YOUR GUIDE TO GREAT HEALTH!
*128 PAGES OF LIFESTYLE INSPIRATION*
September/October 2009 Vol88 SOUTH AFRICAN EDITION R19.95 Other countries R18.95 (excl VAT) www.weigh-less.co.za
Mind your manners etiquette A-Z How 4 ladies lost 20kg Hands up for health n The ins and outs of Diabetes n What fiber does for you n A health food friendly home
2 Steps ahead with
Weigh-Less Vegetarian friendly recipes Getting that summer glow without the UV rays Getting that summer glow without the UV rays
E IG
H-LES
S
Encourage your child’s ...
Take a mental ...
The new F worD
EIG
A
&
W
GE
H E A LT H
MENT
W
HT MA
N
HEALTH BITES BITE SIZE INFORMATION ON THE FRESHEST HEALTH NEWS AVAILABLE!
Breast beauty
Supplement scene Food isn’t what it used to be. Farming methods, pesticides, genetic engineering, transportation and bad eating habits have made supplementation increasingly important. It is no longer always possible to get all the necessary nutrients solely from food. Sportron, a leading company in the promotion of wellness, incorporating FoodState® Technology, has a range of vitamin and mineral supplements as well as product offerings for home, skin and body to help maintain optimum health. Sportron is available from agents nationwide or from the Sportron office. Visit www.sportron. co.za or call (011) 317 8300 for more details.
In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness month we encourage all our female readers to get into the habit of doing regular breast examinations and to schedule a visit with the Gynaecologist once a year. A good way to keep your breasts in check is by applying a bust cream daily. Not only does it nourish the delicate skin surrounding your breasts and décolletage, it helps to familiarise you with the shape and contour of your breasts, making any lumps or skin irregularities easier to detect.
Kanebo Sensai Cellular Performance Throat and Busting Lifting Effect, R970
Up for grabs Sportron is giving away four hampers to lucky Weigh-Less readers. Send your name, address and daytime telephone number to Crazy Daisy/Weigh-Less Sportron promotion, Postnet Suite 293, Private Bag x5, Norwood, 2117. Innoxa Firming Neck & Bust Treatment,
Did you know? Removing painful teeth may also help relieve arthritic pain, that’s according to US research that found a link between gum disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Apparently, gum disease is common amongst rheumatoid arthritis sufferers and vice-versa, making regular dental checkups and mouth care an important part of maintaining and treating both conditions.
Sources: www.thevoiceclinic.com; www.webmd.com
R139.99
Tea time Tea lovers are in for a treat with the recent launch of Midi Tea. Cultivated in the Limpopo Province, Midi Tea is produced by South Africans for South Africans and is available in three variants: Midi Gold Tagged tea bags, Midi Tagless tea bags and Midi Leaf loose tea. Tea is recognised for a range of health benefits, including containing antioxidants. And, a study found that heart patients who drank four cups of black tea every day, for one month, experienced an improvement in blood circulation!
How about that! The Voice Clinic suggests people diversify in order to help raise happiness levels. “Studies show that the happiest people often have several things going on in their lives at once. They have a career, a relationship, a hobby, social activities, and an exercise routine. They volunteer, meditate, learn new things, etc. So, if one area of life goes awry, there are plenty of others to help them cope – and – that are still going well!”
Dangers lurking in the bathroom It’s a good idea to keep a close eye on your kids at bath time. As many as 43 000 American children are injured in the bathroom every year!
Why friends are good for you Clarins Bust Beauty Extra Lift Gel, R480
A 10-year study in Australia has revealed that people with a large network of friends outlive their less social counterparts by 22%!
39
WEIGH-LESS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER www.Weigh-Less.co.za
French women are fat
Go goji
Well, if you live in France you may believe this. A new study has concluded that women in France who are in fact clinically underweight view themselves as overweight, with only half of them thinking that they are too thin. For other Europeans the opposite is true – a number of women from Spain, Portugal and Britain who see themselves as skinny or slim are in fact clinically overweight. “This shows that what people consider an ideal weight in France is lower than in other countries,” said the study’s author Thibaut de Saint Pol, a researcher at France’s National Institute of Demographic studies.
There has been a lot of recent hype about this little ‘wonder’ fruit of late – and for good reason! The goji berry or wolf berry, as it is often called, is in fact part of the eggplant, potato and tomato family and is commercially cultivated in China. The part of the cultivated plant that is eaten is the berries – which are a bright orange-red colour and are about 1,5cm long. They are full of tiny yellow seeds and ripen during the summer months. The berries are ripened, and dried and eaten as a snack or as a dried fruit mixed into breakfast cereal. They have the same shape and texture as raisins and have a mix of sweet and sour flavour. Now we know what they are, but why the hype?
“If a French person who feels fat were to go to the United States – he probably wouldn’t feel fat anymore”, he said. The study also shows a big difference in weight between the sexes. In Western Europe the average weight of men tips the scale into the overweight category – except in France and the Netherlands. In contrast the average weight of women in Britain, Greece and Portugal are the only ones that tip the scale. The study also goes on to say that France is the only Western European country where both sexes are in the normal or healthy weight bracket, but also shows that it is the only country where more than 5% of woman fall into the underweight category. For women, he said, “the body is related to beauty, and beauty to being thin. For men, however, carrying weight is felt in oneself and perceived in others - consciously or not – as projecting strength. This is especially true the further down one goes on the socioeconomic ladder,” he said.
70
WEIGH-LESS JULY/AUGUST www.Weigh-Less.co.za
Recent studies have proved that goji berries have a high dose of antioxidants and the extract may prevent the growth of cancer cells, lower cholesterol and reduce blood glucose levels. It is also full of amino-acids – which are the building blocks of protein. It is also high in vitamin C, B-complex vitamins and vitamin E. Sound too good to be true? Only time will tell, as a lot of the tests are still in the laboratory testing phase. You can find dried goji berries and goji berry juice at health food stores and Chinese herbal stores.
Top 5 winter foods Stock up on these and have a happy, healthy and tasty winter!
Citrus fruit – full of vitamin C. Butternut – good source of beta-carotene. Fish – full of Zinc. Oats – low GI and healthy. Garlic – for its antibacterial properties – and it tastes good! “One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” – Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright.
Did you know? Combining vitamin C with iron rich foods is the best way to maximise iron intake – so have a glass of orange juice or some tomatoes next time you eat a juicy steak.
Sources: health24.com, altmedicine.about.com, nms.on.ca
Top tips for raising healthy eaters It’s not often that you hear children asking for veggies or fruit or telling you that they would rather have a glass of milk instead of a soda, but raising healthy eaters can be easier than you think.
1. Avoid power struggles. ‘Because I said so’ is often the response when being asked why they must eat their veggies. Rather explain why they are good for them. 2. Let them participate. Children are more inclined to eat what they helped prepare. Let the younger members of the family wash the lettuce and pick the stalks off the grapes or even whisk eggs. 3. Reward the positive. Lots of love and kisses when they eat well will go a long way. Sticker charts and rewards will work for older children. 4. Repeat, repeat, repeat. It can take a child 20 or more times of seeing a food before they actually want to try it. This takes patience on your part, but is worth the wait. 5. Don’t bribe. Offering sweets and treats for eating well is not the answer. You do this and you will be handing out unhealthy sweets and treats every night after dinner for years to come. Sources: webmd.com, ourchildrensteeth.co.za
6. No snacking before dinner. Stop any form of snacking or drinking about an hour before dinner. You can’t expect your child to want to eat a healthy dinner if they have just finished a packet of chips and a biscuit. Snacks are to supplement meals – not sabotage them. 7. Be a healthy role model. You can hardly expect your child to eat a plate of greens and lean meat while you are filling up on junk. 8. Change the topic. There are plenty of other things to discuss at meal time besides your child’s eating habits (or lack there of). This places undue pressure on them, rather discuss something else. You try eating under a microscope and see how difficult it is. Keep away from the tooth fairy While believing in the tooth fairy or mouse is part of growing up, getting visits from them too early shouldn’t be. Children’s first set of teeth start making an appearance before their first birthday and just after they blow the candles out on their second birthday cake they will have 20 pearly white teeth. These will start falling out by the time they start primary school and a few years after that they will have a full set of teeth that they will keep for the rest of their life. Teeth are there for more than just smiling, they help you eat and chew and are used in the formation of certain sounds and words. Help your children look after their teeth by following these handy tips and hints:
Did you know? Children only have 20 teeth but grown adults have 32 and children have 300 bones in their body and adults only have 206.
n Try making their first dentist appointment before they turn two, it’s never too early to start looking after their teeth. n Find a child-friendly dentist, this will make the experience more enjoyable for both of you. n Don’t use the dentist as a threat if they are misbehaving, children should not be scared of the dentist. n Brush their teeth twice daily every day. This should be done by the parent until they have got the hang of it. n Don’t let them go to bed with a bottle of juice, cola, tea or even milk. This can stain and decay teeth quickly. Rather opt for water, or even better – nothing at all. n Children who are right-handed tend to brush the teeth on the left of their mouth better, the opposite is true for left-handed children. A little help may be needed for those hard to reach areas. n Flossing is recommended for older children.
15
WEIGH-LESS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER www.Weigh-Less.co.za
Reach out and make a change How often have you stopped at the robots to see a woman with a child on her back or a young child begging for money? Did you wind down your window and give them something or did you just drive right past?
They hope to empower people to find opportunities that address social issues such as: n Human rights and civil liberties n Hunger and poverty n Education and literacy n Health issues and medicine n Environment, ecology and energy n Conservation n Social enterprise and economic development You can visit the Mandela Day website at www.mandeladay.com and get more information on how to reach out to a fellow South African.
Random acts of kindness The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation was created in America in 1995, as a resource for spreading kindness. Privately funded, the foundation neither makes nor accepts donations, but simply provides free materials to people wanting to do a good deed or two. There are ideas for individuals and groups to use in the home, community and workplace – from buying a stranger a pizza to taking flowers to the office or handing out balloons to passersby. Some of the suggestions are free and easy, some are more complex and work to uplift the entire community – but all inspire people to practise kindness and pass it on. Email your act of kindness to info@actsofkindness.org or visit www.actsofkindness.org.
Do it day Nowadays, it’s so much easier to turn a blind eye to poverty than to make an effort to help. The number one excuse these days is the recession, yet you can still afford to go out for dinner while someone else starves? Making a change or contributing to society has got so little to do with money. Reaching out could mean reading a story to children at an orphanage, helping to paint the wall of a homeless shelter or just being there when someone needs you to be. Monetary donations or contributions usually start at about R10 and in most cases you buy something for yourself and the proceeds go towards the charity organisation. Nelson Mandela Day, Random Acts of Kindness and Do it Day are just some of the non-profit organisations that you can support.
Nelson Mandela Day In an effort to celebrate the legacy of South Africa’s former president, Nelson Mandela, 46664 and the Nelson Mandela Foundation are urging people all over the world to join them in a bid to create an official Mandela Day, which would be held on Mr. Mandela’s birthday each year, July 18.
Friday 18th September is Do it Day – the one amazing day each year when South Africans take time out to share their energy and skills with good causes around the country. Note it in your diary – this year is going to be the biggest Do it Day yet! It’s easy to make a difference on Do it Day – all you need to do is sign up online at www.doitday.co.za for a project in your city that you’d like to volunteer at and arrive on the 18th September. Whichever organisation you choose, this is your chance to reach out and make a change.
7 things that an average individual can do: • Get to know one neighbour you don’t. • Double your tip for the petrol attendant. • Give an unused book to someone who likes to read, but can’t afford to buy their own books or doesn’t live close to a library. • Volunteer at an old age home in your spare time to do a chore for them or to read for them. • Buy a car guard a take-away meal. • Donate clothes, books and toys to local children’s home. • Donate unwanted furniture to a shelter or find out if there are any needy families at your church.
19
WEIGH-LESS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER
www.Weigh-Less.co.za