It’s June and, in the UK, that means party-time. June has always been the month of weddings, big parties, Ascot, Wimbledon, Henley Royal Regatta and so on. This year – in my household – June has featured a celebratory bash every weekend, with several more during the week as my daughters celebrate the end of…
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…
YOUR BRAIN WANTS YOU TO LOOK AFTER IT RIGHT NOW, and griddled asparagus with miso dressing
Alzheimer’s is a disease for old people, right? Wrong! While the symptoms of Alzheimer’s may not appear until later in life, the pathology – the changes in the brain which lead to this devastating disease – starts much earlier. So if we want to reduce our dementia risk, the work needs to start now. Middle-aged…
WHY WE’RE NOT VEGAN, AND A PLANT-BASED FAMILY DINNER
McDonalds sells vegan burgers, Gordon Ramsay offers dairy-free pizza and frozen food brand Iceland has a plant-based burger. No wonder supermarket chain Waitrose has declared 2018 the year veganism went mainstream. There are many ethical and environmental reasons to go vegan, of course. There’s also a longevity argument for giving up meat and dairy, which…
CAN YOU HELP SCIENCE? YES YOU CAN… SPICED NETTLES WITH GREEN OLIVES
Is it time to make yourself available to science? And I don’t mean donating your dead body (although we’re big supporters of organ donation too) or giving blood (another good thing to do), but taking part in a living, breathing research project. Over the last four years of blogging, we’ve become increasingly aware of the…
NOT ALL EXERCISE IS EQUAL: ZA’TAR NUTS AND THE LONDON BOAT RACE
We know exercise is good and that any exercise is better than none. But are we being misled by Government guidelines with their constant references to moderation? In Britain the National Health Service advises us to do “150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity such as cycling or brisk walking every week.” But Swedish research published…
BRING NOVELTY INTO YOUR LIFE & FREEKEH WITH PISTACHIOS
Ever wondered why holidays stand out in our memories? It’s because the brain loves novelty. Our brains are hardwired to respond to things that are new or different and to effectively sear them into our memories. Sometimes called the ‘novelty response’, this reaction can also help our brains survive the threat of dementia. Which is…
WHY EXERCISE IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR AGEING WELL AND THE PERFECT CLOVEY SPICE MIX
One of my favourite ageing blogs comes from an American scientist called Dr Josh Mitteldorf. Last year Josh reviewed the science behind the five things he considers most helpful in fending off dementia: physical exercise; mental stimulation and social interaction; metabolic syndrome/insulin sensitivity; diet; and drugs/supplements. We would add sleep, but Josh didn’t (clearly he’s…
WHY WE NEED TO SPICE UP OUR LIVES and SPICED PARSNIP SOUP
I was flicking through The Times earlier this week, when I spotted – buried away on page 14 – a short piece about pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer: Pfizer gives up on dementia research. Pfizer has said it will no longer be researching treatments for Alzheimer’s. The company has also stopped investing in a cure for Parkinson’s….