By Susan Hecht, R.N.
I am employed by Saint Francis Hospital and Health Centers as the Rehabilitation Nursing Liaison for the Comprehensive Integrated Rehabilitation Program and recently I’ve been out in the community speaking with patients and their families about the services we offer on our Rehab Unit.
Some were surprised to hear the variety of services we offer, but others know all about us, as you can see through such comments as:
“I want to send special thanks to everyone who took such special care of me at Saint Francis Hospital”… “Saint Francis Rehab was great – showing me the things I needed to be able to care for myself at home”…“Everyone is wonderful. They were always there when you needed them.”
“The staff on the Rehabilitation Unit is wonderful. The caring, expert staff provided excellent care and taught me how to get back on my feet and begin my recovery”… “I wish to express a heartfelt appreciation for the kindness and excellent care I received. The sensitivity and support of your fine staff 24 hours a day, 7 days a week helped us through what was a difficult time following my surgery.”
And, “Express our appreciation to the staff for going ABOVE and BEYOND the call of duty everyday.”
The Rehabilitation Center at Saint Francis Hospital started in 1978. It was the first hospital rehab facility serving patients 18 and older between Albany and New York City. Our patients come from all over the mid-Hudson Region to our 26 bed facility, accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.
Patients served include, but are not limited to, stroke, major multiple trauma, neurological disorders, polyarthritis, fracture of femur, spinal cord injuries, bilateral joint replacement, and brain injury.
Among the services offered are: 24-hour nursing care, staff physiatrist, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, pet therapy, rehab neuropsychology, and social work.
Saint Francis Hospital’s success in providing an exceptional rehabilitation program is critical to improving quality of life and returning patients to the home setting. In fact, last year 85 percent of our patients returned home after treatment. We’re proud of the work we do and are pleased to share this information with you.
For more information feel free to call me at 845-483-5164.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Technological Advancements in Home Care
By Dana Pavelock,
Dir., Home Care Operations
One of the most challenging issues faced by the aging population and family caregivers is how to insure they are safe at home alone or when 24-hour home care or live-in services may not be a viable option. Thanks to technological advancements there are many excellent products available geared toward electronically managing one’s health, insuring medications are taken properly as ordered by the physician and emergency alert systems that provide the necessary measures to promote independence while at the same time providing peace of mind for family members or caregivers.
Imagine the peace of mind provided to a family caregiver when told that we have the technology allowing us to monitor patient care 7 days a week by use of a tele-monitoring service. Imagine the sense of security to the patient or family member when we can demonstrate that in many cases, use of tele-monitoring reduces re-hospitalizations and emergency room visits anywhere from 40 percent to75 percent. Imagine the sense of independence and privacy one can continue to enjoy by use of this easy-to-use technology.
Basic tele-monitoring programs involve placement of very sophisticated FDA-approved monitoring devices in the home (by doctor’s order) that patients are easily trained to use. Within 4 minutes, a basic monitoring device can check weight, blood pressure, heart rates and blood oxygen levels and automatically transmits that information to a tele-health nurse who reviews the reports and responds accordingly. In cases where the test results are beyond the parameters set by the doctor, the nurse will provide an intervention, sometimes as simple as contacting a doctor and facilitating a medication change or, perhaps scheduling a nursing visit for further assessment. More sophisticated devices are capable of adding peripherals to monitor glucose, peak flow, PT/INR, ECG and temperature. Some Medicare-certified home care agencies offer this service free of charges as part of their overall care plan. Licensed agencies may offer private pay models focusing more on a wellness model.
Having difficulty managing those medications? Tired of filling those pillboxes only to find that there are continuous issues of under or over medicating happening in the home? Nearly 30 percent of hospital admissions, 40 percent of skilled nursing home placements, and approximately 125,000 deaths occur each year because patients are unable to manage their medications at home. Fortunately, new technology has been revolutionizing ways to effectively manage and monitor medication compliance in the home setting.
Our preference, the MD-2 Personal Medication System is a viable solution for individuals who have trouble remembering, organizing or taking their medications. The system works well for individuals who experience forgetfulness or who may be likely to take too much, too little or perhaps even the wrong medication. This device simplifies medication organization and delivery so that oral medication dosages will be taken on-time and as prescribed. The unit can hold up to 60 doses of medication (each dose holding up to 25 pills), can be programmed to deliver up to 6 doses per day and uses voice, tone and flashing lights to remind the patient to take their medication. When medication schedules are twice daily, the system can store a 30 day supply of medications. It also can be programmed to give specific verbal and text reminders to take or apply non-oral medications, to take with food etc. In the event the individual doesn’t respond to the prompt, after an hour and a half of reminders every minute, the unit will automatically shift the missed dose to a storage chamber in the unit and alert up to four caregivers that the user has missed a dose. Lastly, the monitoring service notifies caregivers when medications are running low and needs to be refilled.
Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS) have been around for years and probably the most popular systems used in the home, but in my opinion under-utilized. These units are also attached to the home phone line and by use of a panic button (often set up on a pendant or wrist bracelet) which when pressed dials an emergency response center that first calls the home to verify the emergency and then dispatches emergency responders. At minimum, I would suggest anyone living at home alone that is frail, has an unsteady gait or is at risk of falls seriously consider a PERS system. The cost is usually just a little more than $1 a day. Most devices now have a 2-way voice feature allowing a patient to communicate even when they are far from the unit.
We have only begun to see the very beginning of a very exciting time with regard to all the new technology that will be continued to be developed allowing our ever-growing aging population to remain living safely at home, empower people to manage their own care, improve overall quality of life and give them the therapeutic advantages of better health and well-being while promoting more independence. There are different products available and various agencies that offer some or all of these new technology devices. Contacting your local Office for the Aging is a good first step.
Dir., Home Care Operations
One of the most challenging issues faced by the aging population and family caregivers is how to insure they are safe at home alone or when 24-hour home care or live-in services may not be a viable option. Thanks to technological advancements there are many excellent products available geared toward electronically managing one’s health, insuring medications are taken properly as ordered by the physician and emergency alert systems that provide the necessary measures to promote independence while at the same time providing peace of mind for family members or caregivers.
Imagine the peace of mind provided to a family caregiver when told that we have the technology allowing us to monitor patient care 7 days a week by use of a tele-monitoring service. Imagine the sense of security to the patient or family member when we can demonstrate that in many cases, use of tele-monitoring reduces re-hospitalizations and emergency room visits anywhere from 40 percent to75 percent. Imagine the sense of independence and privacy one can continue to enjoy by use of this easy-to-use technology.
Basic tele-monitoring programs involve placement of very sophisticated FDA-approved monitoring devices in the home (by doctor’s order) that patients are easily trained to use. Within 4 minutes, a basic monitoring device can check weight, blood pressure, heart rates and blood oxygen levels and automatically transmits that information to a tele-health nurse who reviews the reports and responds accordingly. In cases where the test results are beyond the parameters set by the doctor, the nurse will provide an intervention, sometimes as simple as contacting a doctor and facilitating a medication change or, perhaps scheduling a nursing visit for further assessment. More sophisticated devices are capable of adding peripherals to monitor glucose, peak flow, PT/INR, ECG and temperature. Some Medicare-certified home care agencies offer this service free of charges as part of their overall care plan. Licensed agencies may offer private pay models focusing more on a wellness model.
Having difficulty managing those medications? Tired of filling those pillboxes only to find that there are continuous issues of under or over medicating happening in the home? Nearly 30 percent of hospital admissions, 40 percent of skilled nursing home placements, and approximately 125,000 deaths occur each year because patients are unable to manage their medications at home. Fortunately, new technology has been revolutionizing ways to effectively manage and monitor medication compliance in the home setting.
Our preference, the MD-2 Personal Medication System is a viable solution for individuals who have trouble remembering, organizing or taking their medications. The system works well for individuals who experience forgetfulness or who may be likely to take too much, too little or perhaps even the wrong medication. This device simplifies medication organization and delivery so that oral medication dosages will be taken on-time and as prescribed. The unit can hold up to 60 doses of medication (each dose holding up to 25 pills), can be programmed to deliver up to 6 doses per day and uses voice, tone and flashing lights to remind the patient to take their medication. When medication schedules are twice daily, the system can store a 30 day supply of medications. It also can be programmed to give specific verbal and text reminders to take or apply non-oral medications, to take with food etc. In the event the individual doesn’t respond to the prompt, after an hour and a half of reminders every minute, the unit will automatically shift the missed dose to a storage chamber in the unit and alert up to four caregivers that the user has missed a dose. Lastly, the monitoring service notifies caregivers when medications are running low and needs to be refilled.
Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS) have been around for years and probably the most popular systems used in the home, but in my opinion under-utilized. These units are also attached to the home phone line and by use of a panic button (often set up on a pendant or wrist bracelet) which when pressed dials an emergency response center that first calls the home to verify the emergency and then dispatches emergency responders. At minimum, I would suggest anyone living at home alone that is frail, has an unsteady gait or is at risk of falls seriously consider a PERS system. The cost is usually just a little more than $1 a day. Most devices now have a 2-way voice feature allowing a patient to communicate even when they are far from the unit.
We have only begun to see the very beginning of a very exciting time with regard to all the new technology that will be continued to be developed allowing our ever-growing aging population to remain living safely at home, empower people to manage their own care, improve overall quality of life and give them the therapeutic advantages of better health and well-being while promoting more independence. There are different products available and various agencies that offer some or all of these new technology devices. Contacting your local Office for the Aging is a good first step.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
A Trauma Surgeon's New Year Wishes
By Cynthia Leslie, MD, FACS
Director, Trauma Services
A lot of people make resolutions for the New Year, but very few of us keep them. This year I’d like to do something different by making wishes, and hopefully resolutions, for the many people who I do not want to treat as traumatically injured patients at Saint Francis Hospital’s Trauma Center. My hope is that a shared awareness of the devastation of traumatic injury will motivate all of us to do something to end the ongoing cycle of injury and death.
Let’s resolve to:
1.) Not run yellow and red lights
2.) Be more aware of the vulnerability of the many pedestrians who share our streets and roadways
3.) Slow down and respect the rights of other drivers
4.) Put down our cell phones and drive with two hands and a dedicated brain
5.) Never attempt to text message while driving
6.) Stop driving cars as though they were Nintendo games
7.) Stop the cycle of elderly car crashes by driving senior citizens to where they need to go
8.) Check on elderly neighbors regularly and often
9.) Stop drinking and driving
10.) Buckle up every single time – even in the back seat
11.) Always use a designated driver
12.) Drive with our brains and not our hormones
13.) Stop the road rage
14.) Drive defensively
15.) Think critically
16.) Stop the stupidity
17.) Temper the anger
18.) Enjoy the moment
19.) Remember that everything you do affects someone else for good or bad
20.) Always respect and protect women and children
21.) Do unto others as you would have others do unto you
22.) Tell your loved ones how much you love them, regularly and often
23.) Live as well as you can and as fully as you can because life is short and
24.) Remember that Death Is Forever.
These are my wishes for the New Year. Peace, love and safety to you and yours.
Sincerely,
Cynthia Leslie MD
Director of Trauma
Saint Francis Hospital
Poughkeepsie, NY
Director, Trauma Services
A lot of people make resolutions for the New Year, but very few of us keep them. This year I’d like to do something different by making wishes, and hopefully resolutions, for the many people who I do not want to treat as traumatically injured patients at Saint Francis Hospital’s Trauma Center. My hope is that a shared awareness of the devastation of traumatic injury will motivate all of us to do something to end the ongoing cycle of injury and death.
Let’s resolve to:
1.) Not run yellow and red lights
2.) Be more aware of the vulnerability of the many pedestrians who share our streets and roadways
3.) Slow down and respect the rights of other drivers
4.) Put down our cell phones and drive with two hands and a dedicated brain
5.) Never attempt to text message while driving
6.) Stop driving cars as though they were Nintendo games
7.) Stop the cycle of elderly car crashes by driving senior citizens to where they need to go
8.) Check on elderly neighbors regularly and often
9.) Stop drinking and driving
10.) Buckle up every single time – even in the back seat
11.) Always use a designated driver
12.) Drive with our brains and not our hormones
13.) Stop the road rage
14.) Drive defensively
15.) Think critically
16.) Stop the stupidity
17.) Temper the anger
18.) Enjoy the moment
19.) Remember that everything you do affects someone else for good or bad
20.) Always respect and protect women and children
21.) Do unto others as you would have others do unto you
22.) Tell your loved ones how much you love them, regularly and often
23.) Live as well as you can and as fully as you can because life is short and
24.) Remember that Death Is Forever.
These are my wishes for the New Year. Peace, love and safety to you and yours.
Sincerely,
Cynthia Leslie MD
Director of Trauma
Saint Francis Hospital
Poughkeepsie, NY
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Break the Fast and Eat Breakfast
By Sarah Daubman, RD
Staff Dietician
I heard in the news recently that January is “Resolve to Eat Breakfast Month.” Working in the dietetics field, I often have patients, friends and family admit to me that they do not eat breakfast. The most popular excuse is that they don’t have time. Others mistakenly think that skipping breakfast will help with weight loss goals.
It appears that they are not alone, however, given that someone decided to dedicate the whole month of January to improving our morning meal.
General Mills, a company whose business is breakfast, surveyed a group and found that only 48 percent of those aged 25-54 report eating breakfast every day. Children aged 6-11 did better, as 76 percent of those questioned ate daily breakfast.
In my opinion, breakfast IS the most important meal of the day.
Contrary to belief, eating breakfast can actually help people lose weight and keep it off. When you skip breakfast, aren’t you “starving” by lunch time? If you are like me, I’m often tempted to eat the first food I see when I am very hungry. Eating breakfast is a means to prevent you from making poor food choices and overeating later in the day.
Not convinced? Consider this: When you skip breakfast your body thinks you are fasting, thereby conserving energy and lowering your metabolism until you eat again. This means you are burning fewer calories and weight loss is less likely. Encouraging children to eat breakfast is just as important. Like adults, children who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight. Additionally, they perform better at school and are less likely to be tardy or absent.
So, what’s the ideal breakfast? Your best breakfast will include a whole grain, a lean protein choice (such as low fat dairy, soymilk, egg whites or substitutes or a lean meat), fruit and, if desired, a serving of a healthy fat. An example would be whole wheat toast with peanut butter, half a banana and a cup of 1 percent milk.
Encourage your children to east breakfast by setting a good example. Kids may enjoy low fat chocolate milk boxes, fruit cups, open face peanut butter sandwiches with raisins or apples, or yogurt smoothies. Want to see how your breakfast adds up? Check out the Breakfast Calculator at www.breakfastresearchinsitute.org and happy eating.
Staff Dietician
I heard in the news recently that January is “Resolve to Eat Breakfast Month.” Working in the dietetics field, I often have patients, friends and family admit to me that they do not eat breakfast. The most popular excuse is that they don’t have time. Others mistakenly think that skipping breakfast will help with weight loss goals.
It appears that they are not alone, however, given that someone decided to dedicate the whole month of January to improving our morning meal.
General Mills, a company whose business is breakfast, surveyed a group and found that only 48 percent of those aged 25-54 report eating breakfast every day. Children aged 6-11 did better, as 76 percent of those questioned ate daily breakfast.
In my opinion, breakfast IS the most important meal of the day.
Contrary to belief, eating breakfast can actually help people lose weight and keep it off. When you skip breakfast, aren’t you “starving” by lunch time? If you are like me, I’m often tempted to eat the first food I see when I am very hungry. Eating breakfast is a means to prevent you from making poor food choices and overeating later in the day.
Not convinced? Consider this: When you skip breakfast your body thinks you are fasting, thereby conserving energy and lowering your metabolism until you eat again. This means you are burning fewer calories and weight loss is less likely. Encouraging children to eat breakfast is just as important. Like adults, children who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight. Additionally, they perform better at school and are less likely to be tardy or absent.
So, what’s the ideal breakfast? Your best breakfast will include a whole grain, a lean protein choice (such as low fat dairy, soymilk, egg whites or substitutes or a lean meat), fruit and, if desired, a serving of a healthy fat. An example would be whole wheat toast with peanut butter, half a banana and a cup of 1 percent milk.
Encourage your children to east breakfast by setting a good example. Kids may enjoy low fat chocolate milk boxes, fruit cups, open face peanut butter sandwiches with raisins or apples, or yogurt smoothies. Want to see how your breakfast adds up? Check out the Breakfast Calculator at www.breakfastresearchinsitute.org and happy eating.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Home Care Nurses Wear Many Hats
By Dana Pavelock
Director of Home Care Operations
It seems like every week our agency receives calls and letter praising the care provided by our nursing staff. Our Medicare Certified Home Health Agency (CHHA) maintains an active census of approximately 350 patients. Over the years, meeting their needs has become more complex as new technology and medical equipment make it possible for people to remain at home rather than in skilled nursing facilities. Let’s face it – very few people actually plan for accessing home care services but when suddenly faced with a significant medical issue that justifies these services nearly 100 percent of all patients served in home care are most satisfied with the services they received.
Granted, accessing that service when it is paid for through Medicare, Medicaid or commercial insurance makes the service that much more value added, but the real reason the experience is so positive is largely due to the nurses that deliver the care. In fact, many patients and family members clearly recognize the value of this service and often choose to continue to pay for private home care services long after Medicare or insurance is no longer willing to pay.
Nurses who work for a CHHA certainly wear many, many hats. They may be handling intake calls and initial home care assessments in addition to visiting their scheduled patients. Their skilled nursing includes cardiac and general systems assessment, wound care, medication management and significant patient and family teaching on how to manage new diagnoses. Supervision of the aides is part of their day as well, with other free time spent driving, working behind the scenes providing case management services, coordinating patient care and preparation for discharge. Last, but not least – there continues to be a lot of paperwork required by our regulatory bodies such as the state Department of Health. Obviously, individuals enter the field of nursing due to their desire to be nurturing skilled caregivers and to improve quality of life to whomever they serve. Fortunately for those that currently need home care services, these nurses have an untiring commitment to providing exceptional skilled care, great customer service and are able to provide care to throughout all areas of Dutchess County.
CHHA nursing services vary from agency to agency, each usually offering certain areas of specialized skilled nursing care and programs. For example, our agency is well known for the specialists we employ that provide ostomy, wound, cancer and psychiatric home care. Additionally, our nurses with specialized cardiac care training manage patient’s health daily via a combination of routine home care visits and through use of computerized Tele-Health Monitoring.
The starting point in accessing services from a CHHA is generally with obtaining an order from your treating physician or contacting the home care agency directly and presenting your circumstances to an intake worker who will help you navigate through the system. Most agencies will consult with the physician and obtain a script for an assessment to be completed. One of the primary criteria to receive in-home skilled nursing care the patient must be considered “homebound,” requiring assistance to be able to get in or out of the house due to a medical condition (decreased balance, endurance and difficulty walking do to some musculoskeletal or neurological deficits etc.)
The patient assessment is very comprehensive and a home safety evaluation will review various safety hazards to insure that the care needs can be delivered. Once an assessment is completed a nurse will create a plan of care in collaboration with your treating physician and other caregivers with the end goal helping bring you back to your prior level of functioning before your illness. Generally Medicare and some long term or private insurance will also authorize a Home Health Aide as an extension of the skilled services being provided. Aides are oriented and supervised by the nurse, to assist the patient with their personal care needs and/or exercise programs.
Director of Home Care Operations
It seems like every week our agency receives calls and letter praising the care provided by our nursing staff. Our Medicare Certified Home Health Agency (CHHA) maintains an active census of approximately 350 patients. Over the years, meeting their needs has become more complex as new technology and medical equipment make it possible for people to remain at home rather than in skilled nursing facilities. Let’s face it – very few people actually plan for accessing home care services but when suddenly faced with a significant medical issue that justifies these services nearly 100 percent of all patients served in home care are most satisfied with the services they received.
Granted, accessing that service when it is paid for through Medicare, Medicaid or commercial insurance makes the service that much more value added, but the real reason the experience is so positive is largely due to the nurses that deliver the care. In fact, many patients and family members clearly recognize the value of this service and often choose to continue to pay for private home care services long after Medicare or insurance is no longer willing to pay.
Nurses who work for a CHHA certainly wear many, many hats. They may be handling intake calls and initial home care assessments in addition to visiting their scheduled patients. Their skilled nursing includes cardiac and general systems assessment, wound care, medication management and significant patient and family teaching on how to manage new diagnoses. Supervision of the aides is part of their day as well, with other free time spent driving, working behind the scenes providing case management services, coordinating patient care and preparation for discharge. Last, but not least – there continues to be a lot of paperwork required by our regulatory bodies such as the state Department of Health. Obviously, individuals enter the field of nursing due to their desire to be nurturing skilled caregivers and to improve quality of life to whomever they serve. Fortunately for those that currently need home care services, these nurses have an untiring commitment to providing exceptional skilled care, great customer service and are able to provide care to throughout all areas of Dutchess County.
CHHA nursing services vary from agency to agency, each usually offering certain areas of specialized skilled nursing care and programs. For example, our agency is well known for the specialists we employ that provide ostomy, wound, cancer and psychiatric home care. Additionally, our nurses with specialized cardiac care training manage patient’s health daily via a combination of routine home care visits and through use of computerized Tele-Health Monitoring.
The starting point in accessing services from a CHHA is generally with obtaining an order from your treating physician or contacting the home care agency directly and presenting your circumstances to an intake worker who will help you navigate through the system. Most agencies will consult with the physician and obtain a script for an assessment to be completed. One of the primary criteria to receive in-home skilled nursing care the patient must be considered “homebound,” requiring assistance to be able to get in or out of the house due to a medical condition (decreased balance, endurance and difficulty walking do to some musculoskeletal or neurological deficits etc.)
The patient assessment is very comprehensive and a home safety evaluation will review various safety hazards to insure that the care needs can be delivered. Once an assessment is completed a nurse will create a plan of care in collaboration with your treating physician and other caregivers with the end goal helping bring you back to your prior level of functioning before your illness. Generally Medicare and some long term or private insurance will also authorize a Home Health Aide as an extension of the skilled services being provided. Aides are oriented and supervised by the nurse, to assist the patient with their personal care needs and/or exercise programs.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Dietary Fiber and Heart Disease
By Joanne Chaconis, RD
Chief Clinical Dietician
The ribbon cutting ceremony for our Charles and Mabel E. Conklin Diagnostic Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory takes place Jan. 4 and I thought that this blog would be timely.
Of course the right type and amount of fat plays an important preventive role in heart disease, as well, and that topic will be addressed separately at another time.
Fiber may not always come to mind when one thinks of the fight against heart disease. However; fiber, the part of plant foods that cannot be digested by the body, can help prevent heart disease in the following ways:
1.) Lower high blood cholesterol. The fiber in beans, oats and barley can help to lower serum cholesterol in some people.
2.) Lower blood pressure. Research shows that high fiber foods can help lower blood pressure because these foods are often lower in fat and calories. Blood pressure rises when arteries become clogged due to high blood cholesterol.
3.) Prevents obesity. Fiber rich foods make you feel fuller sooner so that you eat less. Plus, the added bulk makes you feel fuller longer.
An adequate daily amount of fiber is 25-35 grams per day. Here are some tips to insure an adequate intake:
* Eat at least 2 cups of fresh fruits and 2 1/2 cups of fresh vegetables daily.
* Add thawed, frozen vegetables to soups, pasta and sauces.
* Serve your lean meats, poultry or fish over steamed vegetables.
* When ordering pizza, select vegetables such as broccoli or green peppers for toppings.
* Snack on whole grain cereal and dry roasted nuts.
If you have not been used to eating an adequate amount of fiber in your diet, slowly introduce more on a daily basis. Eating too much at one time can result in abdominal discomfort (to put it mildly ! ) .
More info can be found by logging onto www.nationalfibercouncil.org
Chief Clinical Dietician
The ribbon cutting ceremony for our Charles and Mabel E. Conklin Diagnostic Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory takes place Jan. 4 and I thought that this blog would be timely.
Of course the right type and amount of fat plays an important preventive role in heart disease, as well, and that topic will be addressed separately at another time.
Fiber may not always come to mind when one thinks of the fight against heart disease. However; fiber, the part of plant foods that cannot be digested by the body, can help prevent heart disease in the following ways:
1.) Lower high blood cholesterol. The fiber in beans, oats and barley can help to lower serum cholesterol in some people.
2.) Lower blood pressure. Research shows that high fiber foods can help lower blood pressure because these foods are often lower in fat and calories. Blood pressure rises when arteries become clogged due to high blood cholesterol.
3.) Prevents obesity. Fiber rich foods make you feel fuller sooner so that you eat less. Plus, the added bulk makes you feel fuller longer.
An adequate daily amount of fiber is 25-35 grams per day. Here are some tips to insure an adequate intake:
* Eat at least 2 cups of fresh fruits and 2 1/2 cups of fresh vegetables daily.
* Add thawed, frozen vegetables to soups, pasta and sauces.
* Serve your lean meats, poultry or fish over steamed vegetables.
* When ordering pizza, select vegetables such as broccoli or green peppers for toppings.
* Snack on whole grain cereal and dry roasted nuts.
If you have not been used to eating an adequate amount of fiber in your diet, slowly introduce more on a daily basis. Eating too much at one time can result in abdominal discomfort (to put it mildly ! ) .
More info can be found by logging onto www.nationalfibercouncil.org
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