SECRETS TO GOOD HEALTH

HEALTH AT THE WORKPLACE

Sick building syndrome (SBS) describes a situation whereby people experience symptoms of ill health that seem to be linked to spending time in a building - but where no specific cause can be identified. What are the symptoms? Some of the symptoms associated with SBS include: headaches, eye, nose or throat irritation, skin irritation, coughs,  nausea and fatigue. The symptoms rapidly improve after leaving the building.

Although the cause is unknown, there are several common theories surrounding the syndrome. These include:

1. Chemical pollutants outside the building - these will vary according to the location of the building. However, the common theory is that 'bad air' is drawn into the building via vents and windows.

2. Chemical pollutants inside the building - upholstery, carpets and cleaning products can emit chemicals, which can be a cause of irritation.

3. Bacteria, pollen and mould - if these contaminants collect in drains or air-conditioning systems they can breed and spread causing a variety of health problems such as. allergies and coughs.

4. High or low humidity level - or changes in relative humidity in a building can trigger symptoms of ill health.

5. Poor ventilation - many office environments use air conditioning systems but ventilation is sometimes poor.

What can be done? The predominant culprit in most buildings is thought to be the flow of air. If this can be improved then SBS symptoms may disappear. Specific pollutants should be identified and then removed or altered to minimize the effect. If you suspect your place of work is making you ill try and keep a diary of your symptoms. Do you feel better when you leave the building? Are there any changes you can make to your work environment? These might include:

• Opening windows or doors to improve airflow.

• Altering the temperature in your office.

• Minimizing the use of perfumed detergents and air fresheners.

• Finally, if you and your colleagues feel that further investigation or action is needed, you may need to consider meeting with the owner of the building and your local health department.

FAMILY AND WORK BALANCE

When you become a parent the issue of work is no longer as simple as it used to be. New responsibilities will be on the agenda - and you'll need to give considerable thought to how you adapt to this change in your lifestyle. Time spent with your family is always precious, even more so if you have little of it. If there are two working parents in your household, it's important to make the most of the time you have together with your children.

Top priority: The best tip for making your family time count is, guard it carefully. As your children grow you'll find there are ever-increasing and conflicting demands on everyone's time. Supposedly 'free' time can be taken up with party invites, friends dropping by, phone calls from your mother and must-watch TV programs. You'll soon find that if you don't fence off some time to spend as a family, it won't happen.

GOOD FOOD & DIET

HOW TO SELECT A GOOD PIECE OF BEEF

Selecting your cut

From Sunday roast to boeuf bourguignon, beef has been a favorite for generations. But which cut should you choose? Our guide gives you the lowdown, from neck to rump via all the bits in between, and suggests the best method of cooking for each. When buying beef, you should make sure the meat is red, as brown coloring shows that it's been open to the air for some time. The meat should be firm to the touch. Fat should be creamy colored and it's better if there's some fat flecked - or marbled - throughout the meat, as this makes it more tender. Since the BSE crisis in Britain, some traditional cuts of beef are no longer available. Material that's considered to have a risk associated with it, such as the spinal cord, is now removed in abattoirs before it reaches your local butcher. Brisket: This cheaper cut from the belly of the animal can be bought with or without bones as a joint for slow-roasting, or for stewing and casseroling as cubes or mince. Chuck or blade: Taken from the shoulder, this cut is similar to neck, but can also be bought as a roasting joint. As this joint isn't as tender as other cuts of beef, it needs slow-roasting to achieve best results. Steaks and diced meat from the chuck are ideal for casseroles, or even braising. Chuck meat is leaner than neck, which makes it ideal for people who are watching their fat intake, but might not want to pay for premium cuts.

Flank: Sometimes called thick flank or thin flank, depending on the thickness of the meat, determined by which part of the animal it comes from. The flank is quite lean and is generally useful for casseroles and curries or for slow-roasting. It needs to retain the moisture that would be lost in quick-roasting. Forerib: Taken from the back of the animal, forerib is a useful roasting cut. Sometimes, the ends of the bones are cut off to make a separate joint. You may wish to buy a forerib joint boned and rolled, so that stuffing and carving is easier. Although more tender than some of the cheaper cuts, the forerib still needs cooking for longer than premium joints. It's a mid-priced cut. Neck or clod: The meat from the neck of beef contains quite a large amount of fat and isn't as tender as the premium cuts. This makes it ideal for slow-cooking. Neck can be bought as steaks or ready-diced, which is perfect for casseroles and stews. Price-wise, the cut is relatively cheap, so it's possible to buy more meat than you need if you wish to take the time to trim the fat further. Ribs: Taken from the side of beef, ribs can be bought on the bone or as a boned-and-rolled joint. Similar to sirloin, but not as tender, the ribs make an ideal, mid-priced roasting joint. Rump: Rump is similar to sirloin, but slightly less tender, so it's a little cheaper. The steak cuts are generally lean, but do require more care when cooking. Shin: The shin of beef is from the front leg and the leg cut is from the hind limb. Both are cheaper cuts as they contain quite a large amount of connective tissue. However, this makes them ideal for stews and casseroles as it melts down during the long, slow cooking and gives extra flavor to the sauce. You could make stock from the shin or leg if the bone is left in the joint. The joint can be slow-roasted. Sirloin: Sirloin is the premium cut of beef, which costs quite a bit more per kilo than some other cuts, but is more tender, so will taste better with less cooking. Sirloin can be bought as a joint for roasting, on the bone or boned and rolled. Fillets are often removed from the roasting joints, and are then sold separately as steak. Fillet steaks are also the premium steak cut from beef. Sirloin can tolerate high temperatures, which makes it ideal for grilling and frying as steaks or oven-roasting as a joint. Topside and silverside: Two separate cuts of slightly different quality. Topside is similar to rump and can be roasted as a boneless joint. It's not quite as tender as sirloin, so can't stand high temperatures as well, but if treated with care, will provide an excellent roast. Silverside is a coarser cut of beef than topside and doesn't roast as well. It's often used for making boiled beef dishes or mince. However, there are no bones in silverside which means that it provides a great deal of meat per kilo.

Root vegetables traditionally form the staple of our winter crops, used in everything from the Sunday roast to soups. Stuffed with vitamins and minerals, they'll even help you shake off the winter blues. Beetroot: Beetroot is closely related to sugar beet and is believed to be derived from a wild species native to the seashores of Europe. It's a beautiful deep scarlet or burgundy color and adds a dash of vibrancy to any winter dish. It's commonly used as a side dish to traditional roast dinners, in summer salads or in sauces. The young leaves of the beetroot can also be used in salads. Carrots: Thought to be originally from Afghanistan, carrots were once used by Middle Eastern royalty to aid seduction. In the wild, the carrot's original color is white, and is only orange in color due to cultivation by the Dutch in the 17th century. You can even buy purple carrots in some supermarkets: they're not 'dyed' as appearance would suggest - this is the way they were grown in the Middle East and India as far back as the tenth century. Carrots are a member of the parsley family and are related to the parsnip, celery and fennel.  They have a strong, sweet flavor, and are a good source of vitamin A, beta carotene and potassium. Always choose firm, young carrots if possible, as they're more tender. Carrots are delicious steamed as a side vegetable and tossed with butter and a pinch of ground cumin, or roasted with other root vegetables. Make a fragrant soup combining carrots with fresh coriander, and mix grated carrots with chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice and chopped mint for a fresh-tasting salad. Celeriac: Celeriac is another member of the parsley family and is closely related to celery. Although it looks superficially like a turnip, the taste is much more similar to that of celery. Celeriac is often used in soups and stews but can also be used grated in salads. Alternatively it can be baked or boiled and used as a side vegetable. It's quite an unusual vegetable and isn't very widely available. The best time to look for celeriac is in the autumn and winter when the main crop hits the markets. Peeled celeriac will darken so toss it in lemon juice or add a little juice to the cooking water. When choosing your celeriac try to go for roots that are less than four inches diameter, as the smaller, younger roots tend to be much more tender and less woody. Jerusalem artichoke: The Jerusalem artichoke, not to be confused with the globe artichoke, is actually a member of the daisy family and is closely related to the sunflower. It's originally from North America but is widely available in season.  The artichoke is a crisp, underground tuber, white or yellowish in color, and is irregularly club shaped and quite knobbly.