It's official, we are all going bananas over fruit with more of us eating it now than ever before. It’s not just the old favourites like apples and oranges that are on the up, we are filling our fruit bowls with all manner of exotic delicacies that 20 years were, well, just that, exotic delicacies. I am not sure this is a good thing. Research from Asda shows 76 per cent of Britons regularly stock up on at least five different types of fruit compared to just a quarter of us 15 years ago. I remember being able to get mangoes if you were particularly flush that week, but other than that most people made do with traditional varieties. I also remember having to wait for the summer before buying peaches, strawberries, cherries and other seasonal fruit. Now we can get every form of fruit virtually all year round, either from the grocery section or chopped up into bite sized chunks from the snack counter. We are also easily seduced by the new range of “super-fruits” like blueberri...

There was an interesting article in the Mail this morning , which may be of interest to those who rely on the gym as a magical fix to all their weight-loss worries. It states that rather than helping shed the pounds, working out can apparently make you fat. This will come as music to the ears to those who feel nauseous at the sight of a treadmill, but to others, like me who work out daily, it is another thing to start fretting about. Surely all those hours pounding the treadmill, straining to lift lumps of metal above my head and twisting myself into contortions around a giant, air-filled space hopper  are not all spent  in vain. The answer is, thankfully, no. The message is - exercise will only go a little way to helping you stay in shape. The article points out a fact many gym-goers with high weigh-loss expectations often fail to grasp. Exercise only enhances a body-conditioning routine, the real secret, and the foundation underpinning what you look...

The only thing on the nation’s lips today is of course the first day of the London 2012 Olympics - so I suppose I had better join in. I am not that interested truth be told, but today being the first day, I can concede to it being  a bit of an occasion. Though even I shall no doubt be bored of it all this time on Sunday. The sporting events don’t really do it for me, the only thing I can say I am vaguely fussed about is seeing  the opening ceremony tonight. I have, however, enjoyed  the buzz around London this week. There has been a real vibe in the air of something big about to happen. Anyway, the time is upon us, the entire world will have its eyes on Stratford tonight and for the next six weeks. I was a little bit caught up in the momentum when the Olympic torch passed by the Daily Express today. So before the fun starts, here is a video of the Gloriana bearing the legendary flame as it passed along the Thames towards Tower bridge. Enjoy...

Guaranteed to get me spitting feathers is this obsession we have with sell-by dates. Before I launch into a tirade, I am going to make my position clear on this ridiculous health and safety poppycock. It is complete garbage. I am convinced putting the fear of God into people with sell-by and use-by dates achieves only one thing - they throw away perfectly good food and buy more,  boosting industry profits. Spot the conspiracy? It is funny how our ancestors survived for years without following these ridiculous guidelines. Do we honestly believe wartime housewives went through the cupboards throwing away precious eggs and butter because it was past its sell-by date? No, and there is a very simple explanation. The wretched things didn’t exist then and even if they had, out grandparents would not have fallen for such nonsense. My anger was fuelled today after spotting this article in the Mail , warning that people are putting their health at risk using...

I never grow bored of reading up on the latest in the world of diet and fitness. The change in opinion over the past 50 years is just staggering, but there are still some   weird post-war messages on how to eat well and maintain a healthy weight ingrained on the nation's psyche. I have just finished reading the latest diet book to hit the shelves - six weeks to OMG by Venice A Fulton. Although the title is very “yeh man, let’s feel the burn, go girl” and all that, there are actually some very interesting bits in it. The underlying theme is - to lose weight you must cut carbohydrates, and there is no way around that fact. Although the author does not advocate a zero-carb diet, he points out the very real fact that carbohydrates are the one limiting factor to losing/ maintaining weight. He says fat is not a problem, virtually harmless and mistakenly maligned. To really take control of weight  you have to let go completely of any low-fat obsessions. ...