DEAR HARRIETTE: My boyfriend and I live together. He doesnt like to party or go out, but I do. I like to be with my girlfriends and have fun.

All of my girlfriends are in relationships, too. Anytime I tell him that my girls want to go away on a trip, he tells me to go enjoy myself.

When the day gets closer, he starts to tell me he doesnt want me to go because he doesnt know what my friends and I will be doing and hes not comfortable with it. I know if I still go, he will just constantly call and text me and I wont enjoy myself.

At times, I feel trapped. I dont want to spend my life knowing there will never be an overnight trip I can take without him. I want him to be able to trust me, but he makes me feel like he doesnt. Is this a trust issue or something deeper?

Dont Want To Get Trapped

DEAR DONT WANT TO GET TRAPPED: Since all of your girlfriends are in relationships as well, could you plan a couples trip? Perhaps if your boyfriend experiences being with the whole group, he may relax when you are just with the girls. Thats worth a try.

Outside of that, you may want to reconsider if this is the partner for you. If you and your girlfriends are truly just enjoying spending girl time together and he cannot accept that, he may be too controlling for your taste. Now is the time to figure out how compatible you two are that includes your values and practices. You need to have shared values in order to enjoy a long-term committed relationship.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I think my girlfriend is taking dieting too far. She has tried multiple different diets. Her whole goal is to lose weight and get in shape. But her drastic diets have caused her to lose sleep and become dehydrated, making her tired and unable to focus. Meanwhile, she does not work out, and she hasnt lost a single pound.

I can see she is straining her health, but there is no reward. She really thinks she feels a difference in her body and that its for the best, but its not. Ive done research to help her realize she needs to eat healthy and exercise. I need help to guide her in the right direction and convince her to change her mindset. What resources can help her diet safely?

Concerned Friend

DEAR CONCERNED FRIEND: Suggest that your girlfriend schedule an appointment with her doctor to get a complete assessment of her health. Her physician can refer her to a dietitian, who can design an eating plan that is healthy and low in calories.

Be your girlfriends advocate and go with her if she allows you to. Encourage her to get professional, medically sound advice on how to move forward. With proper diet and exercise, she should be able to get her weight and health under control, but it is not easy. Do your best not to be judgmental as you encourage her to seek medical help. Be a cheerleader.

Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

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Harriette Cole: Im just out with my girls. Why doesnt he trust me? - The Mercury News

Although there is no silver bullet to solve the crisis of global malnutrition, food fortification can significantly improve nutrition across populations and generations.

In addition to the threat posed by COVID-19, the world faces multiple famines of biblical proportions that could result in 300,000 deaths per day a hunger pandemic, World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director David Beasley warned earlier this year.

An often forgotten dimension of this threat is a deepening malnutrition crisis also known as hidden hunger, as the pandemic and its socioeconomic effect make nutritious foods increasingly unaffordable and inaccessible to the worlds most vulnerable communities.

The COVID-19 crisis is creating multiple shocks disrupting livelihoods, food and health systems, social protection all of which undermine nutrition. Many of the worlds most vulnerable families have had to increase their reliance on staples like rice, wheat and maize that are energy rich but nutrient poor. Even before the pandemic, more than one-quarter of the worlds population could not afford a healthy diet that is rich in the nutrients needed to survive, thrive, and fight off infectious diseases. The pandemic threatens to deepen hidden hunger, negatively impacting child growth and development and human potential that will far outlast the COVID-19 crisis.

Take rice for example. Today, rice is the staple food for half of the worlds population. The minute but mighty grain is a rich source of energy. In developing countries it supplies up to 70 percent of the calories people consume every day. However, like other staples such as wheat and maize, it lacks vitamins and minerals that are essential to health and wellbeing. Fortifying the foods that people are already eating with the vitamins and minerals that they need to stay healthy is an efficient, cost-effective way to improve nutrition, especially during a pandemic.

Staple food fortification reaches vulnerable families where they are, strengthening the nutritional value of commodities like rice, maize, wheat flour, salt and cooking oil by adding vitamins and minerals during processing.

Although there is no silver bullet to solve the crisis of global malnutrition, food fortification can significantly improve nutrition across populations and generations, from unborn babies to the elderly. Food fortification has been utilised successfully around the world for over a century.

Salt iodisation is practiced in 160 countries improving cognitive ability in infants and young children and reducing goitre, an indicator of iodine deficiency which causes significant swelling of the thyroid gland, by 74 percent. Fortifying staple foods with folic acid can prevent devastating birth defects even before an expectant mother knows that she is pregnant. Foods fortified with vitamin A fight against preventable blindness in children. Foods fortified with iron lower maternal mortality rates and ward off anaemia a micronutrient deficiency that afflicts close to half the female population in many low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Fortification with zinc strengthens immune systems, decreases childhood diarrhoea and pneumonia and helps prevent childhood stunting.

By addressing malnutrition, food fortification supports healthy diets that improve the daily lives and futures of vulnerable populations, making children more alert and ready to learn and improving the health, energy, and productivity of their parents.

But the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on supply chains and economies around the world has put national fortification programmes at risk in LMICs. Increased shipping costs and breakdowns in supply chains have made it difficult for producers of fortified staple foods to access raw materials and to get their products to consumers. The deprioritisation of nutrition by governments and donors in the face of the acute health and economic crises brought on by COVID-19, risks undermining staple food fortification programmes that took years to establish.

But every crisis contains seeds of hope, signs of our collective ability to fight and overcome the impacts of the pandemic. Despite the challenges that COVID-19 places on government priorities and budgets, many countries are determined to protect and even expand their fortification programmes. The Government of Madagascar has approved a pilot to introduce fortified rice in its school feeding programme, the Government of Egypt recently confirmed the restoration of its national wheat flour fortification programme after nearly 10 years, and the Government of Bangladesh has been undeterred in its effort to improve access to vitamin A fortified cooking oil for its people by the end of 2020.

Following their example, governments, donors, the private sector, and civil society can ensure that the production, distribution, and consumption of fortified foods continues, during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Steps that can and should be taken include the following:

Food fortification remains one of the most cost-effective nutrition interventions to support healthy diets and to help shield people from increased malnutrition due to COVID-19-related food system and economic challenges. We must not allow national fortification programmes to be derailed by the impact of COVID-19. Failing to protect these programmes now will mean loss of life, health and productivity that far outlast the current global pandemic.

To gain better insight, you can watch the related webinar that took place on October 7.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.

Read more from the original source:
Preventing hidden hunger in the time of pandemic - Al Jazeera English

NEW YORK Food is seen as a basic human right, yet the coronavirus pandemic has caused an unprecedented spike in hunger, affecting families right here in New York as well as others living in the far corners of the world.

In 2019, almost 690 million people around the world went hungry, an increase of 10 million people from 2018, according to the United Nations' global State of Food Security and Nutrition report. Of the 2019 total, 35 million were in the United States.

The coronavirus pandemic has only exacerbated hunger.

The level of hunger in U.S. households almost tripled between 2019 and August of this year, according to an analysis of data from the Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

While it's too soon to assess the full impact of coronavirus lockdowns and other containment measures, the United Nations report estimates that at minimum, another 83 million people and possibly as many as 132 million may go hungry in 2020.

To spur collective action among its 150 member countries and draw attention to the sheer number of people suffering from chronic hunger, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations created World Food Day. First celebrated in 1979, the day is observed annually on Oct. 16.

In honor of World Food Day, here are some key things to know about the day, food insecurity in New York, and how you can help.

1) The coronavirus is profoundly affecting hunger in New York.

In New York, about 11.1 percent of residents were considered food insecure in 2018, according to data compiled by Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger-relief organization.

Due to the pandemic, that number is expected to climb to 16 percent by the end of 2020.

2) World Food Day adopts a different theme each year to highlight where work needs to be done.

Each year, World Food Day selects a theme, which often focuses on agriculture and the important role it plays in the food system. In previous years, themes have focused on climate change, family farming and food prices, among others.

This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the entire global food system and laid bare its fragility. Border closures, trade restrictions and confinement measures have disrupted domestic and international food supply chains, according to the FAO website, ultimately reducing access to healthy and safe diets.

This year's theme is "Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together." The theme is a "call for global solidarity" to help those affected recover from the coronavirus crisis. It also calls for using the pandemic as an opportunity to build a more resilient and robust food system.

3) If our food systems are not transformed, undernourishment and malnutrition will greatly increase by 2050.

Malnutrition in all its forms undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, as well as overweight and obesity takes an estimated $3.5 trillion toll on the global economy each year.

Additionally, a combination of poor diets and sedentary lifestyles has led to soaring obesity rates, not only in developed countries but also low-income countries, where hunger and obesity often coexist. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just over 42 percent of Americans are considered obese.

The FAO estimates undernourishment and malnutrition will only accelerate if income inequality, employment or access to basic services continue to deteriorate.

4) Events are planned each year to commemorate World Food Day.

A large number of annual events are organized in United Nations member countries to recognize World Food Day. Events range from marathons, hunger marches and exhibitions to cultural performances, contests and concerts.

This year, however, many events have moved online due the pandemic.

See a full map of World Food Day events here.

If no events are happening nearby, join the #WorldFoodDay conversation on social media by sharing any of the free material available on the World Food Day website. You can also express appreciation to #FoodHeroes online those who, throughout the crisis, have made sure that food makes its way to local tables.

5) There are several ways you can help fight hunger.

Here are some tips and suggestions on how you can fight hunger and help support World Food Day's mission, according to the event website:

FIND FOODFind your local food bank

DONATEMake a donation to Feeding America*

READ"The Impact of Coronavirus On Food Insecurity"

ACTTake action against hunger

Patch has partnered with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 54 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.

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5 Things To Know On World Food Day 2020 In New York - Yorktown, NY Patch

Across the state, 1,893,077 Arizonans have been tested for COVID-19 with 227,635 positive results and 5,772 deaths, according to a Yavapai County Community Health Services (YCCHS) news release Wednesday, Oct. 14.

Yavapai County has tested 46,588 residents with 2,738 positive cases, 1,459 recovered, and 86 deaths.

YRMC West is caring for eight COVID-19 patients with two persons under investigation (PUI), the East campus has three COVID-19 patients and four PUI. Verde Valley Medical Center in Cottonwood reports two COVID-19 hospitalizations and one PUI. The Prescott VA reports no COVID-19 patients.

12 BEST PREVENTION STRATEGIES

As of Tuesday, Oct. 13, 36 states had seen their COVID-19 cases rise by more than 10% in the past week versus the week prior.

"As we leave a chaotic spring and summer behind and head into fall, now is a good time to review the standardand most recentadvice on how to stay safe," YCCHS said in their release. The agency offers these 12 best COVID-19 prevention strategies to stay healthy this fall and winter:

1-Wear your mask. Wearing a mask covering your mouth and nose can prevent those who have COVID from spreading the virus to others and recent evidence suggests masks may even benefit the wearer, offering a level of protection against infections.

2-Stay socially distant.COVID spreads mainly among people who are within 6 feet of one another for a prolonged period (at least 15 minutes).

3-Keep washing your hands.Washing your hands and well remains a key step to preventing COVID infection.

4-Keep holiday gatherings small. Fall and winter also bring holidays, when many families get together. This year may be a year to get creative and rethink how to celebrate together.

5-Dine out carefully.Although many restaurants offer outdoor dining, which experts say is a safer option, cooler weather will lead to more indoor dining with more probability of spreading infection.

6-Travel safely.Before you leave to travel, check to see if the virus is spreading at your destination. Dont forget to check the regulations for quarantining or testing at your destination or for when you return home.

7-Get your flu shot.The flu vaccine is recommended for everyone 6 months and older. Talk to your doctor about finding a vaccine near you.

8-Know how to differentiate between flu, colds and COVID-19 and seek medical care, if necessary. COVID and the flu can cause fever, shortness of breath, fatigue, headache, cough, sore throat, runny nose, muscle pain, or body aches, as well as vomiting and diarrhea (though these last two are more common in children). Meanwhile, colds may be milder than the flu and are more likely to involve a runny or stuffy nose. One difference, however, is that COVID-19 is associated with a loss of taste and smell.

9-Seek routine medical care. You should continue to seek any routine or emergency medical care or treatments you need. Many health centers and doctors are offering telehealth appointments (via video or phone) and most have protocols to minimize risk of exposure to the coronavirus.

10-Be mindful of your mental health.Experts advise limiting exposure to news if the events of the world are too much right now, practicing mindfulness (even just breathing exercises), eating healthy, and remaining physically active. Talking with your kids about what they know and how they are doing.

11-Watch your weight. Focus on eating a healthy diet, incorporating regular exercise, getting good sleep, and finding healthy ways to manage stress.

12-Keep up the good work.COVID-19 will be with us for a while and with good efforts to continue to follow the public health measures to protect each other, and, hopefully, a successful vaccine in the future, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

INFORMATION

Spectrum Healthcare is now offering COVID-19 Rapid Tests with results in 15 minutes. Call 928-778-0330.

Schedule of flu clinics: http://www.yavapai.us/chs, click on the flu shot banner.

To schedule an appointment in YCCHS clinics, call 928-771-3122.

County COVID-19 Data, Testing Sites, School & Business Guidelines & Resources: http://www.yavapai.us/chs;

Yavapai Emergency Phone Bank: 928-442-5103 Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

#YavapaiStrongerTogether https://justicementalhealth.com/resources-support/#covid19.

COVID-19 information en espaol: https://www.azdhs.gov/preparedness/epidemiology-disease-control/infectious-disease-epidemiology/es/covid-19/

Information provided by the Yavapai County Community Health Services.

See more here:
Oct. 14 COVID-19 update: 12 best strategies to stay healthy this fall and winter - Prescott Daily Courier