This year I set myself an ambitious goal to be eating a completely whole-food diet by the end of the year. At a time when experts are increasingly concerned about the impact of junk food on our health, I wanted to see if was even possible to learn to cook everything from scratch while leading a busy life as a working mother of two young children.With the customary zeal that accompanies every well-intentioned “New Year New Me” resolution, I signed up for an intensive cooking course, gave my pantry a makeover, planted seeds for a fledgling herb garden and invented... Read full article »

In my 37 years of living as a human being I’ve noticed a very distinct pattern which goes something like this: I throw myself into life with gusto and enthusiasm, be it with work or home life commitments A trigger wakes me up to the fact that I’m neglecting my health. For example, I’ve had one too many sleepless nights in a row or I “suddenly” can’t fit into my skinny jeans. The trigger causes me to identity the “problem” and I sign up to a program that promises a fix. This week I was prompted to do a little... Read full article »

As I sat down to write this blog post, a voice interrupted me. “Shannon, Shaaaanon…,” it called sweetly. I ignored it and delved into reading a scientific paper that I was interested in. After a few minutes the voice started again, this time more adamant, “Shaaaaaaaanon!” Again I ignored it and kept reading until the voice grew so pushy that I had to give in. The voice was coming from the block of dark chocolate in my pantry. It had little bits of crunchy caramel through it and it insisted I eat a piece. So I did. (Well, three pieces... Read full article »

It’s three o’clock in the afternoon as I write this sentence. I’m feeling a little weary after spending my day delving into scientific papers. As I contemplate taking a short break away from my desk, I immediately feel an inner momentum pulling me towards the kitchen. I’m sure if a scientist had electrodes on my head right now they would see that the anticipation and reward centres of my brain light up like a Christmas tree because right now I’m thinking about chocolate.   The thing about being a journalist who writes about the latest science exploring how our mind... Read full article »

Where I live in Sydney, Australia there is a sense of franticness in the air. Traffic has come to a standstill as people add various silly season shenanigans to their already overloaded schedules in the extreme heat of the Australian summer. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy this time of year and I’m especially looking forward to our Harvey family Christmas Eve where we celebrate Danish style and come together for important Christmas rituals like almond rice pudding and rum balls. But I know I won’t be alone in allowing the holiday season to get the better of me... Read full article »