Winter is the time for the Sunshine Vitamin. Our bodies produce vitamin D when exposed to UV rays but in winter, sunshine is in shorter supply and the cold weather often prevents us from spending time outdoors.

Vitamin D is especially important as we age because it plays a role in maintaining muscle strength and in the absorption of calcium. Vitamin D deficiency can cause weak bones and muscle aches and pains.

Although sunshine is the most available source for Vitamin D, we can make sure get enough through diet and supplements. Many foods are now fortified with Vitamin D. A daily vitamin usually contains about 400 IU of Vitamin D. Drinking milk, eating plenty of fish and enjoying cereals and orange juice fortified with Vitamin D will help ensure you get enough to meet daily requirements.

The US RDA for Vitamin D are: 200 international units for most people; 400 IUs for people ages 51 to 70 and 600 IU over age 70. Because Vitamin D is fat soluble, it is stored by the body and high levels can be toxic. 1000 IU per day is considered safe.

If your doctor has recommended a low-sodium diet, you are probably doing all the right things to ensure you stay within the guidelines. You’ve taken the salt shaker off the table, you cook without adding salt, you choose low-sodium foods when dining out and always read the nutrition label at home.

But according to WebMD, there are foods that you would not suspect of being silently sodium rich, and you may be getting more sodium than you think if you eat them.

Included are things like onion soup mix (a favorite for cooking), spaghetti sauce, canned creamed corn and vegetable juice cocktail.

For an illuminating look at foods you didn’t know were high in sodium, check out the story at WebMD.

We think of the holidays as time of goodwill and cheer. Busy times to be sure, but even if it is in our idealized childhood memories, we think of Christmas as a time of mirth and miracles.

But studies show that during the holidays - Christmas and New Year’s - there is a spike in daily mortality, occuring from both cardiac and non-cardiac disease. But separate studies have shown that December and January are the two most likely months for death from cardiac events.

What about Christmas and New Year’s make them so risky for cardiac death? One might think it correlates to cooler temperatures or perhaps snow shoveling. But a study done by the Heart Institute of Good Samaritan Hospital in North Carolina found that the risk of cardiac death was greatest in December and January even in temperate climates, such as that of Los Angeles County, CA.

The most likely reason is that people overindulge during the holidays, are under more stress, busy with multiple tasks and less likely to pay attention to important warning symptoms or fail to seek medical help in time.

Warning symptoms include:

* Pressure or crushing pain in your chest, sometimes with sweating, nausea or vomiting
* Pain that extends from your chest into the jaw, left arm or left shoulder.
* Tightness in your chest
* Shortness of breath for more than a couple of seconds

If you experience any of the symptoms of heart attack, do not delay - call emergency personnel immediately. When they arrive or when you arrive at the hospital, do not offer explanations of heartburn or any other possible reason for your symptoms even if you suspect something else may be the cause. Say: “I think I am having a heart attack”. Do nothing to delay important diagnostic and possibly life-saving treatment.

Information regarding the studies referenced above can be found at:

The “Merry Christmas Coronary” and “Happy New Year Heart Attack” phenomenon - National Institutes of Health

Choosing whole grains over refined grains can reduce your risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Older adults who eat more whole grains can significantly lower the risk of related medical problems such as obesity and high blood pressure.

The US government’s dietary guidelines for Americans give specific information about the difference between whole grains and refined grains. In order to be a whole grain it must consist of the entire grain seed or kernel or, if cracked, it must contain proportionate amounts of the three components of the kernel - the bran, the germ and the endosperm.

Whole grains are an important source of fiber and other nutrients. Eating at least three servings of whole grains per day can stave off several chronic diseases and aid in weight maintenance.

Buy whole grain products at your Golden Agers Store