22nd August 2016

What happened to the Childhood Obesity Strategy?

The recently published Government report on Childhood Obesity made for disappointing reading for most health campaigners with criticism being levelled at the reduction of a 50-page document to 10 pages of suggestions and proposals, issued in the parliamentary recess, in the middle of the Olympics, while ministers were away and therefore unable to discuss the content in parliament.   Overall, there were numerous key omissions versus last year’s Public Health England recommendations, notably on supermarket price promotions and marketing but also in the area of early years’ nutrition.  Why is this important?   PHE’s evidence-based report showed that marketing, whether via TV, brand characters, advergames or product placement within the supermarket, can influence children’s food preferences in favour of less […]
13th July 2016

Happy Healthy Holidays

Do you have a habit of over-indulging on holiday and then regretting it on your return? If those extra pounds are hanging around longer than your tan then maybe it’s time to rethink how you eat and drink on holiday. Here are my top tips for enjoying your vacation while staying on track. 1. Don’t make every meal a splurge: while eating out is part of enjoying a new culture, country or city, it doesn’t mean you have to over-indulge at every meal. If you’re going out for a big meal in the evening, have lighter meals in the day – order a starter rather than a main, order extra veg or salad as the fibre will fill you up […]
29th December 2015

New year, new you? Just don’t do a juice diet…

It’s the new year and many people will be signing up for gym memberships, going alcohol free for January or starting a new diet all in hope of getting healthier, fitter or losing weight.  But by the end of the month, many will have fallen off the wagon and resumed their normal habits.  Why is this and what can you do to break the cycle of binge and diet? After the excesses of the festive season, many will resolve to get healthier in January but often they set unrealistic goals for weight loss and fitness or worse still, they embark upon a fad diet, of which there are no shortage in the media and on the bookshelves.  They make many […]
13th January 2014

Start as you mean to go on

Tired of breaking your New Year’s resolutions before January is out?  Read my article on page 6 of Inspired Health for tips on how to make realistic resolutions that you can sustain for the whole year.