Center News
National Nutrition Month
March is National Nutrition Month. We invite you to learn more about making informed food choices and to develop healthful eating and physical activity habits to last for a lifetime.
Our dietitians here at the Center For Health are here to help you develop and stick with a healthy eating plan, and our exercise programs are here to inspire regular physical activity.
Call the Center For Health at 530-587-3769 to learn more about our services and to get scheduled!
Rethink Healthy
Reducing Food Waste and Recycling Food Waste: What Can You Do?
While we are thinking about making healthy food choices, one issue that often goes overlooked is the amount of food we waste. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, one-third of all food produced around the world is wasted. We waste food in homes, commercial kitchens, grocery stores, on farms, and in food manufacturing plants. More than 80 percent of Americans discard food that is safe to eat because they misunderstand expiration labels. At Tahoe Forest Health System, we’re tackling this problem head-on by emphasizing composting and recycling. As community members, we can take action too!
Read on about how you can reduce food waste!
By: Brooklyn Dreher, MS, RDN, LD
March is National Nutrition Month. While we are thinking about making healthy food choice, one issue that often goes overlooked is the amount of food we waste. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation
Tips to reduce food waste: Make sure you understand the intentions o
s, one-third of all food produced around the world is wasted! We waste food in homes, commercial kitchens, grocery stores, on farms, and in food manufacturing plants. More than 80 percent of Americans discard food that is safe to eat because they misunderstand expiration labels. At Tahoe Forest Health System, we’re tackling this problem head-on by emphasizing composting and recycling. As community members, we can take action too!
f expiration labels on foods. BEST IF USED BY dates give you an idea of how long foods will last before they “lose quality”. Most products will last beyond their ‘best-before’ date if they are stored properly. Products with a USE BY date must be consumed before or on that date. These are usually on a highly perishable food.
Recycling food waste through composting is nature’s way of giving back. You can compost in backyards in a homemade or manufactured composting bin or simply an open pile (although this is not recommended in bear country). There are also various home composting devices that allow you to compost indoors. CalRecycle.ca.gov is a great online resource that walks you through how to compost food waste at home (as well as ways to recycle a variety of other types of waste)!
Truckee’s “Keep Truckee Green” initiative offers convenient composting collection sites, so you can compost without having to manage your own composting pile (see side bar for collection site locations). ONLY Food scraps can be composted! Food scraps include: Fruits/veggies, flowers, eggshells, meat, bones, avocado pits, coffee grounds— but no coffee filters.
Items that cannot be added to the composting collection sites include: bags or containers, “Compostable” plastics such as plates, cups and cutlery; cardboard; paper products; tea bags/coffee filters; tissues/paper towels; shredded newspaper; pet feces/kitty litter. For more information visit: https://www.keeptruckeegreen.org/
At Tahoe Forest Hospital, we’re leading by exa
mple by implementing green waste composting, innovative strategies to reduce food waste, and recycling food containers. We compost organic waste such as left- over food, and trimmings from vegetables and fruits. To reduce food waste, we are feeding our night shift employees the leftovers from the Café steam table, soups, salads, and cookies free of charge. In addition, in the evening, we offer the salad bar for free starting about 6:30 PM to avoid wasting the vegetables. We also recycle plastic #1 & #2, glass, aluminum cans, steel cans, cardboard and paper. The paper compostable plates and food trays can be recycled if they are clean or do not contain left over food.
During National Nutrition Month, let’s not just think about what’s on our plates, but also what happens to the leftovers. By embracing composting and recycling, we can create a more sustainable food system for all. Join us in the journey towards a healthier, waste-free future.
“Keep Truckee Green” Composting Collection Sites
- Truckee Certified Farmer’s Market – (Look for the Slow Food Lake Tahoe booth)
- Truckee Town Hall – 10183 Truckee Airport Rd (Dumpster located in the rear parking lot, near the cardboard dumpster).
- Glenshire General Store – 10095 Dorchester Dr (Dumpster located near front driveway).
- Mountain Hardware – 11320 Donner Pass Rd (Dumpster located in rear of parking lot, near shipping and receiving ramp off Forest Ln).
- Community Garden Drop-Off Location – Located at the Regional Park. Drop-off anytime | May – October.
Colorectal Cancer Screening Recommendations
Colorectal cancer is currently the second most common cancer in the United States for both men and women. An estimated 52,500 Americans died in 2022 from colorectal cancer. Unfortunately, colorectal cancer is increasing in younger populations, particularly in people ages 45-49 years old over the past twenty years; notable because until recently colorectal cancer screening typically began at age 50.
Read on about colorectal cancer and learn when to get screened!
Center for Health Team
Gabriela Villanueva – Community Health Advocate/Promotora
Gabriela was born and raised in Truckee, CA and worked as a medical assistant for many years in the North Lake Tahoe / Truckee area. In 2019 she decided to pursue a degree in Public Health to increase her knowledge on how to promote and protect the health of people and the community. She received her bachelor’s in Public Health with a concentration in Community Health Education from Sacramento State University, and served as a perinatal care coordinator in Sacramento. Recently, she returned to the community she grew up in to assist patients in accessing care and community resources. In her free time, Gabriela can be found outdoors hiking and camping.
Gabriela facilitates the Nutrition For a Healthy Pregnancy class in Spanish the fourth Saturday of every month. She can also be seen at the Center For Health, translating for our Spanish speaking patients during Biofeedback and Nutrition appointments.
Upcoming Health & Wellness Events Programs & Classes
Infant Nutrition: When & How to Introduce Solid Foods to Your Baby
This class is for parents of babies 5 – 8 months old, infant caregivers, and anyone wanting evidence-based information on infant food nutrition. In this class:
- Learn When & How to Introduce Solid Foods to Your Baby
- Foster a healthy relationship with food, right from the start using a baby-led approach!
- Learn how to safely and nutritiously start your infant on a path to healthfully eating a wide variety of foods
When: Monday March 18th, 1-3pm, This class is offered in-person and virtually.
Where: 10833 Donner Pass Rd Suite 102, Truckee, CA, 96761
Cost: $45 (can bring a partner or other caregiver), pre-registration required.
Tahoe Forest Cooking Club: Family Favorites – Easy Comfort Food Dishes
Join us for Monthly Health Supportive Cooking Demos! Get out of your cooking rut and come get INSPIRED at our monthly Health Supportive Cooking Club! Each month, our Registered Dietitian Lisa Fligor, MS, RDN, LD will provide a fun and interactive cooking demo. You get to taste test and take home easy, healthy, and delicious recipes! Learn how to upgrade old favorites to a fresh, modern, healthier version. We will increase nutrient density while making the recipes quicker and easier than ever. You’ll be able to get a nutritious meal on the table that everyone will love – and fast.
When: Monday March 25th, 5-6:30 pm
Where: 10833 Donner Pass Rd Suite 102, Truckee, CA, 96761
Cost: $30 per person, pre-registration required.
Virtual Infant & Child CPR
Be prepared for life-threatening emergencies. This VIRTUAL CPR class is appropriate for caregivers of infants and children. Grandparents, siblings, nannies, babysitters, and anyone else wanting to learn how to help save a life! In this class, you will learn:
- How to recognize when an infant or child needs rescue breathing
- How to perform CPR on infants and children
- How to care for an infant or child who is choking
- You will watch a CPR movie and practice on infant and child manikins
*Family and Friends CPR is an orientation to CPR and is not a certifying or credentialing course. If you need certification in CPR or AED, call (877) AHA-4CPR*
When: Saturday March 30th, 9-11am
Where: Virtual Class, you will need to pick up your CPR kits at 10833 Donner Pass Rd Suite 102, Truckee, CA, 96761
Cost: $75 per couple, pre-registration required.
Recipe of the Month: Herb Packed Turkey Meatballs
These are a refreshing yet satisfying version of regular meat meals. The recipes also works to make turkey burgers – simply form into patties instead.
Recipe by Lisa Fligor MS, RDN
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ pound group turkey
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ or less teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped mint
- Canola or avocado oil
Directions:
- Pre-heat the oven to 375° and place parchment paper on a baking sheet
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl
- Using hands mix until well combined, grease hands with oil olive before mixing
- Heat large skillet over medium heat and spray with oil
- Using hands, form turkey mixture into balls and place into the hot skillet
- Rotate meatballs so they brown on all sides
- Remove from the skillet and place onto the prepared baking sheet
- When all meatballs are browned, place the baking sheet into the oven and cook for 12-15 minutes until internal temperature reaches 165°
Download our Herb Packed Turkey Meatballs recipe cards!
