Finally, after 22 years of being vegetarian and always feeling stuck between hearty, meat-based recipes and what basically amounts to a plate of watery vegetables, I am inordinately excited to have received my Quorn recipe book!

Known for my lack of imagination, knowledge and, well let’s face it, skill in the kitchen, I have not yet progressed far beyond a Quorn mince spag bol or chicken-style pieces thrown into a curry sauce, and as I don’t do aubergine, only about 20% of most vegetarian recipe books appeal to me.

So to receive over 160 pages of new ideas that I know I can cook with Quorn is really quite liberating! The steak, ale and mushroom pie looks like it could feed an army, and I can’t wait to try to the sweet potato loaf – that one might be a future Christmas tradition…

When I first became vegetarian, there were few alternatives to meat on the market, and most were only available from specialist health-food shops.

Nowadays, it’s a very different story, and even when eating out I can sometimes join in with the all-day breakfasts and toad in the hole with Quorn sausages.

The great thing about Quorn is that it is a no-fuss way of getting lean protein into your diet.

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It’s something that men have been telling women for ages, but now science had gone and proved it for them – raking up the past is detrimental to relationships.

A review of three studies, published in the journal Cognition & Emotion, concluded that people who have a tendency to ruminate – that is, to repeatedly focus on situations and past events that cause them distress – about things that have previously threatened their relationship with their partner have an impaired ability to maintain positive feelings towards that partner in the future.

So for the best relationship advice that is proven scientifically, You need to forgive and forget.

If your relationship suffered a significant blow in the past and your partner was to blame, and you find yourself regularly thinking about it, analysing it or bringing it up in arguments, it is more likely to impact the way you feel about your partner after the event.

It is thought that people who are generally pessimistic, neurotic or generally see the negative are more likely to ruminate than those with a sunnier outlook on life.

Rumination is also thought to be linked to a predisposition towards clinical depression.

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What are kettlebells? Although the word insinuates a ringing water boiler, this is not the case.

Kettlebells are spherical cast iron weights ranging from 4kg to 48kg, each resembling a cannon ball with a handle. You use them for exercising (in case you were wondering).

In Russia they have been used as a training tool for many centuries, the main advantage being that kettlebell training incorporates both strength and cardiovascular exercise.

Kettlebells enable functional fitness, increased energy and strength to perform your daily tasks comfortably and with ease.

All these things will enhance your productivity and general time efficiency.

In other words, Kettlebell training promises what pretty much every exercise regime in the world promises – health, fitness and proficiency. So the big question is; why use Kettlebells over and above something else?

Convenience – is the answer.

Kettlebells can be used at home or work, with or without a work-out DVD and inside or outside depending on the weather.

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“Eat less, move more and sleep well” – that’s what we need to be doing to curb obesity, according to a UK sleep expert.

Sounds logical. Then why don’t we do more of it? Especially the sleep part.

As weight loss tips go, it seems easy enough!

A US study has recently confirmed that managing sleep and stress levels can help with weight loss.

In a six month study of 472 obese people, conducted by Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, patients getting too little or too much sleep were less likely to lose weight.

In today’s world of party hard, work late, get that promotion, sleep is often put off for the sake of friends and career.

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“Mirror, mirror on the wall, which is the healthiest nut of all?”

If the Evil Queen wasn’t so busy busting Snow White out of her Kingdom, she would have found “Walnuts” to be the answer.

It’s true folks. Scientists from Pennsylvania recently told the American Chemical Society that walnuts contain the highest level of antioxidants compared to other nuts.

And antioxidants help protect the body against disease.

Nuts are commonly known to have good nutritional qualities, containing high-quality protein, lots of vitamins and minerals as well as dietary fibre, and they are also dairy and gluten-free.

But walnuts are the healthiest nut – even better than peanuts, almonds, pecans and pistachios.

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