VISN 2: Veterans' Wellness, Fall 2007

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March 2008 - Have your cake—and make it healthy, too!


Did You Know?
March is about more than healthy eating. It’s also: National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Colonoscopy has gotten a bad rap. It’s a painless procedure—and it could save your life. National Brain Injury Month More and more veterans are coming home with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Help your loved ones by becoming informed.

Healthy eating isn’t just about raw carrots and tuna packed in water. Today, thanks to advances made by nutritionists, researchers and expert chefs, you can enjoy delicious full-course meals, snacks— even cake—and still be healthy. Here are some tasteful “tricks” to turn your favorite mega- calorie, heart-clogging, rich recipes into dishes that are heart healthy and low in fat, calories and sugar—all without sacrificing mouth- watering taste.

Spray Hearty. Use a cooking spray instead of butter or oil when you bake, fry or sauté. You can even get flavors specific to your needs: a baking spray, an olive oil spray, even a grilling spray!

Make low-sodium, fat-free broth your best friend. Use it to perk up rice dishes, stir-fry meals and casseroles.

Substitute low-fat milk. Low fat doesn’t have to mean low taste. Some newer fat-free milk brands are richer than their more fattening counterparts. And 1 percent works fine if you dislike the taste of skim.

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”

—Walt Disney, film producer and co-founder of the Walt Disney Company

To print, download the full "Veterans Wellness 2008 Calendar " in Acrobat PDF Format

March calendar
March 1st - Enjoy a vegetable, you have never eaten
March 2nd - Turn on the radio and sing along.
March 9th - Daylight-saving time begins
March 13th - Work your walking up to 15 minutes this week.
March 16th - Palm Sunday
March 17th - St. Patrick's Day
March 20th - First Day of Spring
March 21st - Good Friday
March 23rd - Easter Sunday
March 26th - It’s in your power to be healthy.

Keep moving and eating right—your body will thank you! Jot down your progress this month:		Starting weight for March: _________ Goal weight for March: _________ Exercise goals: __________________________ What special memory did you make this month? _____________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________

Did you know that the American Cancer Society is a resource for you 24/7, 365 days a year? Call 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org* to find out more.

* Links will take you outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs Web site. VA does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of the linked web sites. The link will open in a new window.

Reviewed/Updated Date: January 15, 2008