Protein Power
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/ Categories: WELLNESS, 2021

Protein Power

Among the many important nutrients we get from a healthy, diversified diet is protein. Here are a few things you might not know about this essential piece of the nutrition puzzle.

  1. Protein is best known for building muscle, but it is important for building all over your body, including your bones. Protein can even help prevent osteoporosis and broken bones.
  2. Your organs could not function without protein. The essential nutrient builds organs and helps them run smoothly. It also helps move nutrients—like vitamins, minerals, sugars, cholesterol, and oxygen—throughout the body. It also helps store surpluses of iron for later use.
  3. Protein is an important building block for the components that make up the immune system too. The amino acids that make up protein are used to make T cells, B cells, and antibodies that alert the body to intruders and kill them off before they can cause an infection.  And when you get a cut or a scrape, protein is there to support immune function, manage inflammation, and heal the wound by creating new tissue.
  4. Getting enough protein helps you look and feel your best too. It is a building block of healthy hair and nails.
  5. Is there anything protein can’t do? Well, protein is your body’s least favorite choice for making energy. It uses sugars (carbohydrates) first and fats second before finally moving on to protein.
  6. Lean meats and fish are great sources of protein, including turkey, chicken, tuna, and sardines. Eggs, yogurt (especially Greek- and skyr-style yogurts), and cottage cheese offer lots of protein too. But meat and dairy are not the only places you can get protein. There are so many wonderful plant-based sources too. Lentils, avocados, nuts, beans, tempeh, snap peas, and mushrooms are good sources. And studies about protein from plants show that it can help lower blood pressure. It can also decrease your LDL, or bad cholesterol levels, which lowers your risk of heart disease.
  7. Surprisingly, several grain, or carbohydrate-rich foods are also pretty high in protein, including oats (5 g per cup), baked potato (8 g each), sweet corn (4 g per ear), and Quinoa (8 g per cup).   
  8. And protein is so satisfying! Protein takes longer to break down in your stomach, so making protein a part of each meal will leave you feeling fuller longer than meals without protein.
  9. Most people should get at least 10% of their daily calories from protein. That’s about 56 grams for a man (based on 2,000 calories a day) and 46 grams for a woman (1,800 calories a day).
  10. Protein and unhealthy fats are linked in many of our favorite foods, like red meat and cheese, so it is wise to use caution when portioning these foods. Embracing protein in its high-fat or processed forms can be linked to adverse outcomes, like cancer, high cholesterol, kidney stones, weight gain, and constipation.

Now that you understand all that protein can do for you, it’s time to explore some new recipes with these protein-rich ingredients. Cheers!

Kristin Irace, RD, is a registered dietitian with Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care in Bennington.

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COVID-19 Scams

Scams are almost as old as time. They always take advantage of our vulnerabilities and fears. So in times of mass panic, like has been caused by COVID-19, opportunities for scammers increase, said Southwestern Vermont Health Care's Information Technology Security Engineer Geoffrey Mazanec.

IT experts noted a 667 percent increase in malicious phishing e-mails as of the end of last month. Security firm Barracuda Networks identified 137 coronavirus-related phishing emails in January, 1,188 in February, and more than 9,000 in March. 

There are most likely several reasons for the increase.

  • First, many scams exploit our fears. As fear increases, so to opportunities for scammers. Many scams have been tweaked to include a reference to COVID-19, which may cause people to react more quickly and without thinking.
  • Scammers also exploit our desires to be good people—to pay our bills on time and follow directions—which could also be heightened during a crisis.
  • During COVID-19, everyone is conducting more business remotely. In the effort to keep all of our online activities straight, we may lose track of who is on the other end of the phone line or e-mail.
  • Mazanec notes that, with so many people out of work, scammers may have taken what had been a part-time swindling gig full time.

These startling statistics and our increased vulnerability make it a great time for a refresher about how scammers attack and how to avoid getting caught in a scheme.

Phishing. The most common way scammers operate is by phishing. They call or e-mail, usually posing to be a company or organization that you trust: the IRS, Medicare or Medicaid, or a company that you have done business with before. And they are crafty. They can even make it look as if they are calling from a business you recognize. They are counting on your thinking that they are the real thing.

"Lots of people, looking for protective equipment, for instance, are purchasing from companies that they have not dealt with in the past," Mazanec said. "Scammers want you to believe that you have purchased from them, when you have not."

They might send you an "invoice due" message with a .pdf attachment, or they might provide a link for you to click and log in. They want you to do one of two things: (1) Give up your personal information, either over the phone or by logging in to a fake sign-in page or (2) click on a .pdf or website that will infect your system.

So what can you do? Mazanec recommends not clicking. "If you don’t recognize it, don't open it. Instead, always question whether it is legitimate. And, no matter who it is, don't give anyone usernames or passwords."

Disconnect the call or delete the e-mail and call the company directly. If you don't have their number on hand, you can find it using a Google search. If you ask them whether they just called or e-mailed you, you will likely find that they have not. Congratulations. You’ve just avoided a scam.

Too good to be true. Some scammers are also selling fake products. For instance, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued warnings to seven companies selling fraudulent products that claim to test for, prevent, or treat COVID-19. Some even claimed to be approved by the FDA! Other companies are taking personal information in exchange for being added to a fake list for early access to the COVID-19 vaccine.

There is no valid at-home test for COVID-19 and no viable at-home treatments, unless you count rest and plenty of fluids for mild cases. Consult with your local healthcare provider before taking any testing or treatment action, as some can be harmful or even deadly.

To avoid scams like this one, read, watch, and listen to reputable news sources. If there is a legitimate at-home test, treatment, or vaccine, you will hear reports about it from your state's department of health and other official organizations.

More information about scams related to COVID-19 can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/media/phishing.html and https://www.ftc.gov/coronavirus/scams-consumer-advice.

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