By Teresa Carr

Administrative Assistant

Information from AAA7 – Art Show Location and Date Set: Our Senior Citizens Art Show is back in person this year. We are excited to announce a new location for this year – Bristol Village in Waverly; and a new time of the year for the Art Show – we’ll be showcasing all the entries at the new location the week of October 16th. If you’d like to add your name to our mailing list to receive updates, please call us at 1-800-582-7277 or e-mail info@aaa7.org. Participant’ may drop off artwork/essay to Adams County Senior Citizens Council, Inc. office at 10835 State Route 41S, West Union, Ohio 45693. Applications and rules are posted on our Facebook page.

August is National Immunization Month – National Immunization Month is an annual observance held in August to highlight the importance of routine vaccination for people of all ages. Take time this month to educate yourself about recommended vaccines for yourself and your family. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has immunization schedules online that list recommended vaccines for different age groups, travelers, and those who are pregnant. For more information, see: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/index.html

Benefits of Seafood -Americans as a whole could benefit from eating more seafood and to help them achieve the recommendation on of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommends at least two servings of seafood per week. In addition to being a delicious way to add protein to the diet, fish is very heart healthy. Fatty fish are especially heart healthy and include oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, anchovies, trout and tuna. So, what are some ways to include seafood more often in your diet without busting your budget? Choose frozen fish which has a longer shelf life, purchase budget friendly canned fish like tuna, sardines and salmon, look for sales when seafood may need to be sold that day, and enjoying nature while going fishing. Source: www.dietaryguidelines.gov

Search for Sneaky Sugars – When looking at food labels, you may notice it has total sugars and added sugars. According to the FDA, added sugars are “added during the processing of foods (such as sucrose or dextrose), foods packaged as sweeteners (such as table sugar), sugars from syrups and honey, and sugars from concentrated fruit or vegetable juices.” These do not include naturally occurring sugars that are in foods like milk, fruits and vegetables. When reading the food label, it will list total sugars, which includes added sugars and naturally occurring sugars combined. Also, on the food label is added sugars – these are added during the processing of food. The problem with too many added sugars in the diet is that it can contribute to heart disease and increase the risk of obesity. So, how do you cut back on too much added sugars? Cut out the sweetened drinks, look for added sugars on food labels, and try using natural sweeteners instead of added sugars like table sugar.

How can you check out the food labels for those added sugars? Remember, ingredients on food labels are listed in order of largest to smallest amounts in that food; therefore, the higher up on the ingredient list, the more of that ingredient is in that food. Also, look for the ingredients ending in “ose”, such as sucrose and dextrose. These are forms of sugar. You can also now see the number of added sugars on the food label. We all know sweets such as cookies and pies have added sugars, but what are some food items added sugars may be hiding in? Common places may include salad dressing, oatmeal packets, beverages, flavored yogurt, peanut butter, BBQ sauce, ketchup, condiments, cereal, spaghetti sauce, granola, applesauce (unless it is “natural applesauce”), and some canned beans and stewed tomatoes.

How much is too much with added sugars? The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 advise that all Americans 2 years and older limit added sugars in the diet to less than 10% of total calories. For a 2,000 calorie/day diet, that translates into 200 calories or 50 grams of sugar daily (about 12 teaspoons of sugar). Of course, added sugars are fi ne to enjoy in moderation! Source: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025

Just A Thought: “It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.” ~Eugene Ionesco Decouvertes