Phosphorous is an essential mineral necessary for the formation of bones and teeth, but also for kidney function and the regulation of muscle contractions, heartbeat, and nerve transmission. High blood levels of phosphorus may lead to adverse effects on bone, kidney, and heart health. When there is too much phosphorus in the blood, the body reacts by leaching calcium from the bones. This can be especially dangerous for those with Chronic Kidney Disease. This four-page fact sheet discusses the relationship between Chronic Kidney Disease and Phosphorous intake, examining foods that are high in phosphorous and ways to manage phosphorous levels. Written by Nancy J. Gal, Lauren Headrick, Kate Bennett, and Wendy J. Dahl, and published by the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs273
Category: Health & Nutrition
Shopping for Health: Breakfast Cereals
It is no secret that breakfast is an important meal. Eating breakfast provides you with physical and mental energy to start the day, along with vitamins and minerals. Cereal is a quick, versatile, and budget-friendly breakfast choice. The benefits of eating a healthy cereal include increased fiber intake and lower body weight. But navigating the cereal aisle at your local grocery store can be an overwhelming experience. Continue reading this three-page fact sheet to learn more about cereal and how to find your new go-to breakfast choices. Written by Jenna Sechar and Wendy J. Dahl, and published by the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs274
Bitter Melon: An Asian Vegetable Emerging in Florida
Bitter melon is a tropical and subtropical vegetable crop with long climbing vines which is widely cultivated in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. The unripe fruit is used as a vegetable with a pleasantly bitter taste. This 7-page fact sheet provides an overview of this plant as well as recommendations for individuals in Florida who are interested in growing it. Written by Guodong Liu, Qingren Wang, Yuncong Li, David Dinkins, Bonnie Wells, and Yuqi Cui, and published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, December 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1271
Long Squash: An Asian Vegetable Emerging in Florida
Long squash is an annual, vigorous, and herbaceous crop that was brought to the Americas by Paleoindian populations from Asia before the arrival of Columbus. This 4-page fact sheet provides an overview of this plant as well as recommendations for individuals in Florida who are interested in growing it. Written by Guodong Liu, Yuncong Li, David Dinkins, Bonnie Wells, Qingren Wang, and Yuqi Cui, and published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, December 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1272
Preventing Foodborne and Non-foodborne Illness: Vibrio parahaemolyticus
Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a naturally occurring bacterium that inhabits coastal brackish marine waters throughout the world and is commonly found in the United States and Canada. If ingested in sufficient numbers, this bacterium can cause illness such as gastroenteritis with symptoms such as cramps, vomiting, and nausea. Illnesses linked with this organism are usually associated with the consumption of raw or improperly cooked seafood, particularly raw oysters. This 3-page fact sheet is a major revision that discusses Vibrio parahaemolyticus, illness caused by the bacterium, factors that increase risk of infection, methods of infection, seafood and shellfish handling recommendations, and prevention. Written by Anita C. Wright, Renée M. Goodrich, Michael A. Hubbard, and Keith R. Schneider, and published by the UF Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. Original publication date: July 2009. Revised October 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs146
Long Bean: An Asian Vegetable Emerging in Florida
Food diversity, nutritional food supply, and profitability are the priorities of agricultural and horticultural industries. To diversify vegetable products and increase the Florida vegetable industry's competitiveness, a number of new vegetable crops are rapidly emerging in the state. Due to Florida's favorable climate, these vegetable crops grow well and have high market potential. The objective of this 6-page fact sheet is to provide a general overview of long bean, one of the Asian vegetable crops grown in Florida. Written by Kshitij Khatri, Guodong Liu, Qingren Wang, Yuncong Li, David Dinkins, and Bonnie Wells, and published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, October 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1268
Vida Saludable: Sitios web confiables
The number of resources available online grows every day. Unfortunately, there are no regulations to ensure that the information on these websites is accurate. Older adults can readily access reliable information on the Internet by focusing on government and education sites. This 3-page fact sheet is a major revision of the Spanish version of FCS-8587, Healthy Living: Reliable Websites. It provides a list of trustworthy Internet sources related to nutrition, health, food safety, and general interest for older adults. Written by Linda B. Bobroff and Leigh Ann Martin, and published by the UF Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, revised November 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy103
Healthy Eating: Drink to Your Health
Shakes and smoothies are a great and delicious way to incorporate more fruits and nutrients into your diet. This 2-page fact sheet is a major revision which provides a variety of refreshing and exciting smoothie and shake recipes as well as preparation tips. Written by Jennifer Hillan, Emily Minton, and Linda B. Bobroff, and published by the UF Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences. Original publication date: March 2004. Revised March 2012 and September 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy696
Cooking with Fresh Herbs
People worldwide are becoming more adventurous when cooking with fresh herbs. If you are just starting to use fresh herbs in your cooking or need a refresher, these tips for washing, storing, and cooking with herbs will lead you in the right direction. This 8-page fact sheet discusses the history of herbs, how to buy them fresh, how to wash and store them, dried herb blends, common herb and food combinations, and several recipes using herbs. Written by Emily Minton and Martha Maddox and published by the Department of Family, Youth, and Community Sciences, October 2015. (Photo credit: Credit: LiliGraphie/iStock/Thinkstock.com)
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy1209
Sous Vide Cookery: Foodservice Application for Larger, Less Tender Cuts
Meat with an abundance of connective tissue presents a certain challenge to cooks who want to make it more tender while still properly eliminating pathogens that cause foodborne illness. Sous vide cookery provides precise temperature control and tenderness improvement with minimal supervision throughout cooking as well as consistent, almost perfect reproducibility. This 4-page fact sheet introduces the reader to the sous vide method and covers its advantages and necessary equipment. The piece also offers tips on cooking, chilling, storing, and reheating large cuts of meat. Written by Chad Carr, Derek Griffing, Kaylie Madore, Dwain Johnson, Jason Scheffler, and João Neto, and published by the UF Department of Animal Sciences, September 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/an320
Avian Diseases Transmissible to Humans
Anyone who keeps birds, whether as pets or as production animals, should be aware that certain avian diseases can be transmitted to humans. The seriousness of the disease in humans varies with human hosts’ age, overall health, and immune status as well as virulence of the organism, infective dose, and route of infection. This 4-page fact sheet is a major revision which discusses causes and symptoms of avian influenza (bird flu), chlamydiosis, salmonellosis, colibacillosis, encephalitis viruses, avian tuberculosis, Newcastle Disease, and cryptosporidiosis. Written by Michael A. Davis, Gary D. Butcher, and F. Ben Mather, and published by the UF Department of Animal Sciences, revised August 2015. Original publication date: August 1997.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps019
Consejos para pleanear contra desastres para gente mayor
FY1462 is the Spanish language version of FY620, Disaster Planning Tips for Older Adults. This 4-page publication offers an abundance of information pertaining to water storage and use, food, first aid, important papers, electronics, medical needs, stress reduction, and evacuation which can help older adults plan for natural disasters and other emergencies. Written by Carolyn Wilken, Linda B. Bobroff, and Emily Minton, and published by the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, May 2003.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy1462
Value-Added Products for Fresh Highbush Blueberries
Blueberries are one of the most popular fruits worldwide. Blueberries’ health benefits have fueled this popularity, and today, blueberries can be found in products ranging from nutritional supplements to pet food. This 4-page fact sheet covers the processing methods such as freezing or drying that transform fresh blueberries into ingredients that can be used in other products. Written by Ruiqi Li and Liwei Gu, and published by the UF Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, June 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs268
Food and Fitness: Myths and Truths
Do you know how much water you should drink before exercise? Does loading up on carbs before a strenuous cardio workout improve performance? This 6-page fact sheet debunks some common myths about nutrition and fitness and offers other helpful advice for those who wish to stay active and eat a healthy diet. Written by Linda B. Bobroff and Amy Mullins, and published by the UF Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, June 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy470
Seguridad Alimentaria: Crucigrama de alimentos do alto riesgo
Algunos alimentos pueden causar más enfermedades alimentarias que otros. La leche ó jugos no pasteurizados no son seguros para consumir. Alimentos que no han sido cocinados, como lo son los huevos crudos ó a medio cocinar son particularmente riesgosos.
This 2-page fact sheet is the Spanish language version of Food Safety: High-Risk Foods Crossword. Written by Jennifer Hillan and Linda B. Bobroff, and published by the UF Department of Family Youth and Community Sciences, June 2015. (Photo Credit: Catherine Yeulet/iStock/Thinkstock)
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy1170
Contaminantes en el Medio Ambiente Urbano: Los Perfluoroalquilos
Los perfluoroalquilos–los perfluorocarbonos (PFC) o, en inglés, perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs)–son los productos químicos artificiales más comunes y persistentes en el planeta. Algunos de los productos más comunes que contienen perfluoroalquilos son sartenes de teflón, utensilios de cocina antiadherente, chaquetas impermeables (como Gore-Tex), espumas de extinción de incendios, envases de alimentos, alfombras y telas para muebles. Los perfluoroalquilos poseen un largo tiempo de residencia en el medio ambiente, lo que significa que los perfluoroalquilos pueden acumularse en los organismos en niveles que causan efectos nocivos.
This 6-page fact sheet is the Spanish language version of Contaminants in the Urban Environment: Perfluoroalkyl Substances, written by Ignacio A. Rodriguez-Jorquera and Gurpal S. Toor, and published by the UF Department of Soil and Water Science, June 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ss644
Feature image credit: iStock/Thinkstock.com (non-stick pan, waterproof fabric, and fire fighting foam)/Digital Vision/Thinkstock.com (fast food)
A Sand Fly Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz and Neiva) (Insecta: Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae)
The true sand flies are densely covered with setae, have long slender legs, and broad and pointed wings that are held erect at rest. Several phlebotomine species are vectors of the protozoan parasites in the genus Leishmania, that are the causal agents of leishmaniasis. Visceral leishmaniais is the most severe form of the disease, and is fatal to the human or dog host if untreated. This 6-page fact sheet was written by Maria C. Carrasquilla and Phillip E. Kaufman, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, June 2015. (Photo credit: Cristina Ferro, Instituto Nacional de Salud, Colombia
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1091
Contaminants in the Urban Environment: Dioxins
Dioxins are among the most toxic chemicals on the earth. They are by-products of a number of human activities such as combustion of fuels and wastes containing polyvinyl chloride (PVC), chlorine bleaching of paper products, and selected industrial processes. Current releases of dioxins by humans are due to the combustion of fuels and burning of household trash. The good news is that levels of dioxins in the environment have decreased in the United States throughout the past 30 years due to the improved emission controls and regulatory activities. But dioxins break down slowly, so they remain in the environment for a long time and accumulate in the food chain. Long-term exposure to dioxins can harm immune system, nervous system, endocrine system, and reproductive functions. This 7-page fact sheet discusses the sources, emission trends, and impacts of dioxins as well as the ways to minimize exposure to dioxins. Written by Yun-Ya Yang and Gurpal S. Toor, and published by the UF Department of Soil and Water Science, July 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ss642
Facts about Wildlife Diseases: Rabies
Rabies is a virus carried by mammals. It kills infected humans and animals if they are not treated shortly after exposure. Rabies can be prevented, but it cannot be cured once symptoms become evident. This 6-page fact sheet explains how rabies spreads, which animals can get it, how common it is, symptoms, what you can do to limit its spread and what to do in case of a possible rabies exposure. Written by Samantha M. Wisely and Holly K. Ober, and published by the UF Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, June 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw282
Healthy Living: Diabetes
Diabetes is a serious health condition that occurs when a person’s body has difficulty making or using insulin, which results in high blood glucose (blood sugar) and can lead to other complications. This 3-page facts sheet covers the effects of high blood glucose, who is at risk, the symptoms and management of the condition, and additional resources for those with or at risk of developing diabetes. Written by Linda B. Bobroff, Karla P. Shelnutt, and Paulina Wittkowsky, and published by the UF Department of Family Youth and Community Sciences, June 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy078