But what if we looked at out treat days in a different way? What if a treat was to nourish ourselves and the thing we gave up for lent was dieting. Instead what if we adopted a new attitude to the food we eat and looked at it as something to give us heath, rather than something to feel guilty about after we have overindulged?  

Do you feel hungry all the time, no matter how much you eat? It could be that your hormones have a part to play in your ravenous appetite. I am not talking about oestrogen and testosterone, although they could have an impact too. Meet your hunger hormone, gherlin. Ghrelin is one of the hormones responsible for regulating your appetite, controlling your hunger, food intake and fat storage.

Do you get hungry between meals? For most of us, snacking is the norm, but is it a good idea for our heath? I am sure you have heard the advice to 'eat little and often', but this is old news now. Nutritional science now recognises that (for most people at least) it is a good idea to give your body a rest from constant munching, getting back to the idea that we eat three meals a day with fewer snacks in between. This helps your body to rest and reset.

For many people January is the month for changing things for the better. A get fit quick plan, or January diet to lose half a stone in a week. Mostly these promises are made by fad diets and someone trying to make a fast buck out of us.

How about making a resolution with a difference? How about you forget the New Year, New You get-skinny-quick diet plan and commit to making tiny little changes that don’t take commitment, hard work or effort, but that all add up to make you feel better. I have been working in the world of wellbeing and nutrition for a very long time, and if there is one thing I have learned is that most big diet plans are set to fail.

When was the last time you through about your microbiome? Apart from popping a live yoghurt into our trolley every now and then, most of us don’t think much about the gut flora ecosystem in our digestive tract that plays such an important role in our health.

Melatonin (our sleep hormone) is made in the body from serotonin (our happy hormone). Low levels of daylight in the winter can disrupt the balance of these two neurotransmitters. Darker days and lack of sunlight can reduce levels of serotonin and increase our production of melatonin, leaving us feeling sleepy and demotivated during the day.

When was the last time you through about your microbiome? Apart from popping a live yoghurt into our trolley every now and then, most of us don’t think much about the gut flora ecosystem in our digestive tract that plays such an important role in our health.

It’s ‘Movember’, that time of year where normally clean-shaven men start sprouting moustaches (with varying degrees of success…).

It has been said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and when we think of a healthy way to start our day, many of us imagine a healthy cereal, maybe topped with fruit, some wholemeal toast and a glass of juice to help us reach our five-a-day target.

Are you taking your supplements? I talk to people about diet and healthy food all the time, but one question that pops up a lot is whether it is worthwhile taking nutritional supplements.

In light of Covid-19, many of us have been adding a multivitamin, extra vitamin C or D, or an immune-supporting supplement to our daily routine to help add a little nutritional boost to our day, but how to do you know if it is doing you any good or not, and do we even need to supplement?

When our digestive system works, we don’t even stop to consider the amazing work it does to transform the food we eat into fuel and nutrients for our body.

Now that we are resigned to the new ‘normal’ of working from home, I wonder what’s on your shopping list for snacks. Do you go for healthy snack options or grab some chocolate or crisps? Are you still buying the same bars and biscuits you always have, or are you making healthier (or unhealthier!) choices between meals?

The week ahead is Healthy Eating Week 2020. This is a great opportunity to get some inspiration to help you shake things up a bit. Especially as it is now officially autumn. The change of season is a great time to get focussed and make changes for the good of your health.

Now that we are more than halfway through September, many of us are starting to settle into a new routine. For some people that means going back into an office or workplace or establishing a new daily routine in a quiet house now that children are back to school. So how do we stay healthy in this new normal?

Over the last few decades, life expectancy in the developed world has been steadily increasing, while healthy life expectancy has been decreasing. That means that we might expect to live longer but we are more likely to develop some sort of disease or condition that impacts our quality of life. But with a little thoughtful care and attention to our daily habits, it might just be possible to add years to our life and life to our years

It really feels like the seasons have changed and we are ready for a fresh start. Last weekend’s bank holiday gave most of a chance to enjoy the last breath of summer and it felt like the start of something new.

September is almost here, schools are back and there is definitely more than a hint of autumn in the air. This year, more than ever we will be acutely aware of the increase in coughs, colds and flus as the seasons change. Now is the time to get healthy and to nourish our immune support.

With the start of a new term approaching and kids getting back to school after months of home-schooling and summer holidays, life is set to take a different direction this week.