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Eat well,
be well on
vacation
Tips for making safe,
nutritious choices on the road
T
aking it easy is one of the best parts about a
vacation. But while the rest and scenery may do
you some good, the same can’t always be said
of the food—especially when you’re driving to your
destination. Think empty-calorie, gas station munchies.
And that could spell trouble when you’re watching your
waistline or trying to eat a healthy diet. Also, the risk of
food poisoning—a would-be vacation spoiler—rises
in summertime. So you’ll also want to keep foods safe
while you travel.
Five to remember
Before you hit the road, take these tips in tow:
1
Pack some healthy snacks.
Nutritious, portable
foods include whole-grain crackers, fresh fruit (washed
ahead of time), peanut butter sandwiches, precut
veggies, wasabi peas, dried mixed fruit, unsalted nuts
or popcorn, and even canned or packaged tuna.
2
Cool it.
If you bring a cooler, pack plenty of ice or a
frozen pack. Try to keep the cooler out of the hot trunk.
Put a refrigerator thermometer in the cooler to make
sure the temperature inside stays below 40 degrees—the
safe zone for foods.
3
Choose wisely.
If you do stop for a bite, eye the
menu for healthier options. Good choices include low-
fat smoothies, grilled chicken breast sandwiches and
salads, broth-based soups, and veggie-based dishes.
4
Wash up.
Remember to scrub your hands with soap
and water before preparing and eating food. Don’t forget
to pack some sanitizer for when you can’t get to a sink.
5
Know when to toss it.
You might picnic at parks,
grill at campgrounds or take restaurant food to-go. If
you do, don’t eat anything that’s been sitting out for
more than two hours—or one hour on a 90-degree or
hotter day.
Source: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Andy and Karen
Schock share a
passion for healing
and helping others
G
rowing up, Andy and Karen
Schock’s musical tastes were as
different as they were.
He played the guitar, loved
hard rock and played in a band at
Yakima’s Eisenhower High. Raised in New
Jersey, Karen came to Yakima to serve
with Volunteers in Service to America
after college. She played the piano,
sang in school choirs and musicals in
high school, and favored folk music and
groups like The Byrds.
Those differences aside, they were
destined—literally and figuratively—to
make music together. Flash back to 1979.
A vocalist scheduled to perform with
Andy at his brother’s wedding backed
out at the last minute. Friends suggested
Karen as a replacement.
“There was a spark,” Andy says.
They married in 1982, exchanging
vows at the same South Carolina church
where her parents had wed. They didn’t
know then that their road together would
lead to Ellensburg.
Before meeting Karen, Andy had
Have grill, be
safe
Five tips for a healthy and happy barbecue season
B
ackyard cooks: Got your tongs and grills ready? Before you crank up the heat, take the time to brush
up on a few basics for safe and healthy cookouts.
1
Find a good spot.
Grills—propane or charcoal—should never be used inside a home or garage
or under a carport or breezeway. The dangers: fire or poisoning from carbon monoxide. Set up grills at
least 10 feet away from buildings, and keep kids and pets at least three feet away from grills.
2
Don’t taint your tools.
Use separate tools for raw meat, cooked meat and other foods. Tools include tongs,
forks, plates, spatulas, cutting boards and marinade brushes. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry can contaminate
other foods.
3
Tame the risks of high heat.
Cooking meats, poultry and fish at high temperatures can cause heterocyclic
amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to form on meat. These compounds may be linked
to cancer. To minimize them, the American Institute for Cancer Research suggests:
●
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Cutting fat off meat before cooking.
●
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Marinating meats for at least 30 minutes before grilling.
●
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Grilling small pieces to reduce grill time.
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Using an indirect, low-heat flame.
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Flipping meats often while cooking.
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Cutting off charred parts before eating.
4
Mind the menu.
Eating wholesome, healthy foods helps prevent cancer and other serious diseases. When
drafting a barbecue menu:
●
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Serve lots of fruits and vegetables. Try them grilled: HCAs and PAHs do not form on plant foods. Seared
watermelon or onion slices? Delicious!
●
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Try poultry and fish on the grill. Diets high in red meats—such as beef and lamb—have been linked to an
increased risk for colon cancer.
●
●
Watch portions. Meat, poultry and other protein foods should take up only about one-quarter of your plate,
according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
5
Make friends with a food thermometer.
Cooking meats to the proper internal temperature kills off
pathogens that can make you and guests very sick. Always use a food thermometer before calling, “Time to eat!”
Additional sources: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; National Safety Council; U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
KVH doctor a
Hospital Hero
The American Hospital Association celebrated
National Women’s History Month in March 2016
by releasing profiles of several “Hospital Heroes.”
Vicki Macy, MD, FACOG, of KVH Women’s Health
was selected and featured with this select group
of women.
Dr. Macy was the first woman to complete
an obstetrics and gynecology residency at the
University of Utah and one of the first female
OB-GYNs in the state of Utah. She has delivered
nearly 9,000 babies during her career.
worked a summer job at the Fred
Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in
Seattle. The center was a small operation
back then—so small that even a ward
clerk rubbed elbows with leading cancer
researchers.
“It was the tipping point that changed
what I wanted to do,” Andy says.
Career paths lead to KVH
After their marriage, the couple settled
in Yakima, where Karen landed a job with
the Department of Social and Health
Services. Andy worked as a licensed
practical nurse while going to school to
become a registered nurse. There were
no openings at Fred Hutchinson when
he finished, so he became an operating
room nurse at a Yakima hospital, moving
to KVH Hospital as operating room nurse
manager in 1987.
But the role took Andy away from his
passion: day-to-day contact with patients.
He went back to school to become a
certified physician assistant and worked
as a PA-C in the Upper County and with
a clinic in Yakima before joining KVH
Internal Medicine in 2007.
Karen stepped away from her career
when the couple’s sons, Henri and Ben,
were born. In 1990, with the boys in
school, she took a half-time position as
director of volunteer services at KVH
Hospital.
“I star ted with three or four
volunteers,” she says. “They say the
number of volunteers you have should
match the number of patient beds. At
that time, it was a 50-bed hospital.”
The number of volunteers grew. So
did Karen’s skill set and responsibilities.
She did some marketing and spent
18 years working in social services
and discharge planning. Today, she
runs the KVH Cancer Outreach
program and manages the pre-
med and pharmacy students who
rotate through KVH Hospital, plus the
65 in-service volunteers who volunteer
weekly.
“I have the best job in the hospital.
Our volunteers are the heart of the
hospital,” Karen says.
Neither she nor Andy plans to leave
KVH any time soon.
“It’s the environment we’re in, the
people we work with, that makes it so
rewarding,” Andy says.
“I’ve been with these employees and
volunteers 25 years. They take care of
others with such pride,” Karen adds. “It’s
inspiring.”
NEWS, V I EWS & T I PS
HEALTH TALK
2
H E A L T H C U R R E N T S
S U M M E R 2 0 1 6
NEWS, V I EWS & T I PS
HEALTH TALK
S U M M E R 2 0 1 6
H E A L T H C U R R E N T S
3
CARING TOGETHER:
Kittitas Valley
Healthcare employees
Andy and Karen Schock
Two hearts for healthcare