Other concerns

[Ann]

A healthy weight is one factor in staying healthy but there are many others too. Which ones concern you? What health concerns besides weight seem important to you? What do you do to stay healthy?

This is inspired in part by a West Nile alert in our county and in the same week announcemnents that GA now has 9 SARS cases and banner headlines about Monkey Pox. One consistant factor in all the headlines or rather in the stories that go with them is the people at rsk are the ones with the weaker immune systems. We've been learning some about immune balence and I've been amazed at what all the immune system regulates.

[bigkat]

We've been trying to increase how many fresh vegetables we eat each day. We're also trying to lower our sodium intake. When we get really busy, we've had a tendency to eat a lot of packaged foods or take-out foods. So we've put more of an emphasis on planning our weekly menus. My wife will go shopping at the beginning of each week and get the items for the menu. So now we don't have to rely on premade foods. This has helped us a lot.

[arielgirl]

Well you all will think I'm nuts, but I am concerned about not getting cancer someday. My reason is that most everyone on my mom's side of the family who die, die of cancer. So I try not to eat a lot of junk with the wrong kind of fat (i cant think of the name of it of course because I want to..), and I am really trying to eat more vegetables and fruit.

~Amy

[Azelma]

Well, my weight is ideal, so that's not a problem. I exercise daily (aerobic, stretching, and resistance training), so my heart and lungs are healthy and my muscles are moderately toned, and while I'm not particularly flexible, I'm limber enough.

I've been a healthy vegetarian for nearly a decade, so I get plenty of fruits, veggies, and such. Really, my main concern diet-wise is that I still eat cheese from time to time. I'm working on cutting that out.

Aside from that, the only things I have to worry about are skin cancer (it's pretty likely -- I was sunburned badly and often as a child, though now I don't go outside without sunscreen) and the wacky genetic problems that run through my family. As long as I don't stress my body out, I should be relatively safe from those.

[Multimom]

Anyone read the latest issue of Reader's Digest.

If you are eating Fish, stay away from the big guys more than once a month. High levels of mercury are being found in people who eat alot of large fish like Shark and Hallibut, also Grouper.

Several people were becoming very ill eating alot of large game fish (fresh and salt water) and it was due to the fact that the larger (usually older too) fish have unsafely high amounts of mercury. There was even a caution against canned Tuna.

Let me see if they make it public and I'll post the link here.

It's not online, but the title of the article is "hidden Dangers in Healthy Food"