Reducing Exposure to Biological Contaminants

Use exhaust fans that are vented to the outdoors in kitchens and bathrooms. Vent clothes dryers outdoors.

These actions can eliminate much of the moisture that builds up from everyday activities. There are exhaust fans on the market that produce little noise, an important consideration for some people. Another benefit to using kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans is that they can reduce levels of organic pollutants that vaporize from hot water used in showers and dishwashers.

Ventilate the attic and crawl spaces to prevent moisture build-up.

Keeping humidity levels in these areas below 50 percent can prevent water condensation on building materials.

If using cool mist or ultrasonic humidifiers, clean appliance according to manufacturer’s instructions. Refill with fresh water daily.

Because these humidifiers can become breeding grounds for biological contaminants, they have the potential for causing diseases such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis and humidifier fever. These diseases are serious, so don’t be lazy about cleaning those units and changing the water daily. Evaporation trays in air conditioners, dehumidifiers, and refrigerators should also be cleaned frequently for the same reasons.

Thoroughly clean and dry water-damaged carpets and building materials (within 24 hours if possible) or consider removal and replacement.

Water-damaged carpets and building materials can harbor mold and bacteria. It is very difficult to completely rid such materials of biological contaminants, because they settle deep in the nap in the padding or even underneath the padding.

Keep the house clean. House dust mites, pollens, animal dander, and other allergy-causing agents can be reduced, although not eliminated, through regular cleaning.

People who are allergic to these pollutants should use allergen-proof mattress encasements. Wash bedding in hot (130o F) water. Avoid room furnishings that accumulate dust, especially if they cannot be washed in hot water. Allergic individuals should also leave the house while it is being vacuumed because vacuuming can actually increase airborne levels of mite allergens and other biological contaminants. Using central vacuum systems that are vented to the outdoors or vacuums with high efficiency filters may also be of help.

Article from: How to Survive a Toxic Planet, by Dr Steve Nugent

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Why won't they eat their vegetables?

If there is one common complaint from parents about their child's eating habits, it is that they do not eat their vegetables! Nutritionally, vegetables are an integral part of a well-balanced diet, as they contain few calories; provide a significant proportion of our dietary fibre as well as a number of important vitamins and minerals. Children need one to two cups of vegetables or salad every single day in order to get these vital nutrients.

The most important thing for parents to remember when they are dealing with a vegetables refuser, is that the more you beg, cajole and request your child to eat the food they are refusing, the less likely it is that they will eat it. The best thing for parents to do in this instance is to indirectly ignore their child's refusal of the food. Simply acknowledge the refusal offhandedly, before changing the direction of the conversation. For example, when a child says "I hate broccoli, I'm not eating it", redirecting the conversation to, "That's fine; you don't have to eat it. Why don't you have some more of the chicken instead, you love that?" This diverts the negative energy away from the offensive broccoli and diffuses the potential argument. For this scenario to work, having a range of foods served on a child's plate, some of which you know your child likes is the key to success.

Another option is to actively involve your child in the food preparation process and ask for their input when choosing vegetables, but within limits. For example, asking your child which one, out of two or three vegetable choices they would like, works well. If they answer your question of, "Would you like beans, peas or carrots tonight?" with, "None of them, I hate them all", simply say, "Well if you don't pick one, I will and that may not be the one you like best". In this example, getting angry at the child would have only strengthened his or her resistance, as opposed to negotiation, where you both stand to gain.

Finally, making sure that the vegetables or salads are served to your child's taste and appeal is a key component of making vegetables and salads child-friendly. Soggy, boiled broccoli is not appealing to anyone so it is no wonder kids refuse it! Add light cheese sauce to broccoli and cauliflower, honey to carrots, dry bake pumpkin and serve with light sour cream or simply serve vegetables raw to make them an appealing part of the meal.

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Why won't they eat their vegetables?

Ideas on ways to increase your kid’s vegetable intake:

• Try char-grilling vegetables such as zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, and capsicum under the grill. Simply brush the vegetables with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes. They taste amazing. These types of vegetables can also be added to sandwiches or foccacias as great lunch fillers.
• If your children hate all cooked vegetables, remember that vegetables can also be replaced with salad. Salad can be added to most meals but goes exceptionally well with pasta and meat dishes. Look out for the low-fat salad dressings including mayonnaise that are available in supermarkets and add extra flavor to a range of salads. Alternatively make it your child's job to make the salad.
• An excellent after-school snack can be made from cut up raw vegetables such as carrot, capsicum, and celery teamed with low fat dips that are available in supermarkets. Baby tomatoes, cucumber sticks, sliced carrot, mushrooms, beetroot wedges are all colorful and look appealing on a plate.
• Try adding small, chopped pieces of tomato, capsicum, zucchini and carrots to dishes such as spaghetti bolognaise, stir fried rice or sauces. These vegetables do not have much flavor and only very determined children will pick out all the pieces.
• Add tomato, mushroom, eggplant, onion, capsicum and tomato to homemade pizzas. Try involving your child in decorating their own pizzas. Children are more likely to eat foods they have had some role in making.
• Look for low-fat sauces to serve with vegetables — such as cheese based sauce or gravy, which can give vegetables extra flavor.
• Tomato goes well with everything. Try it with cheese or vegemite on toast or crackers.
• When making cakes or slices look for varieties that include different types of vegetables. Zucchini bread, pumpkin scones and carrot cake are all good choices.
• Grated carrots and zucchini can be added to salmon or vegetable patties and served with a side salad.
• Young children will often eat frozen peas while dinner is being prepared.
• If you have kids complaining of being hungry before dinner, leave out fresh, chopped carrots, celery, cucumber and capsicum. You will be surprised how much they will eat when they are hungry and these vegetables are fresh and readily available.

Validated science is at the heart of every Mannatech product. Since introducing their first nutritional breakthrough, Ambrotose® complex, in 1994, Mannatech has maintained a leadership position in the worldwide dietary supplements industry. Mannatech offers naturally derived patent-pending and proprietary nutritional products that no other company can offer.

Bleach and Cancer

Chlorine (Sodium hypochlorite) is found in paper products, such as toilet paper and paper towels. Bleaching paper products with chlorine bleach causes the formation of dioxin, and extremely toxic and persistent chemical known to cause cancer and disrupt the endocrine system.

Dioxin is everywhere in the environment and presents a broad spectrum of threats to you and your family.

· Dioxin is a highly toxic chemical and accumulates in our environment, our food and bodies. According to the EPA, the average adult already has enough dioxin in their bodies today to cause adverse health effects.

· Dioxin is highly persistent in the environment and is extremely resistant to chemical or physical breakdown.

· Dioxin is a family of 75 chemical technically known as “chlorinated dibenzo dioxins.”

Health Concerns

· The World Health Organization upgraded Dixon from a “probable” to a “known human carcinogen” in February 1997, and the U.S. National Institutes of Health followed suit in October 2000.

· Exposure to dioxin in linked to diabetes, attention deficit disorder, learning disabilities, weakened immune systems, infertility and endometriosis.

· On May 23, 2002 the EPA reported in its Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) that 99,814 grams of dioxin were released into the environment in the year 2000. One gram of dioxin is enough to exceed the acceptable daily intake for more than 40 million people for one year, according to the Stop Dioxin Exposure Campaign.

Sources and exposure

· Dioxins are never manufactured deliberately (except for laboratory research) and are unintentionally created in two major ways:

1. Heating plastic releases dioxin. You should never cook in plastic containers. Dioxins are released when materials such as household garbage or toxic waste, including hospital waste, leaded gasoline, plastic, paper and dioxin – contaminated wood are burned. Do not microwave unless you want your body to work overtime fighting cancer cells. Remove the food first from plastic and put it into glass cookware that is designed for oven, microwave or stove tops.

2. Manufacturing processes create dioxins. These processes are used to make certain pesticides, preservatives, disinfectants, and paper products.

Article from: How to Survive a Toxic Planet, by Dr Steve Nugent

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Active kids are healthy kids.

What can I do now?

· Be a role model – be active when you’re with children.

· Include physical activity in family outings.

· Support active play, recreation and participation in sport.

· Encourage and support walking and cycling to school.

· Think of active alternatives when you hear “I’m bored”.

· Be prepared – have a box at home and in the car with balls, a frisbee or a kite etc, and you will be always ready for action.

· Encourage children to replace time spent surfing the net, watching TV and playing computer games with more active pursuits.

· Negotiate a limit on time spent surfing the net, watching TV and playing computer games.

· Work with your child’s school to increase physical activity opportunities.

· Work with Local Government to support walking, cycling and physical activity in you neighbourhood and community.

· Walk and talk – practice spelling, multiplication or other homework with your child while walking.

· Give gifts or toys that promote physical activity such as bats, balls, skipping ropes, skates or bikes.

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Home Eating Helps

Increasing how often you eat, and ensuring you consume breakfast, appears to help people avoid gaining excess weight - and may even help prevent obesity.

This is the case even after controlling for total energy intake and physical activity, a study has shown.

But the increase in the number of eating episodes needs to happen at home as the same study found that frequently eating breakfast or dinner away from home increased the risk of obesity.

The study, by the University of Massachusetts Medical School's Ma Yunsheng and colleagues, suggested that eating patterns are independently associated with obesity.

The researchers concluded: "In addition to energy intake and nutrient composition, future studies of diet and obesity should also explore the frequency of eating and the location of meals".

The researchers used data from a large study, the Seasonal Variation of Blood Cholesterol Study, and analysed the eating habits of 499 participants.

Forty-eight per cent of the men and 33 per cent of the women were overweight, and 27 per cent and 20 per cent were obese, respectively. The study participants were predominantly white (87.7 per cent), married (78.1 per cent), educated (39.8 per cent with a bachelor's degree or more), never smokers (84.8 per cent) and employed in white-collar occupations (37.4 per cent).

Compared with participants who reported eating three or fewer times a day, subjects who ate four or more times a day experienced a significantly lower risk (45 per cent!) of obesity.

On average, participants ate 3.92 times daily.

Higher education was significantly associated with lower risk of obesity; relative to those with a high school education or less.

Physical activity was inversely associated with obesity.

In contrast, age, race/ethnicity, gender, smoking status, occupational status and total energy intake were not appreciably associated with the risk of obesity.

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Walk and Talk

If you’re not doing any regular exercise, how about starting your own walking club? Walking is one of the best and simplest ways to increase your cardiovascular health, reduce body fat, relieve stress and tone muscles. To get the full benefit, you need to walk regularly, and that’s where a walking group can keep you on track. By having a commitment to a group of fellow walkers, you’re more likely to stay faithful to the exercise.

You can start by promoting your first walk in your local newspaper, community centre, library and health club. You can organize other detail such as date, times, length and duration of the walk while you’re out walking. Your walking activities can be as involved as you want or as straightforward as putting one foot in front of the other. Whatever you do, it’s all good exercise.

Getting started… Be consistent with time, location and duration of your walks. Set up communication networks, such as an email list or phone tree, to keep in touch.. Make social events part of your walk. End a morning walk at a coffee shop or go for a light lunch after a stroll. Plan for bad weather – look for good indoor routes such as shopping mall. Invite expert speakers to talk about training, correct footwear and combating injuries like back and knee pain. Vary the terrain to prevent boredom and, most importantly, have fun.

Mannatech’s GlycoLEAN® Body System is not just another line of diet products. It is a fat-loss, weight-management system designed to help you optimise your body’s composition and performance by focusing on losing fat, not just pounds.