FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE

So yesterday I came home from a very short day at work. When I get home I see the October issue of Essence in my mailbox with a very pretty and purple Mary J. Blidge on the cover.



After I do all of my little household ish, I sift through the pages. Besides reading about all of the 16 black women working for the Obama adminstration (so happy...tears of joy and pride streaming from my face), the healthy living section, "Fighting Breast Cancer" catches my eye.

When I skimmed through the article I was alarmed at the statistics . Black women are less likely to get breast cancer but more likely to die from it! WTF!!!! Basically what it boils down to is your diet and getting mamograms. But let's focus on the first part.

Sistas and all women for that matter, our biggest line of defense against this monster is to eat smart and exercise. Big suprise huh??? According to Otis W. Barley eating too much and moving too little are the top two changeable risk factors for breast cancer. Obesity "fuels breast, uterine and other cancers driven by hormones". One study found that breast cancers risk rises 40 percent in adult women who gain 21 to 30 pounds after age 30. So we need to use that gym membership ASAP!!!

The good thing about this news is that we can control it. I know how it is to carry around more that a few pounds. When I was heavy I always felt tired. Not for nothing I really blame it on the tasty but otherwise shitty food I stuffed in my mouth every 5 seconds. What we put into our bodies nowadays is unreal and our system is not equipped to handle these science projects we scarf down our throats.

What the article suggests (and I cosign with) is to develop an action plan to whittle your weight down. It's the usual: incorporate a little more vigourous exercise into your schedule and eat more meals that are healthy and correctly portioned. You know the drill eat more: fruits, green veggies, lean protein, yada yada yada.

I also recommend eating more whole natural foods and staying away from refined foods (ie. high fructose corn syrup, white carbs,etc).

I know all the popeyes, pizzerias, spanish spots, and chinese food restaurants smell good and taste delightful but it can also bring you to an untimely end.

Eat right folks!!!!