27 FEB 2018 · In this summer podcast series, each week the New Zealand Herald and Newstalk ZB's Go to Health podcast will look at a different health issue. Today, it's how to get the fresh food you need without losing money or time. Hosted by Frances Cook. No, it's not just you. It's increasingly difficult to feed yourself properly without needing help from a loan shark. 2017 was a bad year for the price of fresh fruit and vegetables. In September, fresh produce prices were up 5.7 percent on the year before. It was even worse in May, when the price of fruit and veges shot up 14 percent compared to the same time the year before. Part of the problem was the soggy weather we had, which saw some vegetables literally rotting in the soil where they were supposed to grow. At various points through 2017 we saw cauliflower shoot up to 10 bucks a pop, kumara jump up to over $8 a kilo, and the always maligned avocados were a costly $4.50 each. If you're trying to feed a family their five plus a day, it's beyond me how you deal with that. But of course, that's why we bring in the experts. There's got to be a way to feed yourself right without going broke. I called up Lifespark nutritionist Kate Walker for the latest episode of Go to Health. We talked about the common misperceptions about what's actually healthy, and how to save both money and time while eating the food your body needs. For the episode, listen to the podcast. If you have a question about this podcast, or something you'd like me to investigate in a future episode, get in touch. I'm on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

27 FEB 2018 · In this summer podcast series, each week the New Zealand Herald and Newstalk ZB's Go to Health podcast will look at a different health issue. Today, it's how to get the fresh food you need without losing money or time. Hosted by Frances Cook. No, it's not just you. It's increasingly difficult to feed yourself properly without needing help from a loan shark. 2017 was a bad year for the price of fresh fruit and vegetables. In September, fresh produce prices were up 5.7 percent on the year before. It was even worse in May, when the price of fruit and veges shot up 14 percent compared to the same time the year before. Part of the problem was the soggy weather we had, which saw some vegetables literally rotting in the soil where they were supposed to grow. At various points through 2017 we saw cauliflower shoot up to 10 bucks a pop, kumara jump up to over $8 a kilo, and the always maligned avocados were a costly $4.50 each. If you're trying to feed a family their five plus a day, it's beyond me how you deal with that. But of course, that's why we bring in the experts. There's got to be a way to feed yourself right without going broke. I called up Lifespark nutritionist Kate Walker for the latest episode of Go to Health. We talked about the common misperceptions about what's actually healthy, and how to save both money and time while eating the food your body needs. For the episode, listen to the podcast. If you have a question about this podcast, or something you'd like me to investigate in a future episode, get in touch. I'm on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

20 FEB 2018 · In this summer podcast series, each week the New Zealand Herald and Newstalk ZB's Go to Health podcast will look at a different health issue. Today, it's how a low income hurts your health, and who's responsible for fixing it. Hosted by Frances Cook. When you're short on money, just about everything becomes more difficult.  It's hard to get a house that's warm and dry. I remember all too well living in places where a breeze would rattle through the room even when all the doors and windows were technically shut.   It's also hard to feed yourself properly. Fruit and veges are expensive and only became more expensive through 2017.  It's cheaper to buy stacks of white bread and weetbix, which will at least technically stop you feeling hungry.  It's also hard to plan for the future. You're in survival mode, and focusing all of your energy on getting through right now.  Good luck with putting aside savings or thinking about taking a course to get you into a well paid job, when you're dealing with all of that.  Obviously, these add up to causing some health problems, that can often make the money situation even worse.  I called Philippa Howden-Chapman, professor of public health at the University of Otago, Wellington, for the latest Go to Health podcast.  We talked about how money stress can hurt your health, what sort of health problems crop up, and where the line is between personal and social responsibility.  For the interview, listen to the podcast.  If you have a question about this podcast, or something you'd like me to investigate in a future episode, get in touch. I'm on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.   

18 FEB 2018 · In this summer podcast series, each week the New Zealand Herald and Newstalk ZB's Go to Health podcast will look at a different health issue. Today, it's how a low income hurts your health, and who's responsible for fixing it. Hosted by Frances Cook. When you're short on money, just about everything becomes more difficult.  It's hard to get a house that's warm and dry. I remember all too well living in places where a breeze would rattle through the room even when all the doors and windows were technically shut.   It's also hard to feed yourself properly. Fruit and veges are expensive and only became more expensive through 2017.  It's cheaper to buy stacks of white bread and weetbix, which will at least technically stop you feeling hungry.  It's also hard to plan for the future. You're in survival mode, and focusing all of your energy on getting through right now.  Good luck with putting aside savings or thinking about taking a course to get you into a well paid job, when you're dealing with all of that.  Obviously, these add up to causing some health problems, that can often make the money situation even worse.  I called Philippa Howden-Chapman, professor of public health at the University of Otago, Wellington, for the latest Go to Health podcast.  We talked about how money stress can hurt your health, what sort of health problems crop up, and where the line is between personal and social responsibility.  For the interview, listen to the podcast.  If you have a question about this podcast, or something you'd like me to investigate in a future episode, get in touch. I'm on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.   

13 FEB 2018 · In this summer podcast series, each week the New Zealand Herald and Newstalk ZB's Go to Health podcast will look at a different health issue. Today, it's the effect of modern work expectations on our mental health. Hosted by Frances Cook. It's all too easy to slip into the habit of working harder and harder, drawing your sense of worth and accomplishment from dealing with an increasing amount of pressure in your job. But it's a balancing act that can only go for so long before something has to give. An increasing number of New Zealanders are now facing exactly that problem. Last year's Wellness in the Workplace survey, put together by Southern Cross and Business NZ, has documented a spike in workplace stress levels over the last two years. The biggest factor for the people they surveyed was being overloaded, with just too much to do. A recent survey by Seek also backs this up, finding one in three Kiwis feel stressed out from their job, and can't stop themselves bringing work home at the end of the day. Our working life is a huge part of how we spend our life in general, so maybe it shouldn't be a surprise that if you keep this up for too long, there can be pretty serious consequences. I called Helena Cooper-Thomas, organisational behaviour professor at AUT, for the latest episode of the Go to Health podcast. We talked about whether people are more stressed by work than they were in the past, signs of stress, and how to deal with it. For the interview, listen to the podcast. If you have a question about this podcast, or an idea for the next one, come and talk to me about it. I'm on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookJournalist/ Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/franklysnapping/ and Twitter here https://twitter.com/FrancesCook. 

13 FEB 2018 · In this summer podcast series, each week the New Zealand Herald and Newstalk ZB's Go to Health podcast will look at a different health issue. Today, it's the effect of modern work expectations on our mental health. Hosted by Frances Cook. It's all too easy to slip into the habit of working harder and harder, drawing your sense of worth and accomplishment from dealing with an increasing amount of pressure in your job. But it's a balancing act that can only go for so long before something has to give. An increasing number of New Zealanders are now facing exactly that problem. Last year's Wellness in the Workplace survey, put together by Southern Cross and Business NZ, has documented a spike in workplace stress levels over the last two years. The biggest factor for the people they surveyed was being overloaded, with just too much to do. A recent survey by Seek also backs this up, finding one in three Kiwis feel stressed out from their job, and can't stop themselves bringing work home at the end of the day. Our working life is a huge part of how we spend our life in general, so maybe it shouldn't be a surprise that if you keep this up for too long, there can be pretty serious consequences. I called Helena Cooper-Thomas, organisational behaviour professor at AUT, for the latest episode of the Go to Health podcast. We talked about whether people are more stressed by work than they were in the past, signs of stress, and how to deal with it. For the interview, listen to the podcast. If you have a question about this podcast, or an idea for the next one, come and talk to me about it. I'm on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookJournalist/ Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/franklysnapping/ and Twitter here https://twitter.com/FrancesCook. 

6 FEB 2018 · In this summer podcast series, each week the New Zealand Herald and Newstalk ZB's Go to Health podcast will look at a different health issue. Today, it's what the science says about modern pregnancy. Hosted by Frances Cook. We all know the pain of trying to get accurate health information online. A quick google can mean a headache is diagnosed as a brain aneurysm, or an aching hip becomes bone cancer. But one area that seems to get more than its fair share of misinformation is pregnancy. How long you should try to get pregnant the regular way before calling in the professionals. How much modern medicine can help you out. And most importantly, at what age will your ovaries wither and turn to dust? There's so much pressure around having babies, often directed at telling women to hurry up and get on with it before they're over the hill. The last thing I want to do is add to that pressure. Ladies, we have enough on our plates. But I do still want to find out what's fact, and what's fiction, so that we're at least making an informed choice. So in the interests of calming down the discussion and bringing some facts back into it, let's bring in the experts working at the cutting edge. I talked to Guy Gudex, director of fertility clinic ReproMed, for the latest Go to Health podcast. We talked about what the average window of fertility is for a modern woman, how medical science can help, and what the limits are for that. For the interview, listen to the podcast. If you have a question about this podcast, or an idea for the next one, come and talk to me about it. I'm on Facebook here ​https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookJournalist/, Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/franklysnapping/ and Twitter here https://twitter.com/FrancesCook

5 FEB 2018 · In this summer podcast series, each week the New Zealand Herald and Newstalk ZB's Go to Health podcast will look at a different health issue. Today, it's what the science says about modern pregnancy. Hosted by Frances Cook. We all know the pain of trying to get accurate health information online. A quick google can mean a headache is diagnosed as a brain aneurysm, or an aching hip becomes bone cancer. But one area that seems to get more than its fair share of misinformation is pregnancy. How long you should try to get pregnant the regular way before calling in the professionals. How much modern medicine can help you out. And most importantly, at what age will your ovaries wither and turn to dust? There's so much pressure around having babies, often directed at telling women to hurry up and get on with it before they're over the hill. The last thing I want to do is add to that pressure. Ladies, we have enough on our plates. But I do still want to find out what's fact, and what's fiction, so that we're at least making an informed choice. So in the interests of calming down the discussion and bringing some facts back into it, let's bring in the experts working at the cutting edge. I talked to Guy Gudex, director of fertility clinic ReproMed, for the latest Go to Health podcast. We talked about what the average window of fertility is for a modern woman, how medical science can help, and what the limits are for that. For the interview, listen to the podcast. If you have a question about this podcast, or an idea for the next one, come and talk to me about it. I'm on Facebook here ​https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookJournalist/, Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/franklysnapping/ and Twitter here https://twitter.com/FrancesCook

30 JAN 2018 · In this summer podcast series, each week the New Zealand Herald and Newstalk ZB's Go to Health podcast will look at a different health issue. Today, it's whether you should worry about exercise backfiring on weight-loss goals. Hosted by Frances Cook. If you’re looking to lose weight, most people will reach for the tried and true. Increase the exercise, and watch the pounds fall away. The problem is a solid sweat session can leave you ravenous. You’ve burned energy, so it makes sense that your body asks for you to put more in. The latest research not only backs this up, but also says some workouts will make you hungrier than others. It’s understandable people would start to worry that it’s all a bit pointless. But is hunger really the enemy? Now there’s an important point that needs to be mentioned here. Your size has nothing to do with how healthy you are. We’re all made differently, so look different from each other too. But for the many people likely to resolve to lose weight at this time of year, whatever your reasons are, knowledge is power. I called up Claire Badenhorst, lecturer in exercise and sport science from Massey University, for the latest Go to Health podcast. We talked about whether exercise makes you hungrier, if that's a problem, and which types of exercise are better than others. For the interview, listen to the podcast. If you have any questions about this podcast, come and talk to me about it. I'm on Facebook and Instagram.

30 JAN 2018 · In this summer podcast series, each week the New Zealand Herald and Newstalk ZB's Go to Health podcast will look at a different health issue. Today, it's whether you should worry about exercise backfiring on weight-loss goals. Hosted by Frances Cook. If you’re looking to lose weight, most people will reach for the tried and true. Increase the exercise, and watch the pounds fall away. The problem is a solid sweat session can leave you ravenous. You’ve burned energy, so it makes sense that your body asks for you to put more in. The latest research not only backs this up, but also says some workouts will make you hungrier than others. It’s understandable people would start to worry that it’s all a bit pointless. But is hunger really the enemy? Now there’s an important point that needs to be mentioned here. Your size has nothing to do with how healthy you are. We’re all made differently, so look different from each other too. But for the many people likely to resolve to lose weight at this time of year, whatever your reasons are, knowledge is power. I called up Claire Badenhorst, lecturer in exercise and sport science from Massey University, for the latest Go to Health podcast. We talked about whether exercise makes you hungrier, if that's a problem, and which types of exercise are better than others. For the interview, listen to the podcast. If you have any questions about this podcast, come and talk to me about it. I'm on Facebook and Instagram.