I recently learned of the specific health benefits of black tea and decided to add it to my regular diet. However, I don't enjoy drinking it.

Here’s how I get the benefit of five “cups” of black tea daily. It’s a matter of process over preference. But why bother?

High blood pressure is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease in developed countries. Yet some countries, such as Italy and Japan, have low rates of high blood pressure and lower mortality rates due to CVD. 

That's not because they all go to the gym 5 times a week or due CrossFit. The reason is far less complicated and available to everyone.

They eat more fruit and vegetables, and in particular more nitrate-rich vegetables.  

Skipping meals has become more common - and more faddish. Breakfast is often a casualty of our modern lifestyle, and rising interest in the health benefits of fasting have pushed out other meals, such as dinner.

The most common set meal to be lost is breakfast. But is that always the best choice? The consequences of missing breakfast versus missing dinner are different. If you knew the different health consequences, would you make a different choice?

What choice would you make it you are diabetic like me, or potentially diabetic? Here's what I learnt from the research. 

We've all heard about the "fat-burning zone" and that we should exercise aerobically at low intensity to burn the most fat. I've always been sceptical about this advice, so I dug into the science.

Does the science support this advice, and what is low intensity anyway?

Would you prioritise fitness or fatness - losing weight or getting fit? If you are like me, you'd say better eating habits and more exercise are both equally important. We'd be wrong.

What is missing from our understanding of the priorities is that research has consistently shown that lack of fitness is a better predictor of mortality than being overweight. Knowing this, we can fine-tune our approach to becoming more healthy.