YOUR GUIDE TO GREAT HEALTH!

*128 PAGES OF LIFESTYLE INSPIRATION*

September/October 2009 Vol88

SOUTH AFRICAN EDITION R19.95
Other countries R18.95 (excl VAT)
www.weigh-less.co.za

Mind your manners

etiquette A-Z
How 4 ladies lost 20kg
Hands up for health
n The ins and outs of Diabetes
n What fiber does for you
n A health food friendly home

2 Steps
ahead with
Weigh-Less
Vegetarian
friendly
recipes
Getting that summer glow
without the UV rays
Getting that summer
glow without the UV rays

H-LES
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Encourage your child’s ... Take a mental ... The new F worD

Supplement scene
Food isn’t what it used to be. Farming
methods, pesticides, genetic engineering,
transportation and bad eating habits
have made supplementation increasingly
important. It is no longer always possible
to get all the necessary nutrients solely
from food. Sportron, a leading company in
the promotion of wellness, incorporating
FoodState® Technology, has a range of
vitamin and mineral supplements as well as
product offerings for home, skin and body
to help maintain optimum health. Sportron
is available from agents nationwide or from
the Sportron office. Visit www.sportron.
co.za or call (011) 317 8300 for more
details.
Up for grabs
Sportron is giving away four hampers
to lucky Weigh-Less readers. Send your
name, address and daytime telephone
number to Crazy Daisy/Weigh-Less
Sportron promotion, Postnet Suite 293,
Private Bag x5, Norwood, 2117.
Did you know?
Removing painful teeth may also help
relieve arthritic pain, that’s according to
US research that found a link between
gum disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
Apparently, gum disease is common
amongst rheumatoid arthritis sufferers and
vice-versa, making regular dental check-
ups and mouth care an important part of
maintaining and treating both conditions.
Sources: www.thevoiceclinic.com; www.webmd.com
HEALTH BITES
BITE SIZE INFORMATION ON THE
FRESHEST HEALTH NEWS AVAILABLE!
Breast beauty
In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness
month we encourage all our female
readers to get into the habit of doing
regular breast examinations and to
schedule a visit with the Gynaecologist
once a year. A good way to keep your
breasts in check is by applying a bust
cream daily. Not only does it nourish the
delicate skin surrounding your breasts and
décolletage, it helps to familiarise you with
the shape and contour of your breasts,
making any lumps or skin irregularities
easier to detect.
Kanebo Sensai
Cellular Performance
Throat and Busting
Lifting Effect, R970
Innoxa Firming Neck
& Bust Treatment,
R139.99
Clarins Bust Beauty
Extra Lift Gel, R480
Tea time
Tea lovers are in for a treat with the
recent launch of Midi Tea. Cultivated in the
Limpopo Province, Midi Tea is produced
by South Africans for South Africans and
is available in three variants: Midi Gold
Tagged tea bags, Midi Tagless tea bags
and Midi Leaf loose tea. Tea is recognised
for a range of health benefits, including
containing antioxidants. And, a study found
that heart patients who drank four cups
of black tea every day, for one month,
experienced an improvement in blood
circulation!
How about that!
The Voice Clinic suggests people diversify
in order to help raise happiness levels.
“Studies show that the happiest people
often have several things going on in
their lives at once. They have a career,
a relationship, a hobby, social activities,
and an exercise routine. They volunteer,
meditate, learn new things, etc. So, if one
area of life goes awry, there are plenty of
others to help them cope – and – that are
still going well!”
Dangers lurking in the
bathroom
It’s a good idea to keep a close eye on
your kids at bath time. As many as
43 000 American children are injured in
the bathroom every year!
Why friends are good for you
A 10-year study in Australia has revealed
that people with a large network of
friends outlive their less social
counterparts by 22%!
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 French women are fat
Well, if you live in France you may
believe this. A new study has concluded
that women in France who are in fact
clinically underweight view themselves
as overweight, with only half of them
thinking that they are too thin. For other
Europeans the opposite is true – a number
of women from Spain, Portugal and Britain
who see themselves as skinny or slim are
in fact clinically overweight. “This shows
that what people consider an ideal weight
in France is lower than in other countries,”
said the study’s author Thibaut de Saint
Pol, a researcher at France’s National
Institute of Demographic studies.
“If a French person who feels fat were
to go to the United States – he probably
wouldn’t feel fat anymore”, he said. The
study also shows a big difference in weight
between the sexes. In Western Europe
the average weight of men tips the scale
into the overweight category – except in
France and the Netherlands. In contrast
the average weight of women in Britain,
Greece and Portugal are the only ones that
tip the scale.
The study also goes on to say that France
is the only Western European country
where both sexes are in the normal or
healthy weight bracket, but also shows
that it is the only country where more than
5% of woman fall into the underweight
category. For women, he said, “the
body is related to beauty, and
beauty to being thin. For men,
however, carrying weight is felt
in oneself and perceived in
others - consciously or not –
as projecting strength. This
is especially true the further
down one goes on the socio-
economic ladder,” he said.
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Go goji
There has been a lot of recent hype about this little ‘wonder’ fruit of late – and for good
reason! The goji berry or wolf berry, as it is often called, is in fact part of the eggplant,
potato and tomato family and is commercially cultivated in China. The part of the
cultivated plant that is eaten is the berries – which are a bright orange-red colour and
are about 1,5cm long. They are full of tiny yellow seeds and ripen during the summer
months. The berries are ripened, and dried and eaten as a snack or as a dried fruit mixed
into breakfast cereal. They have the same shape and texture as raisins and have a mix of
sweet and sour flavour. Now we know what they are, but why the hype?
Recent studies have proved that goji berries have a high dose of antioxidants and the
extract may prevent the growth of cancer cells, lower cholesterol and reduce blood
glucose levels. It is also full of amino-acids – which are the building blocks of protein. It
is also high in vitamin C, B-complex vitamins and vitamin E. Sound too good to be true?
Only time will tell, as a lot of the tests are still in the laboratory testing phase. You can
find dried goji berries and goji berry juice at health food stores and Chinese herbal stores.
Top 5 winter foods
Stock up on these and have a happy, healthy and tasty winter!
Citrus fruit – full of vitamin C.
Butternut – good source of beta-carotene.
Fish – full of Zinc.
Oats – low GI and healthy.
Garlic – for its antibacterial properties – and it tastes good!
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way
we must regularly stop whatever it is we are
doing and devote our attention to eating.”
– Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright.
Did you know?
Combining vitamin C with iron rich foods
is the best way to maximise iron intake
– so have a glass of orange juice or some
tomatoes next time you eat a juicy steak.
Sources: health24.com, altmedicine.about.com, nms.on.ca

Top tips for
raising healthy eaters
It’s not often that you hear children
asking for veggies or fruit or telling
you that they would rather have a
glass of milk instead of a soda, but
raising healthy eaters can be easier
than you think.
1. Avoid power struggles.
‘Because I said so’ is often the response
when being asked why they must eat their
veggies. Rather explain why they are good
for them.
2. Let them participate.
Children are more inclined to eat what
they helped prepare. Let the younger
members of the family wash the lettuce
and pick the stalks off the grapes or even
whisk eggs.
3. Reward the positive.
Lots of love and kisses when they eat
well will go a long way. Sticker charts and
rewards will work for older children.
4. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
It can take a child 20 or more times of
seeing a food before they actually want to
try it. This takes patience on your part, but
is worth the wait.
5. Don’t bribe.
Offering sweets and treats for eating well
is not the answer. You do this and you
will be handing out unhealthy sweets and
treats every night after dinner for years to
come.
Sources: webmd.com, ourchildrensteeth.co.za
6. No snacking before dinner.
Stop any form of snacking or drinking
about an hour before dinner. You can’t
expect your child to want to eat a healthy
dinner if they have just finished a packet
of chips and a biscuit. Snacks are to
supplement meals – not sabotage them.
7. Be a healthy role model.
You can hardly expect your child to eat a
plate of greens and lean meat while you
are filling up on junk.
8. Change the topic.
There are plenty of other things to discuss
at meal time besides your child’s eating
habits (or lack there of). This places
undue pressure on them, rather discuss
something else. You try eating under a
microscope and see how difficult it is.
Keep away from the tooth fairy
While believing in the tooth fairy or n Try making their first dentist
mouse is part of growing up, getting appointment before they turn two, it’s
visits from them too early shouldn’t be. never too early to start looking after their
Children’s first set of teeth start making teeth.
an appearance before their first birthday n Find a child-friendly dentist, this will
and just after they blow the candles out on make the experience more enjoyable for
their second birthday cake they will have both of you.
20 pearly white teeth. These will start n Don’t use the dentist as a threat if they
falling out by the time they start primary are misbehaving, children should not be
school and a few years after that they will scared of the dentist.
have a full set of teeth that they will keep n Brush their teeth twice daily every day.
for the rest of their life. Teeth are there for This should be done by the parent until
more than just smiling, they help you eat they have got the hang of it.
and chew and are used in the formation n Don’t let them go to bed with a bottle
of certain sounds and words. Help your of juice, cola, tea or even milk. This can
children look after their teeth by following stain and decay teeth quickly. Rather opt
these handy tips and hints: for water, or even better – nothing at all.
n Children who are right-handed tend to
Did you know? brush the teeth on the left of their mouth
Children only have 20 teeth but better, the opposite is true for left-handed
grown adults have 32 and children children. A little help may be needed for
have 300 bones in their body and those hard to reach areas.
adults only have 206. n Flossing is recommended for older
children.
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Reach out and
make a change
How often have you stopped at the robots to see a woman
with a child on her back or a young child begging for
money? Did you wind down your window and give them
something or did you just drive right past?
Nowadays, it’s so much easier to turn a blind eye to poverty than
to make an effort to help. The number one excuse these days is
the recession, yet you can still afford to go out for dinner while
someone else starves?
Making a change or contributing to society has got so little to do
with money. Reaching out could mean reading a story to children
at an orphanage, helping to paint the wall of a homeless shelter
or just being there when someone needs you to be. Monetary
donations or contributions usually start at about R10 and in
most cases you buy something for yourself and the proceeds go
towards the charity organisation.
Nelson Mandela Day, Random Acts of Kindness and Do it Day are
just some of the non-profit organisations that you can support.
Nelson Mandela Day
In an effort to celebrate the legacy of South Africa’s former
president, Nelson Mandela, 46664 and the Nelson Mandela
Foundation are urging people all over the world to join them in a
bid to create an official Mandela Day, which would be held on Mr.
Mandela’s birthday each year, July 18.
They hope to empower people to find opportunities that address
social issues such as:
n Human rights and civil liberties
n Hunger and poverty
n Education and literacy
n Health issues and medicine
n Environment, ecology and energy
n Conservation
n Social enterprise and economic development
You can visit the Mandela Day website at www.mandeladay.com and
get more information on how to reach out to a fellow South African.
Random acts of kindness
The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation was created in America
in 1995, as a resource for spreading kindness. Privately funded,
the foundation neither makes nor accepts donations, but simply
provides free materials to people wanting to do a good deed or
two.
There are ideas for individuals and groups to use in the home,
community and workplace – from buying a stranger a pizza to
taking flowers to the office or handing out balloons to passersby.
Some of the suggestions are free and easy, some are more
complex and work to uplift the entire community – but all inspire
people to practise kindness and pass it on.
Email your act of kindness to info@actsofkindness.org or
visit www.actsofkindness.org.
Do it day
Friday 18th September is Do it Day – the one amazing day each
year when South Africans take time out to share their energy and
skills with good causes around the country. Note it in your diary –
this year is going to be the biggest Do it Day yet!
It’s easy to make a difference on Do it Day – all you need to do
is sign up online at www.doitday.co.za for a project in your city
that you’d like to volunteer at and arrive on the 18th September.
Whichever organisation you choose, this is your chance to reach
out and make a change.
7 things that an average individual can do:
• Get to know one neighbour you don’t.
• Double your tip for the petrol attendant.
• Give an unused book to someone who likes to read, but can’t
afford to buy their own books or doesn’t live close to a library.
• Volunteer at an old age home in your spare time to do a chore
for them or to read for them.
• Buy a car guard a take-away meal.
• Donate clothes, books and toys to local children’s home.
• Donate unwanted furniture to a shelter or find out if there are
any needy families at your church.
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