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Simple Steps to Good Health – June 2016, Food Tips

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by Elisabeth Mondragon

Start Your Day off Right

One of the best ways to start your day with energy and nutrition is with a healthy breakfast. We know it can be easy to just grab a donut on your way to work or simply skip this meal altogether, but both can grind your weight loss plan to a quick halt. Eating breakfast helps to fuel your body and brain so that you are ready to take on your day. Here are some quick and delicious choices for your mornings that will get you started on a healthy note.

oatmeal-bowlOatmeal
Oats contain beta-glucan, which is a type of soluble fiber that has been shown to help lower cholesterol when eaten on a regular basis.  Give steel-cut oats a try. They are the least processed of all oats.

It may not be instant oatmeal, but steel-cut oats only take about 15 minutes to cook, and you get more fiber with each bite. Eating healthy high-fiber foods can help you feel full, so you can resist eating more food than you need. If you can, try to avoid flavored instant oatmeal which is more processed and contains added sugars. Instead, top off your plain oatmeal with flavorful extras like fruit, a few teaspoons of honey or a few nuts. Sneak in some added protein by preparing your oats with one cup of nonfat milk.

greek-yogurt-berriesGreek yogurt
Starting your day with protein is a must. Protein helps to keep you full throughout the morning so that you’re not reaching for that sugary snack in between breakfast and lunch. Greek yogurt has a lot of bone-building calcium and nearly twice the amount of protein as regular yogurt. It’s an easy on-the-go breakfast, and you can top it off with things like your favorite high-fiber cereal, 1Tbsp sugar-free jelly, 2 tsps ground flaxseed or fruit for a tasty, satisfying meal.


smoothieProtein-packed fruit smoothie
If you don’t have time to sit down and eat breakfast, try whipping up this 250 calorie fruit smoothie. Blend together 1 cup strawberries, 1 scoop protein powder, crushed ice and 6 oz nonfat yogurt and you’ve got yourself a healthy and flavorful on-the-go breakfast. Plus, you’ve just crossed one milk and one of your daily fruit servings off of your list.

Now that you have a few ideas to get you started, try incorporating these into your morning meal on a regular basis. Think of breakfast not only as a chance to refuel your body after a night of sleep, but also a chance to take on your day in a positive way.

Candlelight vigil held in Ventura for victims of Orlando nightclub shooting

Photos by Cindy Summers

20160612_202713Over 100 people of all ages and diversities gathered at Paddy’s Bar & Lounge on Sunday night to participate in a candlelight vigil for the victims of the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting. The group walked from Paddy’s to Ventura City Hall where various community leaders spoke out about the tragic incident which was deadliest shooting in U.S. history, claiming 50 lives and wounding 53 others.

 

Among those attending were Ventura City Councilmember Cheryl Heitmann and Mayor Eric Nasarenko, who spoke to the crowd about the senseless act, thanked the emergency response teams and medical professionals treating the wounded, and expressed condolences, sympathies, thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families.

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Homeland Security Expert David Fukutomi of Camarillo appointed to CMHS Board of Trustees

David Fukutomi, a prominent government and private sector consultant specializing in security and emergency management, has been appointed as a member of Community Memorial Health System’s Board of Trustees.

Fukutomi has held a number of consulting positions in a career spanning over 20 years. His government service has included stints with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. He has served as a consultant to various government agencies including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S Department of Veterans Affairs and State of California.

A Camarillo resident, Fukutomi also has served in management positions with national firms and is adjunct staff at the Naval Postgraduate School, Center for Homeland Defense and Security, where he leads the Center’s Pacific Executive Leaders Program.

Fukutomi also serves as board president of Pier into the Future, the Ventura Pier’s nonprofit organization.

Community members invited to attend Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) Formation Forums

Community members invited to attend Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) Formation Forums, June 14 and June 16, 2016

What: STAKEHOLDER FORUM – Upper Ventura River (UVRB) Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA)
Formation Forum
When: Tuesday, June 14, 2016 6pm to 8:30pm
Where: Oak View Community Center, 18 Valley Road, Oak View CA 93022
To learn more visit: www.uvrgroundwater.org

What: STAKEHOLDER FORUM – Mound Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) Formation Forum
When: Thursday, June 16, 2016 6pm to 8:30pm
Where: Community Meeting Room, City Hall, 501 Poli Street, Ventura CA
To learn more visit: www.venturawater.net

Over the past year water agencies and the County of Ventura have joined forces to address new state legislation – the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. This legislation offers local agencies the opportunity to oversee and steward the future sustainability of groundwater basins. The public is encouraged to attend these forums to learn how the organizational structure for the Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) in each basin is being proposed. Community members who receive their water from the Mound and Upper Ventura River Basins can participate in the process of evaluating the recommended organizational proposals.

The next steps will involve local government agency/special district review, and as appropriate, incorporate stakeholder input into the organizational formation. Each agency will go to their respective board to request approval of the organization formation and resultant agreements, and will appoint their respective representative(s). Once the Directors are appointed to the newly formed GSAs, public hearings will be conducted to formally designate GSAs for each respective basin(s). The State of California will finalize and approve all newly designated GSAs.

For more information about the Mound Basin visit www.venturawater.net, and for the Upper Ventura River Basin visit www.uvrgroundwater.org.

Boketto by Susan Rich

Outside my window it’s never the same-
some mornings jasmine slaps the house, some mornings sorrow.

There is a word I overheard today, meaning lost
not on a career path or across a floating bridge:

Boketto-to stare out windows without purpose.
Don’t laugh; it’s been too long since we leaned

into the morning: bird friendly coffee and blueberry toast. Awhile
since I declared myself a prophet of lost cats-blind lover

of animal fur and feral appetites. Someone should tag
a word for the calm of a long marriage. Knowledge

the heat will hold, and our lights remain on- a second
sight that drives the particulars of a life: sea glass and salt,

cherry blossoms and persistent weeds. What assembles in the middle
distance beyond the mail truck; have I overlooked oceans,

ignored crows? I try to exist in the somehow, the might still be-
gaze upward to constellations of in-between.

About this poem
“The Japanese word ‘boketto’ describes something so familiar to me, it’s as if a piece of myself has been returned. I’ve altered the definition by including that the ‘gazing without purpose’ needs to happen by a window.”
~ Susan Rich

About Susan Rich
Susan Rich is the author of “Cloud Pharmacy” (White Pine Press, 2014). She teaches at Highline College and lives in Seattle.

Ventura Emergency personnel respond to Porche losing control and slamming into residence

On May 31, at approximately 4:45 am, a four door Porche Panamera was traveling East bound on Loma Vista Road at a high rate of speed when it lost control and slammed into a residence. The house was occupied by three people who fortunately were not near the garage where the vehicle came to rest at the time of the accident.

Ventura City Fire Paramedics assessed the occupants of the vehicle and no one was injured in the crash. Ventura Police launched an investigation into the cause of the accident and managed the accident scene while interviewing subjects and witnesses. Arriving with Emergency Sirens blaring helped keep the roads clear from further incident as they stabalized the dangers involved with this situation.

Veh into structure 4The attached double car garage suffered heavy damage from the collision. Members of the VFD’s Urban Search and Rescue team performed a structural assessment of the garage and determined emergency shoring would be necessary. Part of the garage structural assembly had to be removed in addition to the roll-up garage door in order for temporary repairs to be made. The homeowner will need to Contact a garage door professional to get this repaired as it’s no easy fix. The garage was temporarily lifted and shored in place. Initial damage estimates for the garage, planters and, items in the garage are approximately $50,000.

The Building and Safety Department was notified of the accident and will be helping building owners later today with getting their garage and house repaired.

Ventura City Fire Department rescues trapped victim in vehicle that hit a tree

On May 28, at approximately 4:20am, Ventura City Fire Department responded to a report of a vehicle off the roadway with a report of a trapped victim. When fire crews arrive they discovered a small Honda SUV that had hit a eucalyptus tree at a high rate of speed, crushing the vehicle and trapping the driver. IMG_6538Firefighters using hydraulic rescue tools to cut and pry the vehicle from the victim were able to free the trapped driver 32 minutes after their arrival. While the extrication was taking place, additional firefighters worked to clear debris and suppress any fire potential from the vehicles leaking fluids.
The cause of the incident remains under investigation by the IMG_6541California Highway Patrol. No rescuers were injured as a result of this incident.