47 million people are uninsured in America. Nearly 1.7 million in Illinois. Of these approxi mately 700,000 are living in the metro Chicago area. 25 percent are Afro-Americans; 31 percent are hispanics . The count for Asians is estimated to be not much less. Of the people that are uninsured and living in the suburbs nearly 50 percent have a average annual income of $50,000 or more. These individuals do not usually qualify for any insurance programs offered by the government and have no coverage from employment as they are either self employed and cannot afford the cost or are working in places where such benefits are not provided.

    These individuals remain under the radar of medical care till they fall sick or are injured in an accident. At that point they confront an expensive health care system at its most expensive point of contact, namely the ER, the OR and the ICU at a hospital. The average hospital costs are approximately $1000-$2000 per day in a regular room and $2000-$5000 per day in the ICU. A ten day stay in this scenario can crank up a bill of $50,000-$100,000 when the costs of drugs, labs and x-rays are added up . Once treatment is completed the patient is sent out with very little assurance or arrangement for future heath care. No wonder non-covered health care costs are the single most frequent reason for bankruptcy in Illinois. Clearly the plight of the uninsured demands our attention.

Eating Right in Ramadan

With less than a week to go for the start of Ramadan it is perhaps useful to remind ourselves of some dietary rules to follow and some essential concepts of good nutrition to remember. While most of us in good health have little to worry except feasting too much following fasting, some with such problems as diabetes, hypertension, kidney stones and heart disease to name a few, do need to consider the potential risks of complications from dehydration and missing to take their regular medicines on time. Obviously for them the wisest counsel will come from their personal physicians.

However there is more to Ramadan than skipping lunch or missing breakfast. As much as it is a month to practice self control in the many dimensions of our over indulgent lives, it is also a time to review our dietary habits and make adjustments to our eating patterns that can promote the consumption of healthier foods. In a fast paced society where dining out has become a norm and drive thru a way of life, we pay precious little attention to the quality of our nutritional experience.

As food and drink become center stage during Ramadan, we could slow down a bit to evaluate the choices we have been making and the stuff we have been ordering. With 3 out of 5 among us being over weight, clearly Ramadan should be a good time for us to flatten our bellies and lose our love handles. With the alarming death rate from heart disease which claims the lives of too many of us too soon, Ramadan should be a proper time to start reading labels, cutting down on fats, going easy on salts and doing away with some extra calories. Ramadan could be a turning time for healthier menu choices, switching from fried foods to baked foods, transitioning from whole milk to skim milk, from ice cream sundaes to yogurt parfaits, from steaks to sea foods, from kheer to fresh fruits. Too many of us have bought into the American tradition of super sizing everything, loading up our plates as if it is our last meal. Three ounces of meat is the recommended target for the day and is no more than a hamburger patty. Tossed salad need not be tossed away. Splenda is splendid in place of sugar. We live in a land of milk and honey. We can choose from the best. Let this Ramadan be the time when we make the right choices.

Attached is a Ramadan Health & Spirituality Guide published by the National Health Service in UK which provides more details on nutrition and answers many questions regarding fasting during Ramadan. We hope you will find it useful.

May this Ramadan you improve your health and your spirituality equally.Compassionate Care Network (CCN)

Iftar and Food Traditions Across the Islamic World

Many will find this radio program a fascinating listen to the diversity of Muslim traditions across the globe,on iftars in Ramadan. The program aired recently on WAMU FM 88.5 from Washington, DC.

Many more we hope will find the link www.myhalalkitchen.com a great resource for healthy nutrition. Its food editor is Yvonne Maffei, M.A., who resides in Chicago.

http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2010-08-04/iftar-and-food-traditions-across-islamic-world
http://www.myhalalkitchen.com

We thank Sr. Kari Ansari for forwarding this info to us.
Kari Ansari This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it