Need more potassium? Here are 9 potassium-rich foods to add to your diet

August 10, 2020

by Virgilio Marin

Potassium is important for many bodily functions. The essential mineral, for instance, plays a vital role in muscle contraction. Multiple studies have also found that consuming more potassium can lower a person’s risk of stroke.

But if the body has low levels of potassium, it can lead to hypokalemia, a condition marked by muscle cramps, weakness and irregular heartbeat.

Nine excellent dietary sources of potassium

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends eating 4.7 grams of potassium a day for adults. Knowing which foods are great sources of potassium is a must to get your fill for the day. It’s a well-known fact that bananas are rich in potassium, but here are some other potassium-rich foods to spark up your palate.

1. Potatoes

A medium-sized potato contains about 941 mg of potassium, which is twice as much than a medium-sized banana’s 422 mg. In fact, sweet, red and white potatoes are all excellent sources of potassium.

Baking is the best way to prepare potatoes but leave the skin on, as it contains much of their potassium content. Wash the vegetables properly before cooking.

French fries, despite being made with potatoes, aren’t a healthy source of the mineral. They are fried, so they have added fat from the oil. Furthermore, they are typically peppered with salt, which can offset the benefits of potassium.

2. Leafy greens

Swiss chard, amaranth leaves and cooked spinach are particularly packed with potassium. A cup of each provides more than 800 to 900 mg of the mineral. Furthermore, leafy greens have additional benefits on the brain. A study found that a serving a day of leafy greens may slow age-related cognitive decline. (Related: Ten reasons why leafy greens are the power players on any plate.)

3. Prune juice

Prune juice is packed with with 707 mg of potassium. And because it is also rich in fiber, prunes, or dried plums, can also be used to relieve constipation.

4. Tomato puree, juice and paste

Tomatoes can also offer potassium in addition to lycopene. Tomato puree, juice and paste are more concentrated than the fresh fruit, and are used in several recipes. Tomato paste, in particular, contains 669 mg of potassium per 1/4 cup.

5. Dried apricots and raisins

These two dried fruits are not only delicious but also high in potassium. Dried apricots have more than 1,000 mg of potassium per half a cup, and raisins have 618 mg for the same serving. These two fruits abound in the market, but the healthiest ones are those with no added sugar, coatings or other ingredients.

6. Beans

Many beans offer potassium, but three of the best sources are adzuki beans, kidney beans and soybeans. They also contain a good amount of fiber, making them beneficial for gut health.

7. Lentils

Lentils are a small, round legume with a lot of fiber and protein. And a cup of cooked lentils also has 731 mg of potassium.

Lentils can be bought fresh or in a can. While canned lentils can still offer the mineral, consider rinsing them properly to get rid of the sodium. (Related: Heart-healthy lentil salad: Easy to make and nutrient-dense.)

8. Fruit juices

Fruits are known for being nutrient-dense, meaning they pack in a host of vitamins, minerals and powerful compounds. The following fruit juices, in particular, are high in potassium:

Passionfruit juice: 687 mg

Pomegranate juice: 533 mg

Fresh orange juice: 496 mg

Fresh tangerine juice: 440 mg

9. Milk and yogurt

Dairy products are best known as a calcium-rich food. But they also offer other nutrients such as potassium. In fact, studies suggest that milk is the number one source of potassium among American adults. That’s because a cup of milk has about 366 mg of the mineral. Meanwhile, a cup of plain non-fat yogurt has as much as 579 mg.

Tea and coffee also offer potassium but in lower amounts. Adding creamers or milk, however, can boost their potassium content.

As the list demonstrates, bananas are not the only sources of potassium. A lot of foods also provide the nutrient, aside from the many more vitamins and minerals they each have to offer. Consider increasing your palate diversity. Not only will variety make for a scrumptious meal, but it also gives a wide array of health benefits.

Get to know more healthy foods and the nutrients they offer at Nutrients.news.

Sources include:

COVID-19: How to return to school in the midst of the pandemic?

August 9, 2020

Experts assure that the most vulnerable students must be cared for before implementing formulas that increase the digital divide. School districts are being forced to reopen without any guidance from the federal government

by Jenny Manrique

In East Orosi, a community of about 200 families in the Central Valley of California, children have been thinking for 10 years that water comes naturally from a bottle. There they depend on the distribution of the precious bottled liquid for bathing, cooking and other cleaning uses. They do not know what drinking water coming out from a tap is (even if they pay for the service), much less what is broadband internet access.

These brutal inequities are the main challenge when thinking of a safe and equal model to return to school this semester, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Eddie Valero, supervisor of District 4 of the Tulare County Board of Supervisors in California, which covers East Orosi, it is impossible to think about distance learning with equity if you don’t start by looking at what communities, mostly Latino and traditionally neglected, they need.

“We must model our classes with the most struggling students as a priority in these poor and underserved neighborhoods. And from there, look up to those who have the most access,” said Valero, who spoke at a press conference organized via zoom by Ethnic Media Services.

The supervisor said that in the communities he serves there are no community centers where children can go to study, and that many already had learning deficiencies before the pandemic. In these places, access to smartphones, computers, or private tutors is a mere illusion. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), there are 11 million children in the country who do not have access to laptops or the internet at home.

“We must continue to pressure our legislators at both the state and federal levels on ways to rectify our mistakes … We need to reimagine what the schools of the future will be like.”

Valero was optimistic with two bills currently in the Senate and Assembly in California that could have a massive impact on equitable access to technology, one of the main pillars of distance education.

One is Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry’s AB-570, which would authorize schools to ask the Department of Education for the necessary computing devices and Internet connectivity suitable for home learning, prioritizing the poorest neighborhoods.

The other is Senator Lena González’s SB1130, which seeks that the Public Services Commission approve funds for infrastructure projects that allow all households considered to be “high poverty” no later than December 2024 to have access to band internet. Wide at speeds of a minimum of 25 megabytes per second.

The Cutler-Orosi School District – also in the Valero jurisdiction – began by distributing Chromebooks and Ipads to all students in grades kindergarten through 12. And it is the intention of the Supervisor to involve county libraries and the Department of Parks and Recreation “In the search for solutions to use our libraries and parks more effectively in times of social distancing.”

Districts forced to improvise

The problems of the so-called digital divide were compounded by the pandemic. Most schools were not prepared to give teachers real guidance on how to use technology or effective forms of instruction for children to study from home. That’s not counting homeless children, those with learning disabilities or those who live in crowded homes where there is no space to study or concentrate.

Although in those situations, parents would like children to return to their traditional educational space, “we are asking districts to reopen (schools) without any guidance or security for staff,” said Pedro Noguera, dean of the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California (USC).

“Teacher unions have announced that they will go on strike if forced to work in unsafe conditions … in the absence of federal and state leadership, districts are improvising on their own how to return to school,” said Noguera, who He recalled that in countries like Israel, the early opening of schools has caused the outbreak of the virus.

“We have to put pressure on technology giants like Facebook and Amazon, which have accumulated huge profits during the pandemic … they have a moral responsibility to assist technologically disadvantaged families,” added Noguera.

Three models of back to school have been discussed in the United States: online teaching in its entirety; a hybrid model that allows a percentage of the school population to be brought to the classroom at a safe distance of 6 feet some days of the week, while the rest remain at home; and the return to school without any additional protocol, that is to say as it was done in the past.

“At the beginning of this process (March-April) there were many states in the south of the country, such as Flori-da Georgia, Alabama, Arizona, Texas, that wanted to do things normally without social distance or masks,” said Dan Domenech, executive director of the Association of Superintendents of Schools, (AASA in English).

“But infection rates have dramatically changed their stance … We have strongly pushed for guidelines from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), but the (Donald Trump) administration believes these principles are contrary to its main objective which is to open the economy”, added Domenech.

AASA has calculated how much it would cost the country to partially reopen schools with sanitation protocols in school spaces, special protection equipment (PPE) for teachers and staff, and bus routes that allow minimizing the number of children in the vehicles. He concluded that this cost is $490 per student, which is why he is asking Congress to approve a budget of $ 200 billion.

“The solution is for the federal government to put the money in, but since it’s going into recession in the summer now, it’s impossible to know when those funds will be available,” said Domenech.

(This article was cut due to lack of space).

Mexico begins distance learning via in year 2020-21

August 9, 2020

by the El Reportero‘s wire services

MEXICO, Aug 3- Mexico begins, on Aug. 4, the 2020-2021 school year at a distance because it lacks the conditions to do so in person due to the Covid-19 pandemic, announced Monday the Secretary of Education, Esteban Moctezuma.

At the morning press conference at the National Palace of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the head of Education said that the pandemic requires extraordinary efforts because the risk to health remains high due to the persistence of SARS-CoV-2.

Reality forces us, he said, to be patient and prudent, otherwise it could happen to us as it did to other countries that opened schools and had to close them almost immediately.

In Mexico we will only return to the classroom when the epidemiological lights are green, and that is a government decision.

He said that in this situation they are obliged to look for alternatives, design methods and models so that students continue to access education in spite of adversity and that it is possible for teachers and students to advance in learning.

It is not, he clarified, a replacement for the traditional school, but rather an adaptation to the circumstances imposed by life, and teachers have taken advantage of the time to follow the learning process and train themselves to successfully face this circumstance.

Moctezuma announced that millions of students will have the electronic means to follow their classes through this distance route in which public and private television and radio stations, as well as other digital media, will collaborate.

Chile says goodbye to plastic bags

SANTIAGO, Chile, Aug 3 – As a great victory to preserve the environment, groups defending nature consider that the use of plastic bags in all Chilean businesses will be banned as of Monday.

The law banning the use of plastic bags came into force in 2019, but in a first stage it was established to suppress them in large shopping centers and supermarkets, while as of Monday, all establishments in the country, regardless of size, will have to abide by it.

Greenpeace Chile spokesperson Soledad Acuña stated, ‘this is a first progress against the plastic pandemic that reveals that eliminating unnecessary plastic items is possible.’

Chile is the first country in Latin America to totally eliminate plastic bags, but at the same time it is first in the continent in the generation of plastic waste per inhabitant, according to Greenpeace data.

The presence of plastic wastes in the oceans is a rapidly growing problem. It is estimated that in 2020, the global production of plastics will exceed 500 million tons per year, which would be 900 percent more than in 1980, Acuña said.

16-day-old baby recovers from coronavirus in Sonora

The infant spent two weeks in intensive care

A baby who was born infected with the coronavirus has recovered 16 days after her birth. The infant was reunited with her mother on Wednesday after 14 days in intensive care at the Children’s Hospital in Hermosillo, Sonora.

The child’s mother, identified only as Sandra, was admitted to Women’s Hospital in Hermosillo on July 12 with high blood pressure. After a medical review, doctors decided to perform a cesarean section the following day.

After Marian was born on July 13, she was diagnosed with respiratory complications and was suspected of being a carrier of the coronavirus. Testing for the virus came back positive.

After the birth, Sandra’s blood showed low oxygen levels so she was transferred to Sonora’s General Hospital where she was tested for the coronavirus. Those results, too, came back positive.

After two weeks in intensive care, Marian was discharged completely healthy, said Dr. Erika Martínez, head of the Children’s Hospital’s neonatal department and was allowed to go home with her parents.

Tadeo, Marian’s father, thanked the hospital’s staff for the care given his daughter.

“Thank you very much to all of you, to the nurses, doctors and social workers who were caring for our daughter,” he said. “And to the people who do not believe in this disease, you can see that it is real, and you should take precautionary measures. Wash your hands and practice social distancing, even with family. ”

Source: El Universal (sp).

Learn steps to prepare for next disaster on your mobile

August 9, 2020

by Sunita Sohrabji

EMS contributing editor

SAN FRANCISCO — Listos California—a disaster preparedness campaign based in the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services – has launched a new program aimed to help the state’s most vulnerable populations to ready themselves for sudden disasters.

Responding to the rapidly-increasing propensity of wildfires and floods, the California state Legislature last August passed AB 72, a $50 million initiative designed to help the state’s residents prepare for natural disasters. The program was initially known as the California for All Emergency Preparedness Campaign, and is now called Listos California.

Listos means “ready” in Spanish.

During a briefing with reporters July 23, organized by Ethnic Media Services, Karen Baker, co-chair of Listos California, announced the campaign’s newest initiative, a text message program which allows users to take a safety preparedness course on their cell phones.

Users can text 72345 on their mobile phones, and add listosca in the message. An auto reply asks the user to choose from a drop-down list of several languages. Once enrolled in the program, the user immediately receives a text with a graphic of five basic safety preparedness measures. Over the course of one week, text messages provide more details on preparing for wildfires, earthquakes, and floods.

“People know they need to be prepared, but are scared or think it’s too expensive or time consuming,” said Baker. “So our challenge from the get-go has been to create products and partnerships that can make it affordable, easy, and actually empowering.”

“We care deeply that outreach will reach people where they are,” said Baker, noting that this is the first time any state has used text messaging to train and educate the general public. The course is free and available in English, Spanish, Tagalog, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Korean and Hmong.

Listos California is focused on particularly vulnerable people who may have limited access to information because of language barriers, physical and cognitive disabilities, social isolation, and age. The program has identified 24 regions across the state which are most vulnerable, and has partnered with more than 200 community organizations — including faith-based services — and ethnic media to spread its message of safety preparedness in multiple languages.

The program is implemented through the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and is chaired jointly by Baker and Justin Knighten.

“Now more than ever, it’s about survival and making sure that people have the information that they need to create a baseline of preparedness,” said Knighten. “Diverse populations have always been a priority,” he added.

Several community partner groups attended the briefing to speak of their work in the field. Speakers shared their efforts of meeting people at grocery stores, food pantries, and places of worship to spread the message about disaster preparedness and to share in-language information.

As the COVID pandemic began to hit the state in early March, Listos restructured its focus: 20 percent of the campaign’s budget went into outreach efforts to vulnerable communities, with advice on simple steps to keep safe during the crisis, including hand-washing, wearing masks, and social distancing.

“COVID has left no one untouched. Pivoting the campaign in real time was so important,” said Tina Curry, deputy director at the California Office of Emergency Services. “But even in the midst of COVID-19, we have to get ready for fire hazards.”

Maricela Rodríguez, Director of civic engagement and strategic partnerships in California Governor’s office, said helping to change behavior is a lot of what the Listos COVID campaign is focused on.

Basic disaster safety preparedness includes:

getting alerts to know what to do
making a plan to protect your family, which includes an evacuation route on a paper map, as cell phone connectivity might not be possible
packing a “to go” bag with copies of identification, insurance documents, cash in small bills, wallet, and cell phone chargers
making a “stay at home” box with at least three gallons of water per person, canned goods, and trash bags
helping friends and neighbors to also get ready

Additional resources can be found at listoscalifornia.org

___________________

Other tips for preparedness – from the Red Cross

Include common emergency scenarios when you plan

Plan for the emergencies that are most likely to happen where you live
Be familiar with natural disaster risks in your community.
Consider how you will respond to emergencies that can happen anywhere, such as home fires and floods.
Consider how you will respond to emergencies that are unique to your region, such as volcanoes, tsunamis or tornadoes.
Think about emergencies that may require your family to shelter in place (such as a winter storm), vs. emergencies that may require evacuation (such as a hurricane).
Consult our emergency resource libraryfor tips on preparing for, responding to, and recovering from specific disasters.

_________________

Pack an emergency preparedness kit

Drinking water (at least one gallon per person per day)
Nonperishable food, such as canned veggies and protein bars.
Manual can opener.
Flashlights or portable lanterns and extra batteries.
First aid kit.
A crank- or battery-powered radio.

Best of the fest season finale – Michael Franti, Los Lobos, and more

August 9, 2020

Headline One-Hour Special Broadcast On KPIX-TV

Compiled by the El Reportero‘s staff

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (July 29, 2020)—Stern Grove Festival celebrates the conclusion of their 83rd season with a one-hour special featuring exclusive, newly-recorded performances from Michael Franti, Los Lobos, Ben Gibbard, Bebel Gilberto, Fantastic Negrito featuring Tarriona “Tank” Ball, ALO and Con Brio. The Best of the Fest finale, hosted by TV and radio personality and season emcee Liam Mayclem,

The Festival created Best of the Fest in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the moratorium on large gatherings. The nine-week series of video playlists, featuring performances and historic footage from its archives, began on Sunday, June 14, and has garnered a significant audience on KPIX-TV and its sister station KBCW 44/Cable 12.

It will be televised on KPIX-TV/CBS on Sunday, Aug. 16 at 4 p.m., and simultaneously on the Festival’s Facebook page, where Mayclem will host a Watch Party.

Some SF libraries expected to start servicing its clients

The City Librarian, Michael Lambert, is planning the first reopening of the Main Library and the Excelsior Branch to curbside service a local news source reported.

Named SFPL To Go, the program will allow pick up and return of pre-ordered books and materials. The exact dates of reopening will be announced soon and we will let you know the details at once. Please continue to check our home page at FriendsSFPL.org.

Better Lives, Bitter Lies podcast premieres

Must Forging Better Lives Always Be Entwined With Facing Bitter Lies?

Join Park Guides as they discuss destiny-shaping ideas that defined the SF Bay Area

San Francisco, CA – San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park is proud to announce the new podcast Better Lives, Bitter Lies. This fun and educational audio series, is created and hosted by park guides Anne Monk and Sabrina Oliveros.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, all manner of ships sailed into San Francisco Bay, bringing people drawn by the promise of a better life. For many of these newcomers, seeking new lives meant living with ideas – created about their destination, their destinies, and themselves – that shaped both their personal histories and the history of San Francisco’s waterfront. Better Lives, Bitter Lies examines several of these ideas, using San Francisco Bay Area points of interest as springboards for lively, enlightening discussions.

Beginning with the first episode, Chrysopylae – which reviews popular beliefs about the naming of the Golden Gate Bridge – Monk and Oliveros use historical documents, firsthand accounts, literature, music, and conversations with experts to examine how these ideas took the form of myth, mistruth, propaganda, or outright falsehood.

A new episode will appear every two weeks on the Park’s podcast page: https://www.nps.gov/safr/learn/photosmultimedia/podcasts.htm

Future episodes will include Gold Mountain, Paper Children, Daughters of Joy, A Deadly Trade, Little Brown Brothers, and a feature on the multifaceted stories carried by the park’s iconic square-rigged cargo ship, Balclutha. Check the park’s website and social media channels for future releases!

Will premiere on the Park’s website (https://www.nps.gov/safr/learn/photosmultimedia/podcasts.htm) on Tuesday, July 14, 2020.

SF Boys Chorus brings classes online

For Potential Remote Learners Bay Area Counties: Auditions for the San Francisco Boys Chorus online classes are ongoing. Classes will be conducted online starting after Labor Day.

Boys under 7 are not required to audition and will be automatically accepted into the exploratory music program. Older boys must set up an audition before classes begin. To sign up and learn more visit www.sfbc.org/auditions.

The City Council is holding a virtual Special City Council meeting on Monday evening, July 13, 2020 at 7 p.m. A highlight of some of the major policy items is below.

Public Hearings to Consider:

An Urgency Ordinance approving text amendments to Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) requirements in the Zoning Ordinance and other miscellaneous updates, including permitted ADU types allowed, side and rear setbacks, height for detached ADUs, and to comply with State law.

Some SF libraries expected to start servicing its clients

August 9, 2020

Compiled by the El Reportero‘s staff

The City Librarian, Michael Lambert, is planning the first reopening of the Main Library and the Excelsior Branch to curbside service a local news source reported.

Named SFPL To Go, the program will allow pick up and return of pre-ordered books and materials. The exact dates of reopening will be announced soon and we will let you know the details at once. Please continue to check our home page at FriendsSFPL.org.

Better Lives, Bitter Lies podcast premieres