Category Archives: Citizen Journalism

Adventures in Michigan: Going on an Art Tour

Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, Local Entertainment,

By Adrienne Brown-Reasner

The West Michigan Tourist Association

With destinations and events for novices and experienced artists alike, you can let your creative side explore West Michigan art galleries, museums, art centers, performing arts centers, and more.

Visit the events calendar for more art exhibitions and events.

There are more than 30 colorful paintings to see in Battle Creek that are part of the annual Color the Creek Festival in August. (Color the Creek)

Explore the Arts in South West Michigan 

Whether you’re a theater buff, art connoisseur, or modern enthusiast, Greater Lansing has a gallery, festival, or museum to suit your taste. Find award-winning Broadway performances and thought-provoking works on display at area art museums and galleries. Greater Lansing also has multiple festivals throughout the year that celebrate the arts.

Go on a mural tour in Battle Creek. There are more than 30 colorful paintings to see, thanks to the annual Color the Creek Festival in August. From traditional graffiti to photo-realistic portraits, there’s something for everyone. Half of it is walkable in downtown Battle Creek, then you’ll need to hop in the car to get to others. They’re very popular as backdrops for portraits and Instagram. And while you are in the area, stop by the Art Center of Battle Creek, withexhibitions that highlight diverse subjects from traditional arts to contemporary visual art. Included in the annual schedule is the Michigan Artist Competition exhibition to showcase talented artists from around the state. 

From performing arts to gallery art, concerts, and festivals, come experience Arts Alive in south central Michigan’s Coldwater Country. An area known for the vast outdoor recreation opportunities, trails, and more than 100 lakes also offers a variety of cultural experiences.

It is home to Tibbits Opera House: so much more than a theatre since 1882. Catch a performance during Tibbits Summer Theatre, a concert during the entertainment series, or spend an afternoon viewing the permanent Henry Clay Lewis art collection prominently displayed throughout the theatre. In addition, Tibbits also features a rotating themed art gallery with artwork submitted by local and regional artists. For a schedule of upcoming events, exhibits, and concerts in Coldwater Country follow Arts Alive-Coldwater on Facebook.

A visit to Southwest Michigan can also include a walk through art galleries and musical experiences. Find art events, performances, exhibition information and more at the Southwestern Michigan Tourist Council calendar of events. 

More South Region Art Ideas: 

Allegan Antiques Market, Allegan

Barn Theatre, Augusta

City of Hastings

Farmers Alley Theatre, Kalamazoo

Gilmore Keyboard Festival, Kalamazoo

Kalamazoo Institute of Art, Kalamazoo

Krasl Art Center, St Joseph

Leila Arboretum, Battle Creek

Mendel Center at Lake Michigan College, Benton Harbor

Saugatuck Center for the Arts, Saugatuck


Tulip Time’s First Bloom is set for February.

Explore the Arts in Central West Michigan

You’ll find fine art galleries, performing arts, and more in the Ludington area. From painting and pottery to sculpture and jewelry, Ludington hosts a variety of local, regional, and national talent throughout the year. Find exhibit and performance dates, as well as art classes, on the Pure Ludington events calendar. 

Founded on a tradition of aesthetic excellence, the Muskegon Museum of Art is committed to fostering the life-long study and appreciation of the visual arts by strengthening, preserving, and exhibiting its collections; offering a wide range of traditional and contemporary exhibitions. 

February 2020 marks the first year Tulip Time Festival’s annual First Bloem event opens its doors to the greater Holland Community. A celebration of the Visual Arts Series at Tulip Time, the reception serves as both a preview of the Quilt Show and new Dutch Dance Costume Exhibit, as well as the formal announcement of the 10th Annual Festival Artwork Competition Winner and Klompen Garden Public Art winner. Music, live art, cash bar, and yummy local bites will give locals a mid-winter opportunity to socialize and partake in this Tulip Time tradition. Tickets: $70 per person/$130 per couple and includes one drink ticket per person.

A vibrant arts center located in the heart of downtown Holland, the Holland Area Arts Council plays a leadership role in enriching the cultural life of the lakeshore. The Holland Area Arts Council also offers a variety of art classes and workshops for children and adults throughout the year. Visit now through January 20th to see works created by Art for All (a program for adults with cognitive and physical disabilities) on display.


The Holland area is home to historic performance spaces, art galleries, and art events. Be sure to visit Holland’snewest free attraction, the Wizard of Oz Outdoor Exhibit featuring life-sized bronze statues of the Wizard of Oz characters. Located at the corner of 12th St & River Ave, on the north side of Herrick District Library, the permanent statues pay homage to L. Frank Baum, who is said to have written parts of the classic tale while staying at his family’s cottage just minutes from downtown. Holland holds an annual fine arts and crafts fair, Art in the Park, the first Saturday of August with up to 300 artists and artisans from surrounding states displaying and offering their work for sale.

The arts come to life in the Mecosta County area. With art centers, museums, and a sculpture tour of Big Rapids, art enthusiasts will find plenty to explore!

Experience artistry in every form in Mt. Pleasant. From canvas and sculptures at local galleries to learning more about American Indian culture and enjoying music or theatre performances at Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant thrives on art and culture.

More Central Region Art Ideas: 

C2C Gallery, Grand Haven

Circle Theatre, Grand Rapids

Courtyard Concerts, Grand Haven

Dale & Gail’s Music and Art Gallery, Hart

DeVos Performance Hall, Grand Rapids

Fallasburg Art Festival, Lowell

Forest Hills Fine Arts Center, Grand Rapids

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids African American Museum & Archives, Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids Ballet, Grand Rapids

Lake Odessa Area Arts Commission, Lake Odessa

Lakeshore Art Festival, Muskegon

LowellArts, Lowell

St. Cecilia Music Center, Grand Rapids

Seven Steps Up Live Music & Event Venue, Spring Lake


The Ramsdell Center for the Arts is located in Mainstee and offers all kinds of exhibits, performances, and lectures.

Explore the Arts in North West Michigan

Michigan Legacy Art Park is located on the grounds of Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville, in densely wooded 30-acre preserve on 1.6 miles of hiking trails. The Art Park features over 50 sculptures, poetry stones, and an outdoor amphitheater. Each of the sculptures interprets, in its own way, a piece of Michigan’s history. The Art Park is open year-round from dawn to dusk, and is accessible by foot, cross-country skis or even snowshoes. Admission is $5 per adult. Kids ages 17 and under are free.

For all of its small-town charm, Traverse City possesses plenty of big-city sophistication, thanks in large part to its established and thriving arts community. The area is home to world-class performance stages that attract internationally acclaimed artists as well as special events like the National Writers Series, who hosts award-winning and New York Times Best Selling authors. The ever-changing exhibits at the Dennos Museum Center feature historical and contemporary work, and its permanent display of artwork by the Inuit people of the Canadian Arctic is one of the largest and most complete in the world. In addition to performing arts, the area is overflowing with fine artists–many of whom display their work at local shops, museums, and art fairs throughout the region. 

Great Lakes Center for the Arts. located in Bay Harbor, offers year-round events across all genres—music, dance, theater, movies and film, intellectual dialogue, education—making it a regional and national performing arts destination. Enjoy a one-of-a-kind performance and extend your visit with a stay at Hotel Walloon, a four diamond luxury boutique hotel just 15 minutes away. 

The Ramsdell Regional Arts Center is a vibrant regional center for cultural arts, education and community engagement in Manistee, where you’ll find performances, art exhibitions, lectures, and more. Their upcoming exhibition “100 Years of Polish Independence: Zakopane 1918”  features over 30 photographs broken into three periods during the 400 hours of the Republic of Zakopane’s independence between October 31st and November 16th, 1918. The exhibit opens February 10th and runs through March 27th.

More North & U.P. Region Art Ideas:

Art Gallery of Algoma, Sault Ste Marie

Harbor Springs Lyric Theatre, Harbor Springs

Oliver Art Center, Frankfort

The Michigan Hemingway Society, Petoskey

Teen angst—a portent for dementia?

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Researchers found the risk of dementia was notably lower among seniors who were calm, vigorous and mature as teens. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Alan Mozes, HealthDay


Could your personality as a teen forecast your risk for dementia a half-century later?


Very possibly, say researchers, who found that dementia risk is lower among seniors who were calm, mature and energetic high schoolers.


“Being calm and mature as teen were each associated with roughly a 10% reduction in adult dementia risk,” said study co-author Kelly Peters, principal researcher at the American Institutes for Research in Washington, D.C. “And vigor was associated with a 7% reduction.”


The finding has its origins in the 1960s, when more than 82,000 students in roughly 1,200 U.S. high schools took a personality test. More than 50 years later, their personality traits were compared to dementia diagnoses.


While Peters said there’s plenty of evidence that personality changes near the time of a dementia diagnosis, the lingering question has been whether personality or some aspects of it actually causes dementia.


“That’s the big question,” she said. “Is it only that personality can be affected by dementia? Is it just an expression of the disease?” By focusing on teens who didn’t later develop dementia, Peters said, “this study really starts to tease that out.”


At an average age of 16, the students were assessed for 10 traits: calmness, vigor, organization, self-confidence, maturity/responsibility, leadership, impulsivity, desire for social interaction, social sensitivity, and artistic and intellectual refinement.


By 2011-2013, when they were almost 70 years old, more than 2,500 had developed dementia.


Enter lead author Benjamin Chapman, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Rochester in New York.


After stacking 50-year-old personality profiles up against current medical records, he and his team found that the risk of dementia was notably lower among seniors who were calm, vigorous and mature as teens.


Calmness was defined as being stress-free and not neurotic, vigor as being energetic and outgoing, and maturity as being responsible, reliable and conscientious.


Peters said the findings could guide policy thinkers to develop improved social support systems “to help kids build up protective qualities.”


But she highlighted some reservations.


For one thing, the team “only looked at traits that were protective,” she said.


And money seemed to matter: Calmness, vigor and maturity did not appear to protect against adult dementia among teens who grew up in relatively poor households.


Chapman’s study also tracked dementia only around age 70. That, said his Rochester colleague Dr. Anton Porsteinsson, means “there’s a lot more work to do.”


He was not involved in the study.


“The average age of an Alzheimer’s diagnosis is around the early 80s,” said Porsteinsson, director of the university’s Alzheimer’s Disease Care, Research and Education Program. “So it would be really good to repeat this in another 10 to 15 years, to see what’s happening when dementia risk is really at its peak.”


While the findings highlight a link between dementia and personality, he said that it’s hard to draw a direct correlation.


“If you’re calm and conscientious, do you make better health choices in your life? And if so, are specific personality traits directly decisive with respect to dementia? Or does your risk for dementia indirectly reflect those better decisions?” Porsteinsson said.


Heather Snyder is vice president of medical science relations at the Alzheimer’s Association.


“There are a wide variety of social, environmental and genetic factors that may contribute to our risk for dementia, and more research is needed to determine what those are and how they interact,” said Snyder.


But she said that “there is not enough evidence at this time to suggest that an intervention strategy for personality type in high school would be effective.”


Porsteinsson warned against using the study to conclude that there’s clearly a “good” personality and a “bad one.” It could be, he said, that impulsiveness and neuroticism, while bad for dementia, “bring a different skill set to the table” that has value.


“We don’t necessarily want all kids to be calm and composed at all times. We don’t want everyone to fit into the same mold,” Porsteinsson said.


“So we have to be very careful about how we interpret these findings until we really understand a lot more about what this is all really about,” he said.


The study was published recently in JAMA Psychiatry.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.




Want happy, healthy kids? Be involved

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It’s common sense, but it’s a good reminder: A supportive environment makes for happier kids. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Maureen Salamon, HealthDay


Teenagers living in cohesive neighborhoods—where trusted neighbors get involved in monitoring each other’s children—experience fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety, a study suggests.


The researchers also found consistent results across different cities regardless of family composition and neighborhood income, indicating strong neighborhoods help teen mental health across various populations.


Along with common risk factors, neighborhood environments should probably be given more attention when looking for potential factors linked to teen mental health problems, said study author Louis Donnelly. He’s a postdoctoral research associate at the Bendheim-Thoman Center for Research on Child Wellbeing at Princeton University in Princeton, N.J.


“Notably, whether a child grew up in a higher- or lower-income household, the associations were similar. The findings can be generalized across different city contexts,” he added.


About 14 percent of adolescents in the United States have had depression or a mood disorder. Eight percent have been severely impaired from an anxiety disorder, the study said.


The study included information on more than 2,200 children born in large U.S. cities. The information was collected between 1998 and 2000.


The study authors wanted to see if “neighborhood collective efficacy”—a blend of social cohesion and shared expectations for social control—was linked to better teen mental health.


The teens evaluated their own mental health at age 15. Parents provided “collective efficacy” information when their children were 3, 5 and 9. Parents ranked their agreement with statements such as, “People around here are willing to help their neighbors,” or “People in this neighborhood generally don’t get along with each other.”


Another scale asked parents to express their belief in statements demonstrating that neighbors would be likely to intervene or get involved in scenarios such as, “Children were spray-painting buildings with graffiti,” or “Children were showing disrespect to an adult.”


The researchers found that the “neighborhood effect” offered a protective effect similar to depression prevention programs targeting teens.


“There are really two (measurements) that are distinct, one being social cohesion and mutual trust. This is the idea of believing that people in your neighborhood share similar values and can be relied on for support,” Donnelly explained.


“The second dimension relies on informal social control,” he added. “We measured that based on the extent to which families and other adults can be relied upon to intervene … (such as) if a fight broke out in the street or children are not attending school.”


Maurice Elias said he wasn’t at all surprised by the study findings. He’s a professor of psychology at Rutgers University in Piscataway, N.J.


“The idea that being in a supportive environment would be good for children’s mental health shouldn’t be a revolution,” said Elias, also director of the Rutgers Social-Emotional and Character Development Lab. “It’s always nice when research helps confirm common sense. I see this as one of those examples.”


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.



How assisted living enhances senior living

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Courtesy Vista Springs Assisted Living

By Vista Springs Assisted Living


The decision to move into an assisted living community is a big transition for aging adults. Seniors often fear losing their independence, but a quality senior community will promote autonomy and independence for its residents.


Caregivers and family members do many tasks around the home to help aging adults function well. However, it’s all too easy to fall into the habit of doing too much to help, which can impair seniors’ sense of autonomy. Caring for ourselves is an essential element of retaining our health and mental faculties as we age. Sadly, if an aging adult loses their independence, the will to live may diminish as well.


However, this doesn’t need to be the case! Even the most frail patients can still benefit greatly from completing a few simple activities and feeling more accomplished afterward. With patience and careful attention, you and your loved one’s medical team can develop a safe, balanced approach. Here are a few ways that caregivers and family members can support senior living while still allowing aging adults to maintain their autonomy:

  1. If a senior can’t complete every step of an activity on their own, it is still beneficial to help them do as much as possible on their own. Family members and professionals can supervise to ensure safety and offer assistance when necessary.
  2. Don’t stereotype your loved one. Automatically assuming that someone is weak and incapable can negatively impact the way they view themselves, producing more dependence.
  3. Recognize what a significant achievement it is for your loved one to complete even a small task, like washing a few dishes or getting dressed on their own. A sense of pride and accomplishment will foster independence.
  4. Remember that there’s no need to rush. Sometimes, seniors are perfectly capable of doing activities they’ve done their whole lives, they just need more time on each task. Be patient and always remember that your loved one’s independence and sense of accomplishment is more important than how fast they get dressed.
  5. Tailor expectations to each individual’s ability. By working with your family member’s assisted living staff, you can ensure that their daily activities are appropriate to their health conditions.
  6. Assisted living communities sometimes offer group activities or community classes for residents. Encourage your loved one to participate in a daily routine that will help them feel more confident and social.
  7. It’s impossible to overemphasize how much daily exercise can support happy, healthy senior living. Including even minimal levels of physical activity in their routine helps aging adults stay fit, flexible, and alert.

These are just a few of the ways that senior living can benefit from an assisted living community. While moving into a new community can be a huge change, family and staff members can work to ensure that seniors maintain a dynamic, self-reliant lifestyle. With these ideas in mind, your aging loved one will enjoy a sense of independence long into their golden years.


Reprinted with permission from Vista Springs Assisted Living.


Happy Lunar New Year: The Year of Rat starts on Saturday

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Students wearing áo dài, a traditional Vietnamese outfit. Photo supplied by Adrian Ɖặng Bảo Oánh.

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

This Saturday marks the most important and celebrated holiday of the year for cultures rooted in a lunar calendar — the Lunar New Year.

Widely referred to as the Chinese New Year, many other Asian countries honor the special holiday, In fact, the Chinese often refer to the new year festival as the Spring Festival. In Vietnam, it is called Tết. In Korea, it is called Seolial. Most of these countries observe the Lunar New Year from when the new moon rises on Jan. 24 and concludes with the full moon on Feb. 9. There are some Asian countries, such as Thailand and Laos, who observe the Lunar New Year in April, usually around April 13.

This year, 2020 is the year of the rat according to the Asian Zodiac. While the rat is not considered by most as adorable, it ranks first on the Asian Zodiac, meaning it starts the 12-year cycle of the Asian Zodiac. The rat, as described on the Vietnamese American Community of West Michigan’s website page, is clever, quick thinkers, successful in reproductive and survival, but content with living a quiet and peaceful life. People born under the Rat hold a strong community value and depend on each other.


To learn more about the Asian Zodiac, click here for a story by resident Adrian Ɖặng Bảo Oánh.



While Asians celebrate the Lunar New Year in different ways, all celebrations have one common feature: family reunions. The Lunar New Year is in fact one of the biggest migration of people, with hundreds of thousands of people returning home to see their family.

Tết, the Viet Lunar New Year is Saturday, Jan. 25. Photo supplied by Adrian Ɖặng Bảo Oánh.

Tết: Viet Lunar New Year Celebration 2020


One of the longest running community Lunar New Year celebrations is the Vietnamese community’s annual event. The event is Saturday, Jan. 25, at Wyoming’s Knights of Columbus Hall, 5830 Clyde Park Ave. SW.

Hosted by the Vietnamese-American Community of West Michigan, the Children Tết Festival is from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. and includes games and fun for the entire family, such as face painting, a dragon dance, animal balloons, music, foods, and arts and crafts. 

Starting at 4 p.m. is the traditional ceremony which will run until 6:30 p.m. The program will include the New Year’s message, the ancestors commemoration ceremony, the Lion Dance Welcoming the Year of the Rat, and community awards. The New Year Concert and Dance, featuring numerous local performers, is from 7 to midnight.

This event is free and open to the public. Authentic Vietnamese food will be available for purchase. According to organizers, the festival is designed to highlight the richness and diversity of Vietnam by featuring a variety of traditional performances including the dragon dance, traditional musical instruments, children dances, games and much more. 

For more about Tết, check out this article written by resident Adrian Ɖặng Bảo Oánh by clicking here.


WKTV will be at the annual Tết event. Check the wktv.org website for air dates of the annual celebration.

Students prepare for the Dragon Dance. Photo by Erika Townsley.

Lunar New Year Festival 2020: Grand Rapids


“We spend most of the day with our families,” said Kim Nguyen who with Kathy Bui are organizing the Lunar New Year Festival in Grand Rapids. “Just like Americans do at Christmas and other holidays, during the day we spend time with our family and in the evening, we attend community events.”

It was the reason the Grand Rapids Asian-Pacific Festival, the Grand Valley Asian Student Union, Zeeland Christian Schools, Com 616, and the Downtown Grand Rapids, Inc. came together to host this year’s Lunar celebration which is set for Saturday, Jan. 25, from 5 – 9 p.m. at the community space located at 555 Monroe Ave. NW. 

“It is in a tent, a heated tent,” Nguyen emphasized.

“The festival is a community experience,” Nguyen said, adding that it is a family-friendly event. “What I am hoping is people come and see the diverse culture that we have in the Grand Rapids area.”

One the largest Asian populations is located in and around the Greater Grand Rapids area, she said. The Lunar New Year 2020 will feature a number of traditional activities representing many of the different Asian cultures. This includes a dragon dance, lion dancers, and performances from many area residents such as hip-hop dancer  Heather Truong, musician Caleb John Lawson and Friends, the children of the Lao Buddhist Temple, Lakeshore Taekwondo Academy, and the Grand Valley Asian Student Union. 

At the event, there will be a variety of traditional foods such as bubble tea along with many traditional food items such as dumplings, spring rolls, rice cakes, veggie soup, and an Asian sandwich. The event is a fundraiser for the annual Grand Rapids Asian-Pacific Festival, which will be June 12.

Also at the Lunar Festival, there will be a variety of children games, traditional Korean and Japanese ones as well as painting rat piggy banks, a ring toss, and face painting.  Tokens will need to be purchased for the games and activities. For more about the Lunar New Year celebration, check out the Facebook page, Lunar New Year Festival 2002.

GVSU economist says West Michigan economy will continue to slow, business leaders worried about presidential election

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Paul Isely discusses the positives of the West Michigan economy. (GVSU)

By Dottie Barnes
Grand Valley State University

In 2020, the West Michigan economy will see flat employment growth, weakening sales growth and strengthening export growth, according to a Grand Valley State University economics professor.

Paul Isely, professor of economics and associate dean in the Seidman College of Business, unveiled his benchmark survey of the regional economy Jan. 23, during the 2020 Colliers Annual West Michigan Economic and Commercial Real Estate Forecast event at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids.

 

The economic survey of the greater Grand Rapids economy (Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon and Allegan counties) was conducted in November and December of 2019. The survey was mailed to more than 1,000 organizations based on a representative sample.

Paul Isely talks about the West Michigan economy at the 2020 Colliers Annual West Michigan Economic and Commercial Real Estate Forecast event. (GVSU)

Isely said weakness in manufacturing has become the biggest issue in West Michigan. He said the number of manufacturing workers has increased nationally, but the hours that they work has decreased. 

“By some measures, this puts the manufacturing sector and the corresponding transportation sectors in a mild recession,” Isely said. “The data for West Michigan and the United States both show 2020 will likely continue a measured slowdown. It is possible that the annual growth will be positive, but a recession occurs for part of the year.”

Isely said exports have traditionally been a bright spot in the West Michigan economy, however, over the last few years, export growth has been weak.

 

“The expectation for 2020 is a moderate improvement in exports compared to 2019,” said Isely. “The optimism in exports is being helped by some positive news about trade agreements.”

Isely said the primary uncertainty for 2020 surrounds the presidential election. He said the uncertainty created by the Republicans and Democrats moving further apart also generates problems for business leaders trying to plan for the coming year.

Overall findings for 2020:

• The Current Business Confidence Index for 2019 was 81 percent, essentially the same as the year before;

• The Forecast Business Confidence Index for 2020 is 77.5 percent, a drop from the expectations seen in the last few years;

• Employment is expected to grow by 0.3-0.7 percent in 2020, an expectation that is less than half the expectation was for 2019;

• Overall nominal sales are expected to increase by 2.2-2.8 percent in 2020, a slowdown from 2019; 

• Exports are expected to grow by 1.0-5.0 percent in 2020, increasing from 2019;

• All indicators signal the West Michigan economy will continue to slow in 2020, particularly employment growth.



The West Michigan economic survey was conducted by Isely, along with staff members from the West Michigan Regional Small Business Development Center, housed in the Seidman College of Business.

For more information, contact Paul Isely at 616-331-7418 or iselyp@gvsu.edu.

Manage your caffeine craze

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If your tensions already run high, you may want to skip that extra cup of brew. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Robert Preidt, HealthDay


If you struggle with anxiety, you might want to skip that second cup of coffee, new research suggests.


For some people, caffeine may help with concentration and provide an energy boost, but it can cause problems for those with general anxiety disorder, said Dr. Julie Radico, a clinical psychologist with Penn State Health.


“Caffeine is not the enemy,” she said in a university news release. “But I encourage people to know healthy limits and consume it strategically because it is activating and can mimic or exacerbate the symptoms of anxiety.”


Low doses of caffeine are in the range of 50 to 200 milligrams. Consuming more than 400 milligrams at once may lead to feeling overstimulated and anxious and bring on symptoms such as racing heart, nausea or abdominal pain.


Anxiety is a common problem, but many patients and their doctors don’t think about caffeine as a potential contributing factor, said Dr. Matthew Silvis, vice chair of clinical operations in the division of family medicine at Penn State Health.


“We want people to consider whether there may be a connection between their caffeine consumption and anxiety,” he said.


As well as being a potential problem for people with anxiety, caffeine can interact negatively with medications for seizure disorders, liver disease, chronic kidney disease, certain heart conditions or thyroid disease, Silvis noted.


“Medical disorders that a patient may already have can become more difficult to control,” he said.


In terms of amounts of caffeine, an average cup of home-brewed coffee has about 100 milligrams, compared with 250 milligrams in a tall Starbucks coffee and as much as 400 milligrams in energy drinks.


A can of Mountain Dew has 55 milligrams while a can of Coca-Cola has 35 milligrams.


Many vitamin and sports or nutritional supplements also contain caffeine, but many people don’t think to check the labels of those products, Silvis added.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.



Michigan’s Open Meetings Act: An introduction

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The Michigan State House of Representatives in Lansing, Michigan
CREDIT: USER CEDARBENDDRIVE / FLICKR

By John Amrhein, Michigan State University Extension


Michigan’s first constitution, written in 1835, when speaking of the “Legislative Department” states that “the doors of each house shall be open.” It is this spirit of openness of government that inspired the Open Meetings Act. In fact, nearly all of the court decisions and attorneys’ general opinions addressing the act have interpreted it liberally in favor of openness. It has been said that for government to be “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” it must be open to the people. In this article series, which includes “Michigan’s Open Meetings Act: Explore the details” and “Michigan’s Open Meetings Act: Understanding closed Sessions,” we’ll explore the Open Meetings Act in more depth.


The Open Meetings Act (OMA) was written in 1976, as was the Freedom of Information Act. These two laws, known as Michigan’s “sunshine laws,” are designed to make government processes and information more open to the public. Both laws were written in the post-Watergate, post-Vietnam war era.


A former  Michigan State University Extension colleague referred to the following general rule: “Any person has a right to attend a meeting of any public body at any time unless the meeting is declared to fall under one of eleven statutory exceptions.” It is a pretty good one-sentence guide to a sometimes complex combination of law, court interpretations and attorney general opinions relating to OMA.


It is important to keep in mind that the OMA applies to governmental bodies, those “empowered by state constitution, statute, charter, ordinance, resolution or rule to exercise…governmental authority.” It does not apply to corporations, nonprofits, churches or the like.


The law guarantees several rights of residents. The public has a right to record meetings, within the bounds of reasonable rules which the public body may write to minimize disruption of the meetings. The public, likewise, has a right to address the public body, also within the bounds of rules written to facilitate orderly meetings and protecting everyone’s right to address the board. An individual can only be removed from a meeting for a breach of the peace committed at that meeting.

Social and chance gatherings, or conferences which are not intended to avoid the OMA, are exempt. These types of gatherings often are treated with suspicion by the press and the public. It is important for public bodies to be careful not to deliberate or make decisions about government business during these gatherings. This can be accomplished by paying careful attention to what the OMA says about deliberations and decisions.


In the second article in this series, “Michigan’s Open Meetings Act: Explore the details,” we will address decisions, deliberations, meeting notices and minutes.


The Office of the Attorney General for the State of Michigan has for many years published an excellent Open Meetings Act Handbook, which can be found here.


This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).




Catherine’s Health Center is looking for a few, good women for WISEWOMAN Program

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Courtesy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

By WKTV Staff


Catherine’s Health Center is looking for 200 women eager to work with a health coach and engage in programs that will support you in reaching your goals!


WISEWOMAN provides opportunities and programming that empower Michigan women to make healthy lifestyle choices.


The local WISEWOMAN Agency team is made up of clinical staff and a health coach. Women ready to change can receive:

  • One-on-one health coaching from a WISEWOMAN Health Coach
  • Free membership to a weight loss program or a diabetes prevention program
  • Free gardening supplies and education through the WISEWOMAN Entrepreneurial Gardening program
  • Referrals to programs in the community to help her make healthy lifestyle behavior changes

To be in WISEWOMAN, a woman must first receive cancer prevention screening or patient navigation services from the Michigan Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Navigation Program (BCCCNP).

Program focus areas

The Michigan WISEWOMAN program has three main focus areas related to participants.

  1. Identify and communicate risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), stroke, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. The woman is better able to decide where she wants to take small steps if she understands her risk factors.
  2. Encourage healthy lifestyle choices. Health Coaches work with each woman to make lifestyle behavior changes that will help with the risk factors and symptoms she has now. Making healthy choices may also keep her from developing any new risk factors.
  3. Address Health Equity and Social Justice in the community

Local WISEWOMAN agencies address health equity by identifying underserved groups in their service areas and getting them into WISEWOMAN. The underserved groups may include:

Courtesy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • Women with disabilities
  • Women who do not speak English
  • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered (LGBT) women
  • Racial or ethnic minority women
  • Women whose citizenship or immigration status is not settled

Once in the program, many women find it difficult to think about making healthy lifestyle choices when they are having trouble paying rent, utilities, or buying food for their families. These are social justice issues. Michigan WISEWOMAN addresses these issues through special projects that provide participants with opportunities to earn extra money while learning marketable skills.

Eligibility:

  • Ages 40-64 years
  • Reduced income (ask staff)
  • A desire to set a health goal and work towards reducing your unique risk factors that could cause long-term health problems

Contact: Maria or Katie at (616) 336-8800 ext. 207


Do you know the risk factors for breast cancer?

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By Diana Bitner, MD, Spectrum Health Beat


Many women come into the ER with chest pain, and they never thought they would be in that situation. But most heart attacks are preventable, and we need to be more active in telling women what they can do to avoid a heart attack.


The same is true with breast cancer—the more we know about preventing breast cancer, the more women we can help avoid being diagnosed with the disease.


Although breast cancer is far too common, breast cancer survival is improving due to more advanced treatments and early screening for women at high risk.


Do you know your risk, and do you have a plan for when you should be screened? If I asked you if you want to get breast cancer, of course you would answer with an emphatic, “No!” If you don’t want cancer, then you must know your risks, live a lifestyle that decreases your risk, and take your checkups seriously.


Several years ago, I read a story about a young woman who had metastatic breast cancer, and the article described her situation in detail.


There was a picture that showed her being comforted by her sister, who also had breast cancer five years earlier. Both women talked about their mother who had died of the same disease in her mid-40s.


As I read the story, I felt both sad and mad at the same time. Of course, I felt sad for them for all they had gone through, but I was also mad to think their cancer could have been prevented, or at least detected before it spread.


Here’s what I wish they would have known about the genetics of breast cancer:

  • Ten percent of breast cancer is associated with family history.
  • The risk of getting breast cancer increases two times if one first-degree relative has/had breast cancer.
  • The risk of getting breast cancer increases three times if two first-degree relatives have/had breast cancer.

In addition, 50 percent of breast cancer diagnoses are associated with known risk factors.


A patient I’ll call Kelly came to see me for a routine visit recently. In taking her history, several factors caught my attention: she was 48 years old and had never been pregnant; her mom had been diagnosed with breast cancer at 49; and she had regular mammograms that were always negative, but her breasts were very dense, decreasing the likelihood of diagnosis of a small cancer.


I recommended advanced screening with a special mammogram and ultrasound by a breast surgeon.


When she had the testing done, they detected several suspicious areas, and a biopsy showed pre-cancer. Kelly decided to have definitive surgery, and when she had a bilateral mastectomy, they detected early, almost-invasive cancer.


We were able to avoid invasive cancer by doing three things: 1) being proactive; 2) knowing her individual risk factors; and 3) acting early to save her from worrying about recurrence, and having to go through chemotherapy or radiation.


The lifetime risk of breast cancer for most women is 1 in 8. The risk at age 30 is 1 in 250 and increases as you get older. Other risk factors include being female, white and obese (having a BMI over 30). The risk is even greater if the weight is gained after the age of 40 and is in the form of belly fat (especially after menopause). In addition, your risk is greatest if you are diabetic and overweight.


So, what can you do to lower your risk of breast cancer? For starters, lifestyle matters:

  • Women who consume 10 or more alcoholic drinks per week have a higher risk for cancer of the colon and breast.
  • Women who started smoking early and have smoked for a long time are at higher risk.
  • Women who breastfed their children and are physically active have a lower risk.

Two other risk factors that may not be in your control include the following:

  • Women who work the night shift seem to experience more cancer, according to several large studies.
  • Women who received radiation for Hodgkins Lymphoma as a child have an increased risk of breast cancer.

If you have any of these high risk factors, get screening early and talk to your doctor about special screening with a Tomo mammogram or adding an ultrasound to your routine mammogram.


I had a patient who put off her mammogram because she had small breasts and thought she would easily be able to see any lumps, plus she had no family history of breast cancer. When her friend finally convinced her to get a mammogram, it showed she had breast cancer.


I’ve given you plenty of statistics and information about breast cancer in this blog, but there are a few takeaway points I want to make sure you remember:

  • Know your individual risk factors.
  • If you are at higher risk, talk to your doctor about special testing.
  • Be active! Exercise a minimum of 150 minutes per week.
  • Do not gain weight over 40—stay off the sugar.
  • Don’t drink more than ten drinks a week.
  • Don’t be afraid of mammograms—get tested!

Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.



Holland Home is first in state to achieve coveted accreditation for memory care services

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By Holland Home

Holland Home, one of Michigan’s largest nonprofit senior services providers, has been recognized as the first agency in the state, and only third nationally, to achieve the coveted “Designated Organization” accreditation from Positive Approach to Care (PAC), the preeminent dementia education organization founded in 2005 by Teepa Snow, one of the world’s leading educators on dementia care.

As an Aware Designated Organization (Aware is the specific level that Holland Home achieved), PAC attests that Holland Home’s memory care services are considered to be offered and measured at some of the highest levels among all senior memory care services programs. Most notable to patients and families is that the PAC designation means that every Holland Home team member has specific dementia-care training and all team members participate in regular dementia training. 

The designation is so rare that organizations need to be invited by PAC to apply for the credentialing. Snow, who has visited and lectured at Holland Home several times, invited Holland Home to apply earlier this year. After a site visit by PAC team investigators, and additional review, Holland Home was informed in late November that it had achieved Aware status.

 

“Holland Home is incredibly honored to be recognized by the world’s leading dementia education organization as being one of the highest-performing dementia care providers in the nation,” said Troy Vugteveen, executive vice president, operations, Holland Home. “We’ve invested a tremendous amount of resources in the last several years to advancing our memory care services, so the PAC Aware Designation validates our innovative and passionate approach to providing the best possible care to our senior residents.”

Holland Home’s Memory Care Services department has three PAC-credentialed trainers: Rosemary Apol-Hoezee, RN, MPH, CPHRM, director of Quality and Education; Lynn Bolt, RN; and Lois Thomas, RN, coordinator of Memory Care Services. 

Under their leadership, Holland Home has created several offerings catering to advancing its dementia services, including:

  • Creating a Dementia Coalition Team comprised of staff from various departments to ensure universal training.
  • Developing a PAC training program.
  • Developing the Dementia Journey, an interactive simulation that allows staff to experience the effects dementia has on everyday tasks.
  • Authoring the Dementia Handbook.
  • Creating Memory Care Boxes, Table Top Woodworking Stations, Weighted Blankets, Fidget Aprons
  • Developing the Honor Care Program



Every Holland Home employee who regularly interacts with dementia residents receives the PAC training within the first 90 days of hire and then every two years thereafter.  Similarly, all Holland Home employees (regardless of their role) go through the Dementia Journey, which is a great way for staff to develop an understanding of what it is like to live with Dementia.

Snow, an occupational therapist with 40 years of clinical practice experience, is one of the world’s leading educators on dementia and the care that accompanies it. In 2005, she founded Positive Approach® to Care (PAC), a company that provides dementia care training, services and products around the world. A core principle of PAC is that, in order to obtain the relationships and outcomes that are desired, the first and most important shift must originate with each person’s own willingness and ability to change.

About Holland Home


Founded in 1892, Holland Home of Grand Rapids is Michigan’s largest nonprofit provider of senior services and was the first Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in the state.  Holland Home offers the full continuum of care and is one of the largest nonprofit CCRC in the nation (source: Ziegler 150).  Under the Holland Home brand are two residential campuses:  Breton Woods and Raybrook.  Community services include Atrio Home Care, Faith Hospice and its Trillium Woods hospice inpatient facility, Reliance Community Care Partners, Care Resources and the Trillium Institute.  Holland Home employs over 1,400 people and serves more than 4,000 daily.  Holland Home’s mission is to serve with love and compassion, commit to excellence, and follow Christ’s teachings and examples in all that we do.  For more information about Holland Home, please visit hollandhome.org.

How to determine a ripe melon

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Photo 1. Winter watermelon showing the yellow ground spot indicating a mature, ready-to-eat fruit. Photo by Ron Goldy, MSU Extension.

By Ronald Goldy, Michigan State University Extension


A sure sign of summer in Michigan is the number of locally grown, vine-ripened melons available at farm stands and farmers markets. However, with modern transportation, watermelon, cantaloupe and other melons are available year around. So how does a buyer in the dead of winter determine a flavorful melon?


It is important to understand that not all melons behave the same when it comes to ripening. Some, like watermelon, do not continue to ripen once harvested. Therefore, flavor will not improve nor will they become sweeter—it is what it is at harvest. However, cantaloupe and similar fruit will continue to ripen after harvest. Once into the ripening process, fruit will gain sugar, flavor will improve and flesh soften. For the consumer, this means watermelon and similar fruit can be eaten as soon as you bring it home no matter what time of the year it is. However, cantaloupe and similar melons bought in winter probably need to be held at room temperature for a few days or more to allow it to improve.

Photo 2. Summer cantaloupe showing typical golden color and the “dimpled” stem end where the stem has pulled free from the fruit. CC0 Public Domain.

The most reliable way to determine if a watermelon is mature is to observe it while it is still on the plant. Since that is not possible in winter, consumers have to use the next step and that is looking at the “ground spot” (Photo 1). The ground spot is where fruit was in contact with the soil. It is easy to recognize since it will not have the same stripes and color of the rest of the fruit—it will have a more solid color. A mature watermelon will have a yellow ground spot (Photo 1). If it is light yellow or even white, make another selection.


Honeydew melons are the hardest to know when they are mature. Being light colored, the ground spot technique does not work and they do not “self-pick” like cantaloupe. However, like cantaloupe, they continue to ripen off the plant. To eat a honeydew early is not a bad experience, but you do not want to wait so long that it goes bad. The fruit does not provide the signals watermelon and cantaloupe do. For honeydew, you have to rely on the grower picking it at a good time no matter the season since once you cut it open you have to eat it or refrigerate it.


Left on the plant, cantaloupe fruit begin to disconnect when mature and the fruit will essentially pick itself and be ready to eat right away. Summer melons have a noticeable dimple at the stem end and generally have a golden color (Photo 2). Since ripe cantaloupe are quite soft, they have to be harvested in winter production areas when they are less than fully mature so they are able to survive the transport process in good shape. Instead of allowing them to self-pick, they are cut from the plant.

Photo 3. Winter cantaloupe with the stem still attached. Look for cantaloupe where the stem end has begun to crack (arrow), thus indicating the melon is approaching maturity but will improve in flavor if allowed to sit at room temperature for a few days. Photo by Ron Goldy, MSU Extension.

For winter-grown melons, the stem attachment is still evident on the fruit—no dimple (Photo 3). As the fruit matures, you will be able to see the abscission zone form as a slight crack that gets larger over time and will eventually form a circle around the stem (Photo 3). When selecting a winter cantaloupe, look for one where the remaining stem has started to crack and break away from the melon. When you can see that crack starting to form, that means the fruit was harvested mature enough that the ripening process will continue. It probably still needs to sit at room temperature for a few days as it continues to mature. Be patient and let that happen. It will not attain the golden color of a summer-grown melon, so do not expect it to be quite the same, but neither is the weather outside.


This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).


How climate change, millennials and tainted donors are impacting philanthropy

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By Nate Hoekstra
Grand Valley State University

Climate change, millennials becoming a majority of the workforce, and increasing critiques of tainted donors are changing the nonprofit sector in profound new ways, according to experts and thought leaders at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University.

Those concepts are just a sampling of emerging trends in the philanthropic sector identified in the Johnson Center’s annual 11 Trends in Philanthropy report, which analyzes upcoming and developing issues in the nonprofit industry.

A significant change to the nonprofit sector in 2020 will be the people working in it. This year, millennials will make up more than half of the workforce in the United States, and the generation’s desire for greater flexibility, transparency and meaning in their work is reshaping how nonprofit workplaces function. Those wants, coupled with the lure of social enterprise companies, may be presenting new opportunities for professional impact.

Nonprofits will also be on the front lines of a global issue: climate change. As the impacts of climate change become more apparent, nonprofit organizations and those who fund them will play critical roles in disaster response, policy change, applying a sustainable and climate-focused lens to existing strategies and advancing new ideas for mitigating and reversing ecological damage.

Another major trend that continues to develop is the increasing number and frequency of so-called tainted money and tainted donors. Common examples of this trend include the philanthropy of the late Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy financier and convicted sex offender, and the giving of the Sackler family, the owners of Purdue Pharma, which is linked to the opioid crisis. Some experts in the field even argue that the “cleanliness” of any money gained through capitalist practices should be considered suspect. But all of this concern puts the nonprofits who depend, to varying degrees, on private donations in an ethically complicated spot.

Other trends, which are also analyzed in-depth in the report, include:

— Increasing critiques of “Big Philanthropy”

— Data and mapping tools come together to empower community decision making

— Collaboration and consolidation in philanthropy’s infrastructure

— Data science for social impact

— Increased attention to sustainable development goals

— Alternatives to strategic philanthropy are emerging

— Corporate social responsibility employs many models to align business and philanthropy

— Inclusive growth requires urgent collaboration and deliberate patience



“The philanthropic sector is undeniably sharing in this time of marked upheaval and uncertainty,” said Teri Behrens, executive director of the Johnson Center. “Yet, we still see philanthropy as being best positioned to help unite us, domestically and internationally, to address some of the global challenges we face. We are a sector that focuses on solving problems.”

The full 2020 11 Trends in Philanthropy report is available online at johnsoncenter.org

Michigan fresh: Maple syrup

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Courtesy Michigan State University Extension

By Kendra Wills, Michigan State University Extension


Maple syrup is among the first locally harvested food products available in Michigan farmers markets each spring. According to the Michigan Maple Syrup Association (n.d.), Michigan ranks fifth nationally in maple syrup production at about 90,000 gallons annually. It takes approximately 40 gallons of maple sap to make one gallon of maple syrup.


One-hundred-percent pure maple syrup tastes very different from the pancake syrups found in most grocery stores. These pancake syrups consist mostly of corn syrup or cane sugar. They may contain either no pure maple syrup or pure maple syrup in very small amounts. Be sure to read the label of ingredients if you are looking for pure maple syrup.

Nutrition

One tablespoon of maple syrup has about 50 calories. Maple syrup is approximately 67 percent sugar and 33 percent water. The sugar in maple syrup is sucrose (88 to 89 percent) with small amounts of glucose and fructose sugar (11 to 12 percent). White sugar is also sucrose. According to the Ohio State University Extension (2009), there is no direct scientific evidence that maple syrup is healthier than white sugar. Diabetics and others who are limiting their sugar intake need to treat maple syrup as they do other sugar products.

Storage

Store pure maple syrup in the refrigerator — even if the bottle has not been opened. Pure maple syrup in glass or tin containers may be stored in the refrigerator for up to one year. Use syrup stored in plastic containers within three to six months. Plastic breathes causing a change to syrup color and flavor (Ohio State University Extension, 2009).


You may freeze maple syrup. To freeze, pour it into freezable glass jars, making sure to leave a one-inch space at the top. Frozen syrup maintains quality and flavor for an indefinite period.

Selection

The characteristic flavor of maple syrup includes sweetness from the sugars, a slight tartness from the acids, and a range of aromas that includes vanilla, coffee and chocolate. The longer the syrup is boiled, the darker the color (University of Vermont, n.d.).

Click to download pdf

All states must use the U.S. Department of Agriculture color standards to grade, or classify, maple syrup based on color, flavor and sugar content. However, states may use their own words to describe color. Grade A refers to the lighter, more delicately flavored, sometimes less concentrated syrups, which people pour directly on food. Grade B, more often used for cooking, is stronger in caramel flavor. Maple syrup grading kits are available at specialty stores or through online retailers. Maple producers use them to help classify their syrup for quality control. (University of Vermont, n.d.). 2


Michigan maple syrup has four grades: Grade A Light Amber, Grade A Medium Amber, Grade A Dark Amber, and Grade B. The Michigan Maple Syrup Association (2005) says Grade A Light Amber has a delicate maple taste and extra light amber color; Grade A Medium Amber has a mild maple taste and light amber color; Grade A Dark Amber has a hearty maple taste and a medium amber color; and Grade B, good for cooking, has a robust maple taste and dark amber color.

Production

Maple syrup is typically harvested from sugar maple and black maple trees. Even though other tree varieties can produce sap for syrup production, these two varieties typically provide the sweetest sap. A maple tree needs to be about 40 years old and at least 32 inches in circumference at 4.5 feet off the ground before tapping.


Maple sap is harvested as a slightly sweet, colorless liquid. Sap is boiled so the water in the sap evaporates and the sugars become concentrated. Sap harvesting can start as early as February in southern Michigan and go until April in the north. The Michigan Maple Syrup Association (n.d.) estimates that only about 1 percent of Michigan’s maple forest resources are utilized for syrup production.


To learn how to tap maple trees and produce your own syrup, read the Michigan State University (MSU) Extension Bulletin Homemade Maple Syrup. Obtain it from http://shop.msu.edu/ Search the MSU Extension Bookstore section for “E2617.”

Recipes

Spring Greens with Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

– 1 cup Grade A pure maple syrup (light, medium or dark — your preference)
– 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
– 3/4 cup canola oil

Whisk or use immersion blender until blended and stable.

Salad

– 1 large bunch of mixed greens and/or arugula (or enough for the number of servings you require)
– 1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese
– 1/2 cup pecans
– 1/2 cup craisins

Toss 1/2 cup vinaigrette with greens, top with cheese, nuts, fruit and serve. Produces 6-8 servings depending on serving size.

Adapted with permission from UVM Libraries Maple Research Website: http://library.uvm.edu/maple/recipes/?cat=17

(University of Vermont. (2010). Spring greens with maple balsamic vinaigrette.)

Maple Baked Beans

4-6 servings

Ingredients:

– 2 cups dried navy beans (you may want to look for Michigan navy beans)
– 6 strips bacon
– 1 onion, chopped
– 1 teaspoon dried mustard
– 1 teaspoon salt
– 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (Grade A or Grade B — your choice)
– 1 pork hock, fresh or smoked
– 2 tablespoons butter
– 2 tablespoons brown sugar

Preheat over to 325 °F. Simmer navy beans in water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain beans and reserve liquid for cooking. Line bean pot with strips of bacon. In a large bowl, toss together onion and beans. In another bowl, combine 2 cups bean cooking liquid, mustard, salt and maple syrup. Place half the bean mixture on bacon strips in pot. Place pork hock on beans, top with rest of bean onion mixture, then pour over reserved cooking liquid/ syrup mixture. Cover with lid and place in oven for 3 hours, or until pork hock is fully cooked and pulling away from the bone. If beans begin to look dry, add more cooking liquid.

Once pork hock is cooked, remove beans from oven and remove lid. Mash together butter and brown sugar into a paste, scatter sugar paste over beans and place back in the oven, uncovered, for an additional 30 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.

Adapted with permission from a recipe from Sydney Oland, food writer, posted on seriouseats.com. Retrieved from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/12/maple-baked-bean-stew-pork-recipe.html.

References

Michigan Maple Syrup Association. (n.d.). Maple facts. Retrieved from http://www.mi-maplesyrup.com/ education/maple-facts/.


Michigan Maple Syrup Association. (2005, Spring). Grading!!! Should our current system be changed? Michigan Maple Syrup Association Members Newsletter.


Ohio State University Extension. (2009). Selecting, storing, and serving Ohio maple syrup. (HYG-5522-09). Retrieved from http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/pdf/5522.pdf.


Oland, S. (2011, Dec. 17). Maple baked beans. Retrieved from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/12/ maple-baked-bean-stew-pork-recipe.html.


University of Vermont. (n.d.). Maple syrup. Retrieved from http://library.uvm.edu/maple/nutrition/index.php.


University of Vermont. (2010). Spring greens with maple balsamic vinaigrette. Retrieved from http://library.uvm. edu/maple/recipes/?cat=17.

Resources

Michigan Maple Syrup Association


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Practical ways seniors can save money

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Community Health, Health, How-To's, Senior Living,
Courtesy Vista Springs Assisted Living

By Vista Springs Assisted Living


Saving money is important no matter your age or income level, but seniors often find themselves needing a few extra dollars here and there to make retirement work. Fortunately, there are practical ways to stretch a dollar, without breaking the bank.


Downsizing to a smaller home, getting rid of cable television, sharing expenses with friends and taking advantage of senior discounts are all effective ways to save money in retirement.

Downsizing

Larger homes cost more to heat, cool, furnish and repair, which is why downsizing the square footage makes a lot of sense for seniors. Moving to an assisted living community can amplify the cost savings, depending on the circumstances. Specifically, downsizing can reduce gas, electric, insurance, property taxes, and water bills, while minimizing upkeep costs like new carpet and landscaping.

Cut back on cable

Cable television isn’t cheap, especially when you factor in premium channels such as HBO, Showtime, and Cinemax. While it’s fun to have all of the sports and specialty channels, they aren’t always necessary, and they can cost more than $100 a month. Netflix and Hulu are much more cost-effective, allowing seniors to stream content via the Internet on their televisions. Both services combined allow retirees to watch movies and television shows at a fraction of the cost of cable.

Share expenses

Whether it’s carpooling to bingo, the movies or to the store to get groceries, ride sharing among seniors is an effective way to cut down on fuel costs. Transportation isn’t cheap, especially in areas of the country where cities are decentralized, or in the countryside where it takes some time to get back to more populated areas. Thus, lower fuel costs can help seniors. Ride sharing also cuts down on the wear and tear to older adults’ vehicles, extending a car or truck’s useful life and reducing maintenance costs.


Moving into an assisted living facility like Vista Springs can also help seniors spread the cost of entertainment, activities, and medical care among fellow residents, enhancing the quality of life for everyone involved. The costs of independent medical attention, food preparation, and daily entertainment is often-times cost-prohibitive for seniors living alone. Finding ways to share expenses among a group provides new and exciting possibilities for aging adults.

Senior discounts

Movie theaters, fast-food restaurants, fine-dining restaurants and similar establishments typically offer senior discounts at particular times, or on specific days of the week. Taking advantage of these opportunities can yield cost-savings and an active retirement, which is beneficial on multiple levels. The goal of retirement is not to stop spending money, but to enjoy the fruits of one’s labor of many years of working. Senior discounts allow seniors to get out and do more for less, which is positive for everyone in the community.


Seniors living off of a fixed income usually need to be cost-conscious to ensure a comfortable and rewarding retirement. But when you find ways to save money in an efficient, practical and common sense way, older adults can live a fun and enjoyable retirement.


Reprinted with permission from Vista Springs Assisted Living.


Build better balance at any age

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A simple one-legged stand can help strengthen your lower body, ultimately improving your balance and reducing the risk of falls. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Len Canter, HealthDay


Bad balance is a common cause of dangerous falls, especially among older adults.


Falls send more than 2 million adults to the emergency room every year and often result in lengthy rehab stays.


Preventing falls is a priority for staying healthy and preventing painful broken bones as you age. Easy strength and balance exercises that you can do anytime, anywhere, such as tai chi and yoga, can help you stay steady on your feet.


But first it’s important to know how good (or lacking) your balance is.


Grab a friend or loved one, a sturdy chair and a stopwatch to check your balance with a quick test called the single leg stance. It basically involves standing on one leg. Doctors use it to predict who might be at risk of falling.


Stand barefoot in front of the chair but don’t touch it. Cross your arms. Lift one leg up off the floor and start the timer. As you feel yourself start to sway, immediately steady yourself with the chair and stop the timer.

Here are the average times that indicate good balance when you stand on one leg based on age:

  • Ages 18-39: 43 seconds for men and women
  • Ages 40-49: 40 seconds for men and women
  • Ages 50-59: 36 seconds for women, 38 for men
  • Ages 60-69: 25 seconds for women, 28 for men
  • Ages 70-79: 11 seconds for women, 18 for men
  • Ages 80-99: 7 seconds for women, 5 seconds for men

If you become unsteady before your specific time, talk to your doctor. Illness, medication and even footwear can throw you off balance. Together, you and your doctor can find solutions.


You can improve your balance by practicing the one-leg stance, but as a training exercise, hold onto a chair and don’t let go.


Lift one leg for 15 seconds, rest and repeat three times, then switch legs.


The stronger your lower body, the steadier you’ll be on your feet.


For safety reasons, always have someone with you when trying a balance exercise for the first time. Or consider a group balance class.


Many community centers offer fun fitness programs to help adults prevent falls.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.




Photo of the Week: Catching a Show

Citizen Journalism

This week’s photo comes from the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre. When the house lights came up for a dress rehearsal of Civic’s “A Streetcar Named Desire,” the cast discovered they had literally been playing to the dogs. Ten service dogs in training and their handlers attended one of the final rehearsals for the show, which opened Jan. 10. The event was coordinated with Paws With A Cause, which trains assistance dogs to help a person with a disability to complete essential tasks. “We want to prepare our dogs to work in environments of multiple varying distractions so that they are comfortable doing their job for their clients in everyday life,” said a member of the PAWS Training Team.

Civic’s production of “A Streetcar Named Desire” runs through Jan. 26 at the theater, 30 N. Division Ave. Tickets for the show are available at grct.org or call 616-222-6650.

Do you have a photo to be considered for Photo of the Week? Send it to Managing Editor Joanne Bailey-Boorsma at joanne@wktv.org.

Ford Airport to Surprise ‘GRRand Passengers’ After Record-Breaking Year

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Sue Diehl, Ford airport’s three millionth passenger in 2019, was met with a surprise of balloons, airline vouchers, gifts, free parking, and more. (Supplied)



By Tara Hernandez
Gerald R. Ford International Airport

The Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GFIA) will be surprising two special “GRRand Passengers” on Tuesday, Jan. 21, to commemorate another record-setting year.

Official passenger totals will be released on Tuesday, and Ford Airport calculations show 2019 as the best year in GFIA history. November 2019 was the busiest November in Airport history with 283,895 passengers served, putting the total numbers for the year at 3,276,656 – already surpassing 2018’s total of 3,265,242 with one month left.

Media and the public are welcome to join airport officials as they surprise two lucky “GRRand Passengers” around 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

“We have another tremendous year to celebrate and we thought this would be a fun way to engage with our guests and also brighten the days for two very lucky people,” said Tory Richardson, Gerald R. Ford International Airport President & CEO. “We are thankful to live in a community where we have such wonderful support of our Airport, and this is just a small way for us to say thank you to West Michigan for the loyalty throughout the past year.”

The “GRRand Passengers” will each be receiving two $350 travel vouchers and three free days of parking from the Airport Authority, a gift basket of travel accessories valued over $300, and much more.

Airport staff will also be passing out cupcakes, airport trinkets, and registering people to win a $350 flight vouchers from 10 a.m. – 2p.m. that day.

GVSU Economist: Local economy remains soft

Citizen Journalism
Brian Long is a local business forecaster. Credit: GVSU

By Dottie Barnes
Grand Valley State University

Remnants of the General Motors strike are holding down the West Michigan economy, said Brian G. Long, director of Supply Management Research in Grand Valley State University’s Seidman College of Business.

Long surveyed local business leaders and his findings below are based on data collected during the last two weeks of December.

The survey’s index of business improvement (new orders) edged up to -7, from -9. The production index also rose to -7 from -9. The index of purchases was marginally better at -17 from -18, and the employment index rose to -2 from -9.

Long said response from the business community to the partial U.S./China tariff agreement has been lukewarm. 

“Some of the tariffs on imported materials may be reduced or eliminated, which will help with the reduction in the purchase price for some commodities and materials,” said Long. “Except for aircraft and some miscellaneous construction equipment, we sell China almost no finished products. Our main exports to China are farm commodities, which have gained about 10 percent in price since the news leaked out about the so-called Phase I trade agreement.”

Long added that bigger issues, such as China’s governmental subsidies for certain firms, will need to wait for a possible second agreement later in the year. 

The Institute for Supply Management survey is a monthly survey of business conditions that includes 45 purchasing managers in the greater Grand Rapids area and 25 in Kalamazoo. The respondents are from the region’s major industrial manufacturers, distributors and industrial service organizations. It is patterned after a nationwide survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management. Each month, the respondents are asked to rate eight factors as “same,” “up” or “down.”

Black beans and rice history and fun facts

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Food, Health,
Courtesy Michigan State University Extension

By Dixie Sandborn, Michigan State University Extension


Dry beans, including black beans, are a staple in many Latin American cultures and many cultures around the world. If you have spent any time traveling in Latin America or the Caribbean, you know beans in some form are served at almost every meal. Beans are a great source of inexpensive protein and dry beans store well for a long period of time.


Just as a point of interest, rice and beans and beans and rice are two very different dishes, with the latter being more preferred. Rice and beans are a one pot dish, usually white rice and kidney beans cooked together with onions, garlic, maybe a few other spices and a little coconut oil. Beans and rice, on the other hand, are beans that are slowly stewed with onions, garlic and other spices, maybe even a pork hock for flavor. I like to add cumin, bay leaves and some Marie Sharp’s Habanero Pepper Sauce. This combination creates a delicious sauce to be eaten over a bed of rice.


I have been experimenting with several bean recipes as my son prefers beans to meat and will eat beans and rice every day if I let him. Black beans are by far our household favorite.

Fun facts about black beans

  • Black beans are botanically known as Phaseolus vulgaris.
  • Beans and legumes are the fruits or seeds of a family of plants called Fabaceae (also called Leguminosae).
  • Black beans have several common names including turtle beans, caviar criollo and frijoles negros.
  • These beans were and still are a staple food in the diets of Central and South Americans, dating back at least 7,000 years.
  • Black beans have a satiny black skin (technically dark purple) and a white center.
  • When cooked, the beans have a creamy texture and slightly sweet flavor.
  • Black beans are an excellent low-calorie, low-fat source of energy and fiber.
  • One half-cup serving of black beans gives you 8 grams of protein. Aside from meat products, dry beans are the highest source of protein available.
  • Dry beans have more fiber than any other unprocessed food at 15 grams per cup.
  • One cup of cooked black beans contains less than 1 gram of fat and only 227 calories.
  • Black beans are also a great source of folic acid, magnesium, potassium and iron.
  • Adding black beans to your breakfast food will also help your mood because it helps to stabilize your blood sugar. This means that including beans in your breakfast or lunch can help prevent that mid-afternoon slump.
  • Michigan is the leading producer of black beans, with 58% of the nation’s total production.
  • Michigan’s Thumb counties, known for its rich farmland, produces more beans than any other place in the state.
  • Huron County is one of the top dry bean-producing counties in the nation.
  • Mexico is Michigan’s largest export market for dry beans, especially black beans.

Recipe for Black Beans and Rice

I was recently at a Cuban restaurant in Key West. They serve black beans and rice called Moros y Cristianos, translated literally to Moors and Christians. It is presumed the dish gets its name from the time when the Moors occupied the Iberian Peninsula. The black beans represent the Moors and the white rice represents the Christians.


This flavorful bean and rice dish, representative of Spanish occupation, is popular in Cuba. Every Cuban cook has their own version of the recipe. I’m not Cuban, but here is my version.

Ingredients

  • ½ pound dry black beans cooked with 6 cups of water for 6 minutes in pressure cooker. One option is to use 3 cups water and 3 cups chicken broth.
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 large green bell pepper, cut into ½ inch pieces
  • 4 large garlic cloves, chopped (or 1½ teaspoons garlic powder)
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon ketchup or tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon Marie Sharp’s Habanero Pepper Sauce (now readily available in the U.S.)

Directions

Heat oil in heavy, large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic and sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of beans to pan. Using back of fork, mash beans coarsely.


In a crock pot, add bean and vegetable mixture along with remaining beans, the water/broth from cooking, cumin, bay leaves, tomato paste and pepper sauce. I leave the cover off or slightly ajar as the beans thicken and flavors blend, stirring occasionally.


Season beans to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over white rice and enjoy.


Enjoy.

Black beans and the science behind them

Michigan is the nation’s second largest producer of all dry beans, and first in the production of black beans. READ MORE

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).




The bottom line on blood pressure

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By understanding the implications of both numbers in a blood pressure reading, you may gain more understanding of your risk for heart disease and stroke. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Amy Norton, HealthDay


When it comes to blood pressure readings, the “top” number seems to grab all the attention.


But a large, new study confirms that both numbers are, in fact, critical in determining the risk of heart attack and stroke.


Blood pressure measurements are given as a “top” and “bottom” number. The first reflects systolic blood pressure, the amount of pressure in the arteries as the heart contracts. The second reflects diastolic blood pressure, the pressure in the arteries between heart muscle contractions.


For years, systolic blood pressure has been seen as the one that really matters. That’s based on studies—including the famous Framingham Heart Study—showing that high systolic blood pressure is a stronger predictor of heart disease and stroke.


At the same time, though, doctors measure both systolic and diastolic blood pressure—and treatment guidelines are based on both. So just how important is that diastolic number?


“The idea behind this new study was to address the confusion,” said lead researcher Dr. Alexander Flint, an investigator with Kaiser Permanente Northern California’s division of research.


Using medical records from 1.3 million patients, his team confirmed that, yes, high systolic blood pressure was a stronger risk factor for heart attack and stroke.


But those risks also climbed in tandem with diastolic pressure. And people with normal systolic readings were still at risk if their diastolic pressure was high.


“There’s been a common belief that systolic blood pressure is the only one that matters,” Flint said. “But diastolic definitely matters.”


He and his colleagues reported the findings in a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.


The definition of high blood pressure has gotten a revamp in recent years. Guidelines issued in 2017 by the American College of Cardiology and other heart groups lowered the threshold for diagnosing the condition—from the traditional 140/90 mm Hg to 130/80.


The fact that treatment guidelines include a diastolic pressure threshold implies that it’s important.


And indeed it is, said Dr. Karol Watson, a member of the ACC’s prevention section and leadership council.


In fact, she said, doctors once thought that diastolic blood pressure was the more important one, based on research at the time. Then came the studies showing that systolic pressure was generally a better predictor of people’s risk of heart disease and stroke.


In addition, Watson said, high systolic blood pressure is more prevalent, because of natural changes in blood pressure as people age.


“As we get older, systolic blood pressure keeps marching up,” she explained. Diastolic blood pressure, on the other hand, generally peaks when people are in their 40s to 60s—and then it declines.


But it’s clear, Watson said, that while systolic and diastolic blood pressure are different they both deserve attention.


In the latest study, cardiovascular risks rose with each “unit increase” in systolic pressure above 140, by about 18% on average. Meanwhile, each increase in diastolic blood pressure above 90 was tied to a 6% increase in heart disease and stroke risk.


The researchers saw a similar pattern when they looked at blood pressure increases above the 130/80 threshold. That, Flint said, supports the 2017 guideline shift.


The findings are based on over 1.3 million patients in the Kaiser Permanente health system who had roughly 36.8 million blood pressure readings taken from 2007 through 2016. Over eight years, more than 44,000 patients had a heart attack or stroke.


According to Flint, it’s the largest study of its kind to date.


The bottom line for patients, Watson said, is that they should care about both blood pressure numbers.


In her experience, she noted, patients often point to the number that’s in the normal range and say, “But look how good this is.”


Flint agreed, saying that no one should “ignore” the diastolic number.


“It’s important not only in blood pressure treatment, but on the side of diagnosis, too,” he said.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.



GR Symphony Picnic welcomes Hanson, Kittel & Co., Doo Wop, Lady Black Mambazo in July

Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, Local Entertainment


By Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk
Grand Rapids Symphony

In 1995, the Grand Rapids Symphony stepped on stage beneath a new outdoor band shell at Cannonsburg Ski Area, and a new West Michigan summer tradition of great music in the great outdoors was born. The sizzling sounds of the 1990s returns to the 2020 D&W Fresh Market Picnic Pops in July with the pop sensation, Hanson.

The Grand Rapids Pops’ 26th annual summer season features the extraordinary fiddle, mandolin and hammer dulcimer virtuosity of Kittel & Co.; the suave and sophisticated, close-harmony vocals of The Doo Wop Project; and the joyously uplifting world music sounds of Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

Sponsored by SpartanNash, the 2020 Picnic Pops, led by Principal Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt and Associate Conductor John Varineau, opens with Grammy nominees Kittel & Co., fronted by Michigan’s own Jeremy Kittel from Ann Arbor, on July 22. Brothers Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson, whose smash hit “MMMBop” was the summer anthem of 1997, join the Grand Rapids Pops at Cannonsburg Ski Area on July 24.

“Symphony Under the Sky” continues with stars of Broadway’s “Jersey Boys” and “Motown: The Musical” singing songs made famous by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles and more in The Doo Wop Project on July 29. The 2020 Picnic Pops wraps up on July 30 with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, featured prominently on Paul Simon’s 1986 album “Graceland,” which won the Grammy for Album of the Year.

Season ticket sales for renewing subscribers are now underway.  Season tickets for new subscribers, offering substantial discounts as well as access to the special event presale for Hanson, will go on sale on Feb. 3. 

Single tickets to see Hanson for subscribers go on sale Feb. 24. All remaining single tickets for Hanson go on sale March 2. Single tickets for the rest of the 2020 D&W Fresh Market Picnic Pops go on sale March 9. Call the Grand Rapids Symphony at 616-454-9451 ext. 4 or go online to PicnicPops.org.

Kittel & Co. – July 22

Switching from Bach to Bluegrass at the drop of a hat, Grammy-nominated violinist and fiddler Jeremy Kittel’s goal is “just to make honest music.” The Michigan-born musician has shared stages with artists including Bela Flack, Yo-Yo Ma, Paquito D’Rivera and My Morning Jacket, performed at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and at Berklee College of Music, and on TV’s “Late Night with Stephen Colbert” and radio’s “A Prairie Home Companion.”

 

Growing up near Ann Arbor, Kittel recalled “Playing different styles was kind of a dream of mine.” Today, the  U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion, graduate of the University of Michigan and former member of the Grammy-winning Turtle Island Quartet, plays music drawing from traditional roots, jazz, Celtic, Classical, electronic and more with his all-string band, Kittel & Co., which recently appeared at Interlochen Center for the Arts, at The Ark in Ann Arbor and at Crooked Tree Arts Center in Petoskey.

Hanson – July 24

In 2017, the trio of brothers who make up pop-rock trio Hanson celebrated 25 years of playing music together, selling millions of albums and reaching fans from Tulsa to Tokyo. After five years and two independent albums, Hanson released their major label debut in 1997 and saw a meteoric rise with the international smash single “Mmmbop” from the album Middle Of Nowhere, which garnered multiple Grammy nominations and five consecutive top 40 singles, including “Where’s The Love,” “I Will Come To You” “Weird.”

HANSON | String Theory brings together an exciting collaboration of song craftsmanship and symphonic spectacle framing the established Grammy nominated multiplatinum pop-rock trio’s music with symphonic arrangements.

The Doo Wop Project – July 29

Stars of “Jersey Boys,” “Motown: The Musical” come to town with the classic doo wop sounds of The Drifters, The Del-Vikings and The Temptations. On Broadway, they sang as Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. With the Grand Rapids Symphony, The Doo Wop Project spans the gamut of tight-harmony vocals from The Crests (“16 Candles”), The Belmonts (“A Teenager in Love”) and The Flamingos (“I Only Have Eyes for You”) and the early days of all-male vocal groups to doowopified arrangements of later songs by Michael Jackson, Jason Mraz and Maroon 5.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo – July 30

In the mines of South Africa, impoverished black miners, living far from their homes and families, created their own genre of vocal music to entertain themselves.  In the town of Ladysmith in the African province of kwaZulu Natal, singers honed their craft where Ladysmith Black Mambazo were discovered by Paul Simon who featured them on his 1986 recording “Graceland,” which went on to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

Proclaimed “South Africa’s Cultural Ambassadors to the World” by Nelson Mandela, the multiple Grammy Award winners have shared stages with Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, Josh Groban, and the group has been heard on the soundtrack for such films as Disney’s “The Lion King, Part II,” “Eddie Murphy’s “Coming To America,” and Clint Eastwood’s “Invictus.” Benefactor sponsor for the concert is Inclusive Performance Strategies.

Tickets

Series tickets will be available to new subscribers beginning Feb. 3. There is a 3-Concert Series subscription for the Kittel & Co., The Dot Top Project, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Subscriptions for lawn seats are $45 for adults or $15 for children ages 2 – 18. Children under age 2 are free. Subscriptions for general admission chair seating are $81 and tickets for individual reserved table seat are $156 or $1,200 to reserve an entire table for eight.

The Flexpass 6-pack offers lawn tickets that can be used in any combination, on any concert night, for Kittel & Co., The DooWop Project, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Flexpasses are $114 for adults. Flexpasses cannot be used for the special event Hanson.

Single tickets will be available for Hanson first for Picnic Pops series and Flexpass subscribers beginning Feb. 24 and then for the general public March 2. All remain gin single tickets for the D&W Fresh Market Picnic Pops go on sale on March 9. Lawn tickets for Kittle & Co, The DooWop Project, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo are $22 for adults or $5 for ages 2 -18. Other tickets are $33 for reserved chairs, $55 for individual table seats, and $440 for a full table of eight.

Lawn tickets for the special event Hanson are $45. Other tickets are $67 for reserved chairs, $112 for individual table seats, and $896 for a full table of eight. 

School News Network: Two teachers, one big class

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First grade teacher Sara Beld reads to the class while they enjoy an afternoon snack. (School News Network)

By Erin Albanese
School News Network

You could compare the compatibility of first-grade teachers Julie Dykstra and Sarah Beld to a popular combination: peanut butter and jelly.

“Welcome to the PB and J Suite,” said Dykstra, who with Beld is bringing team teaching to a new level at Gladiola Elementary by combining their classrooms into one super-sized group.

Sandwiched between their two rooms is a connecting space — a former coat closet transformed into a mini-library. Through it, students walk back and forth before settling into reading on one side or math on the other, depending on the time of day.

But the PB and J reference goes beyond teachers working in sync. One first grader defined how students refer to the rooms: “This is peanut butter,” he said referring to the classroom where he stood. “That’s jelly,” he said pointing into the connected classroom.

Together, Dykstra and Beld are teaching 38 students — dubbed Peanut Butter Kids or Jelly Kids, depending on whose student they are on the class roster and because they split up for art, music and gym. All students spend most of the day together, with one teacher leading and the other assisting students individually or in small groups. 

When it’s time for quiet reading and writing, students find a spot on either side. 

The combined classroom allows for more individualized instruction, including in groups

You Do This; I Do That

The longtime colleagues pitched the idea of joining forces last year. They were both seeing losses in instruction time due to behavior management and found it difficult to meet individual needs of students at different academic levels. Principal Cheryl Corpus agreed to pilot the idea, combining the group of 52 students. There also is a third, traditional first grade classroom.

“By the end of last year, we learned it was powerful collaboration of students and staff alike. Students were able to build relationships across groups and teachers were collaborating every day to meet the needs of their students,” Corpus said. “By maximizing instructional time, supporting one another, and differentiating for the students, we saw impact behaviorally and academically.”

Because of its success at the first grade level, second grade teachers Jennifer Blackburn and Charon Leal also joined their classes this year, sharing 56 students. Their space is different than the first grade teachers; it’s all one big room. 


Blackburn said Dykstra and Beld realized some of their students thrived under the combined model, and “sold us the idea.”

For more stories on local schools, visit School News Network at schoolnewsnetwork.org.

Report: 22M cancer survivors by 2030

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As caregivers and clinicians navigate the various phases of cancer survivorship, it spotlights the ever-present need for resources that optimize care. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Steven Reinberg, HealthDay


More Americans are surviving cancer and their numbers could top 22 million in another decade, the American Cancer Society says.


Currently, thanks to better screening and treatment, more than 17 million Americans who had cancer remain alive, the society said in a report.


While this is good news, it comes with a cautionary note.


Cancer survivors often have long-term difficulties. Many must also overcome barriers to get the treatments they need, the researchers said.


“People with a history of cancer have unique medical, psychosocial and economic needs that require proactive assessment and management by health care providers,” said report co-author Robin Yabroff. She’s senior scientific director of health services research for the cancer society.


“Although there are growing numbers of tools that can assist patients, caregivers and clinicians in navigating the various phases of cancer survivorship, further evidence-based resources are needed to optimize care,” Yabroff said in a society news release.


The report estimated that 8 million men and nearly 9 million women have a history of cancer.


Among the survivors, 68% had their cancer diagnosed five or more years ago and 18% at least 20 years ago.


Also, while nearly two-thirds of survivors are 65 or older, nearly 66,000 survivors are 14 and younger. Close to 48,000 are 15 to 19 years old.


Because of the growing and aging population, survivorship is increasing even though the number of women who develop cancer remains stable and the number of men with cancer declines, the researchers found.


The most common cancers among men are prostate, colon cancer and melanoma. Among women they are breast, uterine and colon cancer.


The report was published in the journal CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.



Youth can build credit history through positive use of credit cards

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, How-To's, ,
Courtesy Michigan State University Extension

By Laurie Rivetto, Michigan State University Extension
Updated from an original article written by Sienna Suszek.


Today’s young adults are a major contributor to the economy and are poised to be the nation’s next biggest spenders. It seems logical to help them use their spending in a way that will positively impact their future and help them build a solid credit history. While there are a variety of ways to establish a solid credit history, one useful and effective method can be through credit cards. 


EVERFI and AIG Retirement Services recently surveyed more than 30,000 college students about their financial behaviors and knowledge. According to the 2019 research, the percentage of students using credit cards in college has increased from 28% in 2012 to 46% in 2019. The percentage of students with more than one card has also increased from 25% of college students to 45%. While using credit cards can help build positive credit, the research also found that the percentage of those students who never paid a credit card bill late decreased from 91% in 2012 to 78% today.


In addition, for students with credit cards, 36% already have more than $1,000 in credit card debt. While percentage changes could be influenced by a variety of factors, it does demonstrate the importance of education around the proper use of credit.


First, it is important that young people recognize good credit is a privilege to be earned. It takes time to build a good credit history that can then benefit them for years to come. They must also understand that debt is easy to get into, hard to get out of and if not managed, can result in a poor credit rating that will negatively affect them for 10 years or more. As indicated by the research, unfortunately, many young people do not understand the implications of spending beyond their means with credit cards.


A credit card is a form of borrowing money. When a young person signs a credit card application, it is binding. It represents an agreement to repay dollars borrowed through the privilege of using a card to pay for something instead of cash. If payments are made prior to due dates on bills received, over time the youth creates a history of consistent, timely repayments and a good credit score is built. A higher credit score will make it easier in the future for students to rent an apartment, take out a home mortgage and command better interest rates on insurance policies or loans. It may even help them to secure a job. 

Michigan State University Extension recommends a few steps to help youth on the right path to positive credit: 

  • Help youth research credit cards and choose one that is right for their needs and situation.
  • Establish a system with youth for tracking their charged monthly expenses. This provides a visible picture of how much debt they are incurring.
  • Have youth be accountable for paying their bill each month out of their personal checking account. By doing this, they will become accustomed to bill paying procedures and track any remaining account balance.
  • Teach youth how to pull a credit report through the agencies of TransUnion, Experian and Equifax. One report is available free of charge from each of these agencies on an annual basis. Youth and adults should access their credit report using AnnualCreditReport.com, a federally authorized website that provides free access to a credit report every 12 months.

Michigan State University Extension and Michigan 4-H Youth Development help to prepare young people for successful futures. As a result of career exploration and workforce preparation activities, thousands of Michigan youth are better equipped to make important decisions about their professional future, ready to contribute to the workforce and able to take fiscal responsibility in their personal lives. For more information or resources on career exploration, workforce preparation, financial education, or entrepreneurship, contact 4-HCareerPrep@anr.msu.edu.


This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).




Low-fat diet—a tool in breast cancer fight?

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Community Health, Food, Health, How-To's, Senior Living, ,
Researchers found that women following a low-fat diet reduced their overall calories, changed their cooking methods and reduced portion sizes of meat and dairy products. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Serena Gordon, HealthDay


Health experts have long touted the benefits of a low-fat diet for preventing heart disease, but now a large study suggests it might do the same against breast cancer.


Researchers found that eating low-fat foods reduced a woman’s risk of dying from breast cancer by 21%. What’s more, the women on low-fat diets also cut their risk of dying from any cause by 15%.


“This is the only study providing randomized controlled trial evidence that a dietary intervention can reduce women’s risk of death from breast cancer,” said study author Dr. Rowan Chlebowski.


He is from the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, Calif.


Diet has long been suspected to be a factor in cancer.


Obesity has been linked to 12 different types of cancers, including postmenopausal breast cancer, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research. And, a diet full of healthy foods, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes is thought to help protect against cancer.


Chlebowski noted that previous studies have shown a higher cancer incidence in countries where people tend to eat more fat.


The latest study looked at the effect a low-fat diet might have on the incidence of breast cancer and death.


Nearly 49,000 postmenopausal women from 40 centers across the United States were included in the study. The women were between the ages of 50 and 79 and had no history of previous breast cancer.


Eighty percent of the women were white, which Chlebowski said matched the population when the study began.


Between 1993 and 1998, the women were randomly assigned to one of two dietary groups. One group was assigned to a normal diet. This diet had about 32% of their calories from fat. The low-fat group had a target of 20% or less of calories from fat.


Chlebowski said the low-fat diet was close in content to the Dietary Approaches to Stopping Hypertension diet, or DASH diet. This emphasizes eating vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains, while avoiding high-fat meats and dairy products, according to the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.


The low-fat group lost a modest amount of weight. Chlebowski said there was about a 3% difference in weight between the groups. He said the researchers factored the weight difference into their calculations and that weight alone didn’t affect the risk of death.


Women in the low-fat group adhered to the diet for about 8.5 years and both groups were followed for an average of nearly 20 years.


The women in the low-fat group weren’t able to achieve the 20%-or-less target for fat, but they did manage around 25%, according to the researchers. And they did increase their intake of fruits, vegetables and grains.


“The diet was more moderate than originally planned. But we saw a diet of 25% to 27% fat is largely achievable,” Chlebowski said.


He said the researchers don’t know if any individual components of the diet were more important than others, but they hope further study will tease that out.


In the meantime, Chlebowski said he thinks the message should be one of dietary moderation rather than looking for any one particular food or food group.


He said the women in the low-fat study group reduced their overall calories, changed their cooking methods and reduced their portions of meat and dairy products.


The findings are to be presented soon at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago. Findings presented at meetings are typically viewed as preliminary until they’ve been published in a peer-reviewed journal.


ASCO breast cancer expert Dr. Lidia Schapira, from Stanford University, noted that this study shows “what we put on the plate matters. It’s worth coaching and pushing patients to put more fruits and vegetables on their plates.”


She added that even when women didn’t reach the more stringent dietary fat goal of 20%, they still showed a health advantage from trying to reduce the fat in their diets.


Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, president of ASCO, said these findings were “really, really striking.”


She noted, “This was not an incredibly restrictive diet. People were able to adhere to it pretty well.”


And yet, the incidence of breast cancer went down by 8% in the women on low-fat diets.


“They were getting fewer breast cancers and even when they did get breast cancer, their death rate was reduced,” Bertagnolli said.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


Snapshots: Wyoming, Kentwood news you ought to know

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, , , , ,

By WKTV Staff

victoria@wktv.org

Quote of the Day

“If you were born without wings, do nothing to prevent them from growing.”

— Coco Chanel

Hooray for Hollywood!

Photo by Sam Howzit

OK, so you’ll have to wait until May or June, but time doth fly, doth it not? (And so can you.) Check out Allegiant Airlines’s new nonstop destinations! (Hint: The list includes LA.) Go here for the scoop. Gerald R. Ford International Airport is excited about this, and you should be, too.

Time to thrive

Courtesy Vista Springs Assisted Living

Maybe you’re not quite there, yet, but it’s always wise to know what you’re up against. Aging adults can thrive in assisted living communities versus aging in place and living alone at home. Even seniors who live alone in a new home face the same issues with isolation, security issues, and in some cases driving restrictions apply due to medical, or vision problems. Go here to learn more.

Stella!

Paws With A Cause dogs-in-training visit the cast of Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s ‘A Street Car Named Desire’ (Supplied)

Blanche is the quintessential tragic figure, and Stanley is just a brute. There’s still time to catch the famous Tennessee Williams play, A Streetcar Named Desire, which runs through Jan. 26 at Civic Theatre. Streetcar follows the story of Blanche du Bois who goes to live with her sister (Stella) and brother-in-law (Stanley) in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Go here for the details.

Fun fact:

80 is the new 65

It’s true! American Senior Communities reports that with innovations in healthcare and a focus on prevention, seniors today are living “longer, more active and healthier lives.” In fact, by the year 2040, the population of older seniors — people aged 85 years and above — is expected to triple from the 5.7 million there were in 2011 to 14.1 million.

Dates—nature’s sweetness

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Community Health, Food, Health, Senior Living,
Dates are a great way to add sweetness to a recipe—without adding refined sugars. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Alyssa Allen, Spectrum Health Beat


Craving something sweet? It may be tempting to gobble up old favorites like candy, chocolate, cookies and cupcakes.


But where does that get you? Lots of calories. Refined sugar. Virtually no nutritional value.


As an alternative, it may be time for you to consider one of nature’s sweet treats: dates.


Along with its caramel-like sweetness, this delectable fruit delivers a healthy dose of antioxidants, fiber, potassium, magnesium, vitamin B6, plant-based iron and an array of other vitamins and minerals.


And it’s hard to go wrong with a natural food.


“There are a multitude of naturally delicious fresh and dried fruits, such as dates, that provide sweetness with fiber, lowering the glycemic load impact,” Spectrum Health dietitian Caren Dobreff said.


Dates vary by size and weight, so the nutrient information can vary widely. Larger dates can weigh up to 24 grams—and pack about half a gram of protein and just under 1.6 grams of fiber. Smaller dates can weigh about 8 grams and provide 6 grams of carbohydrate, 5 grams of natural sugars and less than 1 gram of fiber.


Dobreff said those smaller dates may be a better fit for those needing to watch their daily total sugar intake, even if it is natural sugar.

Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat


Dates work as a sweet treat on their own, but there are many ways to incorporate them into your cooking and baking, Dobreff said.


It’s one of the tricks she teaches in the Spectrum Health Culinary Medicine program.


“We take a recipe and we give it some interest and a little bit of sweetness, but not off the charts,” she said.


Eliminating refined sugars and replacing them with natural sugar, as found in dates, can help you recalibrate your taste buds to what nature intended for sweetness.


“I want people to have a real idea of what sweet is supposed to taste like,” Dobreff said. “All the added sugars, syrups and artificial sweeteners have given us an unrealistic idea of what sweet is supposed to be like.”


When using dates, Dobreff recommends using the whole date as opposed to products such as date sugar, which is made from dehydrated dates ground into a granulated sugar, or date syrup, which is made by boiling the dates and reducing the liquid to a honey-like consistency.


“The whole food is going to have higher fiber content, which is incredibly important when it comes to regulating your blood sugar level,” Dobreff said. “Added sugars and syrups have virtually no fiber, which has a stronger impact on our blood glucose level.


“And, as we all know, what goes up must come down—and then we have a sugar crash.”


Here are Dobreff’s tips for incorporating dates into your diet:

  1. Use them in baking to replace chocolate chips or candies. If you’re making homemade protein bars or energy bites, add dates for something different.
  2. Add dates to a leafy green salad or to a whole grain salad, such as farro or quinoa.
  3. For a finger-food snack, cut the date open butterfly-style and put peanut butter or almond butter inside. Kids love this one.
  4. Chop them and add them to roasted vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, tossed in balsamic vinegar. “It makes for a wonderful, healthy comfort food,” Dobreff said.
  5. Instead of raisins, add chopped dates to your hot cereal or oatmeal. Go a step further and add apples and cinnamon.
  6. Try these recipes from Spectrum Health’s culinary medicine classes: coconut pecan date rolls and roasted cauliflower salad with dates and golden raisins.
Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat

When shopping in the grocery store, you’ll find dates in the baking or produce section near the dried fruits and nuts. They’re usually offered as organic, too, if you desire.


Remember to remove the pits when you prepare them, Dobreff said.


Dates are a great way we can add nature’s sweetness to our cooking, all while avoiding refined sugars.


“I am hoping that people will think more about, ‘How can I make this dish taste good and use more of a whole food natural ingredient?’” Dobreff said.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.




Why assisted living beats living alone

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Courtesy Vista Springs Assisted Living

By Vista Springs Assisted Living


As people age, things change in many aspects of their lives. It might be the loss of social interaction with dear friends and relatives who move to other states for a lower cost of living and warmer climates. Friends and family may move, and it is important to be supportive, but it’s still painful emotionally. When other friends or relatives pass away, this creates new painful feelings of loss.

The importance of connection

Most aging adults benefit greatly from being in diverse and exciting social communities that offer a variety of social gatherings and physical activities such as low and medium impact exercise classes, swimming activities, as well as a range of motion chair exercises to upbeat music. And according to exciting research from AARP and Harvard Health Publications, regular exercise changes the brain to improve memory and thinking skills. 

Groundbreaking brain research

This exciting research highlights one of the many positive reasons why this happens with seniors. Researchers found that regular aerobic exercise that increases your heart rate and stimulates your sweat glands appears to boost the size of the hippocampus, which is the brain area involved in verbal memory and learning. The lead research mentioned another interesting point involving brain fog that affects many aging adults. With these types of exercises, the brain fog goes away. That is amazing.


Unfortunately, resistance training, balance and muscle toning exercises did not have the same results, but they are still important forms of exercise for other reasons such as an increase in strength, firmness, and stability with balance affecting your legs and feet.


In assisted living communities, you will not be on your own to attempt to figure out and structure a workout plan. That is taken care of since the community has professional trainers there to guide, train, and supervise your activities. They are highly skilled and experienced in dealing with seniors, by keeping a watchful eye on your activities, it will help to keep you from overdoing things. Also, this certainly beats the fees charged by fitness centers and gyms. 


Aging adults can thrive in assisted living communities versus aging in place and living alone at home. Even seniors who live alone in a new home face the same issues with isolation, security issues, and in some cases driving restrictions apply due to medical, or vision problems.

Seemingly endless possibilities

In assisted living communities like Vista Springs, there are plenty of opportunities to meet new and vibrant people who share your interests and tastes whether it’s playing pool, poker, movies, jazz, dancing, or even learning a new computer language.


Reprinted with permission from Vista Springs Assisted Living.


Prevent human papilloma virus—get vaccinated

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Children should get the HPV vaccine between the ages of 11 and 12, to ensure it is most effective. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Diana Bitner, MD, Spectrum Health Beat


School is back in session, and if your child has had his or her annual checkup, their doctor might have talked to you about the importance of kids and adults obtaining the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.


The HPV vaccine can prevent genital warts and penile cancer in men; cancer of the cervix, vagina and vulva in women; and anal and throat cancer in both men and women.


The HPV vaccine keeps the body from becoming a carrier even if a person is exposed to the virus through sexual contact.


A patient of mine I’ll call Deb recently went through some fairly intense testing to rule out cervical cancer, and it was very stressful for her.


She came to see me for her annual exam and Pap smear, and she had experienced abnormal Paps in the past. She even had to have a colposcopy to make sure she didn’t have cervical cancer. Fortunately, Deb did not have cancer, but she wanted to make sure her kids wouldn’t have to endure the same procedures and worries she endured.


I recommended the HPV vaccine to give her some reassurance for her children.


The HPV vaccine is available in three different brands, each covering two, four or nine different types of the virus. The vaccine is given in three doses within a 24-week period. It can be given to both boys and girls and it has been shown to be safe and effective for females and males between the ages of 11 and 29.


The vaccine can also be given even if the person already has the HPV virus, because it can protect against other types of viruses as well. The optimal range for girls and boys to receive the first shot is between the ages of 11 and 12, because the immune response is better the earlier it is given. In addition, whether or not we like to think about it, kids often have sex before we suspect they do.


In countries where vaccines are more mandated, the HPV vaccine rate is approximately 80 percent. In the U.S. the rate is 54 percent for the first shot and only 33 percent for all three shots. The higher the rate of vaccination, the fewer the women who will develop cervical cancer.


Bottom line: Get your kids vaccinated.


So, why is our vaccination rate so low compared to other countries? In a survey, parents gave the following reasons for choosing not to get their kids vaccinated against HPV:

  • They think the vaccine is unnecessary.
  • They think the vaccine is ineffective.
  • They think the vaccine is unsafe.
  • They don’t understand the details of the HPV vaccine.
  • They don’t think their children would have sex that young.

Health care providers know the vaccine is safe, effective and necessary—and they know that parents need to learn more about the vaccine and appreciate the reality that some children will have sex at a young age. There is excellent information available to support the decision to vaccinate kids early.


I am happy that Deb trusted me and was willing to consider the vaccine to reduce her daughter’s chance of having abnormal Pap smears in the future.


Even if the shot has been given, it is still important to screen for HPV and abnormal cells on the cervix. Pap smears should be started at age 21 and performed every three years after that.


I follow the recommended guidelines to start co-testing of the Pap and HPV at age 30; if the results are negative, repeat the test every three years. If there are abnormal cells present, the next step is to do a colposcopy, where we look at the cervix with a telescope and take a biopsy of the cervix.


Of course, there are several other ways to prevent the HPV virus, and I told Deb to give the following advice to her children:

  • Do not smoke.
  • Use a condom every time.
  • Delay sex until after age 15.

Deb appreciated the information I shared with her and scheduled appointments for her kids to get their vaccines during their checkups.


As a gynecologist who has had to perform hysterectomies on many women because of cervical cancer, I’m very happy that Deb made the choice to have her kids vaccinated.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.



Working well with other generations can serve as a win in the workplace

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Courtesy Michigan State University Extension

By Frank Cox, Michigan State University Extension


Today we find a more casual workplace in both time and place. We have also seen a change in the dynamics of who we are working with. It can be challenging to meet the needs of the customers and the people with whom we work alongside. However, equipped with a greater understanding and improved communication skills, an employee can serve all generations and win for themselves and their establishment.


Millennials (Generation Y), Gen Xers and baby boomers make up the bulk of the workforce today, giving it a look like a mixed-up doubles tennis tournament.


How do we work effectively with other generations? What type of needs, goals and values do the different generations have? Reacting to teammates or coworkers in the workplace is somewhat like playing doubles in tennis. Who plays the net? Who runs the baseline? When do you come up and when do you stay back? You must understand not only your own strengths and weaknesses, but also how to react to the movements of your partner and how to handle what is coming over the net. Communication, openness and understanding can be the best approach for working with other generations. If you want to succeed in this new workplace, you’ll have to work as a team.


In this three-part series from Michigan State University Extension, these articles will look at the younger generations — Gen Y and millennials — and older generations — Gen X and baby boomers. Just as the demarcation lines of these generations can be debated as discussed in The Atlantic article “Here is When Each Generation Begins and Ends, According to Facts,” these articles will use some generalities and refer to these groups as older or younger generations.


It is not just the cutoff between years that can be in debate. Please be aware of stereotypes as it is discussed by Rebecca Hastings from the Society for Human Resource Management in “Generational Differences Exist, But Beware Stereotypes.” Sometimes the data and surveys don’t match with the charts or expectations. We are all still individuals and we still need to get to know each other, but we will be using these generational differences charts and this current information to gain a greater perspective and improve on our managing styles and how we better work with each other.


This series of articles will discuss how each generation can succeed in the multigenerational workplace of today. Also covered in this series will be how different generations can gain from each other the skills they may lack and how each generation can enrich the work experience. It is what each generation brings to the “court” that makes it that much more enjoyable and exciting. Working with someone of another generation can benefit your career and enrich your life.


The upcoming series will start off with communication, a key to any successful business or workplace. As the series continues, it will then cover the values that each of these generations possess and how to take advantage of those assets. It will touch on how to reward and give feedback to each generation. Finally, it will the address the learning aspect. Gaining from each generation an understanding of the skills they possess, and then passing that information on to others. All of which will make for better employees and a better workplace environment.


Michigan State University Extension and Michigan 4-H Youth Development help to prepare young people for successful futures. As a result of career exploration and workforce preparation activities, thousands of Michigan youth are better equipped to make important decisions about their professional future, ready to contribute to the workforce and able to take fiscal responsibility in their personal lives. For more information or resources on career exploration, workforce preparation, financial education, or entrepreneurship, contact 4-HCareerPrep@anr.msu.edu.


Other articles in this series

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).




Sweet tooth? It grows from the get-go

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In studies, about 98% of toddlers had added sugar in their daily diet. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Robert Preidt, HealthDay


Bad eating habits begin at a young age in American children, a new study finds.


Researchers analyzed data from more than 1,200 babies (aged 6 to 11 months) and toddlers (12 to 23 months) between 2011 and 2016.


They found that 61% of babies and 98% of toddlers consumed added sugars in their typical daily diet, mainly in flavored yogurt and fruit drinks.


Infants consumed about 1 teaspoon of added sugars daily (about 2% of their daily calorie intake) and toddlers consumed about 6 teaspoons (about 8% of their daily calories).


The main sources of added sugar for infants were yogurt, snacks and sweet bakery products. For toddlers, the top sources were fruit drinks, sweet baked products and candy.


Asian toddlers consumed the fewest added sugars (3.7 teaspoons) and blacks the most (8.2 teaspoons).


The study was published online recently in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.


“This has important public health implications since previous research has shown that eating patterns established early in life shape later eating patterns,” lead investigator Kirsten Herrick said in a journal news release. She’s a researcher with the Division of Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


The findings did bring some good news: The percentage of babies and toddlers whose daily diets include added sugars declined, as did the amounts they consumed.


But consumption of added sugars remains high among young children.


Herrick noted that a previous study found that 6-year-olds who had consumed any sugar-sweetened drink before their first birthday were more than twice as likely to drink such beverages every day than those who had not.


“Previous research into the diets of children over 2 years old associated sugar consumption with the development of cavities, asthma, obesity, elevated blood pressure and altered lipid profiles,” Herrick said.


Only one U.S. health organization—the American Heart Association—offers guidelines on sugar consumption for children under age 2, researchers noted.


“Our study’s findings about infant and toddler diets should raise awareness among health organizations and practitioners and inform future guidelines and recommendations,” Herrick said.


She advised parents to be cautious about added sugars in the foods they give babies when weaning them.


Parents should talk to a health care provider about which solid foods to introduce, and check the nutrition information on food labels.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.




Snapshots: Wyoming, Kentwood weekend news you ought to know

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I would really be doing something right, perhaps even important, if I was bringing even a little more compassion into the world through Big Bird. 

Caroll Spinney, the man who brought Big Bird to life



By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

The Weekend List

The Grand Rapids Symphony’s first 2020 concert of the year is Friday and Saturday, Jan. 10 and 11, at DeVos Performance Hall. (Supplied)

There is s storm coming? Well strap on those chains because there is lots to do this weekend! The Grand Rapids Symphony performs a classical concert Friday and Saturday, Jan. 10 and 11, at DeVos Performance Hall. Also the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre has opened its latest production, “A Streetcar Named Desire,” which runs through Jan. 26 at the theater, 30 N. Division Ave. And LowellArts opened its exhibition “The Art of Change,” at its gallery, 223 E. Main St., Lowell. Click here for more information and tickets.

Now Hiring

If you are interested in working for the U.S. Census Bureau for the 2020 Census, well you only have a few more weeks to apply. Since the bureau has not received enough applicants for census positions, it has increased the pay for Michigan, which is now between $14 – $25. In Kent County, it is $25 per hour. For more information about how to apply and the positions available, click here.

For Free?

The holidays are over and so is the excitement of the new family pet you got. Well before you decide to get rid of Fido or Felicity for free, there are a few things you should know, such as do not give any animal away for free and investigate the person who is interest in taking your pet. For more information, click here.

Fun Fact: All Buttoned Up

So if you have every ventured down to Ah-Nab-Awen- Park (you know the park next to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum), you might have noticed a large red button with parents either encouraging or discouraging their children to play on it. Well, “Lorie’s Button,” as it is called, was part of a design competition to celebrate the nation’s bicentennial year. It was designed by Hy Zelkowitz and installed during the 1976 Festival of the Arts. The piece is one of the most expensive artworks for the city to maintain because, yes, it was designed for form and function, meaning children can play on it and families are encouraged to take photos. Glad we finally were able to settle that debate.

Can food timing prevent diabetes?

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Putting off meals for an extended period of time can lead some to over-indulge when it comes time to eat. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Sarah Mahoney, Spectrum Health Beat


Intermittent fasting—the fancy term for going up to 14 or 16 hours without eating anything—is all the rage these days.


Dietitians and their celebrity clients are touting it as the latest and greatest weight-loss tool.


And there’s been some promising evidence that the approach may even lower the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, one of the most serious chronic illnesses in the world.


Researchers who have linked intermittent fasting to improved sensitivity to insulin also recently discovered it might lower pancreatic fat in rats. And that may reduce the odds of developing diabetes.


In a small study of humans with pre-diabetes, participants who ate from the hours of 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. saw significant improvements in their insulin sensitivity and blood pressure.


But don’t approach intermittent fasting without some measure of caution.


Kristi Veltkamp, MS, RD, outpatient dietitian at Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital, said it makes sense to take intermittent fasting with a healthy sprinkling of skepticism, especially when it comes to its relationship to diabetes prevention.


“Some people do lose weight when they try this style of eating,” she said. “And the No. 1 way we know to prevent diabetes is by losing weight.”


Even shedding as little as 5 to 10% of your body weight can reduce the risk of diabetes by 58%.


“So this type of eating may be helpful because people are losing weight,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean intermittent fasting gets the credit. From that perspective, any weight-loss method can be said to lower diabetes risk.”


The strict timing of meals can have a significant downside for some people.


“Often, they get so hungry that they overeat during their eight-hour window, sometimes making poor food choices,” Veltkamp said.


For others, it’s just not convenient, especially if they are trying to eat meals as a family.


Most people consume the last meal of the day in the evening, not by 3 p.m.


“By all means, experiment,” she said. “For example, often people are surprised to discover that they feel better eating breakfast later in the day.”


But until more conclusive data emerges, pay close attention to the guidelines already proven to prevent diabetes.

5 proven ways to keep diabetes at bay:

1. Eat the Mediterranean way

If you haven’t already experimented with a Mediterranean diet, now’s the time. Eating meals with plenty of fish, vegetables, whole grains and olive oil has been linked to an 83% lower chance of developing diabetes.

2. Nix the nighttime snacks

Even if you never try intermittent fasting, those evening snacks—often scarfed down in front of the TV—can sabotage any healthy diet. Once you’ve left the dinner table, try to stop eating for the evening.

3. Pay attention to protein

Veltkamp recommends including some protein in every meal and snack. This includes dairy, nuts or cheese. “It keeps people full longer and helps with cravings,” she said.

4. Quit bashing carbs

While processed foods, soft drinks and white sugar cause rapid ups and downs in glucose levels, Veltkamp worries that too many people vilify all carbohydrates.


Whole grains and fruits are a healthy part of every diet, she said.


“Sugar isn’t all bad,” Veltkamp said. “I’ve yet to have to tell a patient that they’re eating too many apples.”

5. Strive for flexibility

Finally, when you’re looking for a lifetime approach to healthy eating, it’s smart to be gentle with yourself.


While all-or-nothing diets may be the craze—from the Keto plan to Whole 30—she advocates a much more forgiving approach, with an 80/20 rule.


Strive for solid, sensible meals 80% of the time, then relax with the remaining 20% of meals.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.