May 13-19, 2012 is National Women’s Health Week!  This year’s theme is  “It’s Your Time.” What a great theme!  Women tend to take take care of everyone else and take on the responsibility of managing everyone else’s…appointments, meals, pets, schedule, problems, and just well…life.

We do so much for those we care about and sometimes forget to put our own health first. Then, the excuses just start piling up!  Most of us have used at least one of the following excuses as a reason and/or barrier for not practicing a healthy lifestyle:

• There is no time.  Love this one!  It reminds me of the Saved By The Bell episode where Jessie Spano freaks after taking a bunch of caffeine pills.  She said in the episode, ”No time! There’s never any time! I don’t have time to study… I”ll never get into Stanford. I’ll let everyone down!”   I like to think we make time for what we want to make time for and shouldn’t your health be a priority?  In order to take care of others you need to take care of your health first.
• I am too tired.  It really is hard to force yourself to workout when you feel tired and it really is the last thing you want to do.  BUT if you workout more you will have more energy.  So lace up those shoes and get moving!
• It is raining outside (or anything else related to the weather).  This one requires a back-up plan!  If rain, snow, heat, or wind is preventing your from your outside activity go to the gym or just pop in one of your favorite exercise DVDs and get to work.
• My Spouse or significant other is causing me to gain weight.  I hear this one a lot and have even wrote a blog post on this specific topic.  Click here to read more!  At the bare minimum…move beyond couch cuddling to more active quality time.
• I have to watch the kids.  Push them in a stroller.  Take them to a park.  Go on a family bike ride.  Play tag.  (Insert a any idea here).
• There is too much junk food in the house.  Stop buying it.  Give a healthy grocery list to the person in the family that does the shopping if it is not you.

National Women’s Health Week is supposed to empower women to overcome these types of barriers and take the following steps to improve their health by:

1. Visiting a health care provider to get regular check-ups.
2. Exercising.
3. Consuming healthy balanced meals. Check-in with your Registered Dietitian to help you get and stay on track.
4. Paying attention to their mental health, including getting enough sleep and stress management.   
5. Avoiding unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking and not wearing a seat belt or bicycle helmet.

To learn more about National Women’s Health Week.  Click here to check out the National Women’s Health Week website put up by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

I was getting my teeth cleaned at the dentist yesterday and was thinking about a friend of mine that is proactive with his oral health and flosses all the time.  I asked him about this once and he said that not only was it good for his overall health, but he also did it to prevent himself from having BAD BREATHE!  While in the dentist chair, I kept having an image pop into my head of a floss and tooth brush flower that I wanted to make when I got home (pictured above).

It is important to protect our gums and teeth, since they are the gateway to our blood supply and digestive system.  In the position paper Oral Health and Nutrition by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics it states that, “scientific and epidemiological data show a lifelong synergy between nutrition and the intregrity of the oral cavity in health and disease.”  The position paper also mentions that diet (food choices) and nutrition have a direct effect on tooth decay.

Here are a few factors that can reduce a your risk of tooth decay:

1. Try drinking water instead of sugary sweetened beverages (ie pop, sports drinks, or energy drinks) and juice.
2. Avoid foods or snacks with a lot of added sugar.  Check the ingredients for words like but not limited to: agave nectar, raw sugar, corn syrup solids, cane juice, sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, and inverted sugar.
3. Chew gum without sugar.
4. Limit intake of sticky foods (ie toffee), because they are harder to brush off of your teeth.
5. Brush teeth after meals and snacks.

It is also interesting that a few studies have shown a link between body weight and periodontal disease.  Periodontal disease occurs when the tissue supporting the teeth (gums) are destroyed.  In a study conducted by Reeves et al., it was shown that adolescents between the ages of 17-21 had an increased risk of periodontal disease per every one kg increase in body weight.  Another study conducted by Al-Zahrani et al., showed simlilar findings and demonstrated that there was an association between the measures of body fat and periodontal disease among younger adults aged 18-34 years old.

Keeping good oral health is just one more reason to take a bite out of healthier foods!

References:

Al-Zahrani M, Bissada N, and Borawski A. Obesity and Periodontal Disease in Young, Middle-Aged, and Older Adults.  Journal of Periodontology.  83:3, 257-266

Position of the American Dietetic Assocation:  Oral Health and Nutrition.  J Am Diet Assoc. 2007; 107:1418-1428.

Reeves A, Rees J, Schiff M, and Hujoel P.  Total Body weight and Waist circumference assocaited with chronic peridontitis among adolescents in the United States.  Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2006; 160:894-899.

I saw this video a few weeks ago, and it cracked me up.  I also tend to grocery shop at multiple places.  I buy most of my produce and bread at farmers markets and Stanley’s Fruits & Vegetables.  I buy my milk/milk alternative, peanut butter, jam, cereal, etc at a general grocery store like Jewel or Mariano’s Fresh Market.  I buy frozen vegetables and a few selective frozen dinners at Trader Joe’s.   Sometimes, I even pick up soup, salad or shrimp spring rolls at Whole Foods to make me feel like I am eating a nice dinner out.  All of this shopping can be exhausting though, so I try to space it out over the course of a week.

The interesting thing about this concept is that it is now labeled as ”selctive shopping” in the research community.  I had the opportunity to talk to Summer Porter, a PhD candidate at the University of Illinois in Chicago, whom is conducting research on nutrition environments, child feeding practices, and food choices in Dr. Angela Odoms-Young’s lab.  Summer said that selective shopping occurs when one shops at several retailers, which often may be miles apart in an effort to extend the food budget.  In 2010, she performed a qualitative analysis of interviews obtained from low income African American caregivers in Chicago. She looked at the strategies used and the barriers these families face to feed their families, while operating on a tight budget. Summer said she had noticed a trend that many of us shopping on a budget, in an urban environment, can relate to selective shopping instead of one stop shopping. According to Karen Glanz, cost has been reported as the second most important factor in food decisions, behind taste. Summer stated that,

For those of us who use selective shopping, it is not uncommon to travel to four or more stores in order to get the type of food we want for a lesser cost. Compile this time consuming strategy with environmental barriers such as not having access to a car and having to take 2 buses to get quality produce, and one can begin to understand the effort burden of eating healthy on a limited income.In the context of public health initiatives and awareness surrounding the obesity epidemic, the food environment is an essential component of understanding the complexities behind eating behaviors.”

The selective shopping concept is very interesting, because one stop shopping would save time and effort.   You have probably heard of the phrase “time is money” yet we still like traveling to multiple locations to get cheaper specific food items and produce.   It makes sense that the two most important factors in food decisions are taste and cost.  I like traveling to multiple locations not only to save money, but because I feel like I am spending my money wisely on tastier and healthier food choices.

Are you a selective shopper?  How many places do you stop at?

References:

Porter S, Odoms‐Young A , and Zenk S. Budgeting and food insecurity among low‐income African American caregivers: A qualitative analysis. Oral Presentation: APHA 139th annual meeting and exposition. October 2011.

Glanz K, Basil M, Maibach E, et al. Why Americans eat what they do: taste, nutrition, cost, convenience, and weight control as influences on food consumption. J Am Diet Assoc. 1998;98:1118–1126.