Notes from the chair:

Happy Holidays to anyone who celebrates or does not celebrate. My gift to the committee members is another month of rest with committee business being handled via email. We will be starting our meetings back up in January, with a few surprises to come to make the committee even better. In the meantime, remember your own self-care and self-love by making your doctor’s appointments, getting some rest, and enjoying your time with your family and friends.

A Nutrient-Packed Spin on Basic Avocado Toast:

Want to add avocados to your diet, but tired of the same approach? This is a creamy, fiber-rich twist on your classic avocado toast.

The combination of avocado and beans delivers healthy monounsaturated fats and soluble fiber, two nutrients proven to help lower LDL cholesterol. It’s also satisfying, inexpensive, and easy to customize with ingredients you already have in your kitchen. Plus, even if you don’t like beans, it’s unlikely that you’ll taste them, meaning you get all the nutritional benefits hidden in an enjoyable meal.

Ingredients (serves 2):

• 1 ripe avocado

• ½ cup canned white beans (rinsed and drained)

• Juice of ½ lemon

• Pinch of salt and pepper

• Red pepper flakes, or a drizzle of olive oil

• 2 slices whole-grain or sourdough bread

• Optional: poached egg

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mash the avocado and white beans together with lemon juice, salt, and pepper until smooth but slightly chunky.

2. Toast your bread until golden.

3. Spread the avocado-bean mixture on each slice.

4. Top with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and a light drizzle of olive oil.

5. Optional: if you want a little extra protein, you can poach an egg and add to the top of the toast.

Source: https://tinyurl.com/22zemjeh

“Saving medicine to save lives”

Each year, $11 billion worth of unopened, unexpired prescription medication is thrown away — but one organization is working to redistribute it to low-income communities in the US instead. Sirum, a nonprofit social enterprise, makes individuals and organizations aware of what they can donate and disperses unused medicine to those who need it most. “Getting medications to the millions of people who need it to live a healthy life, saving medicine to save lives — that is something we can do today,” said co-founder Kiah Williams in a 2020 TEDTalk video.

Sources:

https://tinyurl.com/mrx83re5

https://tinyurl.com/ycxcf7b4

Other articles related to the theme of Celebrate and Anticipate:

Guilty of Ageism Toward Yourself? Why You Should Stop Saying “I’m Too Old” https://tinyurl.com/4y84ft4n

Mental health, money, and modern life: The pressures squeezing women and how they're re-thinking well-being https:// tinyurl.com/yjsz7th5

Why it's good to be nostalgic: Study suggests you may have more close friends https://www.sciencedaily.com/ releases/2025/03/250313130819.htm

Susan Oser
Health Chair