Interesting article on Reuters regarding a new study from Spain that claims that woman who eat a Mediterranean-style diet — high in fruits, vegetables, fish and whole grains — are less likely to have trouble getting pregnant.

I suspect that reality is that it is the fact that it is a ‘healthy’ diet that makes the difference, not specifically the fact that it is the Mediterranean Diet, and don’t get me started on the fact that the Mediterranean Diet is getting close to being a thing of the past here in Spain, as evidenced by the growing levels of obesity (pun intended!)

As a self-confessed foodie and pretty healthy eater, I wasn’t impressed to discover this morning that for years I have been buying one of the worst brands of UHT milk! In recent years, as it has become much more available, I have gone back to mainly buying fresh milk, however when we first came to Spain some 12 years ago we had to get used to the stronger taste of UHT, and Puleva with its added Calcium etc. seemed the one to buy.

Every so often I go for an extra healthy few days, diet wise, and sometimes I even detox, AND if I am taking it very seriously, I have been known to cut our dairy produce for a number of weeks. This is because, whilst I know I am not exactly ‘lactose intolerant’, I have read lots of times that cows milk in particular is not really a very ‘natural’ thing for we humans to be drinking. Suggested alternatives are soya, sheep or goats milk, and I have always gone for the last of these 3.

Coming to Spain and starting my business, and being successful, all went as planned. I did not expect I would be looking at maternity wear and swimwear this Summer. I have found I am pregnant, and it has come as quite a shock. I write this article to share my experiences on what I have discover, had to deal with, and some issues I am yet to solve, as a UK expat here in Spain.

The graphic images that will soon be displayed on all cigarretes sold in Spain are certainly graphic, some would say disgusting, and many say they are going to far. They will be introduced soon, althought cigarettes manufactured before their introduction will contine to be sold in the current packets.

The European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC -7) will be taking place for the seventh time in Barcelona, Spain, from Wednesday 24th to Saturday 27th of March 2010.

The conference, that encourages interaction and collaboration between clinicians, scientists and patients, involves major players in breast cancer and talks about ethical, political, practical and social issues in addition to scientific advances associated with care of patients suffering from breast cancer. Over 5000 delegates are expected to attend the conference from around 90 different countries over the world.

Adults in Scotland are drinking the equivalent of 46 bottles of vodka each in a year, a study has suggested.

The research was based on industry sales data analysed by NHS Health Scotland.

It said sales for the year to September 2009 averaged 12.2 litres of pure alcohol per person over the age of 18.

The Scottish government said the figure, which had remained static since 2005, was the equivalent of 537 pints or 130 bottles of wine per person.

Hundreds of British expatriates have been left out of pocket because the Government is refusing to pay them disability benefits.

The European Commission is now taking ministers to court over their decision to deny the benefits to British citizens living on the continent.

Campaigners say the withdrawal of the Disability Living Allowance to Britons living overseas has left many struggling to cope on severely reduced incomes.

Pavements are being left covered in ice because of “ludicrous” laws that put home owners and businesses at risk of being sued if they try to clear them.

Heavy snow, low temperatures and a lack of gritting mean pavements throughout the country are too slippery to walk on safely. Hospitals have been struggling to cope with rising numbers of patients who have broken bones after falling on icy paths.

The total ban on smoking in bars, restaurants and leisure venues in 2010 will provoke the closure of 35,000 to 40,000 businesses or around 10 per cent of the total in Spain and the direct loss of 100,000 jobs, says Gaietà Farràs, vice President of the Spanish hospitality and Restaurant federation (FEHR).

The Interior Ministry has said in a report today that the number of people who died in road accidents last year was 1,857. The figure shows the continuation of a trend in the decline in the number of traffic accidents in Spain for a sixth consecutive year.

Predicting next year’s first ‘burning’ issue is easy, as come 2010 certain items won’t be burning anymore: at some point during the first half of the year, smoking in any enclosed public space in Spain will be totally prohibited.

How the new legislation (some of the most restrictive in Europe) goes down with Spain’s hotel, bar and restaurant owners remains to be seen; particularly as when a partial smoking ban was introduced in 2006, it only affected one establishment in five.

A 26 year old pregnant woman has died at the Hospital Materno Infantil in Málaga as a result of swine flu, the eighth fatality in the province and the first involving pregnancy. The doctors decided to perform a cesarean section to try and save the baby but were unsuccessful. (Via Original Source)

Average life expectancy at birth is now close to 81, almost four years more than in 1991

Quality of life in Spain has improved to such an extent since 1991 that life expectancy at birth is now almost four years more than it would have been 18 years ago. The average age a Spaniard can expect to reach is now almost 81, according to a new report published by the INE National Statistics Institute this Tuesday, based on information from 2007.

As per a report by the Health Ministry and the International Registry of Organ Donation and Transplantation, Spain is the world’s leading country in organ donations. A commonly used standard to determine this fact is the number of deceased donors per million people and this figure stood at 34.2 for Spain last year, which is the best in the world.

Restaurant terraces and bull rings will escape the harsher measures

The Health Minister has confirmed that Spain is to introduce an extended smoking ban next year, when, from an as yet to be confirmed date, ‘No Smoking’ signs will be seen in all closed public places. The legislation which has been in place since 2006 currently permits the smaller bars and restaurants to choose whether to allow smoking on the premises or not; if they do allow it, they must provide a separate closed-off area for smokers.

When my husband and I first arrived in Madrid, we enjoyed every aspect of the Spanish capital’s hectic nocturnal lifestyle. Everything was so exciting and new, life seemed so simple and great.

Eating out soon turned into a habit; we enjoyed the tapas bars, our local and the more central cervecerias. We drank coffees in bars during afternoon strolls in the parks. Whenever there was a language hiccup or a misunderstanding, we would simply shrug our shoulders and put it down to cultural differences.

It comes as the Government is planning to reform abortion law

The President of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, CEE, Juan Antonio Martínez Camino, said on Friday that ‘taking the life of an innocent human is something that should never be morally accepted, and the laws have the obligation to protect this right. Abortion is a sin’, he said, and went on to say that he did not understand why it is not a crime.

They want a concession allowing early retirees free access to the public health system to remain in place

Many British protesters were amongst the close to 200 European residents of the Costa Blanca who marched in Alicante on Thursday morning against the Valencia government’s decision to withdraw their access to free healthcare. The demonstrators marched from the British Consulate to the Generalitat building, in demand of their claim that they should not now be obliged to pay a fee if they want to continue to use Valencia’s public health service.

The organisers claim that they are now being denied access to free health care in the Valencia region

British residents are expected to lead a demonstration tomorrow, Thursday, called for outside the British Consulate in Alicante in demand for free health care. Other nationalities are expected to join the protest as the group then marches to the offices of the Diputacion in demand that the promise of free access to health care be kept.