Nutrition

School days should not be extended into the evening hours for many weeks in a row, Hertford and Stortford MP Julie Marson has warned. Marson expressed the need for an effective approach to recover from the significant impact that the pandemic has had on student’s education. She feels that there is no sufficient substitute for classroom learning and supports pupils return to school. “We need to balance the needs of families and teachers,” she said, when considering how student

A Hertfordshire business has seen sales decline after new Brexit regulations cause confusion for EU customers. The Allendale Group on Pindar Road in Hoddesdon have seen sales of larger items fall by half, following Brexit. Jo Shepherd, Operations Manager, said that adjusting to new shipping requirements has been challenging, and customers have held back larger orders. The retail company has shipped goods worldwide since they first opened and were already familiar with customs

The long-term effects of the coronavirus pandemic on people’s mental health will not be known for years, experts have warned. Chris Badger, Director of Adult Care Services at Hertfordshire County Council, and Alison Wilson, CEO of Mind in West Essex, agreed that it’s impossible to determine the lasting impact of the pandemic on mental health. They have both expressed major concerns but said that the effects on people’s lives will vary. “It’s different for everybody,” Wilson s

The recent events surrounding Sarah Everard’s murder, at the hands of police officer Wayne Couzens, have hit everyone hard. Whilst I do not want to take away from her case and the mourning of Sarah, the events have shed a light on the fact that this was not an isolated matter. The actions of men, and the consequences they have had, have been brought to the forefront of our minds in the last couple of weeks. A report from the Office for National Statistics has shown that one i

You might be thinking, what the hell is body dysmorphia? Or, you might believe that it’s some rare disorder that doesn’t affect you or anyone around you. Sadly, Body dysmorphia, or body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), is a mental health condition that affects a lot more people than you might think. It has only come to light in the last few years, as awareness spreads about people’s experiences. A person struggling with BDD will over-analyse and obsess over their appearance in a ne

We all know what it feels like to be under pressure. This is something we all experience in our daily lives, but when we begin to feel overwhelmed and the pressure grows, stress starts to take over. People react to stress in many different ways. It can make you lose your temper, feel anxious, suffer from low self-esteem, experience racing thoughts, or behave unreasonably. So, why do we get stressed and why can it be so difficult to handle? The feeling of being stressed is tri

1. Understand your relationship with food Your relationship with food is not based on the types or amount that you consume, but rather on how you choose what to eat and when you eat it. Avoiding or restricting foods, ignoring signs that you are hungry or full, following fad diets, or feeling anxiety around your food choices are all signs of a problematic relationship with food. 2. Identify what a good relationship with food looks like I have come a long way from trying diets,

I often think about what returning to normality will feel like. No matter who you are, coronavirus has impacted each and every one of us in some way. Almost a year since the first lockdown, there is no doubt that the pandemic has left lasting scars on our society. We cannot predict what is to come this year, but I think we are all grasping the idea that the lockdowns, isolations, and quarantines will come to an end. Assuming that the all-too-familiar restrictions will be lift

From the moment I started using social media and following celebrities, models and influences, the way I looked at myself began to change. As I scrolled past “perfect” bodies and “flawless” faces, I questioned my own appearance. Comparing yourself to others is difficult in itself. Filters on Snapchat, Instagram, and Tik Tok feed us the same idealised image of beauty, and I felt as though this confirmed that anything different was not worthy of appreciation. I did not meet the

We can all think of that one person who always seems to stay on top of things. That person that seems to get everything done without having a problem. Well, being productive doesn't come naturally to everyone. It can take practise and small changes that are specific to each person. Staying motivated and productive can be difficult at the best of times, and the last year has certainly not been an exception. I have picked up some tips that have helped me be more productive over

The struggle with food and over-eating has become more of an issue now than ever for many of us in lockdown. In a time where most of our stress and boredom levels have reached their peak, I think I speak for a lot of people when I say I have fallen into the cycle of comfort eating at least once this past year. This (what seems like) endless coronavirus pandemic has left many of us turning to food to ease our feelings of stress, anxiety, boredom and loneliness. With the conseq