Last Wednesday I went round to my Mum and Dad's for dinner (it was actually lunch, but they still call it dinner) and ended up spending the day there. The day, the night, and the next day actually. All because my Dad had inexplicably decided to dig a whole the size of Bulgaria in the back garden, and wanted some help shifting the earth. Of course by 'help', he meant watching me push endless wheelbarrows of the stuff back and forth to ..

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If anyone feels the need to buy me a present, I think they'd better make it an apron. Because after giving you a tasty recipe for cabbage last Sunday, I'm going back into the kitchen again, this time to show you something that's tasty, perfect for summer, and takes two minutes to rustle up. At the rate I'm going, I might as well open my own restaurant in a few weeks. I mean, if I managed to find a way to make cabbage tasty then getting ..

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Okay, I hold up my hands. 'PLEASE DON'T SHOOT!' After last Friday's Good Life Letter ('Beat indigestion, ulcers and MRSA with this old wives' secret') I got a volley of shots fired at me for one of my comments. They twanged at to the left of me... to the right of me.... kicking up the dirt.... I saw a man run from a grassy knoll. I took refuge, but they kept coming. BANG! BANG! Today I'm still ducking for cover. But if you give me a ..

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Have you ever seen a celery stick run into a phone box, don a cape, then take to the skies to fight crime...? (or fight ill health at least...) No? Well, that could soon be about to change, because according to latest research, celery could soon be classed as a 'superfood'. Here's why... How this dieter's favourite can fight Alzheimer's Celery has long been on a dieter's menu because it's one of those rare foods that actually burns mor ..

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Once upon a time, there lived a dashing Welsh prince who played scrum half for Gloucester. After scoring the winning try against Bath, he dashed to his Rolls Royce and sped off towards Downing Street for his meeting with Gordon Brown. 'We have a top secret mission for you Collins,' Gordon said, 'one that only a man of your speed, cunning and good looks can accomplish. Here are your papers, your Xray spectacles and a year's supply of c ..

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If there's one place I struggle with when it comes to weight, it's my belly. Notice I use the word 'IF'. The truth is I have the capacity to put on weight anywhere, especially since I turned forty. In fact I swear even my ears are a bit plumper than they were a few years ago. But the real problem area the one I have to actively work at is my stomach. No one likes the look of a fat stomach (even if Lara says it's cute when I let myself ..

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If you walked into my office right now, there's a fair chance you'd mistake it for one of those Christmas snowstorm things... You know, one of those little plastic trinkets that you shake to create a snow scene. I have so many articles, snippets and quotes torn out of papers and magazines that if Lara wandered in here with her hairdryer... WHOOSH! There'd be bits of paper floating around everywhere, with me standing in the middle like a ..

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There's been a disturbing email going around in the last few weeks. It suggests further bullyboy tactics from scientists and sceptics who want to stamp out any dialogue regarding alternative health therapies. The email says: 'You may not be aware that last week the controllers of BBC Health (http://www.bbc.co.uk/health) the health section on one of the most accessed websites in the world, decided to remove all coverage of complementary ..

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Well what a response! It seems like a lot of Good Lifers have very strong opinions about the fat gene. In case you missed last Friday's letter, I said I was a little unsettled to see scientists readily blaming obesity on the fat gene... a tricky little devil that some people have the misfortune to have two of. These scientists argue that people with this gene were more likely to suffer from obesity than people without. So far, so fair. But ..

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You know how I usually am when I talk about doctors... I start spluttering, go red in the face, raise my voice and cause Lara to usher the kids from the room saying 'Daddy's having one of his turns...' And can you blame me? Every week there's a new report in the mainstream press, telling us fat is bad, drink is bad, meat is bad, cheese is bad, get more exercise... But leave it a couple of weeks, and they'll be telling you fat is good, meat is ..

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