Take Charge of your Health
By Carolyn Leighton, Chairwoman/Founder WITI
I was fortunate to grow up in a health conscious home. My mom and dad were way ahead of their time when it came to awareness of healthy choices and I have definitely benefited from their wisdom.
Those of you who know me know how much I cherish my independence, and that I will do just about anything to avoid going to a doctor. I clearly understand that if I don't keep my commitment to healthy choices, I am guaranteed time spent in doctors' offices - ugh!
What does this topic have to do with women and technology? In just the last 6 months 2 of my closest WITI friends have been diagnosed with cancer. My sister-in-law died of cancer last year, and my niece was just diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in her eye. I have no doubt there is not one person within WITI who does not know someone personally who has cancer. We are now told that one of every two men and one out of every 3 women will get cancer.
An important part of our commitment to WITI members is providing useful information about you - encouraging you to stay committed to healthy choices, since it seems absurd to discuss "success" without addressing our physical, mental and spiritual health. Think about the powerful influence our decision to make healthy choices will have on those who see us as role models! It is alarming how many young girls are more focused on plastic surgery than all of the important things they can do to build healthy bodies - let's be role models for these young women!
So, here is my personal attempt to encourage each of you to be proactive about your health, and provide you with information I have been researching to help my niece, Kathi, decrease the probability of cancer spreading to other parts of her body:
- Get rid of all your non-stick pans - I personally called the EPA and was told that they all can emit carcinogenic chemicals.
- Don't buy any foods with nitrates - nitrates are preservatives in deli foods, hot dogs, etc. that we now know cause cancer.
- No smoking policy - at home - at work - in your community. Just think of the lives you could save if you created no smoking policies in your home, your company and your community - we owe it to our families and our colleagues to keep our environments as healthy as possible.
- Consult a nutritionist - a nutritionist (make sure they have the right credentials) can help you shape a food plan that includes foods that keep your immune system high and foods known to reduce the probability of cancer. Additionally, check out: http://www.drweil.com where you can find a list of recipes and foods and "healthy kitchen".
- Visualization, yoga, meditation, exercise - All of these are invaluable tools to help you stay healthy.
- Vegetables like fresh broccoli, kale, collard greens - dark leafy vegetables are supposed to be especially healthy for fighting cancer cells.
- BUY ORGANIC! Money is to be used to keep yourself healthy - don't worry about paying more - the difference is a tiny percentage compared to what your cost if you continue to consume the unhealthy pesticides.
- NO TRANS FATS - there are so many foods that contain them - we know they make us sick; there are tons of foods that do NOT contain trans fats. For example, I use Earth Balance from Trader Joe's - a delicious butter spread that has no trans fats.
- SATURATED FATS - that are contained in beef, butter, etc. - keep these to an absolute minimum.
- Trader Joe's: Trader Joe's Dairy products state "made from cows not treated with BST" and Trader Joe's private label are sourced from non-genetically modified ingredients - that guarantee is generally not true of commercial brands found in our supermarkets.
- HORMONES & ANTIBIOTICS - start reading the labels - lots of food you are buying contain these and make you sick - buy eggs that state no antibiotics or hormones. Start READING THE LABELS.
- SUGAR - Not only makes us fat, but too much sugar can make us sick.
- GOOD QUALITY OLIVE OIL, canola oil, grapeseed oil, safflower oil - are good choices - olive oil and grapeseed oil are especially good choices.
- Mayonnaise alternative - I love Veganaise made with Grapeseed oil (found in the refrigerated section of health food stores) - it not only tastes better than ANY mayo I have had, but commercial mayo contains all kinds of chemicals.
- Pasta, Rice, Bread - the white flours, white bread, etc, turns to sugar in our bodies - the wheat alternatives are healthier, more satisfying, keep us feeling full longer and taste great!
- To quote the American Cancer Society "What you eat and drink, how you live, where you work... all these factors can affect your risk for cancer. Find out more about these risks and what you can do to minimize them." For more info visit: http://www.cancer.org/
- Marinating meat: I have no idea why, but according to a recent health magazine, the American Cancer claims that if we marinate meat before cooking it, it reduces the probability of carcinogens by 94 to 99%.
- Cooking at lower temperatures. This same article also states that the American Cancer Society tells us that cooking all meat at lower temperatures also reduces carcinogens in our meat.
- Influence our politicians. It is a major mystery to me that the foods we now know are causing cancer are even available to us. How sad that the poor, uneducated consumers are often the greatest victims of commercially available food that is literally making us sick. We have to influence policy and legislative changes so this stops.
- Company Cafeterias and Vending Machines. Why would your company offer anything but the healthiest of choices, when the impact of their employees getting ill go directly to their bottom line - influence change at every level. That is a gift to every one in your company.
I want you to be healthy and with us for a very long time - but only you can take charge of your health and you MUST take it seriously!
Please send me your suggestions for staying healthy so we can share them with other WITI members: Carolyn@corp.witi.com
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