The Syosset Public Library wishes you and your family a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.
With that in mind here are some resources to help you get there safely.
USA.gov has compiled links to Thanksgiving resources – History and Heritage (history of Thanksgiving, and facts and statistics), Giving Thanks ( air travel status, air travel tips, traffic and road closures), Food Safety (recipes from and for Americans, turkey basics and food safety.)
It’s All About the Food
The USDA has prepared a poultry preparation fact sheet “Let’s Talk Turkey.” “Let’s Talk Turkey” includes information regarding the comparison of fresh vs. frozen turkeys, thawing your turkey, roasting your turkey (including timetables for roasting unstuffed and stuffed turkeys), cooking hints, storing your leftovers and reheating your turkey.
Visit foodsafety.gov for “Thanksgiving FUNdamentals.” They answer burning questions such as:
- How big a turkey should I buy?
- When should I buy the turkey?
- Should I buy a hen or a tom?
- How long will it take to thaw a turkey?
- How long should I roast the turkey?
- What do I do if the turkey is done an hour ahead of schedule?
- What do I do if the turkey is not done on time?
- Can you roast the turkey the day before?
For more information on food safety visit MedlinePlus.
The Mayo Clinic would like us all to reconsider the high calorie/high fat traditional recipes and replace them with healthier alternatives. They have compiled recipes for soups & salads, turkey & stuffing, side dishes, breads & muffins, and even healthy deserts. While you may not completely discard tradition why not replace one or two dishes with a healthier alternative?
In addition to the information from USA.gov, Flu.gov has words of advice to help you prevent illness when you travel.
The CDC’s new campaign encourages travelers to remember four important steps:
- Travel only when you feel well
- Wash your hands often
- Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your sleeve
- Get a flu vaccination if you’re in a priority group
The Surgeon General has declared Thanksgiving “Family Health History Day.”
Your family health history can help direct your doctor, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner to specific tests or treatment plans you may need to take to prevent or delay disease. For example, you can be tested for a heart condition or cancer because it’s in your family history.
You can find the Office of the Surgeon General’s My Family Health Portrait web site at https://familyhistory.hhs.gov. Once you have entered family health information, the on-line portal assembles the information into a medical “family tree” format that is useful for health care clinicians. This tool is free for anyone to use.
Filling out the “My Family Health Portrait” usually takes about 20 minutes. You can share the Web portal with your family members to help fill in missing information. The portal also allows relatives to create their own family health history by adding to information already entered by another family member.
After filling in the information, you can save the information to your computer and — if you want to — share it with your doctor. The Surgeon General’s Web site does not retain the information once the tool has been used to assemble it.
Wishing you a wonderful, safe, healthy and happy Thanksgiving!
posted by – Susan, Health Reference Services