44 Dairy products, and white flour are some of the common substances to which clients prove sensitive. 99 A NEW holistic health practice in Edgemont Village claims it can help clients identify food allergies through muscle testing. By Peggy Trendell-Whittaker News Reporter Laura Neale of the Body-Mind Harmony. Holistic Health Clinic is a bio-kinesiologist who identifies her clients’ emotional ‘‘blocks’’, food sensitivities and nutritional needs. One method she uses is testing an “‘indicator’’ muscle, usually the arm, to determine the body’s sub- conscious response to various Bio-kinesiologist Laura Neale of the Bod: nutritional needs. Her office is stocked with smail FOOD Holistic clinic targetting allergies coffee, tea, sugar, peanut butter and alcohol. foods. If her client’s outstretched arm drops in response to the pressure she applies to it, it signals a nega- tive response —- meaning the client is sensitive to that particular food. If the arm stays locked in posi- tion, the subconscious, acting through the body, is indicating that the client does not have dif- ficulty tolerating the food. Neale’s office is stocked with small jars of common foods to which people might be sensitive, such as white flour, coffee, tea, sugar, peanut butter and alcohol. Clients hold a jar over their stomach when they are being tested for sensitivity to it. For per- ishable foods, such as meat, Neale asks the client to visualize the food instead. “Muscle testing will detect any stresses in your body,’’ says Neale. ‘‘It eliminates the guesswork,’” Dairy products, meat, alcohol and white flour are some of the common substances to which her clients prove sensitive. But some- times, ‘‘good-for-you’’ food such as certain vegetables and fruit also elicit an allergic reaction. Neale emphasizes that such a reaction does not mean you have to avoid that food forever. Some- times, cutting the food out of your diet for a period of time allows the body to heal itself to the point that it can handle the substance when it is reintroduced into your system. Wednesday, September 18, 1991 - North Shore News - 47 NEWS photo Cindy Goodman ly-Mind Holistic Health Clinic identifies clients’ emotional ‘‘blocks’, food sensitivities and jars of common foods to which people might be sensitive, such as white flour, Neale also helps clients combine foods in such a way that they are most digestible and beneficial for the body. While many people would con- sider Neale’s work so much hocus-pocus, she says she is quite content to let the skeptics keep their distance and work with those people who do believe in the muscle-testing process. For more information, call the Bedy-Mind Harmony Holistic Health Clinic at 986-6159. Bagging it: the trouble with lunches THE TROUBLE with bag lunches, kids compiain, is inquisitive Coo SUE WILSON ANNE GARDINER that bread goes soggy, cookies crumble and milk sours. Now we’re = even made to feel guilty about the bag contributing to gar- bage overload. But the biggest concern with bag lunches is one kids often don’t know about. For as food warms above 40°F (4°C), bacteria start to multiply. In a warm school cloakroom, bacceria can double in number every 15 minutes and reach some scary proportions by noon, Cautions about meat, fish, eggs are well founded. Low-acid, high-protein foods provide the perfect diet for bacteria. Give them some warmth and moisture and they also have the perfect place (o grow. The tricky thing about these foods is you often can’t tell they’ve spoiled --- until you get sick, Dairy products are most likely to smell ‘‘off’’ when they’ve spoiled. They may be fine for days beyond the expiry date but sour twice as quickly when they reach 50°F (10°C). Mitk won't make you sick when it’s slightly sour. But spoiled cot- tage cheese or yogurt may contain molds which cause illness. Since warmth is the biggest lun- chbox hazard, be ingenious about keeping lunches cold. Refrigerate them until the last moment. Or make a coldpack by freezing part of the lunch the night before. Many types of sandwiches can be frozen, with the perishable parts like cheese and tomatoes added in the morning. Or freeze half! the drink in a plastic con- tainer with tight lid. Top it up in the morning so it keeps the lynch cold as it thaws. Juices make perfect ice blocks and even milk can be frozen. Since the water in milk freezes be- fore the solids, some separation may occur. But it doesn’t affect the safety or the nutritional value. Just give it a shake before drink- ing. The soggy bread complaint is easily handled by using whole grain, multi grain, hovis, and other breads with high fibre con- tent. These are less likely to go soggy and are also digested more slowly by the body than highly refined flour. Kids aren't likely to be bungry an hour after lunch if they eat a wholesome mulfin or hearty sandwich. Sale draws out extea moisture leaving vegetables limp and bread soggy. So resist the temptation to salt tomatoes and cucumbers. Crisp cookies are more likely to crumble than soft cake-like cook- ies. Cookies made with honey stay soft since honey attracts moisture more readily than any other sugar. Eggs, milk, and juice also add moisture to cookie doughs and dried fruits help to keep it there. Freshly grated carrot, zucchini and apple add both moisture and nutrients. So buy a reusable, washable, brightly-colored lunch bag and rethink what you put in it. Mak- ing lunches is a good opportunity to teach kids some precautions to take as food stands from morning "cil noon, And when they're involved in making lunch, they’ be mare en- thusiastic about cating it.