Brighter Days Ahead
The recent time change brings us longer days with more sunshine. This is great news since sunshine is, by far, the best and easiest source of Vitamin D. Known also as the “sunshine vitamin,” Vitamin D works with calcium to keep your bones and teeth healthy and strong. Vitamin D is an especially important vitamin to monitor with age since the skin becomes less able to absorb it. Additionally, because Vitamin D is activated by the kidneys, declining kidney health can also play a role in lower-than-optimal Vitamin D levels.
In general, Vitamin D deficiency is unfortunately extremely common, especially in areas with long winters and frequent overcast days – like West Michigan. Talk to your doctor about checking in on your own Vitamin D levels to be sure that they are within normal limits, which are 15 mcg for adults ages 19-70 and 20 mcg for adults 71 and older. Some great sources of dietary Vitamin D include fatty fish (salmon, tuna), eggs, and fortified products like milk, orange juice, and ready-to-eat cereals.
LET’S GO BANANAS!
Did you know that April 15 is National Banana Day? Many people know bananas for their potassium content, and rightly so. 1 medium-sized banana contains roughly 375mg of potassium. This provides a little less than 10% of the current Percent Daily Value (%DV) as recommended by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Potassium is a part of an important group of minerals called ‘electrolytes’ which carry a slight chemically electrical charge. These help muscles and nerves function and maintain general hydration balance. Fun fact: bananas are curved because they grow towards the light source!
Resource: “Fooddata Central.” USDA FoodData Central,
1 Apr. 2020, fdc.nal.usda.gov/.
April 7th is World Health Day
World Health Day marks the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) after the first World Health Assembly back in 1948. This meeting eventually resulted in the creation of an entire agency by the United Nations (UN) to follow international public health issues and allow for better international connection and collaboration.
The WHO defines the term health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease…” This poses an important question: What does it mean to you to be healthy? Whatever the answer, good nutrition and positive food choices are a vital piece of the overall health puzzle. Meals on Wheels Western Michigan is proud to be a part of it for you.
EASY BANANA OATMEAL COOKIES
Ingredients
- 2 Medium Bananas (Ripe)
- 1 ½ cup Oats
- ⅓ cup Mini Chocolate Chips
Optional: Walnuts, Chia Seeds, Flaky Sea Salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F.
- Mash bananas with fork until broken down.
- Add oats and gentle stir until it forms a thick cookie-like batter.
- Add in chocolate chips and mix.
- Scoop into dough balls roughly tablespoon sized and use hands to form 12 cookie shapes.
- Place on either lined or lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes.
If available, it may be helpful to mix some quick oats into the rolled oats to absorb any wetness. A ratio of ½ cup of rolled oats to 1 cup quick oats can be used. Just be sure to use rolled oats – steel cut won’t work!
