HEALTHY EATING

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT?

SIMPLE GUIDELINES FOR HEALTHY EATING

·Avoid all highly processed, convenience and "junk" foods. This includes tinned, dried and packet foods plus ready-meals and "fast foods". These foods, although tasty and tempting, contain a high proportion of chemical additives. Simply by cutting out these foods or cutting them drastically from your diet you will be taking huge steps towards better, safer health.

· Instead, try to buy and cook fresh food. If you can, choose organic produce - vegetables, fruit and meat. Non-organic produce is often treated to make it last longer and appear fresh. Fresh fish is a healthy option too - although seafood can be less healthy due to coastal pollution. Cooking with fresh food need not take time and effort - grilling, poaching and steaming are all speedy techniques.

· Choose locally produced food. Food which does not have to travel far is less reliant on processing and additives to keep it looking fresh and appetising.

· Pick food in season wherever possible. Food which is grown and harvested at its natural pace will have the most nutrients. Food grown out of season is usually forced with excess fertilisers and heavily treated with pesticides and fungicides.

· Avoid "baby" or miniature vegetables - these too will have been heavily treated.

· Avoid smoked meats and fish and steer clear of sausages and processed meats - they contain high levels of additives and potential carcinogens.

· Be very wary of "diet" foods which often contain artificial sweeteners and other additives. If you are trying to lose weight choose a simple low-fat, wholefood diet high in fresh vegetables, lean meat, nuts and pulses. You will still lose weight - without compromising your health.

· Cut out (or cut right down on) sweets. Most contain high levels of colourings, preservatives and other additives. Unfortunately children often have the worst reactions - brightly coloured sweets, soft drinks and ice lollies can often provoke hyperactivity and allergic reactions.

· If you suffer from asthma or other allergic conditions, be especially careful of additives. Children are also at much greater risk. So police your diet and cut out all processed foods. Read labels carefully to pinpoint any unpleasant E numbers or their more commonly used chemical names.

· Always peel or skin non-organic vegetables and fruit. Health shops also sell special washing liquids to remove superficial additives.

· Choose healthy forms of cooking: steaming, stir-frying, poaching, dry roasting, grilling.

· Don't add salt to your food, either when cooking or eating. Wean yourself off it by using herbs, spices and adding celery which has a naturally salty taste.

· Eat plenty of healthy fresh vegetables and fruit. Cut down your consumption of red meat, full-fat dairy produce and saturated fat.

PESTICIDES AND YOUR HEALTH

Almost all non-organic food is grown with pesticides of some kind. Many are health-threatening; some are carcinogenic (they cause cancer); some may be mutagenic (mutating cells); others could be teratogenic (causing birth defects). A recent report found that pregnant women working with farm pesticides are almost three times as likely to lose their babies than other mothers-to-be. The world-wide death rate from pesticide poisonings alone tops 200,000 a year. In 1993 a study showed that women with a high concentration of DDT (an infamous pesticide) residues in their bodies were four times more likely to develop breast cancer than other women. Yet we still keep spraying our crops.

GENETIC MODIFICATION

Genetically modified foods are an almost totally unknown quantity. Experts say that genetic engineering of foods (altering their genetic structure to improve a particular quality) is an imprecise science with unpredictable outcomes. It has been suggested that GEs may trigger more allergies such as asthma and skin problems. You might happily eat your bowl of strawberries and cream thinking you will be quite safe from your allergy to fish protein, not guessing for one moment that the strawberries have been manipulated with the gene of the Arctic sea flounder so they are more resistant to frost. Until we know more about GE food the obvious answer is to boycott it.

WATER

VITAL FOR HEALTH A staggering 80% of our bodies is comprised of water. Drinking plenty of fresh, clean water is one of the most vital steps you can take for your health. Water helps the skin and kidneys to eliminate toxins; it also stimulates and flushes the liver. In addition, it softens faecal matter and helps waste pass more quickly through the gut, removing toxins. Ideally we should be drinking around two litres of fresh water a day. Ayurvedic physicians recommend drinking water warm as this speeds the elimination of ama, or toxic waste. Simply boil fresh water for five minutes, put in a thermos flask and drink throughout the day.

CLEAN ENVIRONMENT - CLEAR BODY

Now it's time to look at our home. Our home is our fortress, a place we consider a refuge from the harsh and dangerous world. But, sadly, our homes too can be the cause of toxic overload. Recent reports indicate that we are exposed to up to 300 volatile organic (carbon-based) compounds within our homes. In America, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) estimates that thousands of cancer deaths annually are brought about by indoor air pollutants - the hoard of chemicals which may be quietly seeping into our homes.

Indoor air pollutants range from dust, smoke and airborne bacteria to the paints, cleaners, solvents, dyes, glues and household sprays we use every day to clean and improve our homes. New curtains and carpets might be emitting formaldehyde gas, a highly toxic substance which causes serious health concerns. Home insulation may discharge man-made fibres, even asbestos, into the air we breathe. Pressed-wood and fibreboard furniture and fittings can emit harmful chemicals while electromagnetic radiation from household appliances like the TV, fridge and even the electric blanket, can also adversely affect our health.

Take a tour around your home and you will find toxic materials in the most surprising places. Products that seemed like a dream - carpets that wouldn't stain, furniture made from inexpensive pressed woods, wallpaper that wouldn't mould - now fill our homes with a host of hazards.

THE HOME ENVIRONMENT

NEW HOME HAZARDS

The newer your home and its furnishings, the more likely it is that your pollution levels will be higher:

· Roofing timbers may have been treated with toxic fluids or insulated with unhealthy materials.

· Cavity walls could have been injected with insulating foam which emits formaldehyde.

· Paint releases solvents like toluene, xylene and benzene (all potentially toxic) and could contain mercury (which may cause brain damage) as a fungicide.

· Wall to wall synthetic carpeting (plus its backing and padding) can emit toxins such as benzene, formaldehyde, toluene, zylene and styrene.

· Furniture coverings and curtains made from synthetic fibres can emit noxious chemicals such as vinyl chloride, styrene and formaldehyde.

However older houses don't escape totally scot-free.

· Older paints contained high levels of lead which can be extremely toxic.

· Asbestos, which is well-known for its serious health risks, may insulate hot water and steam pipes, heat ducts and furnaces. It is also found in wall insulation, roofing and siding. In the sixties and seventies it was even used in some curtain fabrics.

UNSEEN DANGERS IN OUR HOMES

· The fuels we use for cooking and heating (gas, paraffin, kerosene, oil, coal and wood) can all release harmful by-products which may build up to dangerous levels indoors, especially if you live in a so-called "tight" house. A "tight" house is what most of us dream of: a home with super-insulated walls and ceilings. Such homes may be warm and cosy and cheap to run but they exchange indoor air as little as twice daily while an adequate level is considered to be three times as high. All the hazardous fumes and gases are left to circulate, and to be breathed in - by us.

· Gas cookers and boilers produce large amounts of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide, as well as smaller amounts of formaldehyde, sulphur dioxide, and other by-products.

· Portable paraffin (kerosene) and gas heaters are unvented and so particularly hazardous. Even the archetypal home fire, quietly burning coal or logs, can pump pollutants, particularly carbon monoxide, into the home. Most goes up the chimney but, if your flue is unswept, cracked or inefficient, toxic gases can re-enter your living room. Wood smoke is also a suspected carcinogen.

TOXIC HOUSEWORK

So far we've only talked about the dangers in the very fabric and furnishings of the home. But there is another troop of toxins we willingly import into the home in our shopping bags: the tools of housework. Modern polishes, detergents, fabric and carpet cleaners, air fresheners and oven cleaners make keeping the home clean and fresh a much simpler task than in the past. But while they may take the elbow-grease out of cleaning, they put in a host of hazards. Many contain potentially harmful VOCs (volatile organic compounds) which release vapours which may be toxic and are often certainly irritant. Aerosols can dispense harmful irritants in a fine mist which is easily absorbed both by breathing it into the lungs or simply through the skin.

PESTICIDES

Perhaps the most lethal substances present in many of our homes are chemicals that are specifically designed to kill - pesticides. "Pests" include a huge number of insects and some mammals: flies, wasps and bees, aphids, mice, rats, slugs and even birds. It seems that for every pest or combination of pests we might encounter, there is a pesticide, insecticide, dusting powder or spray of some kind that will eliminate (ie kill) the problem.

There are several hundred household and garden pest control products on the market, most of which contain powerful chemical ingredients which upset the natural order of wild life, and many of which will pose a threat to your health. Pest control products may, for instance, cause irritation or allergic reaction, including headache, cold symptoms, rashes, sore eyes and throat. They can be very poisonous - in fact some are fatal to us and/or our pets. Some may cause cancer, genetic mutation or birth defects in humans and animals.

THE HOME DE-TOX - HOW TO SAFEGUARD YOUR HOUSE

Don't be discouraged - most modern homes will have a high degree of toxicity. However, once we know where the dangers lie we can take simple steps to minimise - or eliminate - the dangers.

· Keep your house well-aired. Open all the windows for at least fifteen minutes each morning and evening. Use exhaust fans in kitchens and bathrooms.

· Use non-toxic building materials for repairs and new work. Ensure all decorating materials and new furnishings you buy have not been treated with dangerous chemicals.

· Have all heaters and boilers regularly serviced to reduce carbon monoxide leakage. If you use an open fire, have the flue swept regularly and keep the room particularly well-aired while in use.

· If you have old lead paint, have it removed by a professional. Have any asbestos dealt with by professionals too.

· Take wrappings from dry cleaned clothes and leave them in the open air for a few hours before hanging in your wardrobe.

· Consider buying ionizers, air purifiers or combined ionizer/purifiers - particularly if you have answered yes to any of questions 6-12.

· Consider installing a water purification system for your domestic water.

· Replace fluorescent lighting: typical health complaints include nausea, eyestrain, headaches, depression and even panic attacks. Consider daylight bulbs - particularly if you suffer from SAD (seasonal affective disorder).

ELECTRO MAGNETIC

EMFs All electrical appliances give off electromagnetic radiation. Although the levels in household equipment (TVs, computers, microwaves, hairdryers, etc) are low, research indicates that electromagnetic fields (EMFs) may cause insomnia, high blood pressure, anxiety and general ill-health. They can also trigger allergic reactions, headaches and nausea. Some natural health practitioners believe they may also be a trigger in cancer. The key is to minimise the use of electrical equipment and to keep it switched off when not in use. You might also consider "demand switches" that isolate essential appliances such as fridges and freezers while allowing you to turn off most main fuses at night. In particular keep electrical appliances out of your bedroom: never fall asleep watching the television or with your computer left running.

GEOPATHIC STRESS

Geopathic stress is caused by abnormal energy fields generated by deep underground streams, large mineral deposits or faults in the substrata of the earth. It has been suggested that it can be a major contributing factor in everything from migraines to cancer, from nightmares to divorce. The evidence suggests that geopathic stress certainly does exist. In Germany it has been researched since the twenties and is taken very seriously. Experiments have shown that bacteria grow abnormally when grown over underground currents of water while mice inoculated with disease will fall ill far more rapidly when kept over a subterranean vein of water. Now builders in Germany and Austria test sites before building and many will routinely give guarantees that new buildings do not have lines of "bad" energy passing through them.

However, even if your house does suffer GS, your health need not necessarily be affected. It comes up through the earth in thin bands or small spirals so will only affect you if you are sleeping directly on top of it or sitting in it all day.

DETECTING GEOPATHIC STRESS

If you think geopathic stress might be affecting your home there is some DIY detection you can try for yourself.

· Suspect GS if you or anyone in your home constantly feels tired and below par; if everything is an effort; if you are easily depressed and irritable. You might constantly suffer from colds while illnesses, aches and pains will not respond to any treatment. Children become disruptive and badly behaved.

· Because GS comes up in thin lines it can easily affect just one person in the house - a line can pass through one side of the bed or one armchair. It is quite possible only one member of the family could be affected.

· If you suspect you suffer from GS, to try putting cork tiles under your bed or favourite chair for a few weeks and to see whether you start to feel better. The tiles, seem to neutralise the rays for a limited period. If you do start to feel better, try moving your bed or chair.

· Watch where your pets sleep. Cats adore GS and will often choose to sleep on a bad spot while dogs will avoid it at all costs. If the cat always makes a bee-line for your favourite armchair, try moving it to the dog's favourite spot.

· Babies are apparently very sensitive to GS. If your baby constantly rolls over to one corner of the cot he or she may be attempting to escape GS. Move the cot to another part of the room and see whether the baby stays where it is put.

· If you feel you are affected by GS to try the following: switch on a hairdryer and run it all over you with the side of the dryer touching your body. It sounds crazy but try it once a week - it does appear to help.

PLANTS

HELPFUL PLANTS

One simple, effective and also very pleasant way to deal with environmental toxins is to fill your home and office with house plants. Remarkable research by NASA found that certain species of house plants can actually remove pollutants such as formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene from the air. Golden pothos (scindapsus aureus), nephthytis (syngonium podophyllum) and the spider plant (chlorophytum elatum vittatum) can all remove substantial amounts of chemical contamination. Further research suggests that philodendrons may be even more effective.