January is almost gone and I just realized that February, the “red month”, is just around the corner. February is the heart month not only for Valentine´s Day on Feb 14th but also for the American Heart Month (and the Wear Red Day this Friday 7th). Here in Argentina we don´t have this tradition which is celebrated in the United States every year to increase awareness on women heart disease, the number one killer (more than all type of cancers combined!). The Go Read For Women campaign will celebrate its 10th anniversary this Friday 7th.  The web page of the American Heart Association is now full of resources not only in English but also in Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese. The website has alsoj a very nice interactive library with animated explanation of popular heart topics. The AHA has lots of programs, I love the one that promote Jump Rope for the Heart for kids and adults to increase physical activity.

The AHA recommends these healthy habits to prevent heart disease:

·         Quite smoking

·         Consistent exercise: 30-60 minutes most days of the week

·         Manage stress: check stress management resources

·          Eat healthy: Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, poultry, fish and nuts. Avoid sugary and processed foods and foods high in sodium

Are you ready for this Go Red? You have 9 days to prepare your outfit and remember that offices and buildings can be decorated with red too!

This past weekend we went to Mar del Plata with all the family. Mar del Plata is a beach front city from the Buenos Aires Province and is a classic destination for Argentineans in the summer. This trip brought to me lots of memories from my childhood, specially the typical foods we eat on the beach. These are the 10 foods you don’t want to miss from the Argentinean beach:

1.       Mate: this is an herbal infusion made from Yerba Mate leaves and it´s a must on the beach. You can have it hot or cold (called tereré), or add citrus peel for extra flavor. Even hot it´s a good option to satisfy your thirst. Better without sugar or with calorie free sweetener to save on calories.

2.       Facturas (sweet pastry): I don´t know why but facturas taste better on the beach. Maybe is the water used on the dough or maybe because they sell lots of them I end up buying always fresh and warm from the oven. Croissants or medialunas (sweet or salted), pastries with dulce de leche, with fruit jam or custard cream…delicious..but an important source of saturated fat and sugar. Not healthy at all..How many calories? About 180-200 cal. each one and  medialunas a little less (125 cals)

3.        Churros: one could say that churros are the argentinean  “doughnuts”, because they are made from a fried dough, with sugar and different filllings like dulce de leche (my favourite), chocolate and custard cream. Churros came from the Spanish colonization and they are also traditional in other Latin American countries.  They are made in churrerias (there is one very famous) and sold by beach vendors. How many calories for 1 churro? About 190 (filled with dulce de leche)

4.       Alfajores: these are typical Argentinean sandwich cookies filled with dulce de leche and covered with chocolate. Alfajores from Mar del Plata are the best!  There are also with fruit jam, chocolate mouse, nuts, with sugar frosting, etc. Each alfajor have about  200 calories.

5.       Choclo: choclo is a corn on the cob, very popular on the beach. You can buy it from food stands on the beach or from walking corn vendors. We eat them just with salt and butter. (175 calories each). At least it´s a veggie with lots of fiber and vitamins.  

6.       Sandwichs: the most typical sándwich is made with sliced bread with ham and cheese or milanesa sandwich (milanesa is a thin steak breaded and fried). Many people made sandwichs at home. Here we have to be careful with food safety and make sure that cold food stays cold using an appropriate insulated container. This option is healthier if we use whole wheat bread, low fat cheeses and meats and adding vegetables like lettuce, tomato, arugula, avocado, etc.  

7.       Ice cream: beach vendors offer ice cream screaming: “heladoooo, palito, bombón heladoooooo” (meaning ice cream, stick ice cream). And most people can´t resist to that call. Specially kids! Stick to sorbets, which are a better option compared with creamy ice cream.

8.       Sodas and water: with the extreme hot weather we are having the bottles don´t last much and soft drink vendors are everywhere. They are much costly on the beach than on the grocery store. Stay with water or sugar free sodas.

9.       Fruit: it´s very common to see fresh frui t or fruit salads on the beach. Again, here we have to be careful with food safety as cut fruit have lots of manipulation and hot temps turn that “healthy “fruit salad in a risky food. It would be better to bring your own whole fruit or make sure that the fruit salad was always cold.

10.   Barquillos: this sweet snack is another food from Spanish heritage. It is a thin dough like a biscuit with a ship (barco) kind of shape. Usually barquilleros are the food vendors, but you don´t see them often these days. Each one has 120 calories.

As you can see, it´s easy to put up some weight during summer vacations.

So, on the beach we should try to eat:

·         Varied sandwiches  (with whole wheat bread, vegetables, low fat meats and cheeses) light vegetable quiches (tartas) or salads (with greens, tomatoes, whole rice, low fat meats, egg, etc)

·         For dessert: fresh seasonal fruit, fruit salad, fruit sorbets

·         Drink plenty of water!

·         And for afternoon snack (merienda) lots of sugar free mate with 1 medialuna or 5 crackers or bread sticks or 1 alfajor once and then.  

Important! Make sure to keep cold foods cold when you bring food to the beach.  

Moderation is key as well as physical activity on the beach like walking, volleyball, soccer, etc. Exercise keeps us busy and is good for you!

What is your favorite food to eat on the beach?

The other day I came across to a survey made by careercast.com where “Dietitian” ranked number 6 in the less stressful jobs. Would you agree? The first thing I thought was: It will vary according to where in the world you work and your job setting. Dietitian´s career is too wide. Working as a food manager with more than 50 people in charge in a US hospital is very different from the RD that works on the clinic in Panamá or the RD that works on patient education in Angola or the one that works on the media in Venezuela. After working both in the US and in Argentina, I would say that working in Argentina is much more stressful. The health system in general is less organized, there is much paperwork to do (lack of assistants and no DTRs) and there might be a lack of protocols (and if they exist people not always follow them).

Going back to the report, 11 aspects were taken into account to measure stress of 200 different careers. Those aspects were:

·         Travel (the more travel, the higher the stress)
·         Growth potential (dead-end jobs tend to create more stress)
·         Deadlines
·         Working in the public eye
·         Competitiveness within the organization
·         Physical demands
·         Environmental conditions
·         Own life at risk
·         Hazards encountered
·         Meeting the public
·         Life of another is at risk

The ranking of the less stressful jobs was:
10. Drill press operator
9. Multimedia artist
8. Librarian
7. Medical records technician
6. Dietitian
5. Seamstress or tailor
4. Tenured university professor
3. Jeweler
2. Hair stylist
1. Audiologist

And the top ten more stressful careers was:
10. Taxi driver
9. Police officer
8. Newspaper reporter
7. Senior corporate executive 
6. Public relations executive
5. Event coordinator
4. Airline pilot
3. Firefighter
2. Military general 
1. Enlisted military personnel

The lists are kind of weird and can be criticized. I think that all careers have their own challenges and job stress depends much on where you work. And, definitely Dietitian is a challenging profession and I like that in some way. If we analyze the report´s 11 aspects, we usually have deadlines and work in the public eye. There is also certain competitiveness (e.g, other professionals) and dealing with people health problems, working with them to change habits is not a very relaxed task!  Don´t you think?

Romina