Health

February 12, 2016 Family Health

The Downsides of Working From Home – and How to Address Them

If you work from home you are very likely to be using your computer a great deal. You could be an business consultant, or perhaps you’re a writer. Working from home has a great many benefits, not least being that you can save on renting an office and travelling and also be there for your family. In fact, having some kind of home business is ideal for many people. However, if you work from home you may have realised there are downsides too. These must be addressed in order to make your business as well as your life, successful. Here are some of them.

It is very easy to put in longer hours at a home business because you don’t need to leave the office at the end of the day. Working can become addictive to the point you neglect your relationships even though you live and work in the same home as your family. You may just want to finish that website or do a little more research into keywords and the next thing you know the children are all in bed and so is your spouse. You need to make a cut-off point for work and stick to it.

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January 22, 2016 Health

Don’t Let Drugs Ruin Your Life

When you first begin to take drugs it is usually as a way to cope with something in your life that is causing emotional pain; something that you don’t know how to handle. The drugs take away the pain and make you feel good for a little while. It might be some time before you realise there is a serious problem and what your friends or parents have been telling you for some time is really true; you are suffering from drug addiction. This is the time to make some major decisions, before it is really too late. It is time to book into a drug rehab to get off those drugs and get your life back. That doesn’t have to mean you have to suffer from the emotional pain that caused you to take drugs in the first place. If you can get to the right facility for drug rehabilitation your treatment will include counselling to find out what it was you were trying to get relief from and you’ll be taught how to deal with it in a different way; one that doesn’t give you an addiction. To that end, your parents or other loved ones may have to undergo counselling with you. That’s good, because it will teach them how to change their ways and stop doing or saying those things that hurt you. Your parents love you, but sometimes they don’t know how to cope with certain behaviours. And sometimes they too, were hurt by their parents in the same way. (more…)

December 10, 2015 Health

What to do After You Kick Drugs

So you've been to drug rehab and successfully kicked the habit. Now you are home again and you may be feeling a bit let down. After all, home is nothing like that wonderful place you just came back from where everyone treated you so nicely. At home, you have to deal with people who may be cranky, drunk or just uncaring. Or even if they love you, maybe they just have too many issues to deal with to show you some of that TLC you crave. If your life looks like it’s going to be a hard drag again, it’s important to do certain things to deal with it, or you risk falling once again into the habit you just got free from. Here are some tips to help you.

If a home is difficult to deal with move out, as scary as it may seem.
If you can’t move out, concentrate on making new friends who are caring, but not part of the drug scene. You can do this by joining a club – painting, photography, cooking, dancing – whatever your interests are.
Go out regularly. Nurture your new friends by suggesting you meet for a coffee, a walk in the park or a movie night, whatever seems good to you.
Eat good food. Many people live on fast food and miss out on the basic nutrition their body needs to remain healthy. Lots of fresh fruit and vegetables give you energy without piling on the weight.
If you love fast food, you don’t have to miss it altogether, just limit it to once a week or fortnight.

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October 9, 2015 Health

How to Reduce Your Pain Pills

It is a well-known fact that laughing triggers release of endorphins – feel good chemicals that help to relieve pain, hence reduces need for pain pills. Some people go without laughter in their life, especially if they have a serious personality. But you can help your friends all have fun and laugh by adding a photo booth to your party or wedding reception. With the addition of this great piece of technology you and your friends will find many ways to dress up and take funny photos and you are sure to end up in fits of laughter while doing it. Not only will you all have a great deal of fun, you will learn that laughing makes you feel really good inside. Those chemicals called endorphins that have been released through laughing will also take away a great deal of pain and so alleviate the need for taking so many pain pills. If anyone is in pain on a daily basis due to things like injury or arthritis, then making sure they get plenty of laughter will help them to reduce the amount of pills they have to take for the pain. The trouble is, when you are in pain you don’t feel like laughing. It is important then to do things that help you forget that pain and make you feel happy enough to laugh. You could –

Watch funny movies or sitcoms on television
Read funny stories
Learn and tell funny jokes
Remember funny things that have happened in your life
Get your friends to tell about the funny things that have happened to them

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May 17, 2015 Health

6 Ways to Find a Good Dentist

According to the dentists, most people really need a dentist at some point in their life, especially if they have never gone to one, or not gone regularly. There will come a time when that aching tooth simply won’t respond to pain-killers and you are losing sleep over it, so you finally take the plunge to see a dentist. So how do you choose? Here are 5 ways to make your search a bit easier.

Ask family or friends – those who have a nice smile - who they recommend and why.
Go online and ask Google. Pay close attention to the websites to see what testimonials are there, what the pricing is and whether they allow you to pay it off. Find out how many people work there. A clinic usually employs several dentists while a practice may only have one or two.
See if there are any customer reviews on places such as Facebook.
Ring them to find out what their customer service is like. If the receptionist is cranky give them a miss. It’s bad enough having a tooth out without having to put up with people who can’t treat you with respect.
Go for a consultation to see for yourself in person. Most dentists are caring people who want to help you and create a good impression. The success of their practice depends on it.
That said, don’t be pressured into having work done that you don’t want or can’t afford. If you have any doubts about what is said, get a second opinion.

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October 15, 2014 Health

How to Choose Wine as a Gift

If you’ve been invited out for dinner at someone’s place, it is good manners to take a gift and people often choose wine. But what if you don’t know the wine preferences of your host or hostess? It is easy enough to buy wine, but it is a little more difficult to choose one you can be relatively sure that your hosts will like. Don’t be tempted by a pretty label One thing you should not do is buy it just because the label is attractive. This is a hit or miss way to choose a wine and in fact, some of the prettiest labels hide wines that are very ordinary at best and quite horrible at worst. This is because the label is made by a marketing specialist in order to attract buyers. Wines with an established reputation tend to have quite plain labels that simply tell the buyer what they need to know; they don’t need to rely on marketing with an attractive label to sell to people who don’t know their wines. Don’t pay more than you need to You may think that the best way to ensure your wine is acceptable is to pay a great deal for it. This is not necessary; many very nice, quality wines are quite inexpensive. One way to find a wine that is popular when you don’t know a lot about them is to ask the sales attendant which wines they sell the most of. These will be the most popular wine and are sure to be acceptable to most people. (more…)

February 21, 2012 Food Health

Child Nutrition Programs: Legislative History Highlights

The legislative history of child nutrition can be traced back to the creation of the National School Lunch Program in 1946. These highlights are a good primer for anyone interested in child nutrition programs.

1946

The National School Lunch Act (NSLA) was signed by President Harry Truman.
Program began as a grant aid to states.
Per meal reimbursement was approximately 9 cents.
Three meal options were included:
- Type A - A complete lunch.
- Type B -“Incomplete” lunch with smaller portions and fewer items.
- Type C - 1/2 pint of milk.
The American School Food Service Association (ASFSA) was founded.

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May 28, 2010 Health

2010 Child Nutrition Reauthorization

Every five years the window of opportunity opens on Capitol Hill as lawmakers and their staff work together to improve, tweak and reauthorize the federal Child Nutrition Programs. During this time a bevy of questions are asked: what works well? What isn’t working? How can we address new needs? For school nutrition professionals and SNA as the voice of school nutrition, Child Nutrition Reauthorization brings with it a special responsibility to answer these questions in order to ensure quality, healthy, safe meals are provided to children every school day. The School Breakfast Program and the National School Lunch Program are permanently authorized. However the other child nutrition programs that affect school nutrition operators must be reauthorized every five years. The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), State Administrative Expenses (SAE), the Special Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and other smaller pieces of the complete package of child nutrition programs must be renewed because they have actual expiration dates. The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 expired on September 30, 2009 was extended until September 30, 2010. SNA co-chairs the Child Nutrition Forum along with the Food Research and Action Center. The Forum is a diverse group of organizations that comes together every five years during child nutrition reauthorization to help create legislation that promotes access to healthy food for all children. You will find resources, links and other information on Reauthorization below, continually updated.

May 9, 2010 Health

How a Photo Booth Can Help You Relax

It is important when organising a wedding to not get too caught up in everything that must be done to the extent of having no time to relax. If every spare minute of the day is spent on wedding preparations, you’ll soon start to feel too tired to do anything and this is not a good or healthy state to be in. Because Photo Booths can be connected to wedding packages it can reduce time spent on organising the details of the wedding, so giving you more time to relax, which is good for your health. Not everyone is good at organisation, and working out all the important details of a wedding and reception can be hard work, especially if you are working at a full-time job as well. It’s important to have help so you don’t feel like you are responsible for every single thing. In fact, it’s a good idea to get your fiancée’s help in a lot of the organisation. At the very least, he should be able to organise -

The wedding cars
The suit rentals/purchases
The venue
The DJ
He should also have a say in the catering

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June 26, 2009 Health

The Best Place to Meditate

Meditation is a good way to relax, reduce stress levels, stay healthy restore your sanity, especially if life is treating you poorly or you have a very demanding job. In fact, it’s good to do even if you stay home all day coping with toddlers; every parent who does knows exactly how demanding that job can be. Just because it comes with copious amounts of love doesn’t mean it’s not often difficult, especially during teething when you are up half the night. Where to do it Everyone should give meditation a try; most will find it helps them to relax at least a little bit. Done properly it can have wider benefits. However, you do need a place to do it that is free from distractions and is comfortable. If you are uncomfortable it will intrude into your inner consciousness and prevent you from meditating properly. If you can’t find the right place to meditate, create one! This can be as easy as placing a comfortable chair out on the deck where the fresh air and sunshine will help you feel at peace with the world. You can sit there whenever you’ve a spare moment or three and simply relax, or get into other meditation techniques. Benefits of an outdoor haven Another place to meditate in is an outdoor haven you create for yourself with plenty of alfresco furniture such as a chaise, chairs, tables and whatever else you feel is needed. Maybe some shade cloth or a decorative garden wall to protect you from the prevailing breeze. Having dedicated outdoor furniture will ensure the place is ready when you are and you won’t have to cart heavy chairs outside and back in. (more…)

June 10, 2009 Health

Natural Remedies for Arthritis

Arthritis is a condition that affects many people. It may have eventuated from your choice of career. For instance people that have worked all their lives in jobs like furniture removalists such as Brilliance Removalists Melbourne or a tough job such as carpet steam cleaners done by Brilliance Cleaning where their bodies have been subjected to heavy physical loads are particularly susceptible. One big problem with treatment is that there are many different forms of arthritis and not all respond to the same treatment. Another problem is that the drugs - whether they are prescription or over the counter – have side effects that can be sometimes worse than the disease. Most drugs are anti-inflammatories or painkillers – or sometimes both in one. Long-term use can cause problems such as digestive problems, ulcers, stroke and more. Even if they just make you drowsy, going around in a daze is not living life to the fullest. You may not be able to drive or go out because you tend to lose your balance and are afraid of falling. So what can you do? There are many natural remedies for arthritis. Trying out these different remedies gives you a feeling of control over your life and your body that can even make you feel better. This is known as the placebo effect. That said, sometimes the remedies work well and it is far better to take them than the drugs that can have those awful side effects. The remedies may be herbs, spices, essential oils or even fruit and/or vegetables. Some people change their diet and get a great deal of relief. (more…)

May 1, 2005 Fitness Health

Nutrition Advisory Council

18^th Annual NAC Art Contest Are you looking for ways to encourage your NAC members' creativity and talent? Participate in the 18th Annual NAC Art Contest. This year's theme is "School Meals are a SMART Start to Good Health." State associations are asked to promote, conduct and sponsor a state contest. Each state is to select three winners to be submitted for the national competition: one from grades K-4, one from grades 5-8 and one from grades 9-12. Twelve national winners will be selected from the state entries, four from each category. Each of the twelve finalists will receive $75 from ASFSA. The Grand Prize winner will receive an additional $100 from ASFSA, and the entry will be reproduced on a T-shirt. Encourage your students to illustrate the theme in the most colorful and creative ways possible. Entries are due to states for judging by January 12, 2004. National winners will be announced in March 2004.

Download an application (in Adobe Acrobat format)
Download an application (in Microsoft Word format)

February 4, 2003 Food Health

President Releases FY 2004 Budget, Agriculture Appropriations

President Bush sent his fiscal year 2004 budget to Congress this week, asking for $2.23 trillion dollars in all. Funds for the Department of Agriculture remained close to FY2002 levels, when adjusted for inflation. Half of the Department’s budget supports federal nutrition programs including food stamps and the National School Lunch Program.

The President’s budget narrative includes analysis of the National School Lunch Program, with specific attention to the alleged over-certification of children in the Program. The narrative states,

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June 2, 2002 Health

School Foodservice Directors’ Attitudes and Perceived Challenges to Implementing Food Safety and HACCP Programs

Food safety is an important part of providing school children with acceptable, safe, and nutritious meals. There is evidence that improvements are needed in the area of food safety in schools, and that few schools have implemented Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) programs. The purposes of this study were to determine the attitudes of school foodservice directors toward food safety and the use of HACCP programs in school foodservice and to identify the challenges to implementing food safety and HACCP programs.

A focus group was conducted to generate a list of challenges to implementing food safety and HACCP programs. As a result, a three-part written questionnaire was developed. For Part 1, school foodservice directors' attitudes toward food safety and HACCP programs were determined. For Part 2, the challenges to implementing food safety and HACCP were investigated. For Part 3, demographic information about directors and their districts was collected. Questionnaires were mailed to a randomly selected national sample of 800 district school foodservice directors. A total of 461 questionnaires were returned for a response rate of 58%.

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February 10, 1999 Health

Rediscover School Lunch

When was the last time you had a school lunch? If you answered, "When I was in school, " then it's time for you to make a lunchtime visit to your child's cafeteria. You'll be surprised how much has changed! Today's school cafeterias provide much more variety and nutrition than lunchrooms of old. Here are just a few examples of what today's school nutrition programs offer:

Salad, soup, potato, pizza and deli bars
Ethnic menus featuring Mexican, Italian, Greek and Chinese favorites
"Scramble system," similar to the food courts you find at the local mall
"Offer vs. serve" plans where students may select from several choices in each food group

And today's school cafeterias are much more fun to eat in, too! Many new and renovated school cafeterias are featuring: (more…)