Tag Archives: The Independent

8 best posture correctors to help back pain and improve your slouch

by Qin Xie

Published on The Independent on 29th March 2021

Many of us suffer from pain and discomfort triggered by bad posture and our sedentary lifestyle. The answer? It’s pretty straight forward: maintain good posture and keep moving.

But sitting or even standing up straight isn’t always easy, especially over longer periods of time.

Instead, “our bodies adapt to the easiest, least energy-consuming positions possible by slouching, slumping or leaning for a sustained timeframe,” according to Harry Andrews, a physiotherapist at Oakwood Physiotherapy and Wellness Centre.

Read more at The Independent

8 best garlic presses for quick and easy kitchen prep

by Qin Xie

Published on The Independent on 17th March 2021

Garlic is ubiquitous in some of the nation’s favourite dishes, from curries and stir fries to hummus and aioli. It’s no surprise given that adding a clove or two can do wonders for the flavour of your food, not to mention the fact that garlic is also well known for having health benefits, including the ability to reduce the risk of certain cancers.

But while delicious and healthy, the shape and size of the cloves mean garlic can be very fiddly to cut up, and the smell will linger on your fingers long after you’ve finished eating.

This is where a good garlic press can come in handy – you can crush through a couple of cloves within seconds and the result is pretty consistent.

Read more at The Independent

9 best food steamers for quick, easy and healthy meals

by Qin Xie

Published on The Independent on 9th March 2021

For quick, easy and healthy meals, it’s hard to beat steaming. Thanks to the gentle cooking process and the moist cooking environment, vegetables are able to retain more of their nutritional value, while meat and fish stay tender and juicy.

Traditionally, steamers have been inserts that go over a pan of boiling water, but there are now smart machines that can take care of all the timings for you so you can just set it and forget it. As they come in a huge range of sizes and price points, the type you get will depend on what you plan to cook and how often; the size of your kitchen; and, of course, your budget.

Smaller steam baskets are perfect for cooking vegetables for one or two people, for example. They’re cheaper, don’t take much room and can be used with your existing pans. But there are also bigger options for those who are more adventurous and want to experiment with different recipes or create entire meals.

Read more at The Independent

Welcome to my home town: Reading was more of a community than I ever realised

by Qin Xie

Published on The Independent on 25th February 2021

Reading is the sort of place that people only get excited about once a year, when the Festival is on. The rest of the time it’s lost in the homogeneity of commuter towns, never gaining the notoriety of Slough as the worst place to live in England, nor with the culture and postcard views of Henley-on-Thames. It’s just a vast, suburban sprawl that bleeds and blends into more of the same.

I never wanted to move to Reading. There was a choice, you see – we had to live somewhere near Bracknell for my dad’s work and, for some now unfathomable reason, I was quite taken in by the promise of an astroturf pitch at a school in Winchester. But the world conspires against you when you’re 14. Somehow, despite failing French in the entrance exam, I got into the girls’ grammar school in Reading where the outdoor space was negligible and a mounted portrait in the main hall proudly proclaimed: “John Kendrick, the founder of this work house”. But at least it was academically excellent.

So it was that my formative years were spent in this humdrum place where I made friends, lost them, rekindled some and laughed and cried with wild abandon. I went to house parties at homes of people whose names I can no longer remember, kissed secret boyfriends in verdant gardens and fell too madly in love. But I was living in a bubble, one pressurised by this collective drive to achieve great things. And like all bubbles, mine burst.

Read more at The Independent