All posts tagged: nutrition

Do you taste what I taste?

27 May 2015
by Jen Martin
comments 14
Biology / Health / Myths / Zoology

Confession time: I adore chocolate. I’ll never forget a chocolate experience I had almost 20 years ago when I was given the opportunity to try some <em>Gymnema sylvestre</em>. It’s a herb that suppresses your ability to taste sweetness. And eating chocolate straight after the herb was rather distressing. The chocolate had virtually no taste and had the texture of wax, or maybe soap. I could feel it coating my tongue and teeth and I couldn’t imagine ever wanting to eat it again. That’s the power of our taste buds. But not all animals can taste the same flavours we can.

Fun run, anyone?

21 January 2015
by egiles11
comments 2
Health / Myths / Psychology

Do you find it hard to get enough exercise? Exercise plays a critical role in sleep regulation, maintaining a healthy body weight and overall mental wellbeing. But what goes through your mind when you're on a run or sweating through a gym class? Are you having fun? Or are you pushing through because it's for exercise? While the answer may seem irrelevant, your mindset actually has the power to completely derail your healthy goals.

Chocoholics rejoice! It’s (mostly) good news

17 December 2014
by Jen Martin
comments 4
Health / Medicine / Myths / Psychology

We’ve all heard claims chocolate is healthy. But if you’re anything like me, you’ve wondered if that’s a vicious rumour started by a chocolate multinational. I’m delighted to tell you in fact scientists have found plenty of evidence for the health benefits of chocolate eaten in moderation. But there are a few things you need to know. A long but not so sweet history The Latin name for cocoa, Theobroma, means “food of the gods”. […]

Long pig, anyone?

13 August 2014
by Jen Martin
comments 2
Anthropology / Biology / History

This post isn’t for the squeamish. Whether we are talking about Hannibal Lecter, Sweeney Todd, the witch in Hansel and Gretel, or the many accounts from early human history, cannibalism makes us uncomfortable. And why wouldn’t it? Who wants to think about people eating other people or worse, being on the menu yourself?