Getting Reacquainted With Healthy Food- This is a post I originally did for BlogHer in 2008, but since it still applies now, I thought I would share it here on the Choose You Blog.
For the last few weeks I’ve been making an attempt at eating healthy. And usually this is where I would tell you that I’ve failed miserably. But, I’m happy to report that I have actually been doing pretty well. I think it is in part because, around the same time I decided that I couldn’t afford to gain another pound, I got an email from Elaine Magee. Funny how we get what we need, just when we need it.
Anyway, Elaine is the Healthy Recipe Doctor at WebMD, and she wanted to tell me about her newest book Food Synergy. Even better, she said if I wanted a copy she would send me one. The timing couldn’t have been better.
Evidence is mounting that certain components in the food we eat and drink (minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals, fiber, smart fats, etc.) interact to provide our bodies extra disease protection and a higher level of health. This advanced nutrition science is called food synergy.
Food synergy is like adding 1 plus 1 and getting 4 or 6 instead of 2; the total is greater than the sum of the individual parts (or nutrients).
Celebrating Women Surviving, Inspiring and Blogging with Cancer
In the United States their are over 11 million people surviving cancer, and chances are you even know one of them. In June we celebrate those cancer survivors. This post will highlight the many women who are surviving and blogging cancer. These are women with extraordinary strength, who inspire us all to live each day to our fullest. I hope you’ll take some time to check out their blogs and their stories of survival. And if you know a woman blogging through cancer, please take a minute to leave their link in comments.
May is Lupus Awareness Month, and even though it’s the end of the month, I wanted to do my part to bring more attention to this devastating disease and some of the brave women living and blogging with it.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that affects many more women than men. In fact, ninety percent of people who develop Lupus are women. The scary part about Lupus is that it can damage any organ in the body (including the heart, kidneys, lungs, blood, joints, and skin) causing life-threatening complications.
The most common symptoms of lupus are: extreme fatigue or exhaustion, headaches, painful or swollen joints, fever, a butterfly-shaped rash across cheeks and nose, sun- or light-sensitivity, and hair loss.
Approximately two-thirds of people with lupus will develop some type of skin complication. This often is in the form of a rash or sores, most of which will appear on sun-exposed areas, such as face, ears, neck, arms, and legs.
There is no single laboratory test that can determine whether a person does or does not have lupus. Diagnosing lupus involves analyzing the results of several lab tests that are used to monitor the immune system, along with a review of the person’s entire medical history.
Systemic lupus is the most common type of lupus. Systemic lupus can affect any organ system of the body, including the heart, kidneys, lungs, blood, joints, and skin.
In lupus, the immune system loses its ability to tell the difference between foreign substances, such as viruses or bacteria, and the body’s healthy tissue. The result is the production of auto-antibodies that attack healthy tissue.
Since many symptoms of lupus mimic those of other illnesses, lupus often can take three to five years to diagnose. Symptoms of lupus can come and go over time, which makes a definite diagnosis more difficult.
There are many courageous women living and blogging with Lupus, and May is the perfect time to check out their blogs and show them some love and support. If you know a woman blogging with Lupus please share their link in comments.
Did you know that 57.7 million Americans suffer with mental illness? That’s 1 in 4 of us. Chances are, if you’re not one of those four, you most likely know someone who is. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve had my bouts with depression and anxiety over the years. Thankfully, I always recognized when I needed to reach out for help, and when I did, I got it.
But because of the stigma associated with it, it’s not always easy for people to reach out for help. That’s why it is so important to shed light on this issue and help eliminate the stigma associated with mental illness.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and on May 18th bloggers were encouraged to come together through a Blog Party and help bring awareness to the issue of mental health. The goal was to help educate the public, decrease stigma, and to discuss strategies for making lasting lifestyle changes to promote overall health and wellness.
Take a little time and visit some of the blogs that participated in the Mental Health Blog Party…
I’m happy to report that even with additional temptations this weekend [It was my mother's birthday and we got her an ice-cream cake, chocolate volcano cake, and cheese cake.] I was still successful in my goal to not eat sugar. It actually wasn’t hard at all to resist, I think because it’s been over two weeks, I’m just not craving the sugar the way I normally do. So that’s a plus!
Off topic: Do you want to see the Birthday Dance of my mother that I made with the American Cancer Society’s new dance application? Here’s the link – Frances Ellen Disco Dancing (Feel free to tease her about it in comments, she loves all the attention).
OK, back to my post.
Since I was so successful with my first (two week) commitment, I decided to make a longer and more difficult commitment next. For the next six weeks I will be continuing to avoid sugar, but I will also eliminate high fat/calorie snacks and junk food, and lose 5 pounds.
That’s a lot…But you think I can do it, right?
So that’s my new commitment. Now for the giveaway.
Imagine how hard it would be to suffer with daily pain that can effect your entire body, unrelenting fatigue, headaches, sleep problems, along with depression and anxiety? Now try to imagine feeling this bad only to have friends, family, and even doctors tell you, “You don’t look sick!” or “It’s probably all in your head”. Sadly, this is what it’s like to be a person who suffers with Fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia is a misunderstood, complicated, painful, chronic medical condition that affects millions of Americans, and May is devoted to bringing more awareness to it. It’s not known why, but women are diagnosed with Fibromyalgia much more often than men. Many women are not only suffering and living with Fibromyalgia but they are also blogging about it. You can learn more about this disease by reading some of the funny, frustrated, and sometimes heartbreaking posts written by these incredibly strong women. I hope you’ll take some time to check them out and show them some love.
I know many people don’t think our government has any business telling us what we can and can not eat. Until recently, I might have even agreed. But the problem of obesity is reaching epidemic proportions, and there’s no signs of it getting any better on it’s own. More and more evidence is pointing to the dangers associated with all the high fat, high sugar, and processed foods we are eating. And with such a limited amount of healthy food available to the consumer (at least compared to unhealthy foods), its virtually impossible to suggest that people have a “choice” when it comes to avoiding trans fats and processed foods.
These foods are not just making us fat, these foods are killing us. The CDC estimates that more than 300,000 Americans die each year from obesity-related complications…Doesn’t our government bare some responsibility in protecting the lives of its citizens?
It seems we are long past telling people to simply avoid these unhealthy foods, for so many people that is just not an option. To make matters worse, it’s now believed that junk food can be as addicting as cocaine.
What can be done?
I don’t think there is one way to fix this problem, but I do think that something needs to be done. Here is a graph showing preventable causes of death…
Obesity isn’t a problem that can be solved with a one-size-fits-all solution. But there are things our government could do that would help.
Although controversial, some say that taxing junk food is the answer. But during a recession it’s hard to justify increasing the cost of food (even if it is junk). I think taxing junk food could be a good idea, as long as it’s done in conjunction with making healthy foods more available and affordable. And what about taxing the manufacturers producing this junk too? It surely couldn’t hurt to make selling junk food less profitable.
I also think more regulations on processed and fast foods would be beneficial. Eliminating trans fats is a great start, but lowering the acceptable amounts of sodium and sugar being used by manufacturers is also very important. We have to stop allowing manufacturers to sell products that are essentially killing consumers.
Find out what BlogHer was a guest on Oprah, who played cards with Brad Pitt, and who had their first kiss with Scott Baio. HINT: One of them was me.
In the spirit of their newly launched Fun and Games section, BlogHer has cooked up a Scavenger Hunt using some of your jaw-dropping profile facts. Playing is fun and easy, and we’re giving away cash prizes, natch.
Here’s how it works:
Read (and marvel!) at each fun fact about a BlogHer.
Tell us which amazing BlogHer the fact belongs to. We make it easy by giving you just two links to BlogHer profiles. Follow each link, read both surprising facts and then answer (links will open in a new window, so you won’t lose your place on the entry form).
If you score 100 percent correct answers, you’ll be entered in a random drawing to win one of ten $100 Visa gift cards. Late to the game? No worries, we’re leaving this open until Tuesday, April 20th, at 5 p.m. Pacific. Read the official rules here.
I think it is well known that as we get older we have a more difficult time getting pregnant, but I was shocked to hear these new statistics on fertility. It seems that 90 percent of a woman’s eggs are gone by age 30, and only 3 percent remain by age 40. Ninety Percent of eggs are GONE! That’s a huge number. That’s a scary number.
From ABC News – Fertility: 90% of eggs gone by age 30!
It’s common knowledge that women have more difficulty conceiving as they age, but this is the very first study believed to quantify the number of eggs lost and it shows that the decline is more rapid than previously believed. Over time, the quality of ovarian eggs also deteriorates, increasing the difficulty of conception and the risk of having an unhealthy baby. The study was based on information collected from 325 women of varying ages in the United Kingdom, the United States and Europe.
Dr. Marie Savard, “Good Morning America” medical contributor, visited “GMA” to discuss the issue and its implications for moms-to-be. “Women lose eggs a lot faster than we thought,” she said. As you get older, conceiving is “much more difficult…Even all those assisted reproductive techniques are challenges.”
“That biological clock does tick,” she said, adding that her advice to women who want kids is, “the sooner the better.”
I imagine this news is going to cause a great deal of anxiety to women in their 30’s who were holding off having children. What do they do? Do they drop everything and try to have a baby before their eggs run out? And how will this affect women who want to pursue a career before motherhood? Are women going to have to start choosing motherhood over career for fear of future infertility?
Evaluating Your Success, Not Your Failure – Cross-posted at BlogHer.com
If you made a New Year’s resolution, you’ve now had a couple of weeks to work on it. How are you making out? Would you say you’ve been successful, or that you’ve already failed? Don’t answer yet.
My New Year’s resolution included eating healthy, but today my daughter made chocolate chip cookies and I had several of them (they were super yummy too). Some might say that by eating those cookies, I’ve failed at my resolution. Have I? What really matters though, is how I perceive it. If I perceive eating cookies as a failure, then it was. However, I choose to not see it as a failure. I’ve learned from years of dieting that I am less likely to be successful if I’m too strict with myself. So instead, I remind myself of all the days that I did make healthy food choices, and that I can still continue to make healthy food choices tomorrow.
We’ve all heard that most people will fail at their New Year’s resolution. In fact, many people will use this knowledge to justify not making a resolution at all. But should we really avoid resolutions because of a our fears of failure? Of course not.
Most successful people will tell you that failure is success, as long as you learn from it. You may have even heard this famous quote from Thomas Edison:
I have not failed, not once. I’ve discovered ten thousand ways that don’t work.
This is the way I see it – If you’ve made a resolution that is really in your best interest to keep, then don’t throw it out the window just because a few weeks into it you are not exactly where you hoped you would be. It’s the intention that matters most. If your intention was good, then now is as good a time as any to tweak your resolution a bit, and make it more realistic for yourself. Remind yourself that you can choose to see your glass as half empty or half full. Perception is the only thing standing between you and success.
So now, how would you answer the question I asked at the beginning of this post…
Would you say you’ve been successful, or that you’ve already failed?
If it helps, take some time to re-evaluate your resolution, and set more realistic goals yourself. And remember, it’s much better for you to focus on the ways you’ve been successful, rather than on the ways you believe you may be failing.
My New Year’s resolution is about doing everything I can do to have more birthdays. At the moment the one thing that could keep me from doing that, is my blood pressure. I’ve had blood pressure and heart rate problems since my twenties, but now in my forties, I know I’m at a much greater risk for having a heart attack or stroke. So this year I plan on taking specific steps to hopefully lower my blood pressure. Like Morra Arrons-Mele, I would like to make these changes holistically. I’m still planning to take my medications, but even on medication my blood pressure is still not controlled.
Here are the steps I plan to take in 2010…
1. Continue to eat healthy, but kick it up a notch.
2. Reduce stress by using meditation and Reiki on a regular basis.
3. Get the Wii Fit and begin doing light exercising and yoga.
I’ll keep track of my progress by documenting my blood pressure and the days I’ve used any of the above steps.
Well, that’s my “more birthdays list.” I hope you’ll join me at the American Cancer Society’s Official Birthday Blog, by sharing a list of your own.
Here are some tips for making and promoting your Bday List and supporting the American Cancer Society’s More Birthdays campaign…
1. Create a list of things (could be one thing or many) you plan to do to stay healthy in 2010 and/or to help create more birthdays. This is your “my more birthdays list.”
2. Share your list on Facebook and/or Twitter (using the #mybdaylist hashtag). These could be anything from losing 5 pounds or eating more vegetables to training for a 10K or half-marathon.
3. Tweet and/or post messages on Facebook about the progress you’re making on your more birthdays list throughout the year. This will help you get support, tips, and encouragement from others who are trying to accomplish their more birthdays lists.
My kids are big kids now (15 & 18), and I really miss those years when they were younger and I got to be Santa. I loved shopping for toys, the hours wrapping, and especially watching the joy on their faces as they tore through everything in a matter of minutes. Back then, I was blissfully ignorant of all the dangers lurking in those toys. My only concern was getting the best deals I could find and making sure both my kids had an equal amount of gifts to unwrap. But it’s not so easy for moms today.
If you’re a mom, or anyone buying toys for a child this year, here is a round-up of posts that can help you make safe toy choices.
Today the blogging community is praying for Anissa Mayhew, a loving mother of three, who blogs at Free Anissa and Hope 4 Peyton. Anissa suffered a stroke yesterday afternoon, and we are all hoping and praying that she will make a full recovery.
It’s so important to eat health even when you’re on a budget. And in today’s economy many of us will find ourselves looking for ways to make our holiday meals without breaking the bank. Thankfully, there are many women blogging about just that. Here is a quick blog round-up that can help you have a wonderfully frugal holiday.
In honor of Word Diabetes Day I’ve decided to do a blog roundup of women blogging diabetes. Most are blogs by women who are living with diabetes, and others are women blogging about parenting a child with diabetes. I’ve also included several informative links and resources at the end of this post.
If you blog about living with diabetes or World Diabetes Day, please leave your link in comments.
Do you know someone who suffers with Alzheimer’s disease? Or someone who is a caregiver to a loved one with this devastating disease? If so, you understand the heartache associated with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
Who are we without our memories of past experiences? For most of us, the though of losing our memories to Alzheimer’s disease is horrifying. But there is much more to Alzheimer’s than memory loss.
November is Epilepsy Awareness Month. I hope this post will provide information and facts about epilepsy, while also showcasing women blogging about life with seizures.
Epilepsy affects over 3 million Americans of all ages – more than multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and Parkinson’s disease combined. Almost 500 new cases of epilepsy are diagnosed every day in the United States. Epilepsy affects 50,000,000 people worldwide.
In two-thirds of patients diagnosed with epilepsy, the cause is unknown.
Epilepsy can develop at any age and can be a result of genetics, stroke, head injury, and many other factors.
In over thirty percent of patients, seizures cannot be controlled with treatment. Uncontrolled seizures may lead to brain damage and death. Many more have only partial control of their seizures.
The severe epilepsy syndromes of childhood can cause developmental delay and brain damage, leading to a lifetime of dependency and continually accruing costs—both medical and societal.
It is estimated that up to 50,000 deaths occur annually in the U.S. from status epilepticus (prolonged seizures), Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), and other seizure-related causes such as drowning and other accidents.
The mortality rate among people with epilepsy is two to three times higher than the general population and the risk of sudden death is twenty-four times greater.
Recurring seizures are also a burden for those living with brain tumors and other disorders such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, tuberous sclerosis, and a variety of genetic syndromes.
I found this video on a blog called My 3 Peanuts – It is a very informative video that explains exactly what happens during a seizure.
This is my response to seeing so many bloggers and commenters turning the “choice” to vaccinate for H1N1, into a free for all hate fest against moms who are “choosing” not to vaccinate.
To vaccinate or not to vaccinate, that is the question many moms are facing when it comes to Swine Flu and the H1N1 vaccine (including me). As far as I’m concerned, there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to the H1N1 vaccine. There is plenty of information available for parents to educate themselves on both the H1N1 virus as well as the vaccine, and I believe every mother has the right to make the decision she believes is best for her children. But not everyone thinks so, there are many moms on the internet freely venting their disdain for anyone who doesn’t vaccinate their child for H1N1.
This is a post in honor of breast cancer survivors. They are women sharing their stories of hope, struggle, determination, and survival. Some are in words and some are in video.
Let’s talk about fear. Are You Afraid of Breast Cancer? If so, you’re not alone. Cancer is a scary thing…And all the pink in the world can’t change that. Sure, pink ribbons may be pretty, but breast cancer is ugly and scary. Here are some facts about breast cancer…
An estimated 182,800 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2000.
Approximately 42,200 deaths will occur in women from breast cancer in 2000.
One in eight women or 12.6% of all women will get breast cancer in her lifetime.
Breast cancer risk increases with age and every woman is at risk.
Every 13 minutes a woman dies of breast cancer.
Seventy-seven percent of women with breast cancer are over 50.
Many women are blogging about their breast cancer fears. From little fears to big fears. They have fears of mammograms, fears of treatments, fears or recurrences, fears of dying…and on and on. What are your breast cancer fears?
I’m honored to be a member of the American Cancer Society’s Blogger Advisory Council, a small group of volunteers that advises the Society on its social media strategy. Part of our mission is to help spread the word that we have power in the fight against cancer. And our first step is to build awareness and encourage women to get involved. Because…Visibility equals power! So we have started a blog “chain” to spread the word among women bloggers. We call it Bloggers for More Birthdays.
You can help…Join Bloggers for More Birthdays by dedicating a blog post to someone you love who’s been affected by cancer. It’s a simple way to celebrate those you love. Just write a post (like I’ve done here), host our badge, and know that whatever you write, you are helping to raise awareness and inspiring others to join American Cancer Society in the fight against cancer.
My contribution to this effort is about an angel named Becky…
Becky was my best friend. A wonderful mother. And a great mom-mom. Even though she’s been gone for over seven years, a day rarely goes by that I don’t think of her and wish she were here. Time has helped to replace some of my grief with many lovely memories, but it hasn’t healed my anger towards the disease that took her from us. Cancer.
I hate cancer, and I hate that my friend didn’t get a chance to be a survivor. Why her? She deserved to be a survivor, she deserved to have more birthdays. She fought this disease with every ounce of strength she had, but in the end cancer took away every ounce of strength she had.
Although I’m angry, I’m also grateful for the time I did have Becky in my life. She was there for me during some very tough times. I know I’m who I am today, partly because of her influence in my life. I only wish I was able to thank her for that.
No matter how much time goes by, I will never forget the angel she was…and still is.
If you’ve posted, let The American Cancer Society know so they can feature it! Just put a link to your post in the comments section here, or email your post to bloggersubmit@officialbirthdayblog.com. You’ll be showing your support for More Birthdays and bring visibility to your blog.
It is Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month. But why do we need to have more awareness of gynecologic cancers? Well, there are many reasons, here are three.
1. We need to be reminded of the early warning signs of these types of cancers. Not just for ourselves, but for all the women in our lives.
You could someday be the one who tells a friend she needs to see a doctor for a particular symptom she is having. You could be the one who contributes to saving her life because she caught her cancer early.
2. We need to understand that even as we go about our days untouched by cancer, there are many other women who are not as fortunate…And we need to have compassion and empathy for those women.
3. Knowledge is power…And we do not have to be powerless in the face of gynecologic cancers.
I hope that this post will address each of these aspects of awareness.
Joint pain in my hands and wrists has been making typing on this laptop (and a lot of other things) somewhat problematic over the last few weeks. Usually when this kind of thing happens to me it only lasts a couple of days, and I generally try to ignore it. I’m not at all excited about the prospect of having any additional medical problems.
Although my doctor believes I may have Rheumatoid Arthritis and would like me to get the blood-work to confirm it…I’m resisting. Instead, I’ve agreed to at least use Tylenol and take other (non-medical) measures to reduce the pain and swelling. Obviously, if things get worse, I will follow my doctors advice and see a Rheumatologist.
One of the best things about being a contributing editor for BlogHer, is being able to showcase other women bloggers. So today, I thought we could take a look at some blogs about nutrition, weight loss, and fitness.
In no particular order, here are eighteen health and fitness blogs that I think you might like. I hope you enjoy checking them out as much as I did.
As a BlogHer contributing editor, part of my job is to link to other women bloggers. So when I decide to write about a particular topic, I spend a great deal of time searching for other women who have also blogged about that topic. And that can be very time consuming.
Since beginning to blog in 2007, I have been told that using RSS feed readers is very helpful. But it mostly seemed overwhelming to me. How could I possibly keep up with all of the posts on the reader? But then a few weeks ago, another contributing editor mentioned that I could use the Google Reader to search topics (making it easier for me to find links for my posts). In other words, if I loaded up my Google Reader with Health & Wellness blogs by women, I could then search those blogs for topics as I need them for my posts.
To be honest…It really seemed too good to be true. But to my surprise and delight it was very true. And I started almost immediately to compile health & wellness blogs from the BlogHer Health & Wellness blogrolls. And so far I have about thirty-five Health & Wellness blogs written by women. And that’s where YOU come in.
Are you a health & wellness blogger? Are you a mommy blogger who also writes about health & wellness issues? Do you write about your personal experiences with chronic health problems? Dieting? Fitness? Nutrition? Women’s Health? Health News?
If so…I want to add YOU to my Google Reader, so I can link to your blog in future posts for BlogHer. Whether you’ve just started writing your blog last month or last year, I want to add you to my reader. Just check the list below, and if your blog isn’t already on that list – leave me your link in comments.
If you’re a mom, you probably have concerns or questions about child safety. And you can find a great resource at the Home Safety Council. It’s a great interactive website with tips, links, resources, videos and more.
The Home Safety Council (HSC) is the only national nonprofit organization solely dedicated to preventing home related injuries that result in nearly 20,000 deaths and 21 million medical visits on average each year. Through national programs, partnerships and the support of volunteers, HSC educates people of all ages to be safer in and around their homes.
It was just announced that BlogHer ‘10 will be in New York City next August. This will be the first time a BlogHer conference is on the east coast. I am SUPER excited!
If you’re interested in finding out more about the BlogHer conference, you can check it out here…
I’m Not A Teenager, So Why Do I Still Have Acne? Can Retin-A Help?
I went to the dermatologist for the first time in my life last week…At the ripe old age of 42, I thought it was about time. I decided it was time to go for several reasons:
Living in Florida and understanding the seriousness of skin cancer, I thought it was important to have a full body check by a qualified dermatologist.
I have a mild case of rosacea, but I’ve been told that the condition often gets worse with age.
I never seemed to outgrow getting acne, and I figured there must be something better than over the counter stuff.
I also have what I thought were sun or age spots, but the dermatologist actually said they were probably related to hormones.
And of course, I was wondering if there was some way to help my skin age more gracefully.
Even though none of my skin problems were very serious, together they were beginning to bother me. Since I had insurance that covered most of the cost of going to a dermatologist, I decided to make the appointment. And I’m really glad I did.
If it’s possible for anything good to come out of the loss of Farrah Fawcett, it would probably be that it is bringing cancer awareness back to the forefront of our minds. She even made a documentary (Farrah’s Story) of her experiences for that very reason.
But, I think there are a few things that need clarification about the type of cancer that Farrah Fawcett was suffering from. You have probably heard that it was anal cancer, but you may not realize that anal cancer is not the same as colon or rectal cancer.
How are you feeling about getting into your bathing suit this summer? Personally, I was hoping to be in a little better shape by now. Even though I’ve been successful at getting closer to my ideal weight, I’ve been playing one step forward and two steps back for the last several weeks.
Since I know I’m not the only mom out there struggling to eat healthy and lose weight, I’m not going to give up. I’m determined to have my Valerie Bertinelli moment, and it would be great if I could get to it sometime this summer. And yes, I do have a plan. It involves a few of the things that have already worked for me, and a couple of new (somewhat unconventional) ideas too.
My name is Catherine Morgan...I'm a writer, nurse, and mother. I'm also a contributing editor for BlogHer Health & Wellness.
Welcome to my blog...I write a little bit of everything with an emphasis on healthy living, inspiration, nutrition, and health news. I hope you'll find topics that interest you here, and I would love to know what you think in comments. Thanks for stopping by.
My kids are big kids now (15 & 18), and I really miss those years when they were younger and I got to be Santa. I loved shopping for toys, the hours wrapping, and especially watching the joy on their faces as they tore through everything in a matter of minutes. Back then, I was blissfully ignorant of all the dangers lurking in those toys. My only concern was getting the best deals I could find and making sure both my kids had an equal amount of gifts to unwrap. But it’s not so easy for moms today.
