Friends, please forgive my recent absence. It’s been a busy month and unfortunately I haven’t had the time to devote to blogging. I did, however, do some experimenting with food. I tried my hand at making tortillas (a winner), ice cream (needs work), and lemon meringue pie (good even when it’s bad). I hope to detail these in future posts.
Lately I’ve been thinking about health. As a former public health professional, I’m well aware of CDC’s healthy living guidelines:
- Maintain a healthy weight (BMI 18.5-29.9)
- Exercise regularly (at least 150 minutes/week moderate or 75 minutes/week vigorous plus weight training 2x/week)
- Eat healthy food and avoid junk food
- Don’t smoke
- Limit alcohol consumption
- Wear a seatbelt every time you ride in a car
- Get plenty of sleep (7-9 hours a night is ideal)
- Stay active socially and intellectually
- Pay attention to your teeth
- Get cancer screening tests as recommended
Thanks to Robyn Cooper, I was given the opportunity to present these guidelines, as well as other information, as part of the Active Mamas Warrior Workshop. I’m pretty good on most of this, but there is one area where I, along with most other Americans, fall short: nutrition.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends that adults consume at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. In 2009, only 23.5% of adults nationwide did so regularly, with only a slightly better percentage in Georgia (24.5%). Women are better than men in this respect, but only a little: 27.7% vs. 19.2% (CDC). Sadly, as much as I pride myself on healthy living, I fall in with the majority of my peers when it comes to my diet.
I don’t dislike produce, and I average about 3 or 4 servings a day, so it wouldn’t take much to get me up to speed. I am, however, a creature of habit, and I use meat as a crutch. How would I do as a vegetarian? Could I try it for one week?
I smell a challenge.
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