Letters to an Incarcerated Brother: Encouragement, Hope, and Healing for Inmates and Their Loved Ones
Page 31
Check product labels to learn how much food is considered to be a serving and how many calories, grams of fat, and so forth are in the food.
Below is a chart for food groups and servings per day, based on the daily calorie needs for most men and active women (about 2,200 calories).
FOOD GROUP
SERVINGS PER DAY
Bread, cereal, rice, and pasta group, preferably whole grain
9
Vegetable group
4
Fruit group
3
Milk, yogurt, and cheese group, preferably fat free or low fat
2–3
Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts group, preferably lean or low fat
2, for a total of 6 ounces
*Adapted from U.S. Department of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
Sources of calcium: Yogurt; milk; natural cheeses such as mozzarella, cheddar, Swiss, and Parmesan; soy-based beverages with added calcium; tofu, if made with calcium sulfate (read ingredient list); breakfast cereal with added calcium; canned fish with soft bones such as salmon and sardines; fruit juice with added calcium; soups made with milk; dark-green leafy vegetables such as collards and turnip greens.
Sources of iron: Shellfish like shrimp, clams, mussels, and oysters; lean meats like beef, liver, and other organ meats; ready-to-eat cereals with added iron; turkey dark meat (remove skin to reduce fat); sardines; green leafy vegetables such as spinach, collards, and turnip greens; cooked dry beans (such as kidney beans and pinto beans), peas, and lentils; enriched and whole-grain breads.
LIMIT FAT CALORIES CONSUMED PER DAY
TOTAL CALORIES SATURATED FAT
TOTAL FAT PER DAY IN GRAMS
1,600 cal/day
18 or less
2,000 cal/day
20 or less
2,200 cal/day
24 or less
2,500 cal/day
25 or less
2,800 cal/day
31 or less
Cutting back on sodium: Salt contains sodium. Sodium is a substance that affects blood pressure. High blood pressure and heart disease are our biggest killers. The best way to cut back on sodium is to reduce your intake of salty foods and seasonings. When reading a nutrition facts label, look for the sodium content. Foods that are low in sodium (less than 5 percent of your daily value for sodium) are low in salt. Just get into the habit of never buying salt or adding it to anything. Salt is used so much in everything we buy anyway, you won’t even miss it, I promise.
DAILY CALORIE AND FOOD PORTION CHART
Fill in boxes below with types of food/calories/fat/sodium content
Fill in boxes below with types of beverage/calories:
Overview of instruments and controls: Too many African-American men are being diagnosed with testicular cancer, diabetes, and other preventable diseases, and all because they don’t see a doctor regularly. Make sure you get an annual physical. Below is a list of things that your physician will check at your annual physical. Review your health history with your doctor. He/she will ask you about smoking, alcohol use, diet, and exercise. He/she will also check your vaccination status and update your medical history.
IGNITION SYSTEM AND TRANSMISSION
Things your doctor will check:
Your blood pressure should be less than 120 over 80. High blood pressure (hypertension) is 140 over 90 or higher.
Your respiration rate should be around 16; if it’s over 20, it can suggest a lung or heart problem.
Your temperature should be 98.6 degrees.
Your heart rate should be between 50 and 100.
Your doctor will check your general appearance, your memory, and the condition of your skin and nails. She will listen to your heart and lungs with a stethoscope. She will check your head and neck, teeth and gums, ears, nose, eyes, sinuses, lymph nodes, and carotid arteries. She may tap your abdomen to determine liver size and listen for bowel sounds with a stethoscope. She will check the pulse in your arms and legs.
Nerves, muscle strength, reflexes, balance, and mental state may be assessed.
A doctor can check each testicle for lumps, tenderness, or changes in size. A hernia exam and/or penis/prostate exam will be conducted.
Some doctors will order these tests: complete blood count, chemistry panel, and urinalysis. Unless symptoms already suggest a problem, however, these tests are unlikely to provide useful information.
A cholesterol test is recommended every five years. At age sixty, you should begin regular screening for colorectal cancer. People with immediate family members with colorectal cancer may need to be screened before age fifty.
Headlights: Have your vision checked regularly by an ophthalmologist or an optometrist. He will check your sight and also check for eye diseases such as glaucoma.
Audio system: Have your hearing checked by an ear specialist once a year. Try not to listen to really loud music on earbuds or headphones to avoid future hearing problems.
Other scheduled maintenance: Go to the dentist every six months. For healthy gums and teeth, between meals, eat few foods or beverages containing sugars or starches. If you do eat them, brush your teeth afterward to reduce the risk of tooth decay. Brush at least twice a day and floss daily, and use fluoride toothpaste and mouthwash.
Breaking debilitating habits: In The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg states that to break a bad habit, you have to create a new habit. “A new habit is created by putting together a cue, a routine, and a reward, and then cultivating a craving that drives the loop.” For example, if you want to start going walking in the morning, you have to begin with an easy cue, like putting on your sneakers first thing, and a clear reward, such as the good feeling of being more fit. Yet as Duhigg points out, only when your brain starts expecting the reward will it become automatic to lace up your shoes each morning. The cue must also trigger a craving for the reward that is coming. Duhigg also notes that AA works for alcohol addiction because the program forces people to identify the cues and rewards that encourage their addiction and then helps them create new alternative behaviors. It’s helpful to work through the steps for not only alcohol but any debilitating habits that you want to eliminate, such as smoking. And as with AA, it’s great to have a “sponsor” who helps you toe the line, particularly if it’s someone who has been through the same problems you’re dealing with.
Smoking and drinking: The best way to avoid a medical crisis is to prevent it! So take care of yourself. There are many measures you can take to help ensure that you will have a long, healthy life. Giving up smoking is one of the biggest things you can do to improve your overall well-being. Keep in mind that 50 percent of all long-term smokers will die of tobacco-related causes. About five million people die every year from tobacco use, and smoking will claim 500 million lives this century unless something happens to stop it. If you smoke, you really need to quit right now. Here is a checklist to help you quit.
GOAL
DONE
Think through each level of plan to quit
Research connections/organizations to help me quit smoking
Make a contract with myself
Set the stakes for failure
Quit smoking
Alcoholic beverages: Use only in moderation. Moderation is defined as no more than one drink per day for women and no more than two drinks per day for men. As a rule though, don’t drink every day. Choose three days a week you’ll have a drink; the other four, drink something besides alcohol.
Count as a drink:
12 ounces of regular beer (150 calories)
5 ounces of wine (100 calories)
1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits (100 calories)
ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION
Life insurance policy: Every person needs life insurance so that if something happens, their loved ones are not hit with funeral costs. Think of R. J. What would happen to him if anything should happen to you? You have to be sure to get a basic life insurance policy. Life insurance is the number one way to transfer wealth from one generation to the next. Most people from low-income communities view life insurance as unimportant, while they think that getting a home is the best way to transfer wealth to the next generation. Not true! Dollar for dollar, life insurance is a better investment. If something happens to you, your children need some financial stability. Life insurance can help with that.
Vehicle registration: Don’t take it at face value that being convicted of a felony makes you unable to vote. Be sure to research the local and state laws for voter registration for the formerly incarcerated. Voting is important. You need to work to elect people who will represent your interests. What makes this country the greatest country in the world is that it is a participatory democracy. But that only works when we participate. Too few ex-felons vote, even when they can vote. Seeing systemic change requires all of us to use the power of the ballot. Every time you don’t vote, you give away some of your power.
Warning lights: Insomnia is a warning that something is out of whack. According to the National Sleep Foundation, getting a good night’s rest is a key to being healthy and alert. Lack of sleep can lead to obesity, drug and alcohol abuse, and even psychological problems, so it’s good to nip an insomnia trend in the bud. Exercise can be an aid to sleep, so do get out and move around. Try to go to sleep at the same time every night if possible, and maybe even a little earlier than you’re used to doing, to make up for lack of sleep.
Gauges, meters, and service-reminder indicators: When your body sends you a signal that something isn’t working properly, think of that as a service-reminder indicator. For instance, if your knee gives out when you walk, you need to check it out with your doctor. Most people wait too long, till the problem becomes much worse or unbearable. We are living a new proactive life now, which means if you get a warning signal, you go to the free clinic immediately and get it checked out.
OTHER WARNING SIGNALS
Warning Signs of a Heart Attack
Chest discomfort: Most heart attacks involve pain or discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like fullness, pain, uncomfortable pressure, or squeezing. If you feel this, immediately chew an aspirin (it helps thin your blood) and seek medical attention.
Other discomfort in the upper body: Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, the neck, the jaw, or the stomach.
Shortness of breath: This may be with or without chest pain.
Other indicators: Breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, or feeling light-headed.
Symptoms of Stress
A rapid heartbeat or breathing
Sweating
Cold hands and feet
Feeling sick to your stomach
Dry mouth
Tight muscles
Feeling anxious, frustrated, or angry
Difficulty in concentrating
Not feeling happy or relaxed
Loss of appetite
Lack of sleep
Skin problems and getting sick more often (colds, flu)
Feeling tired and exhausted
Sex life is affected
CHECKLIST FOR STRESS
Note how often you feel stressed during the day and what your symptoms are. If you are feeling stressed often or every day, you should seek professional counseling or therapy.
Air-conditioning system: If you are feeling angry, here are some ways to “cool down.”
Don’t lash out. Try to do nothing or divert your attention.
Leave the area if at all possible. Suggest taking a breather or talking about the issue at a later time.
Count to ten.
Visualize a relaxing place or image.
Repeat calming mantras or phrases to yourself.
Track your angry reactions and what triggered them
DO-IT-YOURSELF MAINTENANCE
Tune-ups: Mental health is just as important as physical health. If something goes wrong, seek out help through therapy and support groups. Below are some ways to manage stress and other psychological issues.
Jon Kabat-Zinn’s books Full Catastrophe Living and Wherever You Go, There You Are are both good resources for information about mind-body stress-reduction techniques and meditation. He shows the reader how to do a “body scan,” mentally going over every muscle and paying attention to where you are tense. If you want to be calmer, have more inner balance, and have a clear perception of your everyday life, mindful meditation can really help.
Dr. Suzanne Kobasa of the City University of New York studied how people handle stressful events in their lives. She found that psychological hardiness resulted from three things: the person’s belief that he could influence his surroundings, being fully engaged in daily activities, and seeing change as a natural part of life that allows further development. These “hardy” people saw change as an opportunity, as opposed to a threat. You can increase your level of hardiness by asking yourself how your life is going right now and how it could be enriched in these three areas.
Journaling: Write down a statement that reflects a desire. How does that make you feel? How can you attain that desire? Try this with three different desires. Frame your goals in a positive manner to be more effective. Instead of saying, “I don’t want to do _____,” say, “I do want to _____.” Be specific in your goals, and think in terms of one small step at a time.
DESIRES AND GOALS
1.
2.
3.
Mistakes: Make a list of decisions that you have control over, versus things you do not. List how you handled these things in the past and how you plan to handle them in the future.
DECISION
HOW I HANDLED IT
IN THE PAST
HOW I WILL HANDLE IT IN THE FUTURE
Write in a journal: Over the next several days, take a piece of paper and write about your worst trauma, how you felt about it, and why you feel that way. Try to be completely open, honest, and vulnerable. Know that what you write is for your eyes only, so you can be totally honest. Be sure to write about why you think it happened and what good you might get out of the traumatic event. This kind of journaling can have lasting effects on both your physical and mental health and your outlook.
MY WORST TRAUMA WAS:
More writing: Write down your upsetting thoughts and feelings and the negative events that triggered them to help you analyze why you are feeling this way.
UPSETTING THOUGHT/FEELING
TRIGGER
Visual or sense-memory exercise: This can help when you are feeling blue. List three pleasant sense memories and recall them in vivid detail. Recall and use an experience you have had before through one of your five senses. Think about what it tasted like, looked like, smelled like, felt like, and sounded like. This activates multiple brain regions simultaneously.
PLEASANT SENSE MEMORIES
1.
2.
3.
Affirmations: Another approach to overall mental well-being is through affirmations, which are simply statements made today about how we see ourselves being tomorrow. The theory behind affirmations is that we can affect our subconscious by repeating positive attributes or goals. Some people repeat a word to themselves throughout the day, like confident or productive. Others say entire sentences every morning as they look into a mirror, such as, “I am confident that I will reach my goals. I am a creator of joy, happiness, possibility, and inspiration everywhere I go.”
THREE AFFIRMATIONS I WILL REPEAT EACH DAY:
1.
2.
3.
Other Ways to Ease Stress and Avoid Feeling Depressed