Heart-healthy eating means turning up the volume of fresh fruits and veggies. One great tip I learned about building a nutrient-rich diet is make it colorful! The veggie spectrum from white to yellow to red to orange to deep purple means you’re sure to get the vitamins and minerals that Mother Nature intended for you.
I’m a fiend for eggplant, and love dips. So Baba Ganouch is one of my favorite dishes. It’s easy to make, and oh so WHOLEsome! Try this recipe, and see why I’m so in love!
Baba Ganouch
Ingredients:
1 large eggplant (about 1 pound)
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
½ teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Dash of cayenne pepper
2 drops liquid smoke flavoring
Sea salt to taste
Directions: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
1. Prick eggplant with a fork and place on a cookie sheet lined with foil.
2. Tear off a 6-inch square of foil. Place garlic cloves on foil, drizzle with olive oil, and wrap loosely into a cooking pouch.
3. Roast the eggplant uncovered and garlic pouch until they are soft, about 20 minutes. Let the eggplant and garlic cool.
4. Cut the eggplant into large cubes and place into a food processor. Remove garlic from cooking pouch and add to food processor. Add any remaining olive oil to the food processor, process until smooth, and transfer to a medium bowl.
5. Add tahini, lemon juice, liquid smoke flavoring and cayenne pepper to the eggplant mixture, and stir until well blended. Add salt to taste. Garnish with parsley if desired. Serve with pita chips or fresh pita bread. Serves 4.
January is Cervical Cancer Month. Here’s your reminder to schedule your cervical cancer screening test. As uncomfortable as you may feel with your feet up in the stirrups, and the speculum inserted in your private parts (yuck!) I strongly urge you to take a few extra minutes and request another test too.
It’s the HPV Test. If you’re 30 or older, the HPV Test is essential to ensure that the two strains of human papillomavirus (or HPV) that cause cervical cancer are detected.
Most people get HPV sometime in their life. The HPV that causes cervical cancer and genital warts is passed by skin-to-skin contact with the genital area. You do not have to have intercourse to get it: any sort of mutual sexual activity can expose you to HPV. Black women in their middle and senior years have the highest incidence of cervical cancer. And just because you are in a monogamous relationship, you are not immune from having HPV.
Just like a cold virus, HPV is usually cleared on its own in a short time. But if HPV does not go away, cervical cancer can develop. But unlike a cold virus, HPV usually has no obvious symptoms. So it takes diligent attention to regular cervical health screenings to make sure HPV is found early.
The HPV Test looks for HPV, the virus that causes abnormal cell changes. the test can be performed from the same sample as your liquid based Pap or can be collected in a separate tube at the time of your Pap test. It is the ideal companion to your cervical health regiment. By having both the Pap and HPV tests, you and your doctor can monitor any cellular changes in your cervix and the presence of HPV.
Believe me my sistahs, there are far too many women who have their Pap Test every year religiously and still their cervical cancer goes undetected. Even more tragic, are the many women who haven’t had any cervical cancer screening or do so infrequently. Are you one of these women?
Cervical cancer is 100% preventable! But it is up to you to take action. Educate yourself! Request the HPV Test! Remind all the women in your life to get their screening annually. To learn the guidelines about getting the HPV Test and take a tutorial on cervical cancer, visit the cervical cancer page on the WeSpeakLoudly website.
Two additional resources that I highly recommend are Tamika & Friends featuring the courageous journey of cervical cancer survivor Tamika Felder, and the digene HPV Test with detailed information from the developer of the HPV Test.
Far too few Black folks know their lineage. Part of this is directly attributable to how our ancestors were ripped from the Continent, our families sold into slavery, and disbursed around the globe.
Another part stems from our reticence to talk about health issues. Yet another part is the poor access to quality care as well as misdiagnosis from, and distrust of, the healthcare establishment.
But to be WHOLE, you must summon the fragments of self-knowledge into a more complete picture of your health status. Doing so can offer a life-saving profile of your genealogy and risk factors for a variety of health conditions.
How to gather a family health history
Talk with your family, starting with the elders. Ask them about their childhood illnesses, medications, surgeries, and current health conditions.
Find out as much of this information you can about their parents, siblings, aunts, uncles–any of your forebears.
For any who may have passed on, find out their cause of death.
Continue this inquiry with the next younger generation of your family, gathering as much information you can not only about your parents and grandparents, but their siblings as well. Many times diseases can run in families, but not manifest in your most direct bloodline.
Your elder relatives might not know the medical terms for these conditions. That’s okay. Any nugget of information could be very helpful. For example, learning that someone in your family tree had “Sugar”–another name for Diabetes–could mean that you are at higher risk for the disease as well.
Knowledge is power. Knowing your health history and sharing it with your healthcare provider is a powerful way to help you and future generations of your family live longer, healthier lives.
Got a crockpot? Until now, I thought of mine as a great way to prep soups and stews for dinner. But I’ve discovered that my trusty crockpot can cook a wide variety of WHOLEsome breakfast meals too! All you have to do is throw in all the ingredients before you go bed, and you’ll wake to the wonderful smell and yummy taste of a hot breakfast!
I happen to love almost anything apple! Cobblers, crisps, pies–you name it. But I don’t often have time to bake them. No problem! I found this recipe for Apple Cobbler made in the crockpot that is quick and easy to prepare. Here it is!
Ingredients:
* 2 cups peeled, sliced tart apples
* 2 cups granola cereal
* 1 tsp. cinnamon
* 1/4 cup honey
* 2 Tbsp. melted butter
Preparation:
Spray inside of 3-4 quart crockpot with nonstick cooking spray. Combine apples, cereal and cinnamon in crockpot and mix well. Stir together honey and butter and drizzle over apple mixture. Mix gently. Cover crockpot and cook on LOW 5-7 hours until apples are tender. Serve this crockpot cobbler with your favorite flavor of yogurt, if desired. 4 servings
Take a moment. Just relax. You deserve it! Can we help you warm up a bit?
Let WHOLE Bush Tea help calm the mood. We’ve got just the right blend of Chinese Green Tea, Lemon Verbena, Spearmint, Rooibos, Pink and Red Roses, and honey.
With the holiday season moving into full swing, there are plenty of holiday parties and gathering filling our calendars. Great! We hope you have a wonderful time!
Make it a safe and sane season with WHOLE Pomegranate Cocktail! This incredible non-alcoholic libation takes just a little prep time to create the base syrup, but the spicy blast on your palate is well worth your time. It starts with a homemade grenadine syrup. Here’s the recipe:
WHOLE Spicy Grenadine Syrup
Ingredients:
1 cup pomegranate juice; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 1 quarter-sized disk of fresh ginger; 4 whole cloves; 2 whole allspice pods, 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel.
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan. (Be sure to use a non-reactive pan such as glass or stainless steel.) Boil over high heat, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain into a jar or bottle with a tight-fitting lid. This delicious syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
WHOLE Pomegranate Cocktail
Pour two tablespoons of WHOLE Spicy Grenadine Syrup into a wine glass or champagne flute and top with ginger ale. Garnish with a few pomegranate seeds and a slice of orange. Salut!
December 1st is World AIDS Day. Across the globe, attention is paid to this hideous disease. But far too often, Black folks just aren’t listening.
Somehow, we still aren’t getting the message how devastating this disease is to our community–especially among Black women.
Did you know that:
AIDS is now the leading cause of death for Black women ages 25-34. We are over 21 times as likely to die from HIV/AIDS as white women.
Of all the newly infected HIV cases in the US, 1 out of 4 are women. Among these women, 2 out of 3 are Black women.
Most of the sistahs who have contracted HIV got it from having sex with a man.*
So my sistah, do you know where your partner has been?
It is important to protect yourself with every encounter:
Use latex condoms every time you have any kind of sex (vaginal, oral, or anal). Use a fresh condom with each sexual contact.
If you use drugs and cannot or will not stop injecting drugs, use new, sterile syringes to prepare and inject drugs.
If you’re getting a tattoo or having a your body pierced, ask what procedures they use to prevent the spread of HIV. If they do not use new, sterilized equipment, so somewhere else.*
Bottom line, self’-care is the best prevention for HIV/AIDS. Take the above precautions. Know your partner’s status. Know your status. Educate yourself about additional risk factors. Be loud and proud helping to spread the word about HIV/AIDS. Dare to say “No! No glove, no love!”
The news hit yesterday that the US Preventive Services Task Force now recommends that routine annual mammograms be delayed until age 50 rather than 40 as has been the accepted standard. Are you kidding? For Black women, our risk of breast cancer is so high–especially in younger women–that we should be getting mammograms earlier, not later!
Want to know how they made this decision? The Task Force says, “computer models that report getting mammograms too early may cause more harm than good. In younger women, the chance of a false result outweighs the small benefit.” Harm to who?
And they further recommend that women between the ages of 50 to 79 have mammograms every other year–not even annually!
Computer models? What about the very real risk that very real women have? This is so ridiculous that I can’t even control my outrage!!! I’m not alone. The American Cancer Society (ACS) argues, “that the government is placing more emphasis on computer models than real patients!” ACS reaffirmed their recommendation for baseline mammograms to be done beginning at age 40.
Oh yeah, one other thing. The Task Force also recommends against teaching breast self-examinations! Hey, I personally know loads of breast cancer survivors who found their cancer by breast self-exam. Literally taking your breast into your own hands can save your life!
So ladies, don’t believe what this particular governmental Task Force is selling. Insist on mammograms! Do your breast self-exam every month. Spread the word!
WeSpeakLoudly did a comprehensive guide on breast health in last month’s issue of WHOLE–our e-newsletter. Follow this link to the October WHOLE, and be sure to share it with all your sistah friends, family, and co-workers. Now more than every we must be pro-active in protecting our health. Clearly some in our government don’t concern themselves with the real dangers of late diagnosis of breast cancer. APPALLING!!!
When my daughter was just 2 or 3 years old, I noticed her peeking around the door watching me as I was doing my monthly breast self-exam. Her innocence and pure curiosity were a delight! Rather than covering myself, or shooing her away, I invited her to join me.
I explained how I was taking good care of my body, and this is one of the ways to do it. I called it the “Tittie Test.” Without shame or fear, she reached out and touched my breasts, and I guided her little hand as I made the inch-by-inch exam across my breast, chest, and underarm.
As I prepared to examine the other side, I suggested that she removed her shirt too and do her own Tittie Test. Without a second thought, she peeled out of her top and mimicked my movements. We laughed and talked through those precious few minutes, forging a treasured memory of our time together. Like clockwork, we made it a monthly ritual. She even started reminding me, “Mommy, it’s time for our Tittie Test!”
That was more than 14 years ago–how time flies! But those early lessons about taking good care of her body took root, and she is now a responsible young woman comfortable and committed to self-care.
Children are never too young to get the message about taking good care of themselves. And it is not too early to communicate self-care principles to little ones in an age-appropriate manner–even at age 2 or 3. Learning to identify and capitalize on teachable moments to guide our daughters, nieces, and grands toward optimal health is our goal.
We’ve created a new Fact Sheet for download on Breast Self-Exam that incorporates the latest finding about this important monthly screening. Visit WeSpeakLoudly to get your free copy. See you there!
It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the world is encircled in pink–the official color of this important campaign. Every October, the whole world is flooding with pink products, garments, and even foods to show solidarity in the fight against breast cancer. There isn’t a media outlet (including this one!) that isn’t festooned in pink and featuring the latest information about this dreaded disease. Great!
While all these efforts are laudable, sometimes the marketing over-shadows the serious risk all women–especially African American women–face when it comes to breast cancer.
I often think of a solitary woman, sitting in disbelief after hearing these awful words, “You have breast cancer.” I’m not a survivor myself, but I work with sistah breast cancer survivors nearly everyday. I see their suffering. I know their pain. And I’m struggling to find a way that I can reach out–if only to just that one sistah, and make a difference in her life.
So for the entire month, WHOLE and WeSpeakLoudly will be dedicating this blog, our newsletter, and website to reaching our sistahs with important information about reducing the risk and overcoming breast cancer.
To kick things off, have a look at this message from sistah Gabrielle Union about breast cancer in our community.
my monthly breast self-exam. Her innocence and pure curiosity were a delight! Rather than covering myself, or shooing her away, I invited her to join me.
It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the world is encircled in pink–the official color of this important campaign. Every October, the whole world is flooding with pink products, garments, and even foods to show solidarity in the fight against breast cancer. There isn’t a media outlet (including this one!) that isn’t festooned in pink and featuring the latest information about this dreaded disease. Great!
