With the darkest day almost upon us, it seems fitting to end the year with a few words on the sunshine vitamin – Vitamin D. A slew of new research has linked Vitamin D deficiency to obesity, dementia, prostate and colorectal cancers, fertility, multiple sclerosis, asthma, heart disease, high blood pressure, poor immunity, SAD, schizophrenia…
MORE GOOD NEWS FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET – HOW TO EAT BRUSSEL SPROUTS
How comforting to think about the Mediterranean Diet as we head towards the shortest and darkest day of the year! Wine, sun shine, peaches … Sounds good, right? Yes, I know Brussel sprouts don’t have quite the glamour but bear with me because the big nutritional news this week has been another study endorsing the…
OATS, GLORIOUS OATS – AND A RECIPE FOR SUPER-SPEEDY NO-BAKE GRANOLA
I’ve always longed to be the sort of girl who wafts around making her own granola. Yes, I know making granola is neither arduous nor complicated. But it often seems a faff – you have to turn the oven on in advance, then you have to hang around while it’s baking, gently prodding and turning….
WHY EATING WELL NEEDN’T COST A FORTUNE – SARDINE AND WATERCRESS PÂTÉ
As I stood in line at a supermarket checkout recently, I overheard a young couple in front of me querying the cost of their weekly shop. The checkout lady confirmed her till was working properly and she hadn’t put any items through twice. Then the young woman’s face crumpled. “We were just trying to be…
BUSTING COLDS AND BUILDING IMMUNITY
There are a lot of colds around at the moment, aren’t there? Virtually everyone I know has had the sniffles in recent weeks, including me. I’ve always been very prone to colds: in my teens and twenties I considered it a good month if I didn’t get one. Since I started eating more healthily (thank…
BOOST YOUR BRAIN HEALTH – BEST-EVER BLACKBERRY MUFFINS
Not only is it blackberry season but it’s also World Alzheimer Month (bet you didn’t know that!). Last week saw the publication of the 2014 World Alzheimer Report from London’s King’s College. Encouragingly, the report says the risk of dementia can be reduced if we control diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease. Diabetes…
EAT YOUR GREENS … BUT WHICH ONES?
Spending a fortune on blueberries? Don’t know which vegetables to buy? Take a look at this new study from William Paterson University in New Jersey, which ranked 47 fruit and vegetables in terms of nutrients per bite http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2014/13_0390.htm#table2_down Researchers analysed each fruit and vegetable for 17 critical nutrients proven to reduce chronic disease.* The findings…
BREAKFAST, HEALTHY CHILDREN AND PORRIDGE PANCAKES
Breakfast: best meal of the day, right? It sets us up for whatever lies ahead. I always think that a day that starts with a good breakfast just goes better, somehow. All the experts agree that starting the day with a mix of whole-grain, slow-burning carbohydrate, protein and healthy fats is the best way to…
