This is a great dish for making use of all those lovely Autumnal apples. Annabel has apple trees in her garden and keeps leaving bags of them on my doorstep! So I keep making this dish. It’s high in fibre and low in processed anything. Great for heart health, and fighting inflammation. I know baked…
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…
AGEING WELL: 12 LESSONS FROM 2015 – AND VEGETABLE TARTLETS FOR CHRISTMAS DINNER
The end of the year means it’s time to review all the reports on healthy ageing we poured over in the last 12 months. As ever, some of the research seemed (to us) a little ho hum, but every now and then along came a study that made us sit up and take note. I…
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…
GET FAT TO BEAT DEMENTIA, REALLY? VITAMIN E AND A CRUMBLE RECIPE
This is bonkers, but fat and obese people are less likely to get dementia. Yes, really. Recent research published in The Lancet suggests that being overweight has an 18% reduction in dementia risk and being obese a staggering 24% reduction. It’s brilliant news if you are overweight of course, but it flies in the face…
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…
A BLUEPRINT FOR AGEING WELL AND BUCKWHEAT TABBOULEH
We love our growing Kale and Cocoa community and particularly love your comments and input. So thank you. And a particular thank you to Lynn Dell for leading us to some of the most fascinating research on healthy ageing we’ve read in a long time. It’s a report by Dr Dale Bredesen at the Mary…
CARING, TURMERIC AND A RECIPE FOR SALMON PILAFF
This weekend feels like the start of the long march to Christmas – with all the presents, all the parties, all the food and all the mayhem that entails. For anyone who takes care of anyone (which is most adults, to be honest) it means even more juggling than usual, fitting in the children’s activities…