Women's Health Week

It's National Women's Health Week! Did you know that? I didn't until yesterday, which is why I didn't put this up earlier this week. Better late then never, though, right?

As women, we tend to try to do it all, don't we? Especially if we have kids. We are not just mom but also perhaps wife, housekeeper, teacher, nurse, chef, taxi driver, boo-boo kisser, etc. And many of us have jobs outside of the home too! Where does that leave time for us?? I know I am guilty of putting myself last more then once. But it is so important that we make our health a priority. 

I found some wonderful information on women's health through the womenshealth.gov website. I would encourage you to check it out and  will share some highlights here. I also am taking some of my information from Dr. Jaime McManus, M.D., chair of medical affairs, health sciences and education, with Shaklee. Shaklee is the #1 natural nutrition company in the US and if you have followed my blog at all, you know I LOVE my Shaklee!! :)

Preventative Screening

It is important to visit your doctor regularly. Mamograms should start at age 40 and pap smears annually. 

Get Active!

Physical activity lowers your risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, depression, arthritis and the list goes on! It is a great way to manage stress and control your weight.

Walking is a simple way to get some exercise in. I also enjoy yoga and kickboxing when I really need to de-stress! lol

Eat Healthy

I know this isn't always easy to do. At least not for me, the queen of sugar cravings! It is important though, to get our daily allowance (7-9) servings of fruits and veggies daily. A serving really isn't that big - 1/2 and apple, 1/2 cup of blueberries, etc. Try for the most fresh and whole food that you can. 

It is also important to eat whole grain food (look for 100% whole wheat and nothing enriched). Low fat dairy options are great along with fish (wild caught is best), eggs, nuts. 

Poly and Mono saturated fats are good. Limit your intake of saturated and trans fats. Those are not so good!

Also limit cholesterol, sodium and added sugar. Be sure to steer clear of artificial sweeteners, like in sugar-free items and in diet soda. Studies have been showing those linked to cancer and weight GAIN! Soda in general is not good as the carbonation has been seen to leach calcium from bone. 

Water, water, water! Always the best choice. If you aren't used to drinking water, start slowly. You may be surprised at how you begin to crave it over time and really enjoy it more then soda, juice or coffee.

 Supplement

Nowadays, we get our food from all over the world. Produce can be harvested earlier, which limits the nutrients that it provides. Even if you are eating well, chances are you may still need a good quality multivitamin to fill in the gaps in your nutrition. Not all vitamins are created equal. Some are made from synthetic ingredients that do not break down in the body. Be sure to research the one you choose. You already know that I love my Shaklee so you can guess which one my family takes. But this was after my research-scientist husband put Shaklee through the ringer and was so impressed by the science backing their products.

In addition to a multivitamin, it is important to get enough calcium and vitamin D3 for bone health. Bone loss begins at a very early age.

Women should also ensure they are getting extra vitamin C and  Vitamin E 

Omega 3 Fatty Acids (DHA, EPA) are also so important to our health in many ways. Fish and olive oil have this. But most people need to supplement as well. A good supplement will not have any contamination of lead, etc. that fish may have. And recent studies show that mother's who took a DHA supplement in pregnancy have smarter kids with better brain development!

Supplementing can also help with digestive health. Digestive health issues can lead to infertility problems. Sometimes just adding a probiotic to a women's diet can assist with pregnancy.  

Extra Tips:

Don't Smoke!! We know this leads to all sorts of health issues including cancer and heart disease.

Be sure to get enough sleep. 7-8 hours a night is ideal. It also helps with stress management.

Women's heart attack symptoms are different then men! Some include feeling anxious, shortness of breath, odd pain in the arm. Women who have a heart attack in their 40s are 8xs more likely to die from it then men! 

Be proactive about your health! Your family will thank you for it! 

I hope this information is beneficial to you. Please share with the women in your life.

How do you take care of yourself?

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful weekend!

Rebecca

   

Add some sweetness to your Valentine's Day!

 This is a re-post from last year. I thought it was such good info that I wanted to share it again. Enjoy!


Happy Valentine's Day! Are you enjoying anything sweet today? I have a horrible sweet tooth. I really do. I love almost anything that is sweet. The sweeter the better in my opinion. All in moderation of course:) I do realize that all sweets are not created equal when it comes to your health. So today, in honor of St. Valentine's Day, I thought I would add some sweetness to my blog by talking about sweeteners:)



Did you know that sugar comes from processed sugar cane? The liquid is taken out and boiled, leaving just the crystals. Unfortunately for us sugar lovers, there aren't any nutrients in this. Molasses is also left behind, which does contain nutrients. (things are looking up for the sugar lovers!) I used to think that brown sugar was better then white sugar. This really isn't true however, because brown sugar has a very little amount of molasses in it, making it pretty much nutrient free. (looking down again for the sugar lovers!) Unfortunately for people with a sweet tooth, no good can come from it. It plays a negative role in pretty much every body process, which leads to many different health issues. And sugar is in so many of the foods we eat. It has been estimated that the average American consumes 158 pounds of sugar each year and it is negatively effecting our health. Today I would like to tell you about some natural alternatives that my family has been using lately that taste as good or even better then regular sugar and are even a little better for you! yay!



So you may be wondering if artificial sweeteners (aspartame, NutraSweet, Equal etc) would be better for your health then regular sugar. I'm actually not going to blog about artificial sweeteners because that would make my blog way too long. In my opinion though, these are not good for a person's health and I have read a lot of things recently that suggest artificial sweeteners are linked to many health problems. If you'd like to know more about that, then you may be interested to check out the book, "Sweet Deception: Why Splenda, NutraSweet and the FDA May Be Hazardous to Your Health" by Dr. J. Mercola. You can see some info from him and his book here.

What I do want to talk about is natural sweeteners. I am quickly learning that there are natural sugar substitutes out there that actually taste really good and are much better for you then plain old sugar. One of my favorites is Pure Maple Syrup.


My family went to a small maple syrup festival last spring, about an hour from our midwest home. It was so interesting to learn about how maple syrup is made.
This is a picture of how they boil the sugar water down so they can make the maple syrup.
The blue bag is collecting the sugar water from the maple tree. Judging by the tree's size, it is not too young! We took this tour at a sugar camp and it was really interesting.

We did a lot of tasting that day, and ever since, the only maple syrup we use is pure maple syrup. There is nothing artificial in it. It's a little more costly then some of the non-pure varieties, but so much better for your health because it is a natural form of sugar that contains many B vitamins, iron and some trace minerals. Yum-O!

Another of my favorites is honey.



And not just regular honey, but raw honey. We buy ours from a health food store because I can't find it at the regular grocery store. It looks a little different then the honey I grew up with, and in my opinion, actually tastes better. It is thicker and more of a dull color. It has a richer taste and is a natural product, which makes it a good sugar substitute.

Next up - Molasses.



This is one of my husband's favorites. We made the Best molasses cookies the other day. They really were. Much better then store bought, and when you make them yourself, you can control the ingredients. We cut down on the sugar we used and substituted brown sugar in place of white sugar. Here is the recipe. Molasses has many nutrients including calcium and iron. This is esp. true in blackstrap molasses. It does have a very distinct dark taste. I would not say that molasses is sweet, but when you use it in the right recipe it is very good.

We have also used Agave nectar as a sugar substitute.



This is also very good. There are several different varieties. It tastes a bit sweeter then regular sugar; yet, has a low glycemic index which is good for insulin levels. Agave nectar has saponins, which are known to have natural anti-inflammatory and immune strengthening components.

There are other natural sweeteners out there. I certainly haven't talked about them all here. But I did talk about the ones that I have tried and liked lately. Some of these are good sugar substitutes. You could also substitute with mashed banana or applesauce in some recipes. I use a lot of the sweeteners I talked about to sweeten my oatmeal in the morning. So good!

What type of sweeteners do you prefer?

I hope you enjoyed reading and have an extra sweet Valentine's Day today!

Rebecca