Posted in Britain, Celebrities, Fifty-Something Women, Helen Mirren, The Queen
In today’s youth culture, how many 80-year olds would be voted as their country’s greatest living person? Not many, I suspect.
Not so in the UK, however. The British public has selected the Queen as “the Greatest Living Briton 2007″. The ITV show was broadcast live and viewers asked to vote for their choice. The awards ceremony was to celebrate British achievement.
The Queen finished top of a list of other famous — but perhaps less worthy — Britons, including Paul McCartney, Julie Andrews, Margaret Thatcher and pop singer Robbie Williams.
Elizabeth II wasn’t present to receive her accolade. Her son Prince Edward paid tribute via a video transmission.
Coincidentally, Helen Mirren, 50-ish, who claimed an Oscar earlier this year for her portrayal of the Queen in the film of the same name, took the top prize for The Greatest Briton in Film.
A clean sweep for the Monarch who has been on the Throne for 55 years. And a very good result for 50-something women too.
Posted in Cell phones, Fifty-Something Women, Isa Bodywear, Radiation, Underwear
Looking for a gift for the man who has everything but is concerned about the dangers of losing it to cell phone radiation? How about underwear that repels the radiation from cell phones with silver threads that keep the wearer’s secrets safe from technological harm?
In the area of women’s undergarments, there have been some simply awful and some equally brilliant ideas. The whalebone corset, a torture device if ever I saw one, is an example of a terrible idea. Pantyhose, on the other hand, freed a whole new generation of women to experience life to the full without worrying about garter belt slippage.
Now, a company called Isa Bodywear is marketing a new idea for the man who wants to protect his assets and still enjoy the convenience of a cell phone. The manufacturer claims that calls made from inside the underwear’s material won’t connect; that is how good they are at stopping cell phone signals.
Why anyone would make a call from their underwear, I don’t know. I suppose it would only be to leave a brief message.
Source
Posted in Calcium, Fifty-Something Women, Health matters, Osteoporosis, Sally Field, Vitamin D
May is National Osteoporosis Awareness month. Osteoporosis, a serious bone-thinning disorder, makes bones fragile and prone to fracture. It has no symptoms and may progress painlessly until a bone breaks. Women are four times more likely than men to develop osteoporosis.
Academy Award winning actress Sally Field ate well, exercised and maintained a physically active lifestyle. But these factors weren’t enough to protect her from osteoporosis and just shy of her 60th birthday, Sally was diagnosed with osteoporosis.
Sally Field
Since that time, she has been treated with medication that slows bone loss, increased her calcium and Vitamin D intake and been followed closely by her doctor. Today, Sally Field is well on her way back to good bone health and recently spoke before members of Congress about the importance of raising awareness about osteoporosis.
“Osteoporosis and low bone mass is a national health issue, threatening more than 44 million Americans age 50 and older,” Field said. But once detected, the disease is treatable and even reversible. A BMD, or bone mineral density test, can detect the thinning of bone that occurs with osteoporosis.
The actress has begun her own campaign sponsored by Roche and GlaxoSmithKline called Rally with Sally for Bone HealthSM. On the Rally with Sally website, women are encouraged to protect their bone health by pledging to:
* Get adequate calcium and vitamin D
* Take their osteoporosis medication as directed
* Exercise to build strength
* Visit their doctors regularly
For more information on osteoporosis and Sally’s campaign:
Rally With Sally For Bone Health
National Osteoporosis Foundation
Posted in Anti-oxidants, Broccoli, Cancer, Diet, Fifty-Something Women, Health matters, Vitamin A, Vitamin C
Broccoli is well-known for its health benefits. It’s rich in Vitamin C - just one stalk of broccoli can deliver over 200% of your daily requirement of Vitamin C. Like other dark green and orange veggies, broccoli contains beta-carotene (Vitamin A). Both Vitamin C and Vitamin A are known anti-oxidants which prevent the damage done by free radicals making them cancer-preventative. Add to that the fact that broccoli is high in fiber and you have what seems to be the perfect cancer-fighting vegetable.
Unless you boil it.
Researchers at the University of Warwick say that boiling vegetables such as broccoli can damage their anti-cancer properties, reducing their health benefits.
My mother always told me that if you boil your vegetables, you leave the best part in the water you boiled them in. Turns out, she was right.
Some of the cancer fighting substances in vegetables like broccoli, green cabbage, cauliflower and Bussel sprouts, called glucosinolates, are lost in preparation if the method of cooking is boiling. Cooking fresh vegetables by stir-frying, steaming or microwaving did not have any effect on the glucosinolate levels. Boiling caused a loss of up to 77% of the glucosinolates in broccoli.
The researchers recommend adding these veggies to your diet, but say you will gain the most benefit if you choose to steam, stir-fry or microwave them rather than boiling.
Research Says Boiling Broccoli Ruins Its Anti Cancer Properties
