[beachgal]

I thought this was really good info. to have, especially if you usually give blood.

From the Daily Dish:

Save a Life, Donate Blood


Winter is traditionally a difficult time for blood centers collecting donations. In an effort to encourage blood donation, January has been designated National Volunteer Blood Donor Month by America's Blood Centers and the American Red Cross.

Almost 38,000 units of blood are used in hospitals across the country on a daily basis. The majority of this blood is gathered from generous people willing to take an hour out of their schedules to help save lives.

Blood donations can be given at hospitals and blood drives across the country. You must be 17 and weigh at least 110 pounds in order to donate (though requirements may differ in some states). You can donate once every eight weeks, but you must be free of sexually transmitted diseases and meet other eligibility requirements. Every time you donate, you will be asked a series of questions used to screen out unusable donations.

After a volunteer donates blood, he or she will usually be offered crackers or juice. This is because your body loses some glucose and fluids when you donate blood. Although these food items are generally not recommended during Phase 1 of The South Beach Diet™, Dr. Agatston encourages blood donors to follow the advice of the medical professionals on staff at the donor center, regardless of their status on the diet. Before you go to donate, make sure you eat a good meal and drink plenty of fluids. Afterwards, juice is probably the best choice to replace the lost glucose, and one container should be enough. As for the fluid loss, make sure you drink plenty of water after donating, even once you've left the donation center.

For more information or to locate a donation center in your area, visit the Web site of the American Association of Blood Banks, www.aabb.org.

[ellis]

That's good to know... thanks, Laurie!

[Barb0522]

I'm glad they came out with this. Last time I donated (in Nov), I brought my own Triscuits and peanut butter and drank their water. I think it is important that we all donate whenever we can. I'm hoping to donate again later this week.