Monday 13th August, 2007

Human race’s oldest adversary?

Fighting the common cold must be one of humanity’s longest battles – despite years of evolution and scientific research, everyone is susceptible to the virus and there is no definitive cure.

An article in the Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine describes the common cold as “a viral infection of the upper respiratory system, including the nose, throat, sinuses, eustachian tubes, trachea, larynx, and bronchial tubes”. Roughly translated, this means you’ll feel like a phlegm-ridden, achy-boned sack of misery and will do almost anything to get well. The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine is part of the Gale Virtual Reference Library - a collection of reference sources that include health, fashion, food, culture and more. A complete listing of titles is available on the library website.

Creating a healthy lifestyle

Apples A healthy lifestyle includes a nutritious and balanced diet and regular exercise. Diet and healthy food choices are easily achieved, and tips to get you started include eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, and choosing low-fat and low-sugar foods wherever possible. What you drink is important too, so don’t overlook fluids when considering a healthy diet.

Get active with CINCH and localeye

For exercise options, try the community information directory, CINCH. It allows you to search for local fitness classes and info, sports and recreation opportunities, and many other health-related groups and activities. CINCH also powers the new Active Canterbury search facility. localeye has a keeping fit guide, as well as an A to Z of physical fitness in Canterbury. Relaxation is essential to good health – so make sure you make time for time out.

One-pot wonders

Digby Law's Soup Cookbook New Zealand gourmet Digby Law wrote in his Soup Cookbook that although soup is used to battle seasonal ills, it is not just a winter meal – ‘it should announce the full tones of the meal ‘as an overture of an opera announces the subject of the work’.’ Law’s book contains recipes for stocks, soups, broths and chowders – and even an iced apple soup, intended to be served at breakfast! The recipe goldmine has been reprinted in 2007, and even twenty years after his death makes fascinating reading.

One-pot wonders are tasty meals that are, surprisingly, cooked in one pot. Casseroles, stews and soups are hearty fare that are easy to prepare and enjoyable to eat. Best of all there’s less dishes, so there’s less time doing dishes and more time getting on with the good stuff.

We recommend: health resources

Our online resources:

Our suite of health pages have a wide range of resources including healing foods, Te rongoa Māori, stopping smoking as well as overviews and definitions of medical conditions. Other topics include:

Our Internet Gateway recommends:

HealingFoodReference.com is a website by “health ranger” Mike Adams who has listed a whole range of food items and their health benefits as well as common ailments and the food items that can help.
A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. Published by Oxford University Press, 1995. Electronic Resource from Oxford Reference Online.
Access this with your library card number and PIN, or at our libraries.
Our gateway to food and wine links, including recipes
For soup recipes, visit allrecipes.com or foodlovers.co.nz
Diet and nutrition links
Health – from anatomy resources to women’s health links

Browse the resources in our libraries:

Soup – books and recipes in our collection
Battling colds naturally
Healthy food
Diet – improving your diet and losing weight
Nutrition – making sure you give your body what it needs
Diet therapy – eating plans and recipes to improve your health
New Zealand cookbooks and Richard Till’s Kiwi Kitchen on DVD

Next week - Languages around the world

Learning a language? Planning an overseas holiday? There are a wealth of resources to help you discover different languages at your library. In our next edition we’ll say ‘ni hao’ to International Languages Week, and take a peek at the world language resources that are available.