5 in EBT received an additional $5 in Market Bucks, essentially doubling their purchasing power for healthy foods.”

This all sounds great! I grew up shopping at the local farmers markets in Minneapolis and Saint Paul and it has always made it a bit easier for my family. In my opinion and from experience, it is definitely way more affordable compared to grocery stores; and now that more and more farmers markets are accepting EBT, it is going to help families of lower income more. The program trying to promote the use of EBT benefits at farmers markets is also so awesome, you spend but also earn money at the same time!

Overall, I think shopping at farmers markets for majority of your food is a great choice and should already be apart of your shopping routine. You save more and the veggies you get are probably way fresher. Try thinking about stopping by a farmers market to check it out! Even if you’re not apart of SNAP, still try checking out the farmers markets around you. I recommend you to because I personally love them. You can look up farmers markets in your area by googling it or if you’re in the Minneapolis areas, click the link below to see the list of farmers markets in Minneapolis.

 

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Information received from the City of Minneapolis, MN website. Read more about it by clicking on the link below.
There are also EBT brochures, fliers, and postcards in English, Spanish, Hmong, and Somali if you would like to have it in hand.

http://minneapolismn.gov/health/living/eating/community-gardens

Does Your Loved One Have Depression?

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The article, Why Asian-American Seniors Have High Rates Of Depression But Rarely Seek Help,” written by Kimberly Yam has great detail showing culture differences and how it affects the daily lives of many. I loved how this article was able to snap a reminder into my head about my parents and grandparents. I will be restating some of the things from the article and giving my opinion on the topic.

In the Asian-American community, health is one of the biggest topics that become touchy to talk about, especially with the seniors. Overall health problems are not usually brought up unless one is really needing help; but with mental health many seniors do not seek help for it at all. According to the American Psychological Association, “Asian Americans are almost three times less likely than their white counterparts to seek mental health services.” One of the main factors to this is fear of being shameful. With the Asian culture, pride is very important and that is why some things may not be said or done in order to not “embarrass” the family.

We have to remember that most of our elders have experienced trauma from many of the world and life tragedies that has happened. Adapting to a new place and experiencing the feeling of being separated because of culture and language can have a huge influence on how one may feel. Our seniors/elders in the Asian community may hide their feelings of sadness and loneliness in order to avoid burdening the family. With this, the younger generation of sons, daughters, relatives…etc., should reach out when they feel that there may be some kind of loneliness.

When reading this article, I started thinking about my grandfather. When he was still on this beautiful planet, I met him once when he came to visit my family from Laos. He was one of the sweetest people I have ever met. He smiled a lot and didn’t talk about things much. When we went for walks, he seemed so peaceful. He always stared at the sky and just looked and admired the landscape. Thinking back now, I wish I spent more time showing him many beautiful things in life. I also wish I talked to him more about his past, present, wishes, happiness, and sorrows. Just thinking about how he was when he had visit made me realize that he had a lot of sadness and pain still in him. This realization definitely made think more about checking on my loved ones.

Loneliness and depression can happen to anyone. It may be harder for some to express the fact that they have these feelings. In the Asian culture, admitting that you need help isn’t really a thing. Elders may probably address mental health issues in different ways, like headaches, sleepless nights, pain in the stomach…etc. So it is important for loved ones to ask and spend the time to really try and help.

I am Asian American and when I was reading this article, the descriptions and beliefs about the Asian American culture definitely fit mine. My thoughts and culture may not fit every persons’ but overall, being able to fit and connect to these descriptions and beliefs made me more aware of possible emotions and thoughts my elders may be having. Mental illness is not thought about a lot at all in the Asian community. I hope that my brief article will inspire you to just really look after your loved ones also and remember to be aware of possible symptoms of depression or loneliness.

Read the article by Kimberly Yam at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/asian-american-senior-mental-health_us_591c53eee4b041db8965c58e
This article is definitely worth putting time into reading. I loved everything about it.

Men’s Health Month

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June is men’s health month and with that as a reminder to keep up with your health, taking initiative to maintain a healthy life style is one of the main ways to live a good life. So along with having a healthy lifestyle (eating right and having a fitness routine), getting regular check ups is also an important way to help and prevent any problems before they start.

It will be difficult to completely change your routine and quit any unhealthy habits; so with this, I recommend taking baby steps and changing for the better slowly everyday. When you feel confident and comfortable enough, try taking a bigger step!

Some tips to help with keeping you on track includes: having reminders around, support from loved ones, positive reinforcements, setting small goals, taking baby steps if needed, and writing down your progress to help you visually see your improvements!

Keeping your health on track starts with you!


Men’s Health Month 5 Plays Card_English (1)
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Read more about healthy food choices and the importance of having check-ups with the links listed below. Check them out! They will definitely be beneficial!
https://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm199058.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/family/checkup/

Food Safety

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It is that time of the year again! Summer has finally arrived! It is time for outdoorsy fun with the ones you love. This also means continuing being safe wherever you go and in whatever you do. This week’s post will be on some safety facts about grilling, from the Minnesota Department of Health.

Handle Food Safely

  • Always wash your hands before and after handling food.
  • Keep the kitchen, dishes and utensils clean.
  • Always serve food on clean plates.
  • Harmful bacteria present in raw meat and poultry and their juices can contaminate safely cooked food. To prevent food borne illness, don’t use the same platter and utensils for raw and cooked meat/poultry.

Keep Hot Foods HOT, Cold Foods COLD

  • Keep meat and poultry refrigerated until ready to use.
  • After cooking meat and poultry on the grill, keep it at 140°F or warmer until served. Keep cooked meats hot by setting them to the side of the grill rack. Cooked meat can be kept hot in a warm oven (approximately 200°F), in a chafing dish, or on a warming tray.
  • In hot weather (above 90°F), food should never sit out for more than one hour.
  • Refrigerate any leftovers promptly in shallow containers.

Marinating

  • Marinate to tenderize or add flavor.
  • Marinate food in the refrigerator, not on the counter.
  • If marinades are to be used as a sauce for the cooked meat, either reserve a portion of the marinade before putting raw meat and poultry in it, or boil it before using on cooked meat to destroy any harmful bacteria.

Precooking
Precooking food on a stove is a good way to reduce grilling time. Make sure that the food goes immediately on the preheated grill to complete cooking.

Cook Thoroughly
Fresh and frozen raw meat, poultry and fish should be cooked hot enough to kill the bacteria, parasites and viruses that may be in the product. The temperatures shown below are recommended for home preparation of food. Always use a meat thermometer to check temperatures. Color is not a reliable indicator of doneness.

Reheating
When reheating fully cooked meats, grill to 165°F.

 

FOOD SAFE INTERNAL TEMPERATURE *
Poultry or fowl, whole or parts 165°F
Ground poultry or fowl 165°F
Ground beef, veal, pork, lamb or venison 160°F
Fresh beef, veal, pork, lamb or venison 145°F
Fish and shellfish, all kinds 145°F
Eggs Until yolk and white are firm
Egg dishes 160°F

* Regulated facilities may cook to different temperatures because staff are trained in the use of time and temperature to reach safe standards.

 

For additional information on food safety, visit the link listed

http://www.health.state.mn.us/foodsafety/index.html

 

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Information received from the Minnesota Health Department. To view the PDF, click on the link provided below.
http://www.health.state.mn.us/foodsafety/cook/grill.pdf

Trends in Obesity Among Early Age Children

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CDC

Obesity is a present health concern in the US and it’s important that it is continued to be discussed about. In order to prevent and decrease obesity rates in the US, there have been many attempts and programs to help people better understand what causes obesity, how to prevent it, and the ways we can educate people on it.

Some quick facts from a research conducted by CDC:

“Childhood obesity is associated with negative health consequences in childhood (1) that continue into adulthood (2), putting adults at risk for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers (1). Obesity disproportionately affects children from low-income families (3).

Overall obesity prevalence increased from 14.0% in 2000 to 15.5% in 2004 and 15.9% in 2010, and then decreased to 14.5% in 2014. During 2010–2014, the prevalence of obesity decreased significantly overall, among non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks, Hispanics, American Indian/Alaska Natives and Asians/Pacific Islanders, and among 34 (61%) of the 56 WIC state agencies in states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.” – CDC

Who is generally at risk for obesity:

  • Low-income families
  • Young mothers
  • People without access to healthy food/alternative food options

What can we do to prevent obesity?

  • Spread the knowledge of obesity among friends, families, peers, co-workers, etc. through various use of communications and social media platforms
  • Encourage people to live a active, balance, and healthier lifestyle by:
    • Encouraging healthy habits
    • Participating in activities outside of home/schools/work environment
    • Buying produces at local markets/groceries or partaking in a community garden or growing your own produces
    • Using other methods of transportation such as walking, biking, skating, etc.

Find recommended resources for minorities here.

Postcard Highlights for August | 2016

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This month’s postcards are focused on nature and self-reflection. Remember that one’s perspective determines how they see and fell about things. It’s up to you to decide the positives and negatives in your life. Also, it’s good to be reminded that enjoying the simple things over extravagant luxuries could be more self-fulfilling. It could be spending more time with loved ones, going out to your community, or trying something new.

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Road traffic noise linked to heightened risk of midriff bulge

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Recent research indicated that noise from traffic, airplanes, and trains could be responsible for expanding waistlines.

According to the research result, there was an association between road traffic noise and waist size, with a 0.21 cm increase for every additional 5 dB increase in exposure, although this was only significant among women.

At the same point, there was a link to waist:hip ratio, with a change of 0.16 for every 5 dB increase in noise exposure to road, this is specifically for men.

In addition, when people were exposed to more noise pollution at the same time, they had higher possibility to get central obesity.

However, socioeconomic factors, and lifestyle do not affect the findings, age is a critical factor. Those who are below the age of 60 are found the connection between central obesity and road traffic noise.

TIPS for preventing from traffic noise:

Barrier Wall: Construct a barrier wall between your home and the source of the traffic noise.

Buildings: consider putting up buildings to block the traffic noise place a garage, a storage shed.

Water feature: water features do not reduce traffic noise, but they provide a more pleasant background sound, helping to mask it.

Hedges: hedges are not dense enough to combat loud road noise on their own.

SOURCE for help:

Trafficnoise.org: Road Noise Impact Control

 

Teenager pregnancy awareness

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Wednesday, May 6, will mark the 14th annual National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. It is organized and overseen by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unintended Pregnancy, the National Day is supported by almost 200 organizational partners; in 2013, almost 500,000 individuals participated.

The rate of teenager pregnancy among AAPI population is much higher than national level in the United States. Therefore, it is important to get our attention on teenager pregnancy issue.

Tips to prevent teenage pregnancy:

1. Be clear about your own sexual value

2. Talk with your children early and often about sex and be specific

3. supervises and monitors your children and adolscents

4. Know your children’s friends and families

5. Discourage early, frequent and steady dating

6. Take a stand against your daughter dating a boy significantly older

7. Help your children have more attractive options for the future than early pregnancy and parenthood

8. Let your children know you value education highly

9. Know what your children are watching, listening to and reading

10. Have a closer relationship with your children at an early age

Additional resources for teenage pregnancy help:

Everyday Miracles

www.everyday-miracles.org/

612-353-6293

FamilyWise Services (formerly Genesis II for Families)

www.familywiseservices.org/

612-617-0191

Heling Us Grow (HUG)

763-504-4983

Hennepin County Child Care Assistance

612-348-5937

Hennepin County Child & Teen Checkups

612-348-5131

 

 

Flu Season

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What Is Flu Season?

Flu season is the time of year when the flu virus is most common. Flu season usually begins when cold weather appears. It’s simply a characteristic of the flu and the time of the seasons.

Outbreaks of the flu occur in different seasonal patterns around the world. In temperate climate zones, flu season will typically begin in the late fall and peak in mid-to-late winter.

Flu Season in the United States

Annual outbreaks of seasonal usually occur during the fall through early spring. In a typical year, approximately 5 to 20 percent of the population gets the seasonal flu. Flu-related deaths range from 3.000 to 48,600 (average 23,600). A seasonal flu vaccine is available.

The overall health impact of the flu varies from year to year. Unfortunately, rates of infection, hospitalizations, and deaths can’t be predicted, but by identifying flu symptoms, and knowing about flu treatment and flu prevention options, you cna be better prepared to face the flu season.

Is It Flu?

Flu Symptoms

Flu symptoms can be mild or severe, and can come on suddenly-be sure you know your flu treatment options so you can be prepared. Symptoms generally appear 1 to 4 days after exposure to the virus.

If you have one or more of the symptoms, you could have the flu.

Flu  Prevention Tips

Don’t have the flu and don’t want to get it? Here some some health habits you can work into your life to minimize the chances of getting the flu.

Wash your hands

The flu virus can spread by direct contact, such as sharing drinks, or through indirect contact, such as when an infected coworker sneezes on her hands, and touches an object like the lunchroom microwave door. The influenza virus can live for 2 to 8 hours on surfaces. During flu season, everyone should wash their hands frequently to reduce the risk of transmitting germs to others.

Wash your hands to prevent flu

Cover your sneezes and coughs

When you sneeze or cough, cover your nose and mouth with a tissue (not your hands), and be sure to throw the tissue away immediately.

You can also cough into your sleeve if you don’t have a tissue handy. Hand sanitizers can also help. Try to avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth to keep germs away.

 

Quality of calories

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Once you have learned your calories consumption every day, you may begin to notice your decreased weight, but it is only the beginning step of right step.

As the picture shows, the fuel produced to your body by 2000 calories of gingerbread cookies is not as same as 2000 calories of meat, vegetable, and fruit.

Your body digests different types of nutrients differently. There  are basic bodily functions of all sorts of nutrients: building muscle, transporting nutrients, storing energy as fat for later use, fueling various muscle. Below are how a person compose a basic meal:

Protein: When you exercise, your muscles are broken down and then use protein to rebuild themselves stronger while recovering. Protein absolutely NEEDS to be a main component of every meal.  Aim for one gram per pound (two grams per KG) of lean body weight, or just do one gram per pound of body weight if you don’t want to do the math – with an upper limit of 200 grams.  Sources of protein include chicken, eggs, beef, pork, fish, nuts, legumes, quinoa, and most dairy products.

Carbohydrates: When you eat carbohydrates, they get converted to glucose (sugar) in your system, which is then used to provide energy for all sorts of body functions to take place.  Vegetables and/or fresh fruit are quality sources of carbohydrates, with grains being less so in my opinion…but we’ll get to more grains later. There are certainly bad carbohydrates (processed carbs, refined grains, and more), and those are the ones we want to avoid.  Unless you’re a marathon runner, you can function with WAY less carbs than you’re probably consuming now.

Fat:  Fat is easily the most misunderstood macro-nutrient in your diet; long story short: fat is absolutely critical to your body and should make up a BIG portion of your daily calories.  Things like avocados, almonds, olive oil, walnuts, and almond butter are great sources of healthy fat (polyunsaturatured and monounsaturated).  If you would like to take saturated fat, then full fat milk, coconut milk, and fatty cuts of meat will provide you with sources of saturated fat.