Healthy Eating
According to official statistics, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 12 men are set to feel the ageing process in their bones as a result of the skeleton-thinning condition known as osteoporosis. The bone-weakening effect of osteoporosis is estimated to responsible for 200,000 fractures in the UK each year, and is a cause of […]
Healthy Eating
My line of work inevitably brings me face-to-face with individuals who feel a fair proportion of their weight is surplus to requirements and are thoroughly fed up with living it large. I have known many would-be slimmers who, keen to force themselves into calorie deficit, are tempted to subsist on very slim pickings for breakfast […]
Healthy Eating
We British do seem to have an insatiable appetite for foreign cuisine, and one country whose traditional fare seems to have made a successful migration to these shores is Japan. While taste and fashion are likely to be driving forces in the rising popularity of Japanese food in these parts, my suspicion is that another […]
Healthy Eating
In my last column a couple of weeks ago I gave some attention to the notion that it’s not just our size, but also our shape, that determines the likely health effects of any excess body baggage we happen to be carrying. Increasing evidence suggests that individuals with an overflow of fat around the midriff […]
Healthy Eating
New Year’s Eve looms, and many of us will be brewing up for the bout of heavy drinking this night of celebration traditionally entails. Such intoxicating pleasures tend to come with some pain too, however, usually in the form of the hangover from hell the morning after the night before. Alcohol in excess has a […]
Healthy Eating
As a big believer in the concept that food is something to be enjoyed and savoured, I am not one to encourage particular dietary restraint at this time of year (it is Christmas, after all). However, I am also mindful of the fact that the sort of overindulgence typical over the festive season can leave […]
Healthy Eating
One lingering memory I have from childhood is the influx of festive fare into our home on the run-up to Christmas. December would see bottles of advocaat and Asti Spumante (I kid you not) appear in the garage, and netting bags full of nuts would take up much-needed room in the kitchen cupboards. Another seasonal […]
Healthy Eating
Recent estimates that a whopping 40 per cent of us will be obese within the next generation have led to renewed calls from the dietetic establishment for us to cut back on calories. Standard slimming theory dictates that the only way to lose weight is simply to consume fewer calories than the body burns as […]
Healthy Eating
My weekly trawl through the scientific literature quite often brings in evidence for the health-promoting properties of the fats found in oily fish such as salmon, trout, mackerel and sardine. Studies show that these so-called omega-3 fats help keep a range ailments at bay including depression, hyperactivity, heart disease and cancer. However, despite their healthy […]
Healthy Eating
Even in my relatively brief time as a doctor I have witnessed the rise to prominence of previously rare conditions including hyperactivity, autism and chronic fatigue syndrome. Another contemporary condition, and one which I seem to be seeing in increasing numbers in my practice, is the exclusively female affliction known as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). […]