The truth is that what you eat and how much you get of certain nutrients can play a huge role in lessening the risks of cancer and other breast problems, says experts.  Dr. Leena Hilakivi-Clarke, professor of oncology at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C.  states that a third of the nearly 20,000 new breast cancer cases every year in the United States could be prevented by dietary changes.

Here are some smart food choices to incorporate into your meals and diet.

Work in Walnuts

14 walnuts a day could significantly reduce your risk for developing breast cancer by slowing tumor growth.  Walnuts contain healthy Omega 3’s, as well as antioxidants and phytosterols.

Drink more tea

Researchers found that women who drank green tea lowered their risk of developing breast cancer by 12%.  The more years and more often these women drank tea, the stronger was their protection from breast cancer.  Tea and Green Tea in general is packed with EGCG and this can deactivate harmful free radicals before they damage DNA and trigger cancerous changes.

Fill up on Fiber

Fiber’s role in breast cancer reduction is attributed to increasing the excretion of estrogens and lowers estrogen levels in the blood.  Women should aim for 28 grams of fiber every day, men 38 grams.  The average American gets just 15 grams.

Replenish your Vitamin D

Vitamin D helps keep cancerous cells from multiplying, tells tumor cells to die, and even helps produce a tumor-suppressing protein that blocks malignant cell growth in breast tumors.  Harvard researchers claim that getting enough Vitamin D can reduce the risk of breast cancer by 30%.  Experts urge all adults to supplement with at least 1,000 IU of Vitamin D per day.

Eat your Soy

Tori Hudson, ND author of Women’s Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine states that a large body of research shows that eating soy from a young age and throughout the life lessens the risks of breast cancer.  One 2009 study found that including soy foods in the diet during the teen years is associated with a 43% drop in premenopausal breast cancer risk and that high intakes of soy in adulthood lowered premenopausal breast cancer risk by 59%.

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We know that young minds can easily be molded.  Children imitate what they see.  We can help our kids by setting the example with these 4 tips.

1.  Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables during meals and snacks. Research shows kids will be less picky and eat more produce if their parents do.

2.  Everyone in the house, including parents, should follow the same rules.  If kids can’t eat in front of the TV, mom and dad shouldn’t either.

3.  Don’t be too negative or controlling when it comes to your child’s eating habits.  Strict limitations can cause kids to sneak food and overeat.

4.  Don’t skip breakfast.  Kids should know when it’s an important meal for the entire family.

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Fall is Flu Season.  The change in weather and shorter days can often lead to not having enough time for ourselves and/ or practicing healthy habits.  Swine Flu has been on everyone’s minds lately and Dr. Martha Howard, a holistic doctor recommends some natural ways to boost our immunity.  Following the three tips below will help you to stay healthy during the fall season and holidays.

The first recommendations are to get a natural hand sanitizer, such as Clean Well.  Clean Well is an herbal based sanitizer with herbal based ingredients like thymol and oregano oil.  There is evidence that those natural defenses are less likely to create resistant bacteria and viruses [than conventional hand sanitizer with chemical agents]. Plant oils and alkaloids are too complicated for oganisms. Plain, alcohol-based sanitizer is fine, too. Put at least a dime size blog on palm and then rub all over hands and fingers, especially the fingertips, until hands are dry. Hand washing is equally good.

Hand washing for your family.  Have your child sing “Happy Birthday to You” for the length of hand-washing. That amount of time is adequate to get rid of organisms.

Secondly, it is recommended to boost your Vitamin C intake.  Adults need between 1.5 and 2.5 grams of vitamin C per day to be healthy. It is reasonable to take 500 mg vitamin C 3-5 times per day. Take it to bowel tolerance; if you get loose stools then back off. For children it would be comparable by weight. Plain ascorbic acid is fine. Allow children to drink 6 to 8 ounces of water with each dose. Vitamin C goes out of body in 3-4 hours, so you can take another dose after that time.

Lastly, If flu becomes widespread in your area, Chinese herbs can be helpful. Several combinations can be effective with flu. The first is Zhong Gan Ling, and the second is Yin Chiao. Both can be taken around three times per day, following directions on the product. It would be important to get some of both of those formulas to have on hand in case of swine flu outbreak. If it looks like flu is going around, start taking them and then take them for a week to 10 days. In the face of those herbs, the virus can’t multiply or grow. You can also try the homeopathic remedy Oscillococcinum.

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Emotional eating can often be the culprit for maintaining healthy lifestyle change. Many people will stick with their plan for days, weeks or even months until things become stressful and then they give in to their emotions by turning to cake or some other tempting food. America loves to highlight the new diet, but is there a cure for emotional eating?

One study published in the journal American Psychologist reviewed all previous research that tracked dieters for two to five years and found that at least one- to two-thirds of dieters gained all the weight they lost (plus some) within five years. Other studies show that strict dieting triggers people to eat more than those who aren’t on a diet at all, creating a vicious cycle of undereating and overindulging. In other words, if you skip cereal in the morning, come noon you may inhale a cupcake or two without thinking twice.

However, in my experience losing weight isn’t just about physical activity or counting calories.  It’s a combination of being mindful of making time for exercise, planning and preparation around food, but more importantly it is being mindful of how you feel when you are and are not eating.  In fact, there’s been a surge of programs that promise weight-loss success based on a mindful approach to eating. These programs encourage people to weigh their hunger levels against emotions, such as anxiety, loneliness or anger, to make sure they are eating for the right reasons. So rather than chomping on chips to tame tension or reduce stress, you can learn to calm your body and mind with meditation and deep breathing.  Mindfulness gives people a better sense of control over food and makes eating a more comfortable experience.

Yoga or meditation practice can be a wonderful start to becoming more present in your day and more present in your body.  The same techniques you use to stay focused and breathe through a challenging pose during yoga class can come in handy when you’re in the kitchen or a restaurant. Since yoga practitioners feel more in tune with their bodies, they are responsive to their body’s sensations – including hunger and satiety. When you’re more aware of why you’re eating or not eating, you could lose weight almost by accident.

I work with many clients on the topic of emotional eating and one practice I recommend is to do a mini-meditation before meals and even throughout the day to get in touch with how you are feeling.  This tool is effective because  the next time you are having a craving, you can sit with what is really there.  I suggested this exercise to a client and the time she had a craving, she drove into a restaurant’s parking lot and sat in her car for 40 minutes. She realized that she had never given her unhappiness a name. That day she realized she was lonely and that a large order of fries wouldn’t make that feeling go away.”

For help in starting this practice, please check out this free download on my website at….http://www.intuitivelywell.com/podcasts.html- scroll down to 5 minute meditation.

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Ten benefits of meditation
1.  Encourages you to be more calm, relaxed, and less stressed out.
2.  Develops your concentration and sharpness of mind.
3.  Gives you insight into your body and mind.
4.  Helps you to understand truths about the world.
5.  Teaches you how to better handle difficulties in your life.
6.  Gives you an inner refuge, intuition, and guidance for making choices in your life.
7. Increases your ability to be present, alive, and to have equanimity in this changing world.
8. Develops wisdom, kindness, and compassion
9. Increases your sense of humor
10. Helps you to wake up

The Basics for Starting a Practice
Location
Choose a place in your house where you won’t be disturbed.
Equipment
Meditation is pretty low-maintenance. All one needs to be comfortable is a soft meditation cushion (called a zafu), but it is not necessary.  Your bed or couch pillow work fine too.
Time
Frequently, people meditate in the morning after they wake up or in the evening when they come home, or before they go to sleep.  Choose the time of day when you are most likely to be alert and not too busy or distracted.  Starting off you might want to see if you can’t sit for 10 minutes and then eventually see if you can’t sustain 30 minutes.
Posture
If you are sitting cross legged on a cushion, for stability you want your hips to be higher than your knees.  You want to feel stable at three spots: your two knees and butt.  If your knees don’t reach the floor, try sitting higher, or put other cushions under your knees.

Feeling the breath
This is a simple concentration and awareness practice that is the foundation of meditation.

Close your eyes and take a few minutes to simply notice what is happening in your body.  What are the first few things you are aware of?  How does your body feel?  Is it heavy, light, uncomfortable, relaxed?  Notice that you are breathing.  Bring your awareness to the place in the body where you notice breathing.
As you become more aware of the breath, you can take your awareness away from the breath and begin to notice sound, and then bodily sensations.  When the mind wanders as it likes to do, just bring it back to the breath.

Meditation is just like practicing anything, the more you practice the better you will get.

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