Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “nutrition”
Cholesterol gets a lot of bad publicity but the truth is that it is an essential part of all cells and so it is no real surprise that it is abundant in the human body. The prevailing theory is that cholesterol is the cause of modern diseases but how strong is the evidence to support this theory? and what, if anything …
A core concept to understand in maximising health is that our bodies are constantly managing supply and demand. We have evolved to expect continual change and be ready for both the best and the worst which requires the ability to predict future demand. This is as true for energy as it is for other nutrients like vitamins and minerals. All nutrients are …
Just a quick report. Yesterday I tried having two teaspoons of coffee instead of one. Not a huge change for most people but a lot for me. Oh, and it was normal coffee not decaf. I’ve moved on a long way in my tolerance this past year. I can’t help but notice how tense I have been since yesterday. Totally …
So the festival is upon us. How much fun we will have. What I like to do is make the fun work for me, making me healthier not heavier. It took a long time to learn but now it has just become part of the normal day. I’m no expert I just do it for fun. I’ve learnt most things …
I understand that our brains can only obtain energy from sugar. The can’t get it from protein and fat like the rest of our body. So when I found an article considering How much glucose does your brain actually need? I knew I needed to make a record for future reference. This is something I learnt through bio psychology and my PE …
I don’t know enough about the gluten free debate which is the food trend de jour but I have experienced my fair share of fads. Not to say that Coeliac disease is a fad. Quite the opposite. That is a clear definable disease. I’m talking about people diagnosing themselves without due care. Making extreme and sudden changes to their diet …
My personal challenge. Find meals with vegetables as the main attraction that you want to eat time and again. This is my simple attempt. Inspired by Nigel Slater and others. A friend introduced me to Avocado and I’ve been using it ever since. I took the photo heading this post of my lunch. The beauty was just picking this out …
Watching The men who made us fat is a double edged sword for me. I like to learn more about the food and fitness industries and I certainly learn a lot watching the show however I do think the presenter Jacques Peretti has his own opinion and I can’t say it is completely accurate. I feel it is almost as biased as …
Here’s a fascinating insight. High Blood pressure could relate to your ability to balance the salt level in your body. That’s the advice from Marc Pelletier discussing research on blood pressure on episode 103 of Dr Kiki’s science hour podcast . Marc explains that his research indicates that high blood pressure could be a problem of salt balance and water …
I’m watching the the second episode of “The men who made us fat” by the BBC. I’m impressed. I’m used to seeing these kinds of programme. I’ve heard most of it before but I like the way it’s put together. I think it’s really nailing the point that we’re eating much more than we used to and that portion sizes …
So I’ve had this niggling question for quite a while now. ‘Why do most drinks available not quench your thirst?’. for along time I’ve been ordering a separate glass of water with any drink at a restaurant. In a club or bar I just accept that each drink is going to make me want another. But why is this the …
Ok, so the last couple of articles have been a bit intense. So I’m gonna lighten the mood. I just had a terrific meal and so I have to share. Sorry that I didn’t take a pic but I’d started eating before I remembered. What I really want to share is how darn easy it was. I’ve been working on …
Part of making food fun is banishing hunger. When I’m celebrating, say at Christmas, I want to eat what I want. No restrictions. Then after in the new year and other times I still want to enjoy food but eat less of it and restore the balance to my weight. Sounds simple but, if you’ve actually tried it, you’ll know …
I’ve noticed for many years that physical activity is a great way to maintain or lose weight because by being active you get to add to your life. It’s a positive thing. Many people instantly tell me they don’t like being active but I quickly and consistently find things they like doing that are active that they didn’t realise could …
My background is in human performance. I studied biology, psychology, sociology and a lot of sports science and pe. So I’m fascinated with finding out what our bodies are capable of. It’s amazing how much is known and has been documented. What I see as lacking is a model that ties all this knowledge into virtual systems. I feel software …
I’ve covered this topic before but got a little inspiration so thought i’d write it down. Haven’t read the original post so not sure if I’m repeating myself. The essence of my thoughts is around the human need for fat’s, particularly saturated fats. The media and health professionals like to bemoan fat intake but I’m not entirely convinced it’s all …
I’m just finishing a text book I forgot to finish a year or so back and got to the chapter on heart disease. It reminded me why I get a little frustrated with current nutritional and health advice and why I think the public gets so confused and follows so many fashions. In my view it’s because so much of …
Sometimes I think we forget that the human gene pool is pretty diverse. Until relatively recently we have survived in many different extremes, desserts, ice belts, tropics, temperate climates. Places where food is scarce, places it’s everywhere. Thus our gene pool should contain abilities to survive on many different diets. In fact I think it’s more likely that many different …
I was in the Open University library a couple of weeks back. I had the urge to pop down the human biology section and see what caught my eye. I know I shouldn’t admit to that because it’s far too sad, but that’s how much this stuff fascinates me. Anyway I picked up a book named ‘Human Biology and Health: …
Does any one know what we’re supposed to be eating any more? Seriously I really think it depends who you listen to. Everyone has a different answer. Think I’m crazy? well first it was low fat, then low saturated fat, then low carb, high protein. It goes on. Ok we’ve all heard that debate. Well what do the oldest people in …