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The only drawback has been the 1 Litre carton – it doesn’t last long! Please make the 2 Litre bottle available in New South Wales too!

John – October 7, 2009

People write about what they think, feel and know, whether that be personal confessions, pop culture celebrity gossip and anything in between. There are so many Australian blogs out there that are written by women so we thought easy2digest should take a look at a few of our favourite blogs that stood out for one reason or another.

Blog: Grab Your Fork
Type of blog: Food Blog
Who writes it: Helen Yee, a Sydney-sider who loves to eat.
Why you should read it: Her belief that food tastes better when it’s shared with friends is one of the primary factors that prompted her to start this food blog.
http://grabyourfork.blogspot.com

Blog: Mamamia
Type of blog: Women’s Blog
Who writes it: Mia Freedman journalist, author, mother and the former Editor of Cosmopolitan magazine.
Why you should read it: Not surprising considering her background but Mamamia is like a quick daily magazine with commentary about celebrities, life, love, motherhood and pop culture.
http://mamamia.com.au

Blog: Not Quite Nigella
Type of blog: Food Blog
Who writes it: Lorraine Elliott, a cake and food enthusiast who believes that cakes belongs in an art gallery.
Why you should read it: She blogs about her travels far and wide for an unusual meal and cooking and eating food from different countries all around the world. Be sure to look out for some of the amazing photos of the food she cooks and eats.
http://www.notquitenigella.com

Blog: SASSYBELLA.com
Type of blog: Fashion Blog
Who writes it: Helen Lee
Why you should read it: This blog chronicles fashion news and gossip with a sprinkling of lighthearted beauty tidbits and flashbacks to fashion’s illustrious past.
http://www.sassybella.com

Blog: Whip Up
Type of blog: Craft Blog
Who writes it: Multiple authors contribute to this blog
Why you should read it: This is a blog written by people who have a passion for making things and have a desire to share their ideas with others.
http://whipup.net

Do you blog?
If you’re an Australian woman with your own blog, please be sure to tell us about it in the comments and share your link.  Or if you’re thinking about starting your own, Australian research released last year found that blogging can help you feel less isolated, more connected to a community and more satisfied with your friendships, so it’s a great hobby to have!

We also realise that dairy foods have long been recognised for their nutritional value during a child’s developing years, as they are one of the core food groups and best known for being a rich source of calcium and the role it plays in building strong bones¹.

But exactly how much dairy does your child need during their different stages of growing up?

We’ve sourced information from Dairy Australia² that shows the approximate number of serves of dairy your child needs each day to meet the Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI) for calcium throughout their childhood.

Each 250mL serve of Pauls Zymil contains around 308mg of calcium, so just one glass and your child will be on the way to meeting their RDI for the day.

1 Dairy Australia:
http://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/Health-and-Lifestyle/Lifestyles-and-Lifestages/Children.aspx

2 Dairy Australia:
http://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/Health-and-Lifestyle/Dairy-Nutrition/3-Serves-a-Day.aspx#How%20many%20dairy%20serves

Stress is the body’s normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or have upset your balance in some way and is also a sign that it’s time to take action to bring your life back into sync.

There are many reasons why reducing stress is critical to enjoying life. Though most troubling is that long-term exposure to stress may lead to serious health problems¹.

While there are many lifestyle choices you can make to reduce stress, there are some simple choices you can make through your diet to help feel less stressed.

When we are feeling most vulnerable some people tend to engage in all sorts of unhealthy eating habits — which can lead to more stress!

A simple step which can be taken to have you feeling a little better is to remove these detrimental foods from your diet.

Fast Food
Stressed and busy people may be particularly prone to seeking out the more time efficient option of just driving through a fast food outlet, rather than cooking at home. Over the longer term, this is bad as fast foods are often high in fat, sugar and salt, which may contribute to the above effects.

Caffeine
When you’re pushing your limits by burning the candle at both ends, people often find themselves using coffee and other caffeine drinks to get through the long hours. However, having too high an intake of caffeine can lead to some health issues².

Sugar
By consuming food or drinks with high levels of sugar and too little protein, as well as too little carbohydrates, we can experience blood sugar fluctuations. These fluctuations can lead to mood swings, fatigue, poor concentration which further contributes to your stress levels³.

Hopefully by following these tips on foods to avoid in your daily diet, you can feel the positive effects of being less stressed!

1 Better Health Channel:
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Stress_can_become_a_serious_illness

2 Royal Australian College of General Practitioners:
http://www.racgp.org.au/familyhealth/Palpitations_general

3 Health24.com:
http://www.health24.com/medical/Condition_centres/777-792-3728-3729,20360.asp

We saw this feel good story from earlier in the year that we just had to share.

A study by the School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development at Newcastle University in the UK¹ identified that cows which were happier than other cows produced more milk.

The researchers gave the animals more one-to-one attention to make them feel happier and more relaxed as well as named the cows Betsy or Gertrude or Daisy then found the overall milk yield of these cows improved by almost 284 Litres annually.

How wonderful!

It makes sense though. CEO’s of major companies indicate that happier employees are more productive at work². So why shouldn’t it be the same for our bovine friends as well?

We are just glad that all the Betsies, Gertrudes and Daisies are given the attention they deserve for producing such a wonderful product like milk.

1 CNN:
http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2009/01/29/happy-cows-produce-more-milk-study-finds/

2 The Happiness Institute:
http://www.thehappinessinstitute.com.au/blog/article.aspx?c=3&a=1015&pcPage=54

The humble cupcake, which was once only a staple at children’s birthday parties, is now a fashionable phenomenon.

Who would have ever thought a basic recipe containing just flour, sugar, vanilla, eggs and milk could lead to a world wide dessert trend which was in-part sparked by ‘Carrie Bradshaw’ from the hit television show Sex In The City devouring cupcakes from her favourite bakery in one episode.

People at home are now baking recipes from books like The Crabapple Bakery Cupcake Cookbook. There are blogs dedicated solely to cupcakes and creative cupcake ideas. Bakeries devoted to cupcakes have started in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and other major cities world wide. And, pastry chefs now cater cupcakes for special occasion birthdays, weddings and bridal showers.

Why are cupcakes so popular?

Simply, they are the perfect dessert.
• They are small enough to eat by yourself but big enough to satisfy a craving for something sweet.
• Cupcakes are suitable for a mid-morning coffee break, afternoon tea or even a Wedding reception, cupcakes are always welcome.
• They can be plain or fancy.
• Most of all they are fun, quick and tasty

If you have any favourite cupcake recipes from home which include Pauls Zymil be sure to leave them in the comments and we’ll see if we can add them to our recipe list!

Up until now, Zymil has only been available in 1 Litre cartons, but thanks to your suggestions, we’re happy to announce a new 2 Litre bottle – complete with resealable lid!

The 2 Litre bottle comes in the low fat variety and is available throughout Coles and Independent supermarkets across South East Queensland.

So why not pick up a new 2 Litre bottle of Zymil this week – we’d love to hear what you think! And for those outside of South East Queensland, please feel free to get in touch with us, to let us know if this pack size would suit you.

We’ve come up with some ideas to ensure you continue to get some fun exercise during the colder months.

Go dancing!
Joining a local dance class is an extremely fun way to stay warm by exercising indoors with your partner. Whether it be Latin, salsa, modern or freestyle dance, you’ll be sure to break a serious sweat. And, who knows? After a winter of weekly dance lessons you might even be ready for a guest spot on ‘So You Think You Can Dance?’

Run
Don’t let the cold weather derail your morning or afternoon run. Taking a run in the crisp clean winter air can still be an invigorating start to the day or chance to unwind after a long day. Just make sure you wear extra layers of clothes and maybe alter the route you take for a change in scenery. And if the thought of an outdoor run gives you chills, then the treadmill at your local gym might be the way to go.

Try yoga
Yoga is an excellent indoor activity where you and your friends can hide from the elements on cold windy wintery days while enjoying a vigorous workout. It is also the perfect activity for reducing stress as yoga focuses equally on the mind as well as the body.

Include the kids
Whether you are walking, cycling or playing a sport; don’t forget to involve the kids in your exercise routine whenever you can. It will provide extra motivation for you during winter to make it a regular activity that is rewarding for the entire family!

Hydrate
Without the harsh summer sun exposure you might not feel as thirsty but it is still just as important to be properly hydrated during exercise in winter so be sure to drink plenty of water before and during your work out. Afterwards you can treat yourself to a protein packed Zymil smoothie to replenish your body’s fluids afterwards and assist with recovery.

By staying active with some of our tips and avoiding the easy choice of winter hibernation on the couch, you’ll be fit and happy all year long!

If you have some winter workout tips of your own, please share them with us!

Now that our favourite game and musical instrument The Tummy Tuner has been live on the internet for a couple of weeks we thought we would share with you the Top Five most played songs.

Drum roll, please…

#5 Mary Had a Little Gas
http://www.tummytuner.com.au/63afe6e56b9f034

#4 The Lovecats by The Cure
http://www.tummytuner.com.au/2e373d2019fca65

#3 Love and Marriage by Frank Sinatra
http://www.tummytuner.com.au/a9518c0c48b71ce

#2 Enter Sandman by Metallica
http://www.tummytuner.com.au/5752950444f6090

#1 Stairway to Heaven
http://www.tummytuner.com.au/b5231f88bab9f78

If you want to make your own unique melodies or send musical messages that can literally bring out the “inner” you then visit http://www.tummytuner.com.au