Eye Health

Here are some tips for healthy eyes.

Have regular eye tests to detect problems sooner rather than later. Always report any changes in your vision, headache and any pain in or around your eyes.

Aim for at least 5-a-day portions of fruit and vegetables, especially lutein-rich kale, spinach, broccoli and orange-yellow sweetcorn, peppers, apricots and mangoes.

Wear sunglasses or tinted lenses that carry the UV400 mark to protect your eyes from the sun.

If you smoke, do your best to stop. Smokers are three times more likely to develop cataracts and four times more likely to experience macular degeneration than non-smokers.

Take frequent breaks from your computer to reduce the chance of eye strain and tiredness. It's also a good idea to look away from the screen during 'thinking time' and focus on objects at varying distances away.

Wear protective sports goggles to shield your eyes whne playing raquet games such as squash - prescription versions are available.

Dr Sarah Brewer in Healthspan magazine, September 2011

Laptop Running Slow?

It's not necessarily a problem with the laptop, so try these ideas first before heading off to buy a new one.

What? How many programs do you have open at the moment?
Why? Each program - Skype, Safari, Word, etc. - needs memory (i.e. energy) to run. If you have too many open, there's not enough capacity to go round, so things grind to a halt.
Action: Close down programs you are not using at the moment.


What? Do you have too many programs full stop?
Why? Even when not running, programs take up space on your hard drive - your computer's 'brain'. When the hard drive is too full, the system slows down.
Action: Delete those programs you don't use - but only get rid of ones you are sure you never use. Restart, and things should be faster.
How? On Windows XP, click Start - Control Panel - Add or Remove Programs. For Windows 7 and Vista, click Start - Control Panel- Programs - Programs and Features. On a Mac, click Finder (the blue face symbol) - Applications then drag what you don't want into the Trash bin, and remember to empty it too.

What? Access to the Internet is slow?
Why? Your computer tracks what you've been doing so it can auto-complet searches, forms and find sites you've visited in the past, but this information takes up space on your hard drive.
Action: Clear you browsing history and cookies. Once or twice a week,delete it.
How? On Internet Explorer, this option is under Tools; on Firefox and Safari its under History; on Chrome it's on the menu bar (the button with three horizontal lines.

What? Access to the Internet is slow?
Why? If people are trying to access your computer via spyware, your connection will suffer. It's only an issue if you don't have an anti-virus checker. Avast Free Antivirus is easy to use.

What? Access to the Internet is slow?  
Why? Sometimes there's nothing wrong with your computer; it's your broadband service that is slow.
Action: Go to moneysupermarket.com/broadband/tools/speed-test to check your speed and see what your neighbours get. You may benefit from switching provider.

What? Still find things slow?
Why? Think of your computer like your desk; each time you use it, things get moved around and you end up with piles of papers you don't need.
Action: A disc clean up and defrag (defragmentation - consolidating data so it works more efficiently) is the equivalent of having a clear out, then tidying up what's left. It can make a major difference to how your computer runs. With Windows, clean and defrag at least once a month (Macs do it automatically).
How? To clean up on Windows 7 or Vista, click Start- All Programs - Accessories - System Tools - Disk Clean Up. Click the drive you want to clean up (usually C) and make sure Downloaded Program Files, Temporary Internet Files, Recycle Bin, Temporary Files are all selected, then hit Delete Files.
How? To Defrag go to windows.microsoft.com and search 'defrag your hard disk' for a really straightforward how-to video. Copy the one-minute tutorial and it's done.

Mihir Patel in Glamour, June 2014

Sugar by any Other Name

How do you avoid eating too much sugar? Well, the food manufacturing industry isn't making it easy for us. Now that there is a legal requirement to list ingredients in order of amount in the product (highest listed first), manufacturers are splitting the sugar content into different items, which however are all sugars. By listing these ingredients separately, we are less aware of the total sugars and also may not recognise some of the terms used, as they do not sound like sugars. And while fruit juices sound healthy, they are actually mostly sugars - it's far better to eat the raw fruit where the sugar content is lower and includes fibre. So here are some names to look out for - but beware, it's not a complete listing and manufacturers may come up with new ones.

Avoid the following sugars which are not recognised by the body's appetite control systems as they contain fructose. Fructose is not detected as a food, and our livers convert immediately to fat. It is present in fruit, which is why dietary advice is to include a maximum of two pieces of fruit out of the 5 to 7 vegetables and fruit daily intake.

Easily recognisable as sugar: brown sugar, cane sugar, coconut palm sugar, coconut sugar, confectioner's sugar, demerara sugar, golden sugar, grape sugar, invert sugar (and partially invert sugar), palm sugar, raw sugar, turbinado sugar, white sugar, yellow sugar

Syrups are forms of sugar: evaporated cane syrup, golden syrup, high fructose corn syrup, malt syrup, maple syrup, refiners's syrup, rice syrup, sorghum syrup

Hidden sugars: agave, concentrates (usually sugars),  corn sweetener, crystalline fructose, dextran, diatase, diastatic malt, ethyl maltol,  fructose,  honey,  mannitol,  molasses, saccharose, sorbitol, sucrose, treacle, xlose.

The body uses glucose as energy. The end product of all carbohydrate digestion (except fructose, which the liver converts to fat) is glucose. So choose products which only include forms of glucose and the milk sugar lactose.

Eat in moderation sugars: dextrose, glucose, glucose solids, lactose and galactose, maltose,

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Prevent Seedlings 'damping off'

New seedlings are often subject to “damping off,” a fungal condition brought on by excessive dampness. Apart from making sure you don't overwater your seedlings, you can prevent this by dusting the top of the potting mix with powdered cinnamon; and weak chamomile tea or powdered charcoal also work well.

Cinnamon, which is derived from the bark of a tropical tree, has excellent anti-fungal properties. It won’t stop the disease if it’s already taken hold, but it’ll keep it from taking hold in the first place.

Tip from a competitor on the The Big Allotment Challenge, BBC TV, May 2014

Chlorine in Swimming Pools

Chlorine destroys microbes and so is used around the world to treat water to ensure it is safe to drink. It is the basis of many disinfectants and a key ingredient of the bleach you use to clean surfaces in your home and to purge any microbes from your toilet bowl.

It is also used to keep swimming pools free of bacteria, hence the distinctive smell. But here's something you probably didn't know, and if you are a regular swimmer, may not wish to know. That smell isn't chlorine, at least not the element. It is actually a chlorine compound called chloramine, which is created when chlorine combines with organic substances in the water. So what are those organic substances? We are talking about sweat and urine. So if you've ever noticed that the "chlorine" smell is stronger when the pool is full of kids, well now you know why.

BBC News website: Chlorine: From toxic chemical to household cleaner 19 April 2014