Warm and pleasant greetings to all. We hope you are enjoying a good week, starting with the hour you retrieved from Daylight Saving Time.
We heard from several neighbors last week.
Residents enjoyed the weather, doing outside activities. Some residents enjoyed fishing and making a nice catch, some worked in their yards and others were out and about tending business affairs and regular chores.
Friday is Veterans Day, a federal holiday observed annually on Nov. 11, another day to display the American flag. This day we honor military veterans of the USA Armed Forces. Let us support, acknowledge and thank all the women and men who have served in the U.S. military.
November is National Diabetes Month. It’s a time to bring attention to diabetes and its impact on millions of Americans. I intentionally mention this issue because I’m too familiar with the disease and its impact and experience with my family. Taylor has lived with this disease (and me) for over 58 years. We know a lot now and our family, friends and co-workers, including our health care providers, have given us the respect and support we (and anyone with diabetes) need to manage a diabetic lifestyle.
World Diabetes Day is Nov. 14 and under the theme “Education to protect tomorrow,” the International Diabetes Federation has launched a global survey to explore the levels of access that health care professionals and people living with diabetes have to diabetes education.
Here’s a couple of facts: 1 in 10 people have diabetes (most have type 2 diabetes) and 1 in 4 don’t know they have it. In Mississippi, approximately 14.4% of the adult population have diagnosed diabetes. The American Diabetes Association has a 1-minute online test you can take to determine if you’re at risk. A high score on the online risk test (5 or higher) means an individual has a significant risk for having undiagnosed pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes. However, only a blood test can determine a diagnosis. Talk with your health care provider.
Another conversation started when I said I had never eaten a “yam” and it was asked, “You don’t like sweet potatoes?” What we call yams are, in fact, sweet potatoes. A yam is generally imported to America from Africa.
Yams are dry, starchy flesh, dark bark-like skin. Sweet potatoes have moist flesh, variation in color and slick skin.
USDA requires labels with the term yam to be accompanied by the term sweet potato and most people still say yam, regardless.
There’s a difference between yams and sweet potatoes. Both are different in taste, appearance, nutrition and production. Today yams are grown around the world but West Africa is still where most yam crops (nearly 95%) are grown. So why do we say yams? American slaves referred to the soft orange flesh sweet potatoes as “yams” because of their similarity to the true yam they knew in Africa. Growers began using this name to distinguish them from the firm varieties of sweet potatoes and the name stuck. There you have it!
Nutritionist and food specialists have always known there’s a difference. Who cares about the difference, as long as you enjoy sweet potatoes any way you like them.
To store sweet potatoes, handle them carefully to prevent bruising. Store in a cool (50 to 60 degrees), dry, well-ventilated area. Do no refrigerate unless already cooked. Cold temperatures will give potatoes a hard core and cause flavor loss.
Enjoy your day. Be blessed.
