A Nicer World

I love my food, and I am also passionate about a bunch of other things. This page relates more to the second half of my blog title – dreaming of a nicer world, and wondering about humans. I probably spend too much time wondering about humans. You might also be interested in my Simplicious Challenge series, regarding food waste, consumerism and sustainability.

#MeToo (#AllWomen?)
I’ve been reading about Harvey Weinstein and the subsequent #metoo movement with great interest, in awe of the women bravely stepping forward. I had decided not to participate in the #metoo campaign myself. I didn’t want to deflect any attention away from the women sharing their own stories and horrifying accounts of sexual assault. Then it struck me as a little absurd, that I would think that my own experiences were inconsequential and not also connected to a broader, problematic culture that results in girls and women being hurt – physically, sexually, emotionally and mentally. View the full post from 19 October 2017.

The health and wellness bubble of privilege
After a long period of illness over winter, I got fired up over a couple of key messages I regularly hear in the health and wellness sector: 1) that food is medicine, and 2) that healthy eating isn’t expensive, it’s just a matter of priorities. While there is some truth to these, the reality is a far more complicated social justice issue. View the full post from 9 October 2017.

How we use social media could make or break us
I’m the first to say I generally enjoy social media. I use it and value it – there are clearly so many benefits; for connecting people and communities, for sharing a range of views and ideas, and even for supporting social change. But it feels like a nastier place lately. The comments sections on Facebook particularly, have always been fraught, but now they seem soul-sucking, showcasing the worst of our tendencies towards blame, spite, and an inability to consider other viewpoints. It’s like the new outlet for road-rage. View the full post from 23 July 2017.

Anxiety, ‘Manifesting’ and Kindness
When anxiety starts to get the better of me, as it has been, I return to a number of tried and true strategies, including reading about love and fear, and how these influence our thinking and ‘manifest’ in our lives. View the full post from 3 October 2016.

Another first world problem
Like many other people, I frequently find myself hugely conflicted: between the everyday going-ons of middle-class Australian life, and the deep pain and suffering experienced by so many around the world, but particularly at the moment, those refugees fleeing parts of the middle east. This is most apparent in my Facebook newsfeed, which is scattered with healthy recipes, Buzzfeed quizzes and updates from my friends’ lives – all vertically juxtaposed against images and stories of drowned children and families. View the full post from 16 September 2015.

Quitting sugar gave me food freedom, not an eating disorder
After reading one too many articles criticising sugar-free and paleo lifestyles as ‘the new eating disorders’, I started to wonder whether in fact I do have an eating disorder. This process of self-doubt reinforced to me how embedded sugar is, in our society, and why people understandably find it confusing to comprehend the inconsistent public health messages we receive through the media. View the full post from 16 November 2014.

Making the consumer difference – one free-range egg at a time
Lately, I have spent a lot of time beating myself up about my own hypocrisy in making better choices as a consumer. I take reusable ‘green bags’ to the supermarket, but use masses of cling wrap and freezer bags at home. I buy local, free-range eggs but frequently buy garlic at the supermarket, which is imported from overseas. I avoid buying products that contain palm oil, but use chemicals to clean the toilet. View the full post from 15 September 2014.

Honestly? Eating healthy is hard work and not cheap.
I always get a little irritated when health experts come out and lecture people on how cheap and easy it is to eat healthy food. Over the last six months, as I have gradually overhauled the contents of my household’s pantry and fridge, there is one thing that I have been acutely aware of throughout this process: I am very lucky and privileged to be in a position to make these lifestyle changes. View the full post from 5 August 2014.

A counter-list: 14 things to do before 9am
I Quit Sugar recently published a post on 14 things to do before 9am. It gave me a giggle. I couldn’t resist posting my own counter-list, of 14 things that I do before 9am, and which many other parents do too. View the full post from 5 July 2014.

The paradox – and sad irony – of our age, in a toilet
There is a wall-hanging on the back of my parents’ toilet door. I’ve always loved it, I read it every time I’m sitting on their toilet, and I’ve often considered stealing it. No doubt they would have just given it to me if I’d asked. It is a quote from the Dalai Lama. Or so I thought. View the full post from 2 July 2014.

What’s appropriate for social media? Canberra Mums and the Abortion Question…
An anonymous woman, pregnant in her first trimester, asked the readers of Facebook group Canberra Mums for information on where in Canberra she could get an abortion, and how much it would cost. View the full post from 1 June 2014.

A very sad Budget post
I would be classed as a middle-class working woman, mother and Australian, and so it is in this sense that I give my thoughts on the 2014 Australian Budget. View the full post from 13 May 2014.

Does language work against vegans (and co)?
When I recently tweeted a photo of my miniature pecan pies, I wondered whether I should identify that they were vegan. I did, but it got me thinking about the stigma placed on certain diets, and whether this stigma is in part caused by the language we use when we talk about those diets – focusing on which foods are absent, rather than which are included. View the full post from 29 April 2014.

“It’s tradition”
Those who do speak up or question the status quo, are called wowsers, radicals, lefties and trouble-makers. Whether it’s questioning gender roles, relationship expectations or marriage norms, expressing concern about a sustainable environment or simply wanting to move away from processed, sugar-laden ‘foods’; someone rolls their eyes. “It’s just the way things are,” they say. “It’s tradition. Don’t get so wound up.” View the full post from 19 April 2014.