A US study has found that women carry a far greater number of bacteria on the palms of their hands than men, and that washing them in fact has little impact on the diversity of bacteria we carry. The findings revealed that not only do human hands in general have a far greater range of […]

Food Coach Judy Davie gives you the lowdown on how — and how long — you can best store fruit and veggies in the warmer months… To read more about storing fresh produce, see part one of The Food Coach’s A-Z guide to storing spring fruits and vegetables.

If you knew you could do just five simple things a day to stay sane — would you? Scientists in the UK have found that simple social and personal activities like gardening or fixing things around the house can improve mental health just as much as eating a healthy diet of fresh fruit and vegetables […]

When Australian Idol hopeful Luke Dickens missed the birth of his first child to finish taping a live verdict show this month, his choice focused attention on the pressure contestants face to succeed in reality talent quests. Luke had hoped to finish filming in Sydney before little Jordan arrived, but his partner Brooke Rodgers went […]

Just because we might do more entertaining in the warmer months doesn’t mean we have to eat more kilojoules! These simple swaps from Food Coach Judy Davie make outdoor eating easier on the waistline…

Feeling stuck? Try Pamela Allardice’s seven-step plan to bust that rut and push forward in your life. 1 Make time First, create an opportunity for inward focus. Getting unstuck isn’t just about moving on: before you can do that, you need to look within and establish who you are and what you want. Schedule an […]

Forget obsessing about what you eat and take a good hard look at the way you eat! Japanese scientists have discovered that eating your food quickly makes you three times more likely to be overweight. The research conducted by Professor Hiroyasu Iso and colleagues from Osaka University in Japan, showed that it’s not just eating […]

With a recent surge in gourmet offerings the scope of today’s pizza is huge. No longer is it simply a high fat, high salt takeaway food best limited in the diet. Let’s explore what’s hot in the latest offerings and how best to choose a pizza to please. That’s the TICK Smart choices Base – […]

When your metabolism is in peak condition, you can rev up the rate at which you burn fat. Start your engine with these six tips. 1: Eat breakfast There is a link between eating breakfast and increasing the kilojoules you can burn, perhaps because your metabolic rate slows while you sleep. The best breakfast is […]

Cranberries are well-known for their ability to treat urinary infections, but just how they did so has been a mystery till now. Research from Massachusetts Worcester Polytechnic Institute (www.wpi.edu) has demonstrated how tannins in cranberries interact with E. coli bacteria at a molecular level, creating an ‘energy barrier’ that actually stops the bacteria from getting […]