Children's Health
The food conglomerate Nestlé has for some time attracted some criticism for its marketing of baby milk formulas in the third world, where the diarrhoeal diseases caused by the making up of such feeds with contaminated water are believed to be a significant cause of infant mortality. Recent news reports have suggested that it is […]
Food and Medical Politics
It’s a widely held belief that high cholesterol poses significant hazards to our health, and that trimming the level of this fat in the bloodstream can only help to ensure that life goes on. Food companies seem to have been particularly keen to feed this notion, and offer us an ever-expanding range of spreads, milks, […]
Brain and Behaviour
I quite often see individuals in my practice who, despite the best of intentions, find themselves irresistibly drawn to eat none-too-healthy foods such as chocolate cake. I was therefore interested to read a recent study in which the additive nature of this oft-favoured food was assessed. Sophisticated scans revealed that the sight and taste of […]
Healthy Eating
Like a lot of people, I have seen a fair few fad diets come and go over the years. One flavour of the month that I encountered early on in my nutritional career was the food combining diet. Also known as the Hay diet, this way of eating advocated keeping certain foods separate at meal […]
Healthy Eating
Filing has never been one of my strong points, and so my desktop traditionally functions as a dumping ground for an never-ending influx of paper matter. With most recent stuff going on top, finding something that dates back a few weeks or months can require a fairly extensive archaeological dig. The failings of this system […]
Healthy Eating
It’s often said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The morning meal provides solid fuel with which the body can re-ignite its energies after the lengthy overnight fast. Breakfast eating is associated with improved scholastic performance in children, and seems to boost brain power for significant numbers of adults too. In […]
Brain and Behaviour
This month has seen a flurry of jabs and jibes aimed at Dr Andrew Wakefield – the lead author of the study published in 1998 that first suggested a link between MMR vaccination and autism. An alleged conflict of interest has instigated a call for Dr Wakefield’s work to be disregarded, on the back of […]
Healthy Eating
In an effort to contain the ever-expanding levels of obesity in the UK, the Government is considering levying a tax on unhealthy foods such as those rich in fat. Perhaps not surprisingly, the so-called ‘fat tax’ has attracted some criticism from those keen to stay out of the clutches of the nanny state. Also, some […]
Brain and Behaviour
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) here in the UK recently published a report which stressed the role of psychological therapies in the treatment of eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia nervosa. However, while conventional wisdom has been that these conditions are essentially mental disorders for which a head-first approach should prevail, mounting […]
Healthy Eating
Despite some commitment to not watching bollocks telly, I recently found myself seduced into witnessing the glamour model Jordan and ex-Kitten Kerry McFadden make a right meal out of an assortment of creepy crawlies on ‘I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!’ Watching these bosom pals’ theatrical attempts at downing some very unappetising cockroaches […]