Barbecues, Food Labelling And Bacteria

I've just watched an interesting programme on tv about the amount of food we waste. Apparently the average family in UK throws away one third of everything they buy,and 40% of that is fresh food. You know, that good stuff we are recommended to eat five portions of every day.

Somehow the makers of the documentary determined every DAY we bin –

2.8 million tomatoes
4.4 million apples
5.1 million potatoes
70 million slices of bread
1.2 million sausages
1 million slices of ham

This waste goes into Landfill sites, which creates methane gas and contributes to global warming. If you consider this is happening in all developed countries worldwide, the waste is enormous.

So, why do we throw so much food away?

Apparently it has much to do with our lack of knowledge on how to store products, and anxiety and confusion as to the meaning of the Best Before By, Sell By and Use By dates, which appear on the packaging.

It seems the Best Before By date is merely a guideline, and is more about the quality of the product rather than safety.

However, scientific studies have revealed the Use By and Sell By dates are more significant. There is a real health risk to some people if they are ignored.

Globally, ten children die every minute from malnutrition and yet supermarkets throw mountains of food away because of damaged packaging, lost food labels on tins, and expired Best Before dates.

These products may not be saleable to retailers, but someone, somewhere could use them. I'm sure the starving millions, or people on low incomes would be grateful for the goods.

The supermarkets say the proportion of food they throw away is minimal compared to the amount they carry, but is it too much? Collectively, each "minimal" combines to make a "substantial" amount over time, and are the supermarkets making us neurotic about the dates just to boost sales? After all, if we bin everything just past its Best Before date, won't we just go out and buy more?

No-one wants to get food poisoning and clearly certain foods like dairy and fresh meat, fish, and poultry need careful observation, but even then, provided the food is stored and cooked properly, much could be eaten.

One common cause of food poisoning is Campylobacter. This common bacteria causes fever, abdominal cramps and diarrhoea, but thorough hygiene, plus careful storage, refrigeration and cooking of food can prevent this affecting anyone who is fit and healthy. Susceptible people are the very young, the old and those with a lowered immune system.

Bacteria cannot withstand high temperatures so it is particularly important to cook food thoroughly, especially with barbecues. Many people manage to burn the meat on the outside and yet it remains uncooked in the middle. Another thing to watch out for is the cross contamination of raw and cooked food. You must NEVER use the same plate or chopping board, and also if you marinate the meat, leave it covered in the refrigerator rather than outside.

Also, you must ensure you wash your salad correctly.

Of course the absolute best way to ensure your health is not at risk from dodgy food is to boost your immune system by deliberately giving yourself bacteria. This time, however, you take a daily dose of good, friendly, healthy, probiotic bacteria. These are the good guys, which everyone needs.

The next time you go shopping, instead of wasting money on too much food destined for the landfill, might it not be wiser to invest in some active probiotics and your good health instead?

Probiotics For Health

Jean Shaw

www.jeanshaw.blogspot.com

Antibacterial v Probiotic - What You Should Know About Cleanliness

I take a teaspoon of high quality active probiotics every day, and despite being exposed to a particularly nasty stomach bug, which is currently "going around", I have remained very healthy, unlike the rest of the people I know. Incase you are unsure what I mean by probiotics; they are the good, friendly bacteria we need to keep us well.

Both my elderly parents have been suffering from the sickness and diarrhoea, and as I write this, my dad is in an isolation ward in hospital. He has a dodgy heart and is on medication for various other ailments. Because he has been unable to retain any fluids, his blood pressure kept dropping and he passed out on us twice. The second time I thought he had died.

Apparently, when you get low blood pressure you don't get sufficient oxygen to the heart and this can trigger a heart attack. In view of his medical history, the paramedics took my dad to hospital in an ambulance, and thankfully, he's now recovering.

My mum, on the other hand is still suffering and one of my sisters', who has been helping me look after our parents, has also gone down with it. The last time I rang she was still too weak to get out of bed.

I, on the other hand, am fine, but as I already mentioned, I take a very good probiotic every day. My personal army of friendly bacteria appear to be doing a great job of looking after me, so I have been doing the hospital run.

MRSA is a real concern in hospitals these days and I noticed a considerable amount of dry hand wash bottles around. They were in corridors, at the bottom of the beds, etc., and I thought how convenient they are, and how much time they must save.

However, time, or rather lack of it, is probably one of the main reasons there are so many health problems around, particularly stomach upsets. Hand washing is not what it used to be. Everyone is in a rush.

We are always being reminded of the importance of washing our hands, and antibacterial products are usually being promoted as the answer to all our problems.

So, what are Antibacterial Products anyway? Well, here's what I've discovered.

Antibacterial soap is any cleaning product to which active antibacterial ingredients have been added, and most liquid hand and body soaps contain these antibacterial chemicals. Two of the most common are alcohol and triclosan. This is a preservative and can cause allergic reactions, contact dermatitis, causes liver damage in animals, and is toxic by ingestion.

With so many anti bacterial products on the market, some people suggest it is the overuse of antibacterial chemicals, which has resulted in certain bacteria evolving and become more resistant. There is a great variety of bacterium, and the effectiveness of a product against one particular type doesn't ensure the same result on an unrelated type of bacteria.

Actually you can get rid of bacteria with ordinary soap, and according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), antibacterial soaps are not necessary. They say washing your hands thoroughly with ordinary soap and warm water is one of the most effective ways to ward off infection.

However, if you are not convinced and still feel the need to use antibacterial soaps and cleaners, you need to consider the following:

* The antibacterial components of soaps, usually triclosan or, less commonly, triclocarban, (which apparently can cause photoallergic reactions, convulsions, and possibly cancer over prolonged use), need to be left on a surface for about two minutes in order to work. I don't know many people who are that patient, so the soap is washed off before the antibacterial ingredients can do their job.

* Some scientists think bacteria may develop a resistance to bactericidal agents over time.

* Some bacteria actually benefit us. The normal population of bacteria on our bodies not only eats our sweat, but also helps defend us against truly harmful, invasive bacteria. When you see products which claim to kill all bacteria you need to ask yourself if that's what you really want, especially when they are killing them with potentially toxic chemicals. I think I'm walking proof it's better to increase the good bacteria in your body by adding probiotics than try to wipe out the bad with antibacterial chemicals which kill the good bacteria you need as well.

* Many common diseases are viral in nature, and are therefore not prevented by antibacterial products.

Anyway, now I've passed on that bit of information, I'm off to face that nasty old stomach bug again. I'll be okay though – I've got my probiotic army inside me.


For more information on the health benefits and cleaning abilities of probiotics, see www.ProbioticsForHealth.com

Toilets, Bacteria, Probiotics and Health

I seem to spend half my life loitering outside toilets. No, I am not some sort of pervert, but I have an autistic son who has a penchant for cleanliness, especially where his hands are concerned. He just loves water and has almost missed a flight, and been late for a stage entrance because of it. Whilst everyone was waiting patiently in the wings, he was washing his hands in a manner which would make even the most demanding hospital matron proud.

My son has no sense of urgency and little empathy for other people, so when he does use the mens' toilet, he hogs the hand drier. Anyone waiting behind him eventually gives up and wipes their hands on their trousers.

Whenever possible I make him use the disabled toilet because that way I know he's safe. He goes in alone whilst I loiter outside. My friend once told me about a lady who'd taken her disabled nephew out for the day and allowed him to go in to the toilet on his own. He never came out. Someone had slit his throat.

I've never forgotten her words.

I know that's a bit extreme and highly unlikely to happen in my local supermarket, but I'm a mother and I worry. Daily on the news you hear of unprovoked mindless violence happening against innocent people, and knife crime is common. Just today the stabbing of a 15 year old girl in a lift made the evening news, and apparently 25% of patients on a trauma ward at a large hospital in Southampton are knife victims.

Like most people with disabilities, my son is vulnerable, but this article isn’t about knife culture.

As a small child my son had numerous ear infections. He also had numerous courses of antibiotics before he went on to develop autism. That's quite common. No-one told me if you take antibiotics, you MUST take probiotics to replenish the good bacteria so essential for a healthy immune system.

We are a nation obsessed with getting rid of germs using anti bacterial soaps, sprays and liquids. However, we do actually need a few germs around so our bodies can build up an immune system. It's no wonder our children have so many illnesses and allergies when their immune systems never get a chance to develop. We wipe out their good bacteria, then expose them to toxic synthetic chemicals with our cleaning materials and air fresheners.

Maybe there's a better way though. I know for a fact my son has improved tremendously since I started giving him a daily dose of good quality probiotics and started cleaning my house with bacteria.

Now I know that may sound weird, but think about it. The doctors are repeatedly warning us certain health problems are becoming resistant to antibiotics. These kill off ALL bacteria, so why not attack the bad pathonogenic bacteria in a different way. Why not over power them with good bacteria and make it a war of numbers?

You might not like the idea of your toilets and work surfaces being sprayed with bacteria, but the bad ones are there anyway. Personally I'd rather spray with good bacteria than toxic synthetic chemicals which are designed to kill. At least they won't do me any harm if I get them on my skin or breathe them in.

So as I hang around outside the toilets, I'm grateful my son washes his hands properly. He's rarely ever ill but I'm sure it's more to do with the probiotic bacteria he has on a daily basis than the amount of time he spends in the toilet.

If you're interested in your health and want to find out more about probiotics go to http://www.probioticsforhealth.com/

You can also watch my video

Probiotics and Baby Colic

When my sons were babies they both suffered with colic. My eldest had it for months. We gave him gallons of Infacol and gripe water, but the only way we could get him to sleep was to take him for a ride in the car.

However, as soon as the engine stopped he would wake up.

Thankfully over the years he has mastered the art of sleeping, but is now intolerant to milk and dairy products.

My youngest son has autism. Ever since he developed the disability his diet has been awful, but since introducing daily probiotics fairly recently he has improved tremendously.

I have a lot of faith in probiotics - at least the good ones. I just wish I'd known about them when my sons were babies as they can be added to juice, milk and even dusted on your nipples if you are breast feeding.

This article from the UK Publication , What Doctors Don’t Tell You, would have been useful too!

Collicky Babies - Probiotics May Be The Answer

Colic is the number-one problem for both babies and parents. It’s probably the worst pain a baby ever experiences, and it’s both distressing and sleep-depriving for mothers, too. Doctors tend not to take it that seriously, however, as it’s neither life-threatening nor permanent – it rarely persists beyond the age of six months. It’s believed to be caused by excess gas in the stomach.

Infacol is one of the most popular medicines for colic, and many mothers swear by it. Its active ingredient is simethicone, an ‘antifoaming’ agent that is supposed to reduce trapped wind in the gut. However, the product appears to have been marketed without any kind of supporting medical evidence, given that three clinical trials showed “no benefit” with simethicone (BMJ, 1998; 316: 1563-9).

Infacol’s other deficits are its so-called ‘inactive’ ingredients, which include not only saccharin, but the infamous preservative parabens.

Extraordinarily, although the damning report in the British Medical Journal was written almost 10 years ago, Infacol is still actively marketed.

Native Remedies

All herbal remedies

Professionally formulated in therapeutic dosages by a leading clinical psychologist under pharmaceutical conditions to ensure the highest degree of potency and consistency

What are the healthy answers to colic? Well, the almost folkloric ‘gripe water’ certainly isn’t one of them. Originally developed in the 1850s, its ingredients include ginger, dill, fennel, and chamomile – but also alcohol and sodium bicarbonate.

According to one estimate, the amount of alcohol in a typical daily infant dose is equivalent to five tots of whiskey in an adult (J R Soc Med, 200; 93: 172-4). Also, baking soda – an antacid – can alter the infant’s delicate acid-alkaline balance, possibly exacerbating the problem as well as depleting folic acid and iron. It is much better to put the bicarb into cakes than into babies.

One of the latest, most promising treatments is probiotics. It’s been found that babies with colic tend to have fewer beneficial bacteria in their gastrointestinal tracts, making it sensible to try giving them a probiotic supplement.

In a 28-day study, Italian paediatricians from the University of Turn tested 90 colicky babies, giving half of them a few drops of a liquid containing 100 million live Lactobacillus reuteri bacteria and simethicone to the remainder.

The results were dramatic: only 7 percent of the simethicone group got better, compared with 95 per cent of the probiotic group, who cried for only 50 minutes a day compared with more than two and a half hours with simethicone (Paediatrics, 2007; 119: e124-30).

The product used in the trial is from the Swedish company BiGaia AB. But it’s unlikely to be the only probiotic that works for colic. The research is ongoing.

A similar product, which uses prebiotics, rather than probiotics, is Nutrilon Omneo. This contains oligosaccharides, which stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria, together with whey proteins and vegetable oil. When the same Turin group tested Nurtrilon against simethicone in a 14-day trial, once again, the natural product won out, resulting in roughly half the number of “crying episodes” after two weeks (Eur J Clin Nutr. 2006; 60:1304-10).

Herbal preparations have also been tested in clinical trials. A mixture of chamomile, fennel and lemon balm has been shown to more than halve colic, as measured by daily crying time. Perhaps surprisingly , the benefit from the herbs persisted for as long as two weeks after the end of the treatment (Phytother Res, 2005; 19: 335-40).

Another rigorous clinical study of more than 120 infants tested a 0.1-per-cent fennel-seed oil emulsion against a placebo. The fennel emulsion reduced colic by 65 per cent, vs only 24 per cent with the placebo. The fennel dose was 1-4 tsp up to four times per day (Altern Ther, 2003; 9: 58-61). Neither of those herbal trials reported any side-effects.

Homeopathy works especially well in children, and it offers a number of remedies for colic, with Colycinthis and Chamomilla being the most popular. Although there is a little supporting clinical evidence, a recent survey of Scottish Gps revealed that nearly a quarter of them regularly prescribe homeopathy particularly in infants, and particularly for colic (Br J Clin Pharmacol, 2005; 59: 743-9).

In addition to natural therapies, you should also encourage your daughter to do a simple check of how she’s feeding her baby. If she’s breastfeeding, she could try changing her diet by cutting out dairy, wheat, eggs, nuts and fish. When this sort of low-allergen regime was tested on mothers, their babies; colic reduced almost threefold and within only eight days of starting the diet (Paediatrics, 2005; 116: e709-15).

Similarly, if your daughter’s using milk formula, she could choose a low-allergen type or a non-cow’s milk formula, such as goat’s milk.

Low-allergen formulas have been shown to reduce colic by up to 60 per cent (Paediatrics, 2000; 106: 184-90).

Probiotics For Health

Jean Shaw

www.jeanshaw.com

Audrey Hepburn's Beauty Tips

Like most people I regularly get e-mails with instructions to forward on to a certain number of people in order to receive good luck, or to make someone happy, etc.

This information was sent to me to forward to five beautiful women. However, I think everyone has their own special beauty so I decided to post it here instead.

Apparently when Audrey Hepburn was asked to share her 'beauty tips' she wrote the following and years later it was read at her funeral.

For attractive lips - speak words of kindness
For lovely eyes - seek out the good in people
For a slim figure - share your food with the hungry
For beautiful hair - let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day
For poise - walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw anyone out.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.

As you grow older, you will discover you have two hands; one for helping yourself and the other for helping others.

For beautiful skin using only organic products with no harmful synthetic toxic chemicals

Jean Shaw

www.jeanshaw.com

My Menopausal Moment Makes Me Money

Depending on your age you may not have had a mid life crisis or menopausal moment but mine came on my 50th birthday.

I attended one of those "Free" lunches at a really posh hotel in our area. The catch was I had to listen to a short presentation, but in return I would get not only the lunch but also a valuable gift.

Anyway, as it was a milestone birthday I thought it would be a great way to celebrate, and something to relate if anyone ever asked me what I'd done. The prospect of being able to truthfully say I'd dined at this particular hotel was very appealing, and there was no need to explain the circumstances.

Many of my peers had been on holidays, cruises, or thrown big lavish parties, but I wasn't in the financial or personal position of being able to do either.

As a full time carer for my autistic son, I hadn't been able to work properly since his birth, so finances were tight. It's hard to find work when you have children any way but if you throw special needs into the equation, it becomes even more difficult.

I had been a courier, delivering parcels when he was younger, but he had no sense of danger. He always sat strapped into his car seat in the back of the car with the child locks on, and never spoke or moved. I used to pull up outside people's houses, quickly deliver the parcels and return to him.

He was never out of my sight, but on one occasion he released his seat belt and got out of the car into the road, leaving the car door swinging wide open. I can still hear the squeal of brakes to this day, but thankfully no one was hurt.

Needless to say the courier job had to go and after that I worked as a teaching assistant at a local secondary school helping children with areas of concern. It was stressful and unrewarding because I was trying to help those who didn't really my help anyway.

It was at this point the "Free" lunch came along and although it proved in the end to be very expensive, it was in hindsight, the best meal I've ever had.

I went to the meal knowing absolutely nothing about Internet Marketing and came away a few hours later completely hooked. I ended up buying some websites, some hosting and a dream. I had no idea how, why or what to do, but I knew in that menopausal moment things could and would change.

Internet Marketing has opened up a whole new world for me. It covers so many different aspects, which could appeal to anyone able to use a computer, even at a very basic level. It gives you the freedom to work when, where and for how long you choose, and is a wonderful way of meeting new people, albeit not personally.

However, unless you have someone to show you what to do it's confusing. There's a lot of information available, but also a lot of misinformation. The Internet is a rapidly changing environment and there are always new tactics being taught. Everytime I thought I knew which direction to take, someone else would tempt me with yet another new strategy.

It took a lot of courses, videos, audios, reports and months of expense and frustration before I finally discovered someone who actually provided a tried and tested, proven, six-step process to get from A to Z. Everyone else had great bits of the puzzle, but without all the other pieces they were of little value at the time.

Each step of the process begins with the letter "m", so the title of this article is particularly relevant. It's really true - My Menopausal Moment Makes Me Money so if you want to check it out be my guest, and good luck.

Oh, by the way, it works for men too!

Jean Shaw
www.jeanshaw.blogspot.com

Too Much Time And Not Enough Money? - Try Blogging

I have always been an early bird and am very good at getting up in the mornings. I know it's not the case for everyone though, and often see people drag themselves, bleary eyed past my house on their way to catch the morning train.

I feel sorry for them, especially when the weather is bad and know they'll arrive for work cold and wet. In the summer too, when the weather is warm and sunny, they'll be stuck indoors trading their time for money making someone else richer.

It's not just the working either. Many people spend several hours travelling to and from their place of work, and there's a lot more to consider than just the pay packet when you are offered a "job". The word "freedom" springs to mind, or rather lack of.

Of course we all have to work and it's such a shame so few people actually enjoy what they are doing. I think I can count on one hand those who have told me over the years that they "love their job".

However, love it or loath it, a "job" tends to take up a vast proportion of a person's life, and it comes as quite a shock when one isn't available. Financially it makes things difficult, but also many people often miss the social side of working. Of course not everyone gets on with all their work colleagues, but we are social creatures and used to being with others.

The main problem for most people who have no "job" is they find themselves with too much time on their hands and no idea how to fill it. That's one of the reasons many people seem to change once they retire and although we might all say we can't wait to give up work, the reality is often quite different.

Men, in particular, find retirement difficult because if their wives are at home they usually do the domestic chores and often complain their husbands are now always "under their feet".

If a person has a hobby or interest, that obviously helps considerably, and so does having plenty of income. Everything costs money and people live a long time these days. Unless you have made wise investments over the years, any retirement nest egg can soon disappear.

That's where blogging can be such a wonderful opportunity. If anyone can use a computer and can type e-mails then it opens a whole new world. It's easy to learn and anyone can do it regardless of age.

You can set up a blog for FREE, and although you don't have to blog to make money, it can certainly provide a very lucrative passive income once you understand the process.

It's something you can do from home, or anywhere with a computer access. You also work the hours you choose and that means just one thing – Freedom!

You can find many free and paid courses on blogging but one of the best ones I've found is provided free with GVO which is an amazing hosting company providing all the tools you need to create a presence online.

Take a look and check out Chet Hastings videos. He's an inspirational grandad who didn't start on the internet until he was in his sixties!

Take care and good luck

Jean Shaw