[Heaven Sent]

It's the end of the year. What better time to take stock and decide what changes you'd like to make in your life? This step-by-step guide to a healthier, happier you can help you plan your strategy, and make your New Year's resolutions a success!

Get your cholesterol tested if you haven't done so in the past five years. High cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease, the leading cause of death for both men and women.
Power up your diet with produce. A diet containing five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day may decrease your overall cancer risk, according to the National Cancer Institute.
If you smoke, quit. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), smoking is a leading cause of lung, laryngeal, esophageal, oral, pancreatic, bladder and cervical cancers. It also increases your risk of heart disease.

Take aim at breast cancer. Perform a monthly breast self-examination, starting in your 20s. It's the first step toward detecting breast cancer in its early, most curable stages. Also, get a clinical breast exam. The ACS recommends a clinical breast exam yearly for women aged 40 and older and every three years for women aged 20 to 39. If you're under 40 and at increased risk for breast cancer due to, say, your family history (you have a mother, sister or daughter who has had breast cancer), talk to your doctor. They may recommend mammography before age 40.

Go with whole grains. If you're like most Americans, you're whole-grain challenged, consuming only about one serving of whole grains daily. (Think whole-grain cereals like oatmeal, whole-grain bread, soups containing whole grains such as barley or brown rice, and whole-wheat instead of regular white flour.) The United States Department of Agriculture and the American Dietetic Association would like you to eat at least three servings of whole-grain foods daily. Studies show that people who consume more whole grains have a lower risk for heart disease, diabetes, digestive disorders and possibly some forms of cancer.

Seek out soy foods, such as tofu and soy milk. After reviewing 27 studies, the Food and Drug Administration now allows food manufacturers to label products high in soy protein with the label claim, "Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 25 grams of soy protein a day may reduce the risk of heart disease." These studies showed that soy protein can lower total blood cholesterol as well as LDL, "the bad" cholesterol, to reduce your risk of heart disease.

Limit drinking. A review in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that women who consumed two to five drinks a day increased their risk of breast cancer by 41 percent. Excessive alcohol may also increase your risk of colon and rectal cancer - the number three killer of American women - as well as stroke, osteoporosis, liver damage and creeping blood pressure. To play it safe, consume no more than one spirited glass daily.

Talk to your doctor about getting tested for type 2 diabetes. A fasting blood-glucose test, a simple blood test that gauges the amount of glucose in your blood, is available to detect this common chronic killer (normal levels are in the 70 to 120 mg/dl range; levels that are higher should be discussed with your physician).
Boost your brain power. If you work with numbers at your job, spend your spare time doing something completely different, such as reading, writing or painting. According to Elkhonon Goldberg, PhD, clinical professor of neurology at the NYU Medical Center in New York, diverse activities help improve connections between brain nerve cells.

Right-size your portion sizes. To prevent overeating, get out the measuring cups and spoons for a while and brush up on your portion sizes. In a recent study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, those who pre-measured their food for at least a week were the most accurate judges of standard portion sizes, which are listed on food labels.

Take a calcium supplement if you don't get the two to three servings per day of calcium-rich foods (that means it contains 25 percent or more of the RDI) that your body needs. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, most women don't get enough calcium from their diet to protect against bone-weakening osteoporosis.
Keep stress at bay. "Schedule in at least 20 minutes of daily down time," says Gailen Marshall, MD, PhD, director of the division of allergy and immunology at the University of Texas-Houston Medical School. Unmanaged stress - that nagging, frazzled feeling - is associated with a host of conditions, from an increased risk of the common cold to heart disease, says Marshall.

[Stayingstrong]

there is some food for thought, keep them coming...You are doing all my homework for me Tammy

[tryintolose]

Great tips! Thanks, Luna!

[runs with scissors]

Thanks Luna. Good info!

Bethany