Healthy Recipes With 4 Easy Steps

01310573962_rsz-1-1193219450.jpgFor many people, making healthy recipes seems too difficult and time consuming…

But with some advance planning and some basic knowledge of nutrition, it is easy to create a week’s worth of healthy meals that you and your family will love. The key to creating delicious and healthy meals for the family is planning …and lot’s of it!

Planning ahead of time an entire week of healthy recipe meals is the best way to create dishes you can be proud of, while keeping cost and time commitment to a minimum.  So below are amazing tips you can use to make healthy meals all the time.

Healthy Recipe Tip #1:

Using convenient appliances such as slow cookers and microwaves can be a huge time saver when planning and preparing meals.  There are many delicious and healthy recipes that can be started in the morning and left to cook all day in a crock pot or slow cooker.  These are great choices for working families.

In addition, making the meals ahead of time on the weekend and heating them in the microwave is a great way to stretch both your food and your time.  There are many microwavable healthy meals you can make at home, and single serving microwave safe containers allow every member of the family to eat on their own schedule.

When planning the meals for the week, it is a good idea to create a chart listing each day’s menu and each days’ schedule. Here’s a smart tip…plan the quickest and easiest to prepare meals for the busiest days of the week.

Healthy Recipe Tip #2:

Get your family involved in creating the week’s meal plan by asking for their input and noting everyone’s favorite foods. It is still very important to eat healthy meals, so that (of course) does not mean eating pizza every night or having ice cream for dinner.  But involving your spouse and children in healthy recipe planning, you’ll help to increase their interest in healthy eating right away.

It is also a good idea to get your entire family involved in the preparation of the meals.  Even children too young to cook can help out by setting out the dishes, chopping vegetables, clearing the table and washing the dishes.

Healthy Recipe Tip #3:

Cooking large quantities of healthy food recipes – and freezing the leftovers – is a easy way to save time.  Cooking large amounts of stews, soups, pasta, chili and casseroles can be a huge time saver.  Making double and even triple batches of these staple foods, and freezing the leftovers for later use, is a great way to save both time and money.

When freezing leftovers, however, it is important to label the containers carefully, using freezer tape and a permanent marker.  Try to keep the oldest foods near the top to avoid having to throw away expired items.

Stocking up on meats when they are on sale is another great way to use that valuable freezer space.  Stocking up on such easily frozen foods as chicken, turkey, ground beef, steaks, roasts and chops is a great way to make your food dollar stretch as far as possible while still allowing you and your family to enjoy delicious healthy meals every day.

Healthy Recipe Tip #4:

Keeping a well stocked pantry is as important as keeping a well stocked freezer.  Stocking the pantry with a good supply of staple items like canned vegetables, canned fruits, soup stocks and the like will make healthy recipe preparation much faster and easier.

Stocking the pantry can save you money as well as time.  Grocery stores are always running sales, and these sales are a great time to stock up.  Buying several cases of canned vegetables when they are on sale, for instance can save lots of money and provide the basic ingredients for many nutritious, easy to prepare meals.

Examples of great staples to stock up on include whole grain cereals, pastas, tomato sauce, baked beans, canned salmon, tuna and whole grain breads.  It is easy to combine these staples into many great meals on a moment’s notice.
healthy recipe

I hope you found these healthy recipe tips easy as pie!

Colon Healthy Recipes And Foods

11310573964_seed-filled-flapjacks.jpgHaving a healthy colon is the key to long term health and finding good colon healthy recipes is one way to help keep your body healthy. While it might be difficult to actually locate recipes that are labeled to be healthy for the colon, you can learn to recognize them by the ingredients that they contain- namely fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, a healthy recipe will contain little or no white flour and white sugar. Perhaps the best recipe for colon health, however is to include lots of fruits and vegetables in your meals as described below.

The large intestine or colon is where the results of the entire digestive process gather up to leave the body. Due to poor eating habits, most people have an unhealthy colon resulting in constipation. If your colon is not in tip top shape, food can get trapped in the lining and start to rot. It can also become hardened in there and can even be trapped in your colon for years!

Of course, food plays a big role in the health of your colon. There are many arguments for the pros and cons of a vegan diet, however when it comes to colon health, a vegetarian way of eating has many benefits.

Animal foods are hard to digest where plant foods are quite easy to digest. So, colon healthy recipes will include little or no animal foods and be based mainly on whole grains, fruits and vegetables. In addition to good colon health, using recipes made with these foods will have a pronounced effect on your overall health in general.

Vegetables and fruits are very colon friendly and can be processed or digested quite easily by the body. They contain a variety of vitamins and minerals as well as enzymes and fiber- all things that are essential to good health. Fiber, in particular, is good for your colon health as it adds bulk which helps to pass the food along the digestive tract.

One simple and easy breakfast recipe could be a fruit salad with oatmeal (not the packaged or instant stuff). Natural fruit juice can be quite healthy too although it does not have fiber and drinking a lot of water will help with the digestive process.

Always try to include a salad for lunch with lots of dark leafy greens. Stay away from the iceburg and try to include romaine lettuce and spinach as these have more vitamins. Broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and kale are great additions to any salad. Don’t forget the olives and artichokes for a little zest. Instead of bottled dressing which is probably loaded with sugar, try olive oil and vinegar- you might even mix in some fresh herbs and create your own salad dressing recipe!

For snacks, stay away from anything that comes in a package and go for raw nuts, fruit, veggies or even a nice fruit smoothie- made with real fresh fruit, of course! If you need something crunchy try spreading all natural peanut butter on celery (this can also help to satisfy any cravings for sweets).

Colon healthy recipes for dinner follow the same common sense rules. Try cutting down on the red meat and eating fresh fish along with a salad and perhaps some steamed broccoli, zucchini and carrots. If you need something more substantial try adding brown rice, corn on the cob or potatoes.

Just like with any other aspect of your health, eating nutritious healthy foods is a sure fire way to keep your colon, and your whole body, in good health.

Affordable Health Insurance Quotes

21310573432_buyindhi.jpgThere are quite a lot Americans who are living without health insurance today. It is not a proud thing to admit, but the government is trying to do things to help them. The death toll is high enough, and medicine is expensive, so you do need to sort something out. You don’t have to wait for the government if you can get it yourself.  And many times it is actually available at a much cheaper price then you may imagine. Easy To Insure ME has the answers

Even if you cannot afford comprehensive health insurance, you can start with whatever little you do have and build up from there. Anything might occur for which you need medical attention at any time, and the health insurance package you get today could be what saves you.

Think of it this way. Without health insurance, you are a sitting duck for any disease or medical condition out there. When the day arrives and the doctor insists that you have to make payment before you can get the healthcare you need to stay alive, you may find things very uncomfortable for you. And you could have taken care of it with a simple health insurance package.

It would be a shame to die of a disease simply because you could not afford to pay for the treatment or procedure. If you had health insurance perhaps things would not have gotten so out of hand. That would be your fault and no one else’s, as it is perfectly possible to get a policy established with a minimum of fuss.

One very quick way to approach the situation is to get some affordable health insurance quotes online that can quickly give you an idea of the type of prices that you may have to pay for health insurance cover.

If you cannot pay for your health insurance yourself, ask if you employer can help. It could beconsidered  in the same terms as a small loan perhaps, one that you may have to pay back to them eventually. Or it could be a small deduction from your salary, which is even more common. Regardless, however small the package you can get, it is better than nothing at all.

If you plan to live for very long on this earth, you want to see that you have health insurance. It is important. With people dying from treatable causes only because they can’t afford the treatment, you certainly don’t want to be one of them.

I never understood the importance of a health insurance plan until I saw the movie ‘John Q.’ All of a sudden I realized I had been walking the tightrope my whole life. I could suddenly find myself in a situation in which I cannot afford the medical attention I needed, and that would be a big problem. I changed that status immediately and got covered because it hit me how big a problem it could end up being.

Sure health care in the United States is not cheap, and that is why there is such a huge market for health insurance as there is today. Thankfully, affordable health insurance is all around you if you have the sense to go for it. Sincerely, you don’t have to have the most expensive policy out there. Something simple and basic should do until you have more funds.

It doesn’t matter that you are not rich. You need to get this figured out. The fact is that with health insurance you can have the insurance firm paying your medical bills every time you have to seek medical attention. All it takes is ensuring that your monthly premiums are paid in good time.It is definitely an expense. But it is unfortunately a basic one that you should be having. The days when health insurance was a luxury are long past. We live in a dangerous world, and you need to buckle down and get it sooner rather then later.

What / things the best healthy snacks for weight loss accomplish?

01310574022_005.jpgHealthy Snacks For Weight Loss

Always Include healthy snacks for weight loss

Into All your weight loss plans with enjoyable healthy snacks.

Healthy snacks can be an important part of a natural weight loss plan when they are chosen carefully. Part of the trick is to be comfortable feeling a little hungry from time to time. Unfortunately, most people can’t stop thinking about food and their hunger gets the best of them. They are constantly trying to fill the void with unhealthy snacks loaded with an excess of salt, sugar and fat. If this is the situation you find yourself in much of the time, then healthy snacks could be the missing link in your natural weight loss plan. here is top healthy snacks for weight loss.

Lean Beef Burger:

If you can get a hold of lean meat and make your own burgers at home (or even out of a packet as long as they’re not frozen in a box), you’re looking at a great tasting meal, which can support weight loss! Lean meat typically contains about 8-12% fat and tastes great because it is still tender. You can even go for extra lean meat if available but this becomes chewier and less tender. Still it is a great tasty meal.

Popcorn:

Must be air-popped yourself. No Butter Kist or any of that stuff. Unless
You enjoy blocking your arteries as a hobby.

Shrimp:

Cocktail Shrimp is 90% protein. Try dipping it in some cocktail sauce for a low calorie, high protein snack.

Eggs and potatoes:

Eggs are very high in protein, which makes them a great snack. My Guacamole Deviled Eggs are a great high-protein healthy snack with good fats. Add eggs, small boiled potatoes or any other healthy food in amongst your salad. Be careful with salad dressing! Most contain tons of sugar and fat. Squeeze a lemon over the salad or try different types of vinegar. They go down a treat!

Fruits and vegetables:

Fruits and vegetables are at the head of the list. They contain lots of minerals and vitamins, much required by your body. The food fibers found in them help you keep your hunger at bay. They also help you eat less food during your meals because dietary fibers fill you up nicely. And the best part, fruits and vegetables contain a small amount of calories. For example an apple contains 90 calories, a medium banana 80 calories, half a cup of cabbage just 15 calories, half a cup of carrots just 35 calories… Not that many calories can be found in fruits and vegetables.

Nuts and seeds:

Nuts and seeds are another great healthy snack for weight loss. True they contain a little more calories, but all those extra calories come from essential fats that your body desperately needs to function properly. From 100 grams of almond you get about 600 calories and from 100 grams of walnuts almost 700 calories. So please don’t overindulge in nuts and seeds. They are healthy but can be fattening if you go overboard. Eat just half a fist of nuts and seeds as a healthy snack from time to time.Low fat yogurt is a great snack that will also help you lose weight. From 8 oz of low fat yogurt you get about 150 calories and lots of calcium and vitamin D. By eating low fat yogurt you will strengthen your bones and lose weight at the same time.

Celery Sticks and Almond Butter:

This is a great combination of protein, monounsaturated fat and energy. Almond butter is a healthier alternative to peanut butter, as it contains no added ingredients or preservatives and better fats. Peanuts are a legume not a nut.

Herring Wraps:

Buy a few tinned containers in a few different flavored sauces such as tomato or tangy mustard; herring fillets are high in omega 3 fish oils. Don’t but if they are in soybean oil. Try wrapping them in a few leaves of romaine lettuce.

Banana Nut Pop:

Dip a banana in plain organic yogurt and roll in walnuts or coconut. Freeze. Yummy
Bananas are a great source of fiber and potassium. They do have high sugar content so eat in moderation. Coconuts have anti-microbial, anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties and are one of the best sources in the world for medium-chain triglyceride fatty acids.

Lemon Tuna Avocado Snack:

Halve an avocado and scoop out the flesh. Mix with lemon juice and tuna. Serve in the shells. Good protein, good fat.

TO know more click on healthy snacks for weight loss

Buying Individual Health Insurance Tips

11310573431_personal-insurance.jpgWe all need to have health insurance, and for anyone who is are self employed, or are unable to obtain insurance from your employer, you will have to look into purchasing individual health insurance. Insurance on your own is generally considerably more costly than when you get it from a company, so it pays to shop around and find the best coverage for you. Despite the fact that they are called individual policies, they usually can insure your spouse and kids as well. However, whenever you apply for a policy, there is no guarantee that says you will be approved for an individual policy. If you have certain health conditions, since the policy is medically underwritten, your insurer might deny your application, or add exclusions to your plan. There are a few states that make this practice illegal, and this means that health insurers will have to offer you a policy, whatever medicals problems there are.

People who are older or who are in bad health, will have to pay higher premiums than those who are younger and in excellent health.

Knowing how health insurance is priced is without doubt one of the most confusing aspects of obtaining individual health insurance, so researching various companies and their rates might make a big difference in the amount you have to pay for health insurance.

When you are hunting for individual health insurance, don’t let all the confusion make you shy away from obtaining a policy. Even for people that are in great health, one accident could land you in economic peril without health insurance. Some questions to think about when buying individual health insurance are: Easy To Insure ME has the answers

Do I wish to keep my current doctor? If there is a doctor that you really like, this might determine whether an HMO or PPO plan is best for you and your family. In case you have an HMO, then you have to use their doctors, but a PPO plan will allow you to use the physician that you pick.

Just how much will it require me to pay out of pocket, and just how much will my premiums be every month? Is it smart for me to pay more for lower out of pocket costs? For a comprehensive health plan that doesn’t have many out of pocket charges, an HMO could possibly be what you are searching for. However, if you’re in your 20′s or 30′s, do not have children, and also have more money saved up, you can save money by only obtaining insurance for catastrophic illnesses. This will mean that you will have to pay out of pocket for virtually every tests or doctor appointments.

Just how much health care will my family need? Think of any services that could be needed by your loved ones on a regular basis. If someone has asthma in the family, will they need to go to an asthma specialist to regulate their illness?

When you can take some time to compare and think about the health insurance you and your family need, it could possibly make buying individual health insurance much less difficult, and provide the health coverage you and your family need for a price that you’ll be able to live with at the same time.

Live healthy-healthy snack for adults

11310574024_meggsofftonewyorkparty007.jpgHealthy snacking for the adults should become part of our lives. Knowing how busy we seem to be, we can’t lack some few minutes to have a snack the problem with us is that we are too busy for everything, too busy to drink water, too busy to go for some exercise, too busy for everything which concerns your body health.

Having idea on how you can make some sacks will never do you any harm if you discover how important you need to keep your body healthy. These ideas are not for just any other snack which has more fat then the snack itself-thus, talking about having ideas on having a healthy sack that will help you in case of hunger strike. You don’t have to necessary make it an option for the hunger strike. In fact, you should incorporate it as part of your diet. Healthy snacks for adults are completely different from those of children, even if your children find themselves taking. The reason is because of the energy content of these snacks. Most of them have a high level of energy and thus it would be advisable if you make them too strictly for the adults and if the kids are to eat than on rare cases.

The good thing with you preparing healthy snacks for adults rather than buying is because those which are meant for commercial purposes at times may contain certain elements that are not good for consumption. Remember that even if they are calling them healthy snacks for adults, they are still in business, you know what I mean, the primary objective it to make profit-right? Thus, of you can make the snacks yourself, you will get the time to incorporate the important ingredients when you are making it. Thus, chances of having fat elements on your snacks are already less.

There are those who may be unlucky to get time to prepare one but then lets look at the alternatives to having the healthy snacks for adults. What are the ingredients in the first place since of you get the ingredients; you will get to know if you can go by the ingredients if you don’t have time to prepare the snacks. These snacks are usually made from small fruits like grapes, blue bellies, cherries and the like. There are others who use the oranges which are in fact the perfect ones. What am I driving to? You can make it simple. One thing that is concluded here are that the snacks combines most of the fruits. Now, of you don’t have enough time to prepare the snacks for adults, you can opt for the ingredients, fruits in specific.

Ensure that you go buy an exact amount of intake if the different fruit components each day. The same way you take the fruits, then the same way the other person which is taking a snack only that he may be few meters way due to some additional ingredients. With this, you are sure to save tome and energy of preparing the snack. However, am not recommending you to opt the fruits of you have been taking healthy snacks for adults, am just creating a way for those who are too ‘busy’ to prepare one. But of you get a chance to prepare your own snack, you are sure you arte few miles off the diet suit.

Open Heart Surgery Recovery Is a Full-Time Job

f_01310573616_healthyfood1.jpgYou are now home from the hospital, and while the healing process is well underway, or you would not have been discharged, there are miles to go. There seem to be so many instructions to remember. You simply will not be up to much in the first few weeks, and in some cases, for several more. I won’t understate this. Yes, an upbeat approach by the hospital medical staff may have sent you waltzing home and it’s thrilling to be leaving the hospital, where you haven’t been permitted to sleep through the night. Yet you are returning home greatly fatigued, with a medications schedule to manage, possibly a tank of oxygen, and perhaps recurrent irregular heartbeats or other complications that remain unresolved. Now is the time to dedicate yourself to the hard work of recovery. Alternating rest and exercise, and above all patience with the physical and emotional trials ahead, is your assignment for the next several weeks.

You and your caregiver will mostly be on your own unless your particular situation requires a treatment plan that includes post-op visits from a home health care nurse. Even if that’s the case, now is the time to review any guidelines your hospital medical team has given you about what to be aware of.

If you have purchased the paperback or downloaded the e-book version of The Open Heart Companion: Preparation and Guidance for Open-Heart Surgery Recovery, from my website http://www.openheartcoach.com, it’s time to reread Chapter 5, “The Challenges You May Face.- This chapter provides detailed information not only on challenges that may arise in your recovery, but it also supplies solutions as well. For example, on the subject of feeling isolated: “This is the time to find other open-heart surgery survivors and their caregivers to talk to. Swap stories, share information, hear what other families have gone through. Just knowing that you are not alone as you go through your rehabilitation can lift the veil of isolation. There can be a tendency to hold one’s surgery and recovery experiences too privately, but not reaching out to others will only deprive you of receiving compassionate support. If you are feeling isolated, do yourself a favor: reach out to friends and family, and look for a heart surgery support group locally or online.- However, whenever in doubt about what you may be experiencing specifically, contact your designated medical liaison for professional diagnosis or medical attention. No question or concern is too trivial.

For most of us, there is a difficult recovery challenge from the time we leave the hospital until we are healed and strong enough to enroll in a local rehab program. That’s one of the reasons for my book, to bridge this gap as so little medical attention is focused on the recuperation period that lasts anywhere from four to eight weeks. We thought getting through surgery was the biggest hurdle. However, the hurdle is greater when we are home on our own with not much progress to report fast enough — and without all those experts in the hospital to lean on.

Every recovery is different. If you’ve been told to expect improvement “two days forward, one day back,- you might be disappointed to experience instead only one good day (a period of energetic spunk) followed by two, three, or even four days of just plain feeling lousy. Even to meet the assignment of increasing your walking time from five minutes to ten minutes a day may feel like an insurmountable task at first. You may also be swinging in and out of temporary depression. (In my case, I wished the discharge nursing staff had emphasized the psychological challenges of recovery, not just the physical stresses.) Or, you may feel “off,- and think you might be coming down with a virus. That might be the case, but feeling off can be due to other things as well: you may have become anemic (as I did); you may be having an allergic reaction; sleep deprivation may have caught up with you–there are many possibilities. Know that everyone goes through discouragement, yet those who are informed to expect ups and downs will fare far better.

Recovery after surgery takes time. There’s often a feeling of “being all alone.- Because I, and dozens of patients and caregivers who were interviewed for The Open Heart Companion, have gone through open-heart surgery recovery ourselves, I offer the help you need via a free monthly phone support group, a newsletter specifically on recovery, a highly informational paperback (also available as an e-book), and general practical tips. Stop by my site at http://www.openheartcoach.com to see how we can help you recover faster.

Choosing Healthy Snacks for Kids is Important for Parents

21310574023_100-healthy-raw-snacks-tiny.jpgRecognizing the importance of healthy snacks for kids and adults creates the groundwork upon which long-term eating habits are built. Children and their parents who consume a healthy balance of nutrients instead of an excess of junk foods have numerous advantages. Sticking to balanced meals and healthy snacks provides the desirable fuel for bodies and brains to flourish, develop, and function optimally. Those who don’t get appropriate nutrition are more easily distracted, have difficulty learning, and are consumed by great health challenges later in life.
It is undeniable that choosing healthy snacks for kids can provide definite differences early on. First, there is the matter of obesity. This disease has grown to be an epidemic, with children suffering more than their parents in some cases. Just by making healthier nutritional choices, including healthy snacks for kids, adults can help guide the next generation in a better direction. Diseases such as diabetes are running rampant, and the evidence clearly points to a complete lack of quality nutrition along with little or no exercise. Making the change to healthy snacks for kids early can help youngsters elude much of the emotional, physical, and financial distress that accompanies obesity-related illnesses.
The costs of obesity and obesity-related illnesses are astronomical, so spending a little more on healthy snacks can be acceptable. Not only does obesity give rise to an immense fiscal burden on both families and society, but the emotional damage is difficult to measure. Parents are outliving their children. Kids are now dealing with illnesses that are usually associated with the elderly. Self-esteem issues and eating disorders are running rampant in schools. Adults have the capacity to stop so much of this, but it takes responsibility and resolve. A straightforward approach is to simply replace unhealthy foods in the house with healthy snacks for kids and adults. This one important step can significantly cut the number of calories consumed each day. From that easy starting point, more complex lifestyle changes can characteristically follow.
The nutritional choices that adults make regularly set examples for youngsters. Unfortunately, many grown-ups are soundly missing the mark when it comes to nutrition. By selecting healthy snacks more often than junk foods, they can lead kids to make healthier choices down the road. In fact, by modeling healthy behaviors, parents are laying the groundwork for an overall healthy lifestyle.
It seems that parents frequently end up fighting with their children about choosing healthy snacks instead of high sodium, preservative laden junk foods, but it doesn’t have to be that way. If parents choose only healthy snacks when the children are young enough, the kids grow up with no concept of what they are supposedly missing and when they are old enough to make their own choices, they will already be conditioned to choose healthy snacks. If the kids are older, it can be more problematic to make the switch, but there are now plenty of desirable choices on the Internet. Let the young ones get involved with buying healthy snacks for kids online and they may resolve that this is something they genuinely want to stick with for life.

Compare Health Insurance To Find The Best Florida Individual Health Insurance

01310573431_health-insurance3.jpgMany people today think that getting Florida individual health insurance to cover their insurance needs if they do not get this from their employer is out of the question due to cost. There are a great many people who feel that health insurance is too costly for them to afford and go without it. This can not only be detrimental to the health of any individual, but can also end up costing someone their life savings or their home if they wind up in the hospital and face a mountain of medical bills. For this reason, it is important to have health insurance as well as compare health insurance coverage.  

When you compare health insurance coverage, you can see the difference in the coverage that different companies will offer you as well as the rate for the coverage. When you are looking for Florida individual health insurance, it pays to make sure that you compare health insurance by way of coverage that is allowed and the amount of the monthly premiums for the coverage. The more comparisons you do when you are looking for Florida individual health insurance, the more you will see that having health insurance is affordable and usually a lot more affordable than you think.  

You want to compare health insurance coverage by way of what they will allow you. Some companies have a network of doctors from which you can choose when you are getting Florida individual health insurance. Other companies allow you to choose your own doctor. The type of coverage that you pick depends upon your own personal preference. There is also a difference between co payments for some companies as well as deductibles. The higher the deductibles, the lower the health insurance quotes, so this is something that an individual might want to take a look at if they are looking for a way to save on monthly premiums. It is much more affordable to have high deductibles when it comes to health insurance than low deductibles as you are basically getting Florida individual health insurance in this way to make sure that you are covered for a hospitalization.  

It is important for everyone who lives in the State of Florida to have Florida individual health insurance as this can help them not only prevent massive medical bills in case they have to go to the hospital but will also induce them to seek out medical care if they should need it. Many medical problems can be avoided by seeing the doctor before they become a problem that requires surgery or hospitalization. The more someone sees the doctor for regular checkups, the more they can enjoy good health. Those who are looking for Florida individual health insurance should make sure they compare health insurance that not only allows them to be covered in case of a major illness or accident, but also allows them to a see a doctor for preventative medical care. Both aspects of health insurance should be reviewed by anyone who is seeking to compare health insurance quotes.

Early Detection Of Breast Cancer Saves Lives

f_21310572969_wellbeingandhealth.jpgSignificant progress in mammography technology continues to help physicians diagnose breast cancer in its earlier stages. When coupled with new treatment options, early diagnosis through mammography screening can significantly improve a woman’s chances of survival. That’s good news because in the United States more than 200,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer are diagnosed each year.

Mammography screening is the single most effective method of early detection. That’s why an annual mammogram is recommended for women over 40. A clinical breast examination by a health care professional should also be done on a regular basis. Additionally, women can take charge of their own breast health by understanding their personal risks of the disease, performing a breast self-exam every month and reporting any breast change promptly to their health care provider.

Unfortunately, studies have indicated that a significant number of women over 40 years of age fail to get a mammogram, and of those who do, many never follow up with a second mammogram. Women cite a number of reasons for their nonparticipation, including lack of finances and lack of time. It is important that women know that there are resources available to help address these issues. For example, throughout the year, low-cost or free mammography screening is available to many women who are over 40 and underinsured or uninsured. Additionally, many mammography centers offer extended hours and some even provide child care for moms having mammograms.

In an effort to encourage women to have an annual mammography screening, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) sponsors recommend making every day National Mammography Day. Whether it means scheduling an appointment on a 40th birthday, or if it means reminding a friend to make an appointment, every step counts.