
Nadia Fragnito

If you haven’t quite got your cycle phases figured out, you’re not alone. But it’s time to tune in to your body’s rhythms - so that you...
Bolster your mental health during the depths of winter by resisting the urge to hibernate indoors.
Diversity is just as important as quantity if you want to boost your health and wellbeing with the veggies you eat. Read on to discover 10 ways...
Learn when to consider a vegan and gluten-free diet (and when you probably shouldn’t). Plus, discover four popular plant-based meals and how...
We know we’d benefit from it, but we just can’t do it! Here are five ways to find your flow state through a more active form of meditation.
Going vegan can be a life-changing experience, and it’s not without its challenges. The good news is you’re not alone. There are identifiable...
Gut health is no fleeting fad. The more we learn, the more we understand how important it is to overall health. Here’s what you need to...
This bright, feel-good salad is a perfect way to enjoy farro, a nutritious ancient grain from the wheat family with a subtle nutty flavour and...
Reishi is a medicinal mushroom with a reputation for being a profound immune stimulator. In powder form, you can enjoy it added to chocolate,...
Banana, tahini, figs, and a sneaky serving of fresh greens create a dreamy flavour combo in this powerhouse smoothie bowl, rich in calcium,...
Who doesn’t love dumplings? In this wholefood, plant-based recipe, chef Adam Guthrie uses chickpea flour and cauliflower for the dumpling base,...
Healthy, satisfying and flavoursome, this pad kee mao is vibrant Thai food at its best.
Warm flatbreads are topped with tender spiced chickpeas, creamy tahini yoghurt, and crunchy butter-toasted almonds in this fragrant...
Banana blossom offers a genuine alternative to fish and has a similar texture. The beer batter is light, crispy, and gluten-free. Served with...
Spraying sheets and pillows with calming scents can be a wonderful aid to slumber
The next time you go for a walk, discover the wonder of the everyday world around you
A skincare routine can be a way to nourish yourself inside and out
When the clouds converge, practise gratitude for the smallest of glimmers, and learn to dance in the rain.
Stepping into the kitchen can offer mindful and meditative moments. Let’s try a little cooking therapy to bring a sense of calm to our often chaotic lives.
In difficult times, we seek to alleviate stress in a variety of ways, whether chatting to a friend, dancing like crazy, spending time in nature, meditating, or enjoying a long hot bath. No matter the remedy we choose – these can all be viewed as forms of therapy. Yet another form is cooking. Donning an apron and whipping up a batch of cookies can have more emotional benefits than you may realise. Cooking therapy is available to everyone, and can be enjoyed alone, with a partner, or in a group setting. Following a recipe, or even creating one, requires focus and mindfulness.
If life is feeling out of control, cooking therapy can offer certainty and self-worth. We might not be able to foretell the future, solve our financial strains, immediately fix personal or work conflicts – but we can bake a cake and bring a little love and deliciousness into the world. Here are some simple activities you might like to try as a form of cooking therapy.
Have you ever been instantly transported to the past by the smell or taste of food? This is referred to as ‘Proustian memory’ and is a result of our odour memory. According to Moss and Johnson, who have studied this phenomena, there is a “strong relationship between odour and emotion… from the part of the brain involved in processing odours being positioned within the limbic system – an area of the brain integral to emotion”. So, choose a nostalgic meal from your childhood. Perhaps a sweet treat that your grandma used to make? Dig out recipes for those family favourites and adapt them to suit your diet today. Lay the table, set up a beautiful space, and honour those memories.
Give yourself the gift of time. Just like making bread or pizza dough, making pasta from scratch can be a meditative process. It’s even a bit similar to art therapy, except you replace the clay with dough, ultimately creating beautiful pasta shapes, just like little sculptures. You’ll experience play, focus, presence and a sensory experience. It’s also physical without being exhausting. And after all this, you get to devour a silky-soft plate of fresh pasta.
Food often involves sharing and connection. So why not create food gifts either for or with your friends? Giving is mostly centred around the recipient of the gift and how they will feel. But the giver experiences just as much pleasure in creating the gift. What a pleasant cycle of giving! Perhaps you can get together at a friend’s house and prepare food gifts together. You might bake a batch of cookies and create your own packaging and gift card. Or layer the perfect hot chocolate mix into a mason jar and attach a homemade label. Try preserving jams from seasonal fruits or pasta sauce from an abundance of tomatoes, then share them with friends, family, workmates, or neighbours.
Hosting a tea party can be just the escapism you need. Everything just tastes better at a tea party! When we delight in the treats we prepare and the company we keep at a tea party or tea ceremony, we allow ourselves to taste the beauty of life. Italians refer to this experience as dolce far niente or the sweetness of doing nothing. The Danes have their own term, hygge, which translates to a feeling or moment of pure contentment. The Japanese phrase ichi-go ichi-e, which literally means one time, one meeting. What a perfect reminder that there is only this present moment, this once in a lifetime occurrence. So, delight in time and treats with your friends!
Cooking isn’t just for function. Cooking therapy can be a transformative tool to include in our wellbeing toolkit. Step into the kitchen, clean the bench tops, pull ingredients off the shelf, and cook with love!
Going vegan can be a life-changing experience, and it’s not without its challenges. The good news is you’re not alone. There are identifiable...
One month. No meat. What a difference it can make! Here’s why we should all give No Meat May a go this year.
Mountains stretch down to coastal plains, which hug the curves of over 100 pristine beaches, all gazing out towards the stunning waters of the...
Bolster your mental health during the depths of winter by resisting the urge to hibernate indoors.
Gut health is no fleeting fad. The more we learn, the more we understand how important it is to overall health. Here’s what you need to...
As the weather cools, we let the kitchen warm us. We’re roasting, we’re baking, we’re making pies and tarts and pizza. Yum!
If you haven’t quite got your cycle phases figured out, you’re not alone. But it’s time to tune in to your body’s rhythms - so that you...
Surround yourself with good friends, I say. This sticky date pudding would be nowhere near as epic without a bit of mentoring (and tough love)...
Smashed avocado on toast is perhaps the most popular breakfast or brunch item out there, and as much as we love the mighty avo, it generally has...
Burgs are life! We love all the classics, and they are tastier and better for you when filled with plants.
Shifting to a wholefood plant-based diet doesn’t mean missing out on cheesecake. This recipe uses tofu instead of cream cheese and is therefore...
This is the perfect plant-based brownie for the brownie connoisseur. Years in the making, and now captured for you to enjoy. It’s as much for...
This Indonesian fried noodle dish can be found at both high-end restaurants and street food vendors in the region – it’s a popular dish for...
The star of the dish is the cashew cream. Be sure to push the veggies down so they are covered before baking. The magic happens when they soak up...
Spraying sheets and pillows with calming scents can be a wonderful aid to slumber
The next time you go for a walk, discover the wonder of the everyday world around you
A skincare routine can be a way to nourish yourself inside and out
When the clouds converge, practise gratitude for the smallest of glimmers, and learn to dance in the rain.
Lasagne is surely everyone’s favourite Italian recipe and this vegan version is sure to impress with layer upon layer of rich, meaty, saucy, creamy goodness.