Food

Chocolate is one of the nation's favourite treats, but could it be more than a nice treat a couple times a week? Could it even have a positive affect on your sleep? There have been many studies over the years on the affect that chocolate has on your health. Some say the caffeine in chocolate will keep you awake, and others consider the positives of antioxidants from cocoa beans that help to lower your blood pressure. However, some recent studies have considered the positive affect of chocolate on sleep. Particularly, the way it helps to reduce certain stress hormones and…

Why not make these delicious rose biscuits as a gift to your loved ones on this happy Valentine's day? Roses aren’t just romantic; rose water has been shown to have anti-anxiety and sleep benefits. That makes these rose water shortbread biscuits the perfect valentines gift for your loved one, as they’d be a treat alongside a sleepy cup of tea at the end of the day. Ingredients: 1tbsp rose water (this is found most cheaply and easily in the foreign foods aisle of your local supermarket)150g plain flour, plus extra for dusting100g stork (we prefer the spread, but the block form is actually…

Drinking less coffee is a common goal, as we are so often warned of the dangers of caffeine. Caffeine can have serious benefits, even in the small amounts you get from green tea. A little caffeine a day may prove to be helpful to your health in the long run. And it can be next to impossible to cut out your morning cup of joe - so don’t! Cutting anything out of your life whole cloth, especially something as addictive as caffeine, can be very difficult. So instead of skipping caffeine all together, try drinking something with a lower caffeine…

The foods we consume have a huge impact on our health, in particular our energy levels. In order to achieve a healthy sleep, we need to consume healthy meals, including all the necessary food groups to achieve a balanced diet. Up to a third of the adult population suffer from chronic insomnia, and good food can help alleviate the condition. Eating the right amount at the right time, additionally, is essential in order to keep energy consistent throughout your day and promote regular, good quality sleep. Crazy About Carbohydrates It is a myth that carbs are inherently bad for your…

A popular way to start off each new year is to give your body a rest from all the fatty foods and heavy drinks from Christmas by giving something up for the month of January. For some of us, we do Dry January, and go without alcohol for the full thirty days. This year, I am doing no carbs - no bread, pasta, or potatoes - for the whole month, and believe me, it's even harder than I had anticipated. But another very popular choice is Veganuary. This is where for the whole month you try to eat exclusively vegan…

A lot of traditional Christmas drinks are not exactly delicious. Advocaat and Eggnog both taste like eggs, and mulled wine gives me a headache. It seems to me Christmas drinks go from delicious hot chocolate and other treats for children, to the vaguely medicinal peppermint schnapps for adults. But no fear! This Christmas myza have the solution. We have put together five delicious cocktail recipes to cheer up any Christmas, perfect for those who want something new to drink this festive season. Festive Negroni This festive twist on a trendy Italian cocktail is a delicious treat for those who like…

During the colder months, it is always a treat to tuck into a warming and delicious stew. This is another traditional recipe we always return to at this time of year, as nothing helps beat those November blues back quite like this vegetarian stew. I will admit to some confusion over the difference between soups, stews, ragouts and casseroles, but I am reliably informed (by my mum) that this is a stew recipe. I personally think it may be that stews are a little easier to make, as they are mostly just adding ingredients to a pot and waiting. This…

When I was little, every October my whole family (all four of us) would trek down to Royal Leamington Spa, where my grandparents lived, in order to go out to the pumpkin patch at Hatton Country World. I highly recommend this place as a family outing. There’s a gorgeous café, a guinea pig village, and even horse riding. The shopping village, next door, was where my mum and Nana would disappear to go shopping and come back laden with bags of clothing. The best shopping experience for my little brother and I was the old fashioned sweet shop, with excellent…