Have you taken the Go Folic survey yet?

August 4, 2011 at 3:38 pm (About Go Folic!, Community Contributors, Polls, Reader Opinions)

In case you haven’t heard, Go Folic wants to know what you think about our websites.

Not only do we want your feedback, we also want to pay you for it!

Take 5 minutes and answer some short questions and you’ll have the chance to win one of three $100 Visa Gift Cards from Go Folic!

Right now, your odds of winning are pretty good.  Let’s just say you have a better chance of winning $100 from Go Folic than you do of winning the lottery, getting struck by lightning, finding a four leaf clover, or getting pregnant unexpectedly (OK maybe not that last one).

So take our survey and win some money!  It will really help us out and make the stuff we post online even better.

You can find our survey here!

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How to: Talk Up Eating Healthy Without Being a Buzzkill

August 3, 2011 at 12:56 pm (Food & Recipes, Nutrition, Reader Opinions)

Hopefully you’ve been able to try out some of our tasty and healthy Go Folic recipes (like the ones here on our blog and in our Folate-Full Easy Recipes and Snack guide).  But what if your friends and family don’t want to eat healthy or take folic acid supplements?  In fact, what if they tell you to mind your own business when it comes to their health??

It’s not easy to talk to your friends and family about making healthy lifestyle choices.  While you want to respect their choices, you also care about them and want them to be as healthy as possible.

Fortunately Darya Pino of Summer Tomato has got some helpful tips on how to talk to your friends and family without seeming like a total jerk!

  1. Don’t get defensive:  The worst thing you can do when some criticizes you for ordering a salad is to get defensive and start preaching your nutritional superiority.  Whatever you do, keep an upbeat tone and maintain perspective. Not everyone understands the importance of their daily food decisions, and they aren’t going to change their mind by being criticized.  Instead of:  “At least I’m not going to have diabetes by the time I’m 40!”Try:

    “Actually the salad here is tasty as hell, have you tried it?”

  2. Use humor:  Without getting defensive, you can still jab back a bit so long as it is clear you’re being playful and joking. If someone asks why you aren’t eating from the giant Costco tub of brownie bites, cracking a joke about how it isn’t your vice of choice today can break the ice and get the attention off your healthy decision.  Instead of:“Eeeewwwww. Haven’t you ever eaten a REAL brownie?”Try:“Thanks, but I’m saving my heart attack for the weekend.”
  3. Happy honesty:  It’s hard to say bad things about someone who is clearly happy and at peace with their decisions, especially if it’s clear you aren’t being motivated by your ego. Instead of:“I’m choosing salad because I’d really like to lose 10 lbs this year so I don’t end up looking like you.”Try:

    “I’m just trying to eat a little healthier these days to see how it makes me feel.”

  4. Share alike:  If you know in advance you’re going to be bringing your own food, you have the advantage of having a meal that looks, smells and tastes much better than anything your friends will find at the corner sandwich shop. Show off your amazing new flavors by bringing enough of something delicious to share.Instead of:“Yuck, I can’t believe you’re eating that disgusting excuse for a calzone.”Try:

    “Have you tried the mandarins from the farmers market this season? They’re freaking amazing! Here, I have an extra one.”

  5. Don’t overwhelm with advice:  No matter how tempting it is, don’t be the reverse jerk. Only offer nutrition advice to friends if they seem somewhat open, otherwise you may totally turn them off. The best thing you can do to help your friends is show them what good healthy food looks and tastes like by setting a good example, then let them watch for themselves as you lose weight and get in shape.  Instead of:“You know, that Lean Cuisine isn’t going to help you get rid of those thunder thighs.”Try:“Wow, I have lost weight! Thanks for noticing! Yeah, I’ve been reading this site called Summer Tomato. It’s great, you should check it out.”

How do you deal with friends who don’t want to switch to a healthy lifestyle?

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Contest Alert – Go Folic Survey!

July 22, 2011 at 11:52 am (About Go Folic!, Contests, Health and Technology, Polls, Reader Opinions)

We here at Go Folic are excited to invite you to participate in a new survey – and have a chance to win $100!

We’ve been working hard to get the word out about folic acid via Facebook, Twitter, and our website.  But we want to make sure that all our Facebook fans, Twitter followers, and website visitors feel like they’re getting the stories, information, and features they need in accessible ways.

That’s where our new survey comes in.  Please take about 5 minutes to answer all our questions.  Your answers will be completely anonymous, but we’ll use your feedback to bring you new information and features on our websites.

Once you finish the survey, you will be redirected to a different page where you can enter your name and contact information into our drawing.  We will be giving away $100 Visa Gift Cards to THREE lucky survey participants.

We’ll be closing the survey soon, so check it out now!  Click here to take our survey!

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CONTEST ALERT – From our friends at ISIS, Inc.!

July 6, 2011 at 2:10 pm (Contests, Health and Technology, Health Events, Reader Opinions, Reproductive Health, Teen Health)
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We all do little things to keep ourselves healthy.  Some of us walk to school or work instead of driving.  Sometimes we turn off the TV and head outside.  Some of us even take multivitamins with folic acid!

What creative things are you doing in your life to make yourself healthy?  Our friends at ISIS, Inc. want to hear all about it!

Today is for Tomorrow is a preconception health campaign for young women (ages 16-24) in California. Preconception years are the years where you could get pregnant, choose to get pregnant, or are in between pregnancies. Not planning to get pregnant anytime soon? That is okay, staying healthy starts way before ever deciding to have a baby, and most of the small changes you can make today can make a big impact on your tomorrow.

If you’re a young woman between the ages of 16 and 24, you’re eligible to enter ISIS, Inc.’s Today is For Tomorrow contest.  Let ISIS, Inc. know – in 140 characters or less – what things you do to keep yourself healthy.  You’ll have a chance to win a $2,000 scholarship, Nintendo Wii, or other great prizes.

Contest ends July 10th (24th!*), so hurry to www.todayisfortomorrow.org to submit your entry!

*Contest deadline has been extended until July 24th!

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Nutrition Notes: Are Advertisers Controlling What We Eat??

November 19, 2010 at 1:05 pm (Food & Recipes, Nutrition, Reader Opinions)
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At Go Folic! we always have an eye on what’s going on in the world of nutrition.  That’s because we know that good diet choices are important to the health of teen and adult women.  Lately a lot of people have been writing about the affects of advertising on our food choices.

Last week the Los Angeles Times wrote about the increase in fast food advertising to young kids.  “Exposure to fast food advertising is escalating, according to the report. In 2009 preschoolers saw 56% more ads for Subway, 21% more ads for McDonald’s and 9% more ads for Burger King, compared with 2007.  Children age 6 to 11 saw even more: 59% more ads for Subway, 26% more for McDonald’s and 10% more for Burger King.  The report also found that African American kids and teens are exposed to at least 50% more fast food ads than their white counterparts.”

It’s pretty scary to think that fast food companies are targeting kids as young as pre-school, especially when most of the food is high in fat, sugar, and salt, and very low in nutritional value.

Another interesting article was written recently about teens and sports drinks.  The article reported that teens think that sports drinks are healthy.  However, sports drinks have high sugar content and low nutritional value.  So they are really not healthy. The article reminded us a lot of our Clinician’s Corner post about the problems with energy drinks.

is this gatorade good for me?From the Medline Plus article: ” ‘Adolescents who engage in an otherwise reasonably healthy lifestyle with lots of physical activity and a healthy diet still consume large amounts of sugar-sweetened beverages in the form of flavored and sports beverages,’ she added. ‘We believe that this is due to successful marketing that has led consumers to see these beverages as healthy.’ “  Read the full article and learn more about the study here.

Just because something is marketed as healthy does not always mean that it is good for your body.  It’s important to look carefully at the ingredients and nutrition label for everything you eat or drink.  That way you can make a smart decision for yourself, rather than follow what the advertisers tell you.

Let us know what you think in the comments below!

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What else should I know? – Tips on Going Folic!

June 18, 2010 at 2:36 pm (Reader Opinions, Vitamin Facts)
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Yesterday the Go Folic! Team attended a great training by Laura Brainin-Rodriguez.  Laura, who consults with Go Folic!, has a Master in Public Health and Science, and is a Registered Dietitian.  Laura gave us a refresher on the latest science behind folic acid and why it is important for our health.  She also shared some useful tips…

The Vitamin B Complex is complex

Nutrition is a very complicated science.  Many factors affect how well our bodies absorb nutrients.  This means it is important to look at the big picture.  Folic acid for instance, is best absorbed when taken with other B vitamins.  That is why we give out free multivitamins to San Francisco women instead of folic acid supplements.  Some things can block the absorption of folic acid, like caffeine and alcohol.  Be aware that if you take your vitamin in the morning with a cup of coffee you may be getting less than the full amount of folic acid.  For more tips on the best way to take your multivitamin, read Barbara’s post here.

If your doctor has told you to take folic acid for a health problem…

Be sure to follow -up.  Your doctor might recommend taking folic acid if you have a health concern like anemia or folic acid deficiency.  If you are diagnosed with these conditions and start to take folic acid, remember to ask your doctor to check for improvements at your next visit.  There is no “magic vitamin” to cure all problems.  You may need to try more than one solution to find what works best for your body.  Make sure to take an active role in your health by following up with your health professional.  Click here for some tips on how to talk to your doctor.

If you don’t have a health problem, we still recommend taking at least 400mcg of folic acid a day for healthier hair, skin, and nails.  Click here for more information.

Nothing is better than a good diet

Even if you take all the vitamin supplements in the world, there is no substitute for a healthy balanced diet.  Fruits and vegetables are naturally packed with vitamins that improve your body, energy level, and appearance.  Eating right can also help you shrink your waistline and fatten your wallet at the same time.  Click here for some easy tips on how to get more fruits and veggies in your diet and here for some money-saving tips.

Laura’s knowledge is a great resource to the Go Folic! Women’s Nutrition Project, and we are lucky to have her expertise nearby.  We are also happy to announce that she has agreed to write some guest articles for the Go Folic! blog!

So…what else should you know?  Comment below and tell us what topics YOU would like to know more about!

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New Survey Says Teens More Accepting of Parenthood – What Do You Think?

June 3, 2010 at 6:10 pm (Healthy Women Bios, Pregnancy, Reader Opinions, Sex)
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Photo from MTV's Show, "16 and Pregnant"

From MTV's Show, "16 and Pregnant"

As you probably already know, if a woman gets pregnant and decides to continue the pregnancy, and if she’s already been taking folic acid, it will reduce her risk of having a baby with some serious birth defects. Before starting our campaign to get the word out about folic acid, we talked to a lot of women.  Most told us that they didn’t really want to hear about the pregnancy benefits of folic acid.  Especially women who were in their teens and early 20′s.  Some even said that talking about pregnancy when they didn’t want to be pregnant made them feel jinxed.

So we were surprised to learn yesterday from Reuters News Service about the results of a new CDC survey.  Between 2006 and 2008, researchers held in-person interviews with 1,381 girls and 1,386 boys ages 15 - 19.  The last year that they did the survey was 2002.  Between 2002 and 2008 youth’s opinions about teen parenthood changed a lot:

  • The percentage of male teens who responded “agree” or “strongly agree” with the statement “It is OK for an unmarried female to have a child” rose from 50% in 2002 to 64% in the most recent survey.
  • The percentage of teens who said they would be “a little pleased” or “very pleased” if they were to get pregnant or get a partner pregnant was 24% of sexually experienced males and 22% of sexually experienced females.

Being a parent is hard and in today’s economy, it’s also expensive.  Being a parent when you’re in your teens and don’t have a lot of resources can be even harder. We know of many women (and some men) who have become parents when they were young and done an incredible job.  Take, for example, Kelly Wickham, who had her first baby at age 15 and blogs under the name Mocha Moma.  And San Francisco has the Family Service Agency’s Teenage Pregnancy and Parenting Project, a great program that helps young parents.

Still, it’s hard to be a teen mom.  Take it from the girls who have appeared in MTV’s top-rated reality show, “16 and Pregnant“.  MTV states, “Each of this season’s stories offered a unique look into the wide variety of challenges pregnant teens face, dealing with issues like birth control, adoption, single-parenting, marriage, finances, high school graduation and employment.”  If you haven’t seen the show, or have missed some of this year’s segments, you can view all of this seasons episodes by clicking here.

All of that said, the birth rate among San Francisco teen women is about half the national average.  So what do you think?  Is it OK or not OK to become a parent in your teens? Why do you think the rates are so much lower in San Francisco than in other cities?  We’d love to get your opinion!

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