Bad news for Chorizo (embutidos) lovers in Spain as researches are claiming that more then 20 grams could suffer because of the nitrates which are added a preserbatives, with extreme cases causing a chronic obstruction to the lungs, known as Epoc.

The warning comes from CREAL, the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology, who have published their study in the European Respiratory Journal.

Epoc claims 18,000 lives a year.

A lot of woman here in Spain are angry with the Justice Minister, Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon, who has blamed” structural gender violence” for pressurising women into seeking terminations.

Many see it as the strongest sign yet that the government is poised to reverse a liberalisation of the abortion law introduced under socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero in 2010.

I’ve read a number of articles recently about how a holiday in the sunshine can boost your chances of getting pregnant, and it’s actually not just down to that feel-good factor. It’s all about the benefits of vitamin D, the levels of which are raised by exposure to sunlight. This is the counter to the advice telling everyone to stay out of the sun. Moderate sun is actually good for us, because it helps the body produce Vitamin D.

I am not a fan of fry-ups, and one of the problems that I have with the traditional Spanish diet, and particularly some of the tapas, is that deep-frying is so popular. This is obvious from the range of small deep-fat fryers that you can buy in a reasonably large electrical appliance shop. I have read numerous articles that point out how eating lots of fat-laden food can raise blood pressure and cause high cholesterol, which are risk factors for heart disease.

I read a recent article, about a 10-year medical study of 5200 men and 2200 women, carried out by the Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health in France and University College London in UK. This found that cognitive decline may start as early as 45! Not good news.

Here I am referring to the pounds in weight gained, not crisp bank notes that may have been slipped into Xmas cards! I really intended getting back into my much neglected fitness regime at the start of 2012, but life just keeps getting in the way! and while that cold air is blowing off the mountains, a brisk walk up the beach is not as appealing as finding a spot of sun and drinking tea (with a chocolate biscuit!) on our roof terrace.

Following on from my last post which recommended we should all eat more eggs, a study from the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, has suggested that exercise may improve academic performance in children, as it increases the blood flow and therefore oxygen to the brain. There is of course no reason why this shouldn’t have the same effect on adults. This is good news as my aim for the new year is to get fit again, as I have a little Xmas indulgence weight to lose, and my fitness regime has definitely slipped in the past couple of years.

The traditional time to eat an egg for the British is still I think at breakfast, although the idea of an ‘all-day’ breakfast is catching on, but as recent research suggests eggs are an indirect ‘stimulant’, we should maybe be looking at incorporating them much more into our daily diets.

Sympathy? Nope! Stick with what god gave you and make the most of what you have!

Up to 30,000 French women and perhaps tens of thousands more around the world may need to have defective breast implants removed after several suspicious cancer cases, officials said on Tuesday.

A decision on whether to order the removal of the implants, produced by the Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) company, will be made by the end of the week, after a report from the National Cancer Institute on December 23.

This is just so wrong! Times are tough without question, but I just hope that all those that are threatening to strike this winter because they aren’t getting a pat rise take time out to reflect on how selfish they are being!

Almost 100 battered womens’ centres in Spain will have to close due to crisis spending cuts.

What can I say! Have been banging on about the issue of obesity for years. For me it is the worst of all illnesses and it is the most preventable and the young ‘victims’ are exposed to a lifetime of bad health by the neglect of their parents and the authorities.

Obesity has risen slightly in children aged 10 and 11 in England, according to new data.

Couldn’t agree more with this recent Telegraph Article as top medics war that “pocket-money prices” on booze is costing thousands of lives.

A group of 19 top doctors and academics urged the Government to take “bold action” and follow the lead of Scotland by bringing in minimum prices for drinks.

Another sign of the times here in Spain, but unfortunately not a good one, as abortion rates are climbing, indicating no doubt a change in attitude amongst the younger Spaniards.

113,031 voluntary abortions were performed in Spain in 2010, a 1.3% rise (or 1,550 more) compared with 2009.

The increase has occurred despite the fact that a new law on sexual and reproductive health was brought in on july 5th this year, which had as one of its fundamental aims a reduction in the number of abortions performed in Spain.

Would like to say I was surprised but I am not! Ever since the UK decided it really wanted to part of America the whole country has got more obese, and with the ‘ladette’ culture still live and kicking absolutely no surprise to learn that The UK has more obese women than any other country in Europe, according to European Union figures.

Not to be outdone the British male comes second in the obesity tables after Malta.

Read the above headline recently and assumed it meant that people were going to the Costa del Sol to give birth but it seems that what is actually happening is that people are going to the local clinics for the procedure of artificial insemination.

Seems that the level of service fully complies with European Standards and the laws in assisted reproductive technologies are not as strict as in places like Germany who have banned pre-implementation genetic diagnosis of embryos.

I have ever smoked. Never seen the point of it, even before I was aware of the health risks. I know a lot of girls growing up thought it was glamorous and grown up, but even then they just looked idiots with a white stick in their mouths.

I was probably helped by the fact that neither parent smoked as there is certainly a drect correlation between those whose parents smoked and smoke themselves:

Macworld have a great list of iPhone applications for all you girls out there that love your technology, but not your meat!

Will get my husband to try this as he suffers from Migraines.

In a trial where migraine sufferers were given either a ginger compound or a placebo, 32 per cent of the ginger munchers were pain-free after just two hours.

Researchers believe that the root vegetable combined with feverfew, a daisy-like shrub, has anti-inflammatory properties that relieve symptoms.

The recent ‘Diet and Risk of Cardiovascular Illness in Spain’ (DRECE) survey showed that obesity in Spain has increased by 21%, while the mortality rate from cardiovascular disease is lower than in other European countries and the Mediterranean Diet is still followed.

The report showed that the Spanish diet wasn’t particularly bad ……. they are just lazy and should do more exercise.

Healthy living requires that you eat healthy. If we eat unhealthy foods like those with a lot of fats, we put our health at risk. But does aiming for a healthy life also mean going through the remainder of your life without delicious food? Of course not! You can still eat food that provides you with post-bite bliss. You need only to create delicious and easy-to-make healthy meals.