Feelgood 13-04-2012 by Evening Echo

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Feelgood

Friday, April 13, 2012

Smart move

How beauty and brains can work for women: 8, 9

NO EXCUSE

Your willpower is like a muscle – just ﬂex it: 4, 5

Picture: Getty Images

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TOP NOTE

Use your voice to lose your inhibitions: 6

GOOD CATCH

We taste ﬁsh cakes to rate the best: 12

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2 News front Kate O’Reilly WHAT’S ON ■ ROCK NIGHT: A Rock Night will be held in aid of Féileacáin (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Association of Ireland), featuring up and coming Irish bands-Grounds For Divorce, The Cedar Sound and The Black Stalks at An Cruiscin Lan, Douglas St, Cork, tomorrow night from 8pm. Tickets €10 from info@feileacain.ie ■ COMMUNICATION COURSE: Effective Communication for Better Relationships is an eight-week (20-hour) course, open to men and women, run by SHEP (The Social & Health Education Project). It will be held in SHEP, Ballincollig on Tuesday nights, from 7.30 to 10pm, from Apr 17. The cost is €50 (or €25 unwaged). For further information phone 021-4666180. ■ DIABETES PROGRAMME: The HSE Community Dietitian for Carrigaline/Passage West and surrounding areas will be running a free group education programme for people with type 2 diabetes in Carrigaline starting on Tuesday, May 22. The X-PERT programme is a six-week (2½ hours a week) interactive programme which aims to provide patients with the knowledge, skills and confidence to manage their condition. Further programmes will take place in locations throughout Cork and Kerry during 2012. To find out more contact the Health Promotion Department in Cork at 021-4921641. ■ MINDING THE MIND: St John of God Hospital’s popular free public lecture series Minding the Mind will run from Apr 16 to May 28 this year. The series will include talks on physical exercise and the impact it can have on mood and stress levels; the importance of sleep, eating disorders and adolescent drinking. Next Monday’s lecture Psychological Wellbeing: ‘Bad’ Emotions are Good for You, will be given by Dr Colin Gallagher, clinical psychologist, Saint John of God Hospital at the hospital campus on Stillorgan Rd from 8 to 9.30pm. More information and directions at www.sjoghosp.ie ■ CANCER MARATHON: Three members of Cork’s primary oncology team will participate in the 26 mile Marathon De Paris on Apr 15 in memory of cancer research pioneer, the late Professor Gerry O’Sullivan. The money raised by the team will go towards a new memorial fund that has been set up in Professor O’ Sullivan’s name, which will finance the creation of two fellowships at the Cork Cancer Research Centre. If you wish to support this initiative you can sponsor Dr Seamus O’Reilly, Jodie Battley or Alan O’Shea at www.mycharity.ie/event/_marathon_in_memory_of_professor_gerry_osullivan/ For further information contact Breakthrough Cancer Research on www.breakthroughcancerresearch.ie ■ ACTIVE RETIREMENT: A fashion show where all the models are aged 55-plus; a cookery demo by celebrity chef Kevin Dundon; and a health section providing free checks, advice and talks are just some of what’s on offer at the Trade and Tourism Show organised by Active Retirement Ireland (ARI). The show will take place at the Citywest Hotel, Saggart, Co Dublin, on Tuesday, Apr 17 from 12 to 6pm, and entry is free. There will be more than 70 exhibitors, covering tourism and heritage organisations, leisure facilities, the hospitality industry and active ageing groups. Further information is available at www.activeirl.ie or by calling 01-8733836. ● Items for inclusion in this column can be sent to koreilly8@gmail.com

FeelgoodMag

Feelgood

FeelgoodMag

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Babies fed solely on shop-bought foods may be found lacking in some vital nutrients, Arlene Harris reports

Missing out L

IFE can be pretty hectic for new parents — the constant schedule of feeding, changing, bathing and sleeping can leave even the most organised people feeling flustered. But while many busy parents relish the convenience of using shop-bought baby food instead of preparing separate meals for their infant, a new report claims that babies fed solely on this diet are missing out on vital nutrients and minerals. Researchers from the University of Greenwich analysed a selection of the leading brands and found that many of the meals were severely lacking, with some meals providing only 3% of the calcium necessary for a growing baby, and on average the meat-based meals contained less than a fifth of the required mineral levels. Quoted in the journal Food Chemistry, lead researcher, Dr Nazanin Zand said: “Babies have limited capacity to eat, therefore it is crucial that their foods are as nutrient dense as possible”. But Dr Roslyn Tarrant, clinical paediatric and research dietician at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, says it is important that not all prepared baby food is tarred with the same brush. “I don’t agree that ‘all’ commercial baby foods have a low nutrient value, it depends on the type of product and brand being referred to,” she says. “Many baby foods are fortified with nutrients but it is very brand

BABY FIRST: Report suggests some baby food can be severely lacking in minerals and vitamins.

Picture: ThinkStock

and product-specific. Also, an infant or toddler’s nutrient intake over a 24-hour period is based on total food consumption during that time — so focusing on the nutrient intake of one particular food is not representative of their total 24-hourly nutrient intake.” “For some parents, particularly for busy mums, commercially-prepared baby foods are an easy and convenient way of feeding infants and provide an additional option if home-made meals cannot be prepared. “But complete dependence on shop-bought foods for infants is not recommended for several reasons — it’s always best to have control over what is going into a meal, so home-cooking prepares the

toddler for proper family meals, she adds.” Daniel McCartney of INDI (Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute) agrees and says while pre-prepared baby food is not always a bad option parents should try to feed children with home-made meals if possible. “Obviously not all baby food products are covered in this study so it wouldn’t be accurate to say that it applies to all,” he says. “But while some products are very nutritious for babies, in an ideal world it is better to use home made food where possible.” The meals don’t have to be elaborate or difficult to prepare, he says. ● For more dietary information visit www.indi.ie

HEALTH NOTES Seven out of 10 pregnant women would rather not know the sex of their baby until it’s born, according to a survey of 100 expectant mums. The research was conducted by the organisers of the SMA Know How Pregnancy & Baby Fair, which is at the RDS, Dublin, this weekend — Apr 14 and 15 — and at Cork City Hall on Apr 21 and 22 (10am-6pm daily). The survey found that over eight in 10 expectant mums had planned their pregnancy and about the same number said they would be returning to work post-pregnancy. Tickets to the fair cost €10 per adult and are available on www.ticketmaster.ie. For more on the event — which features shopping, expert advice, professional services and entertainment — visit www.pregnancyandbabyfair.ie. With its 1 in 1,000 campaign, the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland (CFAI) aims to get over 1,000 women participating in the 2012 Flora Women’s Mini Marathon on Jun 4. The 1,000 runners will aim to raise €200,000 for vital isolation beds and new treatment centres in Dublin, Limerick, Drogheda and Castlebar. Among celebrities running for CFAI in June are Horse Outside star Madeline Mulqueen, TV3’s Karen Koster and 2011 Rose of Tralee Tara Talbot. To join the campaign, email runningforcf@cfireland.ie or Lo Call 1890 311 211. Registration for the Flora Women’s Mini Marathon ends on Fri, Apr 20.

www.irishexaminer.com www.irishexaminer.com

it’s possible to give people sweet dreams.

BABY SURPRISE: Most pregnant women don’t want to know sex of baby, according to new research. Picture: iStock One in five people report having trouble sleeping and 15% suffer from bad dreams, according to a UK ‘dream survey’. And survey author Professor Richard Wiseman is on a mission to help people have sweet dreams. The University of Hertfordshire-based psychologist is set to conduct the world’s first mass dream experiment, which will see him try to manipulate specific dreams in people. Using a free smartphone application, Dream: ON, trial participants will get a chance to improve and even influence the type of dream they have. Once the experiment’s underway, Wiseman expects to collect thousands of daily dream reports and use the feedback to see if

www.irishexaminer.com feelgood@examiner.ie

FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012

Women with type 2 diabetes or who are obese could have a higher chance of having a child with autism or another developmental disability, according to a US study. The study followed 1,000 two to five-year-olds and their mums for seven years and found that just over 9% of children of mothers with type 2 diabetes had autism, while over 11% appeared to have a developmental disability. The researchers believe high glucose levels during pregnancy may affect foetal brain development. However, experts urge against alarm, insisting more research is needed before a definite link can be established.

Taller women, as well as those who are obese, run a slightly higher risk of getting ovarian cancer, say Oxford University-based researchers. The review of 47 epidemiological studies in 14 countries found that a shorter woman will have a lifetime risk of about 16-in-1000 of developing the cancer — this increases to 20-in-1000 for a taller woman. “A similar difference in absolute risk would be seen when comparing a slim woman with a body mass index of 20 to a slightly overweight woman with a body mass index of 30,” said a spokesperson. Helen O’Callaghan

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In profile

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THE SHAPE I'M IN

Neil Delamere

Loyalty first C OMEDIAN Neil Delamere used to be a software engineer before he decided to quit and do stand-up. It’s why the Offaly funny man — best known for presenting Republic of Telly and for his appearances on RTE’s The Panel and BBC’s The Blame Game — really appreciates loyalty in friends and family. “When I gave up the day job, my family were great. My brother let me stay with him in Dublin and I didn’t have a car so my mother gave me a loan of hers to go to gigs. My friend lives in Nottingham and I used to go over to do gigs. I was only earning a minimal amount of money so I couldn’t afford hotels. I used to sleep on his floor and he’d cook me dinner. Neil says he has learned most about healthy living from his girlfriend, who has studied exercise and physiology, and his sister-in-law, who’s a physiotherapist. ● Neil Delamere performs his new show, Restructuring, in Cork Opera House tonight and in The Maritime Hotel, Bantry, on Saturday, Apr 28. For further info, visit www.neildelamere.com.

What shape are you in? I’m in better shape than I’ve been for a while. I just did the 5k run with Ray D’Arcy and I didn’t lose the lining of my stomach. I’ve been running a bit since Christmas. And I’m finally doing what women do all the time — looking at the back of packets to see what I’m eating. Do you have any health concerns? There’s nothing genetic to concern me. My aunt and uncle got Type 2 diabetes when they got older so in 30 or 40 years I might be looking out for that. What are your healthiest eating habits? I don’t really snack that much and I’m beginning to cook for myself a bit more than I used to. I don’t eat anything if I don’t know what’s in it. I’m trying to increase the amount of green in my diet, but I’m not one of those people who gets up in the morning and creates a beautiful salad — I just buy it for convenience.

I’d pick the ability to tan easily. Half my family tans and the other half doesn’t. Freckles explode when the temperature’s anything above 19 degrees Celsius. On beaches, you see Grecian gods and goddesses. And then you see the Irish — if they’re sensible — huddled under umbrellas on day one of their holiday. And if they’re not, you see them walking around on day two, looking like they’ve been tasered. When did you last cry? I don’t cry easily. I’m very much a typical repressed Irish male that way. Last time was probably the weekend Princess Diana died because that was the same weekend Offaly lost to Mayo in the Senior All-Ireland football semi-final. We’d just won the Leinster final for the first time in 15 years. What trait do you least like in others? Disloyalty is a particularly abhorrent trait. When you get to a certain age you rely on friends a great deal and they rely on you. One of the most important things is to know that certain people will be there for you. What trait do you least like in yourself? I’m far too impatient. I don’t do road rage, but I shout at people from my own little bubble. I’m quick to become impatient, but I’m also quick to regain my composure. Do you pray? No, not really. I think prayer can be very useful for people though. I’ve read about studies that show repetition of something has a very calming effect, whether you believe the words are really going to the Almighty or not. What would cheer up your day? I would defy anyone not to be immediately cheered, at least momentarily, by the unconditional joy and affection with which a dog greets you. Helen O’Callaghan

What would keep you awake at night? The irregularity of the life I lead. I get back late at night from gigs and, if I have to be up early next morning for a radio interview or photo shoot, I know I have to get to sleep immediately and I just can’t.

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To reach them, advertise in ‘Feelgood’.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party? I’d invite Stephen Fry. He’d be an excellent dinner guest because he knows everything about everything — he’s very urbane, erudite and sophisticated. I’d ask Gandhi because he wouldn’t eat a lot so we could probably get an extra few at the table. To balance out Gandhi, I’d invite Elvis because he’d eat Gandhi’s share and be massively entertaining. And I’d ask Jesus, Muhammad Ali and Eddie Hobbs.

Call Lori Fraser Tel: 021 4802265 lori.fraser@examiner.ie

What’s your favourite smell? My dad used to smoke Velvan Plug tobacco. It would come in a square and he’d cut it himself. It was like a little ritual. It was like cutting cheese and he’d break it down in his hand. It’d release a wonderful aroma. What would you change about your appearance?

Feelgood

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How do you relax? I mostly work weekends, so Mondays are my ‘weekend’. I do nothing but read the papers. I play indoor football on Monday nights and I’ve been doing it and meeting up with the same group of lads for I don’t know how many years. That lets me blow off steam.

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What’s your guiltiest pleasure? I love chocolate. If I had to give up chocolate or booze in the morning, I’d give up the alcohol. In that way, I have much more in common with my female friends. Raisin and biscuit Yorkie is my tipple of choice.

SWEET TOOTH: Neil Delamere has a fondness for chocolate.

FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012

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Taking advice

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Helen O’Callaghan discovers your willpower is like a muscle that uses up energy and that you can strengthen it with practice

Just get down and do it!

OUR intentions for today were good – a grand plan to be at the desk at 8.30am because of a looming deadline. Instead, you hit snooze four times, bypass the porridge for the cocopops, postpone your shower ’til lunch-time (you work from home) and finally show up in the office half an hour later than planned. With your willpower floundering on the floor, you decide to ease into the day by checking Facebook, responding to emails and googling the new series of Mad Men. An hour later you’ve done nothing to appease that deadline. It could be different, say Roy Baumeister and John Tierney, authors of Willpower, Rediscovering Our Greatest Strength. Baumeister – head of the Psychology programme at Florida State University – and Tierney, who WILLPOWER GURU: writes a science Roy Baumeister: column for The self-control is affected New York Times, believe willpower by everyday things. is like a muscle that can be strengthened and that it requires and uses up energy. One of the proofs for this, says Baumeister, comes from a lab experiment he conducted involving students, a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a bowl of radishes. The group of students allowed to eat cookies — who therefore didn’t have to use any willpower to resist temptation — afterwards worked for 20 minutes on a set of impossibly difficult geometry puzzles, whereas the group who’d been offered only radishes (and had to exert lots of willpower to avoid being tempted by the cookies their colleagues were eating) worked for just eight minutes on the same puzzles. “They’d successfully resisted the temptation of the cookies but the effort left them with less energy to tackle the puzzles,” say the authors, who argue that your body sends you signs when it’s not primed for self-control. “If you’d like some advance warning of trouble, look out for an overall change in the intensity of your feelings,” they say. Changes such as finding yourself “especially bothered by frustrating events or saddened by unpleasant thoughts or even happier about good news”. With your brain’s circuits not controlling emotion as well as usual, willpower is diminished, they argue. Maybe not a good time for that tête-à-tête with a difficult colleague about the project you’re both working on. Baumeister and Tierney also say that self-control has a physical basis and is dramatically affected by everyday things, like eating and sleeping, to the point where a life-changing decision may go in a different direction depending on whether it’s made before or after lunch. To maintain steady self-control and good willpower, they advise eating foods that convert slowly into glucose in the body (low

Feelgood

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Procrastination can occasionally be positive. If something is tempting you from getting down to work, like the zany photos your friends has just posted on Facebook, use a postponement strategy

Picture: iStock images

glycaemic), such as vegetables, nuts (peanuts, cashews), raw fruits (apple, blueberry, pear), cheese, fish, meat, olive oil and other ‘good’ fats. Baumeister points out that it takes 15 to 20 minutes after eating for energy to revive – so it’s best to schedule that budget meeting with your boss for half an hour post lunch. Nor is it a good idea to tough it out and go to work when you’re battling flu or otherwise unwell. Driving with a bad cold has been found to be even more dangerous than driving when mildly intoxicated, says Baumeister. “Your immune system is using so

much of your glucose to fight the cold that there’s not enough left for the brain. If you’re too glucose-deprived to do something as simple as driving a car, how much use are you going to be in the office? If you simply can’t miss a meeting at work, try to avoid any topics that will strain your self-control. If there’s a make-or-break project under your supervision, don’t make any irrevocable decisions. “If you start to feel sick, the most efficient thing is often to go to bed for 24 hours and let your immune system work rather than keeping going and working at an impaired

FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012

level.” Pointing out that adults routinely shortchange themselves on sleep — resulting in their having less self-control at their disposal — Baumeister cites a study that found workers who weren’t getting enough sleep were more prone to engage in unethical conduct on the job. The radish and chocolate chip experiment put the kybosh on the notion that we use one reservoir of self-control for work, another for dieting and another for being nice to our family, says Baumeister. “Two unrelated

Tips to stay on top of it all

Reach your goals at work

The first step in self-control, say the Willpower authors, Baumeister and Tierney, is to set clear, attainable goals. Make a plan, including specifics of time, place and opportunity, so as to avoid the phenomenon of monkey mind — where your mind, with a dozen things to do, keeps leaping from one to the other. “When you have several deadlines, make a plan for dealing with each so you don’t get intrusive thoughts while working on one. The unconscious mind is shaped to say ‘you haven’t done this’ — having a plan seems to satisfy it,” Baumeister tells Feelgood. The authors urge getting active with the plan. Decide what’s the specific Next Action (NA) for each project. Instead of jotting down a vague ‘do taxes’ or ‘write report’, put the NA — ‘call accountant’, ‘get feedback from particular work colleague’. Baumeister and Tierney refer to Getting Things Done: The Art Of Stress-Free Productivity, a book by David Allen, who — when it comes to work — is a fan of the four Ds: do it, delegate it, defer it or drop it. From Allen, the authors also picked up the Two-Minute rule — if something will take less than two minutes don’t put it on a list. Do it and immediately get rid of it. Exercising self-control in one area of life seems to improve other areas, says Baumeister, who conducted experiments that showed students scored higher on self-control tests after they’d been told — and took on board — to improve their posture over a two-week period. And other exercises work just as well, such as using your non-dominant hand for routine tasks or changing your speech habits by speaking only in complete sentences or saying ‘yes’ and ‘no’ instead of ‘yeah’ and ‘nah’. Baumeister suggests any of these techniques should improve your willpower and be a good warm-up for tackling a bigger challenge, such as sticking to your work budget, filing that report — and getting to your desk by 8.30am.

activities — resisting chocolate and working on geometry puzzles — drew on the same source of energy. You use the same supply of willpower to deal with frustrating traffic, annoying colleagues, demanding bosses and pouting children. Resisting dessert at lunch leaves you with less willpower to praise your boss’s awful haircut.” ● Willpower, Rediscovering Our Greatest Strength by Roy Baumeister and John Tierney, €27.20.

Feelgood

Picture: Getty Images

People exert less self-control after seeing a messy rather than a clean desk or room or when using a sloppy rather than a neat, well-organised website FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012

Here are some tips for increasing willpower at work, courtesy of authors Roy Baumeister and John Tierney: ■ If making a to-do list sounds off-putting, think of it as a to-don’t list — things you don’t have to worry about because you’ve written them down. You can’t banish unfinished tasks from your mind by putting off doing them or by willing yourself to forget them but making a specific plan will pacify your unconscious. Remember to plan the specific Next Action (NA): what to do, who to contact, how to do it (in person, by phone or email?) ■ Environmental cues can boost or erode willpower. Use some of your willpower making your surroundings neat and orderly. People exert less self-control after seeing a messy rather than a clean desk or room, or when using a sloppy rather than a neat, well-organised website. ■ Avoid making binding decisions when willpower’s depleted and energy’s down — you’ll tend to go for options with short-term gains and delayed costs. To avoid giving into irrational biases and lazy shortcuts, articulate your reasons for your decision and think about whether they make sense. ■ When budgeting your time don’t give drudgery more than its necessary share. Work expands to fit time available, so set a firm time limit for tedious tasks. ■ Procrastinators rarely sit doing nothing at all. They typically avoid the task they’re meant to be doing by doing something else. Beat this by using the Nothing Alternative tool — set aside time to do one thing and one thing only. ■ Resolve to start your day with an hour devoted to your most important goal. You have two choices: to get stuck into this most important goal or to do nothing at all. With the latter option, boredom sets in and you’ll turn to your priority goal. ■ Procrastination can occasionally be positive. If something’s distracting you from getting down to work — like the zany photos your friends has just posted on Facebook — use a postponement strategy. Say ‘I’ll look at those in half an hour, after I’ve got started on the work project’. You may discover once you get started that the work absorbs you until well past the half hour. “Vice delayed may turn out to be vice denied,” say Baumeister and Tierney.

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Taking advice

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Helen O’Callaghan discovers your willpower is like a muscle that uses up energy and that you can strengthen it with practice

Just get down and do it!

Feelgood

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Procrastination can occasionally be positive. If something is tempting you from getting down to work, like the zany photos your friends has just posted on Facebook, use a postponement strategy

Picture: iStock images

FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012

Tips to stay on top of it all

Reach your goals at work

Feelgood

Picture: Getty Images

People exert less self-control after seeing a messy rather than a clean desk or room or when using a sloppy rather than a neat, well-organised website FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012

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Time out

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A unique workshop which allows people make noise without inhibition and discover their true voice left Cleo Murphy feeling joyous and energised

Express yourself M

AKING sounds in public is scary. If asked to participate in any kind of healing work, most of us would be happier to write down our thoughts or paint our emotions, but making loud noises in a room full of people would have us scurrying for the hills. Naked Voice is a concept developed by British singer Chloe Goodchild for self-discovery and communication. It has nothing whatsoever to do with singing and everything to do with making noise. In other words, it is open to all. Goodchild now has 10 trained facilitators delivering workshops all over the world and one of them is Margot Boerma who works from a healing and creative arts centre called Saob’s Orchard just outside Killarney, Co Kerry. Margot first attended Goodchild’s workshops in 1996 and became a facilitator in 2007. “Why do we do it? Because it is deeply nourishing and nurturing from the inside out,” she says. “The sounds we make normally are socially conditioned by family, school, religion and so on. We have to go deeper to find another sound, which is unconditioned. “Once we work through the conditioned sound and release it, we get to the second phase, which is ecstasy, where you lose your fears and inhibitions and get to a place of joy. You are not singing — you are being sung.” Margot, originally from the Netherlands, is the daughter of a speech therapist and is a great lover of music and song. “Singing and music can touch on very raw emotions but this is something different. When we are sounding, it is a deep, intense experience where people feel a sense of their own voice,” she says. She uses the verb ‘sound’ as a shorthand for ‘making sound’ — an activity rather than an impression on a listener. “When I started, I used Chloe’s tapes in the car and sounded along with her. She’s marvellous. She really opens up her throat and sounds like a shaman wailing.” A Naked Voice workshop begins with a physical ‘shaking off ’ of the tensions of the day followed by a guided meditation. After that it is simply a matter of playing with sound — loud yawns, sighs, growls, yelps, laughter, holding a note. After a while your inhibitions melt away and you become part of the collective vibration. There are drums, tambourines, sound bowls and a harmonium to help you along the way. Ultimately it is fun and releasing. I went along to one of Margot’s sessions, arriving exhausted, slightly fraught from trying to get there on time and mildly uncomfortable. The group of around eight — made up of women in their 30s to their 50s — was already getting into it. Some were regular attendees. A few, like myself, were first-timers. After calming down during the meditation I joined in easily. On the drive home I made noise all the way, delighted with the freedom and privacy to do so. Next morning I was buzzing with energy. Yet while it feels simple and impromptu doing it, Margot is at all times listening to the group and guiding it. “Deep listening is important to find out where the sound is coming from,” she says. “I sense where I can move a group or individual on to a different

Feelgood

ALL OUT: At the singing workshop Naked Voice, at Faha, Killarney, were Margot Boerma (instructor), with Helen O’Sullivan, Máiréad O’Sullivan and Mary O’Sullivan. Picture: Eamonn Keogh

How to get started

The sounds we make normally are socially conditioned by family, school, religion and so on. We have to go deeper to find another sound, which is unconditioned

Workshops: Attending a Naked Voice workshop is a great introduction to voice work. You are guided throughout and there is a collective energy, which is good fun.

level.” She keeps her groups small and works to create a safe environment in which people can express themselves. “Sometimes we have frozen histories in us that we don’t really know are there. Sometimes they come undone and dissolve during a session,” she says. “People can release a lot.” The healing Margot speaks of is not necessarily a physical healing and she makes no claims about curing illness through the

Naked Voice work. “But when you find inner peace you are bound to feel better. Naked Voice work will have an effect on the endocrine system. It’s all about joy, fun and laughter. It raises levels of awareness and that can only be good.” ● For more information log on to www.thenakedvoice.com or www.feelwell.ie/margot-boerma

FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012

One-to-one sessions: Naked Voice facilitators will do individual sessions, which offer one-to-one attention and greater privacy, if it makes you more comfortable CDs: Chloe Goodchild, who came up with the concept of the Naked Voice, has a number of CDs which you can ‘sound’ along with at home or in the car. www.thenakedvoice.com. Sounding off: When you get used to the practice, it is easy to ‘sound’ on your own anywhere that you’re not disturbing the peace. The beach is particularly good — offering noisy waves and wind to bash your sound against.

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Psychology

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The recession’s toll on the health of ordinary people has been neglected. Kindness costs little

More humanity is needed during crisis HEAVY TOLL: The recession is taking its toll on everyone and we need to be more humane in our response.

Tony Humphreys

ECENTLY, in a coffee shop, I had a conversation with a fellow male customer. He told me he was unemployed, had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, was depressed and was experiencing insomnia. His GP had prescribed medications for the high blood pressure and high cholesterol and had also put him on anti-depressants and sleeping tablets. He had previously worked for an accountancy firm, but, due to the recession, had been laid off with no future prospects of being re-employed. He said he was struggling financially and did not have the cash to go to his GP for monitoring of his medication. He is awaiting a medical card and has been told that it will take months for his application to be processed. He is not able to afford his medications so has decided to stop taking them for the high blood pressure and high cholesterol; he also stopped taking his anti-depressants, but maintained the sleeping tablets as these relieved his overwhelming anxiety and sense of helplessness and hopelessness. I expressed concern about his physical well-being and the need to maintain the medications for his physical symptoms. I also enquired as to whether there was anybody from whom he could seek financial support, but asking for help would be a bridge too far for him to cross. This phenomenon of men having difficulty in reaching out for help and support is common and, sadly, puts them at high medical and psycho-social risk. Many men believe that asking for help is an act of dependence, but the contrary is the truth — not asking for help is an act of dependence. Making a request is an act of independence and acknowledges one’s worthiness to seek support and also acknowledges the worthiness of the person asked to provide support, but only if he or she is in a position to do so. Clearly, that person may or may not be in a position to respond to the request at that particular time and when that is honoured by both parties great progress can happen in relationships. Giving and receiving are part of human relationships and it is important that a person feels both worthy to give and to receive — and this is a two-way street. During the following days, the plight of the man I had met stayed with me and I wondered how many other individuals are experiencing lives of quiet desperation in the reces-

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sion. I also wondered how we, as a people, can respond in affective and effective ways to the challenges. A faceless bureaucratic system that is not finding ways to respond kindly and quickly to an urgent application for a medical card (or any other medical, welfare and housing needs) must be addressed. The media could also help by highlighting the struggles that individuals, couples and families are undergoing. Too much coverage is given to fiscal rectitude and not remotely enough to emotional and social rectitude. It does not take extra money to be more humane in our responses to individuals in distress, but, sometimes, it does take a degree of soul searching to make available the milk of human kindness. Indeed, frequently, active listening can be enough. While I agree that policies and associated structures and strong decisions are required to resolve the ongoing economic and psycho-social crisis, I fail to see a humanity in many of the corrective strategies being developed. For example, when Taoiseach Enda Kenny, during his trip to China, said, in an authoritarian way, that the Irish people had to obey the law and pay up for the new private housing tax, he failed to acknowledge that there are personal, marital and family fall-outs from the recession, of which he needs to have an empathic awareness. It seems strange, on the one hand, that government ministers have acknowledged that there are thousands of people struggling to find money to meet their monthly mortgage repayments, and, yet, on the other hand, they ask these very same people to dig in their already empty pockets for €100. Given that reality, a more humane approach would have been to consider each person’s circumstances. I wonder what Enda Kenny would say to the man who has no money to pay for his medication or to visit his GP. Would he ignore this man’s health problems, depression and unemployment status and insist he obey the law? I hope not, because we are in dire need of leaders that operate from both head and heart. ● Dr Tony Humphreys is a consultant clinical psychologist, author and speaker. His book Leadership with Consciousness is relevant to today’s column. His website is www.tonyhumphreys.ie

FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012

Tel: 021 4802265 lori.fraser@examiner.ie

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8 Cover story Samantha’s Brick’s controversial comments that her self-professed beauty and intelligence alienated other females in the workplace are challenged by some Irish bosses, Áilín Quinlan reports

’M beautiful, don’t hate me — it was an appeal which turned an obscure freelance journalist into a household name, catapulting her to instant celebrity status and kick-starting a worldwide internet storm. Most of us — and many a set of statistics would bear this up — would consider beauty to be a blessing. But not Samantha Brick, pictured below right. Her good looks may have prompted random gifts and compliments from men, but, she complained last week, they have also attracted an avalanche of catty comments and hostility from jealous female bosses and friends. Public reaction to Brick’s confession, far from being sympathetic was contemptuous; spoof Twitter accounts and an outpouring of titters and sneers about her appearance as well as — depending who you read or talked to — a backlash of irritation, indignation and scorn over Brick’s perceived vanity and arrogance. The irritation is to some extent justifiable — mountains of research point to the fact that, in fact, good looks can not only smooth your progress through life in general, but can have such an impact in the workplace that they’ve been dubbed ” the beauty premium.” Catherine Hakim, sociologist, author and expert on women’s employment, has even suggested that professional women should consciously use their erotic capital to get ahead by exploiting assets like beauty, sex appeal, charm, dress sense liveliness and physical fitness. She believes an attractive person is more likely to land a job in the first place, and then be promoted more easily. Research has also shown that individuals tend to find attractive people more intelligent, friendly and competent than less attractive people. A University of British

Columbia study showed we actually have a positive bias toward attractive people — so that if we consider a woman to be beautiful, and she is also known to be organised and generous, we will unconsciously over-emphasise those good traits. On top of all of that it seems beauty can actually increase your earnings — research found, for instance, that good looking lawyers earned up to 12% more than their plainer colleagues. However, there are two sides to every coin, and while many women would point to such studies as justification that Samantha Brick has been talking through her pretty hat, could she perhaps have a point about women not trusting their good-looking sisters? Take the interesting findings of a pair of Israeli researchers who investigated what happens when job hunters included photos with their applications. The pair sent fictional CVs to over 2,500 real-life job vacancies. For each job, they sent two very similar applications, one including a photo, and one without. They found that attractive women were less likely to be offered an interview if they included a photograph. The study concluded that, as human resources departments tend to be staffed mostly by women, it was plain old-fashioned jealousy — or beauty discrimination — which led the women to discriminate against pretty candidates. Good-looking males, on the other hand, were more likely to be called for an interview if they included a photo, while less attractive men were better off not including one. This seems to suggest women discriminate against their pretty sisters, albeit unconsciously. However, for publishing magnate and entrepreneur Norah Casey, appearance is not an issue. When she sits on an interview panel, applicants’ looks don’t even register – what she looks for is ability: “A lot of very glamorous women tend

GLAMOUR FUSS Catherine Hakim, sociologist, author and expert on women’s employment, has suggested that professional women should consciously use their erotic capital to get ahead by exploiting assets like beauty, sex appeal, charm, dress sense, liveliness and physical fitness

Brains and beauty

Public reaction to Samantha Brick’s claim she was too beautiful, far from being sympathetic was contemptuous

TALENT SCOUT: Publishing magnate and entrepreneur Norah Casey, says she judges ability not appearances.

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Women in the workplace

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Yes it’s possible to have both beauty and brains — take Claire Byrne, Miriam O’Callaghan, Carol Vorderman. Take Madonna. Take Christine Lagarde, MD of the International Monetary Fund, who is, let’s face it, elegance personified and lucky enough to combine brains, qualifications, beauty and success — living proof that you can have it all. Sociologist Catherine Hakim makes no bones about urging professional women to use their ‘erotic capital’ to climb the corporate ladder. Beauty doesn’t have to be seen as superficial, she believes, it can also be used to get ahead. If you’re a woman blessed with charm, beauty, and grace, and more social intelligence than your male colleagues, you should be using it to gain promotion, Hakim believes. And there’s no need to be embarrassed about doing it, either. After all, most men have little compunction

Picture: ThinkStock

towards the fashion and beauty sector but I always appoint on merit. Looks don’t come into it. Having good looks doesn’t mean you’ll be better at your job,” declares Casey, CEO of Harmonia, Ireland’s largest magazine publishing company. The businesswoman, who became a household name after she appeared as one of the ‘Dragons’ on the popular Dragon’s Den series, says she’s never encountered the kind of looks-based os-

tracism as reported by Samantha Brick: “I work with women who are very good-looking, clever, with nice and good personalities,” she says: “I find it extraordinary that someone’s beauty would elicit the kind of thing that Samantha Brick is talking about. It requires an amount of supposition to suppose that people don’t like you because of your beauty!” “In my line of work we deal with some of the most beautiful women in

Ireland and to a woman they are hardworking and good-humoured with a good work ethic. “I’ve never come across this and I work with some of the most beautiful women in Ireland, London and Shanghai. Even with people who make their living out of their beauty, I’ve never heard them say it causes difficulties in their relationships to the depth she’s describing. “I have never heard them say ‘everyone

FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012

TOP CLASS: Miriam O’Callaghan, left, Claire Byrne top right, and Christine Lagarde are examples of women who are attractive and good at their jobs.

about using every asset in their armoury to get ahead in their careers, and have no embarrassment about exploiting those assets. At the end of the day, however, it’s important to remember that it’s also about knowing the culture at play in

hates me because I am so beautiful’ — maybe’ they’re just fortunate not to have that experience!” ” I think it’s sad that for Brick her beauty has marred her relationship with other women. It’s a pity.” Solidarity is not a hallmark of the working sisterhood, however — that’s according to Rowan Manahan, author, career management expert and managing director of Fortify Services.

your work environment — and how to manipulate it. Flaunting the sex card in one office culture could be misinterpreted as sexually aggressive career-killing behaviour in another. Be careful out there.

“In terms of sisterhood, I don’t see women support other women in the workplace and in my experience women do not delight in other women’s success and don’t acknowledge it without qualifying it. “In men there’s a kind of simplistic competitiveness which allows for a head-bowed acknowledgement of another man’s superiority in certain areas. They will quietly acknowledge it.

“Women by contrast will admit that someone will give a great performance – but there’s always a ‘but’.” However, says Manahan, it’s not necessarily about looks. While women are definitely judged on their appearance much more so than men — and while, he says “women are much more prone to judging other women than men” — he has yet to encounter a female boss who is jealous of a prettier subordinate: “I’ve come across situations where a young woman with youth, energy and ability is outshining the older female boss, but the older woman will not target her on the fact that the younger girl has a better figure! I don’t think the root cause of a female boss’s insecurity will be much to do with a subordinate’s looks, unless she’s being fawned over by male bosses in a silly way. “I’ve never once heard a female client of mine anxious about her position mention anything other than ability and effectiveness — not about looks. “In my firm we talk to high-echelon women and men all the time. This competition amongst women is not remotely linked to looks. “I think this woman has queered the pitch in a puerile nonsensical way in terms of pointing the conversation at something that is irrelevant.” Instead, he says, we should be looking at why there are still so few women at the top levels of corporate life. Casey too has little time for the reported woes of Brick: “As a former nurse, I dealt with people who had terribly disfiguring burns and facial blemishes from cancer and the difficulties she reports is nothing compared to what confronted them, ” she says firmly. What we see on the surface is very important to people, she says, adding that sometimes the superficial can have a strong initial impact: “Having a facial deformity is a million times worse than anything beauty brings to bear.” In a society where the so-called ‘beauty premium’ is an acknowledged factor at work, we cannot escape from the obvious selection of attractive women in sales, marketing and , the hospitality industry. There’s no doubt that being “easy on the eye” can be an influencing factor when selecting female presenters for TV — after all, when did you last see a heavy, unattractive woman in need of getting her roots touched up standing in front of a camera? We’re living in an image-obsessed world — a world where men are now routinely getting their chests waxed, where we all, particularly women, are expected to measure up in terms of skin, hair, nails, teeth, clothes and body. And it’s getting more demanding, especially for women in the workplace, says Terry Prone, communications expert and author of

What Every Working Woman Should Know... and Do: “There has been a hardening against women who believe that they should be just taken on their qualifications — there’s an expectation that women should be very well presented. The media is responsible for this emphasis on looks. “The fact is that the looks thing is more potent in terms of impact than it should be,” comments Prone, adding that in this instance at least, feminism has failed. And yet, despite this active discrimination, women still make up almost half the workforce — in 2011 46.7% of those in employment were women. Last year there were, in fact, 851,300 women and 970,000 men employed in Ireland. Are these hundreds of thousands of women really so obsessed with each other’s looks? No, says Orla O’Connor Acting CEO of the National Women’s Council — women are far more concerned with reduced working hours and fewer job opportunities as a result of the recession and with juggling home, work and childcare. “In terms of what women are saying to us, it’s about cutbacks and about support around unpaid maternity leave.” Prone, one of Ireland’s leading communications experts, doesn’t believe it either. She dismisses Brick’s claims about women disliking her because she’s pretty: “Women don’t behave like she says they do,” she declares. “I simply don’t buy into it that women instantly hate someone who’s goodlooking.” Yes, she says, there are differences in the way women relate to each other and the way men relate to each other. “But women are often full of admiration for a woman who is beautiful; they say isn’t she gorgeous.” What annoys Prone is that she believes it’s unprofessional to bring emotions into the workplace — and that’s what she feels Brick’s doing: “Don’t bring your feelings into work. In business it’s about listening to the brief and delivering on the brief. Samantha Brick is bringing her emotions into work and attributing emotions to other women. “I feel that it’s completely irrelevant — work is about evidence, facts listening to a brief and delivering on it. If you can make other people happy in the process great, but you have no right to expect other people in the workplace to make you happy. “What every working woman needs to know is that women are not inherently treacherous or underhand. In bad times they can be your best supporter.”

LOOKS COUNT: Communications expert Terry Prone says aside from ability, image is now more valued due to the influence of the media.

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Brains and beauty

Public reaction to Samantha Brick’s claim she was too beautiful, far from being sympathetic was contemptuous

TALENT SCOUT: Publishing magnate and entrepreneur Norah Casey, says she judges ability not appearances.

Feelgood

Women in the workplace

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Picture: ThinkStock

FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012

TOP CLASS: Miriam O’Callaghan, left, Claire Byrne top right, and Christine Lagarde are examples of women who are attractive and good at their jobs.

LOOKS COUNT: Communications expert Terry Prone says aside from ability, image is now more valued due to the influence of the media.

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10 Medical matters

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I AM about four stone overweight and rising. I have tried every kind of diet, losing weight only to pile it on again. I feel out of control most of the time when it comes to food and am seriously considering getting my stomach stapled. I would appreciate your advice.

Dr Julius Parker is a GP with HSF Health Plan’s free 24 GP advice line. For more information visit www.hsf.ie or lo-call 1890 451 451

If you have a question about your health email it to feelgood@examiner.ie or send a letter to: Feelgood Irish Examiner City Quarter Lapps Quay Cork

A This is a difficult situation. Many people genuinely find it just as hard to maintain a healthy weight as they do to lose weight in the first place. There’s no doubt that most patients do lose weight after stomach stapling, with about a third reaching a healthy weight within two years. Longer term follow-up is less encouraging as following the operation you still have to stick to a dietary regime. This operation is often described as the “last resort”. It would normally only be considered after other measures, including dieting programmes, exercise, and medication have been tried. It’s also a complex operation, with recognised surgical side effects that are more common in the overweight, and longer-term complications related to the reduced stomach size and ability to absorb certain nutrients, such as Iron. I’m sure you’ve seen your GP who will have arranged screening blood tests, to rule out any hormonal cause. I would encourage you to join a dieting group as the encouragement of others is a powerful motivator. Exercise is also important — you could join a gym and it may be worthwhile investing in a personal trainer for 1:1 advice and support. Feeling “out of control” in relation to your eating habits suggests your confidence has been undermined. Seeing a counsellor or perhaps a psychologist may be sensible. If you want to be considered for stomach stapling the pre-operative process will involve a psychological assessment. This is because the operation isn’t a once-and-for-all solution and you’ll need to be able to control your dietary patterns afterwards. I’d encourage you to work through all the alternatives before thinking about surgery. Q. I found a small lump on the upper part of my left breast a month ago. I went to a women’s health clinic and was told it was a cyst and there was nothing to worry about. I was initially happy with this news but now I am worried in case it is more seri-

NEWS UPDATE

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Norwegian researchers have found that for every 2,500 women who undergo a mammogram, only one woman’s life will be saved by identifying breast cancer and removing it before it spreads. They also found that for every woman whose life is saved by breast screening, up to 10 undergo unnecessary treatment, including surgery and radiotherapy, according to another study that casts doubt on OVER-DIAGNOSIS RISK: Research has mammography. found that mammograms may result in The researchers believe routine unnecessary treatment. Picture: CORBIS screening results in widespread over-diagnosis of breast cancer — identifying benign cancers that would ‘over-diagnosis’ rate of 15 to 25% never cause symptoms, spread, or Women with benign cancers would result in death. And they believe the still go on to have treatment — which problem could get worse as screening could include surgery — because it was technology improves, according to currently impossible to distinguish doctors writing in the journal Annals of between tumours that would spread Internal Medicine. and those which would not. The Norwegian academics, based at The authors said: “Over-diagnosis the New Harvard Public School of and unnecessary treatment of non-fatal Health in the US, calculated that for cancer creates a substantial ethical and every 2,500 women screened, between clinical dilemma and may cast doubts 26 and 30 would be diagnosed with on whether mammography screening breast cancer. programs should exist.” However, between six and 10 of those At the very least, women “need to be actually had benign cancers that would comprehensively informed about the never cause problems if left untreated. risk for over-diagnosis”, they advised. These figures translated to an

ous. The lump is still there and seems to have gotten bigger. Should I get a second opinion? A. It’s natural to feel anxious if you’ve found a lump in your breast, but you’ve taken exactly the right approach and had it checked out. Breast cysts are common, and harmless. They usually occur in women who are over 35 but who haven’t yet reached the menopause. They can occur near the surface of the skin, and feel like soft lumps, as they contain fluid. If they’re deeper within the breast tissue, they may feel firmer. Cysts can normally be diagnosed by examination. If there is any doubt a breast clinic can perform an ultrasound scan, which outlines the cyst. Many cysts will gradually dis-

appear on their own, but a month wouldn’t usually be long enough for this to have happened. Breast cysts don’t develop into anything more serious, and certainly don’t increase your risk of breast cancer. Occasionally cysts can increase in size, and this can cause discomfort as they press on adjacent breast tissue. If this is happening, or the cyst is simply persisting and not going away, I suggest you attend a breast clinic. In many cases a specialist can drain the fluid from a cyst, using a fine needle. This usually means you’ll no longer be able to feel it. Occasionally a cyst can re-fill, in which case it can be drained again. You can get more information about benign breast conditions from the Health Service Executive website (www.hse.ie).

NOTE: The information contained in Dr Julius Parker’s column is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult a doctor first

Catherine Shanahan MUM’S WORLD Feelgood

HEN it comes to running a functioning household few could dispute the usefulness of toothpaste or toilet roll. Equally indispensable is the kettle, the Phillips head screwdriver, the flashlamp, the fridge, the microwave, the toaster and the bottle opener. Each has its own little role in the modern home. But there is another significant contributor to harmonious living which does not make the list of basic essentials. It is the presence of grandparents at a time when chaos reigns. The arrival of a third child ups the ante from busy to manic. There is no point in planning. The baby dictates when, and if, I eat, shower, sleep, dress. All my actions are reactions. Days are a haze of bottles, burping and washing; of babygro-laden clothes lines; of desperate attempts to clean up the constant mess of family living. I have no idea how individual parents cope alone with three children none of whom is old enough to make a responsible decision. I doubt I would ever get to venture out if my parents were not currently sharing our house while they wait to move into their own new home. Even four pairs of adult hands on board barely lightens the load. We may starve when they move out because cooking is hard when a baby is screeching for a feed and his

siblings are too young to do the needful. I wonder how, in her day, my mother coped with three when her husband was constantly at work and there was no extra help to get her through the bedlam. Unable to drive, and in any event car-less, she endured her own form of house arrest. At least I have wheels under me, even if the cargo that goes with transporting a baby is enough to keep me off the road indefinitely. I have the greatest of sympathy for those unfortunate enough not to have any family back-up. I have no idea how they cope. I get to shower every day because my mother is at hand to hold the baby. I am not sleep-deprived because my parents look after the other kids while I have a lie-in. It’s like having two au pairs but without the worry of them running off with the husband, or clocking up massive phone bills while calling the parents in Saskatchewan. Number three is, to date, a very good baby, which is just as well because number three must pretty much rear itself. Gone is the baby monitor, the constant cradle-side hovering, the manic sterilising and re-sterilising, the serving of bottles at the perfect room temperature. This time, survival is the most you can hope for and setting the bar any higher is futile.

FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012

The arrival of a third child ups the ante from busy to manic. There is no point in planning. The baby dictates when, and if, I eat, shower, sleep, dress. All my actions are reactions. Days are a haze of bottles, burping and washing

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Making Malechange health 11

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A new cosmetic procedure promises to permanently remove dark eye pigment, allowing the natural blue colour to emerge, reports Rachel Borrill

For the browned off H

AVE you dreamt of being that blue-eyed boy or girl, or as the song says ‘changing your brown eyes to blue?’ You soon can, thanks to an American doctor who has devised a laser procedure that permanently changes eye colour in 20 seconds. Dr Gregg Homer, from Stroma Medical in California, says his Lumineyes technology, which turns brown eyes blue, will be the “next big thing” in cosmetic surgery. “The eyes are the place we are told to look at when we are communicating with each other. It is our social connection point,” he says. “So people are going out and having their breasts done, their hair bleached and everything else, when the bottom line is that they should be looking NEW VISION: Dr Gregg Homer has at your eyes. I do developed the think brown eyes are Lumineyes stunning, but I think technology to people always want what they don’t have.” change eye colour. Maybe Dr Homer, 57, has a point. If you Google ‘I hate my brown eyes’ it generates 200,000 results. People complain that brown eyes are ‘boring,’ ‘too dark’ and ‘common.’ The advice on the internet is get over it and be glad they are not blind, or buy blue contact lenses. “I suspect people want light eyes because they like the depth of the light and the fact that brown eyes are opaque and flat means that they don’t receive light,” says Dr Homer. The surgery, which will cost €4,000, is non-invasive, and has little contact with the patient’s eyes. In 20 seconds per eye, the laser removes the brown pigment from the top layer, allowing the natural blue colour to emerge within two to three weeks. The shade of blue will depend upon each person; some may be greyish, other’s violet. “In the long-term, I know we will be also able to change green to blue, that should be pretty easy. But brown to green is far more complicated. It will be tricky, but we will give it a go at some stage,” says Dr Homer. Dr Homer has changed the eye colour of 17 people, from Mexico, without problems. He wants to treat 100 patients, from different countries, to test his procedure. Again, volunteers, from all round the world, including Ireland, have been emailing him, apparently desperate to change their eye colour. “We didn’t have to advertise for people, we have had over 2,000 people emailing us, asking to be involved. And, at the moment, we are only going to turn one of their eyes blue, they will be like David Bowie, which I think a lot of them believe is cool. “We have even had people from Ireland, which surprised me, as I thought most Irish have green eyes. One person wrote, pleading

Feelgood

BRIGHT EYES: Evonne Owens and Lisa Thornton would never part with their brown eyes. Lisa Thornton and Evonne Owens are adamant they would never part with their beautiful brown eyes. Lisa, 38, a computer analyst, from Leixlip, County Kildare says: “I would never change my eye colour in a million years. I have a million and one things I would do before I would start thinking about my eye colour. “People always compliment my daughters on their gorgeous dark eyes.

to be signed up for the trial as their sibling had been constantly told how beautiful their blues eyes were ‘yet mine were the colour of chopped liver’,” he says. None of the volunteers has suffered side effects and Dr Homer says further tests should prove there are no issues with glare, double vision or sight. “We have run tests for 20 different safety examination procedures. We run the tests before and after the treatment and the following day, and the following weeks and months. We will follow them for a year. So far, we have no evidence of any side effects,” he says. Arthur Cummings, a consultant ophthalmologist at the Wellington Eye Clinic, Sandyford, Dublin, is apprehensive about the procedure, saying he fears it could cause severe eye problems. “This could cause blockages in the eye which could lead to pigmentary glaucoma. That, to me, is the biggest headache and until that is sorted out I would not advise anyone to do this,” he says. Mr Cummings questions whether there is a demand for this type of permanent procedure. This is a view echoed by a spokesman for Optical Express, a leading eye-laser clinic,

“I can’t really imagine anyone wanting to spend €4,000 to change the colour of their eyes. When I look in the mirror I am more worried about the lines around the eyes, and the wrinkles, but not the colour of them.’’ Evonne a 40-year-old Montessori teacher, also from Leixlip, admits she loves having brown eyes. “Now and again I would receive compliments about them, especially when I wear a

who dismissed it as a fad. “I have never had anyone say to me that they hate the colour of their eyes. We do contact-lens fitting here too, and I cannot tell you the demand for colour contact lenses, because it has always been very, very low. “Most people only want to change their eye colour for a special event, not on a long-term basis. You can’t change it back again under this procedure and I think you could regret it,” says Mr Cummings. Dr Homer is confident his product will be successful, saying that people were initially worried about Botox, and now it is a worldwide multi-million dollar industry. “Our own research suggests that there is a real demand. Of 2,000 Americans interviewed, 17% said they would definitely want to do it and 35% said they would seriously consider it. And this is even before the product is available,” he says. Dr Homer says he expects the procedure to be available on licence outside America within 18 months and inside by 2015. “We are confident that this is going to be the next big thing, that we are way ahead of the market and people will want light eyes because they can look so dramatic,” he says.

FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012

Picture: Maura Hickey.

certain colour. It brings them out more. “I can’t imagine changing them. They have changed slightly over the years and I am happy enough with them. “I can’t imagine why people would want to change their eye colour, it’s not for health reasons. “It seems strange, especially when you can buy coloured contact lenses, and you can put them in for a party, take them out later and go back to normal.’’

It’s a colourful world 1. The colour of your eyes depends entirely on your genetic make-up. 2. But only a few “letters’ out of the six billion that make up our genetic code are responsible for the eye colour. 3. The amount and type of colour pigment in the iris defines the colour of your eyes. 4. The colour of the eye can range from the most common, brown, to the least common, green. 5. Most Caucasian babies are born with light blue eyes and their colour will gradually change, due to exposure to light, by the age of one. 6. Babies of African or Asian origin will be born with grey/brown eyes, they will get darker after the first six months. 7. In 2008 new research suggested that people with blue eyes have a single common ancestor, and tracked it down to a genetic mutation.

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12 Food survey

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Roz Crowley

HERE’S nothing to beat a fillet of fresh fish for its protein and B vitamins. Oily fish has additional vitamin D and omega fatty acids. A leftover fillet can go a long way to making a few decent fish cakes. Jamie Oliver has a good recipe in his Jamie’s Great Britain cookbook: he mixes potatoes with smoked salmon or trout, leeks and breadcrumbs. There’s no frying. He wraps the cakes in streaky bacon and roasts them. Delicious and handy for a large crowd. Tim Lovejoy, the TV presenter who was a celebrity semi-finalist in Masterchef, made fish cakes from smoked haddock and potatoes. See his recipe in MasterChef Everyday (Dorling Kindersley hardback €25). Smoked fish is a good idea and the vacuum-packed mackerel fillets are handy to have in the fridge. A couple of fillets will stretch to about six people. Add a little ginger, chilli and finely chopped spring onion for a taste of Thailand. The samples we looked at for today’s page would be greatly livened up with some tartare sauce, or simply a little horseradish sauce and mustard added to your favourite mayonnaise. Processing reduces nutritional value, so don’t think of fish cakes and fingers as having the same health benefits as fresh fish. However, as a convenience food for emergencies and accompanied by fresh vegetables or salad, we could do worse. We looked at three types of fish fingers to see if they would make a good alternative to fish cakes. They, too, would benefit from something interesting on the side, perhaps a good tomato relish instead of ketchup, and a green salad or home-made coleslaw with some grated beetroot included. Marks & Spencer 2 melting middle plaice and asparagus fishcakes 290g, €5.99 (€20.65/kg) These substantial fish cakes with 27% plaice and 25% potatoes look slightly loose and appetising as if home made. Cooked they keep their shape and have a centre which oozes a lemon sauce, which adds interest with its citrus finish. We couldn’t find the 6% asparagus. The fish flavour was lacking but we all wanted to finish our portions. Delicious. In the supermarket chill cabinet.

Fish cakes are a handy option to the fresh product especially when you are cooking for a crowd

Next best thing

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Jamie Oliver 2 Crispy Pollock fishcakes, 180g €2.69 (€14.94/kg)

Birdseye 10 fish fingers, 280g €2.50 (€8.92/kg)

Birdseye cod cakes, 4 198g, €1.29 (€6.61/kg)

Nicely crisp on the outside, there is a lovely natural chive flavour in the crust. Inside the pollock, a sustainable fish, has a nicely creamy texture. The 57% pollock and 28% potato makes a good balance of both texture and taste. White pepper hits the tongue and lasts a few seconds. In frozen food cabinets. Good fair price.

Quite good texture breadcrumb coating encloses a substantial 55% wild pink salmon, which has quite good flavour, and the best of the fish fingers for taste. While we think of salmon as delivering lots of omega 3 oils, the processing of it for fish fingers probably loses its benefit. However, there is still merit in them as a source of fish and its other nutrients.

Nice texture with crispy outside. Inside nicely creamy and tasting of fresh cod (45%) and potato. Green flecks in the batter are of parsley. Tasty. In frozen food cabinets.

Score: 8

Score: 7

Score: 7.25

Score: 8.5

Tesco 10 cod fishcakes 500g, €2.09 (€4.18)

Donegal Catch fish fingers 280g €2 (€7.14/kg)

Young’s salmon fish cakes 180g, €1.99 (€11.05/kg)

These come frozen in a bag and frozen are quite flat and dense. However, they puff up beautifully and are nicely crisp on the outside with a light fishy taste. With 45% minced cod, they are not over salted, but perhaps a little bland. The potato is reconstituted and dried, but it doesn’t take away from quite a natural taste flavoured with parsley and black pepper. Don’t count on it for the nutrients we would expect from potatoes. By far the cheapest of the selection.

SuperValu cod fish fingers 300g, €2.99 (€9.96/kg)

Nice texture of this slightly oily fish which is coated with breadcumbs flavoured with turmeric which also adds colour. There is added omega 3 in these 10 fish fingers, which is just as well as processing generally reduces nutrients. 60% pollock is high here. Not the favourite of tasters, but everyone finished their portion.

A good crust was tasty and inside a good balance of fish and potatoes. It seemed like the 31% pink salmon and 5% minced Atlantic salmon was an underestimation of the fish content as there was good fleshy texture. The flavour was a little low and not tasting of any fish in particular, especially salmon, but after a few bites it was more obvious. Recommended to be baked in the oven for 15 minutes, this is the best method for them. For sale in chill counters in supermarkets.

A good textured crumb and with 60% cod fillets it was nicely meaty inside and satisfying. The flavour was lacking, but we were glad not to taste salt which might have improved its flavour, especially as fish fingers are often eaten by children.

Score: 7

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Score: 7

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Score: 6.5

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Male Male health health 13

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Despite CF I live a full life

AVID Spillane has never let his cystic fibrosis (CF) affect his life. “Even as a teenager, I was running with my local team and playing football with my local club,” says David, 23, an artist living in Tralee, Co Kerry. “My sister, Aishling, has CF as well, but we’re both fairly lucky because we have lighter strains of it.” According to the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland (CFAI), CF is Ireland’s most common life-threatening inherited disease. CF mainly affects the lungs and the digestive system. It causes a thick, sticky mucus to be produced, blocking the bronchial tubes and making patients prone to repeated infections, which can result in hospitalisation. Ireland has the highest prevalence of CF in the world. “I have to use a nebuliser and do physiotherapy for a half hour every morning and evening, but it’s second nature to me as I’ve been doing it so long,” said David, who is speaking to highlight the CF National

Deirdre O'Flynn MOSTLY MEN CREATIVE SOLUTION: Artist David Spillane, says managing cystic fibrosis is “second nature” to him. Picture: Mary Browne Awareness Week, which will run from today, until Apr 20. Dubbed ‘65 Roses’ awareness week, members of the public will be encouraged to purchase a pin for €2 or trolley coin for €3 to support the CFAI in its ongoing fight for adequate national and local facilities for people with CF. ‘65 Roses’ is the way that many children first learn how to say ‘cystic fibrosis’ and funds from last year’s ‘65 Roses’ are helping

to provide better support and information to parents whose baby has been diagnosed with CF. The money is also helping build new CF units in Limerick, Drogheda and Castlebar hospitals. “I’ve been really lucky. I know a lot of other people with CF who are in hospital quite a lot and who have IV injections a lot,” says David, whose artistic ambitions took off when a painting he posted on Facebook attracted lots of positive commentary. (Click on

Migraine needn’t be a headache at work

Four in 10 amateurs injured playing golf

The Migraine Association of Ireland will hold Ireland’s first national conference on ‘migraine at work’ on Thursday, Apr 19 from 10am to 3pm at the Ashling Hotel, Dublin. The day is for employees with migraine, HR professionals, trade union officials, occupational health staff and anyone else who suffers from migraine or headache. The conference will advise attendees on how to recognise

It’s estimated that four in 10 amateur golfers are injured playing the sport. The back is the most common injury, followed by elbows, shoulders, wrists, knees or hips. “Amateur golfers get injured because of infrequent play, lack of fitness leading to body fatigue by the end of a long walk over an 18-hole golf course, and poor swing control due to a lack of coaching, stiffness,

TAKE 1

migraine, create a workplace that accommodates sufferers, reduce the impact of migraine on the business and become acquainted with relevant legislation. The cost is €20 per delegate — but employees are free when attending with human resources/management/occupational health staff. MAI members can also attend at no cost. Bookings and payment in advance.

EXAM HELP: Eye Q fish oil has been developed for optimal eye and brain function and contains omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. The people at Eye Q recommend that if you have not taken a fish oil before or you are looking for a boost around exam time, you can take up to six capsules of Eye Q per day the equivalent of about two sardines. This dose can be maintained for up to three months and reduced to two capsules per day thereafter. Eye Q have also produced free Exam Nutrition and Stress Buster Tip Sheets for students and parents which are available from eyeqireland@gmail.com. The Eye Q range comes in a variety of liquid and capsule formulas for all ages, starting at €10.99 for 60 capsules; more details on www.equazen.co.uk.

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muscle weakness and poor balance,” says Peter Best, osteopath at Touchstone Osteopathy in Blackrock Hall primary care centre, Blackrock, Cork. “The most important thing you can do to prevent back injury is to warm up before playing a round of golf and warm down after. Each warm up should take at least 10 minutes. www.touchstone.ie/blackrockhall/osteopathy

Dave Spillane’s art page on Facebook.) “I’ve only been in hospital twice, once when I was eight and two years ago. I took up painting a year ago, after I’d gone through a music phase from when I was 15. I paint abstract pictures and I hope to have an exhibition in Dublin in the next few months,” David says. ● For further information on ‘65 Roses’ week or CF, visit www.cfireland.ie.

DId you know...

Heavy men are more likely than normal-weight peers to have low sperm counts or no sperm production at all (Source: Harvard School of Public Health, US)

Brain health

SHARP BRAIN: Eskimo Brainsharp is one of the range of Eskimo 3 fish oil supplements and has been formulated to address the needs of the brain. It contains omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids with CoQ10, which acts as an antioxidant to support healthy brain function, vitamin E and vitamin D which also aids brain cell activity. Dr Tom Saldeen, Professor of Cardiology at Sweden’s Uppsala University, developed this supplement to provide optimal nourishment for the brain. Eskimo Brainsharp costs €28.99, as a liquid or capsules. See www.eskimo3.ie for more information.

UDO’S CHOICE: Udo Erasmus has been studying the benefits of omega 3s for 30 years and developed Udo’s Choice Ultimate Oil Blend, using oil derived from flax, sunflower and sesame seeds. Popularly known as Udo’s Oil, it contains omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids. If you would like to find out more about good nutrition in the run-up to exams, Udo Erasmus will be in Cork to give a talk on The Fats of Life at the Gresham Metropole Hotel, on Monday, Apr 23 at 7.30pm, admission €10. Udo’s Oil costs €25.99 for 500ml; www.udoschoice.ie

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SMART FATS: Oily fish contains the omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA which are essential for good brain function and concentration and have many other benefits including heart and joint health. MorEPA Smart Fats are designed to support concentration, mood and a healthy heart and are €29.95 for 60. One capsule provides a daily dose of 720mg EPA/DHA. New research has shown that 89% of Irish people are not consuming sufficient oily fish.

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Beauty

This season the eyebrow has a look all of its own — strong, defining and face-framing

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Tweeze it out

HE spring face is minimalist. Super-clean and super-bare. Almost like a 1990s Calvin Klein ad – stripped back, androgynous, nude. It’s a tough look to nail, but it does feel fresh and youthful. It’s also very simple, making it ideal ‘day wear’. But beyond the fact that you need beautiful skin to carry it off to perfection, the one essential you’ll find you need are decent eyebrows. The eyebrow is a curious thing. It can alter your look in a second. Go too thick and you can edge into Colin Farrell territory (which on a lady ain’t so hot); go too thin and it all gets a bit Marlene Dietrich. And this season the brow has a look all of its own: it’s strong, defining and face-framing. Think late-1970s Mariel Hemmingway, or even 1980s Brooke Shields – strong, elemental, directional brows. First off, you have to make sure that the brow that you’re sporting is the brow that really suits your face. Wear a bad brow and people won’t be able to stop staring at it. I know this because the cashier girl in my local supermarket has a brow that mystifies me. And not in a good way. Any time we interact, it is the only thing I notice. So how to get the shape that suits you. Well, first off you should aim to improve on what nature has given you. Honestly, it’s the best way. Of course if nature has slapped a monobrow on your forehead, you won’t be feeling too pleased, but unless you want to go the way of Frieda Kahlo, you can easily tweeze it back to a more socially acceptable growth. The main thing is not to try and give yourself a totally different shape. Tweeze too thin and you’ll regret it. Sometimes those babies never grow back. If you’re feeling nervous, let a professional sort it out. Professional shaping (ie, plucking) generally works out well, and if your brow hair is slightly thicker, then threading is a great option. And, of course, if the person about to do work on your brows has her own brows in bad shape, then make your excuses and leave. If she can’t do her own, she’s not going to be able to work any magic on yours. You can, of course, aim to tackle them yourself. To do this, you need to establish your “natural arch” and shape. A good trick

The news on... Rouge in Love Balmy lipsticks are quite the thing at the moment. Yes, lipsticks that are actually comfortable on the lips. I’m addicted to a Mac sheer one at the moment, but Lancome has a new one that could give Mac’s newbie a run for its money. Rouge in Love has a very light, melty texture and claims to give you up to six hours hydration. It’s available in 24 shades. with three categories: Jolie Matins (light, sheer shades); Boudoir Time (punchy, sophisticated tones); and Tonight is My Night (seductive, magnetic and intense colours). Nice. Available from Lancôme counters, €25.

Take three... Lovely lip products I know. Long title. But there’s no other way to describe these. These are lovely lip products you probably don’t need, but you’ll definitely be happy you have them. Can you live without them? Defs. But they will make your life just a little bit more pleasant, promise. Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector, €16.27. This is a really nice product. I’ve yet to really work out the point of it, but it makes my lips feel lovely and it gives them a gorgeous sheen that seems to make them look plumper. It’s really nice on a nude face to give a little bit of texture. I like the rose shade, but the peach is good, too.

Emily O’Sullivan to work out where they should start naturally is to hold up a pencil to the side of your face at the edge of your nose. Your brows should line up to the pencil. Twist the pencil out towards your iris, and this is where your “natural arch” should be.

Once you’ve determined the shape, it’s time to get to work: start off with combing your brows through to work out if you’ve any stray hairs, and then tweeze out any hairs that fall below your desired brow shape. Never tweeze from above, always below. If you feel in need of a bit of a ‘fill in’, then make sure not to go too over the top. This is really where you can make mistakes, aside from the whole plucking debacle. Pencils work quite well, in my opinion, but shadows are definitely a good option also. It’s more a case of finding a formulation that works with your brow and going with that. Don’t overfill: just go for a very light shading-in effect, so it looks as natural as can be. If you tend to be a bit wayward in the brow department, then fix them with a little vaseline. Or, if you use hairspray, then spray a smidge on to your fingers and apply some that way. It really does work. All day.

Chanel Ultra Correction Lift Plumping Anti-Wrinkle Lips & Contour. I have a bad soft spot for products like this. I can’t get enough of them, mainly because I’m paranoid about fine lines and wrinkles around the lips. For me this works both as a moisturising product and as a wrinkle treatment. A little pricey and indulgent, yes, but sure why not. Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub, €6.75. A lip scrub. Hmmm, in a list of things you don’t really need, this seems like it would come tops. After all, you can always just use an old dry toothbrush to get rid of dead skin on your lips, still I can’t help liking this one. It has an insanely sweet bubblegum scent and a sugary exfoliating base. Sweet and addictive.

STUFF WE LIKE Tweezerman Mini Slant Tweezer, €11.99 at www.lookfantastic.com. The High King of tweezers. Say what you like, I don’t believe there is any point buying any other tweezer product. Maybe I’ve been burned too many times by spending money on duff tweezers, but if I am going to put myself through the pain of tweezing my brows, then I want what I’m using to be effective. The sharp points allow you to target annoy-

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ing sprouters and pluck them right out from the root... satisfying. They also now come in a mini size — cheaper and cuter. Nice. Benefit Speed Brow, €18. There’s a very light tint on this brow product making it great for anyone with mid-coloured or blondie brows. I love it because it’s a great one for using day-to-day when you don’t have the time to faff around with shaping and shading your eyebrows. Nice one. Max Factor Eyebrow Pencil, €6.49. It’s probably not very hygienic, but I have been using this brow pencil day in, day out for about two years and it’s still only

about half way down. There is nothing fancy about this one. No gimmicks. No fuss. Just a basic eyebrow pencil that works really well, and fills in brows with a soft tone. Mac Brow Fixer, €18. If you find Vaseline too greasy and hairspray too stiff, then try this little waxy mamma — perfect for keeping your brows in shape. Makes them look finished, groomed and conditioned. Estee Lauder Automatic Brow Duo, €24.90. It’s got a brush type tool on one end, and colour at the other. It’s easy to use and quite versatile.

FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012

Laura Mercier Blonde Eyebrow Pencil, €18.56. You don’t have to go for the blonde in this, there are other options, but if you are quite fair then it can be hard to find a pencil that doesn’t look too harsh. This is it. It’s got a very soft colour that’s very flattering and doesn’t look ‘fake’. Eyelash tint; various; from about €7. If you’ve got very fair brows, and you’re sick of pencils and powders, then you could always dye them. It’s worth pointing out that this can be a risky business: whereas you leave eyelash dye on lashes for about 10 or 15 minutes; brows only need about 30 seconds to a minute. Be careful.

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Natural health

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Megan Sheppard Do you have a question for Megan Sheppard? Email it to feelgood@examiner.ie or send a letter to Feelgood Irish Examiner City Quarter Lapps Quay Cork

RIGHT STEP: Many women during the menopause are faced with the difficult choice between HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) and natural alternatives.

A NUMBER of years ago you wrote in relation to the menopause that MenoHerbs was a very good product. I dutifully cut out the article and when I felt the first flushes I tried online for it. As you have said, there was a problem with sourcing it in Britain. I eventually found it in the US at www.atlastnaturals.com and it is now called Meno-Herbs 2 with Protykin. A. Thank you so much for taking the time to write in and let me know. Meno-Herbs 2 is a fabulous combination of natural plant oestrogens from red clover, dong quai and black cohosh, with wild yam, raspberry leaf, squaw vine, nettles, Siberian ginseng, Agnus castus (chaste tree berry), and Protykin. Everything the menopausal or peri-menopausal woman could wish for. Meno-Herbs was a great combination in itself, but the addition of Protykin gives this formulation an extra boost by helping to maintain normal oestrogen activity, reduce hot flushes, balance the mood, reduce premature ageing and promote bone density. This is certainly my top choice for herbal support through the menopausal changes, so it is great to hear that we can order it in from the US. Many women at this time are faced with the difficult choice between HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) and natural alternatives. HRT promises restored libido, improved complexion, and a means to end hot flushes, night sweats, irritability and depression,. However, long-term use of HRT is surrounded by controversy due to scientific studies showing a significant increase in the risk of breast cancer and blood clots. While this has prompted many women to discontinue the treatment, a number of these women have found a significant decrease in bone density after stopping HRT. Red Clover, one of the main ingredients in Meno-Herbs 2, is rich in daidzen — used by the body to make ipriflavone, one of the substances the body needs to make and keep strong bones. Red Clover is also high in the bone-building mineral, calcium. If you are specifically battling hot flushes, then taking additional sage is a fabulous idea. Menosan is a herbal supplement containing 100% fresh organic sage extracted into tablet form; take one tablet, twice daily. The tablets are €12.55 for 60 tablets, available from www.hereshealth.ie (021 4278101). Q. I have a complaint that I cannot talk to my GP about. It’s about my bowel movements that I cannot excrete or clear out properly without help. I have no pains or soreness although I have other ailments. I have had this trouble for years. I seem to have no power in the lower bowel. Could you please advise me.

Picture: iStock

A. I’m afraid I am unable to give any specific remedies or recommendations since I would need a complete history in order to understand the series of events which may be contributing to your condition. If you don’t get the urge to move your bowels, then there is a chance that there is some nerve damage. This could be for a number of reasons. The effectiveness of lower bowel contractions diminish with age, as a result of medication, from nerve damage (often related to diabetes), inadequate nutrition, muscular disorders, and also from extended periods of stretching where the stool is over-bulked through a diet too high in insoluble fibre. Normally, the bowels should move within 20-30 minutes following a meal. Stools should be soft, easy to pass, and not unusually large — the average weight of a ‘normal’ stool is around 100-150g (not that I’m encouraging you to weigh your movements). Most people move their bowels at least once daily, anything less than this leads to larger, heavier, and drier stools which are difficult to move. You mention having other ailments. I will assume that you refer to haemorrhoids — which often appear alongside conditions where natural peristaltic movement of the bowel doesn’t occur. Haemorrhoids place a considerable amount of pressure on the nerve receptors in the colon as well. These are treated relatively easily with topical medications, and dietary changes. Eating lower fibre foods (avoiding grain-based products, and cooking your vegetables well), getting enough essential fats in your diet, and drinking enough water all helps. I strongly urge that you do see your doctor, even if it is just to ask for a referral to a gastroenterologist so that you can rule out the possibility of a number of serious under-

lying conditions which may have damaged anorectal sensitivity. Let him or her know of any medications you are taking, as these can damage nerve function or cause constipation. Q. I am 75 years old and am taking vitamin D. I would like your advice on the right dose. A. Most adults require at least 4,000 IU of vitamin D3 via daily supplementation, however it is wise to have your levels tested before taking pot luck with dosages. Having said that I have read research listing anywhere from 10,000-35,000IUs daily without any signs of overdose! I typically err on the side of caution and suggest 4,000-6,000 for individuals who require a D3 supplement. Vitamin D deficiency is thought to be significant in conditions as wide ranging as alopecia areata, psoriasis, IBS, diabetes, sleep troubles, asthma, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, gum disease, mood disorders, thyroid imbalance, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), some cancers, and a decrease in bone density and immune functioning. Vitamin D is actually a hormone and most people in Ireland have a vitamin D deficiency, particularly as they age. Spending 20-30 minutes in sunlight during the main part of the day without any form of sunscreen will typically produce around 20,000IU of vitamin D which can be stored by the body to be used when necessary. Unfortunately, it is not always practical for people to spend this much time in the sun without some form of protection, which is why I generally recommend supplementation. Biocare’s vitamin D3 2000IU drops are available from Here’s Health (www.hereshealth.ie; 021 4278101) where 15ml costs €12.95.

■ NOTE: The information contained above is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult a doctor first.

Megan puts the spotlight on:

ESAME seeds are better known as the topping on a bread roll than as a superfood, but these tiny nutrient powerhouses really pack a punch! Not only are they an important source of high quality protein and edible oil, they contain all of the essential amino acids, lecithin, vitamin E, and a significant amount of calcium. They are fabulous eaten raw or toasted, and tahini (also known as sesame paste) is one of the most versatile spreads you can stock in your kitchen. Choose either hulled or unhulled organic tahini — the latter has more roughage — and use in a variety of both sweet and savoury dishes to boost your vitamin, mineral and antioxidant

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levels. It forms the base of many Middle-Eastern dips, such as hummus and baba-ganoush, and is also the main ingredient in the sweet known as Halvah. In fact, tahini and sesame seeds are thought to play an important role in the physical and mental endurance displayed by Turkish aviators during the Second World War and the Korean War. Sesame oil has a long shelf life, because the seeds have an impressive antioxidant profile. The seeds are easily digestible because they have a high alkaline mineral content. Because of this tahini is an ideal protein source for people with weak digestive systems,

Wonderful sesame seeds

SEED POWER: A bowl of hummus which contains tahini, one of the sources of using sesame seeds is a healthy diet option.

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and is also an excellent source of energy for active people and athletes. You can even use tahini in place of milk by combining 1 heaped teaspoon per cup of water in recipes. I even use this as a base for smoothies and home-made ice-cream. Health conscious athletes and bodybuilders can use this valuable seed to increase their intake of protein, healthy fats, and caloric load. As well as using it in sweet dishes, you can add it to soups, casseroles, creamy salad dressings (in place of dairy and egg), and stews. My children developed their own recipe using tahini and honey spread on sheets of dried nori, sprinkled with sesame seeds and then rolled up.

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