July 2009                                                                                                          Volume 2, Issue 7

July 09 WHOLE Masthead
Greetings!

Our feature article last month, "What's Eating You? A Look At Emotional Eating" really struck a nerve. From the day it was posted, we've been inundated with comments--admissions really--from sistahs acknowledging their challenges with emotional eating. Did you miss it? You'll find it at our Archive.
Women Whispering
One sistah was so moved by the feature that she suggested we start a blog where women could share their experiences and encourage each other on making healthier choices. Thanks, Secret!

We're listening!

Introducing WHOLE Express, our new blog dedicated to quick tips and encouragement on healthier living. It's news you can use! In WHOLE Express we'll examine the obstacles standing in the way of adopting a wellness lifestyle. And we'll help each other uncover ways and resources we have at our disposal to gain control.
WHOLE Express Masthead

The inaugural article "Do You Really See Yourself?" is waiting for you at WHOLE Express. Anxious to see you there soon and often.

Sharing, learning new skills, and investing in our health. This is what it means to be WHOLE.

In This Issue
Protecting Your Most Valuable Asset: Your Skin
WHOLE Self-Care Inspiration: Savor!
Staring Grapefruit and Friends
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WHOLE is produced by WeSpeakLoudly, a women's health education firm dedicated to improving the health of African American women and girls. To learn more, visit our website.

WHOLE is a registered trademark

Copyright 2009 Jacci Thompson-Dodd, MA, MSSS

All rights reserved.


ISSN # 1946-1631

Protecting Your Most Valuable Asset: Your Skin

Summer is here and all the commercials for sunscreens and sun tanning products abound. I must admit, as a Black woman, I usually chuckle about all the trouble white folk go through to get that bronze glow. Hey, the beautiful shades of our skin from fair to dark show our rich melanin endowment; no need to worry about the sun, right? Wrong!

While it's true that the pigment in our skin offers some sun protection, our skin is still vulnerable to the harmful effects of sun exposure. So while the incidence of skin cancer in African Americans is much lower than with whites, when it strikes, it can be more deadly. As with many other cancers, skin cancer among Blacks is usually found at a much later stage, often with dire consequences.

What Can You Do To Protect Your Skin?

You don't have to be lying on the beach under intense tropical sunlight to sustain damage to your Applying sunscreenskin. Your regular activities of daily life can easily be the source of harmful exposure to ultra violet rays (UV). Here are some tips to protect your skin:

Apply moisturizer or sunscreen with sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 each morning. If you will be in direct sunlight, reapply sunscreen as needed.

Summer HatWear a hat, or use an umbrella when outdoors.

Select sunglasses that block 99-100 percent of UV rays.

Check your medications. Many have warning about sun-sensitivity--especially antibiotics--and you'll need to heighten skin protection measures. In addition to sunscreen and a hat, consider wearing loose-fitting, long sleeves, skirts or pants to limit exposure of your skin to direct sunlight.

Protect your little ones, too, with sunscreen specially formulated for children every time they go out. DO NOT USE SUNSCREEN FOR CHILDREN SIX MONTHS OR YOUNGER!

Fun in the sun can be safe, too! Enjoy your summer!

* Sources: The MayoClinic.com and Discovery Health.
WHOLE Self-Care Inspiration: Savor!

Woman by the lakeSummer is a time when the hot, fast beat of daily life often cools off a tad. The chill rhythm of summer is the perfect time for a journey to a place less traveled--a journey to self. How? Savor!

To Savor is to make time stand still, utterly focused on the moment at hand. It is drawing attention to the little things you often overlook, that infuse your life with brightness. It means drawing satisfaction from within.

To Savor is the "pleasure beyond measure"tm--self-love to the max. It is granting yourself space to let go and just be--joyful in who you are, how you are, and where you are.

To Savor is a feast for your senses--just the right sights, smells, sounds, tastes, and feelings at just the right time--right now! It is appreciating self, valuing self, nourishing self, knowing deep down that all is right with your world 'cause you're in it.

Go ahead, my sistahs, SAVOR! Sop-up every delicious drop of peace you find--you deserve it!

Staring Grapefruit and Friends!
Too hot to cook? No Problem! This luscious, refreshing salad can be on the table in minutes!

WHOLE Summer Sunshine Salad

Ingredients:Grapefruit Tomato and Avocado Salad

2 medium ruby grapefruits
2 tbsp fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice (see instructions below)
1 1/2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp fresh mint, julienned
6 green or butter lettuce leaves
2 medium avocadoes, halved, pitted, peeled, and cut into lengthwise strips
2 medium yellow tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges

How to segment grapefruit sections:

1. Slice top and bottom from fruit forming a flat base to stabilize the grapefruit.
2. Cut off remaining grapefruit peeling in vertical slices from top to bottom, being careful to cut away the white skin or "pith," which can be bitter.
3. Working over a large bowl, insert knife along the membrane separating each segment of grapefruit, making a "V" shaped cut to dislodge the fruit segment. Allow segment to drop into the bowl.
4. In a jar with tight-fitting lid, squeeze two tablespoons of juice from the remaining membrane, then discard. (Grapefruit peel and membrane can be run through the garbage disposal to clean and leave a fresh citrus scent.)


New Feature! View the WHOLE Kitchen video on how to segment grapefruit sections..
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Assembling the salad:

1. Place a bed of lettuce leaves on a platter. Gently arrange grapefruit, tomato, and avocado segments on the lettuce, artfully mixing the brightly colored fruits.
2. To prepare the vinaigrette, add the oil, vinegar, and honey to grapefruit juice in the jar, secure the lid, and shake vigorously for dressing to emulsify.
3. Drizzle dressing over salad, sprinkle with mint and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Serves six.

WHOLE is our labor of love. Behind the scenes, we've got a host of photographers whose images tell an important part of the WHOLE story. Many thanks to all of them. Our editor par excellence, Patricia Hill, deserves an extra special shout out--you're a gem!

We all work together for you, sharing the commitment to offer quality information to you and yours. Are we meeting your needs? We'd like to hear your comments and suggestions. Please drop us a line.
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All that we do is about building a healthier community. So please share WHOLE with your family, friends and colleagues. You never know who'll need the information we provide!

Hope to see you regularly at our new blog WHOLE Express!
 
Yours in health,
 
Jacci Thompson-Dodd
WeSpeakLoudly

WHOLE is brought to you in part through the support of Juice Plus+

Photo credits: hartcreations and monkey business images