SavvyHealthGirl's Blog

Happy Sunday all! Well I am sitting in the airport on my way to Omaha, NE for a work trip and my flight is delayed. So what better time than now to update my blog and crank out a new post. As I sit here, I started thinking how I have been sick with a not-so-nice summer cold and congestion for the last week and how the re-processed air on the plane is not going to help. Which is why I took “Airborne” about 30 minutes ago. You all know I am a tad bit of a germ-a-phobe and last thing I want is to get sick AGAIN from someone’s nasty germs floating around on the plane.

Oh I digress. I really started thinking about my immune system and what I have not been doing over the last month to keep it strong. I got food poisoning one week, then the next week I got the cold. What luck, right? I didn’t understand it because I eat healthy, drink 10-12 glasses of water a day and I work out 6 days a week. I thought I was doing everything to keep myself healthy. Then I realized, I haven’t taken a multivitamin since April. Not good. Especially not good since I have cut out a lot of carbs over the last 4 months, including some whole grains which provide us with iron and magnesium. I didn’t think about it until it was too late and I found myself standing in the middle of my kitchen popping Golden Seal Echinacea two at a time, Vitamin E, C AND my multivitamin. A sad attempt to give my immune system a majorly overdue boost!

Here is a major tip: when you are making some heavy changes in your diet, even if it is for the good, supplement your eating habits with a multivitamin as well. So often we may be eating extremely healthy and still don’t get all of the necessary nutrients needed on a daily basis. For example, when you remove carbohydrates from your diet, this often means wheat bread, brown rice, pita bread, crackers and other grains which are critical to the adult diet. Sure we want to be cautious about overindulging in these foods, but we have to remember that they provide us with iron, magnesium, and folate. For women, each of these is extremely important to our diet. Folate (folic acid) prevents neural tube defects in the fetus during pregnancy and iron is used to carry oxygen in the blood (many women in their childbearing years have iron-deficiency anemia). That is why at the very least taking a multivitamin, which has folic acid, B vitamins and many others vitamins, will supplement those foods we may have decided to give up and the nutrients we may not be getting enough of. 

You may be asking yourself, how do I know which multivitamin is right for me? As you search for the multivitamin that works for your body, find one that is:

A great place to start is GNC, they have a new multi-pack for various types of women — menopausal women, active women, etc. . . Good luck in your search!

Summertime is almost here!! I LOVE going to Whole Foods especially during the Summer just so I can see the perfectly lined produce bursting with gorgeous colors. Watermelons, pomegranates, grapes, cantaloupes, honeydew melons, yellow squash, plums, peaches, avocados, corn and oh the list goes on. I can truly live off of fruit all summer. It’s good for me, it’s low in carbs, low in fat and I am sure I meet my daily intake as stated in the Food Pyramid Guide. If you have been struggling with knowing if you are getting enough fruit and vegetables, the summer is a great time to start practicing some new healthy eating habits. It’s also a great time to try a new fruit or vegetable.

According to the dietary guidelines, adults 18 and over are required, on average, to consume 6-10 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. I know that sounds like a lot but you would be surprised how easy it is to incorporate them into your daily meals. An apple here, some lettuce on your sandwich, and a banana for a snack. You are already halfway there. However, you should know that the amount of servings you have of fruit or vegetables on a daily basis, depends on your weight, age and gender. Visit MyPyramid.gov to see exactly what you should be eating and how much. This is actually a great site and information can be tailored just for you.

So what’s so great about summer fruit and vegetables? Well, there are enormous amounts of antioxidants and nutrients in these foods. Also, a few of them give you good energy. Not to mention that they are delicious! Here are a few helpful and interesting things to know about your summer produce:

Red and Deep Pink fruit and vegetables are rich in Vitamin C, anthocyanins, and lycopens. Egs. include: apples, blood oranges, cranberries, strawberries, pomegranates, red peppers, tomatoes, and red cabbage.

Green fruit and vegetables are rich in Carotenoids including lutein and zexanthin. Egs. include: avocados, green apples, green grapes, asparagus, mustard greens, and broccoli.

Yellow and orange fruit and vegetables are rich in beta-carotene, which the body converts to Vitamin A. Egs. include: apricots, cantaloupes, mangoes, butternut squash, carrots, and summer squash.

Strawberries are excellent sources of fiber, more vitamin than an orange, and can maintain normal blood sugar levels by just eating one cup. Strawberries also can clean out harmful toxin in the blood, and remove tartar from teeth, plus strengthen the gum. Eat as many as you desire. Try dipping them in melted dark chocolate (also high in antioxidants).

Avocados supply lots of cancer fighting antioxidants. Yes, they are loaded with fat but its good fat – monounsaturated fat. So enjoy your guacamole, but ease up on the margaritas and chips that usually go with it.

Kiwi can help reduce blood clotting which can contribute to heart attacks. Two or three kiwi a day equal a daily dose of an aspirin. Best of all, kiwi is all natural, and gives no side-effect. Kiwi is also high in fiber which helps protect from heart disease, diabetes, and colon cancer.

Watermelon contains a good source of potassium, vitamins A and C. Just two cups of watermelon provides 18 milligrams of cancer-fighting antioxidant lycopene, more than in a medium tomato.

Whether you are enjoying a wonderful slice of juicy watermelon or nibbling on pieces of summer squash, increase your intake of fruits and vegetables this season and keep up the good work of eating healthier. Remember it’s up to you to take charge of your health, so make good choices!

Annually the Tom Joyner Morning Show stresses the importance and urges the Black community to go and obtain necessary screenings for chronic disease such as diabetes and high blood pressure, as well as screenings for prostate cancer and others. This campaign is called Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day and it’s today. So much fear lies within the community about what the screenings will reveal or what the doctor will say, that individuals would rather just not know. As a result, they allow a lot of unnecesary illnesses or health issues languish or evolve. When in fact, the health issue could have resolved by the screening/test or caught early on to prevent further health complications. This of course, is one reason why the Black community has some of the highest rates in obesity, heart diease, cancer, diabetes, and hypertension than any other ethnic group. So often, these health issues go unseen and unknown, when many of them can be prevented.

I urge and encourage you to not only overcome your own fear, if it exists, but help someone you know overcome their fear by going together to get screened. For me the fear is NOT knowing what I can do to prevent an illness or problem, or how I can improve it. I would rather know what I can do now so I can lead a healthier life in the future. Remember, your body is on loan, it is your temple and it must be taken care of better than you would your house, car or business. Without your health, what do you have?

Take a loved one to the doctor today and experience what an impact you can have on someone else’s life and yours.

Hi Everyone! Sorry I have been MIA for a couple of weeks, but work has been busy and I have been traveling. 

Okay so I have been on this mission to look better, lose weight and tone up my body. My girlfriend is getting married in Jamaica in May and I have to look good! So I decided for the first time in my life that I would actually diet. I can’t even believe I said that out loud. I have always thought dieting was crazy. So yes let’s change that, I decided I would really change my eating habits in a way that I haven’t done before. I thought it would be a very good idea to cut out carbs, fruit juice, granola bars, and my favorite cheese and crackers. For those of you who have tried this, well, it’s not that hard but it’s not that easy either. Thus, I began researching the South Beach Diet and how I could apply it to my life.  Uhm Phase I is like food boot camp. You can’t eat anything except vegetables, meat and poultry, reduced fat cheese, a handful of nuts, eggs and water. Oh and fat free plain yogurt, fat free jello and sugar free pudding pops (The Original Fudgsicles are the best).  

So why do I say my version? I just finished my first two weeks (Phase I) and I didn’t do the strict diet. But I can totally tell the difference in my clothes and the scale said I lost 5 pounds. Yeah!! I kept in bananas but did cut my intake significantly, and only ate half of it at a time. I ate air popped popcorn as a snack in the evening with little salt. I also ate old fashioned oatmeal maybe twice. Now these items are not allowed in Phase I or II, but for someone who runs and does high-impact cardio, I need a banana in my protein shake to get me through my workouts at the very least. Also, there isn’t really a high protein snack outside of turkey wrapped in lettuce and that will not get me through a 45-minute workout.  Especially since protein bars are a no-no due to the carbs and sugar. Maybe it’s not the way it’s supposed to be done, but my version is still healthy and producing results. The one thing I will say about this change of eating, is the challenge you will have when traveling. Yikes! I will keep you posted. 3 Weeks til Jamaica!

Okay I have some good news about coffee and caffeine as a follow up to my post from last week. You know me, always trying to give you all the most current and accurate research that is out there. Just know there is always going to be research to top the other research and update the past science to provide the current science. So keep that in mind and stay informed to be savvy about your health. In the March issue of “O Magazine” Dr. David Katz answered a question from a reader about caffeine and the absorption of vitamins and minerals. Here is what he had to say:

• Caffeine can interfere with the absorption of certain minerals including calcium, magnesium and iron, but the loss is minimal.
• Some studies, as I pointed out in the other post, drinking coffee can thin bones but it can be offset by adding milk. He suggests nonfat powdered milk — yuck, but less calories.
• The latest research shows coffee actually contributes nutrients to our daily intake. It’s the leading source of antioxidants in the American diet and primarily because we drink so much of it. (Who knew?)
• Research also suggests drinking up to three cups a day can actually have beneficial effects on health.  Mineral loss can be offset by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, as well as taking a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement.

Okay so maybe we don’t have to give up our coffee entirely, but I still think too much caffeine is just not good for you. Everything in moderation. Seriously, if it was okay, would there really be a strong recommendation for pregnant women not to drink it? I also think there is still truth to losing weight by not drinking coffee. Think about it. When you tend to drink coffee, isn’t there generally a muffin, donut, bagel, or scone next to your cup? Just a thought that we probably don’t eat as healthy as we could when we drink coffee. So I am still going to give it up. I survived week one and I am sure I will survive the next 5 weeks. I will keep you all posted.

One of my forever challenges in working out and breaking a sweat is how my hair will look afterwards. My hair, my  hair, my hair!!! I sometimes loathe working out because I know that as soon as I step on the treadmill or even begin Tae Bo, I am going to break into an immediate sweat. Then there goes my hair! For those of us with ethnic, curly, thick, or frizzy hair . . . this is such a huge concern.   

I really hate having to choose between having great hair or a toned body. So I have given up on stopping every 2 minutes to wipe the sweat from my hairline to prevent my hair from getting soaked. It breaks my concentration and I don’t enjoy my workout.  I have embraced the fact that I will have to do a complete hair makeover after EVERY time I work out. Which is about 4-5 times a week.  Even though I have short hair, it’s naturally curly and can still be time consuming.  But hey, what a small price to pay for a nice body, right? Hmm, not sure I am convinced just yet.

Those of you who keep up with my blog, know that I will go and do some research about what is being said about an issue. So here’s what I found out about exercising and caring for your hair:

• Don’t wear a baseball cap (which I always do when I run outside!). It can block your sweat glands and your glands need to breathe while exercising.
• Make sure you pull your hair back, off of your forehead and out of your eyes. You can pull it back with a scarf or cotton headband.  
• Whatever type of hair you have, you have to rinse the salt from the sweat out of your hair. The salt can really damage your hair.  But I say, even if you can’t rinse or wash or your hair every time, at least do it every other day and condition it well. In between you should use a conditioning hair product and make sure you blow dry that sweat out of your hair very well. 
• If you like the saunas after a good workout, then cover your hair with a towel. The heat can dry out and damage your hair. Otherwise, put some leave-in conditioner or light jojoba oil in your hair while you are in there.  

So whatever type of your hair you have ethnic, kinky, straight, curly or frizzy; you MUST take care of your hair when you are exercising. Our hair should not prevent us from working out and working out shouldn’t prevent us from still having cute hair. There is a happy medium. If you have any other tips, please share them because you never know what may help someone else.

Ahhh . . . there is nothing like a hot, aromatic and smooth cup of coffee first thing on a Sunday morning. Oh and a Monday morning to get you going! I love to mix my grinds with a few dashes of cinnamon. It gives it a nice tasty kick to your cup of java. But now, my mother has ruined it for me. She told me today that she read a study, article, something, that stated if we just stopped drinking coffee daily, we could lose 10 pounds! Is that decaf or caffeinated? Because I only drink decaf. Maybe that doesn’t count.  I don’t know, let me weigh this . . . being able to actually hold a conversation with my colleagues on a Monday morning by 10 a.m. or fitting into a pair of size 10 jeans. Such a tough decision!  I think I may go for the jeans! I may be a little less sociable in the morning, but I’ll look good as I walk by grouchy!!   

So I am not sure how much truth there is to this, but it’s worth a try. Let’s face it, we all know that once you add the flavored cream and/or sugar to the coffee, the calories have gone up. And if you are a latte or mocha kind of girl, then you are already looking at 300-450 calories and 20-30 grams of sugar. Let us not forget the whipped cream.   

Many of us already know that caffeine really isn’t good for us. It’s been linked to several women’s health issues such as infertility, osteoporosis, and low birth weight babies. So for those of you who drink caffeinated coffee regularly, the news may not be so great. You too, may want to go for the  jeans. In the bit of research I did, I found that caffeine can increase hunger and therefore making it more difficult to lose weight. No wonder every coffee shop has delectable pastries just begging for you to buy them. I have also heard that coffee can increase the level of toxins in your body, again making it harder to lose weight as your body is attempting to push the toxins out to decrease fat. Definitely some food for thought.

As you sip on that morning java while reading this, you may want to think how your body responds to caffeine.  Is it the best thing for you and your health? Try replacing it with something like a skim, hot chocolate or green tea. They are definitely less addictive choices. I will let you know in 6 weeks if giving up coffee really helps you lose 10 pounds.  I can feel the withdrawal already, wish me luck!

“Who if not us, will be responsible for our children?”

I am sure many of you heard on the news Monday night or read the paper yesterday morning about the results of the first national study looking at the four common STDs among girls and young women. To say the least, the results were startling. Especially for young African American adolescents and young women. Just in case you need a recap of the results or didn’t hear about it yet here is some information.

• The study found that 1 in 4 girls/young women are infected with at least one of the diseases — HPV (human papillomarvirus), chlamydia, genital herpes and trichomoniasis, a common parasite.
• Nearly half (48%) of the African American girls, ages 14-19 that particpiated in the study, were infected with at least one of the diseases.  This figure is compared with 20% of white adolescents. 
• The two most common STDs were HPV (18%) and chylamyida (4%). 
• Among the infected women, 15 percent had more than one of the diseases.

I actually called CDC yesterday to get some clarificaiton of the numbers and statements released by the NY times, because I felt some of the data revealed was unclear and could be confusing to those outside of the public health world. Like this statement for example  – “Nearly half of the young African-American women (48 percent) were infected with an STD, compared to 20 percent of young white women.” – This is a direct quote from CDC’s press release and the NY times. It just didn’t sit well with me so I dug deeper. CDC was gracious enough to provide me with the presentation slides of the individual who led the study (it’s now accessible to the public). Did it provide clarity? Yes! Are the results still startling for young, black girls? Unfortunately, yes. 

Out of 587 girls, aged 14-19, who were found to have a STI;  221 (47.7%) of them were Black, non-Hispanic. Although the data from this study was taken from 2003-2004, there is still reason to be concerned TODAY about ALL of our young girls. From my experience, I don’t think the numbers would change much it were 2007 data. So I ask you again, “who if not us, will be responsible for our childlren?”  We have to ask ourselves are we making our girls a priority? Some of us may say yes and some of us may not know. But what we should all know is that an epidemic is upon our young girls and many of them will die of cervical cancer or HIV/AIDS before they are 40, if we don’t address it now! That possibility, truly breaks my heart.

The reality is so much of it is preventable. It truly starts with teaching our young girls and women about self respect, self worth and self love.  As we teach them these things, the health information should be folded in, so they are not ignorant on what is going on in their worlds. The world of today’s youth is so different than our world at their age. Accessibility is beyond what we could have ever imagined and it starts earlier! I urge you to seize a teachable moment whenever you are around a young girl or woman that you know. For those who work with young people, everyday is a teachable moment. For those who work on behalf of young people, continue providing quality programs and resources. For Moms, Dads, grandmothers, guardians and so on… don’t be afraid to have a discussion about these issues with your teen. Someone lied when they said “Ignorance is bliss.” The more you let them talk to you, the more you will know and the better guidance you can provide.

Let’s make our girls a priority in 2008 and beyond.

That’s right ladies (and a few gents who skim my blog) WE are at the halfway mark til Summer! It’s March and that means we have three months until June — the start of hot weather, shorts, and cute summer dresses. So I am sure you have all been sticking to your workout regimen since the beginning of the year, right? I hear some mumbling and a few excuses. Okay I have to admit, I too slacked off, but only a little. We are all entitled to a tiny bit of slacking, but never lose sight of your goal. Keep your mind focused on being healthy, eating healthy and thinking in healthy ways. Remember, envision the body you want and the way you want to feel; and you are halfway there.  

So, for the last 10 days I ate hotel and conference food, ugh! Which by the way, can be very heavy and rich. I am not used to eating such hearty food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I usually eat about 5-6 meals a day with lunch and dinner being moderately heavier than my snacks. I can’t eat a heavy lunch because I WILL fall asleep at my desk. I also travel a lot, so I have to be cautious about what I am eating at all of these different conferences and meetings. So let me just give a couple of tips for those who are traveling for work or attending a lot of Spring conferences:

• Apt for the lighter meals. If you have to eat in the hotel restaurant go for the Chicken Cobb Salad (every hotel has one) with the salad dressing on the side, grilled salmon or another high protein and veggie dish.
• Skip the dessert, bread and starch during the luncheons and dinners. Every conference has at least one of these special meal sessions. It is always either chicken or salmon with a creamy sauce and probably risotto, pasta or rice. I say eat only the meat, fish or poultry and the vegetables.  You will not feel as stuffed.
• Say no-way to continental breakfast! Yes I know the budget is tight and it’s better to just eat the complimentary breakfast. But you are doing your body a disservice by consuming the high in sugar yogurts and pastries. Get up a little earlier, go for a walk or ride on the stationary bike in the hotel fitness center, and then hit the breakfast buffet for some protein and fiber. You will feel more energized and less hungry throughout the day.
• Bring your own snacks for those in-between meal times and session breaks. Kashi bars, yogurt covered raisins and trail mix are much better than the hotel gift shop selection of candy bars and chips.

Yes, that’s right here I go again with another post on germs! Hey, I can’t help it! People send me emails about this stuff and I feel it is my duty to inform you all about anything that can jeopardize your health. So here is the latest . . . lemon slices in water from restaurants. Now you know how you will ask for water with lemon? To give your H20 a little zest? Okay, after watching this YouTube video, tell me if you will EVER do that again. Who needs lemon in their water anyway?!? I am sure I don’t have to remind you of the effects that “staph” and bacteria can have on women’s health. If you need a refresher, go to my post on “Germs, Germs, Germs.” from www.brightcove.tv posted with vodpod