Expanding Our Services

Moveable Feast reaches out to more and more Marylanders each year. In 2010, recall that we formed a relationship with There Goes My Hero to provide meals to patients living with blood cancers (leukemia). 

On Wednesday, March 2nd, we signed a small food service contract with the DRU/Mondawmin (DRUM) Healthy Families organization. DRUM provides neo-natal services to women who are at high-risk for miscarriage due to drug use and/or HIV. We will now begin providing nutrition to DRUM clients via a congregate meal for 32 people each Wednesday.

Last week, we also received authorization from the Department of Health & Mental Hygiene to provide services to homebound adults with disabilities. This would cover a wide range of people, not excluding those with HIV or other life-threatening conditions.

Moveable Feast at the Komen Appreciation Reception

On Thursday, March 3rd, Moveable Feast development staff attended the annual appreciation reception for the Maryland Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The event was held at the Marriott in Hunt Valley, MD. It was great to see all the supporters and representatives of partner organizations all gathered in one location. We enjoyed the evening very much.

Bottom Line: Smoking is Unhealthy

In January, researchers found that women who smoked heavily before hitting menopause had a slightly greater chance of developing breast cancer.

The researchers looked at data for nearly 150,000 women over 30 years. The research was lauded for its large size, which made the results quite reliable.



Robert Pattinson smoking an electronic cigarette, which is not associated with any health risks. (c) Examiner.com

The researchers found that "pre-menopausal heavy smokers had a 6% increase in breast cancer malignancy."

Light or moderate smoking and second-hand smoke were not found as significant factors for cancer, however.

In the past, studies have suggested that smoking can help reduce levels of estrogen a hormone that can stimulate the onset of breast cancer. In fact, women have been known to smoke after menopause, thinking that it reduces the risk of breast cancer!

Research results about breast cancer and smoking have a long history of being conflicting and confusing. What's Moveable Feast's final conclusion about the topic? Not much is definitively known yet about how smoking affects breast cancer, and overall, it's better to not smoke.


P.S. Save the date for the Race for the Cure on Sunday, October 23rd, 2011, sponsored by the Maryland Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. 

P.P.S. Looking for something sooner to partake in? Consider going to Komen's "Many Faces of Breast Cancer 2011," on Saturday, March 26th. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, whose own mother was affected by breast cancer, will be the keynote speaker. 

HopeSprings: The Journey

Moveable Feast partners with HopeSprings, a Christian organization that dreams of restoring hope and healing to those affected by HIV/AIDS' through awareness initiatives and education, community engagement, & partnerships with organizations and churches. 

click to enlarge

HopeSprings has a new volunteer opportunity called The Journey, which equips people to serve at partner organizations, completing vital work for the HIV/AIDS community and supporters. 

The Journey consists of a 6-week volunteer training held at Gallery Church (1407 Fleet St.) on Thursday evenings, beginning next week.

HopeSprings is an important partner agency with Moveable Feast. Help us spread the word about this great program!

For more information about The Journey, please contact lferland@hopesprings.org or 443-212-5354. 

Colorful, Healthy Salads

As mentioned yesterday, this month is National Nutrition Month, with a theme of "Eat Right With Color."

It can be all too easy to boil your diet down to the same old colors. Interestingly, psychology has shown that Americans associate shades of reds and yellows with more "delicious" foods than greens and purples. You could even call them the "McDonald's" colors. Unfortunately, diets that are not varied can also be unhealthy. 

A great way to introduce more color and better nutrition into your meals this month is to eat more salads. Here are our tips for creating better salads:

• Instead of consuming a salad of iceberg lettuce, consider adding darker leaved greens such as spinach or romaine. Darker hues mean higher levels of important nutrients.
• Always add salad toppings like kidney beans, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, etc. to boost the nutrition levels AND the color factor!
• When picking a salad dressing, avoid creamy dressings and opt for the vinaigrette. When available, always choose a light version!
• Don't use too much dressing! A good way to evenly distribute a small amount of dressing on your salad is to put it in a tupperware and shake it up.

(c) Michael Werner graphics

Choosing a healthy salad dressing can often be the hardest part, with so many choices in the supermarket. Here are some tips for making your decision:

• A good rule-of-thumb is to look for dressings that contain < 8 grams of fat and < 300 mg of sodium per serving. These are typically "lighter" dressings.
• Check out the ingredient list - use dressings with canola or olive oil, which contain healthier fats.

March is National Nutrition Month

Happy March!

Did you know that March is also National Nutrition Month? The theme this year is "Eat Right With Color." 

Look out for high-powered, ultra-useful Weekly Health Tips from our dietitians on Wednesdays, starting tomorrow!

March 9th is Registered Dietitian Day. We'll be taking a closer look at what our dietitians do for our clients!