Eating your favorite Thanksgiving foods without sabotaging your health 

Published in RINewsToday on November 22, 2023

We look forward to gathering around the Thanksgiving table with family and friends to enjoy good company and good food.

“For individuals with chronic diseases such as diabetes or heart disease, holiday social gatherings can be more challenging and at times anxiety inducing,” says Marilyn Csernus, a former, now retired Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, living in Mendota, Illinois.

Csernus suggests that the best way to prevent stress and enjoy your Thanksgiving meal is planning ahead and being prepared.  “Planning ahead can include making sure your health condition is as well managed as possible going into Thanksgiving or any other holiday,” she says. 

Strategies for Managing Your Holiday Meals

“If we look at a specific holiday such as Thanksgiving as one day, rather than giving ourselves permission to overindulge all the way through New Year’s Day, it can be more manageable, especially for those with a chronic disease,” says Csernus.  She gives the following ten tips that will hopefully help you enjoy your favorite holiday foods without sabotaging your health:

1.     Don’t skip breakfast. It is important to maintain regular meals even if the timing may be off a bit on a particular holiday. It can be dangerous for anyone taking insulin and certain oral diabetes medicines to skip meals. 

2.     Try to continue your regular activity or exercise plan as much as possible. Maybe gather up a group to take a walk after enjoying a holiday meal.

3.     Don’t drink your calories. Steer clear of sweetened beverages. 

4.     Whether Thanksgiving is a sit-down meal or served buffet style, take a quick overview of what is on the menu. Decide which items you really want to eat and which you can skip. Choose small portions of holiday favorites that are unique to the holiday rather than filling up on foods that are available anytime of the year. For example, maybe enjoy a small serving of Aunt Sue’s sweet potato casserole rather than eating mashed potatoes which are available anytime of the year, or stuffing rather than bread or rolls.

5.     Enjoy larger servings of non-starchy vegetables such as asparagus, cauliflower, green beans, broccoli, spinach, carrots or green salads. These items are both low in calories and low in carbohydrates. 

6.     If you have a choice, always choose higher fiber options such as brown rice, or whole wheat bread over white rice or white bread.

7.     If there is a buffet table, don’t hang around the buffet. Fill your plate with small portions of your favorites and enjoy your Thanksgiving meal. Stop eating when you are no longer hungry rather than eating to the point of being uncomfortably full. If tempted to go back for seconds wait fifteen to twenty minutes and see if you are really still hungry. It takes that long for your stomach to signal your brain that you are full.   After eating spend your time socializing away from the buffet. Sip on unsweetened beverages throughout the day.

8.     When attending a holiday celebration at someone’s home and you are concerned that there may not be the best options for your usual meal plan, offer to bring a couple of dishes.

9.     If you have diabetes continue to monitor your blood glucose as you would on any other day.

10. If you do overindulge a bit, just get back on track the next day.

 For more diabetes educational resources including recipes, go to diabetes.org.

Talking Turkey about the Holiday Blues

Published in RINewsToday on November 20, 2023

Increased demands of family obligations during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, baking, and cleaning to host dinner, and even unrealistic expectations about family, or having a dysfunctional family, can produce extra stresses, feelings of anxiety, isolation, and depression.  This is oftentimes referred to as holiday blues.

This year, during Thanksgiving dinner, holiday blues, combined with hot and divisive political polarizing discussions over former President Trump, current President Biden, political candidates running in 2024, climate change or the current the Israel-Palestinian conflict, could bring on even more stresses.

During her 45-year career as a licensed practicing psychologist in Los Angeles and at State College, Pennsylvania Elaine Rodino, Ph.D., a fellow and former president of 2 APA divisions (Independent Practice and Media Psychology), has a longstanding interest in the holiday blues and has helped many of her patients cope with this issue over the years.

Rodino who has been quoted on the topic over the years by the LA Times, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Boston Globe, WebMD, and many magazines, talks about holiday blues and offers tips to cope with the stresses and anxiety triggered by the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.  

Expectations, Unhappy Memories Create Holiday Stress

The greatest cause of holiday stress is – expectations – says Rodino, stressing that these expectations are created by media and our families.  

For some there are very unhappy memories from childhood that are remembered that can also trigger holiday stress.  “It’s good to acknowledge how sad that was, but that you have a different life now. It is okay to be sad for yourself as a child enduring those unhappy times.  Realize that you don’t need to perpetuate it and that you can make yourself happy now,” says Rodino.

However, it may be important to talk with a psychologist about past trauma and the bad memories they produce,” adds Rodino, noting that the therapist will know how to work through these issues. 

“The Media bombards us with happy images of beautiful people dressed beautifully enjoying champaign or other drinks.  They see families gathered around gorgeous Thanksgiving tables with a great looking man carving an enormous turkey.  If this is seen over and over there’s a belief that this is the way their holiday should look and anything different is a failure,” notes Rodino.

Expectations also arise from our families. “Whatever one’s parents did seems to become the standard that must be met again.,” she adds. 

According to Rodino, reducing stress caused by unrealistic expectations can easily be accomplished by creating your own way of celebrating and enjoying the holiday season. “Make your own tradition.  Some people even enjoy a chance to take a trip away from the hustle and bustle to a calm tropical vacation, she says. 

There are legitimate reasons for skipping your family’s Thanksgiving gathering, notes Rodino.  “If one’s family is very dysfunctional and it will cause too much discomfort and unhappiness, just make a plan to not stay long. In extreme situations it is fine to say that you want to skip the family drama this year,” she says.  

If attending, Rodino recommends that you do not take things said in conversation personally.  “The family is dysfunctional, and your parents and sibling’s personalities and attitudes will not change,” she says.  

Political Banter Creates Trouble at the Table

A Thanksgiving day topic that people seem to be worried about this year is political conversation.  Rodino says that it is true that the country is divided, and attitudes and opinions haven’t eased over the years.  In fact, they have worsened.

“Try not to sit next to any difficult relatives,” advises Rodino, suggesting that the host take responsibility to know the political make-up of the gathering. “If the group is homogenous then the host can give the message to everyone that they may talk openly about politics. If not – these topics should be avoided,” she states.

“Of course, you can always ask the host not to seat you next to someone you politically disagree with,” she adds.

Grieving a recent loss at holiday time is difficult, says Rodino. “Sometimes it may feel good to acknowledge that person and perhaps with other family members recall fun or significant things that the person said or did,” she says.   

Make Your Thanksgiving Dinner Inclusive

People who are newly sober don’t feel comfortable being greeted at the door with a flute of champagne, warns Rodino.  These individuals can plan a sober party or attend a Thanksgiving gathering of sober family and friends, she recommends.

For lonely people, who are alone, recently widowed, or newly divorced, accept invitations to attend Thanksgiving gatherings.  “People who are alone, or newly divorced are often included and invited to gatherings,” says Rodino, noting that friends and relatives usually make a point of including them at these events. “Don’t say no! Go to parties and events and you will be glad you did,” she says. 

Always use technology to include family members in your Thanksgiving celebration who are residing in nursing facilities or who reside in other states through Zoom or Facetime, recommends Rodino.  

Finally, Rodino reminds us of the importance of self-care in combating the stresses caused by the Thanksgiving holiday blues. “Take a break. Take a walk around the block.  Take that time for just sitting with a hot cup of tea, hot chocolate, or coffee.  Take a bath.  Get a good night sleep,” she adds. 

To listen to Rodino speaking about the holiday blues on an APA podcast, go to https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/holiday-blues.

In the coming years, generations of older Veterans will be leaving us

Published in RINewsToday on November 13, 2023

Of the 16.6 million living veterans, serving in World War II to the Global War on Terror, one half of these veterans are age 65 and over.  The graying of America’s veterans is well-documented in a U.S. Census Bureau report released last July. 

Taking a Look at America’s Aging Veterans

The Census Bureau report,  Aging Veterans: America’s Veteran Population in Later Life, released in July 2023, examines demographic characteristics of the nation’s aging veterans who served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, 

According to the new census data, of the 16.6 million living veterans, 8.1 million, that is nearly one-half (49%) of all veterans in the United States, were age 65 and older. Of all veterans, 1 in 4 is 70 to 79 years old.  The largest group of older veterans (5.5 million) served during the Vietnam War.  World War II veterans made up the smallest group (183,000) of war-time veterans.

The Census data noted that living veterans are overwhelming men, especially those who are older than 70 years old.  The largest age groups of male veterans are 72-74 years old.  This has occurred as the result of the United States entering the Vietnam War in 1964, with soldiers 18-20 years old making up the core age group of draftees and enlistees. 

But census data also reveals that today there are an increasing number of living female veterans.  This is due in large part to changes made in the 1970s when the military transitioned to an all-volunteer force combined with Congress passing legislation that allowed woman to enroll in service academies. Now woman make up one 1 in 10 veterans, says the Census Bureau.

The 9-page report, based on data from the 2021 American Community Survey, reported that older veterans were less likely to be living in poverty and had higher incomes than other older adults.  These individuals were more likely to have a functional disability than other older adults. However, these individuals were less likely to have a service-connected disability compared with all veterans.

This Census Bureau report is based on data from the 2021 American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS is a nationwide survey designed to provide timely and reliable data every year on the demographic, social, economic and housing characteristics of the nation, states, counties and other localities. 

The Census Bureau researchers found that older veterans were less likely to be at risk of isolation than other older adults. About 43% of older veterans experienced at least one characteristic of isolation compared with 46% of older adults who never served. In contrast, veterans in general, regardless of their age, were more likely to have at least one characteristic of isolation than nonveterans (34% compared with 27%, respectively).

The Last Man Standing

As the living veterans grow older, we will witness the passing away of generations of these individuals. As the living veterans grow older, we will witness the passing away of generations of these individuals.  Wikopedia, a free online encyclopedia hosted by the Wikopedia Foundation, details two of the following examples. 

In the 1950s, we saw the passing of the last Civil War veteran.  Wikipedia reported that on August 2, 1956, Albert Henry Woolson, 106, was the undisputed last surviving Civil War veteran on either side.  The drummer Boy in Company C 1st Minnesota Heavy Artillery Regiment, serving in the Grand Army of the Republic, had  enlisted in 1864 to fight in the nation’s bloody American Civil War, also referred to as the War Between the States.   The last verified Confederate soldier was Pleasant Crump, who passed away on Dec. 31, 1951. 

Over 13 years ago, a veteran of World War I was nationally recognized, like Civil War Veteran Woolson, for being the last of his generation of veterans to pass away.  Frank Buckles, 101, was reported to be the last  survivor of 4.73 million Americans who fought in the War to End All Wars.  In 1917, the 16-year-old, who would ultimately leave military service as a corporal, had enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to drive  ambulances and motorcycles near the front lines in France.

As we celebrate Veterans Day, there are fewer aging World War II veterans attending ceremonies held throughout the country to honor their military service.  With their medium age now pegged at 93 years, many of the “Greatest Generation,” are frail, and their numbers are dwindling.  The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs estimates that out of the 16.1 million soldiers who served in World War II, 183,000 are still alive today. Over 1,200 of these veterans reside in the Ocean State. 

By 2040,  America’s last living World War II veteran is expected to pass away like Woolson and Buckles.  The last surviving veterans of Korea and Vietnam will mark an end of an era.  When this happens, their stories can’t be shared to us personally, but only told in our history books or by television documentaries or movies (like Saving Private Ryan) or by historians and academics at universities and colleges. 

Like many I know, I failed to ask my father, the late Frank M. Weiss, to share his World War II experiences.  All that I have now are his scrap book, filled with faded pictures of his military service, yellowed letters and military memorabilia, his medical and discharge papers, sitting in a red Neiman Marcus box in my basement.  The names of his comrades, activities and state-side base locations captured on film no longer have any context to me with his passing. 

Two days ago, on November 11, 2023, Veterans Day ceremonies and activities were being held throughout the Ocean State and across the country to honor those who are serving or have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. By 2025, the Department of Veteran Affairs estimated that there will be a couple of hundred World War II veterans, over 1,600 Korean and 14,000 Vietnam veterans still alive in Rhode Island.  In the coming years, frailty and health issues will keep these elderly veterans’ from attending Veteran Day celebrations and even at their reunions.     
 
As a generation of Civil War and World War I veterans vanish right before our eyes in 1956 and 2011, we must cherish the surviving older veterans.  In the next thirty years, we are poised to see new generations of veterans who fought in three wars die out of right before our eyes. I say, cherish them as long as you can. Urge those who fought in World War II, Korea and Vietnam to share their personal stories and oral histories for the sake of America’s future generations. They have so much to say and  America’s younger generations has much to learn from them.  

Remember, don’t miss the opportunity to thank any living older veteran you meet in your daily travels. Thank them for their service to our country.  

Today’s commentary is dedicated to my father, Second Lt. Frank M. Weiss, who died in December 2003, in Dallas, Texas, at 89 years old.