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With the weather here in the UK heating up and a forecast for some very hot days ahead, it's vital for our health that we understand the effects of dehydration, and how to stay hydrated. What Causes Dehydration?Dehydration can occur when water intake is less than water loss. Some common causes can be: elevated blood sugar levels – in diabetics or those eating too many processed and sugary foods stress diuretics – tea, coffee, pop, alcohol drugs – including tobacco environmental – air con, pollution, air travel, electrical (VDU, mobiles) sweating – high air temperatures and strenuous exercise diarrhoea vomiting How...

Many of us think about fruit as part of our ‘5 a day’. It’s healthy, great whizzed up for juicing or smoothies, and the more the better… or is it? Fruit is certainly something we should all be eating and contains vital nutrients and antioxidants that form part of a healthy and balanced diet, but on the flip side, fruit contains sugar, and often a significant amount. Although fruit sugars are natural and often in the form of fructose, your body will still process them in a similar way to spoonfuls of refined sugar. How much sugar is in fruit?The table...

Many of us enjoy alcohol, whether it be to unwind at the end of a stressful day or help get in the party mood. The aim of this post is not to say you should stop drinking, but to be educational and arm you with knowledge of the processes alcohol goes through in the body, and even explain how it might do you some good! How Does Alcohol Get Used by the Body?After swallowing, alcohol goes into the stomach and then into the small intestine. Roughly 20% is absorbed by the stomach with the remaining 80% absorbed through the small intestine....

The importance of consuming sufficient dietary fibre is paramount to maintaining our health. However, most of us are not getting enough fibre on a daily basis. What is fibre?Fibre is a form of carbohydrate that we get from plant foods. There are two main types of fibre that are good for us – soluble and insoluble: soluble fibre is usually found in the fleshy part of fruits, vegetables, peas, beans, etc., while insoluble fibre can be found in the skins and seeds of fruit and vegetables, brown rice, peas, beans and the bran (outer layer) of grains and cereals. Resistant starches can...

Blood sugar levels can have a huge effect on our daily health and wellbeing. For those taking an interest in their day-to-day health, it's very worthwhile understanding what blood sugar is and how the 'blood sugar rollercoaster' can potentially be a problematic issue to our health and wellbeing.   How Does Blood Sugar Relate to Daily Health?When we digest food, our body turns it into glucose. Blood sugar is glucose (sugar) that is circulated in the bloodstream to be used as a source of energy by our cells and brain.   When eating a healthy and 'balanced' diet, this process is very normal and pretty much takes care...