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As parents we are bombarded with the dos and don’ts of what to feed and give to our children to aid in their growth, development and general health and well-being. There seems to be research results released every other week promoting benefits of a product/food/drink/vitamin/supplement or the dangers of another. Confusing? Absolutely! One area of particular confusion is that of vitamins marketed for children. Give or not to give? How often? How Much? And which ones to give? Truthfully, if your children have a healthy, balanced diet, then vitamins of supplements aren’t required or even particularly useful. Vitamins and supplements may only offer an expensive, false sense of security.

The reliance on vitamins
Giving children vitamins and supplements creates a reliance on those products when most children will actually get all the required essential vitamins, nutrients and minerals from a balanced diet. From the American Academy of Paediatrics ‘a diet based on the Food Guide Pyramid provides adequate amounts of all the vitamins’ that a child needs.

Sending the wrong message to children
Taking vitamins and supplements on a daily basis sends the wrong message to children – that they need to take pills or tablets every day to stay healthy and that is simply untrue.

If eating a balanced diet, vitamins not needed
‘Parents are increasingly seeing supplements as a form of protection, to cover all the bases in case the kids are not getting all they need from their diet,’ says Julie Gilbert of the Dieticians Association of Australia. ‘But if they have a normal wide variety of healthy foods in their diets, there is no reason to go and waste the extra money on vitamins… It’s also teaching children they need to take pills to be healthy.

Fear from parents
Every parent worries about their children and their health and marketers profiteer on this fear, however in most cases, for most children that partake in a healthy and balanced diet, this fear is unfounded. Parents should only consider vitamins and supplements for children who are very picky eaters, have asthma or other medical conditions that may affect their absorption of nutrients from fresh food, or if children adhere to a vegetarian diet, and then only in conjunction with medical advice.
Creating bad habits from an early age and turning vitamins into lollies

Some products on the market today, such as Nature’s Own Vita Gummies, pose the danger of moving vitamins and supplements into the ‘lolly’ realm in the minds of children. This deviates from the fact that vitamins and supplements are a serious product and that too many may cause a health concern.

Look out James Bond, there is a Ms Bond not far away with these high heel flippers.
For the urban girl looking for that next craze, this will fill a gap for that special evening.

On a more serious note, there are huge risks in wearing high heels.

Many Australian consumers are aware of the risk of high blood pressure due to excess salt intake, but a new study indicates they may still have trouble interpreting labelling info that lists sodium rather than salt.

Excess salt intake (sodium chloride) has been consistently linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure and stroke.

The World Health Organization recommends adults consume no more than 5g of salt per day. Australia’s own National Heart Foundation recommends that individuals reduce their sodium intake to less than 6g per day.

A 1987 to 1995 study conducted by Dr. Nancy Cook (BMJ, 2007; 334: 885), looked at 744 patients who had received 18-48 months of comprehensive education and counselling on reducing their sodium intake.

Dr Cook’s subsequent post-research 10 year evaluation study concluded that sodium reduction, previously shown to lower blood pressure, may also reduce long-term risk of cardiovascular events.

Research also shows that shoppers regularly read food labels. However, according to Food Standards Australia/New Zealand, they still consistently request more information about exactly what those food labels mean.

In November 2011 a “Traffic Light” labelling system, supported by the Australian Medical Association, was presented for approval.

Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon said there was “currently not enough evidence to demonstrate that any form of front-of-pack labelling, including traffic light labelling, would provide Australians with the nutritional information they need to make informed choices”.

Food labels are a wealth of information, so start looking at them on a regular basis to understand how much salt (sodium chloride), MSG, baking soda, baking powder (and more) goes into your food!

The more practice you get reading food labels, the better you’ll become at using them as a tool to plan a healthy, balanced diet.

Other sodium compounds include:
• Disodium phosphate: Found in some quick-cooking cereals and processed cheeses.
• Sodium alginate: Used in many chocolate milks and ice creams to make a smooth mixture.
• Sodium benzoate: Used as a preservative in many condiments such as relishes, sauces and salad dressings.
• Sodium hydroxide: Used in food processing to soften and loosen skins of ripe olives and certain fruits and vegetables.
• Sodium nitrite: Used in cured meats and sausages.
• Sodium propionate: Used in pasteurized cheese and in some breads and cakes to inhibit growth of molds.
• Sodium sulfite: Used to bleach certain fruits such as maraschino cherries and glazed or crystallized fruits that are to be artificially colored; also used as a preservative in some dried fruits such as prunes.

Achieving a low salt intake with the present food supply is difficult as 80% of our intake comes from salt added to food during processing.

Many of the numerous processed/convenience foods now available contain very high salt levels that consumers can’t avoid, and it’s clear that large changes are needed – reducing the levels of salt in our food supply should be the first line of defense in the fight against cardiovascular disease.

It’s a sad day when a company that sells a cancer delivery system is suing the Australian Government for damage to their brand and trademarks. This is based on the proposal to introduce plain packaging with an olive green colour with the brand name. I maintain that if cigarette packaging does not influence or pursued prospective smokers why would you bother to sue?

Phillip Morris, one of the big American tobacco companies has threatened litigation if plain packaging legislation proceeds.

It’s funny how the tobacco company has suddenly become concerned of the government’s action being unconstitutional, well if taking steps to save lives is being unconstitutional it’s a very sad day.

The facts are chilling, 5,000 Australians a year die from smoking related illness with the costs to our health care system and our society $31.5 billion each year.

Written by Andrew Talati

This cordless Secateur from Bosch – the Ciso – is one of new range of body energy saving devices that raise some interesting questions about how much more sedentary our lives can become.

In Australia we’re experiencing an increase in the average house footprint with a corresponding decrease in the size of the average suburban block.

But even with shrinking gardens and smaller lawns, we’re also seeing a corresponding increase in the number of energy-saving devices that reduce our level of  physical exertion.

Everything has become powered these days. We now use hedge trimmers and leaf blowers where once we just got out the broom or large secateurs. And it’s taking a toll on our physical health.

While cordless secateurs are a great invention for those suffering from an impairment or injury that restricts their full range of motion, there are concerns whether there is really enough demand to produce such a product.

There’s an old saying – use it or lose it .  Over a lifetime, being sedentary leads to the possibility of insufficient grip strength to perform even simple tasks. Muscles atrophy and waste away through inactivity.

A common test to determine someone’s biological age is the “Grip strength” test.  Using a pair of secateurs is one practical example where a deterioration in grip strength affects a simple task such as pruning a rose bush.

And with concerns about the implications of global warming and conspicuous consumption, a great way to reduce the impact on the planet of landfill and the associated disposal of toxic chemicals from batteries – and keep our grip strength into old age -  is to use our plain old, battery-free secateurs.

Written by Andrew Talati