I’ll confess right away: my life has become increasingly sedentary. The life of most writers is a sedentary one. I walk every day, regularly clocking up between 10 and 20,000 steps. But this, it turns out, is not enough. According to recent research from America’s Brigham Young University I might as well be slouching in…
HOW TO BE CALM – SMOKED MACKEREL BRUSCHETTA
I wrote recently about gratitude, after fracturing my skull and realising how lucky I was to be alive. But as I convalesced, other less positive thoughts also swam around my head. In particular, I began thinking about people who live with fear. Why? Because I too had suddenly become fearful: What caused my collapse? Would…
GRATITUDE – THE HOTTEST AREA OF NEUROSCIENCE?
Every now and then I’m made aware of what a huge privilege it is to be alive. However, like most of us, I spend the bulk of my time caught up in the hum drum of daily life. But not anymore. Two weeks’ ago, on my way home from London Book Fair, I collapsed in…
CARING, DEMENTIA AND TOMATO SOUP
A couple of weeks ago, a report came out claiming those who lived near busy roads had a higher risk of dementia. Both Susan and I live near a very busy road, so our thoughts turned, once again, to dementia – and to how we look after dementia sufferers. Back in November, I wrote a…
EAT LIKE A FOUNDLING: SICILIAN CHICKEN WITH POTATOES & ARTICHOKES
I spent this morning at the Foundling Museum. For those you that don’t know it, the Foundling Museum is one of London’s best kept secrets, with a lovely newly opened café (which I whole-heartedly recommend). The museum currently has a small but intriguing exhibition (hurry – ends 8th January) on the food fed to its…
WHY STRESS MATTERS – FREEKEH WITH ARTICHOKES
It’s been a stressful time in British politics. Our political elite appear to have disintegrated in the space of a week. As I’ve watched Tony Blair, David Cameron, Barack Obama and a host of other politicians on screen, I‘ve distracted myself with close scrutiny of their appearance. And I’ve been struck by how quickly they’ve…
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…
NOW IS THE TIME TO EAT NETTLES! SOUP, CURRY & SAUCE
Big apologies for the long silence but Ms’s Kale & Cocoa have been work-swamped. However, we’re coming up for air in time to make the most of my favourite foraging ingredient – the ubiquitous stinging nettle. Award winning health journalist, Susan Clark, describes the common nettle (usually thought of as a weed with a nasty…
HOW TO BE HAPPY, AND CHOCOLATE PANCAKES
Can food make us happy? Not as in ‘Oh God, this cheesecake makes my tummy smile’, but in terms of micronutrients which boost mood. The short answer is yes, and the good news is that happiness is – theoretically – just a salad away. Studies from all over the world support the idea that those…
INFLAMMATION, TURMERIC AND A SIMPLE FISH CURRY RECIPE
The more I read about turmeric the more I want it in my life. A natural anti-inflammatory, it’s been linked to a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s, cancer, liver disease. It’s also anti-septic, anti-bacterial and packed with anti-oxidants – that’s a lot of anti! In India, where the spice is consumed far more than here, less…