Before throwing out the meat and seeds of a carved Halloween pumpkin chew on this:
Pumpkin is an excellent source of vitamins A and C and potassium, and the seeds are high in fiber, vitamin B12 and polyunsaturated fatty acids, one of the so-called good fats.
"The flesh of pumpkin and the seeds are abundant in many essential nutrients," says Lona Sandon, a registered dietitian at UT Southwestern Medical Center. "Pumpkins are low in fat, calories and are loaded with vitamins."
If you are planning to use fresh pumpkin for baking, Sandon says, choose smaller, blemish- and bruise-free pumpkins. Smaller pumpkins have softer and tastier meat. To maintain freshness, pumpkins should be stored in a cool, dry place until ready to use.
And don't forget to oven roast the pumpkin seeds. They are ideal as snacks or as a salad topping.
Check out our Purely Pumpkin Recipe Collection!
(10-20-09)
The end of outdoor swimming and pool season doesn't mean the end of drowning dangers for young children. After pools, more children drown in bathtubs than in any other product in and around the home.
For 2003-2005, CPSC staff received reports of an average of 90 children younger than 5 years of age who drowned in bathtubs (62 percent); baby seats or bathinettes (15 percent); buckets and pails (11 percent); landscaping or yard products (6 percent); and other products (4 percent). There was an annual average of an additional 39 reports of non-fatal submersion incidents for 2005-2007 that were reported for the same products. The majority of drownings and non-fatal submersion incidents involved children younger than 2 years old.
"What parents need to know is that anywhere there is water, there is a potential drowning hazard to children," says Inez Tenenbaum, CPSC Chairman. "Parents shouldn't let their guard down; young children need constant supervision around bathtubs, bath seats and buckets."
Many of the reported incidents involved a lapse in supervision by caregivers, such as leaving the bathroom momentarily while the child was in the bathtub to answer the phone/door or to retrieve an item like a towel. In other incidents, an older sibling was left to watch a younger sibling.
CPSC recommends parents and caregivers follow these safety tips when children are around bathtubs, bath seats, buckets, spas or decorative ponds or fountains:
Never leave young children alone, even for a moment, near any water. Young children can drown quickly in even small amounts of water.
Always keep a young child within arm's reach in a bathtub. If you must leave, take the child with you.
Don't leave a baby or toddler in a bathtub under the care of another young child.
Never leave a bucket containing even a small amount of liquid unattended. Toddlers can fall headfirst into buckets and drown. After using a bucket, always empty and store it where young children cannot reach it. Don't leave buckets outside where they can collect rainwater.
Learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). It can be a lifesaver when seconds count.
(10-20-09)
Dr. Margaret Mitchell, DDS, owner of Mitchell Dental Spa, a dental spa facility in Chicago's Water Tower Place, offers the following tips to for protecting your kids' teeth at Halloween:
Avoid sticky candy such as taffy, gummy bears, caramel, etc. Sticky candy adheres to teeth and causes decay.
Kids can eat candy ANYTIME. There is not a good time of day/night to eat candy.
Brush immediately after eating candy, especially sticky candy.
Prior to Halloween, visit your dentist to have sealants put into the child's teeth grooves.
Have your child chew gum with zylitol sweetener, which prevents tooth decay. Orbit and Trident both have zylitol sweetener.
(10-06-09)
The first swine flu vaccinations will start to arrive this week in some parts of the country. Around 600,000 doses of FluMist, a vaccine that is squirted into the nose, will be distributed between 21 states and four larger cities, with more following later in the week. The larger shipments of the vaccine (around 40 million) will start shipping the second week of October.
This year, most people will need two different shots for influenza; one for the "normal" flu and one for H1N1, or the swine flu. Children under the age of 10 will need two doses of H1N1.
Learn more by reading Swine Flu and Pregnancy: How Does the Influenza H1N1 Strain Affect Mom-to-be? and Swine Flu and Babies: Symptoms, Prevention and Treatment for the Swine Flu. (10-06-09)
Many people who have died from 2009 H1N1 influenza in the United States had co-infections with a common bacteria (
Streptococcus pneumoniae, or pneumococcus), which likely contributed to their death, according to a report published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC)
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. CDC is reminding people of the importance of being vaccinated against this common bacterium.
"Our influenza season is off to a fast start and unfortunately there will be more cases of bacterial infections in people suffering from influenza," says CDC Epidemiologist Dr. Matthew Moore. "It's really important for people, especially those at high risk for the serious complications from influenza, to check with their provider when they get their influenza vaccine about being vaccinated against pneumococcus."
The CDC report included an analysis of specimens taken from 77 fatal cases of 2009 H1N1. Bacterial co-infections, including some caused by Streptococcus pneumonia, were noted in about a third of those cases. The following are CDC's recommendations for vaccination against Streptococcus pneumonia:
All children under 5 years of age should receive pneumococcal conjugate vaccine according to current recommendations.
In addition, the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) should be administered to all persons 2 to 64 years with high-risk conditions and everyone 65 years and older.
The entire MMWR report can be found at www.cdc.gov/mmwr.
Read the following for more information:
Pregnant Women Urged to Get Swine Flu Vaccine
Swine Flu and Pregnancy: How Does the Influenza H1N1 Strain Affect Mom-to-be?
Swine Flu and Babies: Symptoms, Prevention and Treatment for the Swine Flu
Swine Flu Vaccine: One Shot or Two? (10-06-09)
Most high school students are not getting their recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The government agency reports that less than 10 percent eat enough veggies and fruit each day. Thirteen percent do get at least three servings of vegetables a day, and only 32 percent get two servings of fruit. Less than one student in 10 got enough combined.
(9-29-09)
For young children, the home is a playground, and while many parents childproof to ensure that their home is a safe place, some may not be aware that unsecured TVs, furniture and appliances are hidden hazards lurking in every room. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging parents once again to take simple, low-cost steps to prevent deaths and injuries associated with furniture, TV and appliance tip-overs.
CPSC staff estimates that in 2006, 16,300 children 5 years old and younger were treated in emergency rooms because of injuries associated with TV, furniture and appliance tip-overs, and between 2000 and 2006, CPSC staff received reports of 134 tip-over related deaths. Additionally, CPSC staff is aware of at least 30 media reports of tip-over deaths since January 2007 involving this same age group.
"Many parents are unaware of the deadly danger of this hidden hazard. I urge parents to include securing TVs, furniture and appliances in their childproofing efforts," says CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. "Taking a few moments now can prevent a tip-over tragedy later."
"You may think your home is safe, but everyday things like a television can hurt your child. I was right there and it happened," says Sylvia Santiago, of West Haven, Conn., who lost her 2-year-old daughter in 2008.
Typically, injuries and deaths occur when children climb onto, fall against or pull themselves up on television stands, shelves, bookcases, dressers, desks, chests and appliances. In some cases, televisions placed on top of furniture tip over and cause a child to suffer traumatic and sometimes fatal injuries. "The most devastating injuries that we see resulting from furniture tipping on children are injuries to the brain and when a child is trapped under a heavy piece of furniture and suffocates," says Dr. Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
Recent revisions to the voluntary safety standards for clothes storage units provide for the inclusion of warning labels and additional hardware to secure the furniture to the floor or wall. To help prevent tip-over hazards, CPSC offers the following safety tips:
Furniture should be stable on its own. For added security, anchor chests or dressers, TV stands, bookcases and entertainment units to the floor or attach them to a wall.
Place TVs on a sturdy, low-rise base. Avoid flimsy shelves.
Push the TV as far back as possible.
Place electrical cords out of a child's reach, and teach kids not to play with them.
Keep remote controls and other attractive items off the TV stand so kids won't be tempted to grab for them and risk knocking the TV over.
Make sure free-standing ranges and stoves are installed with anti-tip brackets.
Learn more by reading Toppling Televisions: Taking Precautions to Keep Babies Safe Around TVs.
(9-29-09)
Guy Fieri, star of three shows on Food Network including
Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, is taking American food culture to new heights by combining the worlds of food and rock n' roll. In November, The Guy Fieri Roadshow, produced by his company, Knuckle Sandwich, will hit 21 cities in 30 days and play in venues that seat from 2,000 to 5,000 fans.
Fieri modeled this two-hour food-a-palooza after a high-energy rock concert, including traveling from city to city on two tour buses with his culinary krew. "We've been test-driving this concept on a smaller scale and the adrenaline of the crowd is through the roof," Fieri says. "Putting on a show for my fans that marries food and rock n' roll with blow-your-mind entertainment is a dream come true."
Australian-based flair bartender Hayden "Woody" Wood, an effervescent entertainer and educator on all things liquid, will serve as the opening act. Each city will feature a local celebrated chef, and then Fieri will take center stage with an unscripted and wildly entertaining performance, complete with interactive cooking stations, demos, behind-the-scenes stories from the road and more.
The show hits the road Tuesday, November 17, in Lowell, Mass., at Lowell Memorial Auditorium and wraps Thursday, December 17, at The House of Blues in Las Vegas, Nev. For a complete list of cities, log on to www.guyfieri.com.
Learn more about Guy Fieri by reading Guy Fieri: This Flashy Father Is Cooking for Kids. And try his recipe for S'more Pizza!
(9-22-09)
Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar of TLC's
18 Kids and Counting were awarded the "2009 National Parents of the Year Award" by the
National Parents' Day Council. The couple, who recently announced that they are expecting their 19th child, were presented the award in a ceremony at Tontitown City Hall.
Michelle and Jim Bob have been married for 24 years; they were high school sweethearts and were married just after graduation. As of this year, they have an astounding 18 biological children (and baby No. 19 on the way!), ranging in age from 7 months to 20 years. Boys have the edge numerically, 10 boys and "only" eight girls. There are just two pairs of twins in the jumbo-sized family. Oldest son, Josh, married last September and the happy couple are expecting their first child in October – it will be Michelle and Jim Bob's first grandchild.
The National Parents' Day Council is a project of the American Family Coalition Inc.
(9-22-09)
The fascinating and inspiring story of Walt Disney will come to life on October 1, 2009, when The Walt Disney Family Museum opens in San Francisco.
Born in Chicago in 1901, Disney grew up on a failing farm in the rural Midwest, fell in love with drawing and animation and traveled, nearly penniless, to California in the early 1920s. Over the next 40 years, Disney elevated animation to an art form, created the first Academy Award-winning nature documentary, commissioned scores of songs that millions of people know by heart and oversaw the birth of the first theme park, Disneyland. Today, more than 40 years after his death, Disney's characters and creations remain an indelible part of popular culture around the world.
"The name 'Disney' calls to mind the vast company that bears my father's name, rather than my father himself," says Diane Disney Miller, daughter of Walt Disney and a director of the foundation that is funding the $110 million museum. "My father was a man of endless curiosity who loved to tinker and explore and entertain people. We look forward to sharing an honest and affectionate portrait of this amazing man."
Inside the Museum: An American Story
The Walt Disney Family Museum will contain hundreds of audio clips of Disney and his family and coworkers telling the stories of his creations, as well as over 1,600 objects and works of art, 200 monitors and interactive exhibits that will invite visitors to learn about Walt Disney and the industry he nurtured. Highlights of the museum include the following:
The earliest known drawings of Mickey Mouse
Animation cels of Disney's characters
Storyboards, a Disney innovation, that map out timeless film classics
The innovative Multiplane Camera that revolutionized animation
The unique Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Academy Award: one full-size Oscar and seven miniature castings
The one-eighth scale train he installed at his Hollywood home that spurred his vision for Disneyland
A model of the Disneyland of Walt's imagination.
Visit www.waltdisney.org for more information.
(9-22-09)
See parents helping parents in action! 
