Natural Sunburn Prevention

Beta-carotene effective as sunburn protector

From Dr Shaun Holt
The Facts:

• Dietary supplementation with beta-carotene appears to provide a degree of sun protection, according to the pooled results of 7 studies.
• In the studies, the protective effects of beta-carotene increased as the duration of supplementation increased.
• Nutritional protection against sun-induced skin damage is increasingly being recommended to the general public.

Dr Shaun Holt: Often the best way to see if a treatment works is to gather up all the studies that have assessed it and add the results – a meta-analysis. This meta-analysis found a definite beneficial effect from beta-carotene in protecting against sunburn and of particular interest was the finding that the longer the beta-carotene is taken for, the greater the protection, with at least 10 weeks of supplementation needed for an effect. Beta-carotene is a highly coloured precursor of vitamin A.

You can refer to http://www.naturalhealthreview.org/articles.cfm?ID=327

Eating For Pregnancy

Eating for Two

Health in Harmony offer some tips to eating a healthy diet to provide the most beneficial ways of eating during your pregnancy.

To eat well during pregnancy you must do more than simply increase how much you eat. You must also consider what you eat. Although you need about 300 extra calories a day, especially later in your pregnancy, when your baby grows quickly and those calories should come from nutritious foods so they can contribute to your baby’s growth and development.

The extra food you eat shouldn’t just be empty calories — it should provide the nutrients your growing baby needs. For example, calcium helps make and keep bones and teeth strong. While you’re pregnant, you still need calcium for your body, plus extra calcium for your developing baby. Similarly, you require more of all the essential nutrients than you did before you became pregnant.

You’ll also want to be sure that you’re getting good whole grains into your diet. Whole grains help regulate your digestive system and may ease pregnancy related constipation. You can choose from breads, rice, oats, barely, and many other grains. Soak or sprout your grains to make them more easily digestible.

Be sure to eat your veggies with good fats – these help your body to absorb all the vital nutrients fruits and vegetables offer.

A good iron level is important to pregnancy. Try to get good, iron rich foods instead of simply relying on an iron pill. Some women find iron pills are constipating, and they’re not as well absorbed as foods would be.

Making bone broths – stocks – from bones will give you and your baby lots of important minerals. Bone broths also give you gelatin which helps enhance digestion. And they add flavor! Chicken and beef/lamb stocks are very easy to make, and creating soups from them is also very easy.

Fats are good for you – traditional fats. Avoid the old “industrial fats and oils” such as corn oil, soybean oil and shortening. Use lard and tallow from pigs eating a clean diet (pig diet varies by farm) or cows eating grass. Use olive oil, coconut oil, and palm oil. Use butter. Eat your veggies with butter. Cod liver oil has been shown beneficial during pregnancy and lactation. Traditional fats are vital for your body and for your baby. It is fat that builds your baby’s brain. To skimp on fat is to deprive your child nourishment he or she vitally needs for brain development.

Leafy green vegetables and deep orange produce are especially important. These help regulate your digestive system and provide rich antioxidants from a natural, food based source. In addition, fresh produce can provide folic acid – a nutrient vitally important to your growing baby. Be sure leafy greens are cooked as they can be hard to digest raw.

Food based iron sources are egg yolks, meats, molasses, and raisins. Enjoying a vitamin C rich food with your iron rich food is a great idea. The vitamin C boosts the absorption of iron in your blood. Have your eggs with a glass of OJ at breakfast!Another simple way to get iron is to cook using a cast iron pan. This will give you trace amounts of iron.

An excellent pregnancy diet is the cornerstone to having a healthy baby. It is totally under your control and it is totally your responsibility, but remember have a treat once in awhile as it is all about balance.

Most importantly, stay happy and positive, take the time out to do things you enjoy to stay calm such as soaking in a bath or a special pregnancy massage.

Passionate about Eco Home Building?

Building or Renovation – Water Conservation Tips

Ella Walters from the eco designers writes to assist your ways to change at home.

Intro

NZ homes use, 25 – 30% of water for flushing toilets, 33 – 35% for baths and showers 20 – 25% in the kitchen, and 20 – 25% is used in the laundry. A family of four uses around 500L per day not including water used in the garden (a garden sprinkler can use 900 litres an hour). Per year, the average person uses around 75,000 litres and the average household uses around 200,000 litres.

Contents

• Free Eco Design Advisor Service
• Water Conservation tips
• Rainwater Harvesting
• Grey Water Recycling
• Composting Toilets and Worm Septic Tanks
• Solar Hot Water

Free Eco Design advisor Service

The eco design advisor service provides free and impartial advice for people planning to build or renovate their homes to improve family health and comfort, reduce impact on the environment.

Available to homeowners, designers, builders and trades-people, the service is provided by Sustainable Wanaka and funded and supported by the QLDC, BRANZ MfE and EECA.

Eco Design Advisors Ella and Christina can provide tailored advice on insulation, energy efficiency, water conservation, sustainable building materials and passive solar design. Building or renovating plans can be reviewed at any stage of development.

To make an appointment and take advantage of this great free service contact Ella in Wanaka on Office 03 443 5057, mob 021 031 4258, email ella@seedbuilding.co.nz or Christina on mob 027 583 7444, email Christina@seedbuilding.co.nz

Water conservation tips and rainwater collection

Rainwater Harvesting

Installing a rainwater tank is a great way of reducing your mains water consumption. For every millimeter of rainwater that falls, you will collect approximately 1 liter of water for every square metre of roof area.

Management

Most rainwater management systems provide a hassle-free way of integrating rainwater into your home for use in the laundry and for flushing toilets. By using sensor and smart switches, they can switch automatically between mains and rainwater supply depending on the level of the rainwater tank. Water pressure required by washing machines and irrigation systems is provided by a pump.

Maintenance

Maintenance of the rainwater harvesting system is essential as rainwater is easily contaminated by debris. Ensure that gutters and free from leaves and animal waste so that sludge does not build up in the tank, which could result in clogged filters, pipes and pumps. Filters and diverters are the key mechanism for keeping the tank clean. You will need to ensure that your roof surface is suitable for collecting rainwater to avoid contaminants such as lead entering the system.

Garden irrigation

Today it is more important than ever to use water resources wisely and to irrigate wisely, even with three great lakes on our doorstep! Drip irrigation from a rainwater source provides you with a very efficient method of irrigation as water is applied to the root zone which eliminates over spray and evaporation. Drip irrigation can be in the form of drip line or individual drippers per plant.

Greywater and blackwater recycling

Greywater recycling

Most homes produce around 100-200 litres of greywater per person per day. Greywater recycling systems divert wastewater from the showers, bathroom sink and laundry for use in the garden or can be treated and used in the home. Greywater is mildly polluted with soaps and detergents and can contain levels of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. These minerals are generally considered beneficial to plants. Use garden friendly products, soaps and detergents to ensure that the correct mineral levels are maintained.

Most greywater recycling systems come with smart switches, which enable you to switch off and on a greywater source and allows you to divert harmful contaminants from your garden irrigation system.

Tips for managing greywater systems

• Use liquid detergents rather than powders; most powders are very high in sodium and salts, which can injure plants
• Avoid cleaning products with boron, which can be toxic to plants
• Avoid use of chlorine bleach
• Avoid caustic drain cleaners and other chemicals with unknown effect on plants
• Landscape the greywater irrigation field with plants that are tolerant of alkaline (basic) soil; acid-loving plants should be avoided.
• When cloth nappies are being washed in a washing machine, the drain should be disconnected from the greywater system
• If highly contagious illnesses are present, the greywater system should be switched off, and all wastewater should be disposed of using the conventional system
• Greywater should not be used for irrigating vegetable gardens

Black water and water conservation tips

Black water and worm septic tanks

Black water is wastewater from the kitchen sink, toilet and dishwasher and can be treaded onsite. Worm septic tanks require no chemicals to treat the water onsite as opposed to regular septic tanks that use chemicals to breakdown waste.

A composting toilet is a dry or waterless toilet that uses natural processes produce useful compost, after a resting period, which depends on the type of the toilet. Composting is a form of biological decomposition that takes place in a controlled environment, the four key requirements needed to maintain this environment are oxygen, carbon, nitrogen and moisture. Composting toilets are odourless and can reduce indoor water use by 20-30%.

Water conservation tips

• Use a shower timer to cut down on water usage
• Switch off the tap when brushing your teeth
• Have baths instead of showers. Baths use up 100 liters of water each time you have one.
• Fix leaking taps
• Install low flow shower heads and aerators on taps. By installing a low flow shower head you could save up to 20,000 liters of water per person each year.
• Rinse your dishes in a sink of water, not under a running tap, and use your dish washer on the eco cycle and only when full
• Front loading wash machines use less energy and water than top loading machines
• To check if your toilet has a leak, put a little food dye in the cistern. Wail 15 mins (don’t flush) and check the water in the bowl. If the colour appears in the bowl the cistern needs repairing.
• Install a rain garden
• Garden to the climate, reduce areas of green grass that require lots of water
• Opt for more robust types of grass that require less water
• Specify water-efficient appliances. Ask the manufacturer for details on how much water each appliance uses, check the appliances water star rating The difference between a 4-star and a 1-star could be more than 10,000 litres per year. WELS database www.waterrating.gov.au/publications/wels-brochure.html

• Avoid specifying in-sink waste disposal units. These require a lot of water to operate, and they overload sewage treatment plants or in-ground septic systems with organic matter. Design and install customized organic waste disposal receptacles instead.

Save Money and Time for Eco Holidays

More Green Holiday Decorating Tips

Save Time and Your Sanity with These Best Ever Eco-friendly Ideas

By Stefanie Gabrych Fraser

Reuse, recycle, and repurpose is the mantra for these really simple gift and decorating ideas.

You’ll find that the best materials for a green Christmas can be found right at home. So, instead of one more fly-by at the mall, make gift-giving more personal by spending a day at home with the kids giggling and crafting your own special gifts.

Natural Anti Aging Secrets

ANTI AGING SECRETS

Health In Harmony provide some natural anti-aging secrets to staying young. It seems once you hit the age of 30 you start noticing the stream of anti-aging breakthroughs. There are so many different lotions and potions to use to magically wipe away those wrinkles. There
may not be one pill, or a magic wand, however, there are a number of ways to live a healthy youthful lifestyle, increase your immune system and get your organs functioning more effectively.

1. The first and best of the antiaging solutions is yourself! Change your attitude, change your real age. Forget that date on the birth certificate. Expect to slow down, break down, run down and you possibly will. Expect to stay young and gorgeous and you probably will! If you know about the Okinawans in Japan they are living proof. The Okinawans shows us living a healthy lifestyle will not only help us live longer, but will also help us live disease-free. Lifestyle changes can add healthy years to your life, making you feel better now and when you are 110.
2. Reduce the Free Radicals in your body. A simple way is to eat fewer calories. Eating until you are only 80 percent full called “Hara Hachi Bu”. Less calories mean fewer free radicals created in the digestive process. Fewer free radicals mean better cardiovascular health and less risk of cancer and other chronic illnesses.
3. Be a Sage and Take Sage. It is useful for improving the memory and reducing anxiety. It helps alleviate mental confusion, and can lift depression.
4. Meditation makes you feel fabulous. The best meditation is the one that works for you.
5. Toast to Your Health? So if there was one pill out there; Reservatrol is the word! Found in red wine however you would need to drink too many to gain the real benefits. Red wine can improve digestion, promote relaxation and helps foster a good mood. Further red wine health benefits is wine’s ability to increase the body’s absorption of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc. The skin of the grape which goes into the process of the red wine contains over 400 health-promoting substances like, phenols, flavonoids, bioflavonoid, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and polyphenols like quercetin and resveratrol, The antibody the grapes produce repair cells, reduce inflammation, and act as antioxidants in reversing the aging process.
6. Look 5-15 Years Younger. An acupuncture facial is a rejuvenation process designed to help the whole body look and feel younger.
7. Tea for Three. You may have heard green and black tea is full of antioxidants with black tea being particularly high levels of flavonoids. The health effects of flavonoids have been intensively investigated for the last ten years. It has been proposed that they protect against damage in blood vessels, thus decreasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. In addition, they maybe a role in cancer prevention and enhancement of the immune system of the body. Dip you tea bag for 3 minutes in order for it to let loose all those great antioxidants to help fight off those free radicals.
8. Simplify Your Life. Simplifying is another of the wonderful and natural antiaging solutions. Stress ages. You may be juggling too many tasks and responsibilities. Simplify, and then simplify again.
9. Tune into Your Radio. You know what is best for you and when. You know when to eat, what to eat. You know when to rest, when to play. You’ve just got to tune in your radio again, and ignore some of that interference! The best womens natural health remedy is to live in tune with nature and your body type. It just takes a few simple lifestyle changes.
10. More Sex Hormones. High levels of testosterone help maintain muscle mass. Estrogen is thought to protect against osteoporosis and heart disease. DHEA is known to decrease with age, some researchers use DHEA level as a marker how rapidly someone is aging. Diet and continual physical activity are thought to explain why these hormones can remain high.