Posts tagged “Diet”

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Are you still feeling the chill from the "Beast from the East"?!?

Posted on 7th March 2018 at 07:30

The snow may have melted but the “Beast of the East” is still making itself felt. And we’re not talking about yet more potholes on the roads (!), a few dented cars or some local shops playing catch up after the snow disrupted their supplies. Or the floods that so often follow heavy snow.

Instead we’re thinking about things from a much more personal level and how the cold weather affects each of us, albeit to varying degrees (no pun intended!). And, much more importantly, how it continues to do so for a while after it’s gone.

If this seems a strange thing to say, bear with us, it’ll all become clear in a minute.

Who's afraid of the bogeyman?

Posted on 7th February 2018 at 07:30

With the Flu season now in full swing, accompanied by near hysterical reporting in the press about it being “the worst ever”, it really is time for reality check. Not to mention a dose of that seemingly rarest of all commodities, common sense.

In recent years, the Flu season seems to have started earlier and earlier. Hardly has the summer begun here in the UK, when stories start appearing in the press about the forthcoming Flu season. How new strains are appearing in the Far East / Australia / fill in the blank. That they’re all heading for the UK. And it’s going to be the worst season ever. The picture painted is of Flu rampaging its way round the world, a sinister figure with evil intent bent on worldwide domination. A bogeyman for adults.

It’s enough to make you want to retreat to the safety of your bed, pull the duvet over your head and stay there until it’s all over.

But is this really the case?

The dark side of rapeseed oil

Posted on 17th January 2018 at 07:30

Last week we looked at vegetable oils and which are the best ones to use at home, both as a dressing and for cooking. As promised, this week we’re going to focus on one oil in particular which has become increasingly popular over recent years, but there are widespread concerns about. Rapeseed oil.

Here in the UK few people can have missed the bright yellow fields each spring of rape in full flower. Or its pungent smell, which seems to mark the beginning of the Hayfever season, although this is a topic for another day.

Are vegetable oils as healthy as the hype?

Posted on 10th January 2018 at 07:30

With so many people making healthy eating one of their new year’s resolutions, it’s not surprising that we’re being asked about which vegetable oil is best to use at home. As this is a topic we looked at a couple of years ago, this week we’re going to cheat (!) and put this post up again.

Next week we’ll focus on one of the oils there are widespread concerns about – rapeseed oil – as there’s so much more to say about it. Like soy, it’s another example of how a half truth can be used to paint a rather misleading picture of the health benefits of a product. It’s also a timely reminder of the need to do a little research of your own rather than taking things on face value. And this applies wherever the information comes from, ourselves included (!).

So, without further ado, here we go.

Winter the season of warming spices

Posted on 13th December 2017 at 07:30

With the nights drawing in – and temperatures dropping – it’s not surprising that our thoughts at this time of year turn to warming and comforting treats. Spices have long been treasured for their ability to pep up our staple fare not to mention their preserving and medicinal qualities.

Many of the winter treats we still enjoy today – fruit cakes, Christmas puddings, mince pies and mulled wine – date back to medieval times, when spices were a luxury. A long anticipated treat.

These days with travel having become so much easier – and the world much smaller – spices have become an integral part of our everyday lives. However, they offer much more than simply being an ingredient of our favourite Indian or Chinese foods. They also have an important medicinal aspect which has long been recognised by many traditional forms of medicine, including Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Is soy really a healthy source of protein and good for you?

Posted on 29th November 2017 at 07:30

Over recent years soy has been marketed as the healthy alternative to many meat and dairy products, appearing in an ever increasing range of products found on supermarket shelves. Much has been made of the important part it plays in the diets of those in the Far East, particularly Japan and China.

The logic goes that as Asian people traditionally have lower rates of heart disease, cancer and dementia AND soy is an important part of their diet; then it should be included in our diets for its health enhancing properties. (And, coincidentally, this is the reason clients always refer to when we ask them why they’ve made this change.)

The magic of magnesium

Posted on 15th November 2017 at 07:30

A couple of weeks ago we looked at the difference between minerals and vitamins. How important they BOTH are to good health and the complex web of relationships between them.

As promised this week we’re focussing on one mineral in particular, magnesium, which has been the subject of much research in recent years. Interestingly, this has highlighted the large number of people who are deficient in this mineral AND the part this then plays in many health problems. It has also emphasised, once again, the part played by poor ongoing lifestyle choices. And they’re the ones we mention regularly – lack of fresh fruit and vegetables, dehydration, stress, lack of exercise and smoking.

Why minerals are as important as vitamins for good health

Posted on 1st November 2017 at 07:30

Over the years we’ve noticed that the autumn seems to be the time when everyone starts thinking about taking a supplement to boost their health – and, hopefully, avoid the worst of the winter bugs. Usually this takes the form of a multi vitamin or, more commonly in recent years, a higher dose of a specific vitamin, particularly Vitamin C.

For some reason people tend to overlook minerals – unless their multi vitamin happens to contain them too (!) – and how they’re just as important in maintaining good health. This may be due to research – and press coverage – in recent years focusing more on vitamins than minerals. Or, perhaps, no single mineral has caught the public’s attention in the way Vitamin C has.

Whatever the reason(s) this week we’re going to focus on minerals and why they’re just as important as vitamins for good health.

Just when you thought we'd finished talking about winter bugs...

Posted on 27th September 2017 at 07:30

Having focussed on Colds recently – not only what to do if the worst happens, but how to avoid them in the first place (!) – we weren’t expecting to continue on a similar theme this week. However, with a number of clients having come in with Sinusitis over the last couple of weeks, it seemed like one more blog post was needed on this topic before we move on to other things.

As an aside, we should say that it’s very unusual to see clients with Sinusitis following a Cold so early in the season. In our experience we don’t expect to see it until the weather becomes much colder and damper. Although, having said that, the very changeable weather this summer may well be the reason for this.

Sending winter bugs on their way

Posted on 13th September 2017 at 07:30

A couple of weeks ago we looked at all the simple things you could do to help make this a bug free winter. Getting the basics right.

But what if, despite all your best efforts, the worst happens? Well, all is not lost. There are lots of things you can do at home to help speed bugs on their way.

Let’s start with the most obvious one that most people seem to overlook.

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