Category Archives: Nutrition in the news

Gingerbread has gone rogue this Christmas

As we begin December and the lead up to Christmas, my attention keeps returning to food. Not about what I’m eating at any given moment or what I’m going to eat for my next meal. But I am stuck in a brain loop of sorts about the prospect of cooking and baking everything in time for Christmas. Every year, it is a logistical nightmare to find the time to bake Christmas cookies, pies and cakes, amongst work, family and holiday commitments. And the timing is pretty crucial. If you bake too early, you risk either running out of everything or being completely bored by it by the time Christmas rolls around. But if you do it too late, you will find yourself facing towers of leftover mince pies until Valentine’s Day. Then there is the big question of what to cook on Christmas day itself. Do you make the same traditional meal yet again or make the bold choice to mix it up with some new flavours and sides? It’s always a risky move to ‘go big or go home’ when you can’t hide in your own kitchen.

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Why not all ultra-processed foods are Killers

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Like many people, I watched the latest documentary from Channel 4 with much interest. But Joe Wicks: Licensed to Kill did not turn out to be a fly-on-the-wall series about training the nation’s lockdown PE teacher to become a member of the Secret Service. Instead, he joined Dr Chris van Tulleken on a quest to expose the dangers of ultra-processed foods, where they pitted themselves against the super-heavyweights of snacking, protein bars. These chewy monstrosities were once something that only those seeking marginal gains would scoff at the gym but they now permeate every newsagent, supermarket checkout and office countertop. Since protein bars are commonly sold under the innocent guise of being a healthy snack, the daring duo set out to show how lax regulations were allowing them to be anything but.

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Healthy hacks to meet your budget

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There’s a sure sign, which I can’t help but notice, that marks the start of another academic year. It is suddenly much easier to get through the maze of supermarket aisles. Not that I am complaining about being rammed by child-sized mini-trollies. Or about one occasion, where I was almost ploughed down by a child bombing down the cereal aisle on a bike. After all, even though my children have grown up, I am still a parent. But all parents, if they’re honest, will readily admit that doing a weekly shop is far easier, less stressful and more efficient sans sprogs. Primarily because you can choose your purchases freely and without the prospect of facing any further negotiations or arguments. Not to mention, because you also have a bit more control over exactly what you spend. Although, with the cost of living crisis hitting most families’ budgets, it is getting more difficult to make any savings when it comes to buying healthy food.

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When less is not more

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I couldn’t help but notice the recent splash on social media about Marks & Spencer’s new line. However, it wasn’t referring to this season’s update of their classic ware but rather the launch of their ONLY…INGREDIENTS range of breakfast cereals. The excitement around the name, itself, was very intriguing. I mean, didn’t their other cereals also contain at least some ingredients? Despite this, the managing director posted online that M&S had always been the leader of having the ‘cleanest’ food and their new range was pushing the boundaries once again. Reading that, I wondered exactly what breakfast boundaries they were trying to breach and why they felt the need to ‘clean’ up their cereal. Especially when the debunked trend for clean eating had collected as much dust over the past ten years as most people’s long defunct spiralizers. I hoped that ‘clean’ wasn’t making a comeback anytime soon although…there were also rumours of skinny jeans making a resurgence. I had to dive deep into the M&S breakfast aisle to find out if a bowl of their clean cereal would make a good start to the day.

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Skyr-y days ahead

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I am sure that I am not alone in finding that whenever I return from an unforgettable holiday, I like to try and hold onto it just a little bit longer. Sometimes this means I’ll be wearing the same touristy tee and drinking from a new ‘I heart (insert country here)’ mug for days on end. But more often I like to try to recreate some of the dishes and flavours that I enjoyed eating while away. Almost unconsciously my usual shopping list changes and I find myself filling my supermarket trolley with familiar holiday ingredients. Which explains why since recently returning from Iceland – the country, not the supermarket – I can’t seem to stop reaching for some skyr.