Wellness Abroad - Tips for a Healthier Expat Life

WELLNESS ABROAD A Healthier Expat Life

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Table of

CONTENTS

AUGUST 2015

Your Guide To: A Healthier Expat Life 03 How to Eat the Right Way

07 Breaking News Alert

06 Back to School

09 Urgent Care vs. Emergency Room

08 Fall is Near

9.5 Product Announcement

04 The Healthy Eats Corner

11 Flossing for a Healthy Smile

Correct portion sizes and healthy eating habits go hand in hand. Let us help you get on track to eating well, while becoming healthier.

The start of the school-year or starting a new school can be stressful on your kids. We have some tips that we think will help!

Summer is coming to an end, and fall is upon us.

Take a look at our tips to help you enjoy a healthy fall season.

Nothing warms your soul like a tasty bowl of soup, so whip up a pot of this tasty minestrone soup tonight.

We pride ourselves in keeping you well whether you are stateside or abroad. Take a look at these alerts to keep you and your family safe.

When dealing with the E.R., quality care can quickly become costly care. Fortunately, when an emergency strikes, there’s another place to go that might be a bit more cost effective.

Kidnap and Ransom covers more than you think!

Disappearance, threat, wrongful detention; We suggest you read on to find out why you may need this.

Brushing alone won’t prevent cavities. Read on to become a flossing pro!

2

HOW TO EAT THE RIGHT WAY

C

orrect portion sizes are key to healthy eating, but nowadays restaurants offer patrons enormous portions of food, drinks are served in extra-large sizes, and snacks are sold in large quantity packaging.

Knowing how much food to eat in one serving can sometimes be tricky. When hunger strikes, it may be difficult to avoid eating large portions at home as well.

The size of dinner plates, bakeware, and glasses are much larger in size than in past years. When we see

Correct portion sizes lead to healthy eating everything bigger, we start believing that big is the norm. Our perception has become somewhat distorted about what the “right “amount of food per serving is.

100 calories per day can add an extra 10 pounds of weight in just one year. Likewise, some meals appear to be “average” sized, but can add up to be an entire day’s worth of calories. According to the Public Health Nutrition publication, at least 96 percent of restaurants A study by the Journal of the American Diet serve meals that exceed the U.S. Department of Association found that modern portion sizes add an Agriculture‘s (USDA) serving recommendations for extra 50 to 150 calories per serving. Although that calories, salt-levels, and fat content. does not sound like a lot of extra calories, an extra If you are trying to maintain your weight or to shed a few pounds, see these helpful tips on how to keep portion size under control

Read Food Labels

Learn to pay attention to the preset number of servings contained per package; then, note the calories and fat content per each individual serving.

Eat 1/2 a Meal

Compare recommended portions to restaurant/marketplace portions. When dining at restaurants take time to compare their serving sizes to what you normally eat at home. Any food in excess to your normal, controlled serving should be left untouched and taken home for another meal.

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Share a Meal

This tip ties into the above tip, if you are dining with a group of people, share a meal with a member of your party, in order to avoid overeating, and at the same time, keep spending costs down. At dessert time, sharing a decadent treat between several people is a way to satiate your cravings without adding inches to your waistline.

Use Smaller Plates

When dining at home, serve your meals and drinks on/in smaller plates and cups. You will trick your brain into being full, because your plate and cup will look fuller; but, in essence, you will be eating and drinking less.

Repack Your Snack

Large package sizes of our favorite snacks may be more economical, but at the same time these packages may encourage us to overeat. If you buy a jumbo bag of chips or a king-sized bag of candy, repackage the treats into smaller portions.

Hopefully, you have found these tips to be helpful with keeping portion sizes under control. It is beneficial to remember that the more you are aware of portion sizes and keeping them at a healthy size, the more you can eat and enjoy all of your favorite foods.

THE HEALTHY EATS CORNER Today’s Menu Soups are convenient one-dish meals that tanalize your taste buds and warm your soul! All you have to do is prep this no-fuss adaptation of the classic Italian minestra, and let it simmer away on the stovetop. Serve with a tossed green salad and crusty bread. Buon appetito!

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Garden Minestrone “Bursting with the goodness of seven vegetables”

Yield

8 Servings

Ingredients • 2 teaspoons olive oil • 1 cup chopped onion • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano • 4 garlic cloves, minced • 3 cups chopped yellow squash • 3 cups chopped zucchini • 1 cup chopped carrot • 1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears) • 4 cups chopped tomato, divided • 3 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided • 1/2 cup uncooked ditalini pasta (very short tube-shaped macaroni) • 1 (15.5-ounce) can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained • 1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach • 3/4 teaspoon salt • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper • 1 cup (4 ounces) grated Asiago cheese • Coarsely ground black pepper (optional)

Preparation

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 1/2 cups (soup) & 2 tbsp (cheese) Amount Per Serving Calories 217

Calories from Fat 30

Total Fat 6.1g Saturated Fat 2.7g Monounsaturated Fat 2g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6g Cholesterol 12mg Sodium 812mg Total Carbohydrate 30.5g Dietary Fiber 18g Protein 12.6g Calcium 206mg

Iron 2.7

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until softened. Add oregano and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in squash, zucchini, carrot, and corn; sauté 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat.

Place 3 cups tomato and 1 can broth in a blender; process until smooth. Add tomato mixture to pan; return pan to heat. Stir in remaining 1 cup tomato and remaining 2 cans broth; bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

Add pasta and beans to pan; cook 10 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Stir in spinach, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Ladle soup into individual bowls; top with cheese. Garnish with coarsely ground black pepper, if desired.

5

BACK TO SCHOOL

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oving to a new country and becoming accustomed to a new home can be hard on expat families with school-aged children. For expat children, it is especially hard as they start a new school abroad because they have to deal with cultural, language, fashion, and gastronomy differences, among others. However, there are several things that you can take into consideration when dealing with back-to-school woes.

Our tips, below, should provide you, and your child(ren) with some stress-relief at the onset of the school-year, or while changing schools during the school-year

1

Before the first day of school jitters strike, take your child(ren) to visit their new school, even if it is closed, so that they can get a feel for the surroundings. This exercise will boost their confidence and will get them excited about going onto the school grounds, into the classroom, and seeing kids their own age.

2

Reassure your child(ren) that they will not be the only “new kid” on campus. Just like your family, other families have moved from different countries, states, cities, or neighborhoods.

3

Once the school-year has begun, pay attention to what to your child’s(ren’s) vocal and non-vocal cues are. Are they happy in school? Do they feel out-of-place?

Encourage communication with your child(ren), in order to mitigate any negative feelings regarding their new school setting.

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5

Make it a point to experience your new country’s food and lifestyle at home, that way your child(ren) will be able to adapt easier to the food and lifestyle of their new country while in public situations and at school.

Be prepared to deal with culture shock.

Your child(ren) will be dealing with learning the local language, if they don’t already know it, not only dealing with school and homework typical of their grade-level. Make sure to get after-school tutoring for your child(ren), if they are having trouble communicating in their newly acquired language.

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BREAKING NEWS ALERT August 11, 2015 http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices

Another Ebola Outbreak?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have placed a high alert warning for people to avoid nonessential travel to Guinea and Sierra Leone, due to an Ebola outbreak.

Additionally, there is an elevated alert to practice enhanced precautions in Liberia. The CDC states that in the USA, Ebola is not airborne, transmitted via water, or transmitted via food grown or legally purchased in the USA. In places with outbreaks around the world, you can get Ebola if you come into contact with bodily fluids or objects that have been contaminated with bodily fluids from a person who is sick with or who has died from Ebola or come into contact with fruit bats or primates that are infected with Ebola.

July 10, 2015 http://www.cdc.gov/legionella/index.html

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/pr2015/pr030-15.shtml

Legionnaires’ in the Bronx The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in South Bronx, New York City (NYC), since July 10th. The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is urging all New Yorkers or visitors who are experiencing respiratory symptoms, such as cough, chills, muscle aches, and/or fevers, to seek immediate medical attention because successful treatment of this diseases requires antibiotics, and often times hospitalization is required.

Legionnaires’ disease is caused by a certain type of bacteria known as Legionella, which grows in warm water, and can be cooling towers, hot water tanks, decorative fountains, hot tubs, and large plumbing systems. People become infected with Legionnaires’ disease by breathing vapor or mist in the air that contains the bacteria. Fortunately, the bacteria are not spread through person to person contact, and most people who are exposed to the bacteria do not become ill. If you have reason to believe that you have been exposed to the bacteria, please call your doctor or local health department immediately.

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Fall is Near

S

ummer is technically coming to an end, and fall is just around the corner. Now is a good time to embrace the shorter days and crisp air of the season, and kick-off a fresh start to healthy-living and partake in new wellness habits. Enjoy all that the season has to offer you, by following some of our tips!

Summer is coming to an end Embrace the Great Pumpkin!

Fight the Flu

Stay Hydrated

Boost Your Metabolism

Get Outside

Happy Mind, Happy Body

This fall favorite is rich in Vitamins A and C. Roast your own pumpkin seeds, make a roasted pumpkin pasta dish, or create a delicious pumpkin spread‌really the sky is the limit with this orange jewel.

In order to maintain a healthy immune system, make sure to drink at least 6 to 8 cups of water a day. Water helps flush out toxins from your body, in turn keeping you healthier.

Take a walk, go for a run, or enjoy a nice bike ride. Get out and take in the warmth before those frigid, winter temperatures return!

Be sure to combat the dreaded flu, by getting the flu shot early in the season, that way you’ll be healthy and ready to get out and exercise.

By eating vitamin and probiotic-rich foods such as oranges, carrots, eggplant, kale, cauliflower, and yogurt your metabolism will get a boost, and your body will become a lean, calorie-burning machine.

The possibilities of giving are endless.

Donate some canned goods to a homeless shelter, volunteer an afternoon at a nursing home, or even just smile at a passerby. Do good and the rest will follow.

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PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT

Urgent Care

Kidnap & Ransom

vs

Emergency Room

W

hen it comes to a “medical emergency,” some times it’s difficult to gage the severity of the illness, injury, or condition. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines urgent afflictions as needing care within 1 minute to 2 hours, and non-urgent afflictions as needing care within 2 to 24 hours.

There are two main options for the afflicted person to seek medical assistance at – urgent care or the emergency room (ER). Over the last 30 years, people have opted to visit urgent care facilities rather than visiting emergency rooms, since urgent care facilities can be the most cost-effective option.

Urgent care facilities are medical centers that provide immediate medical treatment for an acute or chronic injury, illness, or condition. There are around 8,800 urgent care facilities nationwide, and they accommodate around 342 patients per week, on average.

The American Academy of Urgent Care Medicine (AAUCM) says that urgent care is a great option when an injury or illness

strikes outside of your physician’s regular office hours or it can serve as an alternative for waiting long hours at an ER. According to Debt.org, “urgent care centers are a cost-effective alternative to emergency rooms for the treatment of non-life-threatening medical situations such as cuts, sprains, simple bone fractures, flus and fevers, insect bites, infections, etc.” Additionally, urgent care facilities often times provide some of the same services that ERs do, such as X-ray and laboratory services, run diagnostic tests, and dispense prescriptions.

Continued on Next Page

Kidnap & Ransom Risk Protection plans have two types of coverage that will provide you with peace-of-mind wherever your travels may take you: Corporate Protection Policy: This policy is issued

on all directors, officers, and employees, although coverage can apply to named people only, as well. Coverage is extended to include all relatives, guests, and customers of the covered people or persons.

Private Protection Policy:

This policy is for individuals and smaller named groups of people, including families.

Coverage, for both plans, include:

Kidnap – A seizure or detention of an insured person for the purpose of demanding ransom money.

Extortion – Payment demands following illegal threats to assured and/or insured person(s) for demand of ransom, including threats against the insured person, property, trade secrets, and computer data.

Continued on Next Page

PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT

Urgent Care vs

Kidnap & Ransom Continued...

Emergency Room In general, an ER is part of a medical center or hospital. Most ERs are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year; and, they specialize in acute care of patients who arrive without appointment, as a result from a “medical emergency.”

The CDC reported that 136.1 million Americans visited one of 3,900 ERs in 2012. Another 20 million Americans were transported to ERs via ambulance.

Overall, only 43% of all hospital admissions originated as a visit from the ER. Patients who visit ERs are assessed on a Level of 1 -5, and higher for critically ill patients.

Ninety-two percent of all ER visits are by extremely sick individuals, states the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP).

An average urgent care bill runs from $71 to $125.

In regards to cost, ER costs may be difficult to quantify, as patients only know their standard co-payment amount. It is nearly impossible to determine the final cost of an ER bill, as ER costs correspond to the severity of a patient’s illness, injury, or condition.

The average hospital bill per patient was $1,318 in 2009 reports the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Urgent care costs, just like ER costs, may be difficult to quantify; however, they are significantly less than ER costs. An average urgent care bill runs from $71 to $125. Overall, for a non-life threatening injury, illness, or condition, urgent care facilities are the best option for lower costs.

However, in order to keep costs down, you need to inquire if the urgent care facility you are visiting is an in-network provider for your insurance policy.

Continued...

Wrongful detention – Involuntary confinement by a government entity or insurgent organization.

Hijack – Illegal holding under duress of an insured person while traveling on any aircraft, motor vehicle, railroad train, or waterborne vessel.

Threat – Direct or indirect communication of the intent to kill, injure, harm, abduct, or to cause physical damage to or loss of property.

Disappearance – Unintentional failure to make contact with family or business, or to appear as scheduled for more than forty-eight (48) continuous hours.

Additional coverage options include: - Emergency repatriation and relocation - Loss of earnings - Loss of earnings (computer virus) - Hostage Crisis - Express Kidnap - Products Loss

Sum of Insured Limits: - Up to 20 million USD per insured event.

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Flossing for a Healthy Smile lthough brushing your teeth is a great way to keep your teeth and mouth clean, brushing alone cannot reach into the tight spaces between your teeth or under your gum line. That’s where dental floss comes into the picture. Daily flossing is of utmost importance to keeping your teeth and gums healthy.

Floss before you brush

Patience is Key

Don’t Skimp It’s important not to skimp on dental floss. Use about 18 inches of floss, wind most of the floss around your middle finger on one hand, then grip the rest of it tightly between your forefingers and thumbs.

Take your time, and floss one tooth or molar at a time.

Slide the floss between each tooth or molar twice to get both sides.

Be Gentle Take care when guiding the floss between your teeth and molars. Use a rubbing motion on your gums, teeth, and molars, don’t push or press the floss into your gums, and gently curve against one tooth or molar, moving upwards, once you reach the gum line.

Use a Pick Whether your tooth pick is plastic, wooden, or even metal, it’s sometimes better combine a tooth pick with your floss.

Refresh Your Floss As you move from section to section, unwind a bit of fresh floss as you continue flossing.

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® WellAway

Keeping You Well, While You’re Away.®

Wellness Abroad is published as a service for members of WellAway Limited. WellAway Limited is an industry-leading membership service that provides benefit-rich coverage and support to expatriates as they adjust to their new lives abroad. WellAway Limited offers expats the first Affordable Care Act (ACA/Obamacare) compliant healthcare product.

The newsletter is intended to provide general wellness information. It is not intended to provider personal medical advice, which should be obtained directly from a healthcare provider. © 2015. Printed in Bermuda. +1 855 773 7810

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