ON THE GO WOMEN - The Osteoporosis Campaign

How much do you know about osteoporosis? Are you at risk? On the Go Women is a campaign which aims to encourage conversation between people with osteoporosis and their healthcare providers about the disease, the importance of compliance and the available treatment options that are most suitable for their health and lifestyle.

Since my mother suffered from osteoporosis, I am at a higher risk of developing it. But I have done some things that will reduce that risk. One thing is a healthy diet - a healthy lifestyle. Eating calcium-rich foods is a good place to start. I drink almond milk on a daily basis and sometimes snack on raw almonds. 15 almonds provide up to 40-50 mg of calcium. Besides, they are oh-so good! 

Sesame seeds are also a good addition to your diet. Before I discovered how delicious almond milk is, I drank soy milk and ate other soy products. I love yogurt, and the best one I have found is Astro Balkan Style. Half a cup contains 15% of the recommended daily allowance. Cereals, whole grains and leafy green vegetables are also a good source of calcium. I only eat whole grain breads - the more variety of grains in it the better. Steamed salmon fillet is on my menu at least once a week. Also add some blackstrap molasses, papaya and oranges to your meals or for a snack.

Fruit is a favorite part of my diet. I make smoothies with four or five kinds of fruit and add almond milk, carrot juice and yogurt. Add a good barley leaf powder to boost the nutrition. You can make it with your favorite fruits and add vegetable juices if desired. There are many ways to boost your calcium intake.

One thing I did many years ago was eliminate soda pop from my diet. I never did drink a lot of it, but when I discovered that the phosphorus in pop - all carbonated beverages - leeches the calcium out of the bones, I stopped drinking it. I would rather eliminate something from my diet than have what I take into my body eliminate calcium from my bones.

Check out what your risk is for osteoporosis.

Have a healthy, calcium-rich week.

Six Mistakes We Make When Setting Goals (Part One)

Six Mistakes We Make When Setting Goals (Part One)

A HAPPY ENDING

Marilyn (my roommate) came in the other day and asked me to check online to find out what to feed baby squirrels. A young girl in the townhouse complex next door had discovered two baby squirrels in the roadway and was afraid they would be killed. She put them in a box and delivered them to the green space behind our building thinking that would be a safe place. A couple of hours later one of my neighbours had her dog out and saw the squirrels.  That's when Marilyn came in. Once I discovered what to feed them, I went down to find one of the babies up a tree, and the other one a couple of feet up in another. That one seemed very weak and scared. I eventually picked it up.


Another neighbour arrived and that's when the 'action' really started. She had spent 25 years in wildlife rescue. She asked me to call a wildlife rescue centre in Mount Brydges, but unfortunately he was full. Back down I went. By that time Debbie had coaxed the other baby down from the tree. Actually, she just called it and it came and started following her. She  picked up some puppy formula and a couple of syringes at the pet store and tried to feed them. One ate well, the other seemed too weak to swallow, but with coaxing it finally began to eat. I supplied a box to put them in and they curled up and went to sleep - as you can see in the photo.

It was at this point that the little girl came back. And it was then that she told us that the mother had been with the babies right after she brought them to our property. If we had known that before, we would have left them alone, but as we saw no adult squirrels anywhere we naturally assumed the mother had been killed and left the babies. Now we had to figure out what to do with them. It was close to dusk. The night temperature would have been too cold for them. Also they were young enough that they needed feeding every couple of hours to keep them from dehydrating. Someone said, "Look up there - in the tree!"  There was a squirrel with another baby in her mouth. Evidently she was moving to a new nest. That day we had had a very heavy rainfall and high winds. Quite probably her nest had been partially destroyed, and maybe that's how the babies came to be in the road. The mother came back but wouldn't come down low enough to see the babies.

So Debbie took them in for the night and cared for them. Early next morning she took the box and left it where the mother would find it, then watched from a distance. It wasn't long before she found them and took them to the nest. We were all excited to know that mother and babies had been successfully and safely reunited. I love happy endings, don't you?