Sylviawh.co.uk Blog

Edamame beans are classed as a super food. It is an asian bean that has been said to stave off heart disease and cancer.

Up to now the Edamame beans have been hard to get as the amount of frozen edamame beans imported has been limited. This super food is credited with maintaining Victoria Beckhams slim figure so it will be in great demand, but the good news is that it now being grown in Kent.

 Edamame beans are actually immature, green soy beans picked before they are completely ripe, and the reason they have been so hard to get is because until now, only been grown overseas.

They are said to be the only vegetable that contains all nine essential amino acids, making them a complete protein source in the same way as meat or eggs.

Studies have shown that people who eat soy products regularly have a reduced risk of several types of cancer.

The beans are a good source of fibre, folate, iron and zinc, and their low calorie-content means that they are widely recommended for dieters.

Edamame Beans will soon be readily available and affordable and they will be sold by the Supermarket Asda.

After research involving  85.000 pregnant women it has been stated that too much excercise is dangerous.

It is recommended that pregnant women should not take more than 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per day, the latest data suggest that exceeding that by even a small amount was linked to pre-eclampsia.

The condition affects one in 14 women to some extent but in around one in 100 pregnancies it develops into serious complications to mother and baby.  Pre-eclampsia causes the deaths of up to ten mothers a year in the UK and around 1,000 babies.

It is a well known fact that a pregnant woman should have some rest during the day, as although you feel fit and well your body is going through a period of change.

Pregnant women who take more than four and half hours of exercise a week are more likely to suffer dangerously high blood pressure,

What is going on with all these warnings we are getting!  Before long we’ll be frightened to eat or drink, or use any product on the market.

Today the warning is women who have a caesarean birth increase their childs chance of having asthma. A study has found that poor women are more likely to get cancer than a well off woman.

Two glasses of wine a day increases a womans chance of developing fatal heart problems!  A new study suggests that certain epilepsy drug increases the risk of women having children with autism.

Pregnant women are warned about using makeup, their baby could have birth defects. Yesterday they were warning pregnant women about using hair spray.

These are only a few of the warnings they are coming out with.

I am wondering how I ever managed to have four healthy children as I always used makeup and hairspray, I enjoyed a drink, and probably ate none of the healthy  things we are supposed to eat when pregnant.

It seems if your pregnant in this day and age you are expected to become a drab little mouse untill your child is born.

By the way have you noticed that all the warnings they are coming out with are directed at women.

Do you! Or have you ever suffered with skin irritation? In other words itching.

Many people suffer from itching but there is always a cause.  It could be you have changed your clothes washing liquid or powder, or your soap. Are you using a different shower jel ?  It is usually something you have changed from your normal, that causes the itching.

It may seem like a minor problem to other people, but itching can not only cause embarrassment but it is often stressful for those who suffer with it.

The itching may be caused by a reaction to a medicine, or you may have an allergy to certain plants or even an animal.  There are many things can cause it from cosmetics to fabrics, or contact with certain metals.

Itching can drive you mad in a literal sense, but try your best not to scratch it as it only makes it worse. I suffer with an allergy caused by gold and I can only wear my wedding ring for short periods of time.

Try adding a little bicarbonate of soda to your bath water or soak your scalp or feet in warm water with baking soda if they are itchy.

Calamine lotion is also good it cools the skin and stops the itching, you can use this quite often.

Avoid wearing any clothes that can cause irritation, such as wool and some man- made fabrics. Wear cotton if possible and use cool, light, loose bedclothes.

Anti histamines can help taken orally they can be bought over the counter, or you can visit your doctor if the need is great.

If you suffer from an itchy back then as a last resort invest in a back scratcher, they are great.

Many people believe in the power of faith or spiritual healing. As healers work they channel their energy through to the person they are working with by using their hands.

They very rarely touch you but if by chance their finger tips touch your head or neck it is like a mild electric shock as the energy courses through you.

This was my experience as I have seen a healer three  times, I also felt a warmth through my back although her hands were not touching me.  I have never been hypnotized but I am sure it is a similar feeling as I felt as if I was coming out of a trance at the end of it.

I went to a healer at the spiritualist church, I had never been to a spiritualist church before and I was quite apprehensive about it, but they made me feel very welcome and never once in the three times I went did they ask for a donation or mention about my attending their church.

I was just told that if I did wish to attend a service anytime I was very welcome. I found it a very peaceful environment and if I was a regular churchgoer I would have no qualms about attending.

These spiritualist churches are usually  in every town and village and their is no charge for attending a healing session, also you do not need to make an appointment. You may need to phone to find out what evening they have them but that is all.

Xmas is on the way once again and grandparents are in high demand. I should know as today I have had my my first long session of caring for the grand kids.

Three of them, and stopping overnight as mom and dad are at a Xmas dinner dance.

I have done my share of reading stories and trying to keep them amused, but this is only the start of the runup to Xmas.   More days and nights to come, but the one I am dreading is when one of my other young grandsons comes to stay for Xmas.  I will then have four of them for an allnight session and as they don’t see him very often it is like mayhem when they are together.

Apart from being together they have the excitement of Xmas to look forward to so I think I will buy some earplugs for that night.  Craig lives in Wales but comes to us every school holiday including Xmas, so I still have the joy of putting up Xmas decorations and shopping for loads of presents.

It is a bit more difficult this year as I suffer with my back and at the moment I can barely walk, but my son who lives with me is a great help, so he will do all the difficult tasks. I just hope I am fit enough to cook Xmas dinner but we’ll manage somehow.

For some reason it is drummed into us buy fresh vegetables. 

In this day and age most moms are working moms, so coming home from work and having to prepare fresh vegetable is tiring and time consuming.

With the kids clamouring for their dinner, mom is inclined to forget about healthy and nutritous meals and serve up the old favourites like chips, burgers, fish fingers etc.  All the easy options that we must admit the kids love.

Ok thats fine, but there’s no need to knock vegetables off the menu.  Frozen vegetables are just as nutrit0us as fresh vegetables and as they are frozen within hours of being picked they retain all their nutrition.

It is just as easy to cook a few frozen vegetables as it is cook burgers or fish fingers.

If they insist on chips go for oven chips as they contain less fat. if they have an aversion to greens try them with frozen corn, boiled or steamed. Try frozen baby carrots, kids are more likely to go for these rather than the chopped variety.

Cook a small amount of mixed frozen vegetables,they can be cooked together, then place just one sprout, one small floret of cauliflower, and a small piece of brocoli on each plate, see if you can tempt the children to try them.

Quite often it is the amount that might put a child off so just one of each might do the trick and slowly but surely you can increase the amount.

Although it is well over 60 years ago I was one of those kids that wouldn’t touch greens, my main meals consisted of meat, potato’s and gravy when I would eat it.  The only thing I would eat happily and for every meal was  kelloggs corn flakes.

Needless to say I never suffered from any childish ailment even though my brothers and sisters caught everything. I’m not saying to feed them cornflakes every meal, although I stayed healthy eating them.  Oh bye the way, I love any greens and veg now, as you get older your tastes change.

“An Apple a Day keeps the Doctor Away” Is it true or a myth?

Well I don’t know if it will keep the doctor away, but an apple does have health benefits so an apple a day is well worth eating.

Research done on apples states that they may reduce the risk of colon cancer, prostate cancer. and lung cancer. Apples contain relatively low amounts of vitamin C, compared to other fruit and veg, they also contain antioxident compounds.

The fibre content although low does help to regulate bowels which reduces the risk of colon cancer, they may also help with heart disease, weight loss, and controlling cholesterol.

It is quite safe to eat fallen apples as long as they are in a garden or orchard that does not contain cattle or other animals, as they can become contaminated and cause food poisoning.

Skin cancer may not sound as serious as other cancers but it does have a relatively high mortality rate. the reason for this is that even highly skilled doctors still struggle to identify cancerous moles.

The only way to be certain is by having the mole removed then waiting possibly weeks to find out if you have cancer, or if if it is simple mole.

But now a small device that will fit in a GP’s pocket can diagnose dangerous skin cancers in just 20 seconds.  It is a hand-held gadget, which costs around £500, it can detect cancer using a technique called Optical Transfer Diagnosis.

If a tumour is growing new blood vessels arise as a growing tumour needs a rich blood supply to keep it nourished.

Blood is known to absorb  light and this device measures how much light is absorbed compared to healthy tissue and it works out if a cancer may be setting in.

Early trial results suggest it’s so accurate that it could be used to identify malignant melanomas, the most serious form of skin cancer, without the need for a biopsy.

This could be available in the UK within two years.

According to a certain  San Francisco psychologist many of those ladies that have just entered into married bliss are now suffering from what she calls post-nuptial depression.

A feeling of sadness has entered their lives!  As most couples now live together before entering the state of marriage, how do they expect a day of pomp and ceremony and those few words spoken, to change what they already have together.

A ring on her finger to show her married status is the only difference, so why is she feeling depressed?

It could be that after all the excitement of leading up to the special day, she is left with the feeling  of emptiness, and nothing special to look forward to.

All the months of planning are finished, now she has a husband instead of a lover and the passion may have faded slightly.

Perhaps when living together as a couple she made him feel special and ignored any faults, after all he could have just walked out and they would be finished,  but now they are  tied together and she feels more secure.

Those faults that were ignored are now pointed out and rows begin, now married life has begun.

Of course not all marriages turn out this way. Dr Michelle Gannon says that this happens to ten per cent of marriages and they end up by visiting marriage guidance websites and marriage guidance counsellors.

This was based on married couples in California, so lets be sensible and ignore this nonsense, your marriage will be what you make it, for better or worse.