According to the NHS, most of us are missing out on 1/3 of the recommended dietary fibre every day. Adults should be consuming 30g, and children between 15g and 25g depending on age. Fibre is essential to our health, with strong evidence suggesting that a higher fibre diet is associated with lower risk of stroke and heart disease, diabetes, and bowel cancer. Fibre can also help to make you feel fuller for longer, and aids digestion to avoid constipation. So how do we make sure we’re getting enough fibre? Whole Grains Billjones94, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Whole grain, or whole wheat ..read more

Wedding season is almost upon us, and with the average wedding in the UK costing £18,400, we’re here with some advice for nearlyweds! ”Do We Really Need It?” A budget wedding is incredibly do-able, but it does require you to prioritise and compromise! Before you start planning, or even if you’re in the final stretches, its a good idea to write down your “must haves” and “would be nice, but not necessary”s as a couple. It’s important to make sure you’re on the same page here – which is where compromise comes in! It’s very easy to get caught up in expectations and seeing perfect inspiration phot ..read more

Yorkshire is one of my favourite places to visit, and it should be yours too! There’s so much to do for all different families and all different budgets – so let’s begin! Trains Paul Hudson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons York is a very well-connected train station, with regular journeys from London King’s Cross, west to Blackpool, Liverpool and Manchester, and further north to Edinburgh, Newcastle, and Sunderland. Often if you book well enough in advance, tickets can be purchased at a surprisingly low cost. The station itself is an architectural landmark, dating back to the 1870s, and award ..read more

Eating seasonally is recommended as both the cheapest way for your family to eat, and to get produce when it’s at its best. It’s also best for the environment, as the food has been grown the closest to you. I’m sure we’ve all eaten fruit or vegetables out of season and found them to be watery and tasteless. Before supermarkets, we just accepted that we couldn’t buy strawberries in winter, and ate seasonal foods that were in abundance. So what’s in season for Spring? Greens Leafy green vegetables are the earliest Spring veg available. This includes kale, savoy cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflowe ..read more

So we’ve already covered knitting and dressmaking – let’s explore some more ones to try! For all of these crafts, there are many ways to begin depending on your learning style – including video tutorials, books, craft kits, and even in-person classes if you’re lucky to have some nearby. Look at your local schools and colleges for adult evening classes, or see if your local craft stores or practitioners have groups or learning opportunities. As well as a finished project, you’ll also find that it benefits both your manual dexterity and can be a great mindfulness activity. Macramé Davidperezc77 ..read more

With Veganuary well underway, and many of us choosing to embrace meat-free meals for a variety of reasons, you may have concerns about the big Protein question. Firstly, you need to calculate how much protein you actually need. Generally, the accepted amount is 0.8g of protein per kg of body weight, or 0.36g per pound. Obviously you will need more if you’re intending to gain muscle mass. Beans and Legumes yomi955, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Beans and legumes are a fantastic plant-based source of protein, as well as many other nutrients. They’re often an inexpensive product, as well as be ..read more

Sewing your own clothing is a great little hobby and skill to have under your belt. It’s ever rising in popularity thanks to shows like The Great British Sewing Bee, and as an alternative to Fast Fashion. It’s never been easier to get patterns and fabric that are fun to make and chic to wear, with small pattern companies popping up all the time, and fabric retailers both online and in-person. It’s easy to find sewists making clothing to inspire your crafty bones online, as well as tutorials and ideas for upcycling projects. But how do you get started? I’ve been sewing for most of the last two ..read more

In November 2020 my family decided to get a rescue dog. We’d previously had two hamsters, and we thought we were ready for it! Now, at that time, we were in a strange place with Covid where things were open, but not 100%. We weren’t able to go to our local shelter and pick out our new family member, we had to pick from photos online and apply for all the ones we thought would fit us best. Then after an interview on Zoom, they brought the dog to our garden and basically just left her with us! It was an odd experience, and now things are back to normal it probably will be a different process. We ..read more

Last year I had a blood test and discovered I was anaemic. Anaemia is a condition where the body doesn’t have enough haemoglobin for red blood cells, resulting in tiredness, weakness, and fatigue. I’m not a medical professional, but I was keen to fix this by eating more iron-rich foods instead of taking iron tablets. I was fortunate that I was able to increase my iron levels by my next blood test. Of course, if a doctor recommends you take iron tablets you should – especially if you’re pregnant! I choose to eat a meat-free diet, so increasing my iron level naturally required some research. The ..read more

I know it feels to early to mention Christmas, but it’s on the horizon. If you intend to make homemade gifts, now is the time to begin to avoid stress! There’s many types of DIY present that will be well-received by most. Have a think about your recipient list, how much time you have, and what each person would like. Jams, Baked Goods, and Sweets old_s, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Food gifts usually go down well. Jams, pickles, and chutneys can be made easily from seasonal ingredients if you already have the equipment. Baked goods with a long shelf-life like shortbread, fruit cake, biscotti, an ..read more