Will you take the veggie challenge?

By Hannah Sherwood

Today marks the beginning of National Vegetarian Week – will you be setting aside your carnivorous ways and going cold turkey for seven days? It may sound like a challenge, but meat-free eating has never been so accessible – or delicious. At this time of year, there’s an array of fresh fruit and veg at their seasonal best, and a trip to your local supermarket will reveal a great selection of protein-rich vegetarian options. But if you’re worried going meat-free will mean you're depriving yourself of vital nutrients, HFG nutrition consultant Juliette Kellow has this advice…

Is fruit juice really as bad as cola? HFG reports…

Sugar is currently being touted as public health enemy number one and has rarely been out of the news since campaign group Action on Sugar launched its attack on the white stuff earlier this year. But while limiting trips to the biscuit tin, stopping short of ordering a pud when out for dinner, and avoiding snacking on sweets, chocolate and cake are no-brainers, one area that’s left many of us confused is fruit juice.

The sugar saga: is the food industry really to blame?

By Rebecca Almond

The issue seems deceptively simple: sugar is calorific, harmful to teeth and has no nutritional value, so manufacturers should remove it from their products – case closed. Well hang on just a minute Mr Prosecutor, this is far from a cut and shut case…

Beat the barbecue binge

By Juliette Kellow

Last week, I enjoyed my ninth barbecue of the year. To be fair, we started early with our first one on a very chilly and windy February afternoon (new kitchen, loads of people for Sunday lunch – and no electricity! You get the picture). But, I’m not alone in my love of the griddle. Apparently, Brits hold more barbies than any other European country, with the average family hosting nine each year.

Take a stand against extreme diets

By Melanie Leyshon

 

As you'd imagine, being the editor of Healthy Food Guide magazine, I check the daily newspapers for health breakthroughs. And there's no shortage of stories – some based on reliable scientific evidence, others rely on more flimsy statistics. 

Happy holidays!

By Ellen Wallwork

HFG Christmas cake

The sun is shining, the schools have broken up and glorious British summertime is in full swing… but while most of the nation has been snacking on strawberries and lounging in deck chairs, here at HFG HQ we’ve been humming ‘Deck the halls’, tucking into Christmas cake and shaking fake snow out of our hair.