Community health fair from Slidell Memorial Hospital, Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board
It's all about living the good life in good shape here in southern Louisiana. That's what the emphasis will be on at the "Good Life Celebration,” the new community health fair from Slidell Memorial Hospital.
And to inaugurate the first Good Life Celebration, SMH is partnering with the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board to show that lifestyle can also include eating healthy on traditional Louisiana dishes featuring fresh, local seafood.
The Good Life Celebration will be held on Saturday, Aug. 6 from 7-11 a.m. at the SMH Atrium, 1051 Gause Blvd. This celebration of wellness and healthful living will feature cooking demonstrations featuring heart-healthy seafood meals as well as a variety of health screenings. The screenings will include: EKG, diabetes, LIPID profile, iron level, pulse oxygen and blood pressure, among others.
Those attending the event can also participate in education opportunities on health issues such as stroke, cancer, diabetes, diet and fitness, organ and bone marrow donations and blood iron levels.
In addition, the winning team and individual contestant in the Slim Down Slidell contest will be announced.
The USDA's newly released Dietary Guidelines for Americans now recommends we eat about eight ounces of seafood per week, which is far below what the typical diet includes. SMH Chief Clinical Dietitian Paula Brown says local residents can make that an easy adjustment just by substituting some of their beef, chicken or pork they eat with more local seafood like fish, shrimp or crawfish, which can be lower in calories, depending on how they are prepared.
"To be more fit and healthy, we ought to be planning meals that include more seafood, and go easier on the other meats,” says Brown. "Seafood is an incredible source of protein. That's why it can be such an important part of a successful health and fitness plan.”
While you'll want to talk with your physician about any dietary restrictions or recommendations, even if you are restricting the amount of cholesterol you eat, shellfish may still be a great option on a heart-healthy diet because it is also very low in saturated fat.
Members of the public may come to the event without reservations and admittance is free. However, if you wish to participate in the medical screenings, advance reservations need to be made by calling (985) 649-8585. A fee of $15 will cover all the medical screenings, which are valued at over $250.
Visitors to SlidellMemorial.org/GoodLife will find more information and recipes for downloading.
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SIDEBAR
Here are a few tips from the USDA about the nutritional and health benefits of seafood:
· Although shellfish can be high in cholesterol, it is also very low in saturated fat, which can fit into a heart-healthy diet
· Increase the amount and variety of seafood consumed by choosing seafood in place of some meat and poultry
· Ounce-for-ounce, shrimp have nearly half the calories of a skinless chicken breast. Six ounces of boiled shrimp only has 200 calories
· Boiled crawfish is even lower in calorie, with only 200 calories in a nine ounce serving.
· Fish contains oils, not solid fats, and oils are better for cardiovascular health than are solid fats
· Seafood is a very good, nutritious food that is high in oils as well as omega-3 fatty acids. Eight to 12 ounces of fish per week would offer approximately 250 mg of omega-3 fatty acids per day
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ABOUT SMH
Slidell Memorial Hospital is a full-service 182-bed acute care not-for-profit community hospital located at 1001 Gause Blvd., in the heart of Slidell. Founded in 1959, SMH serves as a primary healthcare resource for families in St. Tammany Parish, La.; Pearl River County, Miss.; and the greater Mississippi Gulf Coast region. For more information, visit http://www.slidellmemorial.org/ . The hospital's main phone number is (985) 643-2200.
Media Contact: Sam Caruso, Jr.
carusos@smhplus.org
985-649-8834
