Even with the recent medical advancements in diagnosing and treating all forms of cancer it’s still easy to feel apprehensive about developing breast cancer. There are no guarantees when it comes to disease but there are many things that you can do to hedge your bets and greatly reduce your chances of developing disease. Protect your health by learning all you can.
- Eat your veggies. Studies suggest that a vegan lifestyle can be an excellent source of protection against all forms of disease, particularly cancer. Don’t be a “bakery vegan”. Make sure that your diet includes plenty of those cruciferous vegetables which contain sulphorafane, believed by some to keep cancer cells from multiplying.
- Keep an ey on your alcohol consumption. It’s been suggested that more than two glasses of wine a day can increase your risk of breast cancer. Opt for the pre-wine version…fresh grapes. Resveratrol, found in the skin of grapes, may reduce estrogen levels.
- Break a sweat. Exercise will boost your immune system and ward off obesity.
- Get checked. Do we really have to say this? Do your self exams. Visit your doctor. If you feel uncertain about a change, respect your instincts and INSIST on follow up tests. Your health is YOUR responsibility.
If you were in chat with Marilu last week you know that there was conversation regarding the difference between Mammography and Thermography, with some members sharing their experience with both types of testing. We all know the importance of regular screening and we encourage you to speak with your doctor about what’s right for you. Insurance companies vary in what they will cover so you’ll want as much information as possible before you pursue one avenue over another. This article may serve to help you.
Summer may be over but caring for your skin should still be on your to-do list. For many people the harsher winter weather is just around the corner. The right cleansers and moisturizers can only do so much. What you put IN your body has as much effect on your skin as what you put ON it. If you think a skin care regimen has to be punishing, expensive or time consuming read this to find out how it can be incorporated into your meals to make skin care delicious.
With portions growing and obesity rates on the rise it’s encouraging to know that with a growing awareness positive changes are happening all over. Hotels are reporting that many travelers are becoming more focused on their health goals while on the road.
“Probably fitness equipment is the biggest request we get from guests,” said Vivian A. Deuschl of the The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. “It’s the biggest preoccupation of business travelers besides getting their work done, so we try to make fitness available on any basis they ask for.”
In room fitness options are available upon requests for guests who prefer not to work out in the hotel gym.
The Kimpton chain of boutique hotels has provided guests in-room 24-hour yoga channel classes and a basket of yoga gear since 2003, according to president and COO Niki Leondakis.
Leondakis believes the modern business traveler’s focus on wellness coincides with the aging of the baby boomers.
“Twenty years ago it was wine, dine and work, not about maintaining a healthy lifestyle on the road,” she said. “People today are looking at work/life balance in a more integrated way.”
Here at Marilu.com we believe that everyone should educate themselves and choose their lifestyle based on the best information out there. Here’s something recently released by The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine regarding the U.S. Regulation of antimicrobials in agriculture. Did you know that in 2009 approximatley 90 million pounds of antibiotics went to farm animals, and that 70 percent of that was administered subtherapeutically?
It makes you wonder how that affects your own reaction to antibiotics when you’re ingesting them through your late night snack or your Sunday brunch.
We’re all responsible for our own decisions. Read the full article and have a little more knowledge on which to base yours.
Later this month the United Nations will hold only it’s second ever summit to deal with a global disease issue. The first was the 2001 HIV/AIDS meeting which led to the creation of the Global Fund.
We’re including this today because these are issues that YOU are involved in. Your presence here and your participation helps to educate, and may very likely lead others down a path that could spare them from the devastation of these diseases.
Your questions, comments and encouragement matter.
ANDI is the acronym for Aggregate Nutrient Density Index and it’s based on Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s (Eat to Live) nutrient density scoring system. Whole Foods has recently adopted, and is promoting, this easy to use system to make it easier to choose whole foods according to their nutritional worth.
Of course we all realize, as does Dr. Fuhrman, that eating strictly from the top of the list would deprive us of the healthy fats and calories that we need to sustain our active lifestyle. File this under “knowledge is power” and you’ll find that a list can make for fascinating reading. It can also make healthy choices easier to determine and meal planning less stressful.
You can pick up an easy to use index at Whole Foods or on line. Check out these articles to learn more:
A George Washington University study added up the medical, disability and lost-productivity costs associated with obesity. The researchers came to this conclusion: Being fat costs a ton of money.
The individual cost for being obese is $4,879 a year for women and $2,626 for men. If a woman invested that much every year over a 40-year working career, she’d have more than $1.2 million at retirement, assuming 8% average annual returns. The man would have nearly $700,000.
Obesity carries dramatically higher costs than merely being overweight. The researchers found the annual costs of being overweight are $524 for women and $432 for men. “Overweight” is defined as a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 29, while those with a BMI of 30 or higher are considered obese.
The researchers didn’t capture all the costs of obesity. For example, they didn’t factor in the extra airplane seat many people of size have to buy to travel comfortably — or the opportunities to travel they simply skip to avoid the hassle.
Also, the annual costs don’t reflect what people actually pay out of pocket. Medical costs make up a big chunk of the total — 66% of weight-related costs for women and 80% for men — but insurance may cover much of the expense.
But obesity is also associated with higher rates of disability, which often leads to lost wages and earlier-than-normal retirements.
Obese workers had a 76% increase in risk for short-term disability compared with a normal-weight employee, the researchers found. (The risk rose 26% for overweight workers compared with their normal-weight colleagues.) Obese employees were more likely to suffer from long-term disabilities and to retire early. Early retirement results in lost wages and lower retirement benefits for most workers.
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Information like this can really confirm that taking charge of your health is not only smart, but fiscally responsible as well. Read the full article here:
Those of you enrolled in the members area can check out the class recipes for a great beet salad recipe. If you’re not a member (yet) post your own favorite recipe on the public message boards .
Health benefits of beets
Garden-beet is very low in calories (contain only 45 kcal/100 g) and fat; but is very rich in dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals.
The root is rich source of phytochemical compound Glycine betaine. Betaine has the property of lowering homocysteine levels in the blood. Homocysteine, one of highly toxic metabolite, promotes platelet clot as well as atherosclerotic-plaque formation which is otherwise can be harmful to blood vessels. High levels of homocystiene in the blood results in the development of coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and peripheral vascular diseases.
Raw beets are an excellent source of folates; contains about 109 mcg/100 g ( Provides 27% of RDA). However, extensive cooking may significantly depletes its level in food. Folates are necessary for DNA synthesis in the cells. When given during peri-conception period folates can prevent neural tube defects in the baby.
It contains significant amounts of vitamin-C, one of the powerful natural antioxidant which helps body scavenge deleterious free radicals one of the reasons for cancers development.
Beet’s green leaves (tops) are an excellent source of carotenoids, flavonoid anti-oxidants and vitamin A; contain these compounds several times more than that of in the roots.Vitamin A is required maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin and is also essential for vision. Consumption of natural vegetables rich in flavonoids helps to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.
The root is also rich source of Niacin (vit B-3), Pantothenic acid (vit.B-5), Pyridoxine (vit.B-6) and carotenoids, and minerals such as iron, manganese and magnesium.
In addition, this root veggie indeed has very good levels of potassium. 100 g fresh root has 325 mg of potassium or 7% of daily requirements. Potassium lowers heart rate and regulates metabolism inside the cells by countering detrimental effects of sodium.
“Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Americans eat 7 billion hot dogs. That’s more than 800 hot dogs a second. It’s as if the entire nation has signed up for….”
Before you light your grill you’ll want to read the rest of the article….while there’s still time to get to the store for better choices.
