living well - lsu agcenter€¦ · living well october – september 2009 page 1 october —...

Living Well October – September 2009

Living WellOctober — December 2009Volume 4, Issue 4

Family and Consumer SciencesSchool of Human Ecology

Food . Family . Finances

The frost is not likely to be on the pumpkins in Louisiana for a little while longer, but it’s definitely fall. The kids are back in school, families are settled into rou-tines again and stores are filled with a mix of ghosts, turkeys and holiday lights.

It’s also a season that seems to be based on food. Tailgating season moves into Thanksgiving, which continues into Christmas, Hanukah and Kwanza. The season can be a challenge for those trying to stay on track with their eating and exercise habits.

It’s also a wonderful time of year for those with friends and family around them. It can be a depress-ing time, however, for those who are alone. Don’t forget to check on your neighbors now and then. A friendly wave as you walk by or an offer to pick up groceries when you do your shopping may mean a lot more than you realize.

Hear Ye Hear Ye. Counting All Louisianans!

It’s that time again when the United States counts her citi-zens. The benefits of an accurate count are numerous and ones that everyone shares. Census data are used to determine legislative districts, distribute more than $300 billion in federal grants for various programs, planning for hospitals, nursing homes, schools and other services, predicting future needs in housing, educa-tion or health services and numerous other projects. The census is the official data service for many private users such as companies looking to relocate or start a new business, churches considering planting new congregations or scientists looking at patterns of diseases.

This year, only the short form will be used – 10 questions, 10 minutes – that’s it. The questions ask name, gender, age, race, ethnicity, relationship and whether you own or rent your home. The questions traditionally asked on the long form are now done at various times during the year as part of the com-munity survey. All information on the forms is confidential and only reported as an aggregate.

Census workers began in July to check addresses to be sure the info was correct. Forms will be mailed to each household in March, and April 1 – no fooling! – is the date to send the forms back. As citizens, everyone should want to participate, but also remember, responding is required by law.

People often use holiday time as an opportunity for winter vacations, since children are out of school. It is important to remember to factor these extra costs into the holiday budget, because they can add up very quickly.


Preparing for the Holidays: Understanding Your Baby’s Temperament

As the holiday season ap-proaches, we look forward to special time with family and friends. These times can be even more special when a new baby is welcomed into the circle of loved ones. Each baby is unique, how-ever, in how he or she responds to new experiences, including the attention of people eager to hold or play with the baby. How many of us have watched as a happy, smiling baby begins wailing as he or she is passed around a group of adults!

A child’s response to change or stress in the world around him is influenced by the following traits making up his unique tem-perament: • Sensitivity: How easily does

your baby react to sounds, activities or other stimulation around him?

• Activity level: How much does your baby move her arms or legs?

• Intensity: How strong or loud is your baby’s cry when hungry or tired?

• Regularity: Does your baby tend to sleep/eat/have a bowel movement about the same time each day?

• Adaptability: How easily does your baby adapt to change or new experiences?

• Persistence or frustration tolerance: How long does your baby stay with an activity?

• Soothability or distractibility: How easily is your baby soothed or distracted when upset?

There are three basic temperament types based upon these traits: • Easy Babies — Easy babies tend to be happy and active. Their routines are

very predictable, and they respond well to changes and new experiences. • Slow-to-Warm Babies — Babies who are slow to warm will initially

withdraw from new things but often become more responsive once they feel comfortable in the situation.

• Difficult Babies — Difficult babies tend to be less predictable and to have the most stress when faced with change, transitions or new experiences. They are more likely to withdraw and need more time to adjust in these circumstances. Caring for a difficult baby can be especially challenging, but the following tips will help parents and caregivers respond to their unique needs:

A baby with a difficult temperament needs more caring and patience than another child who is easy or slow-to-warm. This difference can be frustrating for parents who compare their child to an older child or the child of a friend or family member, but remember that a baby with a difficult temperament has no control over his or her response.

Slowly introduce new things, transitions or experiences to your baby. For example, when friends or family members want to hold him, let them know that he needs time to get familiar with his new surroundings before he will be comfortable being held by others. When he shows interest in someone new, slowly encourage him to go the other person. If he resists, however, hold him while encouraging interaction with the other person (e.g., talking gently and calmly, offering a favorite toy).

Be aware of your baby’s signals. Baby’s signal their desire to interact with another person by eye contact and smiling. This interaction can easily become overstimulating, however, at which point the baby needs a brief break. When overstimulated, a baby breaks eye contact and turns his head away. If the person continues to try to talk to or play with the baby, he will likely become distressed and start crying.

Plan your activities with your baby’s temperament in mind. For example, try to avoid activities during times that interfere with your child’s usual feeding or nap time. If you are attending a social gathering when your child will need a nap, arrange ahead of time for a quiet space, such as a spare bedroom, where your baby will not be disturbed.

The following Web site provides an on-line questionnaire to help you identify your baby’s temperament style and to learn what other parents have experi-enced in their children with the same temperament: www.preventiveoz.org.

Regardless of temperament, it is normal for all children between the ages of 6-8 months and 15 months to go through a period of stranger anxiety, a time in which they become anxious around people with whom they do not interact regularly. As with a difficult baby, it is important to give them time to become accustomed to new people rather than forcing them to interact before they are comfortable. For more information on stranger anxiety, see the following article provided by eXtension: http://www.extension.org/pages/Frequently_Asked_Question:_What_is_Stranger_Anxiety%3F.

Although other people may be disappointed if a baby does not react warmly to them, it is important to respond to your baby in a way that best meets his or her needs as an individual. Understanding and responding to your baby’s unique temperament provides a foundation of trust and security that will help your baby grow into a confident, well-adjusted child.

Linda C. Robinson, Ph.D., CFLE, extension instructor

Sources:(continued on page 7)


Daddy Playtime Is Important for Development

Being a daddy is very important to a child’s well-being and development throughout his or her life, even in the infant stages. According to the National Fatherhood Initiative, children who grow up in fatherless homes are twice as likely to drop out of high school, twice as likely to end up in jail and four times more likely to need help for emotional or behavioral problems. Children can thrive in single parent families, especially when they have a consistent, nurturing father figure. Also, there are situations when children need to be protected from an abusive father. The best situation for a child, however, is expe-riencing the loving, nurturing involvement of both parents. When fathers provide care and support, children are more likely to have empathy for others.

Although it is important for daddy to be involved throughout the years, mothers should encourage fatherhood involvement early on because it helps with the baby’s development. Fathers typically interact with their babies with noise and include the element of surprise. The rough and tough play that Daddy offers gives the baby opportuni-ties to exercise its legs and arms. Daddies are also more likely to offer baby enough room and security to explore the world around them. Fathers can also navigate their children’s feelings through play by communicating and allowing children to express their feelings verbally if possible. This offers emotional se-curity for the child and gives dad an emotional connection to his child. Through play, daddies teach social skills and moral character development. Appropriate social behaviors such as taking turns, sharing and fairness are important parts of Daddy’s play, and children learn what is acceptable based on what daddy al-lows them to do when playing with them.

Play is not the only way daddy can be involved in his child’s life. Fathers are just as able to nurture children as mothers. Daddies should be encour-aged to change, read to, hold, feed and bathe the baby. Daddies can also help with the baby’s development by observing his/her cues, caring for the basic needs, spending time alone with baby and making baby laugh. Mommies should encourage father involvement as much as possible if it is providing a safe and healthy environment for the family. Overall, a nurturing father-child relation-ship is important to our children. It creates a better environment for Mommy by offering support in the parenting role, a better environment for daddy as he creates memories and share positive experiences with his child and a better environment for baby by having two loving parents who are both interested in offering the best care for him or her.

Courtney Pitts, extension associate

New Safeguards for Gift Cards

The Credit Card Accountabil-ity Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) act of 2009 includes safe-guards for retailer gift cards and other types of prepaid general-use gift cards that can be used at a variety of stores and service-providers to make small-dollar purchases. Under the new law, gift cards and similar cards cannot expire within five years from the date they were activated unless the expiration date is clearly disclosed. The law also generally prohibits an inactivity fee on gift cards except in certain circum-stances, such as if there has been no transaction for at least 12 months.

This portion of the law took effect in August 2009. However, it does not cover rewards, loyalty, telephone or promotional cards and does not cover paper gift cards or paper gift certificates.

Jeanette Tucker, PhD, RFG, Extension Specialist Family

Resource Management

Giving a charitable contribution in someone else’s name is a way to take care of two obliga-tions at once, because it gives a gift to a loved one, while still giving to the charity. Make the effort to be sure the charity is one the recipient would sup-port. After all, the gift is for them, not you.


Financial Lessons Learned in 2008-2009

A lot of financial mistakes were made during 2008 and 2009. But mis-takes can be valuable — if we use them as learning experiences. With that in mind, here are eight lessons offered by the 2008-2009 economy.1. When investing, assume the worst. Too often, people engage in wishful

thinking rather than financial planning. They buy a house they can’t afford and hope it will increase in value. Or they invest in a product they don’t understand and get swindled. Some people buy only their company’s stock or accept shares as payment, losing both their savings and their jobs when the company falls on hard times. These problems can be avoided by investing as though things will not go well. Consider the worst-case scenario (the house decreases in value or the company goes belly-up) and invest only if you can stomach it.

2. Maintain diversification. Don’t gamble. That means you should avoid buying individual securities, putting your entire life savings in a bank account or tying up all your money in the equity of a paid-off house. Instead, build a diversified portfolio based on your situation and evaluate what you’re doing from time to time to make sure it’s still appropriate for your situation.

3. Build ample cash reserves. In an ideal world, you need 12 months’ worth of spending stashed away in a safe place — either U.S. Treasuries or FDIC-insured bank accounts. Don’t chase yield by purchasing investments that offer unusually high dividends or interest rates. Higher rates always mean higher risks. Money market accounts are extremely popular, but if you use put your money in one that isn’t invested solely in U.S. Treasuries, you could run the risk of losing money.

4. Be realistic. The economy and stock market will take time to recover. The end of 2009 will not mean the end of all economic concerns. Be patient.

5. It’s OK to be scared. It’s natural to feel uneasy in times of uncertainty. Control your emotions and prevent fear from causing you to do the wrong thing at the wrong time for the wrong reasons. Investor’s behavior is often dominated by fear and greed. When the economy is strong, we get excited by profits, and greed makes us want to buy more. Falling prices create fear and prompt us to sell. Instead, focus on the long term and know that wealth is created in periods of uncertainty.

6. Be skeptical about what you read, see and hear. So called “experts” love to scare you because fear sells newspapers and grabs radio and television audiences. Don’t accept startling headlines at face value – evaluate the claim and decide for yourself. Remember that the media are not smarter than you.

7. If you’re properly diversified with an investment horizon of at least three years, buy more. The key to building wealth is to buy low and sell high. Today’s low prices are creating the investment opportunity of a lifetime.

8. If you’re glued to the news, go watch baseball.

Reference: Edelman, R. (2009). Lessons learned in 2008. http://www.ricedelman.com/cs/education/lessons_learned Jeanette Tucker, PhD, RFG, Extension Specialist Family Resource

Management

Keep Your Fires Safe and Cozy

The first cool snap brings out the urge to light a fire. Whether you enjoy a fire pit outside or a fireplace indoors, safety needs to be your first concern. Fresh air and chimney fires aren’t a concern for the popular fire pits. If you use an outdoor fireplace, however, or chiminea with a chimney, take care with the type of wood you burn, and have it cleaned regularly to avoid soot build up.

Green or damp woods will smoke and generate soot as will high resin woods such as pine. Generally, gathering up fallen limbs as indoor firewood isn’t a great idea unless you know the kind of wood and can let it dry before using it. It’s tempting to stack firewood close to the house but be aware a wood pile attracts rodents, insects and snakes. The stack should be covered to keep it dry but far enough away so as not to be a source for termites and other crit-ters.

Outdoor pits should be placed where there is plenty of room to move around without bumping the pit or tripping and falling on it. The pit should be located so sparks can’t land on dry leaves, furniture or other combustibles and start a fire. Avoid the temptation to clean up by throw-ing paper plates and other items into the fire. Grease residue can flare up suddenly or materials in other items may spark.

The average indoor fireplace loses more heat than it produces so turn off the thermostat when using the fireplace to save energy. In Louisiana’s relatively mild climate, a fireplace can be all the heat you need many evenings. Once the fire is completely out, shut the damper. If you notice a strong smoke smell per-meating the house and you know the fireplace is working properly, check to see if you have any gas appliances such as a dryer in use. Gas appliances pull in air while operating and can create a draft from the open chimney causing the smoky smell.


Yummy Yummy Yams

Most Louisianans think their fall and winter holiday feasts wouldn’t be complete without Louisiana yams or sweet potatoes. The Louisiana yam is an exceptional type of sweet potato, sweet and flavorful, with a soft moist flesh.

Not only are yams delicious, they also are a perfect choice for the health-conscious food consumer. They add valuable nutrients and color to any meal and are a perfect fit for those following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) program.

Sweet potatoes have been rated the healthiest vegetable by the Cen-ter for Science in the Public Interest and the Nutrition Action Health Letter. With a score of 184, the sweet potato outscored the next highest vegetable by more than 100 points. Points were given for content of di-etary fiber, naturally occurring sugars and complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. Points were deducted for fat content (especially saturated fat), sodium, cholesterol, added refined sugars and caffeine – the higher the score, the more nutritious the food.

The deep orange color of the sweet potatoes indicates it is rich in carotene, which becomes vitamin A inside the body. Vitamin A is needed for normal growth, development, re-production, a healthy immune system and vision. One medium baked sweet potato provides about twice the rec-ommended daily amount of vitamin A.

Sweet potatoes also are a good source of dietary fiber and potassium and of vitamin C when baked in the skin. They are low in sodium, fat and saturated fat. One medium baked

sweet potato has only 103 calories.

Sweet potato cas-seroles and candied yams are typical holiday fare. Instead of rich, high-calorie traditional casseroles, serve baked sweet potatoes instead.

To bake sweet pota-toes, scrub and dry them

well. Rub them lightly with oil. Don’t wrap them in foil for baking. Place them on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes in an oven preheated to 400 degrees. Reduce the temperature to 375 degrees, and bake them until soft.

Save energy by baking a large pan of sweet potatoes. Wrap them individually in foil, and store them in the freezer together in a freezer bag or freezer paper. To eat, simply reheat them in the oven.

Sweet potatoes may be cooked, but not baked, in the microwave oven. When cooked in the microwave, they won’t have the sweet, syrupy flavor of oven-baked potatoes.

To microwave, wash, dry and puncture them a few times with a fork. Place them on a paper towel on a microwave-safe dish. Cook them on high for 4-5 minutes for the first potato, plus 2-3 minutes for each additional potato. Turn over potatoes halfway through cooking.

To boil sweet potatoes, cook them until tender with skins on and drain immediately. Peel and eat or use them in your favorite recipe. Most sweet potato dishes freeze well. Save time and energy by making a sweet potato dish to serve and one to store in the freezer.

Here are some ways to add more sweet potatoes to your meals and snacks:* Pack a baked sweet potato for

lunch, topped with vanilla yogurt or cinnamon-flavored applesauce

* Add peeled chunks to your favorite stew

* Switch from potato chips to sweet potato chips

* Peel and cut into strips to eat with your favorite dip

* Blend into a breakfast smoothie* Substitute in recipes calling for

white potatoes or apples

The U.S. Department of Agricul-ture’s Dietary Guidelines recommend choosing a variety of fruits and veg-etables each day, including dark green, orange, legumes, starchy vegetables and other vegetables several times a week. People who eat more fruits and vegetables are likely to have reduced risk of stroke, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.

Beth Reames, PhD, RD, LDN, extension specialist, nutrition

Include all holiday-related expenses, such as cards, postage, clothing, decorations and travel in your holiday spending plan. Don’t forget to add in money for entertainment and babysitting if you expect to attend many adult-only functions.


DASHing Through the YearSort through for any questionable items, then have them pick out their favorites. Depending on the quantity, put it them in a jar or freeze. Let them pick out one piece at a time for dessert. Don’t use the candy as a reward, and don’t you eat all their rejects!!

Louisiana citrus is coming in now. Children generally love satsumas be-cause they are a perfect size for little hands to handle.

Don’t ruin healthy greens by cooking them in lots of fat. A little bit of leftover ham adds flavor without a lot of extra calories. Try sautéing onions in a little olive oil and adding them to the pot instead of meat fat.

November – In this month, stress levels are starting to rise as families really get serious about holiday shop-ping, baking and entertaining. If you haven’t been wearing a pedometer, put one on. Think of your shopping, baking, cleaning, etc. as a game to get extra steps. You’ll accomplish chores and exercise all at once!

Set aside a few minutes to have tea with your children. One cookie or a small serving of your recent baking project can help teach portion control by example. Everyone knows you don’t have time for this, but your children will never be this age again. Time together is more valuable than any material gift.

Pumpkin pie filling is similar to custard. Try baking it in custard cups instead of a pie crust or look for pumpkin custard recipes. A lot of the calories are in the crust.

Use Louisiana citrus in your salads or as a dessert. Raw spinach, satsumas and toasted almonds is just one good combination.

Most traditional Thanksgiving foods not only taste good but are good for you. Just go easy on the other ingredients. Instead of casse-roles, serve vegetables such as sweet potatoes or green beans cooked on their own and lightly seasoned.

Take a few minutes each day to write down something you are thank-ful for. Periodically, look over your list.

The act of thinking about thankful-ness helps to refocus your mind and can have a calming effect.

December – It’s so easy to get caught up in the preparations that we forget to enjoy one of the most beautiful seasons of the year. Cel-ebrate all you have accomplished this year.

When entertaining, set out a tray of mini-desserts instead of the usual slices or servings. It looks very fes-tive, lets guests have better control over how much they eat without calling attention to themselves and al-lows them to sample more than one type of dessert if they choose.

Plan a trip to the mall just to look at the decorations. Many malls open early for walkers. Without the temptation to shop or eat, it’s a good time to get in some exercise and spe-cial time with your kids or grandkids.

Add some red to your green salads with Louisiana strawberries. Depending on the weather, early berries will start coming to market sometime in December.

Nonalcoholic doesn’t necessar-ily mean low calorie. Mix juices with sparkling water to cut the calories in half. To save calories, serve bottled sparkling apple cider or sparkling grape juice in small glasses if you don’t want to pour them over ice.

Gobbler FriesAlthough you may have been cut-

ting back on fried foods, fried turkey can still be on your menu if you remove the skin after frying. Frying seals in the juices, resulting in a moist bird that’s done in a relatively short time without soaking up much of the oil. With kitchen ovens full of other dishes, taking the turkey outside is a plus for the busy hostess.

Louisiana cooks are generally more familiar with frying outdoors than folks in other parts of the coun-try where there have been numerous incidents of fires, skin burns and oth-er problems. To reduce splattering, be sure the turkey is completely thawed,

Wow! Pat yourself on the back. If you have been following us all year, you have made significant changes that will improve your health. Re-search shows that small changes over time are the most lasting. Breaking a major change down into smaller ones is like taking a hike one step at a time. Sometimes the trail is easy, and you move quickly; other times it’s a hard climb, and you’re tempted to turn around. But stay with it, and there’s nothing like the view from the top of the mountain when you reach your goal.

If you haven’t been following us all year but have decided now is the time, numerous resources can help you. The site http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/new_dash.pdf has the information on the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hy-pertension (DASH) program. The site www.mypyramid.gov also has a wide variety of information that can be tailored to your needs. Analyze your diet, track your calories, get menu ideas and learn how to help your children achieve a healthy lifestyle, all on the same site.

The end of the year is a difficult time to make significant changes be-cause there are so many temptations during the holidays, and schedules are full. Be realistic about your goals this time of year. Instead of going on a complete diet makeover, concen-trate on one doable change. Replace one dessert a day with fresh fruit or replace high-calorie, alcoholic drinks with ice water and a squeeze of lime. For some people, an appropriate goal would be to not gain weight during the holidays.

October – This is the beginning of the “sweet season.” But don’t for-get farmers markets have wonderful produce now. Cabbage, kale, mustard, collard and turnip greens, fresh let-tuces, winter squash and of course, pumpkins.

Instead of candy, give out stickers, holiday pencils or plastic cups for trick-or-treat.

Have your children help develop a plan for their trick-or-treat stash.


Living WellInformation and education at your fingertips to help you live well. Brought to you by your family and consumer sciences professionals through the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Newsletter Coordinator:Karen OverstreetFamily & Consumer Sciences School of Human EcologyLouisiana State UniversityBaton Rouge, LA 70803Phone: (225)578-6709E-mail: [email protected]

Or visit our new online store atwww.lsuagcenter.com/onlinestore

Continued from page 2.Just in Time Parenting (2008). Some

five month old babies are easy going and others are difficulty babies. Retrieved 8/31/09 from http://www.extension.org/pages/Some_Five_Month_Old_Babies_are_Easy_Going_and_Others_are_Difficult_Babies.

Ostergreen, C. (2009). What’s your child’s behavior style? Retrieved 8/31/09 from http://www.extension.org/pages/What%E2%80%99s_Your_Child%E2%80%99s_Behavior_Style%3F

and keep everything dry, including drying off the turkey. Water in hot oil is dangerous. If this is your first time frying a turkey, practice lowering it into the pot before you add the oil. Turkeys are heavy and it can be tricky getting it into hot oil.

Most pots require about 5 gal-lons of oil. Peanut is the most popular but canola, safflower or sunflower oils all have high smoke points. Keep the turkey refrigerated while marinating it. Heat the oil to 350 degrees, and dry off any marinade or moisture before lowering into the oil. Allow 3-4 minutes per pound in the hot oil. After removing check with an instant read thermometer. Internal temperature should be 165 degrees in the thickest part of the inner thigh without touching the bone. Let stand for 20 minutes before carving. Turkey, raw or cooked, should never sit at room temperature for longer than two hours.

Beth Reames, PhD, RD, LDN, extension specialist, nutrition

Consider holiday shopping on the Internet, since this involves no gas, and it is easier to bargain shop. Planning ahead also can keep you from making expensive impulse buys at the last minute, which often increase your overall spending.


Family and Consumer SciencesSchool of Human EcologyHuman Ecology Building - LSUBaton Rouge, LA 70803-4301

Living WellOctober – December 2009Volume 4, Issue 4

Family and Consumer SciencesSchool of Human Ecology

Food . Family . Finances

Highlights

Counting All Louisianans ........................................................... 1

Understanding Your Baby’s Temperament ................................ 2

Daddy Playtime is Important for Development ......................... 3

New Safeguards for Gift Cards ................................................... 3

Financial Lessons Learned in 2008-2009 .................................. 4

Keep Your Fires Safe and Cozy .................................................. 4

Yummy Yummy Yams ................................................................... 5

Dashing Through the Year ........................................................... 6

Contact your local AgCenter office for additional information.Visit our Web Site:www.lsuagcenter.com

living well - lsu agcenter€¦ · living well october – september 2009 page 1 october —...

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