The other day someone asked me if I enjoy 'surfing' the web. Well, I use the Internet almost every day... but is 'surfing' the right word? Surfing is term that means skimming the surface of something. It's a word for young people with no health worries. People who just want to go faster, look better on the outside. They use Facebook and Myspace to keep in touch with each other (don't worry if you haven't got a clue what these things ar ..

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A week last Friday I wrote to you about 'The Threat of Zombie Eating.' If you didn't get that email, no I didn't mean that it's dangerous to eat Zombies. That much is obvious. The Undead are not advised as a main meal, or even a snack. Unless, of course, you wish to become one of them... No, my letter was about the struggle to stop yourself automatically reaching for the snacks that give you instant gratification... white bread, biscuits, b ..

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All right, I admit it... You caught me red-handed. Last week I mentioned I was reading my morning paper whilst happily working my way through a mouthful of cornflakes. Not a fresh fruit salad, or eggs and bacon (poached eggs and bacon are an excellent way to start the day), or organic, mueseli, but cornflakes. Honey Nut cornflakes to be precise. That's right - me, Ray Collins, Officer in Charge of Moaning About Refined Food, was munching hi ..

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Something strange happened in the Collins household this morning... As I sat down to breakfast and unfolded my paper, the family braced themselves for my usual tirade round a mouthful of cornflakes. The kids got ready to pat me on the back and hand me a glass of water, while Lara stood in the background, ready to dial 999. But instead of reading something that drove me mad, I read something that I found really interesting. In fact, it even mad ..

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This is what I love about writing The Good Life Letter... First, I get to spend hours at home, drinking green tea and satisfying my enormous curiosity for EVERYTHING related to food and health! Secondly, I get to have an intelligent, ongoing conversation with my readers. Because it's you who help me work out which subjects to look into and write about. You point out alternative arguments to the research I've found. And you're also pretty good ..

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This week I've been reading some fascinating information about food intolerance. Not that I am intolerant of food, of course. I tolerate it greatly about four times a day with snacks in between, and I dream about it at night. But I know quite a few friends who are simply unable to eat certain types of food. For instance, my friend Emily gets a sore throat every time she eats a nut. For some reason, though, she still can't resist. So she spend ..

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'Oooooh,' cooed Lara, peering over my shoulder. 'That's a snazzy subject line to get your readers REALLY excited!' The Queen of Sarcasm is referring, of course to my thrilling use of 'Glucosamine and chondroitin' as today's title. But hey ho, I don't care. I've had so many emails asking about more information on these two substances, I thought my inbox would explode. So I thought putting it in the title would get the right people reading. ..

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Imagine this... For years you've suffered severe rheumatoid arthritis, and nothing much has helped. Then, on a routine visit to the doctor's, he tells you about a breakthrough new drug that might help you. 'This drug,' he tells you excitedly, 'has proven benefits. In fact, studies have shown it has a massive positive effect on sufferers, and that half of them respond well to this drug. So there's a really good chance this could help you!' The ..

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You know the story about the wolf in sheep's clothing, right...? It's where a wolf dresses up as a sheep, so he can stroll right past the unsuspecting shepherd and kill as many sheep as he wants. Well there's a pill pulling the same trick. All right, not EXACTLY the same... if you opened up a packet of pills and one came out in a sheepskin coat I suppose you'd notice something was up. And it would be a nightmare to swallow. But in every ot ..

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I think people deliberately come up with the most horrible names for diseases that they can think of... Take 'Jaw death' for instance. Yes, I know... ugh. It's a horrible term. But unfortunately, it's what many woman are getting these days. And a lot of high-priced lawyers argue that it's down to a drug called 'Fosamax'. This is an expensive drug prescribed to women with osteoperosis. But it now stands accused of being linked to a disease ca ..

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