Dental Health Tips For The Whole Family

September 30, 2022 By Anne

There are many aspects of your family’s health that you have to look out for as a parent, But one that cannot be ignored is their dental health. Happily, there are some easy ways to make sure your family’s teeth stay in tip-top condition. Read on to find out what they are.

Do watch your sugar consumption

Have you ever tried shopping at the supermarket for things that don’t contain sugar? If not, you should try it, as it’s surprisingly hard. Of course, as you already know, too much sugar, especially refined kins is bad for our family’s teeth because it encourages bacteria, plaque, and cavities.

With that in mind, taking action to reduce the amount of refined sugar that your family consumes is a good idea. This may mean shopping online for sugar-free sweet treats that are better for their teeth or making your own version of things like pasta sauce as the jarred options you get from the supermarket often have a great deal of sugar in them.

Do set a good example around going to the dentist

Regular dentist visits are a crucial part of good oral health for the whole family. Yet they are also something that many adults and kids can struggle with. Indeed, dental anxiety can be a real barrier to getting regular checkups and cleanings that will keep your family’s teeth healthy over the long term.

The good news is there are ways to minimize dental anxiety. The first is to find a practice that specializes in kids and family dentistry in your local area. Then you can be sure they will be used to dealing with patients of all ages and will be able to give your kids a great initial experience that will keep them coming back as they grow.

Do teach kids about dental care

Another way you can promote dental health in your family is to teach kids about it. That means going behind just showing them how to brush their teeth, and instead explaining to them why brushing and flossing are important.

There are all sorts of ways you can do this, from explaining it yourself to using a fun video from youtube with cartoon characters. You may also like to introduce them to the tradition of the tooth fairy. Then you can encourage them to have great dental hygiene by placing special emphasis on making sure that their teeth are as clean as possible for when she comes to collect them!

Do make tooth care a regular part of your routine

Last, of all, young kids learn primarily by watching what their parents do. That means you haven’t to show them that tooth care is part of your regular routine. With that in mind, it can be very helpful to brush your teeth as a family before the kids go to bed.

Yes, I know that that means you’ll need to do yours again before you hit the sack, but that shared experience can be very valuable to your little ones. After all, they spend so much of their childhood wanting to do what the grownups are doing, so why not use it to help them get better dental health?

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

Cooking Quality Meals Around Busy Family Life

September 29, 2022 By Anne

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Managing a family is no mean feat. Most parents find themselves running around doing something constantly. Whether that’s trying to balance work, the school run, chores, getting your kids to their clubs and hobbies on time or anything else, you’re going to be kepy busy most of the day, every day. This is manageable for most, but you do need to make sure that your family’s meals aren’t declining in quality in the process. Nowadays, a lot of busy parents find themselves leaning towards convenience foods for main family meals on too regular a basis. Junk food, fast food, takeaways, drive thrus, ready meals… sure, these may all allow you to fill your little one’s stomachs with minimal time and effort, but they’re not ideal. These types of foods lack nutrition and can contain too many saturated fats, too much sugar and too much salt. Instead, here are some ways that you can make quality meals around your busy family life.

Meal Plan and Meal Prep

The key to successfully providing your family with healthy meals, day in and day out, is meal planning and meal prepping. Meal planning involves coming up with what you’re going to have for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the week ahead, allowing you to head out and get all of the necessary ingredients in. Meal prepping involves preparing certain elements of the meals when you have time, helping to make cooking them easier and faster when the time comes to actually make the meal.

Make Do With Ingredients You Have

All too often, parents will go to make a delicious, healthy, wholesome meal, but find one ingreident is missing and don’t have time to head to the shops to pick it up. This can often result in the whole meal being thrown out of the window and the parents opting for something delivered instead. Avoid this. Instead, you can often replace particularly ingredients with something else you may have in the cupboard, or modify the recipe to make do without. You can find plenty of replacements out there, from chia seed mixes replacing eggs to sweetener to replace sugar or these are the top brown rice flour substitutes.

Have Healthy Snacks on Hand

If you’ve been out or busy all day and collect your kids from school, chances are, dinner isn’t going to be on the table as soon as they walk through the door. They are also likely to be hungry. So, instead of handing snacks that may overly fill them (causing them to leave their healthy dinner), or junk food that isn’t going to be good for them, you should make sure that you have plenty of healthy snacks around. This will allow you to temporarily satiate their hunger while you get on with making their main meal.

As you can see, you don’t have to compromise when it comes to feeding your family well around your other commitments and responsibilities. Hopefully, the guide above should help you to find a good balance that meets everyone’s needs!

Anne

Do Your Bit For The Planet By Sorting These Things In Your Home

September 27, 2022 By Anne

Everyone should be doing their bit for the planet. Some will be able to do more than others, and other people will only be able to do a small amount. It doesn’t matter how much or how little you end up doing, as long as you are doing your best for the world that we live in. In this article, we’re going to be taking a look at some of the things that you can do to ensure that you’re doing your bit for the planet. Keep reading down below if you would like to find out more.

Grow Your Own Food

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First, have you thought about growing your own food? The way that food is grown right now is en masse, and often requires the use of pesticides depending on where your food was grown. Instead of relying solely on the food supply from shops. There are certain things that you will be able to grow in the comfort of your own home such as various fruits and vegetables. Not only is this better for the environment as you won’t be using pesticides, but it’s also good for you to know how to do this. The food is fresher when you have sorted it yourself, which is just another one of the amazing benefits of trying to be more eco-friendly.

Don’t Waste Water

Have you thought about how much water you actually waste? Now, while water doesn’t get wasted in the same way as other materials, this does not mean that you should waste it. The waste of water can end in a drought, as while we seem to think it’s an infinite resource, this is simply not the case. As such, you should be fixing any problems with water as soon as you can. Turn the tap off when you are brushing your teeth, don’t leave the tap running when you’re doing the dishes, get a local plumbing company to come and take a look at the leaking pipe. There are so many things that you can do to avoid wasting water, and if the planet is not enough of an incentive for you, it will save you on your bill also.

Alternative Energy Options

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The final thing that we’re going to mention is that you may want to consider looking into alternative energy options. We do not need to entirely rely on electricity as there are other forms of energy out there. If you live somewhere the sun shines all the time, then solar might be worth looking into. If you live somewhere where there’s more wind, then wind energy is a better option!

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that you can do in your home to do your part for the planet. Everyone should be doing something to try and keep the world in the best possible condition, so it’s important that we all know what can be done. Now, you have somewhere to start, so get on it as soon as you can. Even a small change can have a big impact!

Anne

How To Help The Environment As A Consumer

September 17, 2022 By Anne

As a consumer, you probably try to help the environment as much as possible. You’ll be looking for all kinds of ways to ensure that you are doing the right thing. Sometimes this isn’t easy, especially if you need something specific, and the only way to get it seems to be to add to your carbon footprint. This is why it’s important to know your options; the more you know about how you can help the environment, the more positive choices you can make. This will help you – and the planet – in all aspects of life. Read on to find out more.

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Choose Environmentally Friendly Companies

Assuming you have a choice in where you buy your goods, it’s a good idea to spend some time researching the various companies you might be able to use. There are some that are much more eco-friendly than others, and using the ones that prove they recycle, cut down on their emissions as much as possible, put measures in place for water conservation, and do all they can to protect the planet is a good way to ensure you are just as conscientious as a consumer.

Don’t Use Plastic Bags

We mentioned single-use plastic above because it really is an issue when it comes to the environment. Plastic shopping bags are one of the worst examples of this; they are used once, then go to landfill, or, even worse, they litter the streets and green spaces. They can be fatal to wildlife, and they take many hundreds of years to decompose.

Avoiding plastic bags where you can is the best thing to do. This is much easier today than it has ever been because there are so many options available. Many stores offer tote bags or bags that, although made of plastic, are meant to be used multiple times. You can bring your own reusable bags to the store and use that too, which saves you money and ensure you don’t have to use one-time-use plastic bags.

Use Reusable Water Bottles

Everyone has to drink each day. If you’re at home, that’s not an issue – fill up a glass or a mug, drink from it, clean it, and use it again when you next need a drink. When you’re out shopping or at work, it’s a different story – you’ll still need to drink, but in many cases, unless you choose to sit in a restaurant, you’ll have to use disposal beverage containers. They might be plastic, which we know is bad, but even if they are cardboard and can be recycled, it would be better not to have to throw them away at all.

That’s why it’s a good idea to have a reusable water bottle with you at all times. You can top this up when you need to and never have to throw anything away. If you prefer hot drinks like coffee, you can get coffee cups that can be reused too, and the baristas will use those rather than their own.

Anne

10 Tips For Looking After Your Health At Work

September 13, 2022 By Anne

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Many health problems can be caused by accidents or long-term negative behaviors at work. By looking after yourself at work, you can prevent yourself from developing these health problems. Below are just a few different ways to protect your health at work.

Pay attention to health and safety training

Most employers should provide some form of health and safety training. This training could be particularly important in highly physical jobs or occupations involving dangerous tools or substances. Make sure that you pay attention to this training and clear up any questions with your employer.

Consider educating yourself with extra courses

There are many jobs where it could be worth investing in some third-party training – particularly if you’re self employed. This could include taking courses in first aid, fire safety or handling chemicals. There are even more niche areas such as exposure to bloodborne pathogens that you can look into – you can learn more about obtaining certification here.

Wear comfortable clothing

Clothing that is restrictive or painful to wear could be a health hazard in some cases. For example, if you’re on your feet all the time, you want to be wearing comfortable shoes. You don’t want to be wearing heels every day as it will only cause joint problems over time.

Don’t neglect protective gear

If protective safety gear such as gloves or eyewear are supplied for certain tasks, make sure to wear them. If you’re self employed, make sure that you research the types of protective gear that you and your staff should be wearing. Many health problems such as hearing loss, chemical burns, head injuries and spine injuries can be avoided by wearing the right protective gear.

Position your chair properly

When sitting at a desk or in a vehicle for long periods, make sure that your chair is properly positioned. Aches from bending forward or lack of legroom are a sign that your chair isn’t positioned properly. Don’t ignore these aches unless you want to run the risk of developing an RSI.

Don’t eat at your desk

If you sit down all day, lunch time can be the perfect opportunity to get up and get some exercise. Make a habit of not eating at your desk and getting some physical activity into your day. You could help fend off weight gain and other health issues caused by a sedentary lifestyle.

Lift heavy objects from your knees

If you have to do heavy lifting in your job, do not bend at the waist when picking up heavy objects. This is one of the biggest causes of back injuries. Always bend your legs and keep your back as straight as possible.

Take measures to reduce stress

Stress is one of the biggest killers, leading to health problems like a stroke and heart disease. It can also lead to depression, fatigue and headaches. When you notice yourself getting very stressed at work, take five minutes out when possible to meditate and collect your thoughts. There are many other ways to reduce stress which you can check out here.

Keep your hands clean

Viruses and bacterial infections can quickly spread through workplaces through touching surfaces and equipment. Make an effort to clean your hands throughout the day and you could find that you fall ill less.

Listen to your body

If your body is aching or you don’t feel right, make sure to listen to your body. Too many people try to work through injuries or illness and they only make it worse. Knowing when to take time off can allow you to rest and prevent major injuries and health problems from occurring. Don’t prioritize your work over your health.