County Health Resource Expo Has Advice for All that Ails

WILDWOOD – Held at Wildwoods Convention Center, Cape May County’s annual Health Resource Fair which took place April 23 attracted hundreds of visitors to the exhibits, lectures and knowledge to be gained by attending.
Stands featuring literature and advice ranging from how to determine if one has high blood pressure, donate organs, access the county’s health, medical, insurance, housing and education services, exercise and fitness opportunities to what to do in the event of a hurricane provided pertinent information and contacts.
A nutritional lecture by a county expert combined tips on eating healthy while saving at the supermarket. “We all are reading labels on cans, jars, and packages but how can we tell if 25 grams of fat is too much?” asked one participant.
“For fat anything that is not in single digits is too much since a healthy diet should have no more than 60 grams of fat each day. So if just one item has 25 grams that’s already almost one half of the recommended allowance. However, in the case of protein, double digit amounts are recommended. So it pays to get as fully informed as possible,” advised Mary Bocelli, nutritionist.
Other healthy savings that were covered during the lecture included resisting, at all costs, all junk food that is placed at checkout counters when the consumer is probably in a rush and hungry. “Just one candy bar won’t make a difference” although it will and does.
“I always recommend that to save money and reduce plastic waste to help the environment fill reusable water bottles rather than buying individual plastic bottles. That also means buying in bulk or buying generic can mean big savings that don’t affect having nutritious meals. And many people don’t realize that frozen vegetables and fruits are just as nutritious and usually cheaper than fresh,” she explained.
The health expo offered new information on the latest in federal government standards and recommended portions and types of food to eat to maximize nutrition in a day’s worth of calories.
Except for young school age children, most people have grown up with the “food pyramid” as a dietary guideline visual. The pyramid had as its base bread, pasta, rice and cereals and then proceeded upwards with fruits/vegetables moving to cheese, meat, eggs and fish with fats, oils and sweets at the tip as the least amount individuals should consume each day. 
The new concept is called “my smart plate” where a dinner plate is divided into quadrants and each of the four sections is reserved for either protein, grains, fruits and vegetables with a side glass of some dairy beverage. Size of portions also has been adjusted and could be a shock to most healthy appetites: a “normal” meat portion should be about the size of a playing card, a serving of fruits or vegetables the size of a softball and any dessert should be a modest portion and ideally sweetened naturally with applesauce or dates for example.
Judging by the throngs waiting to be screened, the expo’s offerings of various simple testing procedures for basic medical readings were a popular and helpful benefit of the event.
The procedures were sponsored and staffed by Cape Regional Medical Center’s Parish Nurse Program. Participants made their way from station to station as trained health personnel checked blood pressure, bone density for fracture risk, blood sugar/glucose levels, PAD (peripheral artery disease) that restricts blood flow and can lead to stroke or heart attack, and cholesterol.
Those tested received their score for each category almost instantaneously and printed information alerted participants as to where they fell within or outside normal ranges, risk factors, possible symptoms and further treatments or lifestyle and diet changes.
The common thread factors for all higher-risk patients to improve their health was to watch what they eat, keep weight within reasonable parameters, exercise even moderately by walking about 30 minutes each day and above all stop smoking.
Several attendees commented that they knew about those recommendations prior to attending the expo but appreciated the Health Resource Fair as an enjoyable and educational initiative to remind them to put into practice each day. 
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.