Healthy Living

Sunday, 10 June 2012

Brushing

Do you leave an hour before you brush after a eating? Here's why you should. Most of us brush our teeth more than the daily recommended amount, dentists warn. And it’s doing our teeth more harm than good. Brushing within half an hour of eating a meal or drinking a cup of coffee could ensure your teeth suffer worse damage. After drinking fizzy or acidic drinks, the acid burns into the enamel of your teeth – and the layer below the enamel, called "dentin". Brushing at the "wrong" time – particularly within 20 minutes of finishing a meal – can drive the acid deeper into your teeth, corroding them far faster than they would have rotted by themselves. "However, after intra-oral periods of 30 and 60 min, wear was not significantly higher than in unbrushed controls," say the researchers. "It is concluded that for protection of dentin surfaces at least 30 min should elapse before toothbrushing after an erosive attack."

I've heard this before but I was not really aware what it's all about. I suppose, you brush your teeth whenever you can and you don't have to wait for 30 minutes lapse. But if you have time to spare, better fix that flat panel TV stands and then brush peggies. source: bodyandsoul.com.au

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Eat Fiber

I am not a fan of stringy food - I just don't like the texture of the food in my mouth. The best that I can do with food rich in fibre is eat fruit and veggies. Although, I have to really force myself to eat more. These reasons are just few of them. I know there are more. For now, I'm off to make breakfast with fibre at least while thinking about that Bose PA Speakers which I really don't need.

Fibre lowers cholesterol High cholesterol levels can lead to clogged arteries and a greater risk of heart disease, which kills more than 46,000 Australians a year. Thankfully, fibre can help. "Beta-glucan, a type of soluble fibre, binds to bile acids in your small intestines," Orla Hugueniot, a nutritionist with Nutrition Australia, says. "Bile acids normally carry LDL, the bad kind of cholesterol, into your body. Beta-glucan helps the acids excrete, rather than re-entering the body." Oats and barley are rich in beta-glucan. "Increase this type of fibre and you'll quickly see an effect. Just how quickly depends on whether you're on cholesterol-lowering medication, and how much saturated fat you're having in your diet," Hugueniot says. 2 Fibre helps you lose weight Being overweight or obese dramatically increases your risk of a range of life-threatening diseases, from cancer to heart disease and diabetes. "Fibre helps with weight loss because high-fibre foods keep you fuller for longer," Hugueniot says. "You're less likely to eat energy-dense or fatty foods." Switching to high-fibre foods is also a simple way to modify your diet without having to count calories. 3 Fibre prevents and manages diabetes All types of fibre help those with diabetes (types 1 and 2) and pre-diabetes, Hugueniot says. "Soluble fibre slows down absorption of carbohydrates in the stomach, which helps regulate blood-sugar levels, a fundamental part of preventing and managing diabetes." Soluble fibre's effect on cholesterol is also useful for diabetics, as they often have higher LDL levels than non-diabetics. Insoluble fibre is also associated with controlling diabetes, but we don't know exactly why yet, Hugueniot says. According to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures, diabetes contributes to almost 15,000 deaths in Australia a year. Diabetes can result in heart disease, circulatory problems and other health complications. 4 Fibre prevents colon cancer "Fibre increases the levels of the friendly bowel bacteria butyrate, which plays a role in preventing colon cancer," Hugueniot says. "Fibre also dilutes carcinogens and other harmful substances in our gut, and pushes them out of our body quicker, reducing our colon's exposure to them." Fibre-rich foods also tend to be high in antioxidants, which give general protection against cancer. 5 Fibre relieves constipation This isn't a life-threatening condition, but any sufferer will tell you it affects your quality of life significantly. It can also lead to more painful conditions such as haemorrhoids and diverticulitis, Hugueniot says. "It all comes back to digestion. If you have enough fibre in your diet, you'll have better overall digestive health." All types of fibre help – soluble fibre softens the stool, while insoluble fibre adds bulk. Both make bowel movements easier and more regular.

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Lemon-y

while I am at the topic of home scent and since I have ruled-out the use of scented candles, I must use home made non-toxic sorts. I know that lemon makes an excellent scent. It's just a matter of knowing how to make one. Found this simple way of making the home smell fresh from Our Red House blog.

Make a room deodoriser: Mix the juice of one lemon with 1L strong tea. Strain and store in an old spray bottle. Spray into rooms to make them smell fresh.

I have read a week ago that you can also mix the lemon juice to bicarbonate soda and store it in a container - this I presume to stop the lemon from smelling rotten. Here's more tips on how to use lemons.

Make a sweet treat: think lemon coconut slice, lemon tart, Moroccan lemon cake, lemon syrup cake, melting moments with lemon cream, lemon delicious pudding (an Aussie fave)or lemon meringue pie. Squeeze some lemon juice on fish, the only accompaniment that fresh fish needs. Preserve them: Sweet tooths will like lemon butter or curd, while savoury types may prefer to preserve them with salt the Moroccan way. Freeze the juice in ice cube trays for later use. The juice can also be used to make lemon cordial and home-made lemonade. Once the juice is frozen, the skins can be candied for use in cakes. Make a room deodoriser: Mix the juice of one lemon with 1L strong tea. Strain and store in an old spray bottle. Spray into rooms to make them smell fresh. Soak a lemon in lukewarm water. Squeeze out the skin and discard. Use as a hair rinse after shampooing. For a sore throat, make up a mixture of lemon juice, sage tea and honey and gargle before going to bed. Use half a lemon dipped in salt to clean brassware. A lemon can also be used to clean silver. A few drops of lemon juice will shine shoes.

Mind you, don't let the lemon drop on to your ipad screen while you're busy browsing and preparing for your lemon stuff. Would you need another lemon to clean it?

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Coffee?

Well, the coffee lovers will certainly rethink about their coffee consumption if this study is indeed true. I suppose there are upside and down to anything that we enjoy. And I thought, it was because of the saxophone strap or having a baby that caused mine to be the way they are. Go figure.

Coffee shrinks breasts: study Drinking just three cups of coffee a day can make women's breasts shrink, researchers say. Nearly 300 women were surveyed about their bust measurements and how many cups of coffee they drank in an average day. According to the Swedish researchers, three cups a day was enough to start making breasts shrink, with the effects increasing for every cup drunk. They said there was a clear link between drinking coffee and smaller breasts, as about half of women possessed a gene shown to link breast size to coffee intake. "Drinking coffee can have a major effect on breast size," said Helena Jernstroem, a lecturer in experimental oncology at Lund University in Sweden. "Coffee-drinking women do not have to worry their breasts will shrink to nothing overnight. They will get smaller, but the breasts aren't just going to disappear. "However, anyone who thinks they can tell which women are coffee drinkers just from their bra measurements will be disappointed. The problem is that there are two measures for a bra - the cup size and the girth - so you wouldn't be able to tell." It was not all bad news for women, as the researchers also found that regular hits of caffeine could help to cut the risk of breast cancer.

***** from taste.com.au

Happy Mother's Day

Today is my 5th Mother's Day. I am a not so maudlin type of person but I also admire and cherish this day. What I actually think is everyday should be Mother's day that's why we don't particularly celebrate occasion like this one. But I do wish some of these in the kidspot.com.au wishlist - they're not as expensive as a water fountain.

1. Vegetables as appealing as junk food Vegetables are not a sign of hate on a dinner plate. Kids, please eat them. Nothing makes a mother’s heart feel fuller than knowing a child is eating their full nutritional requirements. 2. A self-driving car Luckily Google is already on the case with inventing a driverless car. Just imagine being able to kick back in the passenger seat with a magazine and a beverage rather than yelling at the kids to be quiet and stop dropping more biscuit crumbs into the seat crevasses? 3. Full breakfast, French-style? As lovely as cold, burned sausages are for Mother’s Day breakfast, justb’s Pip Lincolne proclaims she only wants the jammy, buttery full French pastry breakfast option. And a French manicure too, please? And a French accent? French fries, even? 4. Bespoke, streamlined storage What woman with children does not sigh at the sight of streamlined storage? As Edible Garbage blogger Penny Flanagan says, “Storage has to be sleek and ‘bespoke’ so you can add quirky clutter and make everything look like a Pinterest picture “. Storage is also useful to allow mothers to delude themselves into a state of organisation. 5. A midnight sheet-changer An automatic sheet-changer should be mandatory in all households to solve those middle-of-the-night vomits, bedwetting or nappy explosions. A sheet-changer whose name isn’t mum, that is. 6. An eye in the palm of your hand Many mothers already have eyes in the back of their head, but think how useful an eye in the palm of your hand could be? You could be settling a baby over your shoulder and stretch out your hand to check if said baby is actually sleeping or about to wake up all over again. An eye in the palm of your hand would also be periscopey and perfect in the car when there is a wild rumpus in the backseat. 7. Narnia wardrobe Because who wouldn’t want a magical world of stylish clothes to appear when you open the wardrobe? Sometimes it would be nice to put on something fabulous, sneak away through the back of the wardrobe and do something wild like eat cake with a topless fella. If you can’t whip up a magic wardrobe, perhaps bake her this cake? 8. Guilt banishment Mums carry the weight of the world in their hearts. Whether they do A or do B, they will feel guilty. Even doing C will bring on the hot sweats and the ‘I should have’s. There is never a ‘right’ decision when it comes to their children … only a decision that needs revising every second or so. A guilt-free conscience really would be the gift that keeps on giving. 9. A nose-wiping machine Simply position the child’s streaming face in front of the machine, press ‘start’ and the Nose-Wiper (patent pending) does this tricky, thankless job for you. No mess, no endless hand-washing. 10. Unshared bathrooms Some alone time in the bathroom without little people pointing and asking ‘wot dat?’ would be bliss. Even an a shower long enough to conduct some maintenance – a grease and oil change if you will – where all shaveable bits can be shorn, flesh exfoliated, hair treated and entirely rinsed out and blow-dried. If you can’t rustle up any alonetime bathroom action, a holiday will suffice. 11. X-ray vision for school or kinder bags Essential for spotting notices (or mouldering food) in children’s bags whilst holding cup of coffee in one hand, tin of dog food in other and piece of Vegemite toast in mouth. Maybe a new cute coffee cup would be a good idea, too. 12. Secret hidey hole To stow favourite snacks in, because mum does get a bit tired of trying to find healthy treats the kids like (she doesn’t really ENJOY those chocolate-coated prunes hiding in the bread bin, you know?). And this secret hidey hole will not contain chocolate-flavoured worming squares, either. 13. A conversation concierge Mothers are boringly exhausted much of the time and would like someone to distill all the best things, thoughts, facts and places into bite-size pieces that can be recalled at just the right moment in an adult conversation. 14. No more degenerative disease While most mothers can cure anything with a kiss, we’re looking for that special person who can cure dementia. Kidspot’s community manager Tracy Hardy wants her mother back, please. 15. A lifetime of good hair days A space-aged pod which can fancy up hair and face in 30 seconds flat, thanks. This pod should sprout encouraging affirmations and pluck stray hairs from a chin or eyebrow. Alternatively, a Beauty Editor like Nikki Yazxhi to stow under the bed, like a tricksy trundle would work too. 16. Silence Most mothers have forgotten what it’s like. Go on, indulge her. 17. Terrariums A glass-encased indoor plant is the new millenium version of the African violet. All good mothers deserve the chance to kill house plants. 18. A zen sleep master One that wakes up and deals with the issues when a little one refuses to sleep and mum is too tired to face another broken night. 19. Mini Martha Stewart When there are not enough hours in the day, get her a Martha Stewart Mini-Me! Wind up this Mini-Martha and watch her whisk, stitch, dig and craft the bejeezus out of your home. Mini-Martha might even clean the windows. When you find this Mini-Martha, please send her to Kidspot. 20. iTechnology The Kidspot team deemed iGifts as top of their Mother’s Day wishlists this year – iPhones, iPads, iPods, iMacs and even iTunes gift cards hold more appeal than any old toaster or pair of slippers. Now there’s another iGift, the iRobot Roomba 530, a robot vacuum cleaner that scoots around the house cleaning up after messy people. Go on, tell us what you’d put on your fantasy Mother’s Day wish list? PS: Huge thanks to Pip Lincolne, Bronwyn Mandile, Ella Walsh, Linda Drummond, Rebel Wylie, Tracy Hardy and the Kidspot mothers who helped compile this list.

*****

Ambience

Does the ambience on the dining area affects your appetite? It surely does to me. I like a homey feel, a lived-in surrounds. Well, the food is not a question here. I like the smell of cleanical, hotel place but I still like the feel of homes.

I want a lot of space but if that is not possible, just a relaxing atmosphere is good. Currently, we don't have a patio dining table but I'll surely have one in the future when we have cleared out all the stuff in our entertainment area.

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Stretching

There's a big question of when to do stretching. Before or after the exercise. According to bodyandsoul.com.au, both can be good. Unless of course, sitting on afolding Adirondack chair is your next activity.

By Wendi Carroll "First published: April 8th, 2012" More How to avoid a sporting injury Stretch during the ad break Top five stretches Stay injury free when training 5 ways stretching benefits your health The stretch debate When is the best time to stretch? At what point in your workout will stretching your muscles benefit you the most? Stretching offers many benefits: mobility, injury prevention and stress relief to name a few. But when exercising, is it better to stretch before or after? The answer is both. Before exercise you need to warm up and dynamic stretching can be combined as part of the warm-up. The goal is to get the blood flowing and raise your body temperature a little. It's important to have your muscles, ligaments and joints experience the functional range of motion required of your sport during the warm-up. Movements such as arm circles, torso twists and hip rotations are examples of dynamic stretches. After your workout, it's time for static stretching. This is the time to relax, wind down and improve flexibility. Hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds and stretch consistently to see results. Focus on breathing during the stretch, using each exhalation to go a little further. Yoga is one of the best ways to include stretching in your workout. If you don't know where to start with stretching, a personal trainer can work out a stretching plan that suits your needs. By Wendi Carroll, Fitness First instructor.

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Takeaway

Most people who are weight conscious don't each much takeway. I'd say deprive but it may sound too strong - it just applies to me anyway. I like my takeaway a lot. But according to bodyandsoul.com.au, there are takeaways that you can enjoy every week. One is pizza. Pizza is really easy to make - and you can load it up with more veggies. And one can make it while checking up steel building specials.

Four slices of pizza each week Pizza doesn’t need mountains of processed meat and cheese to taste good. Accredited Practising Dietitian Margaret Hays says homemade pizzas contain far less calories and saturated fat than takeaway versions, and are a great way to increase your vegetable and vitamin intake. “If you’ve got a breadmaker you can make your own dough,” she says. “Or just buy pizza bases or pita bread. You’ll get more fibre and B vitamins with wholemeal bases.” To make a healthy pizza, cover the base in tomato passata and sprinkle vegies like pumpkin, mushrooms, capsicum and a little cheese on top. “You don’t have to go for low fat cheese, just use half a cup of cheese on a large pizza,” Hays says. Compared to most takeaway, this recipe contains less salt and saturated fat, plus it will give you a hit of folate, vitamin A and fibre.

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Treating Head Lice

For some parents, head lice is a big problem especially for girls. For now, I can say I am lucky as my little man has not enough hair to grow lice. But I can use this advise from bodyandsoul.com.au - just like high t review can benefit many those who wants to grow muscles.

Follow these steps at the first sign of head lice. Dr Cindy Pan discusses how to detect and treat head lice. (Q) There is a head lice outbreak at my child's school. What's the best treatment? (A) First, determine whether your child or any other family members (including yourself, I'm afraid) are affected. There may be symptoms such as itchiness. However, this can take weeks to develop, so don't wait for the presence of itch to make the diagnosis. Neither can you rely on seeing little lice running around on the scalp. They are so small it is hard to see them unless you have an extremely heavy infestation. The best way to detect head lice is to saturate the hair with conditioner (any cheap, light-coloured variety will do), then meticulously comb through the hair with a good-quality, fine-toothed metal nit comb. You can buy these inexpensive combs from pharmacies. Wipe the conditioner from the comb onto white paper towel and inspect for lice or eggs. Adult lice are little dark-brown insects about two millimetres long and hatchlings are lighter brown and smaller. The eggs (known as nits) are grey-white, up to two millimetres in length and attached to the hair shaft. You need to do this in good light (ideally bright sunlight) and a magnifying glass can really help.

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Balance

Yes, that word is really elusive yet everyone values it. But how do you define balance. I reckon, to each his own. I am not an expert on this topic and my process is a work in progress, but I am at the level where I feel as a family, we are alright. My secret, everything is routine. Unplanned activities are very rare. Mcj does a lot too, I wouldn't discount him doing some checking on the weber grill sale for lots of "daddy-cooking time".

Put yourself at the top of your to-do list "If you don't take care of yourself first, you won’t be able to do a good job of taking care of everybody," says Chanler, a mother of two. She likens self-care to the oxygen mask demonstration on aeroplanes. Although it feels counterintuitive, you are instructed to strap your mask on first, before your child's. That means that if, for example, you have a choice between doing the dishes or strolling with your baby, take the walk. Block out an hour in your diary each week for yourself and arrange your own play dates with friends at least once a month, too. "Parenting can be isolating, but other mums can give you help with issues you're facing and make you realise you're not alone. Friends who don’t have kids can help you connect with a part of yourself that existed before you had a family," Chanler says. Don't be a the clean Queen Full-time working women do over 33 hours of domestic chores weekly, while their male counterparts do about 16, according to a study published in Women Don’t Ask (Bantam) by Linda Babcock, Professor of Economics at Carnegie Mellon University in the US. To end the dreaded second shift, let some of the housework slide or ask your spouse and your kids for help. Doing chores actually helps build a child’s sense of competence. And if your standards are exacting, lower them.

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Healthy Living

Sunday, 10 June 2012

Brushing

Sunday, 3 June 2012

Eat Fiber

Lemon-y

Friday, 1 June 2012

Coffee?

Sunday, 13 May 2012

Happy Mother's Day

Monday, 23 April 2012

Ambience

Sunday, 22 April 2012

Stretching

Takeaway

Treating Head Lice

Balance

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