Why does the world of nutrition have to be so polarised? On one hand, the hard-core vegans (or near vegan) like Dr Joel Fuhrman (SuperImmunity) and Dr Neal Barnard (Power Foods For The Brain) and on the other, the low carb carnivores like David Perlmutter (Grain Brain) and William Davis (Wheat Belly). At Kale &…
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…
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…
INCREASE YOUR MICROBIOTA – AND PEA & SOYBEAN SALAD
Preparing to hunker down for the cooler months? Feeling gloomy about the end of summer? Stop right there! If Susan’s last post on Vitamin D and dementia didn’t get you up and out, then tune in to this week’s BBC Horizon programme (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04g507y/horizon-20142015-5-allergies-modern-life-and-me) on the explosion of allergies in the developed world. Horizon covered not…
HOW TO THICKEN AGEING HAIR – PEA AND ROASTED GARLIC SOUP WITH BASIL AND FARRO
OK … thinning hair may seem frivolous in the context of degenerative disease, but when your crowning glory starts falling out in handfuls, just because you’ve reached that age, a girl needs to take action. Hair loss is a typical symptom of ageing – and I’m no exception. I should point out that I’ve never…
CANCER-BUSTING CARROTS AND A SIMPLE CARROT SALAD WITH SESAME DRESSING
Carrots … cheap, readily available, invariably liked by children. And now, a cancer-busting superfood to boot. Research into carrots has shown them to: lower the risk of heart attacks in women; reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 32%; reduce the risk of colon, prostate and bladder cancer; restore vision; and help prevent inflammatory…
WHY WE ARE NUTS ABOUT NUTS – AND A RECIPE FOR ALMOND-GINGER DIPPING SAUCE
Eating well to age well (our Kale and Cocoa mantra) isn’t about the odd sprinkle of chia seeds and goji berries (although we love them both) – it’s about making real change to how we eat: whacking up the amount of vegetables and fruit, reducing processed, refined foods and focussing on foods that do us…
PRO-AGEING RED BEANS – SPICED KIDNEY BEAN DIP WITH SMOKED PAPRIKA CRISPS AND CHERRY TOMATOES
This week’s big break-through has been the lycopene study, proving that lycopene really does protect against heart disease and strokes. We’ll be telling you more about lovely lycopene later, but you can catch up at: http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jun/09/tomato-extract-lycopene-relieves-damaged-arteries-cambridge-study But my favourite research? The one showing cynics faced a ‘far higher risk of Alzheimer’s’! Indeed, the Scandinavian study…
A SEASONAL SUPERFOOD THAT INHIBITS CANCER – SWEET AND SOUR CHERRY BOWL WITH KALE, ALMONDS AND GOAT’S CHEESE
There’s something of the jewel about cherries – their colour, their shape, their size, the way they shine (and yes, their price!). Nutritionally, they’re even more precious, punching way above their weight. Indeed cherries make it into the top 20 superfoods when it comes to antioxidants – and that’s just one reason they’ve been…