Compass Health & Wellbeing Guide, Winter 2016/17

COMPASS Your Health & Wellbeing Guide

f o o r p r e t n i W YOUR WORKOUT Make the most of the season

HOW TO

Beat The

Winter Blues

Decemeber2016 2016 December

10

WAYS

TO LOOK AFTER

YOUR MENTAL HEALTH Coping With

Anxiety

Ways to help

reduce & manage your anxiety

9 TOP TIPS

XMAS GUIDE SO S!

GET IN THE

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT Plus!

Fun & easy Christmas recipes

(FOR ALL THE FAMILY!)

HEALTH BENEFITS OF

owning a dog Are you a secret

food addict?

DROP THE BISCUITS! How to kick your addiction into touch

December January February

Winter 2016 /17

Contents 3

How to Get in the Christmas Spirit Struggling to feel Christmassy? We have some simple but great ways to get in the festive spirit!

6

Beat The Winter Blues

When your mood is falling as fast as the thermometer, these lifestyle changes may help boost your spirits

7

How to: New Year’s Resolutions Your guide to the tedious art of making & breaking New Year’s resolutions

10

Coping With Anxiety

11

Winter-Proof Your Workout

Understanding anxiety and ways to help reduce your symptoms

Winter-proof your workout with our seasonal survival guide

14

Are You a Food Addict?

22

Quitting Smoking Help

A doctor’s first-hand experience of quitting smoking & how he did it

23

Fun & Easy Christmas Recipes Put the biscuits down! Understanding Recipes that will have you well & truly food addiction & how to beat it

in a jolly festive baking mood

15

10 Ways to Look After Your Mental Health

Easy tips, activities and small lifestyle changes you can make to look after your mental health

18

The Truth About Yo-Yo Dieting

19

Benefits of Owning a Dog

28

Ways to Avoid Cold & Flu Germs Expert tips for keeping pains, aches, sniffles & sneezes at bay

29

Controlling High Blood Pressure

31

Overcoming Addiction

10 lifestyle changes you can make to The dangers of yo-yo dieting & how to lower your blood pressure and keep it down lose weight for good

Dog lover? Rightly so! The mental Advice & useful contacts to help you & physical perks of being a pup parent overcome various addictions

How to Get In The

Christmas Spirit

3

Sometimes the stress of holiday shopping, finding the right presents for your loved ones and panicking about hosting Christmas dinner can make you forget what the holiday season is all about. So if you’re feeling less than extremely Christmassy at the moment, we’ve thought of some simple (but great!) things to do to help you get in to the Christmas spirit!

Decorate your house. It doesn’t matter if you have a house full of kids, or are just on your own. Enjoy the trappings of the season in any way you can.

Although traditional dictates that we put our decorations up 12 days before Christmas, it can be hard to find the time to dig out the old decorations from the back of the loft.

If you are still lacking in Christmas spirit at a late date, it might be due to a lack of decorations! After all, would it really be Christmas without having a meltdown while untangling the fairy lights?

So turn on the Christmas music, put up the tree, and get creative with decorations. A real tree will ensure your home smells like Christmas, and it’s hard to be unmoved by that! Also, add a wreath to your front door, so that every time you come home that’s the first thing you’ll see.

Play Christmas tunes. Turn up the volume and let the spirit of Christmas fill your house whilst you sing along! If you don’t know the words to any of the famous Christmas songs, why not print them off or read them from your mobile or tablet whilst the music plays?

Once you’ve sung along to a couple of songs you’re bound to feel more Christmassy!

Have a Christmas movie night. Get the popcorn ready, throw on your comfy clothes and snuggle in for a night of Christmas films. Whether you’re a fan of Miracle on 34th Street, or maybe Elf is more to your taste, there’s a Christmas movie out there for everyone. You’ll be wishing it was Christmas the next day once you’ve started watching!

Eat seasonal foods. It’s the season of candy canes, eggnog, pumpkin pies, mulled drinks, and roasted foods. Whether you do it yourself, or pick up some yummies at the grocery store, the aromas from the kitchen combine with the aromas of the evergreens that can transport you back in time to that best Christmas ever!

Even if the kitchen is alien to you, try it make a batch of your favorite cookies, for you and your family. festive cookies, decorated cakes, or just plain old gingerbread cookies are all good. And if you have kids, help them decorate those tasty morsels.

Visit Santa Clause. He is the epitome of Christmas after all! Why not take a break from shopping and take the kids to sit on Santa’s lap?

Seeing their little faces light up at the sight of him is sure to warm your heart and get you in the Christmas spirit if you aren’t feeling it yet.

Wrap your presents. If you haven’t wrapped your presents yet, you better get a move on! You don’t want to be the last person on Christmas Eve, running around the shops looking for sellotape. Or even worse, resorting to wrapping your gifts in newspaper – environmentally friendly it may be, but Christmas-y it is not.

Set aside an evening to wrap your gifts, giving yourself plenty of time to enjoy it and maybe even have a few hot chocolates while you’re at it. If there’s one pain every parent knows, it’s staying up until 3am before Christmas, wrapping presents ‘from Santa’.

Get crafty. Whether you want to build a gingerbread house, make a wreath, or put together a store-bought craft set, the holidays are a great time to get creative. Not only do DIY projects make meaningful gifts, but DIY decorations add a lovely personal touch to your home. And if you don’t know what to make, check out Pinterest for some amazing inspiration.

Creating a new ornament each year can turn in to a great tradition. It’s a brilliant lowbudget way to make personalized gifts and tree decorations. Get the kids involved as it’ll be exciting for them to see their handmade ornaments hanging from the tree or around the house. When you see the kids having fun with this, you’re bound to want to join in too!

See some Christmas lights. Load up the car with snacks, Christmas tunes and your loved ones then drive around the lit up neighbourhoods.

Seeing some Christmas lights is a great way to get in to Christmas spirit and it may also give you some ideas for how to decorate your house next year.

Divide and conquer. If you dread the holidays because of all the work that has to be done—cooking, cleaning, wrapping, cleaning, more cooking, more cleaning, shopping, more cleaning...stop!

• Share the load. If you have a spouse, make a plan. If you do the cooking, your spouse does the cleaning. If you do the shopping, they do the wrapping.

Most Christmas chores are like that, so take advantage of your spousal unit to lessen the load. If you have kids, they can do the cleaning—and you have the perfect leverage.

Send out Christmas cards. Spreading the holiday cheer is a great way to start feeling more festive yourself, so take some time out of your day to sit down and write cards to your family and friends.

We live in an age where technology allows us to instantly connect with people who are halfway around the world, but there’s just something more magical about good oldfashioned snail mail.

No matter how you celebrate the holiday season, and no matter what you do on Christmas day, the important thing is do it with your family and friends.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Drinks of Britain

Units. They all add up.

PINT CIDER

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ALCOPOP

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SAMBUCA SHOT

BOTTLE LAGER

SINGLE GIN & TONIC

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9 Ways to Beat the Winter Blues When your mood is falling as fast as the thermometer, these small lifestyle changes may help boost your spirits.

1. Make your environment brighter.

When your body is craving more daylight, sitting next to an artificial light—also called a light box—for 30 minutes per day can be as effective as antidepressant medication.

Opening blinds and curtains, trimming back tree branches, and sitting closer to windows can help provide an extra dose of sunshine.

2. Eat smarter.

Certain foods, like chocolate, can help to enhance your mood and relieve anxiety. Other foods, like sweets and carbohydrates provide temporary feelings of euphoria, but could ultimately increase feelings of anxiety and depression.

Avoid refined and processed foods (like white breads, rice, and sugar). These foods are not only devoid of the nutrients your body craves, but they zap your energy levels and can affect your mood—causing depression, lack of concentration, and mood swings.

Try to incorporate complex carbohydrates (whole wheat breads, brown rice, veggies, fruit) and get your daily 8 cups of water. These healthy foods provide your body (and mind) with nutrients, and stabilize your blood sugar and your energy levels.

3. Simulate dawn.

People with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of depression that usually begins in late fall or early winter and fades as the weather improves, may feel depressed, irritable, lethargic, and have trouble waking up in the morning—especially when it’s still dark outside.

Studies show that a dawn simulator, a device that causes the lights in your bedroom to gradually brighten over a set period of time, can serve as an antidepressant and make it easier to get out of bed.

7. Help others.

4. Exercise.

Try and get out in the open air for half an hour every day, in the morning if you can.

Don’t think that sitting in your well-lit office or home will help to boost the amount of light you are getting each day.

Most artificial light is much weaker than the natural light outdoors. Doctors believe that our bodies need to be exposed to around 2,500 lux (the measurement of light intensity) each morning for half an hour to allow our natural body clocks to work correctly. The average light in a well-lit office is only 500 lux. A clear winter morning, however, has an intensity of 4,000 lux.

A 2005 study from Harvard University suggests walking fast for about 35 minutes a day five times a week or 60 minutes a day three times a week improved symptoms of mild to moderate depression.

Exercising under bright lights may be even better for seasonal depression: A preliminary study found that exercise under bright light improved general mental health, social functioning, depressive symptoms, and vitality, while exercise in ordinary light improved vitality only.

5. Turn on the tunes.

In a 2013 study, researchers showed that listening to upbeat or cheery music significantly improved participant’s mood in both the short and long term.

6. Plan a vacation.

Longing for sunnier days at the beach?

Research shows that the simple act of planning a vacation causes a significant increase in overall happiness.

Ladling out soup at the local homeless shelter or volunteering your time can improve mental health and life satisfaction.

8. Get outside.

9. Have fun.

A lot of people stop doing things they love in winter, and this alone can trigger feelings of depression. Instead, visualise your perfect winter and then think how you can make it happen. This will increase the chances of it actually happening – and people who set goals for themselves are generally happier than those with no direction.

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS How to make one you won’t quit in a week

N

othing can spoil the start of a new year quite like a long list of promises you already know you are going to break. Some resolutions – the dieting ones, mostly – get betrayed right away; others remind you of your ongoing failure to do something for months. But the cancellation of this annual contract with yourself needn’t be a painful process. With proper preparation and a little care, the making and breaking of New Year resolutions can be both easy and, in its own perverse way, rewarding.

Let the following 12 resolutions for making resolutions be your guide.

1 Don’t choose too few Life coaches will tell you that the way to succeed with new year’s resolutions is to pick a single goal that’s attainable in a series of manageable steps. This one egg/one basket approach may suit organised people, but most of us are working with a lifetime backlog of underachievement and a limited number of new years ahead of us. One goal per annum won’t cut it. Draw up a list of at least a dozen resolutions, preferably more. While this won’t necessarily make success more likely, it does help to spread the disappointment across the year.

2 Retrofit last year’s achievements Of your dozen or so resolutions, at least three should be goals that were accidentally met in 2016 but which were never granted full status as resolutions simply because you neglected to resolve to do them – or not do them – at the end of 2015. For example, this time last year it was impossible to say: “I hereby resolve not to catch fire while riding a flaming hoverboard.” No one knew that was going to be a thing. That doesn’t mean those of us who managed it should be any less proud.

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3 Don’t let the drink dictate Any resolution you made while drunk or crying on New Year’s Eve doesn’t count, even if that resolution was to stop getting drunk and crying at New Year’s Eve parties.

Forget about it. Actually, you probably have.

4 Resolutions made upon waking the next day are also non-binding You’re not always going to feel that hungover, and you deserve a right to reconsider all rash pronouncements once you’re able to keep a cup of tea down.

5 Avoid the top 10 resolutions Losing weight, quitting smoking, getting fit etc.

Everyone does these, which means you’ll be faced with competition, and competition means attention. If all your friends know and share your 2017 aspirations, it’ll be that much more embarrassing when it comes time to chuck those goals under a bus in mid-February.

A good resolution should be simple enough to state in one sentence, and yet peculiar enough that there is no Facebook group for it – something along the lines of: “I resolve to have personal style so striking that tourists will take pictures of me when I go out to buy lightbulbs.”

6 Be realistic Don’t say: “I’m going to write a book in 2017.” Do say: “I’m going to start writing a book on holiday, get about 8,000 words in before taking a few days off to think about how I might spend the film-rights money, then suddenly have another, even better, idea for a book, then give up on both projects in order to spend the autumn feeling bad about myself.” It’s all about setting achievable, incremental targets and sticking to them.

7 Aim for win-win resolutions The win-lose type – lose weight or don’t – is exactly the sort of rigid, high-risk proposition that gives the New Year resolution such a bad name. You can set yourself equally preposterous goals that are still worthwhile when you fail at them.

Some people, for instance, resolve to read 50 books over the course of the year. It never sounds that hard on 2 January, but when August rolls round and you have only read six, the final stretch begins to look daunting.

However, even if you only manage 10 books in 2017, you’re still 10 books less stupid than you were at the end of 2016.

8 Consider 14 January Reset Day The one-two punch of Christmas and New Year can leave one feeling drained and less than wholly committed to a fresh start. You may find yourself drinking to celebrate your newfound sobriety, or enjoying a box of doughnuts while making that sign for your fridge. But an early relapse needn’t thwart your good intentions: you just have to switch your allegiance to the Orthodox calendar, accept 14 January as your new New Year’s Day, and begin again. Chinese New Year is 28 January, by the way. After that, I can’t help you.

9 Adopt the ‘Two-years’ resolution’ Certain long-term aspirations – learning to play an instrument, getting elected to office, eating in every Burger King on the M6 – are better suited to a 24-month timetable. If nothing else, the larger window will save you having to make any 2018 resolutions, unless by some miracle you have managed to visit all eight Burger Kings on the M6 by then.

Obviously, the two-year system doesn’t work for everything. If you’ve been meaning to visit any islands with an average elevation of less than a couple of metres above sea level, don’t wait.

10 Don’t revisit old resolutions If you have already let yourself down with a resolution in the past, don’t bring it back for another try this year. Consider it a failure for ever. That needn’t be as depressing as it sounds: it can be quite liberating to realise you will never have to download another sourdough recipe, especially when you look back over all your past achievements and realise that life is meaningless.

11 Lower your expectations Put it this way: come the summer, nobody is going to be listening when you say, “I’m halfway through my online French course – right on schedule!” No one will care that you have been eating a lot more fruit lately. Your first resolution for 2017 should not be: “Travel more.” It should be more like: “Stockpile AA batteries.”

NOISE Don’t lose your hearing!

Noise is part of everyday life, but too much can cause permanent & disabling hearing damage. This can be hearing loss that gets worse over time, damage caused by sudden extremely loud noises or tinnitus.

Is there a noise problem where I work?

If any of the following apply, your employer is expected to do something about noise: P The noise is intrusive – like a busy street, a vacuum cleaner or a crowded restaurant etc.

P You have to raise your voice to have a normal conversation P You use noisy powered tools or machinery for over half an hour a day P The type of work is known to have noisy tasks, eg. construction, demolition, road repair etc.

P There are noises because of impacts or explosive sources

Another sign that something should be done about the noise is having muffled hearing at the end of the day, even if it is better by the next morning. If you have any ear or hearing trouble, let your employer know.

9

Do something you love. Often, anxiety

Coping with

Anxiety

Anxiety is a state of mind that everyone experiences from time to time. It’s natural to feel stressed before a presentation or an exam, or even during a particularly busy period. However, anxiety itself is more than simply stress.

If you notice yourself experiencing anxiety for long periods of time, and you can’t seem to kick it, a closer examination of this may be beneficial. Anxiety can manifest as a mental-health disorder, which can lead to debilitating worry, panic attacks, social anxiety and even OCD. If you’re concerned you may suffer from an unhealthy level of anxiety, it’s important to talk to your GP.

Eliminate anxiety-inducing food and drink from your diet. It sounds simple,

but changing what you ingest daily can have a huge impact on your anxiety levels. If you notice yourself feeling anxious, panicky, or stressed every day, plan to implement at least one of these dietary changes. Rethink your consumption of the following common anxiety provokers: Coffee. The most popular “energy drink” of all time may also be one of the leading causes of anxiety. If you drink coffee every morning, try switching to decaffeinated tea or just water for a few weeks. It may be hard to give up, but chances are you’ll see a reduction in your stress levels over this period of time.

Sugar and starch. People often see eating sugary and starchy treats (like ice cream, cookies, or pasta) as an option for stress reduction, since comfort foods temporarily provide a feeling of calm. However, the rise and fall of blood sugar that occurs after eating these foods can actually cause emotional strain and stress.

Alcohol. After a stressful day at work, many unwind over a few drinks. Alcohol makes stress feel far away in the moment, but the after-effect cancels out the temporary sense of relaxation. Drink sparingly, and when you do drink, make sure to hydrate to reduce the chance of getting a very stressful hangover.

Incorporate mood-enhancing foods into your diet. Keeping yourself healthy with

a balanced diet can go a long way toward stabilizing your mood. If you’re getting the right nutrients, your body will be better able to ward off anxiety during stressful situations. To avoid the negative mentalhealth effects of coffee, alcohol, and sugar, try replacing them with fruits and vegetables.

Consume more foods high in antioxidants such as blueberries and acai berries. These help to raise mood levels and lower stressrelated hormones. Foods high in minerals like magnesium, such as whole grains (pasta and bread), maca root, and seaweed.

builds up when you don’t get a chance to detox from life’s problems. Take at least ten minutes during your day to practice a hobby or pastime which brings you peace. This may be reading, playing sports, playing music, or making art. Giving yourself an outlet will help to remove the anxiety from your mind both immediately and in the long run.

• Look into taking a new class in a field of interest to you. If you love jewellery, look into a local ring making class. If you’ve always wanted to learn a new language, start taking lessons from a local teacher or a class at a local college.

• During the times that you are doing your favourite things, make a conscious decision to avoid thinking about your stressors. Removing them from your thoughts will allow you to enjoy your activity much more.

Don’t overwhelm yourself. If you keep a

busy and hectic schedule, you’re likely often overwhelming yourself and creating more anxiety than is necessary. Keep a schedule of your necessary activities and cut everything else out for a bit. Giving yourself time to deal with your anxiety will help you to overcome it in the long run.

Although getting together with friends is always nice, doing it too often can cause anxiety about letting them down and not having time to yourself. Spread out friend dates with time for yourself in between.

Learn to say “no” to some requests. Whether it be another commitment from work or piling on errands, turning down invites is okay from time to time.

Try exercises that relieve anxiety.

Studies have shown that regular exercise relieves symptoms of everyday anxiety and also helps to treat anxiety disorders. It improves feelings of wellbeing, both while you’re exercising, and for hours afterward.

Cardiovascular exercises such as running or biking as well as weight training and other muscle-building exercises all serve the purpose of reducing anxiety.

• Consider giving yoga a try. The soothing atmosphere of yoga studios, and the chance to be quiet and internallyfocused for an hour or so, make this physical activity particularly conducive to calming anxiety.

• If the thought of exercising itself makes you anxious, try incorporating low-impact physical activity into your routines. You don’t have to play a team sport or join a gym to get enough exercise; simply walking around your neighbourhood can go a long way toward boosting your mood every day.

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Winter Woe: Ice or snow derails your outdoor workout.

Fix-it trick: The white stuff increases the calorie burn of each step. For example, a 30-minute walk on an even surface burns 106 calories for the average woman.

Snowshoeing for the same amount of time more than doubles the burn, to 256 calories.

1. Invest in a trail-running shoe for its deeper treads, which provide better traction or a set of grips, which slip on over your trainers.

Winter Woe: Your body’s chemical switch has flipped to storing more fat.

Fix-it trick: Get your motor running. When researchers studied a group of 12 women and six men in both summer and winter, they discovered that their production of ATLPL (a chemical that promotes fat storage) almost doubled during the winter and dropped during the summer. But you’re not doomed to don fat pants all season...

Exercise may increase SMLPL (the muscle enzyme that promotes the burning of fat) to offset the pudge-promoting effects of ATLPL. People who are normally physically active are more protected from weight gain.

Winter Woe: ‘Tis the season for big sweaters - the better to hide your bulges with.

Fix-it trick: Opt for layers that leave a little bit of your silhouette intact. It’s no surprise that your comfy cardigan may up the odds you’ll skip your workout, since it keeps soft spots under wraps.

Especially for people who are trying to lose weight, avoid baggy clothing, since you won’t be able to see the positive changes in your body. There is also a subconscious association between baggy clothes and lounging.

To help break the lazy spell, pick sweaters in red, pink, or bright blue. Mood research suggests that these colours help energise you.

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2. Run slower than usual and take shorter strides. If you continue your normal stride length, your calves will be sore the next day, because you tend to claw the ground with your toes to keep your footing.

3. Skip the hills. More falls happen downhill, because you naturally tend to pick up your pace, making it harder to stop when you hit an icy patch.

Winter Woe: You’re too comfy on the couch.

Fix-it trick: Don’t settle on your sofa until you’ve completed your workout - it’s a motivation killer!

Change out of your work clothes directly into workout wear, skip the immediate change into pyjamas.

Still can’t peel yourself away from the cushions? Stash resistance bands or small weights under the sofa to get yourself to get moving during adverts.

Or try these at-home, no-equipment routine moves...

• 15 squats • 15 push-ups • 15 crunches • 15 seconds of high knees ...and repeat during every advert break.

Winter Woe: Brr! It’s too cold to exercise outside.

Fix-it trick: Dress for success in freezing temperatures.

With the right gear, it’s almost never too frigid to work out. Because moisture on your skin evaporates and pulls heat from your body, the key is to dress so that you’re protected but you don’t get soaked with sweat.

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Begin your workout feeling cool, not toasty, since you’ll warm up once you get moving and do your warm-up, stretching, and cooldown inside to reduce your exposure. If it’s a blustery day, start your walk or run by facing the wind so you’ll work hardest when you’re fresh.

Winter Woe: You can’t get out of bed on dark mornings to do your a.m. workout.

Fix-it trick: Tuck in earlier to go from tired to inspired. Darkness is a cue for your brain to crank out the sleep-inducing chemical melatonin, so in winter, when you wake up before sunrise, it’s like having jet lag - for four or five months.

If it’s not possible to wait for the sun to sneak in your workout when you’re more energised, make your wake-up easier by going to bed 15 minutes earlier each week over the next four weeks.

Set your alarm for when it’s time to hit the sack at night and avoid computer and TV use for an hour before bedtime to shut out light and other brain stimulators. That extra hour of shut-eye could make a huge difference to your mood.

Winter Woe: Your carb cravings skyrocket when the days get short.

Fix-it trick: Munch on healthy carbs in the afternoon before the sun goes down to stave off a splurge. Winter can trigger cravings for comforting, sweet carbs because diminished sunlight during the season makes serotonin in the brain less active. Too little of this mood-lifting chemical leaves you feeling tired and hungry.

Your brain is making you desire carbs as they make your serotonin level rise. Instead, put yourself in a good mood during winter’s dark days by instead eating low-fat, healthy carbs, such as sweet potatoes, porridge with a sprinkle of brown sugar, and cinnamon toast.

Because cravings tend to grow stronger as the day goes on, try to eat protein, dairy products, and vegetables for breakfast and lunch. In the afternoon have a low-fat carb snack, such as popcorn, soy crackers, or cereal. Follow this by having a well-balanced meal in the evening, being sure to include a source of protein and vegetables.

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Change your mind. Winter isn’t just about cold weather, it’s a whole new season! Embrace the time of year by sitting down and revisiting your goals, then plan out what you’d like to accomplish during the next few months. We’re all so busy these days that time seems to fly, which is why it’s important to reflect on our past accomplishments and current goals. It can help you see winter in a new, inspired light.

Go out and play! If you can’t seem to muster the energy to work out this time of year, try “playing” instead. You can burn quite a few calories playing indoors or out. The best part about playing is that it doesn’t feel like working out—though you can still get your heart rate up and have an excellent cardio session. Have a blast in the winter wonderland outside by making snow angels (214 calories burned per hour on average), having a snowball fight (319 calories burned per hour), or even building a snowman (285 calories burned per hour). No snow in your area? Try ice skating—an activity you can do indoors or outdoors. Ice skating can burn more than 450 calories per hour—and it’s a blast!

Take up a winter sport. If you’re a competitive type, why not try a new winter sport? From skiing to snowshoeing, there are many great options that burn mega calories and put a whole new twist on your cold-weather workout plans.

Get creative at home. Sure, getting to the gym can be more of a hassle when it is cold outside, but never use snowy weather as an excuse to miss your daily exercise. Instead, work out at home, where’s it’s cosy and warm. Whether you pop in a new workout DVD, invest in a few pieces of fitness equipment or even just use your body weight for a killer workout, exercising at home can be a convenient (and fun!) solution to staying on track. And the best part about working out from your own home? You don’t have to worry about sharing a TV with fellow gym goers or possibly catching an illness at the gym. Home really is where the (healthy) heart is.

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Are You Addicted to

Food ?

Addiction does not always have to involve an addictive substance or drug, as the term can be used to describe an excessive behaviour such as compulsive eating. While there are different schools of thought and the scientific literature in the area of food addiction is still in the beginning stages, many experts believe that addiction to food really isn’t about the food.

To elaborate further, foods do not have addictive properties that make someone depend on them, unlike chemical substances. Food addiction has more to do with how a person behaves around food, what they think about food, and the way habits are formed with food.

The habits are the real source of the addiction.

Food can become a way to cope with emotional matters, and the repetition of this coping mechanism can breed an addiction. By using food as a means to deal with anxiety, stress, grief, and the like, the body becomes conditioned to crave that process to feel relief.

People often associate pleasure with foods that contain fat, sugar and salt.

As innocent as it may seem, this starts at a young age when sweets and fizzy drinks are given as a “treat” or “reward” for good behaviour, grades or a celebration. Research studies have shown the reward centres of the brain to light up and release dopamine when pleasurable foods are consumed.

Could this be that we’ve conditioned our bodies to react this way?

The Slippery Slope of Food Addiction

Someone doesn’t just decide that he or she wants to feel out of control with food. It’s often a slippery slope that leads a person into an addiction with food.

Below are some of the warning signs and common traits among people suffering from a food addiction: Changes in mood Labeling food as “good” and “bad” Restrictive dieting Eating in secret or sneaking food Feeling out of control with food Rewarding yourself with food Thinking about food all the time Feeling unsatisfied after meal times Weight fluctuations Difficulty managing weight Body dissatisfaction Feeling disgusted, guilty or upset after eating P Feeling stressed or tension that is only relieved by eating P P P P P P P P P P P P

How To Overcome Food Addiction Recovering from a food addiction is a process, and one that is worth taking to find freedom from food. Taking the power back from food often requires a team approach in order to achieve a full recovery. Here are a few steps to take to help someone recovering from food addiction: 1. Develop a Healthy Relationship with Food. In traditional 12-step addictionbased recovery models, addicts are challenged to remain abstinent for healing.

However, with food addiction, you can’t simply abstain by not eating, as food is essential to life.

Someone suffering with food addiction must learn to eat properly by establishing a healthy relationship with food.

2. Set Boundaries with Unsafe Foods.

Typically, trigger or “unsafe” foods are removed from the diet and boundaries are set so that managing these foods in a healthier way can be relearned. If someone binges on ice cream when he or she is stressed, it’s best not to keep it in the house. Eliminating the temptation until he or she can eat ice cream again in a balanced way is a safe option.

3. Follow a Structured Meal Plan.

Following a meal plan and normal eating pattern is crucial. This helps the person set safe boundaries with food, and feel satisfied so there is not a physiological need to eat. It’s more tempting to be out of control when there is physical deprivation.

4. Learn Healthy Coping Strategies.

Address reasons for turning to food to cope. Identify healthier coping mechanisms and strategies so that one can begin learning healthier means of dealing with emotions.

5. Seek Professional Advice. Beating a food addiction is a process and does not happen overnight; it often needs to involve a registered dietitian and licensed therapist that specialise in the area of disordered eating. These professionals will help implement appropriate strategies, and provide sound advice.

10 ways

to look after your mental health

2

Drink sensibly

We often drink alcohol to change our mood. Some people drink to deal with fear or loneliness, but the effect is only temporary.

When the drink wears off, you feel worse because of the way the alcohol has affected your brain and the rest of your body. Drinking is not a good way to manage difficult feelings.

Apart from the damage too much alcohol can do to your body, you would need more and more alcohol each time to feel the same shortterm boost. There are healthier ways of coping with tough times.

1

Talk about your feelings

Talking about your feelings isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s part of taking charge of your wellbeing and doing what you can to stay healthy.

Talking can be a way to cope with a problem you’ve been carrying around in your head for a while. Just being listened to can help you feel supported and less alone.

And it works both ways. If you open up, it might encourage others to do the same.

3

Stay within the recommended daily alcohol limits: • •

3 to 4 units a day for men.

2 to 3 units a day for women.

Keep active

Experts believe exercise releases chemicals in your brain that make you feel good. Regular exercise can boost your self-esteem and help you concentrate, sleep, look and feel better. It also keeps the brain and your other vital organs healthy.

Exercising doesn’t just mean doing sport or going to the gym.

Walks in the park, gardening or even housework can also keep you active.

Experts say most people should do about 30 minutes’ exercise at least five days a week.

15

Occasional light drinking is perfectly healthy and enjoyable for most people.

4

Do something you’re good at

What do you love doing? What activities can you lose yourself in?

What did you love doing in the past?

Enjoying yourself helps beat stress.

Doing an activity you enjoy probably means you’re good at it and achieving something boosts your self-esteem.

Concentrating on a hobby like gardening or the crossword can help you forget your worries for a while and change your mood.

5

Eat well

There are strong links between what we eat and how we feel, for example, caffeine and sugar can have an immediate effect.

But food can also have a long-lasting effect on your mental health. Your brain needs a mix of nutrients to stay healthy and function well, just like the other organs in your body.

So diet that’s good for your physical health is also good for your mental health.

7

Take a break

Knowing how to relax is vital for ensuring your health and well-being, as well as restoring the passion and joy in your life. Allowing stress to affect you can lead to depression, illness, weight gain and a general sense of malcontent.

6

Care for others

Caring for others is often an important part of keeping up relationships with people close to you.

It can even bring you closer together.

Why not share your skills more widely by volunteering for a local charity?

Helping out can make us feel needed and valued and that boosts our selfesteem.

It also helps us see the world from another angle. That can help to put our own problems in perspective.

Find out more about volunteering at www.do-it.org.uk.

A change of scene or a change of pace is good place to start. It could be a five-minute pause from cleaning your kitchen, a half-hour lunch break at work or a weekend exploring somewhere new.

A few minutes can be enough to de-stress you. Give yourself some ‘me time’.

Taking a break may mean being very active or it may mean not doing very much at all.

So take a deep breath… and relax. Try yoga or meditation, or just putting your feet up.

Listen to your body. If you’re really tired, give yourself time to sleep.

Without good sleep, our mental health suffers and concentration goes downhill.

9

Accept who you are

Some of us make people laugh, some are good at maths, others cook fantastic meals. Some of us share our lifestyle with the people who live close to us, others live very differently.

8

We’re all different. It’s much healthier to accept that you’re unique than to wish you were more like someone else.

Keep in touch

Strong family ties and supportive friends can help you deal with the stresses of life.

Friends and family can make you feel included and cared for. They can offer different views from whatever’s going on inside your own head.

They can help keep you active, keep you grounded and help you solve practical problems.

There’s nothing better than catching up with someone face-to-face. But that’s not always possible. Give them a call, drop them a note or chat to them online instead. Keep the lines of communication open. It’s good for you!

If you’re feeling out of touch with some people, look back at our section on talking about your feelings and get started!

It’s worth working at relationships that make you feel loved or valued.

But if you think being around someone is damaging your mental health, it may be best to take a break from them or call it a day completely.

It’s possible to end a relationship in a way that feels ok for both of you.

Feeling good about yourself also boosts your confidence to learn new skills, visit new places and make new friends.

Good self-esteem helps you cope when life takes a difficult turn.

10

Ask for help

None of us are superhuman. We all sometimes get tired or overwhelmed by how we feel or when things go wrong. If things are getting too much for you and you feel you can’t cope, ask for help.

Your family or friends may be able to offer practical help or a listening ear. Local services are there to help you.

For example, you could: P Join a support group like Weight Watchers or Alcoholics Anonymous to help you make changes to your life.

P Find a counsellor to help you deal with your feelings or make a fresh start.

P Visit a Citizens Advice Bureau for debt advice.

Your GP may be able to refer you to a counsellor.

You should consider getting help from your GP if difficult feelings are: P Stopping you getting on with life P Having a big impact on the people you live or work with P Affecting your mood over several weeks.

SIGN UP AT WWW.DRYJANUARY.ORG.UK For more information, contact Alcohol Concern at dryjanuary@alcoholconcern.org.uk 17

THE TRUTH ABOUT

Yo-Yo Dieting Y

ou’ve seen many people do it: celebrities, friends, relatives. Yo-yo dieting, also known as weight cycling, refers to the repeated loss and regain of body weight, which can vary from 5-10 pounds to more than 50 pounds.

This can occur over a period of several months to several years and can be harmful for your heart and your health.

Why is Yo-Yo Dieting Dangerous?

Research shows it’s better for your health not to diet at all than to say you’re dieting and steal spoonfuls of crème brûlée during every commercial break. That’s because diets typically promote weight cycling and yo-yo dieting, which is actually more hazardous to your health than keeping a steady overweight weight. Most weight cyclers eventually gain back more weight than they had initially lost because the shame and stress involved with gaining weight can lead to eating more.

Weight cycling may also have negative psychological and behavioural consequences; studies have reported increased risk for mental distress, life dissatisfaction, and binge eating. Some studies have shown that extreme weight cycling can even damage the heart.

One study found that women who were weight cyclers – especially if it occurred five or more times during their life – had a great risk of heart disease beginning shortly after menopause. The researchers believe that the link between weight cycling and heart disease involves the cells that line the blood vessels called endothelial cells. When people gain and lose weight repeatedly, these cells become damaged so blood can’t flow freely. When blood flow to the heart becomes restricted, the stage is set for heart attack and stroke.

Diets and the Power of the Mind When most of us try to lose weight, we pull out the most powerful weapon we’d like to think we have – our brains – and launch a psychological attack on food. However, the truth is that there are very strong emotional

triggers that make us eat and can make most diets fail. Researchers theorize that overeating may act like a drug addiction and trigger the reward centres in our brain.

Hence, at points of stress, your brain’s neurons may be programmed to combat the stress with food.

P Be Positive: If you blame yourself for your weight, if you are depressed about your weight, or if your mood is low because of your weight, then your first job is to refocus.

You’ll need to think about what you can do, how you can do it, why it’s good for you, and how you’ll succeed.

Some dieters psychologically treat diets as an all-or-nothing ordeal. Once they deviate even slightly from a diet or healthy eating plan, they figure they might as well drop the whole thing. This starts a cycle of weight gain and weight loss that’s hard to escape: We’re fat. We try to lose weight. We deviate just a little. We fear rejection for the perceived failure. We isolate ourselves from people. We stop talking about it. We mow through a pound of cheesecake, and we get fat again. The cycle continues.

P Add Some Support: Develop a support system of people who know your goals, know your weaknesses, and know your strengths. You can even find support buddies online. This person will be your sounding board, your comfort system and your measure of accountability.

What Should I Do About It? If you’re a yo-yo dieter and consistently struggle with weight, keep trying. Don’t give up. Trying to achieve a lower weight and reaping the potential health benefits from diet and exercise outweigh the possible risks of weight cycling. However, the trick is to avoid weight cycling altogether and lose weight for good. Here are some tips to accomplish that: P Lose Weight Gradually: The best way to lose weight and keep it off is through a gradual, consistent loss of weight of around two pounds per week. Not only does it help keep the weight off, it’s healthier for you.

P Diet Just for You: One crux to dieting involves the societal disdain for obesity.

Many yo-yo dieters stop dieting after many attempts in order to avoid the shame of failure. They calculate that it’s better to not be on a diet and be overweight than to be on a diet and eventually prove to the world that they can’t succeed.

With a positive support system, you’re more likely to make a permanent change.

. .. f o s t fi e n e b h t l Surprising hea

g o d a g Ownin

19

As dog lovers, we’re well aware of how dogs enrich our lives, making us happier and healthier overall. But there are also some benefits of dog ownership that you may have never considered! Aside from providing us with companionship and entertainment, here are just a few of the countless mental and physical perks of being a pup parent (many backed by scientific evidence).

1. Boost Your Mood Dogs have long been known to make great companions, but did you know that they actually improve your mood? Research has shown that it only takes a mere 15–30 minutes with your pet to feel more relaxed and calm.

Playing with your dog also raises your brain’s levels of dopamine and serotonin, which are neurotransmitters that are associated with pleasure and tranquillity. Psychologists from Miami and St. Louis Universities found that the benefits of having a canine companion can be equivalent to having a human companion. Looks like pooches can get your tail wagging!

2. Better Than Medicine In addition to boosting your mood, your dog is also great for your health. Your body reaps a lot of benefits from having your fur baby around. Dog owners have been found to have lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, fewer heart attacks, and according to a study by the British Journal of Health (2004), dog owners also have the added benefit of having fewer medical problems than those without pets.

3. Help You Stay Active An added unexpected benefit of having a dog is that he encourages you to exercise more! Taking your dog on walks and throwing the ball around makes for good exercise. Apart from the dog walking alone, dog owners were also found to achieve more advanced stages of movement compared to those who own dogs and do not walk them.

The Journal of Physical Activity and Health (2010) concluded that dog walkers generally walked about an hour longer than their nondog walking counterparts!

4. Help You Be More Social Have you ever thought of your dog as your wingman? While your dog may not make you totally irresistible to the opposite sex, having one around helps you be more social, approachable and can help some get over shyness.

Doing activities with your dog such as going to pet stores, dog parks, or special events is great for both you and your furry friend, as it is a great way to meet new people and mingle with other dogs and dog lovers.

A study by Warwick University found that 40% of people reported making friends much easier as a result of owning a dog.

5. Help Relieve Stress Another great yet unexpected benefit of owning a dog is that they are masters at helping us relieve stress and feel calm.

According to a study from SUNY Buffalo (2006), 240 married couples with dogs were subjected to various types of stressful tasks where they were either alone, with their spouse or were able to see their dog before or after the task.

Unsurprisingly, the lowest responses to stress were among those who were allowed to see their dogs. Maybe there should be a mandatory “bring your dog to work” day we can wish!

6. Help Kids Grow Stronger Getting your little one a furry companion can be beneficial! We all value our health and dogs can actually help contribute to keeping your child healthy just by being part of the family!

According to Science Daily, kids who grow up with dogs in their home have fewer allergies and are also less likely to have eczema.

Kids with dogs in the home also have fewer sick days and grow up with higher levels of certain immune system supporters that keep them in tip-top shape as they get older.

7. Help Us Understand Cancer Did you know that dogs and humans get the same type of cancer?

Science Daily states that due to the similarities in the disease, dogs with cancer can help us to discover more about the disease itself and in turn, this allows us to better understand and advance treatment for cancer in dogs as well.

There aren’t any unethical tests or procedures being performed on dogs, the medical field just takes the opportunity to study the cancer and discover new methods for treatment.

8. Help Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis Clearly, dogs are extremely helpful in helping people deal with medical issues, and they have been found to be particularly beneficial to people who are diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

Dogs help people with RA to move more often and encourage play as well as helping them get their mind off of their condition.

They are also great motivators to get moving and they sure are good at distracting us from things!

9. Therapeutic for Kids With ADHD Pet Wiki and WebMD agree that dogs make great pets for kids diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Your child can release excess energy by playing with the dog and caring for the pet will also help teach your child responsibility.

Dogs can also help calm your child. Many therapists have used dogs in treatment as they seem to have a calming effect on both adults and children and help people feel more at ease during treatment.

10. Dogs Can Make You a Better Person We spend a lot of time training our dogs but those furry creatures teach us a lot, too. Having a dog teaches us patience, commitment and selflessness.

Caring for a dog takes a lot of responsibility and commitment, and it also teaches us to be more patient and less selfish. You also learn to be less focused on yourself and more patient, as pets can sometimes test the patience of even the most tolerant people.

World Cancer Day 4th February 2017 21

Want to Quit Smoking?

By the time you finish this article, you’ll be ready to stub your habit, says DR MAX PEMBERTON

I loved smoking. Or at least I thought I loved it. As a doctor, I knew how bad it was for me, but that didn’t stop me doing it. In fact, if simply knowing the health risks of smoking stopped people doing it, then no doctor or nurse would ever light up a cigarette – and that’s simply not the case.

Throughout my 20s I told myself I’d give up one day. Then my 30th birthday came and went. I realised that if I didn’t make a concerted effort, I’d be smoking until I died.

But the thought of stopping smoking made me profoundly sad. I didn’t want to stop doing something that I enjoyed so much.

For many years I have worked with drug addicts. Lots of the things I was hearing myself say were horribly similar to the things I’d heard my patients say. I had helped get them out of their predicaments using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), so surely I could use this to help myself out.

CBT works by inviting the patient to examine aspects of their life that are causing them problems, and to challenge some of their unhelpful thoughts that are contributing to the problem. So using my experience of working with drug addicts, I developed a CBT-based programme to change my thoughts on smoking. It worked.

I quit and I haven’t looked back. The programme, involves a series of exercises that gradually build on one another. Here are some simple exercises you can do now to introduce you to some of the key ideas, and help you start gently thinking about your relationship with cigarettes.

EXERCISE 1 Write a list of what you love about cigarettes, and why. It doesn’t matter how daft some of the things are. It’s important that you start to examine what you think cigarettes give to you. Do they make you feel more confident or more relaxed? What do you think you get from smoking – it must give you something, otherwise why do it?

EXERCISE 2 Now write down a list of all the things that prevent you from stopping smoking. This might be harder than it sounds.

Smoking is something we can do without really thinking about and it’s easy for us to create illusions around why we should keep doing it. What it is that prevents you from stopping? And what is it that scares you? Write down your list, and, as always, you can add to it later as things occur to you.

These are your reasons NOT to quit, or ‘Reasons to continue’.

EXERCISE 3 Go back to the list that you made in Exercise 1. Now, I want you to write down all the things that NOT smoking would give you. What are the benefits? Why stop smoking? What are your reasons for wanting to no longer smoke?

We’ll call this your ‘Quit list’.

It might not seem like it now, but everything you wrote down in Exercise 1 is an illusion.

These ‘reasons you smoke’ might seem very real, but they are not. Instead, everything on this list is your mind’s attempt to justify something that doesn’t make sense.

We all know that smoking is bad for us. In the mind, this sets up a bit of a quandary. We want to do it but we know it is bad for us and we shouldn’t do it.

In psychology, this is called ‘cognitive dissonance’ – when our thoughts are in conflict. Part of becoming a smoker is that your mind finds ways to resolve this dissonance so that you can continue smoking without the mental conflict.

Part of the path to becoming a non-smoker again is picking apart these thoughts that your mind relies on to justify you smoking.

With this in mind, I want you to do one final exercise.

EXERCISE 4 Imagine that you are a lawyer in a legal case.

First of all, put the case forward for continuing smoking. You already have the information for this from Exercises 1 and 2. Imagine putting forward this argument in front of a judge and jury, and be as persuasive as you can be.

Cigarettes are on trial and you are defending them.

Now switch sides and imagine that you are the prosecution barrister. Put forward the argument against smoking, as you outlined in your ‘Quit list’ in Exercise 3. You need to convince the judge and jury that the arguments in support of continuing to smoke are a load of nonsense.

The cases you make in Exercise 4 reflect what goes on inside your head when you smoke.

Hopefully, you can also see how exercises like these are able to make you think objectively about the whole situation – this distance is what you need to start the process of stopping.

Even now, when I find myself doubting my abilities or facing something I think is daunting, I remind myself of the incredible achievement of stopping.

Quitting smoking has given me new selfconfidence. And you can have that feeling as well. All you have to do is stop smoking.

Trust me, it’s the best thing you’ll ever do.

sy a e & n u F

Christmas Recipes

^

Christmas is the most joyous and magical time of the year. So whether you’re hosting Christmas dinner this year, or just spending some time with the family, these recipes will have you well and truly in a jolly festive baking mood.

Christmas means time off work, holidays, cosy nights in, lots of parties and gatherings with friends, plus lots of time to round-up the family in the kitchen and start baking up some delicious treats. From Rice Krispie Christmas puddings to Rudolph cake pops, we have you covered for every Christmas get-together or parties you host throughout this fun-filled season.

23

Melting Snowman Biscuits Get little ones in the kitchen to assemble these cute festive biscuits - sticky fun for a wintry afternoon.

Prep: 30 mins Easy Makes 6

Ingredients 200g fondant icing sugar 6 white marshmallows 6 large cookies 24 mini chocolate beans 6 pretzel sticks Tube black writing icing

Method

Reindeer cake pops These chocolate cake lollipops are decorated in true festive fashion - have fun making them with the kids this Christmas.

Prep: 45 mins

Easy

1. Put the icing sugar into a bowl then add cold water a teaspoon at a time until the mixture is runny but thick enough to coat a spoon.

2. Snip the marshmallows in half using wet scissors.

3. Spoon a little icing onto each cookie and attach half a marshmallow. Using a little icing, stick the other half on top at an angle. Drizzle a little more icing onto the cookie to make it look like melting snow.

4. Break the pretzel sticks in half and place on the cookie for arms. Stick orange chocolate beans on for the noses. Stick three chocolate beans on each cookie to represent buttons.

5. Using the writing icing, pipe on eyes and mouth. Leave to set.

Makes 8

Ingredients 150g chocolate cake 25g soft butter 50g icing sugar 25g plain chocolate 100g milk chocolate Small pretzels, broken into large ‘antler’ shape pieces 8 small jelly sweets, red chocolate beans or Smarties 2 tbsp royal icing coloured black or purchased black writing icing 8 lollipop or cake pop sticks

Method 1. Crumble the cake into fine crumbs using your hands or in a food processor. Put into a bowl. In another bowl, beat together the butter and icing sugar until creamy.

2. Melt the plain chocolate in the microwave or in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Add the melted chocolate to the butter mixture and combine well. Add this to the cake crumbs and mix thoroughly using your hands, until it sticks together. Divide the mixture into eight and shape each one into a smooth ball. Insert a cake pop stick, place on a tray lined with baking parchment and chill for at least 2 hours.

3. Melt the milk chocolate in the microwave or in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Take a cake pop and dip in the chocolate. Shake gently until the excess has drained off. Push into a polystyrene block.

4. Make two holes in the top of the head and insert a pretzel ‘antler’ in each one.

Press a sweetie nose onto the front and hold for a few seconds until attached.

Repeat with all the other cake pops. Leave to set for about 20 mins and then using black icing, pipe on eyes and a mouth.

Christmas tree pops Decorate wedges of chocolate sponge with green icing and Smarties to make festive cake pops on sticks.

Prep: 45 mins

Easy

Makes 8

Ingredients 100g butter at room temperature, plus extra for greasing 100g golden caster sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 medium eggs 100g self-raising flour 3 tbsp cocoa powder 3 tbsp milk 300g icing sugar, sifted Green food colouring Sprinkles ( eg. sugar snowflakes and mini Smarties) 8 lollipop or cake pop sticks, to serve

Method 1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease a round cake tin and line with baking paper.

2. Put the butter in a mixing bowl with the sugar and vanilla extract, mix until it looks creamy.

Crack in the eggs, mixing after each one. Sift the flour and cocoa together, add to the bowl with the milk and stir until smooth. Spoon into the cake tin and spread the top flat. Bake for 20 mins until a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool.

3. Remove the cake from the tin and cut it into 8 wedges and push a lollipop stick into the middle of the round edge. Remember to leave enough of the stick poking out to hold.

4. Mix the food colouring and icing sugar until it is a bit runny, but still quite stiff. Try drizzling a bit on a piece of paper; you want it to stay in strips, not run everywhere.

5. Spoon the icing over the wedges (you can cover it completely or drizzle lines across them in a tree shape). Decorate with sugar snowflakes and mini Smarties, then lift onto a wire rack and leave to set (this will take a few hours). Iced cakes will keep in the tin for up to 2 days. The un-iced cake can be frozen for up to 6 months. Defrost completely before cutting and decorating.

Toffee popcorn bark This simple chocolate slab broken into pieces is a crunchy and moreish snack, perfect for a kids party.

Prep: 1 day

Easy

Method 1. Line a 20 x 30cm baking tray with baking parchment. Melt the milk chocolate and white chocolate separately, then allow to cool slightly.

Makes 12

Ingredients 200g milk chocolate 200g white chocolate

2 x 30g bags toffee popcorn 2. Pour most of the chocolate onto the tray, roughly swirling together. Sprinkle over the toffee popcorn, then drizzle over the remaining milk and white chocolate, and chill until set. Break into big chunks before serving.

25

Top 5 Baking Safety Tips 1. Don’t eat raw cookie dough.

We know it’s delicious and oh-so tempting, but don’t eat any kind of raw cookie dough, even if it doesn’t have eggs in it or it is pre-packaged.

After the 2009 e. coli outbreak of Toll House cookie dough, eating raw cookie dough is just not worth the risk!

2. Wash your hands after handling eggs.

When handling animal products of any kind, it’s important to prevent cross-contamination.

One easy way to do this is to wash your hands with warm water and soap. Be sure to scrub them good and for at least 20 seconds!

3. Keep countertops clean.

Xmas Pudding Rice Krispie Cakes Fun to make with kids or as a cute Christmas canape, top chocolate and raisin puffed rice cakes with white chocolate and festive icing.

Prep: 1 day

(plus chilling)

Easy

Makes 12

Ingredients 50g Rice Krispies 30g raisin, chopped (optional) 50g butter

Many holiday cookie dough recipes require you roll out your dough on the counter. Before and after doing so, the Home Baking Association recommends using a sanitizing spray or rinse for cleaning counters.

Mix one teaspoon bleach to 1 quart water to keep your baking workspace safe and clean.

4. Don’t let perishable ingredients sit on the counter for too long.

Anything that comes from the fridge needs to stay in the fridge for as long as possible. So resist the urge to keep eggs, milk and other perishable items on the counter when baking. Keep them cool in the fridge instead!

100g milk chocolate, broken into pieces

5. Wash your utensils and baking sheets well.

30g mini marshmallow

Again, this is all about preventing crosscontamination. So wash your utensils, baking sheets, and bowls well after every single use!

80g white chocolate Ready-made icing holly leaves (we used Sainsbury’s Christmas cake decorations)

Method 1. Put the Rice Krispies and raisins into a bowl. Put the butter, milk chocolate and marshmallows into a small saucepan. Place on a medium to low heat and stir until the chocolate and butter have melted but the marshmallows are just beginning to melt.

2. Pour onto the rice pops and stir until well coated. Line an egg cup with cling film. Press about a tablespoon of the mixture into the egg cup. Press firmly and then remove, peel off the cling film and place the pudding into a cake case, flat-side down. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Chill until firm.

3. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave or in bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Spoon a little chocolate over the top of each pudding and top with icing holly leaves.

World Cancer Day 4th February 2017

27

Also, people who slept fewer than seven hours a night were nearly three times more likely to come down with colds compared with those who enjoyed eight or more hours of quality shut-eye.

Try having an hour without the TV before bed – research shows it can help you drop off more easily.

Give excess booze the boot Before you reach for that “medicinal” whisky, there’s some bad news.

Unfortunately for those keen on the odd night cap, it’s a complete myth that alcohol kills off cold germs. In reality, it actually suppresses your immune system, leaving you p ­ otentially more exposed.

That’s why heavy drinkers are more prone to infections, although the ­occasional tipple is still fine.

Try limiting yourself to one or two drinks a day and have at least two booze-free days per week to give your liver a break.

Ways to avoid cold and flu germs With cold and flu season in full swing, we wondered how top docs personally battle nasty bugs each winter. Here are their expert tips for keeping pains, aches, sniffles, and sneezes at bay.

Wash your hands Washing your hands throughout the day really does prevent infections.

Warm water and soap will kill the germs, but be sure you don’t rush. Try to wash for 20 seconds and use a paper towel to dry your hands, if possible, and also use the towel to turn off the tap, especially in public bathrooms.

No matter how clean they may be, remember this: Hands are veritable germ factories, so keep them away from your nose and mouth. Also try to find something you can eat with a spoon or fork, rather than a sandwich you have to handle. If you’re going to eat a sandwich, make sure you wash your hands first or use a hand sanitiser.

Keep surfaces clean Colds and flu are caused by viruses, which can easily pass from person to person, or from surface to person.

Computer keyboards, telephones, doorknobs, pens that are given to you when you sign in somewhere - all of these are surfaces that have great potential for harbouring germs.

Make a point of carrying around little bottles of alcohol-based cleansers, and use them liberally if you suspect that you’ve been exposed. Also use antiseptic wipes to regularly clean your work station, keyboard and phone.

Exercise for immunity A jog around the block a few times a week, will not only do wonders for your physique, it also might prevent you from getting sick. As little as 20 to 30 minutes of cardio exercise a day will strengthen your heart and your immune system.

What about exercise if you’re already sick? The general rule is; if your symptoms are above the neck (stuffy nose, sneezing), go ahead. If you have a fever higher than 100 degrees, a cough, or chills, hold off on the workouts for a few days, until you feel better.

Sleep more Getting a decent night’s kip can bolster your defences against colds. Research has found that the more sleep you get, the better your chances of fighting off respiratory bugs.

Take a probiotic Taking a daily dose of friendly bacteria has been found to reduce the duration of a cold by two days.

“Probiotics can also reduce the chance of getting a respiratory infection by nearly 20% in ­children and the elderly,” says GP Dr Sarah Brewer. “I give my kids Actimel every day in their lunchbox and they’re rarely ill!”

Eat breakfast Cereal eaters are less likely to catch colds than those who skip breakfast, according to studies carried out at Cardiff University.

Researchers think this is because wholegrain cereals are loaded with nutrients we know are important for a healthy immune system, like B vitamins, iron and zinc.

So try starting the day with a bowl of porridge topped with berries.

Spice things up Certain spices are beneficial bug fighters, including cayenne pepper, which contains an active ingredient called capsaicin that beats congestion by thinning the mucus in your nasal passages so you can breathe more easily.

Garlic contains a chemical called allicin, which can zap the cold viruses that lead to infection.

l o tr n o C to s a y W 0 1

High Blood Pressure

If you’ve been diagnosed with high blood pressure, you might be worried about taking medication to bring your numbers down.

However, if you successfully control your blood pressure with a healthy lifestyle, you might avoid, delay or reduce the need for medication.

Here are 10 lifestyle changes you can make to lower your blood pressure and keep it down.

Lose extra pounds and watch your waistline Blood pressure often increases as weight increases. Being overweight also can cause disrupted breathing while you sleep (sleep apnoea), which further raises your blood pressure.

Weight loss is one of the most effective lifestyle changes for controlling blood pressure. Losing just 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) can help reduce your blood pressure.

Besides shedding pounds, you generally should also keep an eye on your waistline.

Carrying too much weight around your waist can put you at greater risk of high blood pressure.

In general: • Men are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 40 inches (102 centimetres).

• Women are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 35 inches (89 centimetres).

These numbers vary among ethnic groups.

Ask your doctor about a healthy waist measurement for you.

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Exercise regularly Regular physical activity - at least 30 minutes most days of the week - can lower your blood pressure by 4 to 9 millimetres of mercury (mm Hg). It’s important to be consistent because if you stop exercising, your blood pressure can rise again.

If you have slightly high blood pressure (prehypertension), exercise can help you avoid developing full-blown hypertension.

If you already have hypertension, regular physical activity can bring your blood pressure down to safer levels.

The best types of exercise for lowering blood pressure include walking, jogging, cycling, swimming or dancing. Strength training also can help reduce blood pressure. Talk to your doctor about developing an exercise program.

This eating plan is known as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.

It isn’t easy to change your eating habits, but with these tips, you can adopt a healthy diet: •

•

Adopt a healthy diet Sticking to a diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products and skimps on saturated fat and cholesterol can lower your blood pressure by up to 14 mm Hg.

•

Keep a food diary. Writing down what you eat, even for just a week, can shed surprising light on your true eating habits. Monitor what you eat, how much, when and why.

Consider boosting potassium.

Potassium can lessen the effects of sodium on blood pressure. The best source of potassium is food, such as fruits and vegetables, rather than supplements. Talk to your doctor about the potassium level that’s best for you.

Be a smart shopper. Read food labels when you shop and stick to your healthy-eating plan when you’re dining out, too.

Reduce sodium in your diet Even a small reduction in the sodium in your diet can reduce blood pressure by 2 to 8 mm Hg. The effect of sodium intake on blood pressure varies among groups of people.

In general, limit sodium to less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) a day or less. However, a lower sodium intake - 1,500 mg a day or less- is appropriate for people with greater salt sensitivity, including: • African-Americans • Anyone age 51 or older • Anyone diagnosed with high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease To decrease sodium in your diet, consider these tips: • •

• •

Read food labels. If possible, choose low-sodium alternatives of the foods and beverages you normally buy.

Eat fewer processed foods. Only a small amount of sodium occurs naturally in foods. Most sodium is added during processing.

Don’t add salt. Just 1 level teaspoon of salt has 2,300 mg of sodium. Use herbs or spices to add flavour to your food.

Ease into it. If you don’t feel you can drastically reduce the sodium in your diet suddenly, cut back gradually. Your palate will adjust over time.

Reduce your stress Chronic stress is an important contributor to high blood pressure. Occasional stress also can contribute to high blood pressure if you react to stress by eating unhealthy food, drinking alcohol or smoking.

Take some time to think about what causes you to feel stressed, such as work, family, finances or illness. Once you know what’s causing your stress, consider how you can eliminate or reduce stress.

If you can’t eliminate all of your stressors, you can at least cope with them in a healthier way. Try to: •

Limit the amount of alcohol you drink Alcohol can be both good and bad for your health. In small amounts, it can potentially lower your blood pressure by 2 - 4 mm Hg. But that protective effect is lost if you drink too much alcohol — generally more than one drink a day for women and for men older than age 65, or more than two a day for men age 65 and younger. One drink equals 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor.

Drinking more than moderate amounts of alcohol can actually raise blood pressure by several points. It can also reduce the effectiveness of blood pressure medications.

Quit smoking Each cigarette you smoke increases your blood pressure for many minutes after you finish. Quitting smoking helps your blood pressure return to normal. People who quit smoking, regardless of age, have substantial increases in life expectancy.

Cut back on caffeine The role caffeine plays in blood pressure is still debated. Caffeine can raise blood pressure by as much as 10 mm Hg in people who rarely consume it, but there is little to no strong effect on blood pressure in habitual coffee drinkers.

Although the effects of chronic caffeine ingestion on blood pressure aren’t clear, the possibility of a slight increase in blood pressure exists.

•

•

•

Change your expectations. Give yourself time to get things done.

Learn to say no and to live within manageable limits. Try to learn to accept things you can’t change.

Think about problems under your control and make a plan to solve them. You could talk to your boss about difficulties at work or to family members about problems at home.

Know your stress triggers. Avoid whatever triggers you can. For example, spend less time with people who bother you or avoid driving in rush-hour traffic.

Make time to relax and to do activities you enjoy. Take 15 to 20 minutes a day to sit quietly and breathe deeply.

Try to intentionally enjoy what you do rather than hurrying through your “relaxing activities” at a stressful pace.

Monitor your blood pressure at home and see your doctor regularly Home monitoring can help you keep tabs on your blood pressure, make certain your lifestyle changes are working, and alert you and your doctor to complications.

Blood pressure monitors are available widely and without a prescription. Talk to your doctor about home monitoring before you get started.

Regular visits with your doctor are also key to controlling your blood pressure. If your blood pressure is under control, you might need to visit your doctor only every six to 12 months.

Get support Supportive family and friends can help improve your health. They may encourage you to take care of yourself, drive you to the doctor’s office or embark on an exercise program with you to keep your blood pressure low.

If you find you need support beyond your family and friends, consider joining

a support group. This may put you in touch with people who can give you an emotional or morale boost and who can offer tips to cope with our condition.

If you have an addiction, you’re not alone.

An estimated 2 million people in the UK are fighting an addiction.

OVERCOMING

ADDICTION

A

ddiction exerts a long and powerful influence on the brain that manifests in three distinct ways: craving for the object of addiction, loss of control over its use, and continuing involvement with it despite adverse consequences.

For many years, experts believed that only alcohol and powerful drugs could cause addiction. Neuroimaging technologies and more recent research, however, have shown that certain pleasurable activities, such as gambling, drinking, and sex, can also co-opt the brain.

Addiction changes the brain, first by subverting the way it registers pleasure and then by corrupting other normal drives such as learning and motivation. Although breaking an addiction is tough, it can be done, no matter how hopeless your situation seems Whether you’re dealing with an addiction to alcohol, tobacco, sex, drugs, lying or gambling, admitting that you have a problem is always the first step to overcoming it, and it is not easy. Don’t give up—even if you’ve tried and failed before. The road to recovery often involves bumps, pitfalls, and setbacks.

But by examining the problem and thinking about change, you’re already on your way.

Now it’s time to make a plan for quitting, seek help, and prepare yourself for obstacles you’ll surely encounter. If you want to learn how to kick that habit and start living life to the fullest again, keep reading...

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“

Though no-one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.

”

AlCOHOL

Realising you have a problem with alcohol is the first step to getting better, but it is often the hardest one.

You may need help if: P You always feel the need to have a drink.

P You frequently get into trouble because of your drinking.

P Other people warn you about how much you’re drinking.

A good place to start is with your GP. Be honest with them about how much you drink. If your body has become dependent on booze, stopping drinking overnight can be life-threatening, so get advice about cutting down gradually.

Your GP may refer you to a local community alcohol service. Ask about free local support groups, day-centre counselling and oneto-one counselling. You may also be prescribed medication such as chlordiazepoxide, a sedative, to help with alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

These symptoms can range from not sleeping, agitation, anxiety, sweating and tremors, right through to vomiting, diarrhoea, hallucinations and seizures.

Staying Sober Cutting down and stopping drinking is often just the beginning, and most people will need some degree of help to stay alcohol-free in the long term.

Getting support – beyond family, friends or carers – is crucial to understanding and overcoming the issues that make you drink, so make sure you contact your GP. You can attend NHS and voluntaryagency day centres for up to a year, as well as groups where recovered alcoholics help each other stay sober.

Useful Contacts

DRUGS If you have a problem with drugs, there’s a wide range of addiction services that can help.

Some of these services are provided by the NHS, and some are specialist drug facilities run by charities and private organisations.

If you have a problem with drugs, you have the same entitlement to care as anyone coming to the NHS for help with any other health problem.

With the right help and support, it’s possible for you to get drug free and stay that way.

A good place to start is to visit your GP. Your GP can discuss your concerns with you, assess the nature of your problems, and help you choose the most appropriate treatment. They might offer to treat you or refer you to your local specialist drug service.

P Drinkline is the national alcohol helpline. If you’re worried about your own or someone else’s drinking, you can call this free helpline, in complete confidence 0300 123 1110.

Many drug treatment services accept self-referrals, so if you’re not comfortable talking to your GP, you might be able to approach your local drug treatment service directly.

P Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a free self-help group. Its “12-step” programme involves the help of regular support groups. Visit www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk

Your Drugs Keyworker If you are seen at your local drug treatment service, you will first be assessed. If you are deemed appropriate for treatment, you will then be allocated a keyworker. Your keyworker may be a doctor, nurse or drugs worker.

P Al-Anon Family Groups offer support and understanding to the families and friends of problem drinkers, whether they’re still drinking or not. Alateen is part of Al-Anon and can be attended by 12- to 17-yearolds who are affected by another person’s drinking, usually a parent.

Call 020 7403 0888 or visit www.al-anonuk.org.uk

Your keyworker will help you organise the treatment you need and develop a personalised care plan with you, and will be your first point of call throughout your treatment. You’ll see your keyworker for regular one-to-one sessions during your treatment.

Charity & Private Drugs Treatment Outside the NHS, there are many voluntary sector and private drug and alcohol treatment organisations that can help you.

As well as providing residential rehab centres, voluntary organisations also offer various community services.

These include structured day programmes, outreach and harm reduction services, counselling services, aftercare, and housing support services.

These organisations will usually be linked to NHS services in your area.

Useful Contacts P You can use the NHS service search to find your nearest drug addiction support services: www.nhs.uk/service-search P You can find information about local drug treatment services on the Frank website: www.talktofrank.com If you’re having trouble finding the right sort of help, call the Frank drugs helpline on 0300 123 6600.

An adviser can talk to you about the different options.

P Families Anonymous provide support groups for parents and families of drug users in different parts of the country. Visit www.famanon.org.uk or call the helpline on 0845 1200 660.

P Drugsline provides free and confidential information and support for people with drug- and alcohol-related issues, their families and friends. Call 08081 606 606 or visit www. drugsline.org

GAMBLING There may be as many as 593,000 problem gamblers in Great Britain.

The anticipation and thrill of gambling creates a natural high that can become addictive.

The internet has made gambling more accessible, allowing more and more people to do it from home. This is thought to be one of the reasons for the increase in women gamblers.

Gambling addiction is sometimes referred to as a “hidden illness” because there are no obvious physical signs or symptoms like there are in drug or alcohol addiction.

You may have a gambling problem if you: P Feel the need to be secretive about your gambling. You might gamble in secret or lie about how much you gamble, feeling others won’t understand or that you will surprise them with a big win.

P Have trouble controlling your gambling. Once you start gambling, can you walk away?

P Gamble even when you don’t have the money. You may feel pushed to borrow, sell, or even steal things for gambling money.

P Have family and friends worried about you. Denial keeps problem gambling going. If friends and family are worried, listen to them carefully. It’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help.

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Help Yourself Seek help for underlying mood disorders.

Depression, stress, substance abuse, or anxiety can both trigger gambling problems and be made worse by compulsive gambling.

Learn to relieve unpleasant feelings in healthier ways.

Do you gamble when you’re lonely or bored? There are healthier and more effective ways of managing your moods, such as practicing relaxation techniques.

Strengthen your support network.

Reach out to friends and family. If your support network is limited, try reaching out to colleagues at work, joining a sports team or book club, enrolling in a class, or volunteering for a good cause.

Join a support group.

Gamblers Anonymous, for example, is a twelve-step recovery programme patterned after Alcoholics Anonymous.

A key part of the programme is finding a sponsor, a former gambler with experience remaining free from addiction, providing invaluable help, guidance and support.

Useful Contacts P National Problem Gambling Clinic. If you live in England or Wales and are over 16, you can refer yourself to the only specialist NHS clinic for problem gamblers. For more information, visit the clinic’s website at: www.cnwl.nhs.uk/cnwl-nationalproblem-gambling-clinic P Gamblers Anonymous is a fellowship group offering support for those with a gambling addiction.

Locations of meetings are displayed on their website: www.gamblersanonymous.org.uk P GamCare are a charity who offer counselling to anyone affected by problem gambling, including family members. You can find out more on their website: www.gamcare.org.uk

DAVE E G G ER S

How do I Reduce The Risk of Having a

Stroke?

Doctors now think that 90% of strokes are preventable through lifestyle changes, including eating less salt and processed food, quitting smoking and exercising more.

Should you be changing your habits?

E

very three minutes and 27 seconds someone in the UK has a stroke. By the age of 75, one in five women and one in six men will have had one. Strokes are cited by people as one of their four most dreaded conditions.

A recent study, of 26,915 people from 32 countries found that 10 factors accounted for about 90% of the risk of having a stroke.

The worst offenders were high blood pressure, lack of exercise, poor diet and smoking. But there was also stress, too much alcohol, heart problems, obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol in hot pursuit.

The study, from McMaster University in Canada, included people who’d had strokes caused by either blood clots or bleeding in the brain. The diagnosis was made using clinical criteria for a stroke and a brain scan.

Patients or their carers were given a questionnaire asking about risk factors and the results were compared with those of controls (comparable people who hadn’t had a stroke).

The Solution None of these risk factors are new. So why aren’t we doing more, individually, to protect ourselves from strokes?

There is always age, and a genetic predisposition to stroke that you are powerless to resist. But the lead author of the paper, Dr Martin O’Donnell, is both realistic and optimistic. “So much of the risk of stroke is modifiable by the individual,” he says. “It’s not just one risk factor, it’s a collection of lifestyle choices – all interlinked. If you exercise and eat well, then you will be a healthy weight and less likely to get diabetes.”

O’Donnell knows that people can’t sustain extreme changes of behaviour. But this is fine because in stroke prevention, the risk factors are so connected that even modest changes would add up to a measurably lower risk.

An editorial accompanying the paper advises people to eat less salt to reduce the risk of high blood pressure and less sugar and processed food. “Ideally, healthy behaviour should start in youth, but it is never too late and you can do things in moderation,” says O’Donnell.

“You should have your blood pressure checked every year.” He admits, though, that prevention is difficult: “It’s not like you wake up one day and say: today is the day I would have had a stroke if I hadn’t taken preventative therapy.

But I am a stroke physician and, unfortunately, I am the doctor who sees the patient who didn’t take the bloodpressure tablet.”

What is a Stroke?

A stroke is a serious, life-threatening medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off.

Strokes are a medical emergency and urgent treatment is essential because the sooner a person receives treatment for a stroke, the less damage is likely to happen.

If you suspect that you or someone else is having a stroke, phone 999 immediately and ask for an ambulance.

Signs & Symptoms

The main symptoms of stroke can be remembered with the word FAST: FaceArms-Speech-Time.

Face – the face may have dropped on one side, the person may not be able to smile or their mouth or eye may have dropped.

Arms – the person may not be able to lift both arms and keep them there because of arm weakness or numbness in one arm.

Speech – their speech may be slurred or garbled, or the person may not be able to talk at all despite appearing to be awake.

Time – it is time to dial 999 immediately if you see any of these signs or symptoms.

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