In this month's news letter you'll find...

1. On a Personal Note...
2. Feature Article - Menopause and Broccoli:
   The Benefits of Cruciferous Vegetable
3. Recipe of the Month

On A Personal Note....

Welcome to the current edition of the Newsletter! I hope the month of March got off to a great start for you -- Spring is right around the corner and you know what the means - Summer isn't far off either!

And with the way time fly's these days you might want to start think about taking the steps to get your body fit for swimsuit season starting today versus tomorrow.

Don't forget to leave me your feed back as well as any questions you would like me to research and report on in this newsletter ;)

Dedicated to Your Fat Loss Success!

Jenny May

     

Each month Health Thru Fitness, LLC and Jenny May (international Guru on women's weight loss) bring you up to date on the latest weight loss principles and related research from around the world in Menopause Health, Fitness and You News. Jenny May welcomes YOUR feedback - it is your chance to ask your questions or have your say!

To post your questions or have you say, please click the following link to email Jenny May

Your questions will be answered and it will help women from around the world take control of their lives!

You've heard the same refrain ever since you sat stubbornly at the dinner table refusing to taste anything green: "Eat your vegetables, they're good for you". Well, your mother was right all along and it's not just good advice for growing children. Eating lots of fresh vegetables, particularly cruciferous vegetables, plays a key role in our continuing good health in every stage of life.

More and more medical professionals are recommending that women eat a more "Asian" diet as they reach menopause consisting of fish, soy and vegetables in abundance. Asian women seem to suffer fewer and less noticeable symptoms when they go through menopause. One of the reasons for this is thought to be the abundance of phytonutrients or plant nutrients in their diet.

These phytonutrients include phytoestrogens, which act something like human estrogen in the body but are much weaker. When your body stops producing sufficient levels of estrogen, these phytoestrogens can bind to the estrogen receptors and help to fool your body into thinking is still has higher estrogen levels. Increasing your intake of phyoestrogens can help to treat common menopausal symptoms like hot flashes or at least make them less severe. Soy is the most potent source of phytoestrogens, but they can also be found in cruciferous vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, collard greens, cabbage, bok choy and kale.

One of the key roles of these foods is in fighting cancers that are more prevalent in post-menopausal women. The vegetables contain a compound called indole-3-carbinol (I3C). This compound is thought to stop the growth of cancer cells in various cells. It help against cancers of breast, endometrium, lung, colon, liver, colon and cervix.

I3C also reduces your risk of developing cancers by undergoing a natural conversion in the body to yet another potent anti-cancer compound, diindolylmethane (DIM). The connection between DIM and hormones like estrogen stems from similar characteristics between the two substances at the molecular level. In addition to stopping hormone-dependent cancer cells from multiplying, DIM inhibits breast cancer cells that are not hormone dependent. For instance, DIM has been shown to increase the body's production of interferon gamma. This works with your immune system to prevent the growth of tumors, making it more difficult for cancer to develop.

With breast cancer becoming a major health risk for menopausal women, it is encouraging to see that studies are proving a link between eating cruciferous vegetables and preventing breast cancer cells from surviving an forming tumors.

These cancer-prevention benefits can begin long before menopause, so it's a good idea to incorporate cruciferous vegetables into your diet throughout your life. As the risk of cancer increases, so does the importance of taking steps to prevent them.

So if you've been shunning broccoli for most of your life, there's no time like the present to give it a second chance. As with any nutrients derived from fresh foods, it's important not to overcook them. Cooking can allow the nutrients to escape or diminish their effectiveness. Ideally, you should eat some of your cruciferous vegetables raw. If that's too much for you to stomach, cook them lightly until they are just tender. Steaming is preferable to boiling, since the boiling water will absorb nutrients.

If you are having trouble finding ways to work the extra vegetables into your diet, here are some ideas to make things more palatable. Turn cabbage into coleslaw and serve it as a side dish with sandwiches. Cabbage rolls are also a nice change, although to increase the amount of cabbage you consume, try doubling up the leaves so you'll have more cabbage and less filling. Broccoli and cauliflower are great with dip. You'll find it easier to nibble on them if you have something tasty to dip them in. A pile of broccoli and cauliflower florets and a few ounces of hummus will make a filling and nutritious lunch. For people who have traditionally been broccoli and cauliflower haters, cheese sauce can help them to go down better. It works on young children, so why not try it yourself. Bok choy is easy to incorporate into a stir fry where the spices and other ingredients will make it blend in.

If you need more inspiration, check out some vegetarian cookbooks for ideas. Whatever it takes to incorporate more cruciferous vegetables into your diet, it's worth the effort. The benefits are becoming more clear with every medical study. There are so many health risks associated with growing older that it's very empowering to find something we can actually do without medication to improve our chances against something as devastating as cancer.

Since we are on the topic of Broccoli I felt it was only right to share this great recipe for a creamy Broccoli soup - that's just Delicious!
I found it to be the perfect blend of Protein, Carbs and Fat that was GOOOOD on the taste buds and easy to make :)

I just made it this past week and it was devoured. Plus it was warm on those chilly afternoons and easy to bring to work and re-heat in a microwave safe container.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!

Serves 6 (Serving Size = 1/4 of recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups CARROT, RAW, SLICED - strips or slices
• 2 cups WATER, MUNICIPAL
• 2 cups CHICKEN BREAST, BONELESS, ROASTED, MEAT ONLY, CHOPPED
• 14.5 oz BROTH, CHICKEN, NONFAT, RTS - 240 ml
• 2 pkgs BROCCOLI, CHOPPED, FROZEN - unprep
• 1/2 cup ONION, RAW - chopped
• 1 tsp SALT, IODIZED
• 1/4 tsp PEPPER, BLACK, GROUND
• 1/2 cup WHEAT FLOUR, WHITE, ALL PURPOSE - unenriched
• 2 cups MILK, COW'S, 1% BF, VIT-A - fluid
• 1/2 cup CHEDDAR CHEESE, SHREDDED

Recipe Directions:

1. Combine carrots, water, chicken broth, onion, and salt in a 4-quart saucepan or dutch oven. Bring to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat, cover and simmer about 10 minutes.

2. Bring to a full rolling boil. In a small bowl, combine flour and some of the soup liquid. Stir to form a smooth paste. Add flour mixture by spoonfuls to soup, stirring constantly (the entire amount of flour may not be needed. The flour is used only for thickening purposes). Stir until soup is thickened, several minutes.

3. Add broccoli (fresh can be used instead of frozen) and reduce heat to medium. when soup is at a simmer, add chicken (or substitute turkey) and milk. Simmer, stirring constantly, about 10 minutes. Add pepper to taste.

4. Remove from heat and stir in cheese.

Health Thru Fitness LLC, and Menopause-Weight-Gain.com do Not assume any liability for the information contained herein. The information is not intended as an alternative to medical advice, or for medical treatment.

Consult your physician before you begin any new exercise, nutrition or dietary supplementation program.