I’ve Got Big News….

I’ve had to beg, borrow, steal, beg again and do some crazy shift swapping and pulled in some favours to take a day of annual leave for Friday 10^th May.

What’s so important about this date?

This is when I’ll be doing my first ever LIVE SHOW!

Where: Union Chapel, London

Date: Friday 10^th May

How do you get involved? Tickets will go on sale this Thursday and I’m buzzing for the opportunity to meet all of you – the people that have followed me and given me this platform!

Make sure you sign up here to avoid missing out:

Ok now we can resume with the rest of the newsletter!!

Why You Shouldn’t Store Your Onions With Potatoes

When you store your onions and potatoes together, they spoil much faster!

There are two reasons for this freaky kitchen business:

1.    When they come together, they create high humidity environment which means the potato starts to lose its moisture and the onion picks up the moisture

so the end result is, you have a shrunken potato, instead of a healthy looking one, and your onions will start to get mushy from the sides

2.   They both produce ethylene gas which is a natural plant ripening agent and accelerates ripening…

but when placed together they over ripen each other and spoil much faster,

so store them separately in two different columns reduce your kitchen waste age and keep your food fresh!

Not all fibre is the same!

When it comes to fibre there isn’t a one size fits all approach and it isn’t as simple as just “eating more fibre”

Additionally, not everyone has the same tolerance to all fibre types in terms of quantity and type. There is a process of figuring out what works for you

Here are the three main fibre types:

1.    Soluble fibre:

This can absorb water and forms a gel like matrix which can bulk up your stool and help to lower blood sugar and cholesterol.

It also helps to nourish your gut bacteria thus improving gut health. As a consequence these happy healthy bacteria produced beneficial metabolites like short chain fatty acids.

This type of fibre might help improve symptoms for those with IBS.

2.   Insoluble fibre:

This one doesn’t absorb water but acts like an abrasive rake to sweep your GI tract.

In those with sensitive gut or IBS this could cause or exacerbate their symptoms but is otherwise usually well tolerated. Just see what works for you.

3.   Resistant starch:

This is a type of carbohydrate that acts like fibre without being one.

As it says on the tin, it is resistant to digestion and acting like a prebiotic, it feeds your gut bacteria. You can find natural resistant starches in green/unripened bananas or another type when you cook and cool carbs like rice or potatoes. This is why sushi rice is healthy because its cooked then cooled.

Is Menopause Linked To Longevity?

All women will experience menopause at some point in their lives – some earlier than expected due to medication, surgery or illness and some as part of the ageing process.

Given its wide constellation of symptoms from mood disturbances, fatigue, brain fog and other physical effects… how the hell could this be linked to longevity and why does something so terrible exist?!

There is some evidence suggesting that menopause played a pivotal role in human evolution and favoured the “naturally selected” grandmothers who possessed the genetic potential for longevity.

These women would have had the genetic strength and makeup to survive childbirth once or multiple times and then live past the menopause.

This longevity advantage would then be passed down through the generations leading to an evolutionary paradigm shift where postmenopausal state would be selected for.

Additionally, being post-menopausal eliminated reproductive competition with their daughter and other females in the community.

Why You Should Keep Building Pillow Forts…

When I was younger I would be obsessed in surrounding myself with pillows and blankets to build a pillow fort or castle to protect myself against the hidden dangers I assumed lurked in the night under my bed.

Sometimes those pillows would topple and my makeshift fortress would come crashing down…

But that was fine. I just built a new one.

A stronger one with a better structural integrity that would last longer.

Every time you try, you learn something new. And guess what… it’s the same with life

People might tell you what you can or can’t do because of where you come from, your life circumstance or a number of things but that shouldn’t and can’t hold you back.

Your background doesn’t define you.

It’s your drive, consistency, determination, passions, dreams and hopes that do. It sets you free.

Keep dreaming big, keep making your pillow forts.

Are You Quanked?

I’m deeply fascinated by etymology and words in general, as you’ll probably have figured out if you’ve been reading this newsletter a while!

I came across this word recently which I might have to start bringing back into fashion… Quanked.

This word was listed in “A glossary of words used in the country of Wiltshire” by Dartnell and Goddard (1893). It means “overpowered by fatigue”

In a sentence: “can you please make me a cup of tea please, I’m absolutely QUANKED!”

Give me your best sentence!

By the way if you’re looking for something fun to read and want to accidentally learn something without feeling like you’re learning, I’d love for you to order a copy of my book “This Book May Save Your Life”. Every copy and every review you leave helps exponentially!

You can grab it here (and its currently 50% off on amazon… basically the price of 2 cups of coffee!):