Reducing Breast Cancer Risk

January 16, 2012
by Rodney Olsen
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There’s been a lot said about high and low GI foods in recent years. GI stands for Glycemic Index and many experts say that choosing foods based on their GI values can have significant health benefits.

A recently published review of scientific evidence reports that consuming a high GI diet for five years or more may increase the risk of breast cancer by 8%.

It’s a major cause for concern that the average Australian diet contains far too many high GI foods.

1 in 9 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 85, with the disease accounting for around 1 in 4 cases of all cancers in women.

While there are a large number of uncontrollable risk factors for breast cancer such as genetics, menopause and family history, there are also a number of lifestyle-related risk factors that you can change. Factors which increase the risk of developing breast cancer include:
· Excessive alcohol consumption
· High-fat diets
· High processed meat consumption
· Being overweight or obese.

Australia’s leading GI researcher, Professor Jennie Brand-Miller, from the University of Sydney, joined me on my radio program this morning to talk about the research findings and what we can do to reduce the risk of breast cancer and other diseases. You can hear our discussion by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

You can get more details about the Glycemic Index at the Glycemic Index website.

[audio:http://mpegmedia.sonshinefm.ws/feeds/MOR160112_1241.mp3]

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Dog Tease

August 20, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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Just in case you’re one of the handful of people in the world who haven’t seen this yet I thought I’d post it here for you.



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My New Café

August 7, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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I’m starting a new venture tomorrow. I’m creating my own café.

I’ve been on annual leave from my job at 98.5 Sonshine FM for a couple of weeks but tomorrow I’ll return with a re-branded morning program. What used to simply be called ‘mornings’ will become the Morning Café. It’ll be a mixture of good friends and great conversation, just what your favourite café should be. The strangest part of the whole café experience in this case is that you’ll have to provide your own coffee or beverage of choice. I’m sure to be sipping on a long black throughout the morning.

From nine to midday, Monday to Friday, it’ll be a place to talk food, footy, leadership, relationships, spirituality, fitness and health, technology and a whole lot more including national and international guests.

Many of my regular guests will remain as part of the Morning Café but there’ll also be a range of new segments which really excite me. I’ll reveal more as the days and weeks go on but it will certainly be a much busier program with plenty of ways for listeners to get involved.

If you’re in the Perth area you can listen in by tuning to 98.5 Sonshine FM. If you’re anywhere else in the world you can hear the Morning Café streaming live online. You can check what day and time you need to listen by going to timeanddate.com and searching for Perth, Western Australia. If that means that it’s in the middle of the night for you, you’ll still be able to listen to many of the Morning Café segments by visiting the Audio on Demand page at 98.5 Sonshine FM’s website.

What kind of radio programs do you enjoy? Who would you like to hear me interview? I’d really enjoy reading your comments.



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I’d Settle for a Sandwich

May 7, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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I need to admit, right from the start, that I’ve been sucked in again. I’ve started watching the new season of MasterChef. (I even have a favourite. I don’t know that he’ll make it all the way but I’m already a big fan of 61 year old Kumar.)

I also watched a number of episodes of My Kitchen Rules when it was on the telly.

Now that the confessions are out the way, I’m wondering what effect the latest bunch of cooking and food related television programs are having on the way we cook and the ways in which we relate to friends and family.

I love the fact that the people on these programs have a passion for food. I did a four year cooking apprenticeship and became a chef around thirty years ago and I’ve never had the passion for food and cooking that these people do. (Which probably explains why I left the industry as soon as I got my qualifications.) To see someone doing something that lights up their face and their heart is a wonderful thing, but where does that leave the rest of us?

I’m wondering if we are turning food into art and creating an expectation that we try something new and innovative when we invite friends over for a meal. Are we afraid to put simple food in front of people? Are we missing opportunities to interact with friends because we haven’t got the time and talent to produce a food masterpiece?

I really don’t think it’s the intention of these programs to create that kind of expectation but I wonder if that’s what’s happening anyway? Are we now putting pressure on ourselves to only ever invite people into a ‘display home’ for a range of expertly prepared ‘culinary delights’? I really enjoy lovingly prepared food that’s out of the ordinary and I love the opportunity to try something different if someone really wants to prepare something special, but in the end, I’d settle for a sandwich. Not because I love sandwiches (not really one of my favourite foods) or that I can’t appreciate the difference, but because what I really value is good company.

I don’t care if a home isn’t neat or if the food served would never make it to the table in a restaurant, what I do care about is good times with good friends.

What do you think? Do you avoid inviting people into your home because it’s too much effort? Do you think that cooking shows can build unrealistic expectations? Please leave a comment or two in the comments section of this post.



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Special Offer from Menulog

June 7, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
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If you’re thinking of letting someone else do the cooking tonight, but don’t want the same old choices, consider something tasty from the Menulog Restaurant Delivery Guide and save yourself some dollars with a very special offer for RodneyOlsen.net readers.

Menulog is Australia’s largest restaurant guide, boasting over 20 000 restaurants, with over 1 000 of them letting you order home delivery online.

For the rest of 2010, as a reader of RodneyOlsen.net you can get $10 off your first delivery order from Menulog. Simply use the voucher code: E25CC9 to save $10.*

With a minimum spend of just $20, you can get up to 50% off your order.

* Conditions: Available for participating restaurants only which display the Accepts Vouchers sign. The voucher is valid until the 31st of December, 2010 for your first order on participating restaurants. Minimum purchase of $20 to qualify for $10 discount. Participants must use the voucher code E25CC9. Unfortunately this offer is only available to Australian readers.



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