Matt Tallis

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The BRAT Diet Types of Diet

The BRAT Diet

If you have ever suffered with an upset stomach or diarrhoea, you may have been told to follow a bland food diet that won’t irritate your stomach, like the BRAT diet. BRAT stands for Banana, Rice, Applesauce and Toast. Doctors advocate these foods as they are easy to digest and don’t irritate the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. These foods are used to treat diarrhoea for a number of reasons. They contain lots of soluble fibre, which absorbs excess liquid in the bowels, subsequently making stools more firm. In addition to this, applesauce, toast and rice have stool-binding effects, making them perfect for treating diarrhoea. Other foods...
Menopause Diet Types of Diet

Menopause Diet

Menopause is the time in a woman’s life when periods start to become less frequent, and eventually stop altogether. Menopause usually occurs from the age of 40 to 55 years, and once this happens, the woman is no longer able to become pregnant naturally. Symptoms The majority of women going through menopause will experience at least one of the following symptoms: Anxiety Concentration problems Difficulty sleeping Fatigue Hot flushes Night sweats Reduced libido Vaginal dryness Symptoms can vary in their severity, and tend to start from anywhere between a few months and a year before periods stop. They may...
What are Herbs and Spices? Herbs and Spices

What are Herbs and Spices?

Herbs and spices are commonly used when cooking to give food more taste, and although not interchangeable, many people are unable to tell one from the other. Herbs Herbs refer to any plants that are used either for their medicinal properties, for flavouring in food, for spiritual use or for their aromatic properties. Herbs have a long medicinal history and were thought to be used as far back as 5000 BCE by the Sumerians. In a medicinal or spiritual context, herbs are considered as any portion of the plant, including leaves, flowers, roots, seeds, root bark and inner bark. On the other hand, culinary herbs refer to the leaves or flowers...
Top Ten Herbs and Spices for Overall Health Herbs and Spices

Top Ten Herbs and Spices for Overall Health

Probably the first thing you think when someone says herbs and spices, is food being made tastier, as a result of them being added in during cooking. In addition to their delicious tastes and interesting aromas, herbs and spices are an integral part of a balanced diet, promoting overall health and keeping the body functioning efficiently. Although all herbs and spices have health benefits, not all are created equal. With that in mind, here’s a list of the top ten herbs and spices for overall health. Anise Anise, sometimes known as aniseed, is a mild-sweet tasting spice with a flavour comparable to liquorice. It is indigenous to the...
Common Herbs and Spices Herbs and Spices

Common Herbs and Spices

Anise, otherwise known as aniseed, is a mild, sweet-tasting spice, with a flavour comparable to liquorice. Anise is perfect for cakes, fruit pies, chutneys or relish, and adds an interesting twist when the seeds are sprinkled over fruit salads. Allspice is a pungent spice with notes of cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon. Allspice can be used in both sweet and savoury use, and is traditionally used in Jamaican jerk seasoning. It can also be used in cakes, sweet pies and cookies, and in addition to this, you can add it to your pepper grinder to give a unique seasoning. Basil is a pungent, slightly sweet, pepper-tasting herb comparable to...
Understanding Your Oils Oils

Understanding Your Oils

Smoke points, cold pressed, unrefined, saturated, unsaturated. These are just some of the confusing terms you will be subjected to while wading through the supermarket aisle looking for a new cooking oil to use. This guide will help you to make the right nutritional choices when cooking with oils. Smoke points The smoke point of an oil is one of the most important things to take into consideration when frying foods. An oil’s smoke point is the temperature at which it goes rancid and starts to breakdown. When food is fried at high temperatures, the oils become oxidised and create harmful free radicals that can cause oxidative stress....
Types of Cooking Oils Oils

Types of Cooking Oils

The foundation of many good dishes is the oil. However, not all oils are up to the task of high temperature frying, while others have no place being drizzled on your salad. So what should the different types be used for? Avocado oil With one tablespoon containing just one gram of saturated fat, and consisting mainly of monounsaturated fat (typically known as ‘good fat’), this health powerhouse should be an addition to your oil cupboard. With its high smoke point and nutty taste, avocado oil is perfect for stir frying and sautéing. Meanwhile, its high vitamin A, E, D and potassium content makes it a healthy, delicious oil to drizzle...
Aromatics Oils

Aromatics

Everyone uses aromatics. Regardless of who you are and what you’re cooking, nearly all delicious dishes start with a blend of aromatic vegetables, oil or fat, and possibly a small amount of meat. Despite being referred to by different names, these mixtures play a pivotal role in creating captivating aromas, and infusing deep flavour in the dishes they’re used in. The Latin sofrito, the Italian soffritto, the French mirepoix, and the Portuguese refogado are all aromatic bases that use slightly different ingredients to create extremely different end products. The beauty here is that two people can make zucchini pasta, and they will...
Why to Eat Seasonally Seasonal Foods

Why to Eat Seasonally

As a species, humans have never before been as connected to each other as we currently are. But these advancements, coupled with mass migration from the once-honoured wilderness in which we thrived, to our now overpopulated cities, has left us disconnected from nature. As a nation growing up in dense urban cities away from large scale greenery, it can be easy to forget where our fruit and vegetables actually come from. It is not uncommon for fruits and vegetables that aren’t currently in season in the UK to be grown and frozen in America, Africa, and even as far away as Australia, before being shipped across and stocked in UK...
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