Mad Diet

09/11/2025

SAVING THE SPUD

The humble spud has been part of our diet for hundreds of years. From rumbledthumps, to bubble and squeak, and the breakfast favourite - tattie scones.

But this traditional crop is about to change thanks to the biotech boys tweaking genes. They are modifying seeds to counter weather and pests when it’s really about patents and corporate greed.

So, this week I’m off to the home of potatoes to learn about community-led conservation and ancient growing methods. The people of Peru stood alongside their farmers resulting in a GMO ban to preserve agro-diversity.

Quechua communities and their Inca ancestors have been cultivating tatties for millennia. They believe in working in tandem with nature whilst respecting the land and sacred spirits.

To save our heritage seeds and food sovereignty at home - is it time we did the same?

Suzanne.x

06/11/2025

Just checking out the COP30 menus. Fifteen quid for a fillet steak is not too shabby and a double cheeseburger is less than a fiver.

Nae bug dishes or any mention of cow farts right enough. :-O

04/11/2025

Our livers are already under the cosh with chemicals in food, air, and water. But we rarely consider the impact blue light has on the body’s workhorse.

This latest research reminds us to support our internal clock for better sleep and liver health.

Is it time we ditched screens before bed, used warm-toned bulbs at home, and put up thicker curtains to block out new street lights on the bluer side of the spectrum? www.maddiet.co

People who work against their internal clock over a long period of time increase the risk of fatty liver. The correlations are complex, but one research team in Bochum is trying to get to the bottom of the issue.

30/10/2025

Thank you to everyone who pre-ordered a bottle from this year’s harvest. Your support is truly appreciated.

Our first batch of green medicine is smooth and fruity with a peppery kick. Fresh and moreish as every early harvest EVOO should be.

Now for the long journey as we bring this precious cargo back to Scotland. Feeling quite emotional and wishing my mammy and daddy were still around to taste it.

Also feeling blessed for a fantastic team who help get this “great healer” from our trees to your plate. Big shout out to Dave, Josh, Joan, Chaimae, Emily, Finlay and Glen for their efforts.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Suzanne.x

29/10/2025

Klaus is kaput and Bill is under scrutiny for skewing the agenda at the band with Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend.

So why are we still going gung-ho for insect proteins that may come with biosecurity risks and increase the spread of disease? The sustainability greenwashing is hogwash too.

Can we please get back to our mince n tatties and put this mad episode in human history behind us?

New study worth a swatch. www.maddiet.co

The study examined 352 papers and found insect farming is not as environmentally friendly as many have touted it to be

29/10/2025

As more evidence emerges, it is any wonder Hippocrates called it “the great healer”?

Early harvest extra virgin olive oil is jam-packed with polyphenols – including hydroxytyrosol.

This powerhouse antioxidant is absorbed in the gut, metabolised by the liver, and crosses the blood-brain barrier to help improve mood, memory, and reduce neuroinflammation.

Just one of many reasons we produce our own EVOO to bring this green medicine home.

New study from Miguel Hernández University worth a swatch. www.maddiet.co

This review highlights hydroxytyrosol's role as a neuroprotective agent, activating key pathways for mental and vascular health through olive-derived compounds.

26/10/2025

They sold our gold and squandered our oil. Stole our money to stick up outdated windmills to save the whales. Imported steel blighting our landscape when any rightminded scientist knows that hydrogen and thorium is where it’s at.

Wee Greta and Mark Cuntney led the way in hijacking the left. A place I once called home. Manipulating our youth and orchestrating sweeping changes in how our institutions, banks, and councils are funded.

Marionettes for people that can’t be named on here.

Maybe these patsies believe they are doing the right thing but I can’t help but think they are total *ankers. Lost souls hellbent on damaging humanity… or at least the people living on our isles.

We have at least 500 years of coal under our feet – easily filtered with modern tech. Oil easily sequestered too – check out the latest solutions from the Geosciences team at Edinburgh Uni.

As a Scot I’m absolutely scunnered our institutions are at the forefront of solving our biggest problems whilst contributing to our greatest downfall. Is it time we looked at the motives of who (or what) is funding our research institutions?

Breeding cows to fart less? Cloning livestock? Gene-editing humans to combat diseases that are caused by environmental factors?

In my mind, the Scots need to remember who they are. A nation of people, egalitarian in nature, but no fools. Innovators, inventors, and philosophers working hand in hand to progress humanity – not hinder it.

Somewhere along the line we have lost our way. Our lack of cash has surely played a part. But we can’t forfeit our hand for lack of means.

We are the Scots. We are better than this. We don’t need dirty money to develop new things at their behest.

Let’s remember who we are. A proud agricultural nation with scientific and medical prowess based on the genetic memory of our ancestors and the energy emanating from the ancient land we inhabit.

Our land is some of the oldest on this planet – it has a story to tell – and it’s our job to remember it. So many thin places forgotten in time.

Is it time we looked up in wonder at the big sky, considered a world where cheap energy fuelled prosperity, and realised the answer to some of our problems lay in plain sight?

Aye.

Suzanne.x

25/10/2025

Numbnut mum was sure the guy in the Ford garage said the new vans came with towbars. I clearly didn’t take my fish oils that day and the lads ended up humphing countless tubs back and forth to the mill because we couldn’t take trailers!

We are so lucky to have our organic olives cold-pressed at one of the few remaining stone mills in Spain. There are less than 5 left in the entire country and we are proud to help keep this ancient tradition going.

That’s the wean grafting in one of the pics. No need for expensive gym memberships round this way.

Is it time we got our kids back in touch with the land instead of living their lives through screens?

Suzanne.x

PS – Scottish farmers are under the cosh. They desperately need workers to help harvest our food. Let’s give them our full support no matter what rules come from on high.

24/10/2025

Harvesting the olives is a right hard graft but so rewarding. As promised, here’s a wee snippet of the process so you can see where our green medicine comes from.

Tonight, we had tapas and a swally with a French doctor, his wife (a medical herbalist), and their friends in the local village. One of the lassies was a retired Catalan news presenter – our version of Jackie Bird who now has her own radio show.

We got chatting about how the Scots ventured from the Nile Delta to the Ebro Delta, following the river right up to Zaragoza (named after Jacob’s grandson - Zerah) and beyond before sailing onto Ireland and eventually the land we call home.

She knew about the ancient city of Hiber (named after Queen Scota’s son) underneath the town of Tortosa where she lives and that Hibernia was the auld name for Ireland… but didn’t join the dots.

Next week on her radio show she’ll be talking about us Scots, the first paragraph of the Declaration of Arbroath, Scotichronicon, the Stone of Destiny (Jacob’s pillow) and the fascinating link between her homeland and ours.

We’re a’ Jock Tamson’s bairns.

Suzanne. X

20/10/2025

That’s us arrived for the harvest after another detour to avoid mental weather. Villages south of the delta are in tatters but our finca is intact despite losing some olives during the storm.

Aye, we actually drive over 1400 miles, pick the crop by hand, watch it being cold-pressed in an 18th century stone mill, and then transport it back ourselves to be bottled by hand.

Whole-chain traceability and absolute transparency – no mincing about!

Now the hard work begins but the sun is out and the beer is cold.

Harvest pics to follow.

Suzanne.x

10/10/2025

Before I spent Sunday’s batch cooking in the kitchen my son’s wheezing and skin health was pretty bad. But when we cut out the crap and got him onto scratch-cooked meals it made a massive difference.

This latest study highlights the preservatives and sweeteners wreaking havoc on gut-lung function. These additives disrupt beneficial bacteria, alter intestinal permeability (leaky gut), and affect lung immune function.

Aspartame (E951) is in there as are the benzoates (E210, E211, E212, E213). These additives are ubiquitous in foods marketed to kiddies – like squashes, fruit juices, and fizzy drinks!

Is it time we got the weans back onto milk and water and made our own soft drinks with fresh or frozen fruit at home? www.maddiet.co

Researchers utilize metabolomics to investigate the mechanisms underlying the association between food additives and childhood asthma.

09/10/2025

It’s about healing the gut and lowering inflammation. Supporting the gut-skin axis with polyphenols and good fats whilst cutting out processed crap that triggers immune dysregulation.

The Mediterranean diet includes extra virgin olive oil, oily fish, fruit, veg, nuts, unprocessed red meat and wine in moderation.

After just 16 weeks, participants experienced a significant reduction in psoriasis symptoms.

This latest clinical trial is essential reading for those trying to heal their skin. www.maddiet.co

A 16-week Mediterranean diet reduced psoriasis severity and improved metabolic health in patients with mild to moderate psoriasis.