I have been studying a lot about nutrition and health lately. My current interests are sugar and whole grains. Also, my husband, oldest daughter and I are eating a mainly vegetarian diet so I have been researching how to make sure we get everything we need. In all the reading I have done I have run across many very interesting facts that I think most people are not aware of. One that really stuck me the other day that I feel compelled to tell as many people as I can is about Osteoporosis. The book was saying that one of the nation's leading authorities on Osteoporosis said that calcium can help maintain the bones but does not add mass to the bones after 20-21 years of age. The book went on to explain that you can only prevent Osteoporosis at an early age. Calcium is what your body uses to build bones and add mass to bones. Your body only does this at a certain rate for a certain amount of years and then it stops around age 20-21. At that point your body only maintains the bone and it either looses or recycles the calcium you consume. So, to build the strongest bones with the most mass for the best chances against Osteoporosis you need to get a lot of calcium when you are younger. If your daughter does not like milk or other calcium rich foods like broccoli she will have less bone mass when she starts aging and has a much higher chance to get Osteoporosis. A doctor was quoted to say that Osteoporosis is a "pediatric disease with geriatric consequences."

Interesting. I did not know that.

I heard a really great tip today. If you have a cough, suck on a teaspoon of honey. It will help you stop coughing. My friend tried it and it worked. Our doctor told her about it. I am definitely going to try it next time. I have been so blessed this year, no one in our family has been sick with a flu, cold or anything for about 9 months. I have a little theory that it might have something to do with not having a child in preschool this year. Preschoolers are always bringing home some wonderful new bug that some other child was kind enough to share with them. I do have a preschool aged child but I opted to keep him home this year for a couple reasons. The first is for financial reasons. In this economy, especially since my husband is a real estate broker, I am learning to prioritize my needs. There are only a few options for preschool where I live and they are all a little pricey. The second reason is because I really wanted to spend some time with him before he starts school. As my oldest gets older I start holding tighter to my younger ones. It's been fun and I am really glad that I did it.

Here we go...

This is my first blog. Although I have never read a blog I have wanted to write one for years. I won't pretend to know what I am doing, the discovery will be part of the adventure. I want to blog about life, being a Christian, motherhood, books, quotes, recipes, kid moments, eating healthy, living in a small community, tips and tricks, new things I am trying and things I have learned. There is a much longer list, but you get the idea.