Confused over ‘use-by’ and ‘best-before’ dates?
Worried the food you buy may or may not be safe? Stickers on foods related to their shelf life can be confusing for consumers, so here is a table to help clear the fog:
Food Safety Authority definitions
Sleep tips
Getting a good night’s sleep isn’t always easy, and research shows that many Irish people are sleep-deprived. Here are some tips that may help:
• A good mattress• A cool room• A dark room • No screens in the room• Exercise in the late afternoon rather than late evening• No caffeine drinks and big meals late at night.• A warm bath, light snack or milky drink before bedtime• Stay away from too much alcohol at night if you want good quality sleep.Sugar tax now
We now have a sugar tax in Ireland, with 30c having been added to the price of 1 litre of soft drink that has over 8g of sugar per 100ml and 20c added to the price of 1 litre of soft drinks that have 5g to 8g of sugar per 100ml.
Doctors have welcomed the change as a strategy to reduce obesity levels in Ireland. They say it is arguably the most significant intervention of all, because it has the potential to fund all of the other initiatives, like cycling infrastructure, playgrounds and health education.
This tax is predicted to generate up to €40m in the first year, but the money must be ring-fenced, they say. “A decade ago we were able to account for every cent from the plastic-bag tax and we reinvested this money in environmental initiatives,” says Professor Francis Finucane of the RCPI Policy Group on Obesity. “We must now do the same for obesity initiatives from a sugar tax.”
Social media: ‘the new crack cocaine’
Social media addiction is being called the new “crack cocaine of the digital age”. Speaking about Irish people and excessive social media consumption, Naomh McElhatton, director of digital education at SMART NI, said that Irish people need to educate themselves on using social media and digital devices in moderation.
“It’s sad that for some people their identities are carved by virtual audiences,” she said. “There needs to be a better awareness on how we need to change, as real-life human relationships are now being jeopardised at the mercy of our smart devices.” The average user logs 2.15 hours a day on social media.
AWARE is seeking volunteers
Do you want to make a difference? AWARE is seeking volunteers to support individuals and families impacted by depression and bipolar disorder.
AWARE provides support, education and information services for those affected by depression and bipolar disorder and is urgently seeking 100 new volunteers.
Aware relies on the passion and dedication of its volunteers to ensure that the organisation can continue to provide free support services nationwide, essential services that have a profound impact on individuals and families throughout Ireland.
Aware is currently recruiting volunteers across four support services for their support line, support mail, support and self care groups as well as life skills online.
No prior qualifications or experience is required, as comprehensive training is provided, with ongoing support and three hours a week is required.
For more information on each opportunity, please visit: www.aware.ie/volunteer or phone Aware on (01) 661 7211.
Tax relief on home-care
Don’t forget that if you employ a home-care provider to look after an older relative you can avail of tax relief of up to 40%, depending on your marginal rate of tax. If you are the bill payer, you can claim tax relief at the end of the year or on a monthly basis.
For example, if you are paying an hourly rate of €23.50 for private home-care for a relative, it will cost you €19.12 per hour when 20% tax is applied. If, however, you are paying 40% tax, the per-hour rate will work out at just €14.34 when tax relief is applied. See www.homeinstead.ie/tax-relief-campaign.
Travel-size
Sudocrem
Sudocrem is now available in small 15g pots – handy for
handbags, washbags and travel bags or car. It will be available in grocery stores this summer.
A healthy date for your diary
The 2018 Tour De Picnic will take place on 31 August and the National Dairy Council is the sponsor of this year’s event, which is its 10th anniversary. Volunteers have a choice between an 80km cycle (on greenway) or a 15km run, departing from Tallaght.
Dairy treats and milk-fuelling stops will be available en route to Stradbally, Co Meath. Funds raised go to the ISPCC, Jack & Jill Foundation or to Headway. There is a deposit of €50 and each individual must raise a minimum of €395. For more information see www.thecompletenatural.ie.
The National Dairy Council is also running its Complete Natural Recovery Tour this summer, focusing on the three Rs of exercise recovery: refuel, repair and rehydrate. The special dairy bar will be visiting the Dublin 7’s tag rugby tournament, Hell and Back, Tough Mudder and Ras na Mban as well as the Tour de Picnic.
Be sun smart
With the sun here in earnest again (we hope) it’s time to remember to be sun-smart using these tips:
• Seek shade, especially between 11am and 3pm.• Cover up by wearing a hat with flaps, a shirt with a collar and long shorts. • Wear wraparound glasses that have 100% UV protection.• Slap on sunscreen every two hours.• Check the UV index on www.cancer.ie/uvindex.• Keep babies under six months out of the sun.>> Did you know?
• Tallaght hospital has launched its new patients and visitor app, the first of its kind in Ireland. • Donations on the Irish Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day made 7,000 night-nursing hours possible.• Walking while listening to music makes you walk 30% longer.• There are around 96,000km of blood vessels in the body. • Weight lifting or strength training has been shown to have as good an effect as anti-depressants or counselling on those with depression, University of Limerick research has found.• A hydrotherapy pool for children with disabilities has been opened in Bray.• Safefood research for its START healthy eating campaign revealed that almost one-fifth of the average weekly family food shop is spent on highly processed “‘treat”’ foods, like crisps, chocolates and sweets. See www.makeastart.ie.• Online counselling is available (by telephone, Skype) from www.healthlink.ie and www.counsellingonline.ie.• The first robotic-assisted liver and lung resection for colorectal cancers that have spread to other parts of the body was performed in the Mater Private Hospital in May.• Tick Talk, the organisation for those with Lyme Disease, is campaigning to have the HSE classification of the disease change from “skin disease” to “multi-organ inflammatory
disorder”.• All 96 public libraries in NI are now “Breast-feeding Welcome”.• Epilepsy Ireland has released a new booklet called Moving Forward for young people with the condition.• Skin cancer cases are set to rise by 66% by 2040. Just one bad sun burn before you are 18 can increase your chances of skin cancer by 50%.Ask your doctor about cancer trials
There are lots of cancer trials going on in Ireland, which play a vital role in research. Patients who think they may benefit from a trial are asked to speak to their doctor about what’s available. See www.cancertrials.ie for a list.
Confused over ‘use-by’ and ‘best-before’ dates?
Worried the food you buy may or may not be safe? Stickers on foods related to their shelf life can be confusing for consumers, so here is a table to help clear the fog:
Food Safety Authority definitions
Sleep tips
Getting a good night’s sleep isn’t always easy, and research shows that many Irish people are sleep-deprived. Here are some tips that may help:
• A good mattress• A cool room• A dark room • No screens in the room• Exercise in the late afternoon rather than late evening• No caffeine drinks and big meals late at night.• A warm bath, light snack or milky drink before bedtime• Stay away from too much alcohol at night if you want good quality sleep.Sugar tax now
We now have a sugar tax in Ireland, with 30c having been added to the price of 1 litre of soft drink that has over 8g of sugar per 100ml and 20c added to the price of 1 litre of soft drinks that have 5g to 8g of sugar per 100ml.
Doctors have welcomed the change as a strategy to reduce obesity levels in Ireland. They say it is arguably the most significant intervention of all, because it has the potential to fund all of the other initiatives, like cycling infrastructure, playgrounds and health education.
This tax is predicted to generate up to €40m in the first year, but the money must be ring-fenced, they say. “A decade ago we were able to account for every cent from the plastic-bag tax and we reinvested this money in environmental initiatives,” says Professor Francis Finucane of the RCPI Policy Group on Obesity. “We must now do the same for obesity initiatives from a sugar tax.”
Social media: ‘the new crack cocaine’
Social media addiction is being called the new “crack cocaine of the digital age”. Speaking about Irish people and excessive social media consumption, Naomh McElhatton, director of digital education at SMART NI, said that Irish people need to educate themselves on using social media and digital devices in moderation.
“It’s sad that for some people their identities are carved by virtual audiences,” she said. “There needs to be a better awareness on how we need to change, as real-life human relationships are now being jeopardised at the mercy of our smart devices.” The average user logs 2.15 hours a day on social media.
AWARE is seeking volunteers
Do you want to make a difference? AWARE is seeking volunteers to support individuals and families impacted by depression and bipolar disorder.
AWARE provides support, education and information services for those affected by depression and bipolar disorder and is urgently seeking 100 new volunteers.
Aware relies on the passion and dedication of its volunteers to ensure that the organisation can continue to provide free support services nationwide, essential services that have a profound impact on individuals and families throughout Ireland.
Aware is currently recruiting volunteers across four support services for their support line, support mail, support and self care groups as well as life skills online.
No prior qualifications or experience is required, as comprehensive training is provided, with ongoing support and three hours a week is required.
For more information on each opportunity, please visit: www.aware.ie/volunteer or phone Aware on (01) 661 7211.
Tax relief on home-care
Don’t forget that if you employ a home-care provider to look after an older relative you can avail of tax relief of up to 40%, depending on your marginal rate of tax. If you are the bill payer, you can claim tax relief at the end of the year or on a monthly basis.
For example, if you are paying an hourly rate of €23.50 for private home-care for a relative, it will cost you €19.12 per hour when 20% tax is applied. If, however, you are paying 40% tax, the per-hour rate will work out at just €14.34 when tax relief is applied. See www.homeinstead.ie/tax-relief-campaign.
Travel-size
Sudocrem
Sudocrem is now available in small 15g pots – handy for
handbags, washbags and travel bags or car. It will be available in grocery stores this summer.
A healthy date for your diary
The 2018 Tour De Picnic will take place on 31 August and the National Dairy Council is the sponsor of this year’s event, which is its 10th anniversary. Volunteers have a choice between an 80km cycle (on greenway) or a 15km run, departing from Tallaght.
Dairy treats and milk-fuelling stops will be available en route to Stradbally, Co Meath. Funds raised go to the ISPCC, Jack & Jill Foundation or to Headway. There is a deposit of €50 and each individual must raise a minimum of €395. For more information see www.thecompletenatural.ie.
The National Dairy Council is also running its Complete Natural Recovery Tour this summer, focusing on the three Rs of exercise recovery: refuel, repair and rehydrate. The special dairy bar will be visiting the Dublin 7’s tag rugby tournament, Hell and Back, Tough Mudder and Ras na Mban as well as the Tour de Picnic.
Be sun smart
With the sun here in earnest again (we hope) it’s time to remember to be sun-smart using these tips:
• Seek shade, especially between 11am and 3pm.• Cover up by wearing a hat with flaps, a shirt with a collar and long shorts. • Wear wraparound glasses that have 100% UV protection.• Slap on sunscreen every two hours.• Check the UV index on www.cancer.ie/uvindex.• Keep babies under six months out of the sun.>> Did you know?
• Tallaght hospital has launched its new patients and visitor app, the first of its kind in Ireland. • Donations on the Irish Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day made 7,000 night-nursing hours possible.• Walking while listening to music makes you walk 30% longer.• There are around 96,000km of blood vessels in the body. • Weight lifting or strength training has been shown to have as good an effect as anti-depressants or counselling on those with depression, University of Limerick research has found.• A hydrotherapy pool for children with disabilities has been opened in Bray.• Safefood research for its START healthy eating campaign revealed that almost one-fifth of the average weekly family food shop is spent on highly processed “‘treat”’ foods, like crisps, chocolates and sweets. See www.makeastart.ie.• Online counselling is available (by telephone, Skype) from www.healthlink.ie and www.counsellingonline.ie.• The first robotic-assisted liver and lung resection for colorectal cancers that have spread to other parts of the body was performed in the Mater Private Hospital in May.• Tick Talk, the organisation for those with Lyme Disease, is campaigning to have the HSE classification of the disease change from “skin disease” to “multi-organ inflammatory
disorder”.• All 96 public libraries in NI are now “Breast-feeding Welcome”.• Epilepsy Ireland has released a new booklet called Moving Forward for young people with the condition.• Skin cancer cases are set to rise by 66% by 2040. Just one bad sun burn before you are 18 can increase your chances of skin cancer by 50%.Ask your doctor about cancer trials
There are lots of cancer trials going on in Ireland, which play a vital role in research. Patients who think they may benefit from a trial are asked to speak to their doctor about what’s available. See www.cancertrials.ie for a list.
SHARING OPTIONS