Bonitas Member Magazine B-Living - Issue 2 | Page 7

Munch on a carrot to
take the hiccups away
There’s nothing more annoying than hiccups that won’t go away.
When your hiccups begin, simply grab a carrot stick and start
munching. This stimulates the vagus nerve, which makes the
body forget to hiccup. The vagus nerve is a cranial nerve that
conveys sensory information about the organs to the brain.
When it’s distracted by something else – like chewing and
swallowing a carrot – it tells the brain that something more
important than hiccupping has come up, so the diaphragm
spasms stop.
Protect your skin this winter
Sunscreen is more important during winter. There are two types of
ultraviolet light from the sun that damage your skin: UVA and UVB.
UVB light penetrates the superfi cial layers of the skin and causes skin
to redden; it’s responsible for sunburn and can also lead to skin cancer
over time. But UVB rays are at least blocked by window glass from the
house and car and are less intense in the winter months. UVA light, on the
other hand, penetrates top and deeper layers of skin, causing cell damage
that can lead to cancer. UVA light is tough to avoid because it passes through
windows and stays at the same strength all year – be sure to wear sunscreen
during winter too. Stay away from perfumed or scented sunscreens lotions if you
want your skin to stay young. Many of these lotions contain psoralen, which speeds
up the ageing process. For best results, opt for at least SPF 35.
Get some vitamin D
Adequate vitamin D intake is important for the regulation of calcium and phosphorus
absorption, maintenance of healthy bones and teeth, and is suggested to supply
a protective eff ect against a range of conditions including certain cancers, osteoporosis,
diabetes, high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s, autoimmune disorders, skin diseases and mood
disorders. In South Africa, we usually have enough sunshine to ensure we have adequate
amounts of vitamin D but even so, some people still show a defi ciency. Good sources of
vitamin D include sunshine, cod liver oil, fatty fi sh like tuna and salmon, egg yolks, cheese
and liver.
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