Have you watched the recent BBC programmes on dementia? Both the unbearable moving Living With Dementia: Chris’s Story and Angela Rippon’s programme The Truth About Dementia are still on BBC iPlayer if you missed them. It’s brilliant to see dementia discussed on primetime network television. Angela did a wonderful, heart-warming job revealing the human stories…
EATING LESS – WHITE BEAN AND ANCHOVY DIP
Great to hear today’s big ageing research: older women who go to church at least twice a week live for five months longer, on average, than those that don’t. The extra longevity is not attributed to the divine hand of God, however, but to the sense of community regular church attendance provides. I suspect faith…
REINVENTION AND CHICKEN LIVER PATÉ
The last fortnight has certainly brought a smile to the faces of Ms’s Kale & Cocoa. Firstly, Public Health England launched its One You campaign by quoting the very research we launched our blog with two years ago –the study showing how lifestyle and dietary changes made in middle age positively impact health in old…
CHOCOLATE CAN HELP PREVENT DEMENTIA? AND CHOCO-MATCHA COOKIES
We called our blog ‘Kale & Cocoa’ for a reason – while we love the health benefits of kale, we love a bit of chocolate too. So yet more evidence that chocolate is good for us is a bonus! Early in the summer it was widely reported that around 100g of chocolate a…
FEWER WRINKLES? YES PLEASE! AND CHIA SEED PARFAIT
Kale & Cocoa isn’t about how we’re ageing on the outside – we’re all about eating well to reduce our risk of age-related illnesses. But if a healthy diet in midlife means fewer wrinkles then BRING IT ON! If you’ve read recent posts, you’ll know that I suffered a fracture in the summer and have…
WHY THE GREAT OUTDOORS (AND WALNUTS) WILL KEEP YOU YOUNG
Ever felt that deep yearning to be out in the wild? If you have, you’re not alone. If you haven’t, it’s time to tune in. There’s now a huge body of medical evidence proving that being with wildlife keeps you healthier and happier. I write this as a committed Londoner who frequently feels a deep…
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,…
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…
RUSHING WOMAN’S SYNDROME AND THE PERFECT LENTIL SALAD
Just over a decade ago, I turned up at my Doctor’s surgery in tears. I had two toddlers, was six months pregnant, had a cold I couldn’t shift and was working a sixty hour week – all on four hours of sleep a night. As I sobbed into a tissue, my mobile phone blinked and…