It goes without saying that if you buy chocolate bars, sweets and crisps for your kids to snack on, it’s not the healthiest choice you can make.
However, if you’re buying something from the baby and toddler aisle, you kind of just assume that it’s going to be good for your kids.
After all, everyone knows that added salt and sugar – especially salt – is bad for little kids, right?
But when I decided to… Read the full story
If you suffer from depression, you’ll know how frustrating people’s throwaway comments can be.
Platitudes such as ‘it could be worse’ and ‘you’d feel better if you went for a run’ may be well-meaning, but often, they unintentionally leave you feeling worse.
A thoughtful comment, however, can be a chink of light in the darkness, and something to cling to in the bleakest of times.
Words are powerful when you’re talking to someone with mental health issues.
These are just some of the things that friends and family have said that actually helped me feel a little brighter –… Read the full story
I come from a black and white family.
There are four black and white humans, and four black and white cats.
We’re like a cross-species chess board.
Although ‘tuxedo cats’ make up around 75% of all cats worldwide, they’re also the most unpopular to adopt.
Black and white cats tend to spend around 10 days longer in cat shelters than cats of other colourings, and they’re also more likely to become strays.
Along with black cats who are increasingly being overlooked for adoption due to their poor selfie-taking qualities (mad, I know) black and whites are also dead unpopular.
In fact, my veterinary surgery in east London claims to have a neverending stream of… Read the full story
The 20-year-old is the first Miss England constant to wear a hijab. She’s made it through to the semi-finals of the competition and if successful, will be taking part in the Miss England finals – the winner of which goes on to represent the nation in Miss World.
The aspiring social worker hopes that her success will help to challenge the stereotypes faced by Muslims.
While she’s not the first Muslim women to compete in Miss England, Maria is the first to wear her hijab throughout the contest.
She decided to apply for Miss Birmingham (her first pageant) after a mate sent her a link to the application.
However, Maria thought she… Read the full story
I’m pretty anti-tattoos. Not on other people (I’m not my mum) but I’ve never wanted to get one on me.
Some folk know exactly what they’d get and where they’d like to be inked – and they can pull their designs off. Others, like me, are too indecisive, too prone to changing our styles, tastes and minds.
So when I actually got a tattoo last weekend, it came as a surprise to me as much as anyone else.
But you see, I got a stick and poke tat – not your traditional machine job. And I’ve been raving about it ever since.
Why? Because stick and poke tats are relatively painless and they’re dead… Read the full story
My boyfriend and I have… how shall I put this? ‘Differing’ approaches to money.
In short: he is good with money, I am not, and he earns a lot more of it than I do.
It’s not like I’m going out on Ferrari binges or on first-name terms with bailiffs but, as… Read the full story
Easter weekend might mean piles of chocolate for most folk but for many of us it means one thing and one thing alone: one last weekend of short runs before the London Marathon.
Yep, marathon season is in full swing and whether you’re running that 26 miles around Rotherhide or not, running inspiration is all around.
But before you pull on your Asics and plan your virgin five-mile voyage, a word to the wise: have a look at your feet.
In fact, even if you’re running London and you’re nearing the end of your 17-week training plan, exercise your ankles and roll out your plantarflexes if you’re keen to avoid injury.
Your feet and ankles get such a pummeling when you’re running for hours on end – it doesn’t make sense to neglect them during your strengthening and conditioning sessions. And it’s not just localised injury you should be worried about; weak lower joints can wreak havoc on body parts further up the… Read the full story
April Fools: a day dedicated to mischievous tricksters, pranksters and rascals.
Sadly, I’m not one of them. My comedic skills only go as far as once telling a friend I got fired, but not being able to hold up the charade for longer than 20 minutes.
She didn’t find… Read the full story
Don’t stress if skin gritting and vampire facials aren’t quite your speed: You can still get involved in all things skincare.
The latest trend to try, once you’re done with Korean sheet masks and oils? Butter-masking.
Butter-masking is exactly what it sounds like. You take some high quality butter – preferably unsalted, as salt could be too harsh an exoliant – and smear it all over your face. It’s gentle enough to use on your body too, so feel free to cover yourself all over. Just leave your feet dry so you don’t slip in the tub.
Alongside being super Instagram-worthy, butter-masking holds a whole load of benefits.
The high levels of… Read the full story
With a royal wedding comes royal responsibilities — and sacrifices.
It’s no surprise that Meghan Markle has given up her spot on the American TV show Suits.
She’s also opened herself up to discussion on her future Read the full story
Happy April Fools’ Day, one and all.
If you’ve received any messages with dramatic announcements, spotted news that’s a little too good to be true, or even read about a new skincare trend that doesn’t sound quite right, today’s the day to be suspicious.
But don’t feel too bad if you’ve fallen for anyone’s nonsense. Each year brands, publications, and people get sneakier and increasingly wily in an attempt to make us all look like idiots.
As with last year, a bunch even sent out their pranks in the week running up to the big day, ignoring the rules (you can only do an April Fools’ Day joke… Read the full story
Now that Easter is behind us it’s time to put down the chocolate and focus on spring. With any luck we’ve seen the back of the Beast from the East once and for all and it’s time to think about lighter meals, salads and all the wonderful veggies that will be hitting the shops and our tables soon.
It can sometimes be tricky to find a lot of fresh, seasonal veg at this time… Read the full story
Cats and dogs are good. Tiny furniture, also good.
Put the two together and you’ve got something truly magical.
If, like us, you have a bad habit of spending absurd amounts of money on things for your furry friend (yes, I have already picked out a teepee for my future cat, and what?), you’ll enjoy this Twitter thread packed with proud pet parents sharing photos of their animals on tiny furniture.
It all started thanks to writer Ariel Dumas, who shared a photo of her black cat lounging on their own sofa.
If you’re visiting Japan, of course you’re going to do Tokyo or Osaka and experience all the kitsch and kawaii things the city has to offer.
By heading south-east from Tokyo, past Nagoya and into Mie Prefecture, however, you’ll see a completely different side to the country, steeped in Shinto tradition.
Mie Prefecture moves at a slower pace compared to the capital.
Driving out from Nagoya through forests and mountains is like an initiation into the stillness of Mie.
On the coast of Japan’s main Island Honshu, this area represents a Japan that isn’t as touched by pop culture.
It’s somewhere you really need to visit if you want to… Read the full story
There’s something hypnotic about twins.
They invite comparison, while making us think of Parent Trap style swaps and an irreplaceable bond.
But even the twins that seem absolutely identical physically will have some differences.
Capturing those differences mingled with the similarities is Alike But Not Alike, a photo series by Peter Zelewski.
From twins who inexplicably lost their hearing at the exact same time to twins so identical that their fingerprints are almost indistinguishable, Peter shares each set of twins’ stories along with their photos.
If you fancy exploring the twins’ stories, you can catch Alike But Not… Read the full story
Self-harm is relatively common among young people, experts suggest.
It’s estimated that about 13% of 11 to 16 year-olds will deliberately harm themselves at some point.
Every parent needs to be alert to the possibility that their child might self-harm, but the signs can be difficult to spot.
Often young people who self-harm feel embarrassed or ashamed, and will do whatever they can to keep it under wraps.
Nevertheless, there may be indicators that your child is self-harming, so what should we look out for?
The… Read the full story
A seven-year-old boy teamed up with his lovely older sister to make a video explaining his Tourette’s syndrome – to urge other kids to stop making fun of him.
Gavin Clampett experiences a number of different tics, including grunting, sniffing, and exaggerated blinking.
This has led him to be on the receiving ends of cruel comments from children at his school.
To combat the remarks, Gavin decided to raise understanding of his condition.
His mum, Rebecca Clampett, and… Read the full story
Edward Enninful, the new editor-in chief of the biggest fashion bible, brought a new energy to Vogue when he took over.
His first cover was a hit, featuring Ghanaian-British model Adwoa Aboa on the front page, and a host of interviews with some of the biggest and diverse names in the world right now including Zayn Malik, Zadie Smith, Sadiq Khan, Skepta, Naomi Campbell, and more.
After that though, the magazine made little effort in terms of its diversity, receiving backlash for ill fittingly putting Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie under the headline ‘why we need to talk about race’.
But it’s back on track now, with another… Read the full story
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