Greetings!  

Breast Cancer Prevention Week    

In honor of Breast Cancer Prevention Week, I have another great recipe for your culinary pleasure, a few tips for keeping your breasts healthy, and, of course, some jokes to make you laugh and release those endorphins. Enjoy the newsletter and if you haven't registered for The Ultimate Back Care Telesummit - it's not too late! Register Now! 

Best of Health,

      Kathi     

Tips To Help Boomer Women Prevent Breast Cancer    

1.  There has been much publicity on Vitamin D of late. Something you should know is that recent studies show that the mighty vitamin D can also help protect us against breast cancer. 

I recommend that every one of us check our vitamin D level regularly and keep it in the optimal range. Based upon the outdated requirements for this mighty vitamin, (which have recently been increased) "normal" is not the same as optimal. Many of us have been told by our physician for years that our vitamin D levels are normal. It's time to get them checked against the newer "optimal" standards.

Most docs today recommend supplementing with 2,000-3,000 IUs of vitamin D3 per day as well as getting as much from your diet as you can. I know it's hard to get all you need from food. Fatty fish like salmon, herring, catfish and halibut are a good source, but if you don't like fish it can be difficult to find high levels of this important vitamin in foods.

There is, however, another easy tip for optimizing your vitamin D. Make sure you get regular, safe sun exposure. Believe it or not, the sun is actually the best source of vitamin D. The sun's UVB rays help our bodies manufacture vitamin D in the fat layer under the skin. Our own body can make all the vitamin D we need from regular sun exposure . We should all spend about fifteen minutes showing some skin before we put on our sunscreen or cover up.  

2.  There is now evidence that Vitamin K not only helps activate proteins that are involved in the structuring of bone mass, which is good news for all of us Baby Boomer women, but recent studies show it has an anti-cancer effect and this vitamin has been used in the treatment of several different cancers, including breast. You can get your vitamin K in swiss chard, kale, parsley and spinach, broccoli and cauliflower, brussell sprouts, liver, soybean oil and wheat bran.  Many more food choices here than with vitamin D, however, supplements are also available if you'd prefer.  

3.  Diet and Exercise are hugely important in preventing breast cancer. A study published in the "Journal of Clinical Oncology" reinforces previous findings that women with breast cancer greatly reduce their risk of recurrence by eating a healthy, plant-based diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and exercising regularly. This study, conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Diego, tracked dietary patterns and exercise habits among about 1,500 women who were diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer between 1991 and 2000. It found that the death rate for women who consumed a high-fiber diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and practiced good exercise habits, was 44% lower than the rate for women who exercised little and ate few plant-based foods. 44% is a lot! Let's all pledge to keep our breasts healthy and wipe out breast cancer in this generation!