Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. I am often reminded of their sacrifice not just from reading the news, but also from seeing many of our students in military attire. I am humbled by their selfless service to our country.

Remember the brave and fallen this Monday.

As many businesses, schools and other institutions are closed Memorial Day, it’s also a popular day for cookouts and picnics. Given the gallon-sized bag of radishes my parents recently delivered and my goal of serving stress-free, make-ahead sides to accompany whatever lands on our grill this weekend, I offer two options below.

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Do you want to know more about supporting youth diagnosed with autism? How about new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, malignant melanoma, migraine and more? Want to explore the ethics of medically treating family members, the health effects caused by the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001, or the “slippery slope” of the increased use of medical interventions in labor and delivery?

You can learn about these and many other topics thanks to members of DMU’s physician assistant Class of 2012. Right now they are wrapping up their rotations and preparing to present their master’s projects, which they’ll do next Tuesday through Friday, May 29-June 1.

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We continue to celebrate May as National Salad Month with our new pals at Noodles & Company, a franchise that feels like anything but. And we really celebrated yesterday at our local Noodles at Valley West Mall when Pete, the general manager and market training manager, and Christina, assistant manager, provided a tasting to some lucky colleagues and me.

“A tasting is a culinary global tour, so get your passports ready,” Pete told us.

Noodles salads - gorgeous enough to gorge upon.

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I like May for all sorts of reasons, including for its various “holiday” statuses. Did you know, for example, that May is National Foot Health Month, Mental Health Month, Correct Posture Month and Share a Story Month? For all you foodies out there, May is National Strawberry Month, Chocolate Custard Month, Egg Month, Artisan Gelato Month, Asparagus Month and – my personal favorite – National Salsa Month. May is a veritable smorgasbord of benefits!

It's May - time for salads!

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A few quick facts about physician assistants:

• They are licensed to practice medicine with physician supervision in physicians’ offices, hospitals and other health care settings.
• They are formally trained to examine patients, diagnose injuries and illnesses, provide treatment and prescribe medications.
• According to the U.S. Department of Labor, job opportunities for physician assistants (PAs) are growing at a rate of 30 percent – “much faster” than the average among various professions.

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Did your mother ever tell you to chew your food slowly and thoroughly? If so, it appears her advice was spot-on for weight control: A recent Iowa State University study found that chewing each bite 40 times before swallowing causes healthy young adults to eat less.

James Hollis, an ISU assistant professor of food science and human nutrition, and Yong Zhu, a doctoral research assistant, divided 20 ISU students into two groups, instructing one to chew their pizza 15 times per bite and the other group, 40 times per bite. They monitored the subjects’ appetites and took blood samples to study plasma glucose levels and hormones, reported an ISU news release.

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