10 healthy items to put in your purse

by Bethany Sanders (Subscribe to Bethany Sanders's posts)
Jan 14th 2008 11:15AM

Categories: Womens Health, Diet & Weight Loss

Want to know a little more about a woman? Look inside her purse. Mine, for instance, currently contains a wallet, cell phone, and small cosmetics bag. Pretty normal, right? It also holds arthritis meds for my dog, an inhaler, a diaper, three crayons, two sticks of gum, a plastic bracelet, a half eaten granola bar, and a small stainless steel water bottle. What does this say about me? I'm a busy mom for one. I also need to clean out my purse.

Today's handbags can be big affairs, more like bags than purses. And while you might be tempted to fill them up with things you don't need, why not instead put things in them that will improve your health on a day to day basis? Forbes has a few suggestions in this slide show titled 10 healthy handbag essentials. I know I'll be adding a few of their suggestions to my own bag, right after I get rid of that old granola bar.

Healthy items for your handbag(click thumbnails to view gallery)

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Comments (26)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Harry Asmen 1-15-2008 @ 2:33PM

WHAT ABOUT CONDOMS THEY HAVE EVERYTHING ELSE IN THERE !

Emily 1-15-2008 @ 2:46PM

Harry, condoms *are* one of the items listed. And as far as I'm concerned, it's about the only thing they've mentioned that you should have in there. Gym membership--useless. A waste of money you could spend better on vacation. You can work out at home, w/minimal expense. Snacks?? Granola bars and yogurt are supposed to be healthy? Yeah right. Maybe a piece of fruit or some peanuts, but how long is that fruit going to last in summertime? And what if it gets punctured or smooshed? Bottled water spells ecological disaster. You're better off carrying a small cup in your bag, and drinking from a tap anyway. It amounts to the same thing. Medications medications medications! this country is obsessed with pills!! Can't go a few hours without your happy pills, oh noez! As for sunscreen, just another ingredient in the cosmetic cocktail they would have us poisoning ourselves with. Wear a hat and some glasses instead, and soak up those vital nutrients (yes, the sun IS healthy! imagine that!). Medical records?? How big is this purse anyway? I don't even *like* carrying a purse - it's cumbersome and it can become a liability in any dangerous situation. Encourages theft too.

Jamie 1-15-2008 @ 3:18PM

Wow, you have issues...

alicia2801 1-15-2008 @ 3:00PM

I carry my wallet, keys, gum, and a MARK hookup. One side lip gloss, the other mascara. That's all I ever need! You can check out MARK hookups at www.youravon.com/apelletier

letrice 1-15-2008 @ 3:10PM

I KEEP MONEY, KEYS,LIP GLOSS,PAIN PILLS,CREDIT CARDS, CELL PHONE,MEDICAL INSURANCE,ID'S

Sue 1-15-2008 @ 3:29PM

I'm not carrying around a book and bottle of water in my purse everywhere I go. Sheeesh. Gotta think of my posture too. :P

Becca 1-15-2008 @ 3:43PM

i carry: Pencels (and pens) a small note pad, my money (comeplete with info, in case it gets lost), the ocational candy, time-of-the-month items, tylonal, my ipod, tube of lip gloss... and yeah, im a school student, so thats probably why my stuff sounds simple, and childish

Mark the Spark 1-15-2008 @ 3:53PM

Egg-style vibrator.......

Discreet and ready when you are!!!!!

Paulina 1-15-2008 @ 4:21PM

Just a note: I was suffering from shoulder and upper arm pain.....had Xray and was given Rx for moderate pain med and then I looked at the size and weight of my purse and cut back on size by buying a smaller handbag; smaller wallet (without a section for coins) and did a radical de-cluttering of my handbags as I changed them on occasion.
Guess what--pain that was almost disabling at times has completely gone away. I would suggest this for anyone who carries too much "stuff" in their purse. Maybe the excess but "necessary" stuff can be loaded into a tote type bag and kept separate in your car............just a thought. Happy New Year to all.........

Jenna 1-15-2008 @ 4:31PM

Some of these suggestions are ludicrous. Carry your entire medical history around with you? Why? In case you get the urge to tell complete strangers the date of your last mammogram and your cholesterol reading? Carry around a yogurt smoothie? Um, last I checked, these require a thing called refrigeration. Or is that why you need your medical records? So when they take you to the hospital for eating rancid purse yogurt, the doctors will have your complete medical history?

Morgan 1-15-2008 @ 6:16PM

It may sound odd, but if you were to pass out in the middle of the street (or have a stroke, or be hit by a car, or anything else that might impair your ability to communicate with responding firemen or paramedics), that medical history can speak for you when you can't. "Complete" may be overdoing it, but it's not a bad idea to have what medics and EMTs term a past PERTINENT medical history - i.e. serious or recurring medical complaints you have currently or have had in the past, allergies to medications, medications you are currently taking, etc. Patients may well be given intravenous medications before they ever get to a hospital, so unless they happen to collapse in front of someone intimately acquainted with their past medical history, it's a good idea to have as much information as possible for the prehospital care providers. Just a thought =)

jet 1-15-2008 @ 4:41PM

if i carried all the things the artivle says i should, i'd need a suitcase, not a handbag.
i already have to carry a fairly large handbag - i have asthma and am on several controller & emergency medications. i also have a date book, my checkbook, my wallet, a couple of pens, ibuprofen, a comb, mints or gum, my cell phone, eye drops, sunglasses - i would hate to weigh my bag.my asthma meds include 2 controller inhalers & my emergency quick-relief inhaler, 2 kinds of controller tablets. the inhalers take up pretty much space all by themselves. i would not know where to put food or a bottle of water. and anway, i am severely allergic to oatmeal, so the last thing i want or need in my bag is granola, & bottled waer tastes like plastic.
i keep trying to lighten my bag, & whoever came up with this list is trying to weigh it down again. yikes.

TruthBTold 1-15-2008 @ 4:49PM

What a stupid article....trying to tell women what to carry in their purses, gimme a break. Go tell that 75 year old granny to carry her condoms and gym memebership in her handbag, OR ELSE!!!! Stupid. And the article was brought to us by some nimrod whe carries a friggin' DIAPER in her purses....GEEZ.

ps. I also GUARANTEE that way more than 50% of US births are unintentional (unlike the article states)....just think of everyone you know who popped out a kid last year---how many were unplanned???? Nearly ALL of them if not ALL of them.

who knows 1-15-2008 @ 6:13PM

Unless you want to carry around multiple prescription bottles, it is not wise to carry pills around in your purse without the proper identification on them. If you ever get pulled over and your car is searched (or the cop sees unidentified pills in your purse while you did for your drivers license) you will be held for possession of a controlled substance.

And I agree with everyone about the weight of your purse! It's ridiculous to carry that much crap!

WackyWade 1-15-2008 @ 5:00PM

Despite all the feminist protests to the contrary, here is yet more proof women aren't as intelligent, or as useful, as men.

Where is the flashlight? There could be a power failure in a building, or on the subway.

Where is the Swiss Army Knife or Leatherman multitool? There is always use for a file, knife, or scissors.

A few safety pins can be lifesavers, especially in chickworld.

Pen and paper, even in the PDA age.

A scarf, the equivalent of a big bandanna in a man's pocket.

Vivi 1-15-2008 @ 5:25PM

I leave my purse at home. I carry everything I need in my wheelchair.

Jenny 1-15-2008 @ 5:56PM

I carry a knife and mace on my key chain can't be to careful these days,wallet, pens,gum,lipstick etc.....

Misaligned Pelvis 1-15-2008 @ 6:37PM

As a guy, I'd feel funny about carrying a purse, so I make do with a masculine-looking belt-pack worn on the hip, like a holster. Unfortunately, the Leatherman multitool, Streamlite L.E.D. flashlight, 12' measuring tape, pen, pencil, pocket calendar, meds pack, first aid essentials kit, checkbook, notepad, chapstick, and case with sunglasses all weigh in at a hefty four and a half pounds. Add to that my belt-clip of keys and separate cell-phone case, and I'm limping by the end of the day. Geez, I sure wish I could carry a purse without people wondering about my testosterone levels. (And, no, I can't do without any of that stuff.)

Aisha 1-15-2008 @ 6:53PM

Carry a messenger bag, it is bigger yet not a purse.

Annie 1-15-2008 @ 7:01PM

Reading the all these negative comments confirm the fact that people find it so easy to criticize but are so reluctant to compliment. I have not seen one positive piece of writing on this blog yet.
I think that this article was someone's product of time and energy in an attempt to HELP.
that should definitely be commended especially since I have not see as much kindheartedness as I would have liked in our society.
as for the "10 healthy items", they are just suggestions to the readers. the author is in no way TELLING you to do anything, and it is never an obligation to listen, although I feel people should be more open minded.
and they are quite reasonable if you think about it.
As a reader, y'all should at least have the courtesy to be thankful to the person who wrote this. If you did not find this article helpful or relevent to your lifestyle, there is no need to humiliate the author in such hurtful words.
Even if you didn't agree with or like this article, it has done nothing to you but perhaps have wasted a few minutes of your time, or more, if you decided to leave a mean comment.
So Bethany, good job.