While wrinkles and grey hair may be the external signs of ageing, there’s a whole other process going on inside our bodies. ‘Inflamm-ageing’ is the term coined by doctors to describe the low-grade inflammation intrinsically linked to the process of growing older. It plays a central role in the all the chronic conditions of ageing:…
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…
THESE NUTS COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE (YES, REALLY!)
Sometimes it is the simplest things which can make the biggest difference – like eating a handful of nuts each week. New research published this week revealed that eating 28g of nuts each week can reduce the risk of heart disease by up to 23%. I got the kitchen scales out to weigh 28g of…
GRANOLA BAKED APPLES
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…
HEART-HEALTHY NUTS AND CHRISTMAS GRANOLA
We’ve made no secret of our passion for nuts – many of our recipes include a sprinkle of toasted nuts or a slug of almond butter. We’re not alone: our almond butter dipping sauce is one of our most shared and pinned recipes on social media. When it comes to ageing well, nuts are one…
EAT LESS MEAT AND LIVE LONGER? AND BAKED STUFFED SWEET POTATOES
If you’ve read recent headlines, you’d be forgiven for thinking that eating a sausage is tantamount to writing a suicide note. Last week the World Health Organisation placed processed meat in the same carcinogenic category as cigarettes and alcohol. Regular red meat was placed in the category below, making it a ‘probable carcinogen’. Crikey! This…
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…
WHY THE GREAT OUTDOORS (AND WALNUTS) WILL KEEP YOU YOUNG
Ever felt that deep yearning to be out in the wild? If you have, you’re not alone. If you haven’t, it’s time to tune in. There’s now a huge body of medical evidence proving that being with wildlife keeps you healthier and happier. I write this as a committed Londoner who frequently feels a deep…
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,…
SMOOTHIES, SMOOTHIES, SMOOTHIES
I came late to the smoothie craze. In fact, by the time I’d really noticed it is a thing, doctors and nutritionists were warning us off them – citing sugar spikes and rotting teeth as payback for too many fruit-filled smoothies. If only I could make my own, I sighed, and pack in some veg,…