Sophie's Column: If eating Granny Smiths gets rid of cold, fire them this way

While I was growing up I led an active lifestyle, ate relatively healthily and got enough sleep and, in turn, my immune system rewarded me for that.

The peak of my healthy productivity was at its maximum level about ten years ago so, understandably, my general health has taken a bit of a downturn.

I didn’t take much notice of the general downturn in my well-being until I had a chance to properly reflect on it this week when, low and behold, I caught a cold.

Not just any cold though – I think I can hands down say this is the worst case of the stuffy sinus I’ve ever had, and I’m certain I know why.

To say I’ve let myself go would be a fair comment. I’ve spent the past few years putting on weight and then suddenly losing it all again.

I never really thought about the health repercussions of such rapid weight change – I just thanked my lucky stars I could slim back down relatively quickly. Obviously, I’ve left the festive season a little beefier but that’s happened before and it’s never been a problem.

But the cold came calling and here I am, lying in bed, doped up on Sudafed and Lemsip and feeling sorry for myself.

It didn’t take long for the penny to drop and for me to realise the reason I feel so grotty is because all I’ve done is feed myself utter rubbish for the past month.

I’ve realised that in order to feel good, I need to eat well and I should start doing so sooner rather than later.

Being able to lose weight quickly is fair enough, but maintaining good health? It’s all about the diet.

They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away – if eating Granny Smiths get rid of this cold, then fire them my way.