Nutrition is described as the materials necessary (in the form of food) to support life. There is a belief, we as humans need more counselling on nutrition. This belief comes from the rising statistics of obesity, diabetes and our aging population. But informing these groups of the nutritional benefits of certain food types is not going to change the way nutrition is viewed. We must look past counselling and explorer different avenues of why and how we can all benefit from nutrition basics.According to Dr. Lynn McIntyre, Professor at the Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, low income, single women, sacrifice their own nutritional needs for the benefit of their children. Other studies also show that low income families in general, sacrifice their nutritional needs because of the cost of foods at grocery stores. Somehow, low income families are slowly associating fast food as an affordable way to feed their families. To correct this, we must change the view that nutritional food is expensive food. By showing families what types of inexpensive foods can offer the most nutrition will begin to change that view point. But how do we communicate this critical information?Interesting enough, there are a few ways that we can communicate our message that nutritional health is important. The first is through using “Duplication”. Duplication is the act of seeing and replicating what we have seen. Creating a “community” vegetable garden and selecting affordable, easy growing vegetables and providing basic recipes that use these vegetables would begin encouraging basic nutritional counselling without saying a word. By participating in these community gardens, people will begin duplicating this behaviour in their own family gardens. Providing recipes with seeds and instructions on how to grow these vegetables would certainly be one way to communicate this important message. It can also serve as an advertising tool to other sources of information such as websites and blogs.We know that parents will sacrifice their own nutritional needs for the sake of their children, but why? A high percentage is due to their limited income. Publishing blogs and twittering about the deals at grocery stores and markets to get the most affordable and nutritional food would certainly be a benefit. Providing families a list of places to go where nutritional foods are inexpensive would also help send the message. Even daily blogs on local market specials would help. Publishing these blogs in community forums setup by the YMCA or health forums or even health focused social medias like P90X on Facebook would help communicate this message.Recently, friends came over who seemed to be lost when it came to cooking. Providing some basics information on meats, fruits and vegetables can be a bit dry, but when mixed into a cooking lesson, nutritional counselling turned into a fun filled, memorable event. Whether the cooking course is provided in your house or in the house of others, the message can still be the same. Creating and showing the elderly in their own homes how to cook healthy and what nutritional foods to pick up would be a great benefit. Perhaps providing oversized, large text recipes would also be a great idea to promote nutritional eating without getting into why. The only reason is because it tastes good.With easy to read recipes, recipes and seeds delivered to communities to help market your blogs, blogs that provide tips and local deals at grocery stores and markets and marketing these blogs to all types of community forums and social media, the important message of nutrition and its benefits can be successfully communicate to all.
Enjoy the Snow
Remember how your parents always seemed old to you, even before they reached middle age? They could never relate to you, they could never remember what it was like to be a kid. Now, you’re an adult with children, but you’ve made a pact with yourself-no matter how old you get, you’re always going to think “young”. You’ll always be able to relate to your kids. Right?Here’s a quick test of your resolve:The weatherman just predicted freezing temperatures and heavy snow-what’s your reaction? You groaned, didn’t you? Your first thoughts were about hazardous driving conditions, shoveling snow, high heating bills, and whether or not you remembered to insulate your water pipes. Yup. You’re officially a grown-up.Now, look at your kids’ reactions. Sheer joy, at the possibility of a snow day, filled with sledding, snowmen, and snowball fights. You remember what that was like, but you can’t really relate, any more, can you? You’re thinking about the potential hazards they face-frostbite, injuries, and pneumonia.You groan, again-it’s gonna be a long week.Look, you can’t change the direction of that storm front. You’re going to be socked in. You might as well accept it and make the most of it-and remember that big snow is big fun for kids. If you’re really going to think “young”, now’s the real test.There are definite and real hazards to very cold weather, and to spending too much time in the snow. But you can prepare yourself and your kids for the outside conditions, by following a few simple guidelines.First of all, before venturing out, feed your kids a meal or a snack. The extra calories will generate extra body heat. Dress everyone in several layers of clothing, starting with long underwear, adding turtlenecks and sweaters, then coats. Avoid cotton clothing-it doesn’t warm well and it absorbs moisture. Synthetics such as Gore-Tex can actually whisk moisture away from skin. Everyone should wear mittens-they keep hands warmer than gloves-and take an extra pair, in case snow works in, underneath, freezing small hands. Of course, warm socks, boots, and hats are essential in the snow. And something many people forget-if the sun is out, wear sunscreen. Snow can reflect 85% of the sun’s UV rays, causing quick sunburns. If the snow is wet, a final, waterproof layer of clothes, even rain-gear, is recommended.If sledding is on the agenda (and if there’s a hill in sight, it definitely is), make sure that it’s done on a slope with no hazards. One slip of the rudder can send a sled into a tree. Have your kids wear their bicycle helmets while sledding-head injuries are the most common result of sledding accidents.But you can have lots of fun with your kids in the snow. It really is fun to build and clothe a snowman, and a snowball fight (play clean-no rocks), is great exercise, especially for you. As long as your kids are dressed properly, there’s no set time-limit for being out. When you get cold, it’s time to come in. If you top the day off with some hot chocolate, you might even remember what it was like to be a kid. You might even really feel young, again.
What Are The Greatest Changes In Shopping In Your Lifetime
What are the greatest changes in shopping in your lifetime? So asked my 9 year old grandson.
As I thought of the question the local Green Grocer came to mind. Because that is what the greatest change in shopping in my lifetime is.
That was the first place to start with the question of what are the greatest changes in shopping in your lifetime.
Our local green grocer was the most important change in shopping in my lifetime. Beside him was our butcher, a hairdresser and a chemist.
Looking back, we were well catered for as we had quite a few in our suburb. And yes, the greatest changes in shopping in my lifetime were with the small family owned businesses.
Entertainment While Shopping Has Changed
Buying butter was an entertainment in itself.
My sister and I often had to go to a favourite family grocer close by. We were always polite as we asked for a pound or two of butter and other small items.
Out came a big block of wet butter wrapped in grease-proof paper. Brought from the back of the shop, placed on a huge counter top and included two grooved pates.
That was a big change in our shopping in my lifetime… you don’t come across butter bashing nowadays.
Our old friendly Mr. Mahon with the moustache, would cut a square of butter. Lift it to another piece of greaseproof paper with his pates. On it went to the weighing scales, a bit sliced off or added here and there.
Our old grocer would then bash it with gusto, turning it over and over. Upside down and sideways it went, so that it had grooves from the pates, splashes going everywhere, including our faces.
My sister and I thought this was great fun and it always cracked us up. We loved it, as we loved Mahon’s, on the corner, our very favourite grocery shop.
Grocery Shopping
Further afield, we often had to go to another of my mother’s favourite, not so local, green grocer’s. Mr. McKessie, ( spelt phonetically) would take our list, gather the groceries and put them all in a big cardboard box.
And because we were good customers he always delivered them to our house free of charge. But he wasn’t nearly as much fun as old Mr. Mahon. Even so, he was a nice man.
All Things Fresh
So there were very many common services such as home deliveries like:
• Farm eggs
• Fresh vegetables
• Cow’s milk
• Freshly baked bread
• Coal for our open fires
Delivery Services
A man used to come to our house a couple of times a week with farm fresh eggs.
Another used to come every day with fresh vegetables, although my father loved growing his own.
Our milk, topped with beautiful cream, was delivered to our doorstep every single morning.
Unbelievably, come think of it now, our bread came to us in a huge van driven by our “bread-man” named Jerry who became a family friend.
My parents always invited Jerry and his wife to their parties, and there were many during the summer months. Kids and adults all thoroughly enjoyed these times. Alcohol was never included, my parents were teetotallers. Lemonade was a treat, with home made sandwiches and cakes.
The coal-man was another who delivered bags of coal for our open fires. I can still see his sooty face under his tweed cap but I can’t remember his name. We knew them all by name but most of them escape me now.
Mr. Higgins, a service man from the Hoover Company always came to our house to replace our old vacuum cleaner with an updated model.
Our insurance company even sent a man to collect the weekly premium.
People then only paid for their shopping with cash. This in itself has been a huge change in shopping in my lifetime.
In some department stores there was a system whereby the money from the cash registers was transported in a small cylinder on a moving wire track to the central office.
Some Of The Bigger Changes
Some of the bigger changes in shopping were the opening of supermarkets.
• Supermarkets replaced many individual smaller grocery shops. Cash and bank cheques have given way to credit and key cards.
• Internet shopping… the latest trend, but in many minds, doing more harm, to book shops.
• Not many written shopping lists, because mobile phones have taken over.
On a more optimistic note, I hear that book shops are popular again after a decline.
Personal Service Has Most Definitely Changed
So, no one really has to leave home, to purchase almost anything, technology makes it so easy to do online.
And we have a much bigger range of products now, to choose from, and credit cards have given us the greatest ease of payment.
We have longer shopping hours, and weekend shopping. But we have lost the personal service that we oldies had taken for granted and also appreciated.
Because of their frenetic lifestyles, I have heard people say they find shopping very stressful, that is grocery shopping. I’m sure it is when you have to dash home and cook dinner after a days work. I often think there has to be a better, less stressful way.
My mother had the best of both worlds, in the services she had at her disposal. With a full time job looking after 9 people, 7 children plus her and my dad, she was very lucky. Lucky too that she did not have 2 jobs.