Byhowbeck
Snack well this Summer
It can be even more of a challenge during the summer holidays to make sure your little ones aren’t eating too many sugary snacks.
Too much sugar can lead to the build up of harmful fat on the inside that we can’t see. This fat around vital organs can cause weight gain and serious diseases in the future like heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers.
There is a surprising amount of sugar in popular kids drinks and snacks, so the NHS Change4Life programme have a number of healthy drink and snack alternatives for you try such as:
- Fruit kebabs
- Watermelon fruit lollies
- Carrot sticks
- Apple and celery rice cakes
- Carrot and courgette muffins
- Adding fruit pieces to water
Many more alternatives and healthy recipes can be found on the Change4Life website.
Too much sugar can also lead to painful tooth decay and shockingly in England, every 10 minutes a child has a rotten tooth removed in hospital. You can help stop tooth decay by ensuring your child:
- Has less sugary drinks and snacks
- Brushes their teeth twice a day
- Only has fruit juice once a day and with a meal rather than sipping it throughout the day
- Has regular check-ups at the dentist
You can find your nearest NHS dentist at NHS Choices.
Byhowbeck
Don’t let hay fever ruin your summer
From now until September is when the pollen count is at its highest.
Some of the symptoms of hay fever can include:
- Sneezing and coughing
- A runny or blocked nose
- Itchy, red or watery eyes
- Itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears
- Loss of smell
- Pain around your temples and forehead
- Headache
- Earache
- Feeling tired
If you are having any of the above symptoms or are feeling the effects of hay fever, visit your local pharmacist as they can provide advise and treatments to suit your symptoms. You could also try:
- not drying your washing outside when pollen levels are high
- showering and changing your clothes after you’ve been outside to wash any pollen away
- wearing wraparound sunglasses when you go outside to stop the pollen from irritating your eyes
- putting Vaseline around your nose to trap pollen
- keeping windows and doors shut as much as possible
- vacuuming regularly and dust with a damp cloth
- staying indoors when the pollen count is high
You can keep an eye on the pollen forecast on the Met Office Website.