Topic Of The Month: Mental health Tips for Avoiding Stress

Monthly Nutrition Tip: Healthy Eating when the Power Goes Out

The phone keeps ringing, the bills are due, and your kids won't stop fighting--life is full of stress. Unfortunately, too much stress can drain your ability to rest, feel good, be productive, think, have relationships, have fun--pretty much everything humans need to do to survive and thrive. In observance of Mental Health Month in May, here are 10 tips to help you handle stress and boost your well-being.

Preparation is a key element in eating healthy during a power outage. First on the power outage preparation list are kitchen gadgets. There are two must have gadgets: 1) a non-electric can opener for canned foods; and 2) food, refrigerator and freezer thermometers to check for proper food temperatures before consumption. Registered Dietitian Toby Smithson explains just how to manage your meals when the lights are out. You can also try this simple recipe for Black Out Tuna.

	Health News And Alerts
Hepatitis Testing	As many as 75 percent of the people with viral hepatitis do not know they have it, according to the CDC. See this fact sheet. In recognition of National Hepatitis Day, a series of testing times are being provided by the STI program from May 14-18.
	Flowers are not the only things that bloom in the spring. This month’s Healthy Lake County video (4 minutes) talks about ticks, mosquitoes, and bats, and what  residents can do to limit the consequences  of close encounters with some of the County’s indigenous insects and mammals.
In the Kitchen	Most people know that breakfast is probably the most important meal of the day, yet many of us either skip it, or eat things that aren’t the best for us. Registered Dietitian Toby Smithson gives county residents some alternatives to the ordinary cereal or eggs and meat breakfast. Handout in English Handout in Spanish
Parents: New vaccine requirement for 6th and 9th graders	To address a resurgence of pertussis (also known as whooping cough), the state of Illinois has implemented a new vaccination requirement for school entry. For school year 2012-2013, all students entering sixth and ninth grades will be required to provide proof of a dose of the whooping cough (Tdap) vaccination in addition to the school physicals required at these grades. For more  resources, see our Tdap Web page.
	Approximately 30 Zion-Benton Township High School students in the Healthy Youth group supported by the Lake County Health Department's Drug Free Communities program raised awareness about underage drinking at the end of April. They placed stickers on alcohol bottles that may appeal to underage drinkers at approximately a dozen Zion area convenience stores.
	Mark your calendar for the 20th annual Kids 1st Health Fair, A Back-to-School Fair for Kids Health, on Wednesday, August 1 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Miguel Juarez Middle School, 201 N. Butrick St., in Waukegan. The fair is free for families meeting income guidelines and providing records of proof. All children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. See the flyer, in English or in Spanish, for more details. Volunteers needed.
Food Alert	FunFresh Foods, Inc. of San Clemente, California in consultation with the FDA is voluntarily recalling a single lot of its 6 ounce packages of FunFresh Foods™ World Berries™ Organic “Cacao Nibs” because they may be contaminated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 bacteria (E. Coli O157:H7).  E. coli O157:H7 causes a diarrheal illness often with bloody stools.
Food Alert	M.E. Thompson, Inc. is expanding the recall of its Anytime Deli Turkey & Ham Footlong, to include Italian Footlong, and Classic Cuban, because the products have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria Monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.
Find Help in Lake County	Find Help Lake County is a comprehensive guide to the community resources in Lake County. It includes an overview of social services, how to obtain community services and some examples of major service providers.

Being prepared in an emergency may make all the difference when seconds count. The Emergency Preparedness office of the Health Department provides families with two information sheets to help make a difference. Select Page One/Select Page Two  
ALERT Lake County is an emergency preparedness web site developed to keep residents informed and prepared. Sign up for dependable alert information..