Beef, organic olive oil good for health --- be healthy and strong

We are a 30-year-old woman. My buddy recently laughed and said she had opted off steak completely and advised me to do identical, saying it will eventually benefit me over time. What do you recommend?
 - Sharon Irani
 Beef has several well-established side effects. It is strongly implicated in increasing risk of cardiac diseases. Red meat beef, pork, bacon, ham eaters have reached 30 per-cent greater probability of dying compared to those that ate least variety of it. Processed steak which includes cold cuts, sausages, hamburgers further increases this death rate. Steak also increases risks of colon cancer, being overweight, hypertension and obesity. Some might argue that beef is a superb method to obtain iron and protein therefore have to be as part of your diet, however, these nutrients can wonderfully be acquired from the 3 other healthier sources, that don't cascade down on health problem.

 My seven-year-old son often is affected with constipation. What what exactly is use in his diet and things know about avoid?
 - Farida Menon
 Constipation is usually the very first sign which our body gives when it isn't really being nourished. Regular bowel movements are most necessary for mental and physical well-being. Adequate hydration is a vital step to prevent constipation. Poor water intake results in difficulty in passing stool. Ensure six to eight glasses of fluids for your child daily. These include water, juices, chats and soups. Roughage or fibre intake is the one other important focus point out avoid constipation. Thus, ensure that your son or daughter gets no less than a couple of servings of fruits and vegetables. Disguise or mask them in to the foods he likes if he creates a fuss to eat them directly.

 I've ended up diagnosed as having a insufficient vitamin D. Each and every this happen and what foods might help me overcome this?
 - Alok Shah
 Vitamin D deficiency is increasing in your country at alarming rates despite abundant sunlight over summer and winter. Numerous studies have shown proven that almost 50 per cent on the heart. northern Indian inhabitants are vitamin D deficient. This can be a leading root cause of osteopathic in teenagers lack of calcium from the bones. Our body is equipped to generate its method of getting this vitamin when encountered with adequate sunlight, however, many people in urban India function not get enough of this. Foods bring about the vitamin in a small amount - salmon, milk, cheese, yolk being the primary contributors. Fortification of foods like milk, juices, cereals should go far to combat this deficiency eventually.

 Would you inform me features about essential olive oil and sesame seed oil. When am i able to include them within my diet? Dark beer better than regular oil?
 - Shriya Patel
 Olive oil and sesame oil tend to be rich types of monounsaturated fat, these are the 'less bad' fats to be consumed. Please not think they are 'good' fats, all oils are 100 % fat. These oils (olive/sesame/ corn/soya bean/peanut/ricebran have lesser content from the heart. fatty foods, which increases our cholesterol resulting in cardio vascular problems and higher omega-3 content that features a heart protective effect. Thus, they may be deemed as healthier choices to use for daily cooking. All oils should be consumed within given quotas each day.

Read more...

Energy Security and Climate Change

Experts gave the opinion that Pakistan’s electricity consumers are greatly affected by tariff prices, which in recent times, have been fluctuating significantly due to global fuel price hikes. The efficiency of electricity regulatory body depends upon the degree of satisfaction of its stakeholders.

Arshad H. Abbasi, Advisor, Water and Energy, Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Javeriya Hasan, Research Associate, Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) spoke at seminar on “Energy Security and Climate Change” organized by SDPI here on Thursday. Shakeel Ahmed Ramay, Head, Climate Change Study Center , SDPI conducted the proceedings.

Javeriya Hasan talked about general observations on NEPRA’s public hearings. She informed that NEPRA had a very comprehensive and consumer oriented procedural system in place, however, much more is desired to be seen in practical terms. Ms. Hasan said that it is often observed that domestic consumers are usually absent from public hearings, partly because the entire process appears convoluted to them. She stressed that consumers need to be educated about NEPRA’s roles and responsibilities and be capacitated with skills to interject where decisions that concern.

She also delineated an example of the Gakhar Plaza , Rawalpindi , which recently collapsed due to a fire. She mentioned that the fire had been a result of electrical short circuiting, which is a testament of the fact that performance standards were not being thoroughly enforced. She emphasized that distribution companies need to be actively pursued to comply with performance standards; otherwise, it is the people at large who are unduly affected by a compromise in the quality of service.

Javeriya recommended that bulk metering be introduced at different levels of the grid to pinpoint where exactly losses are taking place and to check whether there is electricity pilferage. She also suggested that there needs to be a mechanism whereby consumers are brought together on one forum to discuss issues pertaining to them. She said that such a network would serve to build awareness on electricity regulatory process, in addition to encouraging more individuals to partake in the decision making process.

Shakeel Ahmed Ramay said Pakistan ’s high reliance upon gas was due to the perception that Pakistan had vast gas resources. He said that energy usage had increased drastically in the future and that by 2030; energy demand would surpass 100,000 Mega Watts (MW). He said that the energy crisis in Pakistan had been causing a loss of 2% of GDP, Rs. 75 billion losses in terms of reduction in exports, and a loss of 400,000 jobs every year.

Ramay, while discussing the mitigation study his team recently launched, said that Pakistan ’s energy needs will rise in the future and that it was time for Pakistanis to decide what form of energy they would want to rely upon in the future. He said that although coal was a chap source of energy, it would increase greenhouse gas emissions – gases that cause global warming. He said industrialists were the main stakeholders in this debate and it is them who had to play a dominant role in it. Shakeel Ramay said that although the initial costs of switching to clean energy might be higher, the benefits in the long-term would outweigh the costs.

Arshad H. Abbasi talked about the role of NEPRA in Pakistan ’s power sector. He said that governance inefficacies in the institution stemmed from an endemic problem of nepotism and lack of transparency in the appointment of members. He said that there is evidently a leadership crisis and the consequence of this is that no substantial progress has been made in reforming the country’s power sector. He said that given Pakistan ’s immense hydropower potential, the country would not only be able to bridge its supply demand deficit but be able to benefit from the low costs involved in generation. This inevitably has an effect on alleviating the menace of circular debt, which Pakistan is currently reeling under.

Abbasi said that there are plans underway to import electricity from Tajikistan , which again, he underlined was a highly unsustainable option. The transmission lines would need to cover a distance of 650-700km through Afghanistan . He said that this not only posed problems of high transmission losses but was a security issue, which rendered the entire project unfeasible. He emphasized that progress on hydropower schemes such as the Munda Dam needs to be accelerated.

Abbasi also said that the current assignment of NEPRA is mainly for tariff determination and issuing of licenses without focusing much on any mundane issues. The determination of tariff can be performed with the help of an energy tariff calculator, which is available online. He explained that most of the time, NEPRA is involved with hearings on fuel adjustment charges. For accurate and unbiased adjustments, expenditure of a few thousand rupees on specific software can not only substantially help consumers, but also help save financial sources.

The questions at the end of seminar highlighted concern the public have on electricity regulation issues. One participant pointed out for the need to increase the share of nuclear energy for power generation. He was also of the view that monthly fuel adjustments are not covered by any legal stipulation and need to be reexamined. Another participant mentioned that WAPDA’s performance has become poorer over the years, as its performance has deviated from its mandate. He also emphasized on the need to accelerate progress on hydropower projects, which are currently suffering from time and cost overruns.

Read more...