December is National Hand Washing Awareness Month. Hand washing is vitally important for preventing sickness and the transmission of germs. According to the Center for Disease Control, hands should always be washed using soap and clean, running water. If water is not available, alcohol-based hand sanitizers that are at least 60% alcohol should be used instead. For more information, visit
Center for Disease Control.
December 4th is National Cookie Day. With the holidays approaching, it is important to note that there are healthy alternatives to traditional holiday deserts. The following is a list of tricks from the
Eating Well Website that can be used to make cookies a healthier holiday option:
1. Replace butter and margarine with heart-healthy oils or pureed fruits and vegetables (e.g. olive oil, canola oil, applesauce, pumpkin). You can replace up to 50% of the fat source in a recipe. "For every tablespoon of butter that you replace with heart-healthy oil, you eliminate 5 grams of saturated fat from your batch of cookies."
2. Replace some of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour or oats. If you are not used to eating whole wheat flour, replace 1/4-1/2 cups of the all-purpose flour with rolled oats.
3. Put in ground flaxseed or flaxmeal to add fiber to the cookies. Adding 2-4 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds complements cookies that contain oats or spices.
4. Be aware of the amount of sodium that the recipe contains. Aim for no more than 1/4-1/2 a teaspoon of salt per batch of cookies.
For more information and for healthy cookie recipes, visit
Eating Well.
December 22nd is the First Day of Winter. The coldest it has ever been on this day was 9 degrees F in 1901. The warmest it has ever been on this day was 70 degrees F in 1970. The record snowfall for this day was 5.30" in 1929. With the potential for cold weather throughout the winter season, you should keep updated on local forecasts. Stay safe and remember to dress appropriately and drive carefully. For more information about the weather history of this day and many others, visit
Weather Underground .
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Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Heath Prize this year. The prize "honors communities that are creating powerful partnerships and deep commitments to drive local change, ensuring all residents have an opportunity to make healthy changes in their schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods."
Flu season is upon us. Do you know how to prevent the spreading of germs? The Center for Disease control recommends the following steps to keep your flu risk at a minimum:
