Category: Health

Are you ready to take the Paleo Plunge?

Are you hearing a lot of chatter out there about the Paleo Lifestyle but not sure what it is? Keen to try it out but you’re freaked out with the obsessive details like trying to source liquorice powder & kelp noodles? Scared that you won’t be able to go out for dinner anymore?? Or that you’ll accidently leave your hunting spear at Aldi’s???

It’s time to breath. . . .here is the lowdown on Paleo. . . .

So, for starters what the hell is it? Paleo is short for Paleolithic, a caveman and woman diet. You might be more familiar with the term ‘Hunters and Gatherers’, our ancestors who hunted animals for meat and gathered vegetables, nuts, seeds & seasonal fruit. No grains are allowed (that’s right not even brown rice!), nor legumes & dairy. There’s a general avoidance of modern day processed foods particularly those laced with preservatives and artificial colourings.

What’s the benefits? At its heart, a paleo diet is a good all round healthy eating plan and similar to what I put into meal planners for my clients with weight loss, training and sports goals and for general wellbeing.

The best bits? Apart from loads of fresh vegetables, all colours of the rainbow, you can eat tasty fats (yes including that yummy bit attached to your steak and bacon!), fermented foods, spices and herbs. Paleo recipes also tick many gluten and dairy free boxes for those with allergies or intolerances.

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Best Egg Dishes Your Family Will Love

Best Egg Dishes Your Family Will Love

Australians consume upwards of 15 million eggs every day. That equates to around 230 of this versatile food type for each Australian. Given that eggs feature in various recipes, it makes sense that they are something you will discover in most Australian homes.

Whether you’re trying to find a delicious snack to pair with wine or a hearty meal to feed your family, here are some of the best egg dishes that are worth trying after your next supermarket visit.

Omelette

If you’re not feeling very inspired, or you lack time, then there’s nothing wrong with turning omelettes into a family meal. They are versatile, and you can create them with various ingredients to suit everyone’s preferences.

Get started by making sure you have enough eggs for everyone’s omelette. Most people have at least two, but you can create larger, thicker omelettes by doubling your recipe.

You can then start chopping ingredients to go within the omelette when you start cooking it. Some popular options include ham, cheese, onion, tomato, and mushroom. Omelettes are quick, easy, nutritious, and delicious.

Eggs Benedict

If you fancy a delicious breakfast treat, then eggs benedict surely meet the mark. This dish is a classic and is easy enough to prepare. Create a hollandaise sauce, buy muffins, and consider adding spinach, salmon, and even avocado.

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5 Reasons NOT to Eat Margarine

5 Reasons NOT to Eat Margarine

Confused at the supermarket deciding on margarine or butter? Should we choose margarine for it’s ‘cholesterol reducing’ abilities? Do we avoid the high saturated fat of butter? Or is butter better?? Don’t fret – here is the low down.

Margarine was created in the 1800s in France when a cheaper alternative to butter was requested by Napoleon III. It is a vegetable oil based spread that should contain approx. 80% oil – with a ‘butter’ flavour. Since the 1960’s when the ‘reduce your saturated fat’ myth was created, margarines become popular as they did not contain saturated fats from animals which were blamed for high cholesterol levels.

1. Margarines contain trans fats

Through the processing of margarine trans fats are created. Trans fats are artificial fatty acids created in an industrial process when hydrogen is added to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid. Studies have shown that trans fats raise your LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol levels whilst lowering your HDL or ‘good’ cholesterol levels. Eating trans fats increases your risk of developing heart disease & stroke & are associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Despite many manufacturers claiming their margarine no longer contains trans fats, if the label says partially hydrogenated oils, it will still contain 0.5-1% of trans fat, which if eaten over a lifetime is still detrimental to your health.

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Workplace Discrimination

Suffering from Workplace Discrimination?

There are numerous types of discrimination that can occur in the workplace, but it’s important to realise that it’s never okay. Discriminatory actions can lead to a wide range of mental illnesses and a lower quality of life, so it’s crucial to identify and address issues as soon as they pop up.

In saying that, your mental health and state of mind can suffer a lot in a short space of time if you’re being discriminated against. Because of this, it’s important to ensure you’re remaining healthy while things are being dealt with.

To help you out, we’ve put together the following list of the top five ways to boost your morale if you’re suffering from any form of workplace discrimination. As always, seek professional and/or legal advice if you feel like it could be beneficial.

  1. Identify and Accept Any Problems

In many discrimination cases, the problem lingers for some time before you can successfully dispel it. This might be because you don’t have enough proof of wrongdoing, your employer is slow to act or simply because these things do take time.

With this in mind, it’s important to identify the problem and accept that you’re not the cause. While it can be difficult to remain in positive spirits if you’re constantly being discriminated against, it’s still worth doing your best.

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After Cataract Surgery

5 Tips for Ensuring Success After Cataract Surgery

If you’ve got blurred vision caused by cataracts, it could be time to consider looking into cataract surgery, offered at laser eye surgery perth. Basically, this involves removing the damaged lenses of your eyes and replacing them with artificial ones, and therefore improving your overall vision.

However, recovering from cataract surgery can take some time. It’s therefore important to think about the things you can do to speed up your recovery and reduce the risk of ongoing complications.

In the rest of this article you will find our top 5 tips for ensuring success after cataract surgery. They include:

1. Don’t Drive for At Least a Few Days

The first thing you will be told when you’re preparing for cataract surgery is to make sure that you’ve got someone to drive you home after the procedure. We’d recommend following this advice for at least a few days after you’ve had your cataracts removed. Otherwise, your cataracts might not have time to recover properly.

2. Never Rub Your Eyes!

Although cataract surgery can be uncomfortable, and you might experience irritation and itchiness in the days following, you should always avoid rubbing or scratching the area. Doing so will almost certainly affect the recovery of your eyes, and can lead to difficult complications.

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Wisdom Teeth Swelling

Wisdom Teeth Swelling, And How to Take Care of It

Wisdom teeth are thought to be the evolutionary answer to chewing roots, raw meat, and berries. Now, however, their only purpose is to cause problems, such as swelling. If you are experiencing swelling around your wisdom teeth, then it’s essential to make an appointment with your dentist.

A dental professional can get to the bottom of the problem, and come up with a solution that eases your pain and discomfort. Read on to learn more about wisdom teeth swelling, the causes, and how to take care of it.

What Causes Wisdom Teeth Swelling?

There are three primary reasons why you may have gum irritation and swelling around your wisdom teeth. When those teeth start to grow in, gum tissue can become inflamed. Then, as the teeth erupt through the surface, food can get trapped under the gum. If the teeth recede into the gum line, further gum irritation can occur.

Infection and how your body deals with it could also be another cause of the swelling. When your teeth break through your gums, you will likely experience pain and discomfort. Think back to children who are a little bit grumpy when they’re cutting their first teeth. Your body thinks there’s an injury and sends nutrients and oxygen-rich blood to the area. The blood vessels expand as a result, and swelling follows.

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Relapsed

How to Tell That Someone You Love has Relapsed

When you book a friend or family member into an addiction recovery facility, it can feel like the toughest day of your life. However, there’s something even harder than that – and that’s believing that the person who tried so hard in the rehab facility may have had a relapse. But, how do you know for sure? Here are a few tell-tale signs.

Their Mood Changes

When someone successfully comes out the other side of drug addiction, their positivity and zest for life can be a breath of fresh air. However, it doesn’t always last forever. Once the bite of reality hits, previous drug users may find themselves surrounded by their same old triggers – and it might be too hard to resist.

A mood change can mean they are fighting the urge to take drugs or consume alcohol. Or, it can say they have already succumbed to the temptation and now feel ashamed, guilty, or frustrated.

Secretive Behaviour

When a loved one comes home from drug rehab, you may revel in having them back again. If, however, you notice that they are leaving the house when you’re not home or late at night, or they don’t tell you where they’re going, that can be an alarm bell for a relapse. Any secretive behaviour is something on which you should keep an eagle eye.

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Encourage Your Kids to Brush

10 Tips to Encourage Your Kids to Brush

Brushing your teeth is an extremely important habit to get into when it comes to developing and maintaining good oral hygiene. Although it is extremely important and relatively simple, parents often find it difficult to encourage their children to brush regularly. Failing to brush can lead to cavities and oral health problems, which can in turn lead to visits to the dentist. If you have trouble getting your kids to brush their teeth, try the following tips:

  1. Give rewards:

If your kids have trouble brushing their teeth regularly, reward them for consistent brushing. Consider developing a rewards chart which allows them to choose a new toy or a treat when they have brushed consistently for a certain number of days.

  1. Let them choose their own toothbrush:

If you have younger children, let them choose a toothbrush which they like the look of, which interests them, and which they will be likely to use. This can lead to regular brushing without any encouragement.

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Combat Drug Addiction

Best Ways to Combat Drug Addiction

Illegal drugs have ruined countless lives, but despite it, there are still millions of people who choose to use them. It’s perplexing to know why people can’t stop using these substances even though they know that drugs can do a lot of damage to them. Some even opt for professional interventions like a drug rehab to change their ways.

But why? The answer to that is simple — addiction.

Though it’s virtually impossible to stop everyone from taking illegal drugs, there are still ways to avoid drug abuse. We’ve compiled the best ways to do it. Who knows, maybe this will save your life or someone else’s!

  • Change your lifestyle.

One of the biggest reasons why people give in to drugs is because they feel they have no other choice. It might make them feel alert because they need to be awake at night for work or some other responsibility. They might also find it helpful to cope with stress or even help them forget their problems.

Whichever the case is, it all boils down to lifestyle. Changing your habits gives you a more optimistic outlook on life. Even as simple as waking up before the sun rises has great benefits to your mental health. You can also maintain a healthy diet so that you’ll be stronger physically, or perhaps exercise regularly. There are lots of better choices in life, not just drugs.

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Break a Tooth

What are My Options if I Break a Tooth?

Broken teeth are probably the most common dental injuries. If they are bad, a visit to your local emergency dentist may be required. However, many people get away with making an appointment with their regular dentist.

Broken teeth can occur in many ways. Some of the more common include playing sport, from work-related injuries, and from using your teeth to open jars or bottles. If you do break a tooth, it is important to get in touch with your local dentist to explore your options. You may be able to get it fixed without spending too much, but you may need to get a crown or fake tooth.

Your options when you break a tooth include:

Emergency dental treatment:

You should always visit a dentist as soon as you can after chipping or cracking a tooth, especially if it is painful. In especially bad cases, you should think about visiting an emergency dentist immediately to prevent further damage. Signs you should visit an emergency dentist include:

  • Any blood or bloody discharge coming from within or around your tooth. This can indicate significant damage which needs to be dealt with immediately.
  • Significant pain, which can mean that the nerves are exposed due to damage to your tooth. Immediate treatment is necessary to prevent further nerve damage.
  • Loose or wobbly teeth, which may have internal or nerve damage.

If you experience any of these symptoms, you need to contact your emergency dentist as soon as possible!

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