Stress and Women’s Lib

I started writing last week, about my stress level in regards to the state of society, the degradation of women and the absence of feminism.  I never completed it.  All week, I stewed over the entry, writing, re-writing, with my anger growing every time I looked at the page, and reflected on the source of it.  I came to the conclusion however, that the bottom line of what I SHOULD be discussing with you is stress in relation to our health, not necessarily my own personal rant on society’s ills. 

My family is probably not unlike others in that, we don’t discuss what is wrong with us, we wait until we explode about something small and trivial, usually completely unrelated.  When I start getting aggravated about something, generally instead of being assertive and saying what’s wrong, I wait.  Then, I wait some more.  Then my jaw starts to hurt, my neck starts to hurt, my back, my muscles, you see where I am going with this.  Our lives are so busy these days and something small can become huge if we don’t address it quickly. 

Stress has been related/linked to:

·  depression

·  diabetes

·  hair loss

·  heart disease

·  hyperthyroidism

·  obesity

·  obsessive-compulsive or anxiety disorder

·  sexual dysfunction

·  tooth and gum disease

·  ulcers

That being said, what are we doing to de-stress and simplify our lives?  I suppose it’s whatever seems to work for you, and if you haven’t found something to ease the stress in your life, keep looking.  There is yoga, meditation, deep breathing, etc.  My solution USED to be eating and smoking, but we all know where that gets us.  I’m now on the hunt for a new form of stress release.  When I find my permanent, or at least somewhat permanent form, I’ll get back to you!

Other than stress, I’m going to bring up, what I’m sure you’ve all heard about by now, that KFC is getting sued.  A watchdog group (The Center for Science in the Public Interest) has filed a suit against Yum Brands Inc saying that they do not properly warn the public about the ‘startling’ high amount of trans fats in their food.  KFC (amongst others) use partially hydrogenated cooking oil to fry in. 

Now, big deal, we all knew KFC was fattening right?  Well, yes, however, the problem is that there is a difference between saturated fat, and trans fat.  TRANS fats are TERRIBLE for you, they raise your “bad” cholesterol, and lower your “good” cholesterol.  Dietary guidelines suggest NO MORE than 2 g of trans fats per day, KFC 3 piece extra crispy meal contains 15g of trans fats, more than you should have in a week!  You can read all about trans fats and hydrogenated oils here on wickipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partially_hydrogenated_vegetable_oils

On a personal note, my doctor’s appt went well!  No chemo or harsh drugs are needed!  Woo hoo!  Thanks to everyone for their emotional support. 

Well, summer is now upon us, be sure to take extra care of yourself in the summer heat!  Wear sunblock, and stay hydrated!

To Good Health!

Miss Oats