As readers of this blog will know, I take no vitamin supplements. Except in December when I normally take a vitamin D supplement for a few months. But this year I didn’t. Until yesterday, when I did. Confused? I was too. And that’s the point. We are bombarded by constantly changing and often opposing information…
HOW TO BE CALM – SMOKED MACKEREL BRUSCHETTA
I wrote recently about gratitude, after fracturing my skull and realising how lucky I was to be alive. But as I convalesced, other less positive thoughts also swam around my head. In particular, I began thinking about people who live with fear. Why? Because I too had suddenly become fearful: What caused my collapse? Would…
ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH? FIBRE, THAT IS….
I’m not squeamish, but constipation is just one of those subjects that’s awkward to talk, and blog, about. However, a new report published this week reveals all that straining in the loo cost £145m in hospital treatment last year and 1 in 7 adults are affected by constipation at any one time. That is an…
EAT BEANS EVERY DAY & BEST EVER BLACK BEAN SOUP
Eat beans every day – that’s the message from Dan Buettner, whose third book on Blue Zones came out earlier this year. It’s a message I like – beans are cheap, convenient and delicious. So to discover they’re now, officially, the world’s number one food for longevity was music to my ears. Thanks to Jamie…
FABULOUS FERMENTED FOODS AND TEMPEH STIR FRY
You may have noticed that at Kale & Cocoa we are pretty much gut obsessed. From my perspective, it’s been a real education to discover how closely the health of our brains (and the rest of our bodies) are linked to the well-being of our gut. There’s new research published all the time: this week…
WHY THE GUT IS WHERE IT’S AT – AUBERGINE, TOMATO AND CHICK PEA STEW
Would you put your own child on a diet of fast food in the name of research? No, neither would I … but I know a man who did. And the results were frightening. Professor Tim Spector’s newly launched book, The Diet Myth, is a riveting read. It’s all about the microbiome (the bugs living…
IS THE REDUCED CALORIE DIET DEAD? KALE CAESAR SALAD
There’s been a lot of talk in recent years about the reduced calorie (RC) diet. Many long-term studies show that a significant reduction in calories (20-40%) promotes longevity. Scientists aren’t quite sure why it works but think the RC diet tricks the body into thinking famine is imminent. Your cells then rally and this postpones…
WHY CARING FOR OTHERS (AND RED CABBAGE) COULD PROLONG YOUR LIFE
A few weeks ago, a girlfriend and I were discussing the Nepal crisis over supper when she mentioned that her father, a top surgeon at Montreal General Hospital, was just off to Kathmandu to set up a trauma centre. “What?” I spluttered into my healthy, vegetarian meal. “Isn’t he too old?” Well, shame on me!…
ONE YEAR ON – COOKIES FOR KIDS (AND ADULTS!)
Happy Birthday to us! Kale & Cocoa is a year old today and we’d like to thank our 1000 followers for all their support. You’ve made all the hard work worthwhile! But our first birthday has got me thinking. During the last twelve months, we’ve immersed ourselves in hundreds of research reports, medical studies, blogs,…
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…
