Category: Healthy Eating

Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome

Carbohydrate, not fat, consumption is linked with increased risk of metabolic syndrome

In recent years there has been increasing awareness regarding a condition known a ‘metabolic syndrome’. While its precise definition varies a bit, the main feature of metabolic syndrome is excess weight around the midriff (abdominal obesity), coupled with other unwanted findings such as raised levels of sugar and/or blood fats known as triglycerides, raised blood […]

January 5, 2007· 4 min read

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Healthy Eating

More research suggests that green tea has cancer-protective properties

In previous blogs, I have reported on the apparent health-benefits of green tea, and in particular its apparent association with a reduced risk of cancer. This beverage is rich in phytochemicals (naturally-occurring plant substances) known as polyphenols that have what is known as ‘antioxidant’ activity. This means that they have the potential to quell disease-promoting […]

December 27, 2006· 2 min read

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Healthy Eating

The health benefits of Brussels sprouts

Merry Christmas everybody. In case you are visiting this site on Christmas day, let me reassure you that I didn’t get up especially early this morning to get this blog post written before the festivities could begin for me. There are limits! Through the wonders of technology I was able to write this entry a […]

December 25, 2006· 3 min read

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Healthy Eating

Getting the balance right over Christmas

While I may be passionate about nutrition, I’m equally passionate about food. So, one of the reasons I like this time of year is it gives me the opportunity to consuming things that don’t turn up too often on the menu during the rest of the year. Deep down in me there’s a bit of […]

December 22, 2006· 5 min read

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Healthy Eating

Olive oil is famed for its heart-healthy properties, but might it help protect against cancer too?

For some years now, the ‘Mediterranean’ diet has been said to have broad advantages to health, particularly with regard to ‘cardiovascular’ diseases such as heart disease and stroke. A key element in the Mediterranean diet is olive oil, which is rich in ‘healthy’ monounsaturated fat. However, in recent times some scientists have begun to suggest […]

December 20, 2006· 4 min read

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Healthy Eating

Advice for those seeking to ‘enjoy’ a drink over the festive season

I was interested to read about a study published recently which charted the vast number of sick days taken off in Australia due to hangovers. A study published in Medical Journal of Australia found that 2.6 million ‘sickies’ were taken in 2001 because of booze. The estimated cost to employers is some 473 million Australian […]

December 18, 2006· 4 min read

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Healthy Eating

Are vegetarian diets healthy?

Last week, I highlighted the importance, when assessing the effects of a diet or medical treatment, of focusing not so much on parameters such as blood cholesterol and blood pressure, but on health [click here]. And this week, one of my posts makes the point that it makes sense to concentrate on broad health effects […]

December 15, 2006· 5 min read

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Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome

What are we going to do about the diabetes ‘timebomb’?

It’s been hard to miss the dire warning we’ve had about the burgeoning rates of diabetes we’re seeing in the World. Another came this week came out of Cape Town in South Africa during the World Diabetes Congress. It was announced at a news conference that by the year 2025, 380 million people will be […]

December 8, 2006· 9 min read

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Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome

Why I won’t be giving up my morning coffee any time soon

Last week I was on the island of Malta in middle of the Mediterranean teaching a health-focused course to delegates from several European countries. At one point, I found myself having a conversation over breakfast with our course administrator – an Italian – on the topic of how to make a great espresso coffee. I […]

December 1, 2006· 4 min read

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Food and Medical Politics

For some women, it seems HIGH fat diets are best for the breast

On 15th November my blog was dedicated to a very poorly interpreted piece of research which purported to show a link between red meat eating and an increased risk of breast cancer [click here]. Even the most cursory look at this study revealed a piece of research hardly worth the paper it was written on. […]

November 27, 2006· 3 min read

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