by Dennis Townsend, Contributing Writer

We hear it all the time from our doctors, " you are healthy but you could stand to lose a few pounds," which tells us that while we feel good, chances are, we are overweight. If you take a look at one of those charts that shows what you’re suppose to weigh at a particular height, many of us can describe ourselves as obese. And let’s face it, if you are more than 50 pounds over the standard weight for your height, you fit the definition of fat according to the chart.

And for some of us, if we are fortunate enough to get down to that "target" weight, we feel noticeably weak for some reason. We all have different densities in bone structure and therefore while the chart says you should weigh 200 pounds you would feel comfortable at 220 pounds. You are the perfect judge of how well you feel and you should relay that to your physician. I am not a doctor and I can only use myself as an example, so make sure you voice your concerns with your primary care physician.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about obese children and the campaign to get them to be active 60 minutes a day which is a good thing. A child’s metabolism burns calories at a far higher rate than adults and therefore the 60 minutes of active play could be all that is needed to keep your child at a good weight. Of course a proper diet is also essential and for far too long we have allowed our children to consume massive quantities of junk food if you’ll excuse my use of "conehead" analogy.

It may be quite difficult to deprogram your child from junk food and reprogram them to a healthy diet, but it can be done if you make it a family mission. And if your health allows it, you too can join your child in that target session of 60 minutes of activity a day. Eating healthy and being active together not only provides the benefits for which it was intended, but it also allows family bonding which so many families have lost in this digital world we now live in.

And there’s one more thing that you might be interested in, and that’s learning to make the most of your mornings. That means eat a healthy breakfast everyday not only because it’s the most important meal of the day, but studies have shown that when you eat a real fortified breakfast, it will boost your energy level a lot more than them so called "breakfast bars." Remember, you are the best judge of how you feel and what you think is healthy for you and your family and diet and exercise is something you can control.

"Won't your baby develop abnormally without meat?" "How can a vegetarian diet keep a pregnant woman full?" "Wouldn't that be considered malnutrition?" Those are some of the questions people may be asking you. You may also be concerned about this yourself once pregnant or as you move along in your pregnancy.

Whether you’ve always been a vegetarian or are choosing to become a vegetarian while pregnant, the health of doing so is an important factor. During one of my pregnancies, most meats would upset my stomach, so I mainly ate vegetarian meals. I studied many references, as well as learned a great deal about being a pregnant vegetarian from my ob-gyn.

Is a Vegetarian Diet Safe During Pregnancy?

The short answer is yes. However, keep in mind that it has to be done right in order to be healthy. As long as the diet is balanced, as far as nutrition, and includes all the essential vitamins and nutrients required for pregnancy, it should be safe for a pregnant woman.

There have been concerns about consuming too much soy while pregnant. In fact, according to the Mayo Clinic, a birth defect in male offspring, known as hypospadia, may occur more frequently when the mother consumes a large amount of soy during pregnancy. Be sure to check with your doctor to determine the right amount for a pregnant woman, and more specifically, your body.

Many pre-packaged vegetarian foods, such as imitation meat products and tofu contain or are made entirely of soy. Because of this, when you are trying to limit soy while pregnant, it is best to prepare your own food from scratch, rather than buy pre-made vegetarian foods.

Proper Nutrition for Pregnant Vegetarians

Each person is different, so it is essential to check with your doctor about your personal nutritional needs while pregnant and how to properly maintain a vegetarian diet during your pregnancy. Your ob-gyn or other qualified pregnancy specialist may also recommend a medical nutritionist. Some vitamins that are important during pregnancy include Vitamin B12, Folic Acid, Vitamin D, and Vitamin A.

Vegetarian Weight Gain Concerns

It is often assumed that a pregnant woman cannot gain weight on a vegetarian diet That simply is not true, as long as the diet is a healthy and balanced one. If you are having trouble gaining weight while pregnant, it may or may not be related to your vegetarian diet. Always talk to your doctor throughout your pregnancy to ensure your diet is healthy for a pregnant woman, as well as to find the cause and solution for any weight issues you may have during the pregnancy.

Vegetarian Foods that are Filling

Some people have the false assumption that meat is the only food capable of creating a full stomach. That is not true. There are many foods that can be filling for a pregnant vegetarian. Foods do not have to contain meat to be filling. Here are just some of them.

Adapting Hospital Food to the Vegetarian Diet

Hospital meals are often centered around a diet that involves meat as the main course. If you are a pregnant vegetarian, you may want to check with the hospital before the delivery date. Even if the hospital does not have vegetarian options on their menu, they may still allow you to personalize your meal if you let them know your preferences in advance, while you are pregnant.

Some hospitals have pre-registration forms that you might fill out during the pregnancy. That is a good place to include personal preferences, such as diet and other health information. If you did not have time to check with the hospital while pregnant and you find yourself glancing at an all "meat-eaters" menu, talk to your nurse about your vegetarian diet. The nurse may be able to have the dietary staff prepare you a personalized meal, based on your vegetarian preference.

If not, the hospital cafeteria should have a few vegetarian options, such as salad, macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, french fries, cheese pizza, etc. If not, you may need your partner, a family member, or a friend to bring you some food during your hospital stay.

*I originally published this via Yahoo Contributor Network

Breast milk has long been the best way to nourish an infant. However, can it also play a role in providing nutrition and guarding against disease in adults as well? It would seem that if it prevents breastfed infants from contracting certain diseases and illness that it just may do the same for others as well. In fact, there are people who are using this controversial form of nourishment to help guard against certain illnesses and even to help fight certain diseases and conditions, like Cancer and Crohn's Disease. So, is there a real benefit?

Possible Benefits

While there is no documented evidence specifically on using breast milk in adults, there is however, a real possibility that breast milk compounds could cure cancer. In 1995, scientists at Lund University used a compound found in breast milk called human alpha-lactalbumin to kill brain tumor cells in a test tube. It seemed to have worked. The same research team, in 2004, used the breast milk compound to destroy many warts caused by HPV, creating the possibility that it could be used to treat cancer caused by HPV.

Howard Cohen, diagnosed with prostate cancer, drinks breastmilk in smoothies and believes that it has helped put his cancer into remission. A woman named Patty uses breast milk to help treat her 15 year old son for Crohn's disease. She claims that using the breastmilk has helped to control her son's dietary habits and other symptoms, so that he could again return to a normal weight. Many Crohn's patients suffer weight loss from frequent bowel movements and other dietary symptoms.

Many believe breast milk can heal or help conditions such as cancer, Crohn's disease, infections, rashes, and more. Breast milk is already used by many as a topical agent for many different skin ailments, however drinking it beyond the infant stage is not widely discussed.

Possible Risks

The main risk that comes to mind for the use of breast milk by adults is that if the milk was used from an unknown source, there might be a risk of catching a disease if the woman who supplied the milk had a disease. There could be other risks, but since little to no scientific study has been done on adults using breast milk, it would be impossible to say for sure what other risks may be present.

Another problem lies in the fact that even if an adult has the need for breast milk and knows someone who is lactating, they may not be comfortable asking that person and if they do ask that person, she may not always be willing to donate her milk for that purpose. That's when the adult has to seek out alternatives like milk banks, which may or not provide breastmilk to an adult with or without a prescription. Also, if they do get the breast milk from a milk bank, they do not know the source or whether she had diseases or not. Milk banks will screen their donors. However, as with any test, there is risk of inaccuracies.

That said, the main possible risks regarding health is the fact that risks are unknown, coupled with the fact that some diseases might be undetected and be spread through the breast milk.

Why Not Try It?

Some people might be hesitant to do this for many reasons. Fear of ridicule could cause a hindrance for many people. Fear of the unknown could be another possible reason for people not wanting to try this. Still others might just be grossed out even by the thought of it. They may think it is either unsanitary or just eerie. There could be many reasons a person might not want to try this. Also, there is the lack of convenience, as there are very few breast milk banks willing to provide breast milk for adults with prescriptions. Most breast milk banks supply only to preemies or infants with otherwise weakened immune systems.

The Decision

When deciding whether or not this is an option for you, all factors must be considered. Think about whether this will gross you out, whether what your family and friends think will matter to you, and weigh all the risks associated with doing this. Also, a medical professional should always be consulted in your decision. Not only will the medical professional tell you if it's needed and whether it's right for you or not, but in most instances, you cannot be supplied with the breastmilk without a prescription. Whatever decision you choose, be sure you are comfortable with it and any situation that may arise from the choice you have made.

*I originally published this via Yahoo Contributor Network