Health & Wellness
 

Safety in Your Sizzle ... Check the Barbie TORONTO, April 20 /CNW/ - Spring is in the air - even if Mother Nature took her own sweet time. And that means it's time to warm things up. Whether planning a little culinary flair in the backyard or ready to fire it up at the cottage, your fork and flipper stand ready-at-hand. But before the cookout capers begin, ask yourself one grill-loving question - do I have the sizzle? Do I have what it takes to make my get-together a sweet and savoury success? Well, sensible and safe barbecuing will make that happen. The Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) want to put a little safety in your sizzle with a season opener that includes a three-step safety check: 1. Clean: Use a pipe cleaner or wire to make sure the burner ports and the tube leading to the burner (called the "venturi tube") are free of rust, dust, dirt, spider webs or other debris. 2. Check: Examine the hose leading from the fuel supply to the burners. Replace if cracked or damaged. 3. Test: Find leaks by applying a 50/50 solution of water and dish soap to all fuel and hose connections. If bubbles appear, tighten the connections and/or replace the damaged parts and always re-test. In addition to such safety checks, our gleeful grillers are reminded that barbecues are approved for outdoor use only. They emit carbon monoxide, an odourless, colourless poisonous gas that can lead to serious health affects  even death. Propane cylinders must also be safely stored and transported. Do not use or store your cylinders inside any structure. When transporting the cylinder always keep it upright and do not put the cylinder in a closed vehicle or in the trunk. It is preferable to transport the cylinder on the floor of the passenger compartment. Using propane BBQs on the Balcony: Yes or No?  Many Ontarians live in apartments and condominiums and should be aware of additional safety issues and restrictions regarding the use of barbecues on balconies. Barbecue use may be prohibited by the Condominium Act of your building or prohibited by the building owner or property manager, so ensure you have determined what restrictions are in place for your building. If barbecues are permitted, there are still some regulations governing the storage and use of propane in Ontario on balconies: - the balcony is open (no closures or walls have been erected); - cylinders are transported in a service elevator or when there are no service elevators, the person must use the passenger elevator alone to transport the cylinder; - cylinders are kept outdoors; - the barbecue is kept clear of all combustible materials in accordance with clearances listed on its rating plate or in the certified instructions; and - the cylinder relief valve is at least one metre horizontally from any building opening below it, and three metres from a building air intake. Remember once again - barbecues are only approved for outdoor use. It's always better to be safe, so if uncertain about the condition or any part of your barbecue, including your propane cylinder, replace it with a new component. Parts are readily available at most hardware stores and building centres. If you are uncomfortable performing safety checks and repairs on your propane or natural gas barbecue yourself, please contact a certified fuels-related technician. All technicians must be certified by TSSA. If unsure whether your contractor is registered, contact TSSA at 1-800-682-8772 www.tssa.org  For more information on barbecue safety and several other safety topics, visit TSSA's safety website at www.safetyinfo.ca.

Do You Know How To Eat...Water? TORONTO, April 23 /CNW/ - It is more important to teach people how to eat than it is to tell them what to eat. It is also more difficult and more time consuming. With rates of obesity in Canada on the rise, this is the dilemma that is facing family physicians here on a daily basis. "With the shortage of family physicians, most GPs just don't have the time or training to address the issue of diet with their patients. And this is what motivated me to create a safe and healthy dietary approach that GPs could feel comfortable recommending to their patients," says Dr. Melissa Hershberg, Toronto-based physician and author of The Hershberg Diet. The hardcover, which hit bookshelves across Canada last month, offers a unique and effective approach to teaching people how to understand eating for weight loss and health -- an approach that focuses not on the traditional three macronutrients - protein, carbs, and fat - but rather on what she has labeled the "4th macronutrient." Dr. Hershberg explains to readers that this critically important "4th macronutrient" is water. But -- and it's a big but -- it's not about drinking water. Instead, the book teaches people how to eat water and proves to them that high water foods are the absolute best for weight loss. Eating water is not intuitive; but it is certainly important. And that is what makes The Hershberg Diet an essential read. The book, which has been endorsed by the CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, teaches people how to recognize water as something they eat, as opposed to just drink. Water-rich foods such as lean meats, chicken, fish, vegetables, fruits, dairy - they're mathematically proven to be the best for weight loss as they fill you up and take up space for very few calories. Dry foods -- cereals, crackers, pretzels, breads, cookies, chips, raisins, etc. -- they are the ones that can lead to quick weight gain as every bite that's put into the mouth is a calorie - there's no calorie-free water to take up space. People easily overeat these foods and pack on the pounds quickly as a result. It makes sense that low carb diets work -- the carbohydrates that most of us indulge in are dry and unnatural and therefore result in blood sugar and insulin spikes as well as excessive calorie loads. The World Health Organization attributes the global increase in obesity to a global shift in diet towards increased consumption of energy dense foods. The trouble is that most people don't understand what this means. Energy dense foods are those that have loads of calories packed into a small space. How is this accomplished? By processing and dehydrating - by removing the water. If we want to learn how to eat for weight loss and health, we must learn how to "eat water." In addition to teaching people about the "4th macronutrient," the book also teaches people how to eat foods that are "hotty" - burn calories as heat in their breakdown - and that have the right hormonal effect -- raise blood sugar and insulin levels slowly and steadily and therefore promote fat burning instead of fat storage. According to Dr. Hershberg, the diet is not about being perfect or eating perfectly. It's about being better. Eating better. Feeling better and living better. To learn more about The Hershberg Diet, visit www.thehershbergdiet.com