12 Foods Your (Cat?) Wants You To Eat
Okay, so this is not the actual title of an article I read this morning from Prevention magazine. In reality, '12 Foods Your Vagina Wants You To Eat' (my title above is close enough, right?! LOL) made me curious because this magazine has been bombarding me with weight loss headlines for months so I just assumed this was another article tied to that topic. I wanted to see if all the years of binge eating and bad diet habits I've indulged in could be blamed on, well-HER. No such luck, I'm still responsible for all the bad behavior! And there weren't really 12 individual kinds of food SHE wants you to eat but rather 5 categories of food. In case you missed this, I'll give you the low-down:
Drink Green Tea to prevent UTI's (Urinary Tract Infections) and just 2-3 cups a day should do ya.
Menstrual Cramping-Oh! Sorry! No need to finish reading that list! I'm in menopause mode. Hot flashes aside, menopause is pretty awesome. Less fuss, less embarrassing moments in the check-out line and now-less reading!
For fewer yeast infections-Oh! Never had a single one so I'm not worried about having fewer! Didn't read that either so I'm not even sure what their definition of 'fewer' is, let alone what to eat to achieve that goal. Is there a standard number that women are supposed to have?
To prevent dryness-Okay, I admit-this one I did read, and it included edamame, minimally processed soy and tempeh. No info on how many servings per day/week/whenever. And there are those who are probably thinking 'Hmmm...I think soy is bad for menopausal women because of increased cancer risk...' So here's a bit more info on that subject (taken from http://teamjp.net/health/soy2.shtml):
Is there really a link between soy and cancer? You may have heard that eating soy increases your risk of cancers such as prostate and breast cancer, but the opposite may be more likely. Men who consume soy have actually been found to have a reduced risk of prostate cancer. And then there’s the most frequently misunderstood relationship — soy and boobs. When a woman regularly eats protein-rich and phytoestrogen-rich soy foods, studies show that her breast cancer risk drops. Soy’s potentially protective role may be due to its isoflavones which are phytoestrogens (literally meaning “plant estrogens”) and may block some of estrogen’s activity. It could also be the result of various anti-cancer phytochemicals in soybeans. To get the maximum benefit of soy’s protection, some studies show that healthy soy foods should be part of the diet during puberty and adolescence when breast tissue is forming. But that doesn’t mean that you should go soy-crazy, as quality and quantity matter. For example, the ladies who participated in the original studies connecting Asian women’s lower breast cancer risk to their regular soy consumption were eating small, moderate amounts of whole or minimally processed soy foods (not buckets of soy jerky!). So why are people still concerned about soy when it comes to estrogen-sensitive diseases like breast cancer? We’re still not sure how much soy is safe for individuals such as breast cancer patients and survivors, so doctors often recommend that their patients play it safe by avoiding soy completely. But it’s important to note that soy supplements (not soy foods) are often used in the animal studies that point an accusatory finger at soy and cause alarm. In “Life Over Cancer,” Keith Block, Oncologist MD, states that based on his review of the current research, “both premenopausal and postmenopausal women with ER+ tumors can safely eat soy foods such as tempeh and tofu about two or three times per week.” Interestingly enough, many of the same doctors who tell patients to avoid soy altogether never mention the abundant amounts of estrogen and other growth hormones found in meat and dairy products! So if you’re avoiding soy as a result of a cancer diagnosis, think twice about animal products as well.
And finally, for more fun in bed, eat apples! Who knew! I didn't! And I thought I was pretty up on this subject. And, I've never seen these as an add-on in the adult store when buying toys. We're so not into the holistic approach here in the USA, tsk-tsk! But again, how many to eat and how often is not mentioned. I guess because every woman's body is different, you just have to start munching away until you feel the 'glow'. These little Eden-busters are also supposed to increase blood-flow to vaginal tissue, making it easier to climax. And here I thought it had to do with attraction to your partner, being relaxed or 'in the mood' and just wanting to get jiggy with it...
This article was followed up by one titled 'Five Ways Your Workout Needs To Change After 50'. Coming from the Fierce side of 50, I naturally thought it would hold golden tidbits of sage advice for stepping it up a notch even higher, but alas, no. Instead of paraphrasing the gist of the article and because a picture is worth a thousand words, let this picture sum it up:
Seriously, growing older DOES NOT mean you must start to tone down the intensity of your workouts. Listen to your body and if you have injuries or limitations, then use proper precautions. But-I've said it before and I know I will absolutely keep saying this-if you only have time to do one type of exercise, let it be properly conducted weight training. If you don't know what proper is, ask a high-quality trainer with excellent credentials. I see too many trainers putting clients through the moves without ever asking about their physical limitations (like a torn ACL or hamstring), joint issues, any surgical procedures done within the last 5 years, medications they are taking, sleep and diet habits. Yes, these things have a bearing on your training! Then they tell them what exercise to do while barely paying attention to the client-texting on their phone, surfing the internet or whatever they're doing. I don't see the equipment being set properly for the client which leads me to believe most don't understand axis of rotation and proper ROM, in addition to not coaching correct form. These things can turn off a new inductee to weight training. Also, the most typical faux pas when starting with weights-trying to lift too much, though for women, it's usually the opposite-not lifting heavy enough (see my blog titled 'Don't Fear The Barbell').
The main point of this blog is to think beyond what you read. So much of it is just regurgitated information put out without delving deep into the topic. Most 'reporting' is just this-the surface of a subject which then gets passed on from reader-to-reader, becoming something other than what it even hinted at in the beginning. A good case in point: ever do the Grapevine Experiment? This applies to diet and exercise in a big way! Everybody has an opinion on what is 'correct' and often because they read something by a so-called expert. Don't be afraid to question.
Remember, fitness is a journey-not a destination, not a thing to do for the summer bikini body-it's a lifestyle, a commitment to yourself. You are worth every second of time invested in your fitness endeavors as your life is so wonderfully enriched beyond the confines of the gym walls.
Save
