Page 31 - Florida Sentinel 5-6-16 Online Edition

Women’s Health
Pay Attention, Ladies! 3 Foods To Keep You Focused to relieve stress. Caffeine can ac-
5 Habits To Prevent Heart Disease For Black Women
Okay, this statistic might just shock you: According to expert estimates, up to 90% of women have some form of ADHD, yet the majority of us (75%) are undiag- nosed. Adult ADHD occurs when the brain doesn’t properly pro- duce dopamine, a neurochemical that plays a major role in focus- ing.
According to author John Gray, Ph.D., women who un- knowingly live with ADHD for years do so by adapting and fo- cusing even more on the things that are important them. “They constantly give too much to oth- ers and neglect their own needs. That leaves them overwhelmed, on edge and exhausted – even when they appear to have things under control,” he says.
There are known foods that can naturally boost your dopamine levels, helping to re- store balance in your brain and life.
1. Green Tea - Instead of cof- fee and caffeinated soft drinks to keep you alert, go for a cup of green tea instead. Green tea con- tains high amounts of theanine, a dopamine booster that also helps
tually make ADHD symptoms worse by reducing blood flow to the brain and green tea contains 75% less caffeine than coffee.
2. Foods Rich in Tyrosine - Your body needs tyrosine to make dopamine. Foods like al- monds, bananas, avocados, lima beans and pumpkin seeds can help encourage dopamine pro- duction in your body.
3. Whey Protein - According to Dr. Gray, the brain makes the most dopamine with the first two hours of waking up and eating a breakfast rich in protein will maximize dopamine production. Undenatured whey contains glu- tathione, a compound that helps the brain respond to dopamine. Incorporate more undenatured whey protein into your diet by adding it to a smoothie for break- fast.
Avocado Vanilla Smoothie
1/2 of a large avocado
1-1/2 cups cold milk of choice
1 tsp pure vanilla extract Pinch pure stevia, or 2 tbsp pure maple syrup or sugar 1/8 tsp salt
4 ice cubes, optional
DIRECTIONS: Blend all in- gredients together until smooth. For an added boost, add a scoop of whey protein.
The Centers for Disease Con- trol and Prevention (CDC) report that heart disease is the leading cause of death for African Ameri- can women in the U.S. It is more important now than ever to take a serious look at how we are caring for our hearts. Here are five com- mon habits that may be doing us harm, and tips to help us treat our hearts better.
1. Well, don’t just sit there!!!
One of the most common activ- ities that we engage in may be put- ting our hearts at risk for heart disease and stroke: sitting for pro- longed periods of time in front of the computer or TV screen. Whether for work or play, our in- creasingly digital society has also led to a more sedentary society. So when it comes to what is increas- ingly being referred to as “Sitting Disease,” Dr. Michael Blaha of The Johns Hopkins Hospital, says “if you have a relatively sedentary job, you have to be creative.”
Tips: Work a walking session into your lunch breaks. Skip the coffee house for the courtyard, have meetings while walking around the office or outside. The idea is to keep moving throughout your day.
2. Need to get something off your chest?
Research has shown that har- boring anger may be bad for your heart. A study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public
Health, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and New York- Presbyterian Hospital has shown that “people who have angry out- bursts appear to be at increased risk of heart attack or stroke, es- pecially within the first two hours of an outburst.” While it’s hard to sometimes “let it go” when it comes to stressful relationships or situations, the opportunity for a longer, healthier life may depend in part on a more optimistic out- look and effective stress manage- ment.
Tips: Sing your blues away. Listening to music you enjoy is an easy way to help brighten your mood. Allow yourself a short amount of time, maybe 15 min- utes, to feel upset and then com- mit to changing your focus. Work it off. Exercise has been shown to be an excellent way of putting negative energy to good use.
3. What about your friends?
In the era of social networking websites, in many ways people are more connected now than ever. However, human-to-human in-
teraction in many instances has declined. Research shows that spending meaningful time with family and friends is an important part of a robust and heart-healthy lifestyle!
Tips: Plan a healthy lunch date or fun activity with girl- friends. It will be time well-spent catching up AND getting fit!
4. Crossing your legs?
It may be more comfortable for you, but not for your heart. The National Institutes of Health re- ports that routinely “crossing your legs for long periods of time when sitting,” particularly above the knee, is associated with develop- ing blood clots which are associ- ated with heart attacks.
Tips: If getting out of the crossing habit is a challenge, do it for shorter periods of time. Dr. Stephen T. Sinatra, Cardiologist and author of The Great Choles- terol Myth, suggests crossing no more than “10 to 15 minutes, and to get up and walk around every half hour or so.”
5. Healthy mouth, healthy heart.
While still not completely un- derstood, research shows that a possible link exists between gum disease and heart disease. Studies have found that gum disease is an important risk factor for diseases such as stroke and heart disease.
Tips: To get to those gums, daily flossing is key. Your heart will thank you!
5 Ways To Reduce Cellulite
Cellulite is a skin
condition that many
women dread to see
develop on their
body, but it is a
common condition
that can be improved with a little TLC and focused intention. Poor diet, lack of exercise, hormonal changes and genetic predisposi- tion are all reasons why these fat deposits develop under the skin, but I’m here to give you a few tips on how you can fight the cellulite on your thighs, abdomen and bum!
1. Stimulate and Massage Your Skin. To detoxify the body and reduce the appearance of cel- lulite you can use the method of stimulating and brushing the skin to smoothe out the skin and breaking up those fat cells. Stim- ulating the lymphatic system (the lymph sits just underneath your skin) through dry bristle skin brushing and massage helps tox- ins to be circulated into the elim- ination channels for release. Using a skin brush in small circu- lar movements over your thighs, butt and other areas with cellulite for a few minutes a few times per week will help to break down the fatty deposits that cause the dim- pled appearance. It is best to start with just a minute of skin brush- ing and then work your way up. This will help your skin adjust and prevent sensitivity.
2. Change Your salt. Seri- ously, it can’t get any easier than this: swap your table salt for Celtic sea salt or Himalayan crys- tal salt. Refined salt is extremely acidic and leaches minerals from your body. It is also highly dehy- drating and so refined that your body will need to use its vital life
force to try to assimilate this dead salt. Refined salt only adds to the ac- cumulation of toxicity in your body. Crystal and
sea salt however are alka- line, packed full of beneficial minerals, give to the body rather than take from it and have a fuller flavour...if you can notice the dif- ference at all!
3. Hydrate, hydrate, hy- drate! When eating clean, the body will release toxins from dif- ferent organs as a form of cleans- ing, so it is important for you to remain hydrated to flush those toxins out of the body.
4. Eat a clean, alkaline- based diet. Fat serves the pur- pose of absorbing toxins that come into the body to prevent those nasty chemicals from reaching the vital organs. Eating a clean diet filled with alkaline- based products (fresh fruits and veggies) will help the body to eliminate toxins that get stored in the pockets of fat underneath the skin and reduce the amount of cellulite build up. Flush the body of toxins with good stuff and watch that cellulite go bye bye!
5. Watch Your Creams. If you are currently using any chemicals or pharmaceuticals on your cellulite areas which thin your skin (such as steroids), your cellulite is going to be more obvi- ous. The answer isn’t to just stop using the creams cold turkey– this is something you need to dis- cuss with your doctor. However you may want to look at putting all these other tips in place as they will start to really improve your health overall, and then you may find that you can decrease the usage of these creams.
FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 19-B