Every now and then the two facets of my life come together in a moment of perfect harmony. This happened recently as I researched the Blue Zone of Sardinia for our Age-Well Project – which also happened to be the same time I was completing research for my novel, Frieda: The Original Lady Chatterley (which…
SUGAR, CHOCOLATE, SADNESS AND BRAIN-BOOSTING BISCUITS
News that has made me happy this week. And news that has saddened me. And throughout it all my children – along with thousands of others – have been revising and sitting a relentless string of exams. Which is why today’s recipe is one you don’t often see on our blog: chocolate biscuits made with…
HOW TO COMBAT AIR POLLUTION & LENTILS IN A LEMON AND TOMATO SAUCE
The most difficult chapter of our book to write (so far) has been the chapter on air pollution and what it’s doing to our bodies and brains. Why so difficult? Not because of the lack of research (oh no, plenty of that!), or the complexity of learning about PM2.5 (relatively simple compared to grappling with…
SHOULD YOU EAT LESS SALT? LEBANESE BAKED BEANS
Salt is back in the news. I’m sighing as I write this because salt has been one of the most difficult-to-investigate and complex chapters of our upcoming book (so far). Picking a path through the mountains of conflicting research has left my head reeling. Salt, it seems, is an emotive and contentious subject. We need…
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…
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…
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…
WILL CARBOHYDRATES KILL ME? WHOLEGRAINS AND MILLET PANCAKES
To carb or not to carb, that is the question – particularly when it comes to age-related, degenerative disease. The battle lines are being drawn in the fight for our health. If that sounds melodramatic, bear with me. The traditional view of our nutritional needs is encapsulated in the NHS-approved food pyramid, with plentiful portions…
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…