Archive

A recent study done by the London School of Economics found that the biggest factor that improved overall life-satisfaction was in individuals who regularly trained and played as part of a team [1]. Meeting friends and participating in activities, with all the banter and laughter that goes with it is also known to increase happiness […]

Healthy Diets contain Fruit and Vegetables. Fruit and vegetables are vital elements of a healthy, balanced diet. They are important sources of energy, contain vital vitamins, minerals and fibre and are the only source of important phytonutrients that are potentially incredibly beneficial to health. Population studies that look at the behaviour  across large groups of people have shown that […]

Pineapples were first bought to Europe in 1493 by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Caribbean. Some reports say sailers first came across the fruit eaten as an accompaniment to meat by cannibals. Renaissance Europe at the time had very few sweets. Sugar (from cane) was rare and expensive and fresh fruit incredibly seasonal. The […]

Caffeine for Sports Performance by Louise Burke, Ben Desbrow and Lawrence Spriet Caffeine for Sports Performance was first published in 2013 and even two years later is the most complete text on the effects of caffeine, offering a good review of all the research that was available at the time. Despite being effectively an extended […]

The latest healthy eating advice puts a lot of emphasis on eating fruit and vegetables, recommending five or more portions a day or suggesting these food groups should make up around half of everything we eat, (see ‘Introducing Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate‘). Looking at the research, the evidence for the benefit of eating fruit and vegetables […]

Since writing ‘Ergogenic aids – is it possible to boost performance with food?’ in May, I have already added almonds to the list of foods that are thought to give a boost to performance. I can now add another, blackcurrants. The University of Chichester have recently announced some very interesting results, looking at the effect […]

Sweet Chestnuts FINDING CHESTNUTS 2013 looks like it is going to be a bumper year for sweet chestnuts, which generally benefit from a hard frost the year before and with the winds this week there are loads of the spiky cased nuts on the ground ready to be picked up. They are best picked up […]