At Kale & Cocoa our aim is to eat well and age well. So far, so good. But we know that eating well is only half the battle when it comes to ageing well. Exercise is absolutely key too – an article published by John Hopkins University in the U.S. described it as ‘the universal…
GET FAT TO BEAT DEMENTIA, REALLY? VITAMIN E AND A CRUMBLE RECIPE
This is bonkers, but fat and obese people are less likely to get dementia. Yes, really. Recent research published in The Lancet suggests that being overweight has an 18% reduction in dementia risk and being obese a staggering 24% reduction. It’s brilliant news if you are overweight of course, but it flies in the face…
IMPROVE YOUR EYESIGHT – EAT MORE FREEKEH!
Have you noticed your eyesight isn’t what it used to be? Irritating isn’t it? Frightening even. Following the horrific crash of the Germanwings plane in the Alps two weeks ago, it turned out the 27-year old co-pilot responsible was suffering serious sight problems and had already lost 30 percent of his vision – possibly a…
IS SUGAR THE NEW TOBACCO? DATES ON TOAST
A few weeks ago, the World Health Organisation cut its recommendated daily sugar intake by 50%. Whoa! If that’s not an acknowledgment of the dangers of sugar, please can someone tell me what is? The WHO now recommends no more than 6 teaspoons (25 g) of sugar a day. To put this in context, a…
WHY COFFEE IS YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND – COFFEE & CHOCOLATE BRAINIES
Coffee. To drink or not to drink? That is the question. 2015 kicked off with another spate of headlines on the benefits of coffee. Once demonised, coffee is increasingly proving to be the good guy when it comes to healthy ageing. Yes, one more of those irritating u-turns that makes us want to give up…
SMOOTHIES, SMOOTHIES, SMOOTHIES
I came late to the smoothie craze. In fact, by the time I’d really noticed it is a thing, doctors and nutritionists were warning us off them – citing sugar spikes and rotting teeth as payback for too many fruit-filled smoothies. If only I could make my own, I sighed, and pack in some veg,…
WHY CHOCOLATE AND BUTTER RULE & CHOCOLATE CHESTNUT ORANGE CAKE
It’s official – fat is good for us! This week’s British Medical Journal tells us that a diet of ‘real food’ containing plenty of natural fat could be the key to living a long and healthy life. Wowza! Where did that medical u-turn come from? Apparently our obsession with low-fat food has contributed to the…
WHY MY 2015 CHEESE BOARD WILL BE ALL SWISS – JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE SOUP WITH SWISS CHEESE
You know that healthy glow Swiss people always have? Well, it turns out their über radiance comes not from the pure Alpine air they imbime, nor from their relentless hiking and ski-ing in sub-zero temperatures. Oh no – nothing as dramatic as that! It’s actually the cheese they eat. Yes, I know we’re all…
WHY TEA AND CAKE WILL IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY AND HELP YOU LIVE LONGER
No doubt you’re dieting, detoxing or drying out – it is, after all, the month of penitence, atonement and resolutions (read ours here and here). But it’s dark n’ cold out there and my body’s begging for sugar and carbs. To top it all, my eldest daughter is mid-exams and comes home starving and exhausted. And…
HEALTHY AGEING RESOLUTIONS – KALE & BLACK SESAME RICE BOWL
Over the last few days I’ve been thinking about healthy ageing resolutions for 2015. Nothing drastic – no crash dieting or fasting for me! But after reviewing the medical findings of last year, two in particular stood out. Firstly, the report that found a Mediterranean diet to be more effective than a low-fat diet for…
