Healthy Moms

The Great Plate Debate

Pyramids aren’t always practical – that has never been truer than when it comes to your plate. ChooseMyPlate.gov is now being updated by the USDA with new recommendations to update your plate to a more plant-based diet, including veggies and fruit, paired with whole grains and a smaller portions of proteins, especially animal proteins. Healthy moms should wap out regular milk for low-fat or fat-free, and replace sugary beverages with water instead.

Dietary Guidelines are updated every 5 years. Preliminary reports suggest that we’ll see the following:

• Limits on sugar intake – a 1^st for guidelines
• Fewer red and processed meats, even lean meats
• Cutting back on caffeine for pregnant women – previously unaddressed
• Sustainability and the environment: a diet higher in plant-based foods and lower in meat

Mammogram? Yes, ma’am!

Healthy moms should that that early detection is key when it comes to breast cancer. According to breastcancer.org, mammograms have been shown to lower the risk of dying from breast cancer by 35% in women over 50. And when breast cancer is caught early, many women are able to avoid breast removal (mastectomy). All women should be going for an annual screening at age 40, say expert organizations. If you’re at a higher risk, talk to your healthcare provider about sooner screenings.

Know Before You Go

• Bring any past files or results with you.
• Wear a skirt or pants, since you’ll need to remove your top.
• Don’t apply deodorant or antiperspirant, as they interfere with the test.
• Discuss your family history with your care provider.

Is Your State Fertility Friendly?

The National Infertility Association has launched The Fertility Scorecard, its updated index to measure and grade states’ “fertility friendliness.” Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after one year of unprotected intercourse (6 months if a woman is age 35+) or the inability to carry a pregnancy to live birth. Here are the states with the best and worst marks:

How does your state fare? Check out the complete scorecard map at http://familybuilding.resolve.org/fertility-scorecard.