Community Health

The South Dakota Department of Health (SD DOH) strives to promote, protect, and improve the health of every South Dakotan with information, licensing ,and more. Find tips and information on nutrition, physical activity, mental health, and more at South Dakota Department of Health (sd.gov)

Visit Healthy South Dakota for tips and recipes at www.HealthySD.gov

• Vegetables offer a wide variety of vitamins and trace minerals, besides the fiber we can get from them. This fiber helps in the potential reduction of various disease and illnesses.
• Shopping for groceries along the inside walls of the grocery store, helps to keep the focus on less-processed, more nutritious foods.
• Have children choose fruits and vegetables in the produce aisles when they go grocery shopping with you. They are more likely to try something if they picked it out.
• Always offer children small portions of what the adults are eating. They might not try it today, but their tastes change and mature daily and one day they’ll watch your example and give it a try.

Top 12 Reasons to Breastfeed your Baby

Your baby will:

1. Dress in layers! The inner layer should be a breathable, synthetic polypropylene or thin wool, material that can wick moisture away from skin, but still keep you warm if it’s wet
2. Remember a child’s body temperature changes faster than an adult.
3. Check the forecast before heading out on your adventure.
4. Pack essentials: flashlights, extra snacks, extra bottle of water, and rain gear or a garbage bag to use in case of rain, bandaids, sunscreen, an extra hat, and a bandana or cloth.
5. Inform others where you are headed and when you plan on returning.
6. Bring your cell phone, or get the phone number of the nearest ranger station and give the numbers to your contact person.
7. Never let children get ahead of the group. Teach them to hug a tree and wait in one spot if they happen to get separated during a hike.
8. Teach children about reading maps. Map out your hike and emphasize staying on the trail.
9. Never leave children unsupervised around water. Small children can drown in 2 inches of water! Floatation devices help, but children still must be supervised. Some children can get turned and cannot flip themselves back over due to the bulk of the life jacket.
10. Always wear protective foot gear before wading into water.
11. Watch for possible currents even in water that looks still.
12. Before letting children dive into water, make sure there is atleast 9 feet of clear space below.
13. Practice fire safety around campfires. Always keep matches out of reach of children.
14. Practice food safety: Keep Cold Foods Cold and Hot Foods Hot!
15. Always bring insect repellent for mosquitoes and ticks. Mosquitoes that carry the West Nile Virus are usually out early in the morning and late in the evening. Wear long sleeves and pants when possible.
16. Know what poison ivy looks like! It is a three-leaved vine growing by trails and clinging onto trees. The leaves look very similar to box elder leaves. Do not itch poison ivy bumps! The bumps will spread by the ‘poisonous’ oil in the eruption getting onto fingernails and going to wherever you touch next! Especially do not itch at poison ivy bumps and then touch your face! Simple handwashing rids your hands of the ‘poison’. Wash the area with soap and water to help dry it out. Use Calamine or Caladryl lotion. These special lotions are pink in color and help to stop the itch and dry out the poison ivy.