I was ready to write a post urging parents and grandparents of girls to read an article by Dr. Mercola on young girls reaching puberty at shockingly young ages. As I read the article, I kept clicking the links to other articles and I was quite overwhelmed with information. But the gist of it was the environmental and food ingredients that are culprits.

But then this morning I read “Cancer’s Food – Found in Everything You Eat?” It’s Fructose. And not because Americans are eating so much fruit. Fructose in the form of High Fructose Corn Syrup. This is actually a fascinating read – the science of Fructose causing cancer cells to reproduce, as well as how to prevent “Angiogenesis”. Nope, not me either. Never heard of “angiogenesis” and don’t know that I could pronounce it. It’s too many blood vessels. Which is what a tumor needs to thrive. Foods like strawberries, red grapes, green tea (and more) help keep abnormal blood vessels from forming. This is all WAY over my head, but the article isn’t and I highly recommend reading it: Cancer’s Favorite Food.

I’ll tackle the original post on early puberty separately…

Scientists compared youngsters from a rural African village with another group living in Italy and found a dramatic difference. The African children had less obesity-linked bacteria, and more fatty acids which protect against inflammation.

The diet of the African children was similar to that of people living in the modern Western world thousands of years ago. Of the Italian children, only those who were still breast-feeding harbored bacteria resembling the African children’s.

The trillions of microbes that inhabit your gut help you to digest food, protect against disease-causing bugs and limit inflammation.

Just reading this article makes me want some fries and a Dr. Pepper from Five Guys! The power of suggestion weighs heavily on me… But the side effects are huge and not what I want for my family. Interesting read on the connection between what’s in our stomach and the rest of our health…

I took the path of something I can do on my own time and work around my family’s schedule. I became an Arbonne consultant. Something I never thought I’d do in a million years. When a friend first told me about it 3 years ago, I had visions of a childhood friend’s mom who happily tooled around the neighborhood delivering her Avon orders. Nope, not for me. I’m a career gal. Fast forward 3 years and my friend now makes more than she did as a teacher, working a few hours a week. And she doesn’t do parties (not my thing either). My goal isn’t to be at home – that’s not what I’m called to do. But having additional income and something I can control is very desirable. 

I’m just getting started, but I’m optimistic. It’s a health and wellness company (skin care and nutrition), so future growth should be good. And the demand for safe and natural products is going to increase as well. 

I would prefer to NOT need anti-aging products, but suddenly here I am! And these products are some of the best, so I’m going to give it my best shot. I’m my 1st customer.

So now it’s time for school to start – who’s already fretting over what to put in the lunch box? My daughter went on a sandwich strike this summer, but she’s going to have to snap out of it quickly! This weekend we’re going to have a little “tasting party” to experiment with some new lunches and snacks. There are a few from Wholly Guacamole that we’re going to try – make sure you register while you’re there and they’ll send you coupons. And can I just say that I love a company with a sense of humor???

But back to the food part. I just read Risks for Youths Who Eat What They Watch in the New York Times. Coupled with this report regarding military recruits (which addresses school lunches) and this article from Dr. Mercola on 76 dangers of sugar (way beyond just obesity/diabetes and addresses all forms/variations of sugar) and it makes a pretty big impact. We try to limit junk and get plenty of exercise, but I’ll admit that when we’re in a hurry or feeling a little lazy, the junk creeps in…

What about you? How do you avoid junk food and influences from TV?

These stresses, along with the others that are much worse, are real. But they were put in perspective again today with this article: Killing of teenager focuses attention on Taliban’s effort to intimidate women. “A gunman lying in wait fatally shot an 18-year-old woman as she left her job at a U.S.-based development company Tuesday…” Just for being a woman who wanted to work.

A dairy farming project provides women with a steady income and the means to escape a life of abuse and poverty.

“When her husband died of a severe illness, she became a widow with four children and no means of support. She began selling liquor in Awassa—a city known for its hotels, bars, and nightclubs. But her income was not enough to provide for her family. Desperate and with nowhere to turn for help, Meselech felt she had no choice but to get involved in the commercial sex trade.

However, her life dramatically changed when she joined an HIV/AIDS program developed by the Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church, a Samaritan’s Purse ministry partner.”

Read the rest of her story here.

First, it tells me I’m not the only one with a closet(s) stuffed with completely random stuff  – where it can’t be used, nor can you even find what’s in there!!! Second, you can actually hire someone to come help you! I think this could be a bigger luxury than housekeeping service. If you get the closet cleaned out, you actually have a place to store the stuff that’s sitting out everywhere making your house look like a disaster.

My favorite tips from this article:

1. Don’t go to The Container Store until you have a plan.
2. Take everything out of the closets and put items into four piles: one for trash, one for things to donate or sell, one for storage and one for items to keep accessible.