President's Message

Sharon Feldman

Hi Everyone,

By the time you receive this it will be 2012. A happy and healthy New Year to you all. Every year we can start fresh. We get another chance to work on projects we didn’t find the time to do the previous year or live a more heart healthy life. So what will you do differently this year? My goal this year is to exercise at least three times a week, meditate more, play fewer games on the computer, do some healthier cooking, read more, and finally organize my old photos and papers. I’m a terrible pack rat. I hate to throw anything away, because I know that when I do, inevitably I will need it again.

If you missed our meeting in November here is a very small port-
ion of what John Campana, with help from his wife Patricia, spoke about. He gave an excellent talk about food safety. John said that food borne illness is not any more prevalent today than it was 50 years ago. It can sometime take weeks after you’ve eaten contaminated food for some microorganisms to show up in your system. The basic causes of food becoming tainted are not cooking the food long enough, not refrigerating the leftovers within an hour or two of cooking it, cross contamination, and poor personal hygiene.

People who are more at risk to get sick from tainted foods are: infants and preschool children, pregnant women, people over 75, people taking certain medicines that might lower their ability to fight off certain bacteria, and those who are seriously ill. Some of the foods favoring rapid growth of microorganisms are as follows: milk and milk products; eggs; meat; fish and shellfish; heat treated plant food, such as cooked rice, beans, vegetables, baked potato, tofu and other soy proteins; untreated oil and garlic mixtures; raw sprouts and sprout seeds; sliced melon; and synthetic ingredients such as textured soy protein found in meat alternatives. Chicken and turkey are the most contaminated foods. Be careful handling, cooking and cleaning up after preparing the chicken and turkey. The only way to know if meat is cooked enough to get rid of the microorganisms is to use a meat thermometer to test it.

Always remember to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before and after handling food, and to wash the surface the food came in contact with soap and water immediately after preparing the food. Make sure to wash your fresh fruits and vegetables under running tap water before preparing them. (This includes melons.) John also said not to rely on Purell alone. The tried and true soap and water is still the best way of making sure you are not the cause of contamination.

My daughter-in-law Wendy has for the past few years been leaving her butter in the closet instead of putting it in the refrigerator. I cringed at the thought. I knew that she was bound to cause her family to get sick. Well Wendy, I stand corrected, your Grandmother was right, you can leave the butter in the closet (as well as the margarine and the mayonnaise). They will just turn colors, and if you don’t use them fast enough they will go rancid; but they are so dense that nothing bad can grow in them. John said that the food you slather the mayo on is what will have toxic microorganisms growing not the mayo. You learn something new every day!

USDA Recommended Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures:
- Cook all raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145°F as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures.
- Cook all raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal to an internal temperature of 160°F as measured with a food thermometer.
- Cook all poultry to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F as measured with a food thermometer.

I also wanted to also tell you about Marcus L. Williams, MD, FACC, President of the Association of Black Cardiologists, Inc. (ABC). The mission statement of the ABC, founded in 1974, is "Saving the Hearts of a Diverse America." Dr. Marcus spoke at the National Mended Hearts Convention. Based upon data collected by the organization, people of color are at higher risk for heart disease and stroke. ABC is looking to spread the word to the nonwhite community via community organizations, public awareness campaigns and faith based organizations. To learn more, please go to their website at www.abcardio.org.

Grinnell’s and our Holiday Party were great. We honored our outgoing Treasurer Jackie Joyal. Jackie’s husband Bob was our Treasurer, but when he became ill and was unable to continue doing the job Jackie stepped in. She has also been our Program Chairperson for many years. She continued doing both jobs even as Bob needed more help from her as he became weaker. After Bob died, Jackie said she would continue as Treasurer until we found someone else. Jackie has been a wonderful inspiration to all of us. She has a wonderful attitude towards everyone. If anyone knows how to take lemons and make lemonade, it’s Jackie Joyal. Thank you Jackie for all that you do for Mended Hearts.

Don’t forget, February 4, 2012 is the annual American Heart Association’s Heart Ball Dinner/Dance Gala. It will be held at the Rochester Plaza Hotel. The money raised with this event funds research, education and awareness efforts right here in the Greater Rochester area.

Hope to see you at our January and February meetings. Remember the days are getting longer, so it’s almost Spring!