During my years in retail, I have witnessed those people who plan ahead when it comes to buying gifts or even stuff for themselves. Then there are those who wait until the last minute. Although we love both types of…

Rambutan is an exotic fruit native of Southeast Asia, and is said to have first appeared in the Malay Archipelago. A close relative of the lychee fruit, its botanical name is Nephelium lappaceum, of the Sapindaceae family. With pearl-like fruits…

The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates said it well: Let food be thy medicine, thy medicine shall be thy food. Was he talking about fried, hormone infested chicken nuggets and genetically modified, and pesticided and herbicided veggies? Today’s modern city lifestyle…

Going green is the in-thing these days. Biodegradable bags, ‘No plastic bag’ days and recycling bins pop up everywhere like mushrooms. If our little island called Earth is heavily polluted and runs out of resources, we’ll have nowhere to go…

Find out the latest Mercato catalogue promotion for this month. Let your taste buds travel to Korea, Japan, Taiwan with these Asian inspirations specially brought to you by Mercato!

Yes, lifestyle, not “diet”! So before we start talking about the how, let me just clarify this important difference: A diet is a short-term regime of selected food intake, mainly meant for weight loss. It’s something you do with the…

Bad reputations tend to stick, even with foods. Continued negative press are enough reason for many of us to avoid them like the plague, without understanding or investigating more about them. Or we may even indulge on occasion, but with…

Can herbs and plants help control diabetes? These 14 are used to treat symptoms of diabetes and have shown positive results in naturally lowering blood sugar levels. Scientific research is now shedding new light on the mechanisms used since ancient…

It is so easy to recycle our household’s organic wastes into high quality compost for our garden. In line with today’s buzzwords ‘reuse, reduce and recycle,’ home composting can be the responsibility of every household in a progressive society. Being…

The year-end holidays are not far away. Many holiday-goers envision of visiting some far away exotic places, if given a chance. For a change, how about finding some hidden gems right here in Malaysia in the form of eco-friendly getaways?…