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WithThanksgivingDayalmost here, you may be already plan- ning out the details of the holiday menu. Since turkey is usually the focal point of the meal, meeting the dietary and taste prefer- ences of vegetarians can often fall short. An increasing number of people are choosing to eat more plants and less meat, so why not make your Thanksgiving meal vegetarian-friendly? Soon the Thanksgiving turkey might have to share the spotlight with some non-meat dishes. About 10 percent of people con- sider themselves vegetarian or "vegetarian-leaning." In light of the recent announce- ment by the World Health Orga- nization that processed meats like hot dogs, bacon and sausage are cancer-causing and red meat may be carcinogenic, it is likely that the trend towards vegetarianism is not going away. Many choose to not eat meat for religious, morale and environmen- tal reasons as well. Of course, turkey is not a red meat and the whole birds most people enjoy for Thanksgiving are not processed either. In fact, turkey, especially skin- less turkey breast, is an excellent source of lean protein that is rich in B-vitamins and minerals. How- ever, beans, grains, vegetables, and other plant foods are inargu- ably nutrient-dense too, and can be both delicious and special when well-prepared. To meet the demands of con- sumers who want tasty, conve- nient and nutritious alternatives to meat, food companies have cre- ated holiday-inspired vegetarian entrees that can steal the show from the bird. Most get their protein from soy protein, pea protein or tofu and contain various grains and season- ings. Some even come stuffed with wild rice and cranberries. A nice thing about these items is that they are a great source of protein for those not eating meat. Another way to make a vegetar- ian-friendly holiday is to, well, in- clude lots of vegetables. Vegetables are not just healthy, they are versatile and colorful. The vibrant colors of veggies can make your Thanks- giving table shine. Consider try- ing out some fun autumn veg- etable recipes like a savory vegetable tart, cauliflower corn- bread stuffing with fresh herbs, twice baked butternut squash, or acorn squash stuffed with greens and grains. These are dishes that all of your family and guests can enjoy. Keep in mind that there are some ingredients that may need to be swapped out to make a dish truly vegetarian or vegan such as substituting chicken broth with vegetable broth. Because vegans won't eat any animal products, ingredients like eggs, butter and cream are a no-go. To create dishes that are both lighter and completely vegan, you can use alternate ingredients like buttery spreads made from plant oils, non-dairy milk and tofu cream cheese in place of animal- derived products. Plant fats are lower in saturated fats compared to animal fats, making them more heart healthy. While the turkey remains the star of the show at most Thanks- giving meals, vegetable-centric mains and sides will make your holiday healthier for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. To make the menu truly veg- etarian-friendly, include a plant- based protein source. With a bit of creativity and planning, you can preserve all of the taste and tra- dition of Thanksgiving while put- ting a healthier, vegetarian spin on it. LeeAnnWeintraub,aregistered dietitian, provides nutrition counseling and consulting to individuals, families and businesses. She can be reached at RD@halfacup.com. NUTRITION MakingThanksgiving 'vegetarian-friendly' LeeAnn Weintraub Columnist Acornsquashstuffedwithgreensandgrainsisafunautumnvegetable recipe you could try for a vegetarian-friendly Thanksgiving dinner. The drumbeat from public health officials to "get your flu shot" is ap- proaching fever pitch. That's be- cause influ- enza sea- son is right around the corner. With holiday travel only a few weeks away, it is likely that flu viruses will spread quickly. The trouble is that we do not yet know how well this year's influenza vac- cine will work to ward off the viruses that will be circulating. The results from last year's flu-preven- tion program turned out to be disappointing. According to the Cen- ters for Disease Control and Prevention: "When VE [vaccine effectiveness] against all influenza vi- ruses was combined, the overall VE estimate was 19 percent. In practical terms, this means the flu vaccine reduced a person's risk of having to seek medical care at a doctor's office for flu illness by 19 percent." Another way of describ- ing this result is that more than 80 percent of those who received a flu shot did NOT get protection against last year's influ- enza outbreaks. Imagine if your new car only started one out of five times. You would be jus- tifiably angry. If your fur- nace only warmed your house one out of five days, you would not be a happy camper. And yet we put up with dismal results from flu vaccines year after year. Public health offi- cials are hopeful that this year's vaccine will per- form better than last year's. We won't know if the immunization makers guessed correctly until the end of the flu season. Even if the flu shot is better this year, there's a new wrinkle in vaccine effectiveness. Two stud- ies recently published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases (online, Oct. 28, 2015) suggest that people taking statins might not get as much protection from the vaccine as peo- ple not on these choles- terol-lowering drugs. In one analysis, sci- entists looked at a large study of immunization ef- fectiveness in older adults. More than 5,000 partici- pants were tested to see how well they reacted to two different versions of the flu shot. There also was information on whether they were taking a medi- cation like simvastatin or atorvastatin. This allowed a retrospective evaluation that showed people tak- ing statins had weaker im- mune responses. This is especially con- cerning because older people are more vulnera- ble to complications of in- fluenza. They are more likely to end up in the hos- pital or develop pneumo- nia that can kill them. At the same time, they also are the group that is most likely to be taking statin drugs to help pro- tect them against heart disease. The other study also supports the likelihood of an interaction between influenza vaccine and statin-type medicines. The researchers analyzed health-care records from more than 130,000 peo- ple over nine flu seasons. They found that vaccine effectiveness was signifi- cantly lower among peo- ple taking statins. The scientists proposed a hypothesis that might explain these results: "Our findings suggest that the antiinflamma- tory properties underly- ing the clinical benefits of statin therapy might also attenuate the immune re- sponse to influenza vac- cine." Unfortunately, these preliminary data leave physicians and patients in a quandary. Experts are not currently recommend- ing that people stop tak- ing their statins to im- prove the effectiveness of the flu shot. Ideally, scien- tists would find ways to improve how well the flu vaccine works rather than weaken it. Email Joe and Teresa Graedon via their website: www.peoplespharmacy. com. PEOPLE'S PHARMACY Statins may make flu vaccine less effective overall Joe + Teresa Graedon By Tracy Seipel Bay Area News Group Half of California's un- documented immigrants — about 1.4 million — have in- comes low enough to qual- ify for full Medi-Cal benefits should California legislative proposals to offer coverage to the undocumented ever be enacted. That is among the key findings of a Public Policy Institute of California re- port released Monday night which examines current pol- icy options to provide health coverage to the state's un- documented immigrants. Medicaid,calledMedi-Cal in this state, is a government funded healthcare program for the poor and disabled. While it is unavailable to most undocumented immi- grants, Gov. Jerry Brown in June signed a state budget that for the first time funds the plan for an estimated 170,000 children under age 19 living in California ille- gally. The cost of the plan, expected to begin next year, is $40 million, rising to $132 million annually over time. But Medi-Cal for undocu- mented adults — who were included in the original leg- islation proposed by Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gar- dens — was dropped af- ter the state estimated the cost at more than $1 bil- lion. Lara has said he plans to push ahead with a plan to provide comprehensive Medi-Cal benefits to those whose incomes are low enough to qualify. The PPIC report looks at such a proposal, as well as onethatwouldauthorizethe state to seek a federal waiver allowing those with higher incomes to pay full price for health plans. INSURANCE Many undocumented immigrants qualify for Medi-Cal By Malcolm Ritter The Associated Press NEW YORK A volunteer firefighter badly burned in a 2001 blaze has received the most extensive face transplant ever, covering his skull and much of his neck, a New York hospital announced Monday. The surgery took place in August at the NYU Lan- gone Medical Center. The patient, 41-year-old Patrick Hardison, is still undergo- ing physical therapy at the hospital but plans to return home to Senatobia, Missis- sippi, in time for Thanks- giving. The surgery has paved the way for him to regain normal vision, and in an interview last week he said that will let him accomplish a major goal: "I'll start driv- ing again." More than two dozen face transplants have been performed worldwide since the first one in France in 2005. Dr. Eduardo Rodri- guez, who led the surgical team that did Hardison's transplant and recently wrote a review of the field, said Hardison's is by far the most extensive performed successfully in terms of the amount of tissue trans- ferred. The transplant extends from the top of the head, over Hardison's skull and down to the collarbones in front; in back, it reaches far enough down that only a tiny patch of Hardison's original hair remains — its color matched by the dark blond hair growing on his new scalp. The transplant includes both ears. It's "a historic achieve- ment," said Dr. Amir Doraf- shar, co-director of the face transplant program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who was not involved in the op- eration. "This type of treat- ment option will potentially revolutionize the care of patients with severe facial burn injuries." The surgery began Aug. 14 and lasted 26 hours. It left no scars on Hardison's new face because the seam of the transplanted tissue runs down the back of his skull. The donor was 26-year- old New York artist and competitive bicyclist David P. Rodebaugh. He had died of injuries from a biking ac- cident on a Brooklyn street. Hardison was burned Sept. 5, 2001, in Senatobia in northwestern Missis- sippi. He spent about two months at a Memphis, Ten- nessee, burn center. MEDICINE Tr an sp la nt gives new face, scalp to burn victim Online: More information at www.nyulangone.org/ facetransplant RANDAL S. ELLOWAY DDS IMPLANT DENTISTRY 2426 SO. 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