The Wellness Journal · Blog

Category: Observer Archive

Blog posts from the drbriffa.com archive — same writing, same categories, on the same domain.

Topic

Category: Observer Archive

Why a lot of breakfast fodder are nothing but cereal killers Healthy Eating

Why a lot of breakfast fodder are nothing but cereal killers

It’s often said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The morning meal provides solid fuel with which the body can re-ignite its energies after the lengthy overnight fast. Breakfast eating is associated with improved scholastic performance in children, and seems to boost brain power for significant numbers of adults too. In […]

April 11, 2004· 3 min read
Sunscreens, vitamin D and cancer Nutrients and Supplements

Sunscreens, vitamin D and cancer

I can tell we have emerged from the depths of winter by the cheery presence of daffodils and the fact that PR companies have started sending me sunscreen samples along with gloomy statistics about the rising rates of skin cancer in the UK. However, while sunscreen use seems like an obvious way to protect against […]

April 4, 2004· 3 min read
Can microwaves nuke the nutritonal value out of our food? Nutrients and Supplements

Can microwaves nuke the nutritonal value out of our food?

The success of The Darkness and the return of Starsky and Hutch and the Chopper bike have made me quite nostalgic for the seventies. Mind you, not everything about this era was good. These were the days, after all, when a glass of fruit juice or half a grapefruit might be found as starter options […]

March 28, 2004· 3 min read
Dietary approaches to autism Brain and Behaviour

Dietary approaches to autism

This month has seen a flurry of jabs and jibes aimed at Dr Andrew Wakefield – the lead author of the study published in 1998 that first suggested a link between MMR vaccination and autism. An alleged conflict of interest has instigated a call for Dr Wakefield’s work to be disregarded, on the back of […]

March 21, 2004· 3 min read
Does eating fat really increase our risk of being fat? (apparently not!) Healthy Eating

Does eating fat really increase our risk of being fat? (apparently not!)

In an effort to contain the ever-expanding levels of obesity in the UK, the Government is considering levying a tax on unhealthy foods such as those rich in fat. Perhaps not surprisingly, the so-called ‘fat tax’ has attracted some criticism from those keen to stay out of the clutches of the nanny state. Also, some […]

March 14, 2004· 3 min read
Is it possible to drink too much water during endurance exercise? Exercise and Activity

Is it possible to drink too much water during endurance exercise?

Requests for sponsorship from individuals planning to run the London marathon have made me aware that this sporting spectacular is not too far down the road. While I am enthusiastic about the health benefits of physical exercise, endurance activities such as marathon running are, however, not without risk. For instance, while competitors in such events […]

March 7, 2004· 3 min read
Why bulimia is not all in the mind, and the dietary approach that can put a stop to this condition Brain and Behaviour

Why bulimia is not all in the mind, and the dietary approach that can put a stop to this condition

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) here in the UK recently published a report which stressed the role of psychological therapies in the treatment of eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia nervosa. However, while conventional wisdom has been that these conditions are essentially mental disorders for which a head-first approach should prevail, mounting […]

February 29, 2004· 3 min read
What’s wrong with the ‘Western’ diet? Healthy Eating

What’s wrong with the ‘Western’ diet?

Despite some commitment to not watching bollocks telly, I recently found myself seduced into witnessing the glamour model Jordan and ex-Kitten Kerry McFadden make a right meal out of an assortment of creepy crawlies on ‘I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!’ Watching these bosom pals’ theatrical attempts at downing some very unappetising cockroaches […]

February 22, 2004· 3 min read
Does milk really prevent osteoporosis? Healthy Eating

Does milk really prevent osteoporosis?

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 […]

February 15, 2004· 3 min read
Advice for those partial to a midnight feast Healthy Eating

Advice for those partial to a midnight feast

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 […]

February 8, 2004· 3 min read