Walgreens and Duane Reade Throw Down Challenge to Stop Diabetes

March 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Today, Walgreens announced a challenge to 250 Duane Reade stores in the New York metro area to a fundraising contest. The challenge will be to see who can raise the most money through pin-up sales over a four-week period in the fall. Duane Reade will conduct the campaign in October and Walgreens will conduct the campaign in November. Money raised through the contest will support the activities of the American Diabetes Association Greater New York City area.

The Duane Reade organization has a long history with the American Diabetes Association in New York having participated in pin-up campaigns over the last few years with the highest total achieved being over $200,000. Duane Reade has also been integral in the movement to Stop Diabetes through involvement in a wide variety of programmatic outreach including the Feria de Salud health festival in the South Bronx.

Walgreen’s recent merger with Duane Reade has further strengthened both organization’s commitment to health and wellness. Walgreen’s has also developed a close relationship with the American Diabetes Association as a National Strategic Partner supporting pin-up campaigns across the country and taking leadership roles on several Community Leadership Boards throughout ADA..

The contest will be announced on March 27th which is the 24th Annual American Diabetes Association Alert Day, a one-day, “wake-up call” asking the American public to take the Diabetes Risk Test to find out if they are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. In 2011, the American Diabetes Association encouraged Americans to “Join the Million Challenge” and more than 600,000 people took the Diabetes Risk Test. On March 27, 2012, the Association will aim to top that number, inspiring people to take the all-new Diabetes Risk Test and to join the Association in the fight to Stop Diabetes®. Diabetes is a serious disease that strikes nearly 26 million Americans including over 1.2 million people in the New York metro area alone. Recent estimates project that as many as one in three American adults will have diabetes in 2050 unless we take the steps to Stop Diabetes.

Thomas Bourdo, Jr. Market Vice President of the NY/CT Market and Jeffrey Koziel, Market Vice President of the Duane Reade announced the challenge in Times Square today. In addition, Walgreens has pledged its support of the New York Area Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes events through a grass roots activation of their local community leaders.

Walgreens will also display Alert Day information on the digital billboards at this location. Funds raised through this promotion will support the mission of the American Diabetes Association which is to prevent and cure diabetes and improve the lives of everyone affected by diabetes.

Greater New York City Area Executive Director Gina Murdoch stated that “We are thrilled and honored to have Walgreens and Duane Reade spearheading this exciting challenge as a way to raise awareness and funds in our efforts to Stop Diabetes. It is particularly appropriate that we launch this challenge on Alert Day. The American Diabetes Association hopes that this Alert Day will encourage people to take the Diabetes Risk Test and share it with their loved ones. By understanding your risk, you can take the necessary steps to help prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.”

For more information, please visit: http://www.duanereade.com/

I was not paid for this post. I am a Duane Reade Blogger Ambassador.

Filed Under: Causes, Health Tagged With: , , ,

Happy National Peanut Butter Day

January 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Peanut butter has always one of my favorite snacks that when paired with a apples or carrots makes for a delicious treat. I also make it (almost) every day in my daughter’s lunch and she has grown to love it on celery, and of course, in our oatmeal peanut butter cookies.  To celebrate the National Peanut Butter Day, the National Peanut Board shared some interesting facts with me about its nutrition, production and farming techniques.

Fun Facts:
* It takes about 540 peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter.
* There are enough peanuts in one acre to make 30,000 peanut butter sandwiches.
* By law, any product labeled “peanut butter” in the United States must be at least 90 percent peanuts.
* Peanut butter was first introduced to the USA in 1904 at the Universal Exposition in St. Louis by C.H. Sumner, who sold $705.11 of the “new treat” at his concession stand.

Consumption Facts:
* The average American consumes more than six pounds of peanuts and peanut butter products each year.
* The average child will eat 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before he/she graduates high school.
* Americans consume on average over 1.5 billion pounds of peanut butter and peanut products each year.
* Peanut butter is consumed in 90 percent of USA households.
* Americans eat enough peanut butter in a year to make more than 10 billion peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
* The amount of peanut butter eaten in a year could wrap the earth in a ribbon of 18-ounce peanut butter jars one and one-third times.

Farming Facts:
* There are four types of peanuts grown in the USA — Runner, Virginia, Spanish and Valencia.
* Peanuts are planted after the last frost in April or early May and heaviest harvesting months are September and October.
* The peanut growth cycle from planting to harvest is 120 to 160 days or about five months.
* The peanut plant originated in South America.
* The peanut plant produces a small yellow flower.

Nutrition Facts:
* The peanut is not a nut, but a legume related to beans and lentils.
* Peanuts have more protein, niacin, folate and phytosterols than any nut.
* Peanuts have a higher antioxidant capacity over grapes, Concord grape juice, green tea, tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, carrots and many more.
* Peanuts and peanut butter contain over 30 essential nutrients and phytonutrients.
* Peanuts are naturally cholesterol-free.

For more fun facts, please visit: http://www.nationalpeanutboard.org/

Filed Under: Food, Health Tagged With: , , , , ,

Spending Quality Time With Your Kids in the Kitchen

November 16, 2011 By 1 Comment

Guest Post By Dan Gilbert on behalf of Primrose Schools

Kitchen’s are an exciting place for young children. They are lured into the kitchen by the crackling pans, flickering lights of the stove and the aroma of their favorite foods. As enticing as kitchens may be; it can be unsafe for children. Just because certain elements of the kitchen pose potential dangers, it does not means kids need to be kept out of them. The kitchen poses as a perfect place to teach young children important life lessons as well as gain extra quality time together.

Kitchens are one of the most popular rooms of the house. They are places where families socialize, enjoy each others company and bond. They are also places to educate children and let them take part in daily responsibilities such as meal preparation.

Parents can engage in fun activities with their children and keep them safe by using these tips:

Create appropriate activities for your child.
Think about your child’s abilities and what they are able to accomplish without assistance. Letting children measure ingredients and knead dough makes them like they have accomplished something. Shredding lettuce and dusting cookies with sanding sugar are some of other easy and harmless tasks kids can accomplish. Giving small children pots and wooden utensils will let them pretend to cook with you. If you child is a musician in the making, they may even use those items to create a fun tune. These activities will let kids feel as if they are part of the action while keeping them safely entertained.

Establish rules.
Children should not be in the kitchen without supervision. It is important to set some basic safety guidelines and to keep children within your sight. Children need to understand basic food handling techniques. They should know to wash their hands before touching any food and when they have finished food preparation. What surfaces are safe for your children to touch should be reiterated every time they are in the kitchen. Another safety consideration is stove tops. Turn all the handles of pots and pans inward so children do not accidentally move them and cause hot food to spill.

Gradually increase your children’s cooking skills.
Cooking can help children acquire useful skills. They learn how to follow directions by working with recipes and counting the number of ingredients improves their math skills. Children should be introduced to more advanced skills slowly. Make sure your child grasps easier tasks before letting them undertake more advanced ones. If an older child is beginning to use a knife, let them start using a dull spreader to cut foods like soft cheeses. As their coordination increases, they can graduate to a plastic knife on vegetables and fruit.

Make cooking fun.
Cooking is messy whether it’s done by children or top chefs; accidents are okay. If something finds its way onto the floor, clean it up. Then offer some advice as to how to prevent the accident from happening again.

After the meal is cooked, congratulate your assistant on their achievement. Let them sample their creation. Maybe the next time they are in the kitchen, let them suggest the meal.

Filed Under: Health, Kids, Recipes Tagged With: , , , ,

Weight Loss, Ulcers, Hairstyles and Skin Secrets on the Dr. Oz Show

November 6, 2011 By 1 Comment

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend a taping of the Dr. Oz show and then participate in an interview session with several bloggers. I have been trying to adopt some of his tips in my life – mainly those that involve more sleep and less caffeine but my 4-month-old baby has other plans for me where sleeping is a hot-ticket luxury item and caffeine fuels my day.  It’s a vivacious cycle, but I’ll get it down soon…I hope.

As I’m working on including some of his tips into my life I’m excited to talk more about the episode that will air on November 7th  (check your local listings for specific times). In the episode, Dr. Oz shares his collection of weight loss and exercise tips, hair secrets to look younger, skin secrets from India and a striking visual on what happens to the stomach as a result of an ulcer.

In the first segment, Dr.Oz along with Liz from Weight Watchers discussed some of the common hurdles that prevent people from losing weight (hormones, stress and no sleep are up there) as well as some practical solutions to make this happen in about 40 weeks. This Transformation Nation plan, as you will see in the episode, doesn’t focus on shakes or pills, but rather, it is about losing weight in moderation by eating real food that will both satisfy and give women energy, which is also a challenge where those participating may even win 1 million dollars!  This includes ‘triple powering meals’ by eating foods that are high in fiber, water, low-fat dairy, lean protein and whole grains with suggestions like starting a meal by eating more soups (huge fan of that), which Oz stated will fill you up more – making it less likely that you will overindulge. In terms of snacking, Dr. Oz suggested freezing fruit since they are packed with water and fiber that will take longer to eat and also longer to enjoy. Under this plan, Dr. Oz stated that you can eat desserts every night like mixed berries, a banana and chocolate wonton and smoothies – all of which are discussed on the show, along with their tasty recipes! The plan also includes a simple exercise regime to build lean muscle mass by using tennis balls for squats or jumping rope for a few minutes a day. He also mentioned that yoga, pilates and walking with a pediometer are great forms of exercise.

In the next segment called ‘the Burning in Your Belly,” Dr. Oz illustrated what causes an ulcer. The audience as well as myself gasped as he scraped the inside of what looked like a giant cantaloupe to illustrate how liquids like alcohol and caffeine overtime can erode the stomach lining and destroy organs. This was one of the most fascinating and educational segments of the show that really broke down the medical information into basic terms as well as a visual that served as a wake up call for many of us.

I also enjoyed the hair and skin segments. In the hair segment, three women had a hair makeover to show that a new haircut and/or color could take decades off their face. The women looked gorgeous in their new looks. The skin segment called ‘Passport to Beauty’ shared tips on how various oils and powders from India contain youth properties for glowing skin and healthy hair. I loved learning about how Amala Powder is a fantastic conditioner for the hair and how coconut oil is great for a dry scalp and neem oil is ideal to treat cradle cap. Even better is that these oils and powders are generally $10 or less at your local health food store!

What really struck me through both watching the episode and meeting him briefly was how genuine he seemed. He wasn’t there to sell us anything or pass along a product; it really seemed like he cared and wanted people (in general) to live the best lives that they could with some simple and practical changes.

This inspirational episode is filled with practical solutions for everyday issues. Whether it’s trying to figure out a new hairstyle or needing help with your diet plan, the Dr. Oz show covers everything by providing both medical and practical advice on how to live better each and every day.

Check out a sneak preview of the show that will air on Monday, November 7th!

 

Many thanks to Selfish Mom and the One2One Network for this unique opportunity.
I was not paid for this but I did receive a book by Dr. Oz for attending the taping of the show.

Filed Under: Causes, Events, Health, Home, Kids Tagged With: , , , , ,

Health Tips from Dr. Oz

October 25, 2011 By 5 Comments


Blogging never ceases to amaze me. I have had some pretty once-in-a-lifetime moments where I have attended cool events and had the chance to meet some of my favorite celebrities. One opportunity I recently had was the chance to meet Dr. Oz in NYC. I didn’t know that much about Dr. Mehmet Oz prior to meeting him. I knew (of course) that he was buddies with Oprah and that he wrote books but I didn’t realize how inspirational, genuine and incredibly smart he was until I attended a taping of his show (I’ll share more on that in a future post).

 

As part of a round table of bloggers, we covered topics about sleep, caffeine, sugar, tiredness, kids, vaccinations, sex, and his incredible incentive with Weight Watchers called Transformation Nation. Dr. Oz took his time with each of our answers and stated that the information he was providing wasn’t new or revolutionary; but rather, it was information that isn’t getting out to the public as well as information that people are simply not applying to their lives. Subtle changes like getting sleep and eating right has the power to transform and changes people’s lives where they will not only feel rested and energized but it can change their overall outlook on life. I definitely had a few ‘wake-up’ call moments during this chat that I hope to be applying to my own life (more on that as well). I’ll also be sharing more about this incredible visit over the coming weeks but for now here are some of Dr.Oz’s tips for well-being and overall health.

1. Sleep. Dr. Oz stated that he doesn’t set his alarm to wake up, but rather, he sets it when it’s time to go to sleep. This really resonated with me because I have been a walking zombie for the past few months. Although life with a baby has something to do with this, it also means that I should be hitting the hay earlier. In fact, Dr. Oz recommends that adults should get 9 hours of sleep every night. I’m not sure if I can get that anytime soon but shutting down and going to bed earlier is definitely manageable.

2. A Child’s Diet. I asked Dr. Oz about my daughter’s unwillingness to try vegetables. I used the term defiant but Dr. Oz said that a child actually has more taste buds than an adult where they crave sugar . He also said that his own children had an all-white food diet when they were small. He recommends that parents should have a child try a new food 12 times and not to give up if they seemingly don’t like something.

3. Caffeine. I am a coffee junkie. I think about my huge cup of coffee the second I wake up but I know I need to cut back, which may also help that whole sleeping thing. Dr. Oz stated that caffeine isn’t necessarily bad and he suggested switching to green tea, which is packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. I bought a new box of green tea and have been switching up my orders at the cafe.

4. Eating right. Dr. Oz eats the same thing every day. Although he said people call it ‘boring,’ it is what fuels him and keeps him energized. His breakfast of choice is FAGE yogurt (my favorite!) with berries an a green drink that is packed with spinach, celery, apples, etc. He also doesn’t recommend skim or no-fat products because when fat is taken out it is often replaced with sugar. He told the group that there is nothing wrong with a little fat in the diet and recommends low-fat or reduced-fat products.

For more information on Dr. Oz, please visit: http://www.doctoroz.com/

I was not paid for this post. I did receive a book for attending.

Thank you to One2One Network and Selfish Mom for this awesome opportunity!

Filed Under: Anti-Aging, Baby, Events, Health, Kids Tagged With: , , , , ,
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