Oct. 13--"Life is full of choices and each person should take ownership for the choices they make," said Dr. Beverly Jordan.
Jordan, one of the speakers at the recent Coffee County Breast Cancer and Women's Health Issues Forum, said diet, exercise and weight loss are all personal choices that impact a person's health.
"We've all made some bad life choices," Jordan said. "But there is no reason that you cannot start over each new day with good choices."
Improved eating habits and exercise lead to weight loss, said Jordan, calling loss of one pound a week a reasonable goal.
Obesity doubles the risk of breast cancer," she added. "Obesity also lowers your survival rate."
"So-called diets will never work," Jordan said. "It has to be a lifestyle change."
For instance, Jordan said, when ordering from a restaurant, ask for a carry-out box and right away put half of your meal in it. "Restaurant meals are two to four times what you need to eat at a sitting."
More than three alcoholic drinks a week increase a person's risk of cancer by 10 percent for every drink beyond three. "And, as I always tell teenagers, you can't store up the three alcoholic drinks for a whole month and then drink them," she said.
Some fat is necessary in a person's diet, Jordan said. "But we as a nation have gotten fatter. The adequate size of a serving of meat should be the size to fit in your palm or the size of a deck of playing cards, she said. Poultry, eggs, milk, cheese, protein, fiber and fish are important to a person's healthy diet, Jordan said.
"Fried catfish is not what I am talking about," Jordan said. Five servings of fruits and vegetables are a daily requirement, she said.
Four hours a week of strenuous exercise is important, Jordan said. "Daily exercise cuts risk of breast cancer 30 percent and increases your survival rate."
"We all are concerned about being healthy," Jordan said. "But we are raising a generation of children who may not outlive their parents."
"It's our job to teach them," she said. "And the best way to teach is by example."
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