We have all had that moment. You know the one, when you realize that your stomach is growling. You know that you fed the kids and packed their lunches, sent in the permission slip for school, repacked the store bought cupcakes to look more "homemade" for the bake sale, made it to the conference call on time and sounded somewhat intelligent, articulate and even a bit brilliant, if you do say so yourself. Oh, yes, the stomach. The growling. Breakfast? Lunch? Wait, when is the last time you had a healthy and well-rounded meal? Then, you realized you only have 10 minutes to your next meeting, run to the vending machine -- sweet, salty, sweet, salty? Why not -- corn chips and some chocolate chip cookies. Done.
We talk about BALANCE, about establishing that fine line between keeping all the balls in the air, AND taking care of yourself. Food is one of the greatest sources of fuel, energy, power and also one of the most implicated etiologies of so many disease processes. In fact, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and heart disease can often be traced back to a diet high in fats, simple sugars, carbohydrates. At present, approximately two-thirds of our population fits into the category of overweight or obese. Clearly, we are doing something wrong, and we are spreading our poor choices to the next generation, our children.
Rewind. You are in the kitchen, making the lunches and rewrapping the cupcakes. Have a bowl of cereal or have a hard boiled egg that is in the refrigerator, which was already prepared the night before. Have two pieces of whole wheat toast, a slice of tomato and low-fat cheese. Look at your watch. That took five minutes. In fact, of those people who are dieting, almost 80 percent who eat breakfast reach their weight loss goals. Read the labels and be aware of how many calories you are eating, how much fat and sugar.
Balancing isn’t easy. It does take effort, but those choices are what make you continue to be able to do it all. You should focus on multigrains, fruits and vegetables, and those foods high in antioxidants, such as green leafy vegetables and berries. Even a glass of wine.
Professional women can make one big improvement starting with one change in their morning. Balance begins the second you open your eyes. Start with the juggling act of breakfast. It really is a small step that begins the day in a healthful way, fueling your body, mind, spirit and, of course, your stomach.
Visit my Web site at: www.forwomenshearts.com.
Suzanne Steinbaum,
is director, Women and Heart Disease, Heart and Vascular Institute, at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. She is often cited in magazines and newspapers and has done network news health segments for ABC, NBC and CBS as a leading consultant in the field of women and heart disease, preventive cardiology and cardiac rehabilitation. She has been featured on the Discovery Health Channel's "Health Cops," a show dedicated to risk factor modification in young people at risk for developing heart disease. Suzanne has been the resident physician on "The Apprentice." She has written on topics of cardiac prevention and nutrition has been quoted in many publications. She is, as of January 2008, the Kellogg’s Healthy Start Program on Heart disease Awareness spokeswoman. For more information see: www.forwomenshearts.com.
