Health tab, spring 2014

communityhealthmagazine.com | spring 2014

the new face of

farming

How you can connect with local produce and the people who grow it

how your pet can save a life through blood donation Above: This Godfrey, Ill.,

Better sleep positions for optimal health

family take pride in growing and selling fresh fruits and veggies at La Vista CSA Farm

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EATS

Think Outside the Plate Encourage kids with autism to overcome food dislikes and anxieties By Paige Fumo Fox

A family dinner—whether it’s around the kitchen table or in a restaurant—comes with its own set of challenges, with spilled drinks and spitballs flying across the table. But it can be even tougher to manage when a child has autism, and tends to be an especially selective eater.

Emily Kuschner is a psychologist with Center for Autism Research at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She is currently testing a method she developed to help children with autism ages 8 to 12 to overcome food anxieties and dislikes. Eating is a socially important issue, and these extreme sensitivities can affect how much children enjoy experiences. Think of a child who can’t stand frosting or pizza going to a friend’s birthday party. Or everyone getting excited to order at a restaurant, and a child grossed out by the menu.

“One of the biggest reasons I got into this was that I had a lot of parents saying, ‘I just want to go out to dinner,’” Kuschner says. “It has a huge social and family impact.”

It’s OK to play with food Research shows sensory issues and anxiety about new experiences make it hard for children with autism to enjoy a variety of foods, not to mention maintain a good diet.

“Being picky about food is pretty common in 2- to 5-year-olds,” Kuschner says. “But in kids with autism spectrum disorder, it persists.”

Parents should first talk with their pediatrician to rule out medical issues. A child could be avoiding certain foods because an allergy or intolerance causes cramps every time he eats it.

“The best way to treat anxiety is by exposure,” Kuschner says.

Put the food on the table without asking the child to eat it. Find ways to play with it. Spaghetti sauce and applesauce make great finger

quick tip To help a kid with autism overcome food anxiety, let them play with their food to become more familiar with it.

Spaghetti sauce and applesauce make great finger paints.

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One of the biggest reasons I got into this was that I had a lot of parents saying, ‘I just want to go out to dinner.’

Psychologist Emily Kuschner Center for Autism Research

paints, she says. Ask him to try blending a small amount of a new food with something he already likes. Or make subtle changes, such as switching from Honey Nut Cheerios to Multigrain Cheerios.

Parents seeking support can find books that focus on methods to expand children’s food preferences. Kuschner says pediatricians can also recommend a psychologist or an occupational therapist who specializes in eating-related issues.

Be balanced and honest Beyond the social and emotional benefits, helping a kid with autism overcome food dislikes makes it easier to eat a healthy diet.

“General research shows iron, vitamin D, calcium and fiber are the big nutrients typically

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missing from diets of kids with autism,” says Shawn Tobin, a pediatric dietitian at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Tobin helps parents evaluate their children’s diets, and brainstorms to find foods that will be tolerated by kids, to meet their nutritional needs.

When your child isn’t eating, you may be tempted to let him eat whatever and whenever he wants. But Tobin advises parents to keep a “good meal structure” of three meals and two to three snacks per day. Don’t let them eat constantly, he says, because leads to overeating and unhealthy weight gain.

And don’t fool kids by sneaking healthy foods into a favorite snack. It might backfire, Kuschner says, if you blend broccoli into a smoothie and confess afterward.

“We want to help kids (get over their distastes),” she says.

If you tell them they’ve been tricked into eating something, “they’ll never trust you and still probably say they hate it. The more empowerment they feel, the more headway they’ll make,” Kuschner says.

Assume the Position 3

MEN

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Relieve heartburn, back pain and allergies with a new sleep setup

By Kevin Carlson

A new year brings renewed hope for healthier days. If you truly want a better tomorrow, start with tonight. Make a resolution most of us never dream about: Get solid sleep, and plenty of it.

We know a good night’s rest helps you think clearly and have a better attitude. But the effects of poor sleep have been linked to depression, obesity, stress, and even suicide.

“Sufficient sleep is necessary for both psychological and physical health,” says Terry Cralle, of the Better Sleep Council in Alexandria, Va. Stiff neck, back pain Worst position: On your stomach.

It puts pressure on the stomach, and also causes unnecessary stress on the joints, soft tissues and muscles of your upper back and neck, says sleep specialist Michael Breus, known online as The Sleep Doctor.

“Sleeping on your back is often the best position, since you are able to distribute your weight evenly across the skeletal frame,” Breus says. “A pillow is a critical component to overall neck and back support.”

Snooze solution: Lay flat on your back, with a pillow under your knees to prevent back arching. Also, be sure to have a supportive pillow under your head. “For neck pain especially, use a pillow that is as thick as the space between your neck and shoulder, so your head and neck are supported in a neutral position,” Cralle says.

Sinus pain, allergies Worst position: On your back or stomach.

Research shows these positions can cause the mouth to fall open during the night, hardening mucus and keeping you congested.

Snooze solution: Lay on your side, propping your head up on several pillows to open up sinus passages. Also, change sheets and pillowcases frequently to avoid allergen exposures.

Heartburn Worst position: On your back. This makes it easier for stomach acid to travel to your esophagus.

Snooze solution: Elevate the upper half of your body with a large pillow, or sleep on your left side to keep your esophagus above your stomach.

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EasyPickings As people crave local lettuce and radishes from down the road, CSAs and farmers markets are popping up on Main Streets across the country.

Find out how to get your hands on all these fruits and veggies, and what to do with it all.

By Kirsten Srinivasan photos by chris malacarne

Before semi-trucks and interstate highways, before trade treaties and cargo ships, people ate food that came from much closer to where they lived.

Then—because we could—we got excited to buy bananas from Costa Rica and avocados from California. And while we still love to eat these more exotic treats, a growing number of people prefer produce that was grown near their home.

Driven by a desire for healthier food that leaves less of an impact on the environment, farmers markets and produce subscriptions are spreading like sweet potato vine.

Food that travels thousands of miles to reach its destination has environmental implications, says Jamie Aramini, founder of Sustainable Kentucky, a blog about local food choices.

“There’s a huge, huge carbon footprint from food in the grocery store,” says Aramini, a locavore—someone who eats foods grown locally whenever possible.

There are a bushel of reasons to eat locally, she says, and it’s not just to be part of a trend.

“First, the health reasons. The food is fresher, and it’s often more flavorful because producers can grow varieties (that might not be ideal) for shipping,” she says. “Also, economically—when you buy local food, a lot more money stays in the local economy.”

“Local food restores our sense of community because you get to know the people who grow your food. My greatest friends are the people who grow my food. I think it definitely builds stronger economies and communities, if we refocus our energies to buying as much locally as we can.”

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Everyone saves green Consumers are learning they don’t have to sacrifice price or convenience to eat a diet abounding with local produce.

Many are signing up with CSAs, a system of prepaid subscriptions to a farm’s produce for the season. Vegetables, herbs and fruits are bundled for a subscriber, and then delivered directly to their home or office, or set aside for them to pick up.

“We like to think that through our CSA, we save the local consumer 40% compared to if they were buying in the grocery store,” says Urbie West, a fifth-generation farmer from Pinckney’s Produce, a CSA provided by Rest Park Farm in Beaufort, S.C.

This system of growing and selling also makes financial sense for farmers. West says his CSA program helps keep his costs low. His family’s farm closed down in the 1980s after 100 years of operation, but it was able to reopen as a CSA. “We used to grow 1,000 acres of vegetables. Now, it’s 45,” he says. “We were the biggest truck farm on the East Coast at one time. With the cost of fuel and labor and getting the crop out, (running as a farm) was no longer viable.”

Farmers also create less waste by operating as a CSA, he says. Because the shares are bought in advance, he can plan what he plants and know it’s destined for a kitchen.

“We know what to grow, and how much to grow,” West says. “We know before the first seed is in the ground that

we are growing for 800 families.”

Customers might think they’re taking a bigger gamble, since they’re buying food that doesn’t even exist yet. Bad crops happen, and they don’t know exactly what veggies they’ll get. But West says if they can stay flexible, they ultimately save, too. They will get higher-quality food, and their produce will have taken a much shorter trip to their kitchen.

“It’s not shipped around to different distribution centers,” West says. “It can be on your table within 24 hours of being harvested. All the nutrients are right there, and the produce lasts longer, weeks longer in the refrigerator.

In the supermarket, you don’t get the shelf life we provide.”

We like to think that through our CSA, we save the local consumer 40% compared to if they were buying in the grocery store.

Farmer Urbie West

Clean up your act In a time when people love checking food labels, local produce fits right in. When you know where your food comes from and who grew it, you can feel better about what you buy.

“Our customers are able to know what we are doing with the product,” West says.

Shoppers can learn about how farmers grow and harvest crops, and even connect with other reliable food sources in the area. And more people are asking questions, says Aramini, who is also the founder of Market on Main, a farmers market in Somerset, Ky. “We’ve become distrustful of product labeling,” she says.

“Unless we see it for ourselves, we can’t necessarily know how it was raised or treated or packaged.”

Pesticides are among the top concerns of locavores, as many large and small farms use chemicals to keep bugs back. But West says CSA farms are less likely to use pesticides, because farmers have less pressure to harvest 100%

of the crop. Also, insects are less of an issue at eclectic small setups, compared to larger farms growing only one thing, he says.

Many people would be “appalled” by some of the processes behind mass produced food, says Debby Campbell, vice president of the Missouri Farmers Market Association, and executive director of Get Healthy DeSoto, a nonprofit health organization that runs the DeSoto Farmers Market and two community gardens in DeSoto, Mo. “People are becoming more aware that there are different ways things are raised and grown,” says Campbell.

“It makes a big difference if you can go to a farm and see how animals are treated, and to a processing plant to see how food is handled and prepared and packaged, rather than (getting food from) some place that’s not as careful as you and I might want in our home.”

Scared by stories of E. coli contaminated spinach and

big or small, find ’em all!

recalled eggs, today’s savvier consumers are wondering if there’s a better way to control food-borne illness.

Locally produced food is less likely to be contaminated than mass produced food, says Jennifer Montgomery, owner and farmer of Blackberry Meadows farm in Natrona Heights, Pa. “In my opinion, it’s less likely to happen,” Montgomery says. “We operate on a smaller scale, so if there is some sort of bacteria or pathogen that spreads, it’s more traceable than on a large-scale farm. There is less margin of error, fewer workers in the field, and better oversight.”

We care about more than just how the food is handled.

When the people picking our food aren’t treated right, that leaves a bad taste in our mouths, too.

“How about the labor that harvested it? Were they fairly paid and treated fairly?” Aramini says. “There are so many things that go into food production, and people want to know what they are putting into their bodies. The best way to do that is to know the producer personally.”

CSAs come in all shapes and sizes. Yours might offer full shares and half-shares, pre-set produce or mix-and-match. Learn more and find a CSA near you at LocalHarvest.org.

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Eat what’s in season, or defy the weather

Whether it’s spring greens, tomatoes in high summer or watermelon in fall, we all want to know what’s in season in our region. South Carolina farmer Urbie West says growing seasons everywhere tend to start and end with colder-weather crops such as broccoli, cauliflower and leafy greens.

And though winter’s cold freezes our dreams of fresh vegetables, some Kentucky farmers have gotten creative, says Kentucky locavore Jamie Aramini.

They’re using high tunnels—structures similar to green houses—to cover hearty crops and extend the growing season. “They plant directly in the ground, and can have lettuces and greens through most of the winter,” Aramini says.

Nurture the community For those who support the Buy Local battle cry ringing out on Main Streets across America, local produce presents a product made and distributed often in the same county where they live. These healthy, hungry shoppers support the farmer and his workers, and they’re probably opening their wallets at other local businesses, too. It works in DeSoto, Mo. “We like to keep local money local, and a farmers market can do that,” Campbell says.

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Local farms employ local people, Montgomery says, and Blackberry Meadows Farms also gives back to the community through apprenticeships, teaching their neighbors farming basics.

The farm also invites CSA members to work off the cost of their produce shares—whether they need the savings, want a workout or just have time on their hands.

“We take into consideration the social bottom line

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in our operations, too,” Montgomery says.

And one of the neat things about CSAs and farmers market is they’re a gathering place for the community, Campbell says. People can socialize and learn from the farmers.

“It’s a place to go and meet your neighbors, and sit down and visit,” she says. “If you go to a grocery store, you don’t have that opportunity. You park as close as you can and dash out.”

CSAs and markets: Then and now

The CSA movement has grown dramatically since its birth in the 1980s.

LocalHarvest.org, a website devoted to farmers markets and CSAs, lists more than 4,000 CSAs in its database.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 12,549 U.S. farms marketed products through CSAs in 2007.

Farmers markets are also on the rise. As of August 2013, the USDA National Farmers Market Directory listed 8,144 farmers markets, a 3.6% increase from 2012. The numbers have grown more than 300% since 1994, when there were only 1,755 farmers markets in the country.

“People are finally waking up to the benefits of eating locally grown food for our environment and health reasons,” says Debby Campbell, vice president of the Missouri Farmers Market Association.

First lady Michelle Obama’s healthy eating initiatives and The White House gardens have also drawn attention to the issue, she says.

“I hope it continues to grow, and picks up merit as it grows,” Campbell says.

“The interesting thing about a farmers market is, you seldom lose a customer.

It only grows because people see the benefit once they come. And when they taste the produce, they are going to come back.”

And more people are going to eat local foods in the future, says Jennifer Montgomery, owner and farmer of Blackberry Meadows farm in Natrona Heights, Pa. “I think it’s really the only option the way the economy is going, and the way the oil prices are going up,” she says.

People are finally waking up to the benefits of eating locally grown food for our environment and health reasons.

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PETS

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Friends in Need How a 15-minute blood draw can let your pet save a life

By Clare Walters

Yukon and Caddie are lifesavers. Jenn Orze’s dogs, a Fast fact husky-mixed breed and a German shepherd-mixed breed, have Animals helped save many lives over the last two years. No, they didn’t replace blood rescue anyone stuck in a well. These two dogs donate their blood in up to to other animals.

“Working in veterinary medicine, I see what a huge need it is,” says Orze, practice manager at Metropolitan Veterinary Center days. in Chicago. “It can be difficult to find blood, so it’s great that we have local resources.”

Owners don’t often realize the value of pet blood donations, she says.

“People just don’t think about it. Why would you think about it?” Orze says.

But donor blood is crucial in emergency pet care, because veterinarians need to be ready for worst-case scenarios.

“We need to have it on hand because an emergency can happen any time,” says Dr. Kjerstin Jacobs, a veterinarian at the center. “There’s just no way to know. But when we need it, we really need it. Blood donations save lives. We see it all the time.”

Pet blood is most often used in traumas, Jacobs says, for animals with bleeding tumors, and when a pet gets hit by a car.

Good candidates for blood donation are typically between ages 1 and 8, Jacobs says. They should weigh more than 55 pounds, be free of blood-borne illnesses, and be in excellent overall health. Candidate animals will have their blood tested and typed, and also get assessed on their personality.

“Donors have to have calm personalities, and they have to be well behaved,” Jacobs says.

“We can’t fight a dog to get blood. We have to have a dog that is cooperative.”

Pets can donate every three to four months, she says. They draw about 450 milliliters of blood from a large dog during one session, which takes about 15 minutes.

“It’s no different than humans, except you get a biscuit and you’re good to go,” Jacobs says.

“Pets replace blood within five days.”

At the Metropolitan Veterinary Center, which operates extended hours and provides urgent care, donated blood is only used on-site for its own patients. But commercial blood banks are out there.

“It’s more difficult (to maintain our own donation center), but we’re able to have fresh whole blood instead of a preserved product,” Jacobs says.

The center has a dozen regular donors, including Orze’s pets. Orze says her 4-year-old dogs and occasionally her 7-year-old cat, Carmen, have donated blood without any problems.

“I think dogs and cats are tougher than us. My dogs have been fine with it,” she says.

“They get a lot of attention and a lot of treats afterward. All they know is that they get yummy stuff when they’re done.”

And Orze says she likes knowing she and her pets can help other animals.

“When you find out your dog’s blood helped save another’s, people really love that,” she says.

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FAMILY

Write or Wrong?

Give kids the freedom to get a grip on which hand they want to use By Clare Walters

Sarah Mowery is a righty. Her husband is a righty, too. But their 3-year-old daughter, Annabelle, acts like she’s going to be a lefty.

“I think she’s going to be a lefty, but she kind of uses both hands right now,” says the mother of two from Antwerp, Ohio.

Two of Annabelle’s grandparents are lefties, so a genetic link likely has played its hand. But Mowery wonders whether environmental factors are affecting the outcome.

Genetic, but flexible Marianne Gibbs is the occupational therapist and educator behind Write Out of the Box!, a Texas-based program that teaches fine motor skill development to young children. She says most parents don’t know much about handedness, and how their actions could unintentionally encourage their kids toward using one hand when writing, eating and throwing a ball.

“We really can do irreparable damage with our own ignorance on children’s handedness,” she says. “It’s critical that parents know what they’re dealing with.”

Handedness is “pre-wired,” Gibbs says. It’s determined in utero, but can be influenced as a child learns and grows. Kids usually have their dominant hand set by the time they’re 4½ to 6.

“It’s later than a lot of people think,” she says.

Parents and educators should let children do what feels right, and let the dominant hand develop naturally, Gibbs says.

“Always let them have the knee-jerk desire to grab with the hand they choose,” Gibbs says.

“Let them have a hands-on life. Don’t steal opportunities for them to determine dominance. If they start to fluctuate or alternate, it’s normal.”

Go with the flow Present kids with toys or utensils at their belly button or midline of the body, Gibbs says. This can help gauge which hand they Fast fact will reach out to you with.

About 90% Also, try switching up which hand you use of the population to give a toy. Or simply ask your child which is right-handed, they feel more comfortable using. and 10% is left handed Never force them to use one hand over the or mixed. other, which Gibbs says can lead to long-term negative effects.

“It leads to children who are very insecure,” she says.

“People who have been biased don’t always feel confident in their approach to tasks.”

This hesitancy may lead to a child who needs approval, or always seeks to please a parent. It also can hinder speech development, creating a stutter or stammer, Gibbs says.

“Respect the dominance as it is emerging,” she says. “Don’t worry about ‘normal.’ Writing is hard enough, so if they’re using another hand, it’s even harder.”

is Cursive handwriting A dying art?

More schools are moving away from teaching cursive in favor of keyboarding and computer skills. Occupational therapist Marianne Gibbs says the relationship between handwriting, technology and teaching is complex.

“Some are not teaching cursive because they don’t have success in teaching it, or they don’t have a curriculum on it,” she says.

“We know it’s really tough to teach, so they say, ‘Let’s just jump to keyboarding.’ I’m very pro-keyboarding, but it needs to be appropriately placed.”

When educators opt for keyboarding over cursive, the children often are too young and have not yet developed the visual skills nor the hand spread necessary to utilize a traditional keyboard, Gibbs says.

When taught well, cursive requires 15 minutes of instruction per day, Gibbs says.

“Manual transcription—print, cursive or a combination—contributes not only to the quantity of writing a child will do later in life, but also the quality of the composition,” she says. “That’s why it’s so important that it’s not left out of the loop.”

To learn more about writing readiness for young children, visit WriteOutOfTheBox.com.

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Take the

Wheel

By Tracey Buchanan

Steer clear of road rage, germy gas pumps and backseat clutter, so you can have a safer and more productive commute

Y

ou’re stuck. Again. Traffic is barely inching along, and it feels like you’re moving slower than frozen molasses. A red Honda is so close to your bumper that you can actually see the driver’s nose hairs in your rearview mirror.

You turn on the radio to try to forget how irritated you are, but the news is grim and you’re sick of hearing the same old songs. Your back hurts, your legs are achy, and you can’t believe the lady in the car next to you is putting on lipstick while eating a bagel. It’s enough to drive anyone stark raving mad!

You can’t avoid your daily commute to and from work—unless you want to end up jobless. Like it or not, you’re stuck with that mindnumbing passage of time. Five. Days. A. Week.

But you can find easy ways to the make drive back and forth less maddening, and get a firm grip on the road’s mind games. Transform your commute into a healthier experience for your body and mind.

You’ll be less stressed, more productive, better organized, and ready to start your day.

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Get comfortable Stiff necks, achy feet and sore arms top the list of common commuting complaints. And we all need to make adjustments that work for us to have a safe and comfortable commute. So before you begin your journey, make sure your car “fits” you, says Lauren Fix, an automotive expert based in Lancaster, N.Y. “A car doesn’t get more comfortable with time.

It gets less comfortable,” Fix says. “You don’t break one in like a pair of shoes. You need to make sure it’s comfortable for you from the beginning, or think about trading for a new one.”

Once you find a car that makes you comfortable, Fix—known as The Car Coach—says to optimize your body position by adjusting your seat, mirrors and steering wheel to fit your needs. Some cars even offer adjustable gas and brake pedals. Sit up straight, enough to make sure you can see over the wheel.

Establish a starting sitting position by reclining the seat’s backrest about 30 degrees. Put the seat height and cushion in their lowest positions, and then raise the height so you can see the road clearly. If your car is equipped with lumbar support, adjust it to give you enough support. Adjust the mirrors to maximize your view of the road, and

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to minimize blind spots.

“The goal is for your arms and knees to be slightly bent,” Fix says. “You should be able to reach all the controls.”

To stay safe in a crash, you don’t want to be too close or too far from the steering wheel, so move the seat to be about 12 inches from the center of the airbag to center of your chest. “If you’re closer than that, you risk breaking your sternum,” she says.

In driver’s education class, we learned to keep our hands on the wheel at the “10 and 2” positions at all times. But many driving experts now warn drivers this is no longer the safest position. Research shows this position puts your hands in the path of the airbag, and when it’s released, it could lead to broken fingers, arms and noses, and concussions.

The Nat iona l Hig hway Tra f f ic Sa fe t y Administration says to hold the steering wheel at the 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock positions instead. Keep your hands relaxed, and keep your wrists straight.

Adjust the seat belt to fit comfortably, too. A seat belt should not cut across your waist or neck, Fix says. The lap portion should be across your hips, and the cross-body belt should come over the top of your shoulder.

Drive to be tidy Now that you’ve adjusted your mirrors and seats, it’s time to get organized. Research shows driving in a tidy car—without mounds of old fast food bags on the f loor or dirty clothes strewn in the back seat—improves mood and helps you stay focused.

“I’ve been in cars that are frightening,” says Colleen Klimczak, a certified professional organizer from Chicago. “We don’t want our cars to be file storages, garbage cans or paper systems. I want to enjoy my time in my car. I don’t want it to smell like french fries.”

Klimczak suggests using an errand bag to condense things like dry cleaning, library books and items to return. Put the bag in the car when you leave and—here’s the kicker— take it back out when you get home.

“This is a bag that goes in and out of your house. You empty it, and fill it again,” she says.

“You’ll never find old files, cell phone chargers or five different pairs of shoes in my car. All of that lives in my house, not my car.”

Empty the trash daily, and keep clutter to a minimum. It’s more harmful than you think, especially for people who suffer allergies or asthma.

“Clutter collects dust and dampness,” Klimczak says. “Imagine driving around in a little ball of dust everywhere you go. That’s not going to be comfortable.”

Clearing out clutter also helps create a greater sense of calm—something we can all use during our hectic commutes.

“The more stuff we have in our cars, the more awkwardly we hold ourselves,” Klimczak says. “If our car is more peaceful and less cluttered, we’re going to carry ourselves differently. Your shoulders will actually relax. If you have a plan and feel in control, you’ll feel better overall.”

Filthy fill-ups Bacteria lurks everywhere we go, and evidence shows some of the worst offenders are are part of our weekly commutes.

Kelly Arehart is senior manager for global innovation at Texas-based personal care company Kimberly-Clark Professional. In 2011, she led research for The Healthy Workplace

Imagine driving around in a little ball of dust everywhere you go. That’s not going to be comfortable.

Colleen Klimczak, a certified professional organizer

Project, a study in which she and her team examined dirty everyday surfaces, such as gas pumps and ATM machine buttons.

The study found that 71% of gas pump handles, 41% of ATM buttons, and 40% of parking meters and kiosks contained the illness-causing bacteria adenosine triphosphate.

“These levels should be concerning to people as they move on with their day after pumping gas. Whatever was on the pump handle can be transferred to your hands, and in turn to the things you touch next—your steering wheel, the door into the office, your desk, even your face,” Arehart says.

“We touch our faces about 16 times per hour.

So if you haven’t washed your hands, contamination might end up there, as well.”

Keep disinfectant wipes in the glove compartment, or grab a paper towel from the cleaning station and wipe the gas pump before you use it.

Or wipe your hands after pumping—or both. The same goes for ATM buttons, Fix says.

And if your hands still feel a little scummy, go the extra mile and wipe the door handles, gear shift and steering wheel.

“Just clean your steering wheel with a paper towel, and you’ll be shocked how much dirt and germs are collected,” Fix says.

Mild to mad—fast Even the most mild-mannered among us can find themselves fuming behind the wheel. Road rage largely stems from stress about being late and feelings of confinement, says Steve Albrecht, a San Diego-based expert on violence prevention.

He says the driving environment is the perfect cauldron of aggravation.

“Too many cars and not enough space on our roads lead normal people to become raging territorialists and space hogs,” he says.

And people who try to drive kindly may be more likely to get annoyed, since other drivers take advantage.

“Being polite on the roads gives other drivers an opportunity to cut you off, block you in, not let you merge, tailgate, change lanes without signaling, or otherwise use their cars to dominate the small spaces around them,” Albrecht says Combating road rage takes self-control.

Albrecht’s best tip? Just blow it off. Ignore inconsiderate drivers, and don’t give in to temptation to flip them the bird. Also, keep your attention on the road. Anger and distraction can be a deadly combination.

“Pay attention to your safety, and don’t make eye contact with bad or rude drivers, and don’t exchange words or gestures,” he says.

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Vegging Out Why some seniors are ditching meat and dairy, and switching to a vegan diet

By Kirsten Srinivasan

Maybe you grew up in a meat-andpotatoes house, and think a vegetarian or vegan diet sounds like new-age nonsense.

But research shows more seniors are getting a health boost by switching to a no-meat, nodairy diet.

Philadelphia celebrity vegan chef Kurt E. Smith, also known as Chef KESS, says he knows seniors older than 100 who have felt physical benefits from adopting a vegan diet, one excluding all animal-based foods.

“They will see a difference, even if they are 80 years old,” says Smith, who recently formed the National Vegan Celebration Association.

“They will see a difference in their skin, eyes and fingernails. It cleanses the body all the way through, and you feel better.”

Learning new tricks A balanced vegan diet offers significant health

benefits, according to Pennsylvania-based registered dietitian Marty Davey. Vegans usually are an appropriate weight, have lower cholesterol, and have a lower risk for diabetes and some types of cancer, Davey says. Eating a low-fat vegan diet could also help some diabetics better stabilize their blood sugar, she says.

There aren’t exact stats on vegan seniors, but research from AARP shows more seniors are adapting a vegan lifestyle. There are about 1 million vegans in the United States, and that number is growing.

“We know it’s a growing trend, because for the first time in history we have enough of a population that we can do studies,” says Davey, creator of vegan website LaDivaDietitian.com.

Nancy Lane, 71, of Elmira, N.Y., is one senior adding to the vegan ranks. She adopted the diet in 2009 to extend her health and longevity. She also doesn’t like the fact that antibiotics are used in many animal products. Lane has lost weight and

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