I invented this salad last night using quite literally the last ingredients left in my fridge, and I was so pleased with it. Its fresh, crunchy, filling and satisfying, and it ticks just about every nutritional box. Its packed with protein, fibre, healthy fats and a good diversity of micronutrients, and its filling enough to stand alone as a meal.

As we head into winter once more, cold and flu viruses begin to circulate more widely. Whether we’re fighting off Covid-19 or a common cold, a strong immune system is our most important first line of defense. These are some of the most powerful strategies you can use to prepare your immune system for winter:

COVID has turned our world upside down. Both the disease and the measures to prevent it’s spread have wrought chaos in our lives. Getting and recovering from SARS CoV2 infection is hard enough, but this nasty novel virus has a sting in it’s tail. Once recovered, many patients still struggle with a litany of persistent symptoms, collectively known as Long Covid. While there are no approved natural treatments for Covid-19, there are many herbal and nutritional interventions that can support the body as it fights and recovers from viral infection.

For many, a healthy lifestyle sounds like a prison sentence. All the foods that you have loved since childhood, that cheer up a bad day or taste like summer holidays, are forbidden. You are doomed to a dreary life of Brussel sprouts and kale, and sometimes you think you’d rather just be sick. Getting your aching, unfit body exercising is an even more painful prospect. The willpower required to make such tough changes in the midst of a busy stressful life just seems too hard to muster.

I was so excited to find a bag of deep purple potatoes at the Carreira's vegetable shop this week. They looked like a sack of dusty purple gemstones. I don't often eat potatoes because of their high carbohydrate content, but these ones packed a phytonutrient punch I couldn't resist. Plus, they were pretty.

In the past decade nutrition has become a bun fight. Every day there is a new battle to be fought, and you need to pick a side. Is fat good or bad? Is cholesterol dangerous, or not? Paleo or vegan? Yet few battles compare to the war over wheat. Sufferers of a panoply of complaints, ranging from depression to thyroiditis, pin their symptoms on wheat despite their doctors' doubts. Their claims have spawned a multi-million dollar ‘gluten-free’ industry, but they hold no water with the public-opinion mob. Time and time again it is argued that the science shows that unless you have celiac disease or an allergy, gluten is a good nutritious food and a gluten-free diet will do you more harm than good. Science, however, is always evolving. Every day we add to the knowledge that came before, and its quite possible for the public opinion mob to fall behind. What does the most recent science really say about wheat and our health?

l’ll never forget my first Christmas in the Kohler household. Germans take this holiday waaaaay more seriously than South Africans. The epic Christmas tree, the candle lighting, the obligatory carol singing, and the unbelievable food on Christmas Eve were humbling and beautiful, but the thing about German Christmas that really blew my mind was the biscuits. The mothers of the family (and often the dads too), get their kids baking weeks before Christmas, and stockpile enough biscuits to feed a small army. There are tins of biscuits on every surface in my Mother-in-law’s house in the days before Christmas, each one packed with homemade creations from recipes that have circulated around the family for generations. A few days before Christmas, we all gather to share out the biscuits between families and special friends. Everyone leaves with an enviable haul that no commercial bakery could hold a candle to. The weeks following Christmas are a delicious celebration of what a family can do if it works together.

How you start your day has a big impact on how you end it. If you start strong, chances are you'll have a good day. Start with a few bad choices however, and the cookie keeps crumbling until you fall into bed. So what is a good way to start your day?

Many of the ideas in this blog were inspired by James Clear’s Excellent book Atomic Habits.

Long before there were humans to eat them, plants were waging chemical warfare. Everything from fungus to dinosaurs had leafy greens on their menu, and a plant's survival depended on making sure that it could endure the onslaught. Without the ability to run away, and only limited ability to defend themselves physically, plants turned to chemicals as their weapons of choice. They have evolved a vast array of defensive molecules known as secondary plant metabolites, which range from mildly bitter deterrents that discourage over-browsing to deadly molecules that can wipe out would-be attackers for good.

Chickpeas have fallen off of our favorite food list somewhat in recent years, but for 7 500 years, they were culinary chart toppers. They earned that status by being nutritional powerhouses, packed with protein, minerals, vitamins and an abundance of fiber. It's high time we helped chickpeas make a comeback, and here's why:

Ice cream is honestly one of my reasons for living: cold, creamy goodness that feels like a reward to yourself for being awesome. Everyone deserves that.

Its almost summer, and those blazing sunny days are heading our way. Nothing refreshes you quite like an icy fruit popsicle, but these treats do more than cool you down. They are packed with fresh berries, which are potent nutrient powerhouses.

For a grain with so many health benefits, amaranth gets surprisingly little press. Not only is it completely gluten-free, packed with top quality plant protein, rich in minerals and an above average dose of fibre, it also sports a range of medicinal benefits. It contains lunasin, a compound also found in soybeans believed to have cancer- and chronic inflammation-fighting properties. Its also packed with phytosterols that help to naturally reduce high cholesterol. Its high protein and fibre content help to keep you full for longer, reducing the need to snack between mealtimes, and it has even been shown to improve insulin sensitivity in mice. And, it tastes really good. What's not to love?

You’re human. The manifestation of a uniquely Homo sapiens genetic blueprint in flesh. You’re an intelligent, autonomous being in charge of your own destiny. Correct?

Every parent knows the cold stone that drops into the pit of your stomach when you feel heat radiating from your child's forehead. Fever. Brace yourself. Give up on your plans for the week now. Say goodbye to sleep for the next few days. Illness is coming.