HOTFLASHES | June 2021

Easy Broccoli Salad
 

BROCCOLI SALAD INGREDIENTS

• 24 ounces broccoli florets (about 3 large heads broccoli)
• 8 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled
• 2/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 2/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup finely-diced red onion
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (or goat or blue cheese)

CREAMY DRESSING INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup mayo
• 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon
• pinch of salt and black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Make the dressing. Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl until combined. Taste and season the dressing with salt and pepper, to taste.

Toss the salad. Combine the broccoli florets, bacon, almonds, dried cranberries, red onion, and feta cheese in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle evenly with the dressing then toss until completely combined.

Serve. Serve immediately, or transfer the salad to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Hydration Help: Tips to Increase Your Water Intake

Drinking plenty of water is one of the simplest ways to keep your body and mind working at their best. Water helps carry nutrients and oxygen through cells, aid digestion and prevent constipation, stabilize the heartbeat and blood pressure, regulate body temperature, and maintain your body’s electrolyte balance.

And because water is so essential to these biological functions, your body is sure to notice if you’re not drinking enough of it.  Symptoms of dehydration may include a dry or sticky-feeling mouth, dark yellow urine (or a less-frequent urge to urinate), dry skin, headaches, and muscle cramps. In more severe cases, dehydration can cause dizziness, lightheadedness, irritability, a rapid heartbeat and breathing rate, and even shock. With these tips you hit your hydration goals!

1. Keep Water Close to Hand Throughout the Day
2. Infuse Water With Fruit to Add Flavor and Variety
3. Invest in a Gadget That Makes Water Exciting
4. Download an App to Help Monitor Your Water Intake
5. Pre-Portion Your Daily Water Goals
6. Choose a Water Bottle That Suits You
7. Snack on Foods With a High Water Content

Information from everydayhealth.com

Know How to Handle the Heat

High temperatures kill hundreds of people every year. Heat-related deaths and illness are preventable, yet more than 700 people die from extreme heat every year in the United States. Taking measures to stay cool, remain hydrated, and keep informed can save lives.

The main things affecting your body’s ability to cool itself during extremely hot weather are high humidity and personal factors. When the humidity is high, sweat cannot evaporate as quickly. This keeps your body from releasing heat appropriately. Personal factors like age, obesity, fever, dehydration, heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation, sunburn, and prescription drug and alcohol use all can also play a role in whether a person can cool off enough in very hot weather.

Everyone should take these steps to prevent heat-related illnesses, injuries, and death during hot weather:

• Stay in an air-conditioned indoor location as much as you can.
• Drink plenty of fluids even if you don’t feel thirsty.
• Schedule outdoor activities carefully.
• Wear loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing and sunscreen.
• Pace yourself.
• Take cool showers or baths to cool down.
• Check on a friend or neighbor and have someone do the same for you.
• Never leave children or pets in cars.
• Check the local news for health and safety updates.

Children playing a sport that practices during the summer can protect themselves and their teammates by following these CDC guidelines:

• If you are wearing a cloth face covering and feel yourself overheating or having trouble breathing, put at least 6 feet of distance between yourself and others and remove the face covering.
• Schedule workouts and practices earlier or later in the day when the temperature is cooler.
• Monitor a teammate’s condition, and have someone do the same for you.
• Seek medical care right away if you or a teammate has symptoms of heat-related illness.