Last updated 6 days ago
Are you aware of the Dirty Dozen? No, I’m not talking about the movie. The Dirty Dozen are a reference to the twelve fruits and vegetables that have the most pesticides on them. Now, don’t get me wrong if you can’t switch your food items to organic, eating conventional fruits and vegetables is still healthier for you than excluding them from your diet, or replacing them with high fat/high calorie snacks. Any diet high in fruits and vegetables has a multitude of health benefits, whether the items are organic or not. This article is for those of you that have been curious about trying organics, but aren’t sure exactly where to start. You can start by switching to organics for all of the items on the Dirty Dozen list or by just switching out a few of the top items.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) puts out lists of fruits and vegetables that have been shown through Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) testing in order of the amount of pesticide residue to be found on the food items. The EWG ranks pesticide contamination for 53 popular fruits and vegetables. The list should be used to reduce your risk of exposure as much as possible. The top twelve on this list are referred to as the “Dirty Dozen”. The 15 items found to have the least amount of pesticides are labeled the” Clean 15”. The Shoppers Guide lists the fruits and vegetables in order from the highest amount of pesticides, to the least based on testing completed by the Pesticide Testing program.
1) Apples
2) Celery
3) Strawberries
4) Peaches
5) Spinach
6) Nectarines - imported
7) Grapes - Imported
8) Sweet bell peppers
9) Potatoes
10 )Blueberries - domestic
11) Lettuce
12) Kale/Collard Greens
Visit their website to see what foods are included in the Clean 15. Go to www.ewg.org/foodnews/.
Erika Watson-Lawson is a registered dietitian with Memorial Hospital.
Last updated 1 month ago
Generally most people would prefer a homemade meal at the end of the day. Homemade meals tend to have less sodium, fat and better quality ingredients. The most common reasons for not making a homemade meal are not having enough time, running out of ideas, and a lack of energy. Here are some tips to make homemade meals more of a reality at your home.
- Invest in a slow cooker. You can prepare the meal in the morning and walk in to the wonderful smells of dinner.
- Look online for a few new recipes. Focus on meals that are one meal wonders and those that take less than 30 minutes to prepare. One of my favorites is www.allrecipes.com; they even have an app for that can be downloaded on your I Pad. This is an easy way to get a tried and true recipe the entire family will enjoy.
- Make a grocery list according to your menu. This will take a little time, but save you time and money in the long run. Also who wants to think about what’s for dinner after a long day? Planning ahead makes it easier to answer the question, “What’s for dinner?”
- Set aside some time on the weekends to prepare some meals in advance. Make foods in advance and freeze them. Soups, stews, and casseroles, are at the top of the list.
- Make dinner a family affair. You can take some of the burden off you by having the husband or the kids help out in the kitchen. Don’t be afraid to give little ones task to do. You will be surprised to find out how well children can snap peas or season foods. (I know this from experience.)
I hope these tips help you in dodging the fast food lane or just saying no to take out at least a few times a week.
Erika Watson-Lawson is a registered dietitian with Memorial Hospital.
Last updated 1 month ago
About 65 people, including leaders from St. Johns County, attended the ground breaking ceremony for Memorial Hospital’s new Julington Creek ER.
The 12 bed, 11,000 foot facility will be located at 3635 Race Track Road, and it is set to open at the end of the year.
“We are thrilled to be moving into St. Johns County,” Memorial Hospital CEO James O’Loughlin said today. “This county, and specifically this neighborhood, are growing rapidly and there is a real need for emergency care.”
The Race Track Road location will be a full-service ER with a dedicated pediatrics area, which makes it a lot different from an urgent care center. This facility will be licensed by the State as an Emergency Department and gives St. Johns County Rescue Crews a place for patients to be treated 24-7.
“From playground accidents, to heart attacks, to broken bones, this facility will be able to take care of patients of all ages” Dr. Guy Selander, Memorial Hospital’s Chairman of the Board said today. “As a family physician, I know how during many medical emergencies minutes matter. As a parent I also know that the quality of medical care in a community has a great impact on the quality of life.”
From left to right: Cyndi Stevenson, St. Johns County Commissioner; Jim O'Loughlin, Memorial Hospital President & CEO; Kirk Wendland, President of the St. Johns Chamber of Commerce
Last updated 1 month ago
Thanks to the latest breakthrough in robotic-assisted surgery, patients can now have their gallbladder removed in about the same amount of time as a lunch break. We call it a hole-in-one because surgeons can now perform this surgery with just one small incision, that’s less than an inch long, entering the body through the belly button.
This is an important breakthrough because every year about 1.2 million people have their gallbladders removed. The benefits of this new, robotic surgery technique include minimal scarring, less pain, less bleeding, and faster recovery. The surgery can be performed in less than one hour, and the patient can be on their way home just a few hours later.
"This is a major development for thousands of local patients," says Dr. Steven Webb, the first surgeon in Northeast Florida and one of the first in the entire country to perform this high-tech surgery. “When I tell folks they will feel less post-operative pain and get back on their feet more quickly, they are like sign me up!”
During the procedure, Dr. Webb sits at a console viewing 3-D, high-definition images while using controls below the display to move robotic arms with attached surgical instruments. The Intuitive daVinci® Robotic Surgical System translates the surgeon's hand, wrist and finger movements into precise, real-time movements of surgical instruments inside the patient.
Unlike traditional robotic surgeries that require three to four small incisions used as access ports for the robotic arms, the new technology allows for a single incision at the belly button where instruments are placed and the diseased organ is removed.
Most people who require gallbladder removal are candidates for the robotic, single-incision surgery. According to the American College of Surgeons, surgery is the recommended treatment for gallbladder pain from gallstones and nonfunctioning gallbladders.
Last updated 2 months ago
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts on Monday March 12th, members of Daisy Troop 399 and Brownie Troop 325 brought gifts for some of our newborn girls. They brought bibs and hats. The bibs say, "Future Girl Scout." The two troops were the only ones in the area to take part in this program, and we are sure glad they did!
