Sleep is an important part of our daily lives yet many of us skimp on sleep and get nowhere near the 8 hours of recommended sleep per night. Lack of sleep or disruptive sleep can cause a number of issues with you heath such as headaches, depression, fertility issues and concentration issues.

Research over many years has shown that diet is closely linked to sleep and that the foods we eat can have a big impact on how much quality sleep we get.

Caffeine is known to keep you awake so many people avoid caffeine during the few hours before they intend on going to bed.  Food can have an influence on how well you sleep at night, so pay attention to your diet and how you’re eating to improve your sleep quality.

Making sure you get the right amount of diary, meats, carbs and veg/fruit in to your diet each day will help you achieve a good quality sleep pattern. Sleep is also about routine. You should try and go to bed and get up at the same time every day so your body knows what to expect.

Making sure your room is quiet and dark will also help you sleep better. If you struggle to sleep you are better to get back up for a bit and then try again when you are feeling tired.

If you are creating a buffet for a number of guests then you will need to find out if there is anyone with any food allergies.  More and more people seem to be suffering with food allergies these days and therefore it is vital that you cater for these people.

It may be that you have some people that are gluten free in which case sandwiches made gluten free bread will be needed.

Not only may you have people with food allergies but also people that are vegetarian or Vegan.  You will need to think carefully about all the food that you are preparing and ensure that you label any food that is suitable for vegetarians, vegans and people who have an intolerance to gluten.

You may struggle to get some gluten-free or vegan food from you usual supermarket, although most of them do now have a section for this. Supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s often have a wide selection of gluten free food.

Try to make some foods that are suitable for all such as vegan salads and dips. If you are in doubt contact the manufacturer to find out if the food is vegan / gluten free before serving it to your guests.  

Gluten is a word we are hearing a lot about of late. Gluten is a mixture of two proteins present in cereal grains, especially wheat, which is responsible for the elastic texture of dough. A lot of people are said to have a gluten intolerance which can be seen through a number of different symptoms. Some people say that after eating gluten they become very bloated and experience stomach pains. They may also experience headaches, depression and exhaustion which have all been linked to gluten intolerance.

Luckily it is fairly easy to find out if you are gluten intolerant by having a simple blood test. You may be able to get this done at your doctors or you can pay to have it done privately. There are many online companies that offer gluten testing for as little as £30.

There are a number of foods on the market that are gluten-free, so adapting your diet is quite easy although these products do often cost a little more. Many restaurants and even takeaways are also now offering gluten-free menus to cater for people with this condition, so you no longer have to always cook at home.

If you suspect you may have a gluten intolerance, then you could try cutting gluten out of your diet for a month or so and see if you feel any improvements. You may not be intolerant to it, but sometimes it can still make you feel lethargic or affect your stomach so cutting it out, may not be a bad thing regardless.

People who want to lose weight will often be trying to find new ways that will aid them in the weight loss program. Historically people who want to lose weight were told that by eating a healthy breakfast, they should lose weight quicker than those who skip breakfast altogether. The idea behind this is that having breakfast gives your metabolism a kick start and means that you will burn calories quicker throughout the day.
New research that has just been released is now questioning this theory and may change the way people diet in the future. The research showed that there was no significant change in metabolism rates with those that eat breakfast compared to those who don’t. It also showed that on average, someone that eats breakfast will consume on average more than 200 additional calories per day as having breakfast doesn’t seem to alter the amount of food a person eats during the rest of the day.
This research has only been conducted on a small sample of people and larger, more complex trials are needed to really see if this statement is true. If it is we may need to rethink how and when we eat our meals to help aid weight loss.

Many people chose to be a vegetarian for a number of reasons. It may be because they think that it is cruel to kill and eat animals for our consumption, it may be because they feel that there are not enough animals on the planet to sustain the rate we are slaughtering them or that they simply do not like the taste or the thought of eating meat. When taking the decision to become a vegetarian, it is important that you consider how you are going to remain healthy and what foods you can eat to replace the benefits of eating meat. By eating a variety of foods including fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, soy products, and whole grains, vegetarians can get adequate nutrients from non–meat sources. Vegans or vegetarians need to ensure that they are getting enough protein (which is often found in meats), iron and calcium. Nuts are a great source of protein and can be included in everyday meals or as a snack to ensure you are getting the right amount from each food group. Investing in a vegetarian cookery book or looking online will allow you to find some great tasty recipes that are meat free.

There has long been a debate on whether diet and low sugar food and drinks are more beneficial to your health than the full-fat version. Many diet or low sugar products are made sweet by adding artificial sweeteners, and new research has shown that this may have side effects which can be quite bad.

Six artificial sweeteners – aspartame, sucralose, saccharine, neotame, advantame, and acesulfame potassium-k have been linked to being toxic to gut bacteria, something that we all need to maintain a healthy digestive system.

Unfortunately, the advice is ever changing and its not only diet food and drinks that contain these sweeteners.  Many health experts say that it is safe to drink and eat a range of foods but everything in moderation. If you drink a lot of diet coke for example, then rather switching to drinking the equivalent in full-fat coke, cut down the amount of it you drink altogether.

Diets have always been a hot topic and if you do your research you will find a lot of conflicting advice out there. Fruit and vegetables are an important part of any diet and you need to try and eat at least 5 portions a day. Try to eat as little processed foods as possible and keep an eye on how much sugar and salt is added to your foods.