I’ve never been into the idea of fad diets - to me, a diet should be a lifestyle choice, and after many years of working in health-focused journalism (and plenty of time spent researching and learning about health, fitness, and nutrition myself) I’ve long believed that looking for a quick fix doesn’t work. However, I am also aware that my genetics don’t do well with consuming too many carbs (confirmed by a DNA test that I took that deduced that from the analysis, among other

It’s not every day that you meet someone with a degree in hops and brewing, or that you’d put the words “beer” and “cocktails” into the same sentence, but that’s just what we got when we met Brent Henderson, the Beer Brand Specialist at African and Eastern. The 28-year old was born in Zimbabwe and grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, and, in his own words, says he, “Failed as a bartender, but actually discovered that I really liked beer. So a very wise woman told me to go and

Last year, during what is now an annual pre-birthday surf trip, I was lucky enough to spend two weeks in the paradise that is Kandui Villas. A remote spot tucked away in Indonesia's Mentawai Islands, it had taken us two plane rides, a couple of car rides, and a couple of boat rides to get there. But once we were there, it was sheer bliss - our humble abode was an expansive rustic villa built in the traditional Indonesian style, or Uma as they're called there, and I spent my d

During the long, hot Dubai summers, I often joke that the temperatures get so high outside that I turn into a "human dim sum" - steamed from the inside out. So it's somewhat ironic, then, that it's during the human dim sum time of year that I was lucky enough to discover - with thanks to my friend Kirsteen (the co-founder of Get Fit Chick, Kirsteen is a fellow HAPA who hails from Hong Kong so she knows her dim sum, and like me, lives in the area, which is how she stumbled acr

This kebab place is not for the faint-hearted, appetite-wise anyway. Several summers ago while in Istanbul, Turkey, I stumbled across this amazing little kebab place that was just up the road from my hotel in the Galata/Taksim area and what a find it was! This tiny little hole in the wall may look unassuming and simple from the outside (there isn’t even a wall separating the downstairs dining area from the street, and the seating is made up of basic wooden tables and chairs)

Let me put this right out there from the start: This is not a "low-cal, healthy, light" recipe. While I do cook healthy most of the time, I also believe in the importance of balance, and I don't tend to eat a lot butter, flour, and so on on a regular basis - but when the occasion calls for it (or the food is good enough), then hell yes. And these biscuits certainly are. I first learned the recipe for them years ago when I worked on Good Housekeeping magazine as a Deputy Edito

As anyone who lives a busy lifestyle but still strives to eat healthily knows, sticking to a good nutrition plan can be tough, especially when you're short on time and shorter on sleep. When you're spending most days eating at your desk (if that - I've known many a time where even eating in my car, while driving, wouldn't be an option because I was too busy running from place to place and trying to listen to my GPS at the same time) it can be all too easy to just grab whatev

Back in the day - and by that, I mean even just 7-10 years ago - the culture of people working from cafes was mainly reserved for freelancers, entrepreneurs and startup junkies. I still remember when MAKE Business Hub was launched in Dubai Marina's Al Fattan Towers - this workspace that boasted plenty of meeting-friendly tables where you could spread a whole load of papers out, while also boasting lots of little desks and cubicles for the more antisocial worker, along with ta