Yaay! My right hand has just been liberated after five weeks in a plaster cast (and of course I am right handed)- such a relief. I broke my wrist in two places, slipping on mud flats while walking at low tide over the summer. It took a split second to do, and has been surprisingly painful…
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,…
MEAT-FREE WEEK AND THE BEST VEGAN BLACK BEAN CHILLI
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 &…
THE POWER OF VITAMIN D – HEALTHY CHRISTMAS CANAPES
With the darkest day almost upon us, it seems fitting to end the year with a few words on the sunshine vitamin – Vitamin D. A slew of new research has linked Vitamin D deficiency to obesity, dementia, prostate and colorectal cancers, fertility, multiple sclerosis, asthma, heart disease, high blood pressure, poor immunity, SAD, schizophrenia…
HOW TO GET YOUR CHILD EATING HEALTHY FOODS – AND RECIPES FOR KALE CRISPS
For those of you who think the off-spring of Ms’s Kale and Cocoa happily munch on spinach and lentils, let me put you right. They (mostly) don’t! Like mothers everywhere, we cajole, bribe, threaten and despair. But after sixteen years of feeding multiple children and reading multiple books and reports on the subject, I’ve made…
WHY EATING WELL NEEDN’T COST A FORTUNE – SARDINE AND WATERCRESS PÂTÉ
As I stood in line at a supermarket checkout recently, I overheard a young couple in front of me querying the cost of their weekly shop. The checkout lady confirmed her till was working properly and she hadn’t put any items through twice. Then the young woman’s face crumpled. “We were just trying to be…
EAT YOUR GREENS … BUT WHICH ONES?
Spending a fortune on blueberries? Don’t know which vegetables to buy? Take a look at this new study from William Paterson University in New Jersey, which ranked 47 fruit and vegetables in terms of nutrients per bite http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2014/13_0390.htm#table2_down Researchers analysed each fruit and vegetable for 17 critical nutrients proven to reduce chronic disease.* The findings…
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…
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…
WHY WE SHOULD ALL BE EATING MORE WATERMELON – WATERMELON SALAD WITH FETA AND PUMPKIN SEEDS
The biggest blockbuster research in recent weeks was Cambridge University’s study into lycopene, a carotenoid (that’s a natural pigment made by plants) and powerful anti-oxidant. The latest in a string of studies and reports showing the benefits of lycopene, this one found that lycopene-rich diets can improve cardio-vascular and heart health. Previous studies have suggested…