For many a magnificent bastard, loft apartments are the ultimate expression of stylish living. They’re spacious, open, masculine, modern, and adaptable. They can be stripped back and industrial, or plush and palatial. And they’re guaranteed to make you wonder why you ever slummed it in a studio.

While every space has its own distinct character, there are common threads that run throughout many loft apartments. High ceilings are a must. Natural light is also essential, either from an extensive system of windows or large skylights (or both, for the indecisive). Exposed brick, cement, and pipes bring gritty glory to countless warehouse conversions.

With so much space to fill, interior design in a loft is of the utmost importance. Think big. Dining tables are long, couches are large, lighting fixtures make statements. Good art is indispensable. And that quirky thing you’ve always wanted? Now’s the time to do it. Bring on the indoor basketball court or the pinball machine in the living room.

Today’s dose of interior design inspiration comes from all around the world, as we take a look at 21 spectacular lofts in some of our favourite cities.

Loft Apartment FAQ

The post 21 Best Loft Apartments Around The World appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

2020 was a nightmare year for most of us, but there’s now some light at the end of the tunnel – particularly here in Australia.With a global vaccine rollout finally finding traction and the world economy slowly getting back up to steam, things are looking good. But it never rains until it pours: after a shocker twelve months, it seems as if the economic pendulum is set to swing the other way, with businesses around the globe set for an unprecedented boom (compared to what we’ve been seeing over the last twelve months, anyway), thanks to rising consumer confidence, research suggests.“Thanks to a combination of government stimulus and ‘pent up’ consumer spending, economists predict that $4 trillion will be released into the United States economy as restrictions are lifted,” software firm Questionmark reports, relating that “strong growth is also forecast across the United Kingdom, the Eurozone and Australia… [creating] a consumer boom [which] will create opportunities for growth across the economy.”But Questionmark’s findings suggest that many businesses – after twelve months of being brutalised by the COVID-19 crisis – aren’t adequately prepared for the incoming boom. They point to research from management consultancy McKinsey, which suggests that the vast majority (87%) of executives face a gap between the skills they need and those prevalent among the workforce.An even more shocking statistic they share is that of the $130 billion spent on corporate training each year worldwide, only 25% of that spend is effective. This should be a wake-up call for Australian businesses. Many are yet to completely pivot; react to the overwhelming changes that have been wrought on the economy over the last twelve months – and a burgeoning boom might not be a good thing if they can’t pivot further.There are three key areas that Australian businesses need to work on, and make sure their employees are adequately trained to take advantage of the incoming boom: E-commerce, hygiene and remote working.

E-commerce

Let’s start with some success stories: as Australian celebrity butcher Anthony Puharich – the Chief Executive Officer at Vic’s Premium Quality Meat –  told DMARGE last year, though 2020 knee-capped many industries, it has also sped up innovation.Demonstrating the adage ‘necessity is the mother of innovation’ Mr Puharich explained how his company got about 18 months of (e-commerce) work done in eight days.“On the 24th of March 2020.. restaurants, cafes, clubs, pubs, you name it had until midday to shut their doors on the back of Covid lockdowns,” Puharich told us.This came on the back of an announcement by Scott Morrison and Gladys Berejiklian on the 22nd – a total of two days’ notice.“We launched our online business on Wednesday the 1st of April. We launched very quickly… because on that 24th of March we saw our business fall off a cliff overnight.”

“What’s crazy is that we’d been talking about going ‘ecom’ for probably 18 months but did nothing, but in eight days literally completed a whole new business.”

“I’m sure it’s a common story a lot of businesses will share – you never waste a good crisis. On the back of Covid, it’s amazing how quickly you can hustle.”“We had no expectations and no experience in this space. We didn’t have people within our business that were experienced in e-commerce. I didn’t have time to reach out and get advice from so called experts. So we just launched.”“What we did know – and believe in – was in meat, and our quality and in our brand offering. We had all those big ticks but had never had any experience in this space.”Despite that, Vic’s e-commerce platform “launched and did seven or eight thousand dollars worth of business in the first 24 hours with no clue, no advertising, a bit of social media and that sort of stuff and the rest is history.”

“We’ve done more than 30,000 orders thus far.”

Puharich also told DMARGE that even though the e-commerce shift was not exactly voluntary, he now considers it a crucial part of the business and an area for continued innovation and investment down the line.“We’ve discovered this new sales channel that never existed in our business. Before the bulk of our business relied on supplying chefs, restaurants etc. which we’re very grateful for (and we’ve still got a couple of retail stores in Victor Churchill and the Fish Markets) but now we’ve opened up our brand and our business to the whole country because we’re delivering nationally.”

“You don’t need to live in Woollahra or Sydney just to access it. You can be in Broome, Cairns, Wollongong, and have access.”

E-commerce is on the up across all sorts of industries. From wine to razors, almost everything seems to be succumbing to ‘the Netflix effect’ these days. So getting ahead of the curve (or at least ready to swing with it) is crucial.

Hygiene

You’d think it would be second nature by now but many businesses across Australia still lack consistent and effective hygiene measures, even after months of The Spicy Cough ravaging the world.This is partially a result of inconsistent government guidelines – but that shouldn’t be an excuse for businesses to let their guards down and not take COVID-19 seriously.DMARGE recently explored a bizarre inconsistency in Melbourne where, according to a DMARGE source on the ground, “everyone has to wear face marks in supermarkets and Westfield… but then you go to bars or clubs and nobody has even checked in.” It underlines how some businesses have clearly trained their staff properly and taken adequate measures to protect their customers (and therefore their business) whereas others are still just treading water.RELATED: ‘Uncomfortable’ Melbourne Double Standard Perplexing Rest Of AustraliaIn short, the growing swell in consumer confidence will be wasted on businesses who aren’t making sure their operations are COVID-safe.

Remote working

We’ll illustrate this one with an interview with Emmet Murray – a Sydney-based software engineer for Microsoft, who recently returned home after spending most of 2020 working in Seattle. Having arrived in the US just as the COVID-19 crisis hit its peak, he spent most of his time overseas working remotely – giving him a unique perspective on how Australian businesses ought to handle remote working.“The biggest challenge of working remotely was not being able to communicate with my team. There are some things that are hard to take online… Sometimes you just need to draw a diagram,” he gives as way of an example.Murray found it frustrating that even in a big tech firm, there was inconsistency in the different communication technologies his colleagues used, as well as in the ability of organisational leadership – some executives; some businesses were better able to pivot than others. His number one tip? “Invest in technology that helps your team communicate.”The other big challenge about working remotely, Murray relates, is that “there’s no social aspect to work anymore.”“It can become soulless… It’s important that the leadership within a business does little small-scale morale-boosting things, in order to make things more [real].”The risk of not getting remote working right? Not only could we sleepwalk into a spiral of urban decay (as this Op-ed in the Sydney Morning Herald warns) if we get too comfortable in our pyjamas, but not catering to the new demands of workers could see companies get left behind by others who strike a new – better – balance of efficiency.You’ve been warned.

Read Next

• ‘It’s Like Reading Roman History’: The Truth About Australia’s Housing Market
• Night Owls More Likely To Underperform At Work, Study Finds

The post 'Imminent Boom' Australian Businesses Need To Brace For appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

It’s not often the scummy barrel of Reddit comes up with gold. It’s rarer still for someone to pick up on it. But today is your lucky day.

Australia’s housing market is “like reading Roman history” one r/ausfinance user has claimed in a thread bemoaning the fact that some Australian houses have made more money over a 50 year period than their owners.

Entitled, “An interesting anecdote about housing and price booms,” the thread explains how property can accumulate more value just sitting there than its owner can by sweating their backside off (in cheap nylon pants) for half a century.

Statistics back this theory up. As The Conversation reported last year, “Real home prices across Australia have climbed 150% since 2000, while real wages have climbed by less than a third.”

The story resonated with Reddit’s r/AusFinance community. One user, ben_rickert, wrote, “[I] Got in trouble for inadvertently denigrating a family friend due to something similar. Said that her house was more productive than she was, and financially I was correct.”

This comment received 159 upvotes.

“She was a senior school teacher so on about $95k (Sydney). She bought her place for 700k, sold out for $1.75k just over ten years later. Her house provided more return than what she made on both a top line perspective, and was well ahead on a post tax basis.”

“She wasn’t impressed when I pointed it out.”

“I used it to illustrate how nuts the situation was – a pretty average house in an average area increased in value faster than a senior role could earn, and she was even further behind considering tax.”

“That also doesn’t consider servicing costs of a mortgage – if you could somehow keep up with top line price growth you’d still be behind due to interest charges as you’d still need to buy in.”

“I also recall an article in one of the papers a few years ago saying how idiotic it was that Millenials were buying iPhones for $1500. Very next article was saying that the average house price was increasing $2k a week. The juxtaposition was poetic.”

The second top comment came from user Distinct_Plan, to the tune of 27 upvotes, and read as follows: “You’re not wrong. I’ve been browsing on the real estate sites to see what houses in my area are selling for. The freestanding houses are on average going up in value by 100k plus a year over the past 10 or so years.”

“It’s ridiculous, but I also wish I had one of those houses…”

Where does this tie in with Roman history?

A little further down the comments, one user wrote: “It’s like reading Roman history. The asset class endorsed as a savings plan and a store of wealth by the Govt.”

Others agreed with this claim. “Absolutely,” one wrote. “Anyone who mortgaged to the gills with 5% deposit courtesy of first home owner grants and LMI has doubled their money meanwhile ‘safe investors’ have spent years saving a deposit.”

Twigman 7, another member of the online community, wrote: “It was the killer trade of the last 30 years that you could take with huge leverage and beneficial tax treatment. I’m just wondering if anything like this will come up again?”

In response to his question: “I’m just wondering if anything like this will come up again?” various other users made various other remarks, including:

“You mean an asset class that the government all-but openly admits is too big to fail while taxing gains at zero %? Unlikely. Your best bet to become wealthy is just to buy property and wait like every other Aussie.”

“I think what upsets people including me is that there was no intelligence at work here. The house narrative was so mainstream already. It wasn’t some options trade on the soybean futures.”

“It goes to show that sometimes in life there are certain investment moves that are like shooting fish in a barrel…”

As for what can be learned from this so-called ‘revealed wisdom’ going forward, users put forward a variety of opinions, including diversification (“have property, have cash, have shares, have metals, have a job”) and finding major investments (“People who shun major investments like property and shares will generally lose out in the long term”).

“People who kept their cash in the bank tend to lose out where as risk taking behaviour over varied areas tends to see positive outcomes.”

Not everyone agreed with this though. “Yep betting more than you have on property is always the winning strategy,” one sarcastically wrote.

“Except when it’s not.”

“We can definitely point to times when it hasn’t been – like Perth for the last decade – and Darwin when it had already taken off. We can also point to whole countries where it hasn’t worked for a period of time like Ireland and the USA.”

This inspired quite the debate. Shots fired included: “There are always short term dips. No one is entitled to permanent economic prosperity” and: “Equally people shouldn’t buy more than they can afford.”

“There are plenty of houses regionally at 300k. People conflate wealth building with lifestyle, which they shouldn’t.”

“Generally speaking with a 30 year horizon property is an important investment to make given the inflation that property tends to experience.”

Even this idea of buying within your means out in the sticks though was questioned, with another user opining it could actually be the riskiest strategy of all…

“Interest rates aren’t repeating what they’ve done over the last 30 years in the next 30 years. Those 300k regional properties are the most dicey ones to buy. The right location may be solid. The wrong location could never appreciate a cent.”

Perhaps it’s time to take a leap of faith into the fairy dust of the outrageously-expensive, perennially popular regions? As news.com.au reported today, “Australian house prices are forecast to see their sharpest rise since the 1980s.”

Maybe Bondi beach houses and Vaucluse apartments really are worth every cent? As with Ancient Rome, however (and at the risk of stating the obvious), overstretch yourself and your empire could come crumbling down.

As always, you should take all of the above with a grain of salt… and allow yourself to be guided by experts – not the ramblings of Redditors – however interesting their points.

If you’d like to go beyond murky rumours, feel free to head on over to our Money vertical, where we regularly interview real estate experts and investment managers to get their take on Australia’s financial landscape.

With regards to buying a house in this current climate, Edward Brown, director at Australia’s leading real estate provider Belle Property told DMARGE last year of buying in this Covid-smacked world (while things were still a little more uncertain): “If you need to move, move. The housing crisis is only going to be caused if everyone sits back and does nothing.”

“The loans are very cheap. You can go and get interest rates for under 3%. That’s cheap money – you can go and get a million-dollar mortgage and they principle an interest for about $4,000.”

“So your rent and your mortgage on principal interest is about the same, potentially, if you’ve got the deposit to pay it now. Everybody focuses on property in the short term element – but what’s the long term?”

“I’m very much of the view at the moment that you want to be in and owning your own home if you can afford to.”

He also told us: “Nothing is immune – it’s an uncertain time as all aspects of the marketplace have been impacted. But again it comes back to consumer confidence – we’re still selling properties and still have people looking to buy properties.”

Another aspect to consider, when it comes to Sydney, Brown told DMARGE, is that, unlike New York and London, which are bigger, Sydney has a smaller number of ‘goldilocks suburbs’ which give residents the best of both worlds.

“It’s all about demand and supply – that have pushed prices to where they are today – they’ve seen a good appreciation in the value of homes over a long period of time.”

“Sydney year on year has proven to do very well compared to other cities.”

“Compared to London; New York, we’ve got our one CBD and those suburbs that adjoin that one CBD.”

In The Big Apple, for instance, “Manhattan is pricey, but outside in greater NY, prices are a lot cheaper” Brown told DMARGE.

A counter point to all this positivity is that AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver told the ABC last year we’re living in a “super cycle of debt.”

He compared the early 1990s recession with now, showing how our level of household debt has increased over the last thirty years.

“During the early 1990s recession, the level of household debt in Australia was around 40 per cent of income, whereas now it is close to 200 per cent — one of the highest levels in the world,” (ABC).

“Each time there’s a downturn people get worried about debt and pay some of it back, but before things go too far [into the positive], the Reserve Bank cuts rates and people start borrowing again — we go back to a new level of debt and it starts the cycle again.”

Digital Finance Analytics (DFA) principal Martin North told the ABC two triggers that could expose this underlying debt (thus rupturing the bubble), are a lack of migration (which is already happening thanks to Covid) and lower population growth.

He also said selling pressure will come “from mortgage stress plus investors seeking to exit.”

What will determine prices then, is an arm wrestle between all these factors and the government stimuli introduced to offset them (and Sydney’s ‘must buy’ housing culture).

ANZ reckons the latter will win in 2021, last year forecasting house prices will rise 9%.

Only time and for sale signs will tell the result.

Read Next

• I Purchased A $2 Million House In Sydney & All I Got Was This Crappy Umbrella
• Sydney Man’s ‘Unbearable’ Experience Reveals The Perils Of Moving Too Far Away From The City

The post 'It's Like Reading Roman History': The Truth About Australia's Housing Market appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Just as post-modern monstrosities sum up suburban Australians’ taste in architecture, Virgin Australia’s minimalist new business class menu sums up Australian Yuppies’ taste in food.Virgin Australia has pulled the covers off a new Pointy End menu and it is Very Marie Kondo. No celebrity chefs have been involved this time round, and the focus is on cafe-round-the-corner style crowd-pleasers like smashed avo, lamb pies, and ham and egg rolls.

https://t.co/3UW4c23Hob

Were you paid to do this hagiographic article?Disgusting the way you bang on like a school girl, the reason it came out was of course to distract attention away from the “mid level” economy meals ending.Really bad if they cut these so quickly..1/10— Nicholas Paul (@BristleCat) March 24, 2021

At the same time as announcing this new change, complimentary snacks have been chopped from the economy cabin – something aggrieving certain in-air Pringles fanatics, who have expressed their displeasure at the change (and its reporting) on Twitter.

https://t.co/3UW4c23Hob

Sad day when the aussie is so gullible that it acts as Virgi’s PR arm and misses the real story of the cessation of meals for the 99% of the rest of your readers..Not a great start for the famous mid level strategy…— Nicholas Paul (@BristleCat) March 24, 2021

It would appear annoyed passengers like the above were unaware of further articles headlining the removal of snacks from economy (either that or, as seen below, media outlets like The Australian saw the criticism and quickly responded).

The @VirginAustralia 2.0 menu. Not as good as before obviously but better than 2min noodles. Free flowing booze naturally remains. If you’re in economy you’ll need to buy a $9 sushi roll at the airport before boarding https://t.co/iztPDF4BIC

— Michael Meloni (@michaelmeloni) March 24, 2021

“Today’s customers are more conscious about what they consume than ever before,” new chief executive officer Jayne Hrdlicka said of the economy changes.“We like to choose what we eat and what we drink throughout the day – we are simply extending that choice on-board as well.”

“By removing snacks that aren’t valued by our guests we’re able to structurally reduce airfares making it even cheaper to fly.”

Ms Hrdlicka said the new business class menu would be “high quality, relaxed, uncomplicated and exactly what our guests and team members have told us they want.”

We’re stepping up to the plate, and sky high dining is looking good We’re excited to reveal our new Business Class menu and buy on board Economy offering, which launches across our network today. For more info: https://t.co/w8HnGq5ojN pic.twitter.com/BaZjn3i9RZ

— Virgin Australia (@VirginAustralia) March 24, 2021

Virgin Australia general manager of product and customer Sarah Adam said the menu was specially designed for eating at altitude: “When you’re high above the clouds you lose some sense of taste and smell so this was a really important factor in designing the new menu so our food not only looks great but tastes great in the air.”

“We’ve really dialled-up the flavours in the food with the right seasoning and textures to provide a very competitive business class experience for domestic travel in Australia.”

“Supporting Australian farmers and producers was another important factor in designing the menu so we’ll have seasonal Australian produce from local producers in dishes throughout the year.”No reference was made to any specific focus on Yuppies, but we reckon the food speaks for itself.In DMARGE’s humble opinion this menu could be served up on a wooden chopping board in Sydney’s Marrickville or Melbourne’s South Yarra and no-one would bat an eye.Virgin Australia also announced that passengers can expect less wallet stinging airfares by June, which follows a 20% drop in fares in November.Fingers crossed.

Read Next

• Virgin Australia ‘Noodlegate’ Sparks Concerns Over ‘Americanisation Of Business Class’
• Australian Man’s ‘Mortifying’ Business Class Moment Symbolic Of Much Greater Problem

The post Virgin Australia's New Business Class Menu May Be Most Australian Thing Ever appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Few athletes have dominated their respective sports in recent years more than Lewis Hamilton and Tom Brady.Hamilton’s list of accomplishments and his effect on Formula One is almost incomparable. As of 2020, he’s matched Michael Schumacher’s record for all-time World Championship driver’s titles and holds the outright records for the most wins, pole positions and podium finishes. He’s helped Mercedes win a record seven constructor’s championships in a row and is also widely credited as fuelling the intense rise in popularity of F1 over the last decade.Brady’s dominance in American football also has few comparisons. The only quarterback to win a Super Bowl in three separate decades, Brady’s career has seen a record ten Super Bowl appearances and seven victories. He also holds the all-time records for passing yards, completions, touchdown passes, games started and Super Bowl MVP awards. His two-decade dominance with the New England Patriots – as well as his controversial but ultimately successful move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – make him unlike any other NFL player ever.In short, they’re both the Greatest Of All Time – GOATs – in their fields… Which is why it’s so exciting to see the pair come together for a chat.Brady and Hamilton recently sat down for a YouTube special titled ‘Talking Big’, hosted by Swiss luxury watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen and television star James Corden. The 18-minute-long chat saw the three cover everything from pre-game superstitions to how they might perform in each other’s sports, revealing that despite the pair’s differences, they actually have a lot in common.

“Tom and I, we’ve met multiple times and been in touch for some years now. Sometimes I message him, trying to secretly get a bit of advice,” Hamilton jokes. (Back in 2019, Hamilton told ESPN he thought it was surreal that Brady even knew his name.)

“I watch really closely what Tom has achieved, some of the things that Tom does in his training. How he prepares himself. How he conducts himself with his team. There are so many things that you can take from watching a great athlete like Tom that you can then apply to be a better athlete yourself.”

Brady, too, admits that he’s a fan of Hamilton’s, the hard-training quarterback impressed at Hamilton’s dedication.

“Lewis already trained this morning for, I don’t know, 10, 12 hours, something like that. How many other people are doing that? That’s why he’s the greatest Formula One champion of all time.”RELATED: Tom Brady Shares Smart 12 Step Checklist For Maximum Recovery & GainsBoth athletes are brand ambassadors for IWC but unlike many corporate partnerships, they come from a genuine place. Hamilton and Brady are both real watch nerds, and have always had a soft spot for the Swiss brand.

“In college, I knew I was going to become a professional and I had this image as my screensaver on my really old computer of a watch,” Brady shares.

“It was the IWC GST Automatic Alarm from, like, the late ’90s. So, I had the screensaver and I thought, ‘If I ever make a few bucks, this would be the watch that I would want.’ And I ended up buying my first watch at a Tourneau store on 57th Street in New York. And I just went in there at a random time and bought a watch that I still have, this beautiful IWC that I still have.”

Hamilton also shared how he’s a bit of a watch nut – his passion for timepieces clearly influencing his love of high-performance racing machines.

“As a kid, I was always taking things apart and rebuilding them. When you look at one of these watches and there’s 500 pieces all put together by one person, the craftsmanship… is fascinating. Plus, the pieces obviously are tiny. I remember getting my first watch, it was from Argos in England, and the watch [was] like six pounds. I remember saving up for that watch. I went to school and I felt really proud. I used to wear it outside my blazer, and I thought that it elevated me.”RELATED: Lewis Hamilton Debuts ‘One Of A Kind’ IWC Watch To Support Black Lives MatterThe 2021 NFL season will start on the 9th of September in Tampa Bay, Florida, with big question marks about the length of the season hanging over the league thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The 2021 NFL draft however is just around the corner, scheduled to be held from the 29th of April to the 1st of May in Cleveland, Ohio.The 2021 Formula One World Championship will kick off with the Bahrain Grand Prix on the 26th to the 28th of March, with the Australian Grand Prix (which normally opens up the season) being pushed back tentatively to November. Pre-season testing wrapped up last week in Bahrain: a departure from the norm, as pre-season testing is usually done in Barcelona.

Read Next

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• Chris Hemsworth Angers The Gods With Controversial Watch Choice

The post Tom Brady & Lewis Hamilton Come Together To Create 'Perfect GOAT Storm' appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

If you’re part of the macro warrior brigade, then it’s safe to say you study the labels on the foods you consume like they’re your 12th grade high school exams. We may now have apps that can help us count the calories we put into our bodies on a daily basis, but finding the best foods is still a task we must complete ourselves.If you’re looking to put on muscle, you need to look especially close at the protein content – although there are various debates claiming we should base our protein intake on our lean muscle mass, and others saying we should base it on our body weight – whatever the case you need to get enough of it (alongside a decent dosage of carbohydrates and with some healthy fats thrown in too).But before you even get to the checkout, how can you be sure the information on the food labels is accurate in the first place?We’ve previously looked at the ways protein snacks can be misleading, but what about those that don’t succumb to marketing? It’s something you’ve probably never thought of before, because, well, why shouldn’t we trust the food companies? We should take the information they provide as gospel, right? According to nutritionist and expert in all things muscle and protein Dr Gabrielle Lyon, perhaps not.Taking to Instagram, Dr Lyon claims protein content can often be under-represented on the label. “Food companies get a lot of flexibility in what they report on a food label. They use information about individual ingredients and then estimate what may be in the final product.”

“Food companies are allowed nearly 20% error in an individual package”, she claims.

Science lesson time. How is protein (and fats, carbs and other nutrients) content measured in the first place? Various online sources provide slightly different explanations, but they all agree that protein content is worked out by measuring the amount of nitrogen in food, because protein is high in the natural gas.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nutrition Mindset Science (@drgabriellelyon)

Speaking to Scientific American, Jim Painter, an assistant professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois begins by explaining how the total number of calories is worked out.“The Calorie you see on a food package is actually a kilocalorie, or 1,000 calories. A Calorie (kcal) is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water 1 degree Celsius.”“The Nutrition Labelling and Education Act of 1990 currently requires the Calorie level placed on a packaged food be calculated from food components. According to the National Data Lab (NDL), most of the calorie values in the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) and industry food tables are based on an indirect calorie estimation made using the so-called Atwater system.”“In this system, the total caloric value is calculated by adding up the calories provided by the energy-containing nutrients: protein, carbohydrate, fat and alcohol.”Let’s Talk Science speaks of a different method to measure protein content: the Kjeldahl method, which is used to measure the amount of nitrogen in a food stuff. “The food is heated in boiling sulphuric acid, which decomposes the organic molecules and produces ammonium sulphate.”“Next, the ammonium sulphate is distilled with a small amount of sodium hydroxide, which converts the ammonium to ammonia gas. The ammonia gas (a compound made up of nitrogen and hydrogen) can then be separated [to determine the amount nitrogen and hydrogen] and measured using acid-base titration.”The publication adds, “Be careful, though, the measures of energy on labels tells you how much energy the food contains. It doesn’t measure how much energy you can actually get from it, because some foods take more energy to digest than others.”Going back to Dr Lyon’s Instagram post, she makes a slightly different claim about how protein content is measured. “The food companies simply measure grams of nitrogen and multiply the number by 6.25 and call it protein.”“It’s a lot cheaper and much easier to do the chemical analysis for nitrogen than it is for protein.”

“Food companies that are less ethical can inflate their protein number by putting in non-protein nitrogen to the food.”

Fran Dargaville, a Functional Nutritionist with a Masters in Human Nutrition, says that Dr Lyon is referring to what is known as “crude protein”. She adds, this is “one way of determining the protein content of food, and this is done by multiplying the nitrogen content by 6.25. This method is still commonly used even though it has been found to be inaccurate.”However, Fran furthers adds that “‘true protein’ is the sum of amino acids in a food. This is the most accurate way of determining protein content.”Fran agrees with Dr Lyon’s claims, claiming “recent studies confirm that protein content is inaccurate, and often overestimated on food labels.”

“While this awareness is growing among nutrition professionals, most consumers are unaware. This may lead to inadequate protein consumption.”

Dr Lyon provides a real-world example to highlight the issue. “The Chinese were found to be guilty of putting melamine into infant formulas to inflate the protein content.”This 2008 Chinese milk scandal did indeed find that infant formula and milk were adulterated with melamine, in order to give it a higher protein content so that it would pass quality control testing. Reports claim some 300,000 babies were affected, 6 of whom died from kidney stones and kidney damage, and some 54,000 were hospitalised.While this particular incident relates to infant foods and not the protein-labelled bars, snacks and other food we use to make gains – themselves a source of debate – it exposes the fact that food companies can indeed manipulate the numbers.So if we can no longer take what food labels tell us as the God’s honest truth, what are some foods that we can eat that we can be assured will consistently provide us with high levels of protein?Fran tells us, “the most bioavailable protein-rich food are animal foods and seafood. We want to aim for around 25 grams of protein, three times a day. This is equivalent to 125g of salmon, 4 eggs or 100g of chicken.”“Tempeh is a great plant-based protein source. If you’re opting for plant-based proteins such as lentils or chickpeas, it can be more challenging to reach your protein target. To reach 25g of protein, you would need to consume around 250g of lentils or 125g of chickpeas.”As we’ve heard previously from nutrition coach Jake Carter, it’s possible to become strong on a plant-based diet, but as Fran confirms, it requires you eat a lot more food.

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The post Nutritionist Exposes 'Protein Ploy' That Could Be Undermining Your Gains appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Everyone's got their favourite coffee order – and similarly, everyone's got an opinion on what the 'correct' coffee order is.

Some snobs look down on anyone who dares order a cappuccino. Others love nothing more than an iced caffè mocha from Starbucks or Gloria Jeans. Alternatively, you have the desk jockeys who don't ever branch out from anything more complicated than a flat white... Or the weekend warriors who think liking espresso martinis is a valid substitute for a personality.

But if you were to ask a barista – those weary, battle-hardened purveyors of caffeine that virtually power the Australian economy – what their least favourite coffee order to make is, you might be surprised at the answer.

The cold, hard truth? Most baristas don't really care what order you like.

We spoke with Max Groh, a barista in Sydney's Inner West, who suggests that baristas are likely less judgy than you'd think, saying "people can drink their coffee however they want.”

What grinds his teeth is when people “don’t know their orders” and try to make modifications once the extractors and steam pump have already been set into action:

“I had one guy... ask for a skinny latte, then at the last minute, after I’d already charged him, he asked if he could change his order to an extra shot. All with a queue of people waiting.”

This perspective's backed up by discussions online: the consistent feedback baristas across the globe have is that orders themselves aren't what bothers them; it's customers who don't understand what they're ordering or try and alter orders in annoying ways.

RELATED: Italian Study Confirms Every ‘Basic’ Coffee Drinker’s Worst Nightmare

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Another consistent bugbear of baristas is non-dairy milks – not because of any prejudice against vegans or anything (necessarily), but purely on a functional level.

“I think I speak for many baristas... when I say our least favourite coffees to make are those containing non-dairy milk,” says Mike Cracknell, owner of The Vertue of the Coffee Drink in Melbourne's Carlton tells Broadsheet.

“A strong soy or hot almond latte is challenging. [Cow’s milk alternatives] don’t always act the way you’d like. If it gets too hot they can curdle.”

RELATED: ‘Most Bondi Photo Ever’ Sums Up Australian Café Culture In 2021

DMARGE also spoke with Zae Greenwood, creative director at One Hundred Hospitality Group and manager of Sydney's Three Williams Cafe, who relates that his baristas' least favourite orders to prepare are those with oat milk specifically.

"It's got quite a high water content, which makes it really bubbly. This makes it harder to spin... It doesn't have the same sort of creaminess."

But it's a necessary evil, he suggests. "Oat milk is far better for the environment than other non-dairy milks like almond... And much better than cow's milk."

It raises an ethical dilemma: drinking cow's milk could be considered 'animal cruelty', but if non-dairy milks are much harder for baristas to make, isn't that just barista cruelty? It's certainly something to mull over your next extra hot, half sweet, cashew milk chai latte.

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The post ‘3/4 Full Of Yourself’: Australian Baristas Reveal Their Most Hated Coffee Orders appeared first on DMARGE.

Think you need to jump on a 24-hour flight to sink a world-class red while overlooking a bunch of grape gardens? Think again. You can do that right here in Australia.In fact, as I learned earlier this month, when you compare what we have just a domestic flight away compared to the rest of the globe (think: everything from Maldives alternatives to Polignano a Mare proxies), as well as our remarkably low numbers of confirmed Covid cases, any concerns over Australia becoming a hermit kingdom become a lot more palatable.RELATED: Photo ‘You Won’t Believe Is In Australia’ Blows Minds Down UnderLacking the funds to pay for any kind of hotel quarantine or a business class ticket back home (and not having an essential reason to leave the country), the last 12 months I have been forced to throw my anti-establishment tendencies aside and explore Australia… along with the rest of Australia (and their van).Along the way, I have discovered that my flippant belief that ‘going overseas always makes for a better trip’ was wrong.RELATED: Australian Wine Snob Learns Important Lesson After Committing ‘Ultimate Barossa Valley Sin’Before the latest floods turned the east coast into a big muddy washing machine, even places like Port Stephens were popping up on Instagram and being compared to places like Crete. On top of that, formerly neglected gems like this remote island – the Uluru of the pacific – have been rediscovered with much enthusiasm.To help promote this domestic Down Under boom, I was recently invited by Qantas to visit South Australia. Though I arrived sceptical of what this land of plains could produce compared to Spain, I was pleasantly surprised by what I found.Beyond having my mind buffeted by Adelaide’s Northern Lights and lively city centre (which both put Sydney’s current nightlife scene to shame) I also experienced a number of revelations in the Barossa, Eden Valley and McLaren Vale regions.Though I still plan on heading back to visit Spain as soon as I’m able to (sorry not sorry), what I’m calling ‘Australia’s Andalusia’ (read: Adelaide and its surrounds) is something anyone with a mouth and a stomach really ought to try.Here’s a highlight reel of my time there to convince you why…

The flatness of the landscape (and the climate) are remarkably similar to that of southern Spain

Though Andalusian cities like Seville (the warmest city in continental Europe) are slightly warmer than the Barossa, the climate is very similar (which is perhaps no surprise considering both the Barossa and Andalusia are prolific wine cradles).The Barossa has a winter average high temperature of 14 degrees celsius (and low of 5), while Seville has a winter average high of 17 degrees celsius (and a low of 7). In summer the Barossa has an average high of 29 degrees celsius (and a low of 14), while Seville has an average high of 35 degrees celsius (and a low of 18).Described as a Mediterranean climate, Barossa usually has cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers, which is perfect for grape growing. As a consequence, it has 80 cellar doors for tourists to choose from.The long sunny days – and proliferation of burly barrels you can eat off, with rolling green and orange landscapes in the background – are also reminiscent of the sort of scenes you might experience in the countryside of southern Spain in areas like Jerez and Cadiz.

Adelaide’s main street gives Granada’s Calle Caldereria Nueva a run for its money

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Speaking of southern Spain, Granada’s Calle Calderia might be full of life, and Jerez’s Calle Larga might have pleasant alfresco dining…

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… but – especially at this time of year – Adelaide’s Rundle Street, upon which restaurants are given free rein during its annual Fringe Festival – gives them both a run for their money.

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RELATED: Iconic San Sebastian Image Reveals The Secret To Spain’s Nightlife Success

Adelaide’s Fringe Festival rivals Jerez de la Frontera’s Feria de Caballo

Speaking of running for dinero… Adelaide’s Fringe Festival (pictured below) is the biggest arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere.

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It has hundreds of stalls, entertainment and musical attractions, and is the closest thing I’ve seen to a Spanish-style feria in all the years I’ve lived in Australia.It’s also very different from the ghost town Sydney’s Kings Cross was revealed to be earlier this month…Like Spain (and unlike many other places in Australia, where ‘going out’ seems to be limited to distinct demographics) everyone from their grandad to their youngest cousin seemed to be out and about at Fringe.Gluttony is the name of the popular, quirky outdoor hub for the Adelaide Fringe, which is set in the beautiful surrounds of Rymill Park in Adelaide’s East End.Though there were no Flamenco dresses or Rebujitos to be found, it is certainly a ~vibe~.

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I enjoyed strolling past a circus, a concert and all sorts of food stands, all in the space of about thirty seconds, before arriving at the much-coveted Borealis – a light show designed by international artivist Dan Acher.RELATED: I Visited ‘Australia’s Northern Lights’. It Completely Blew My MindAs DMARGE reported last week, “Borealis is created by high power laser beams, which travel through particle clouds to create the illusion of Aurora Borealis. Variations in weather conditions, movement, colour, and density mean the effect is different every night.”Highly recommended.

As the late great Anthony Bourdain once pointed out, many tourists don’t spend enough time smelling the coffee and eating the cakes. In his upcoming book World Travel he reportedly wrote about Paris: “Drink some wine, walk around a bit more, eat, and repeat. See? It’s easy.”RELATED: The Secret Spanish Town Blowing Up On InstagramSo even though Adelaide doesn’t have as much intricate architecture, when it comes down to it, that’s probably not what’s going to make or break your trip – it’s more about who you’re with and what you tickle your tastebuds with.

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According to Traveller, “In the France chapter of ‘World Travel,’ Bourdain instructs those lucky enough to visit Paris to do as little as possible. Running through back-to-back activities like hitting the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame in one day is going to leave you exhausted and overwhelmed.”“The most important thing to do the instant you arrive in Paris is stop,” Bourdain said, Traveller writes.

“Don’t pack your itinerary with a destination’s highlights unless you want to miss out on its magic. Instead, slow down and savor a new place. Grab a seat at a sidewalk cafe, at the end of a dive bar, on a city park bench, and take it all in,” (Traveller).

I’d recommend you do the same in South Australia. With the likes of Maggie Beer’s The Farm Eatery and d’Arry’s Verandah Restaurant out in the sticks and Indian-Australian fusion restaurants like Daughter In Law on offer in the city, you certainly won’t go hungry.

The hotels and lodges are in tune with the growing demand for eco-conscious living, and locally sourced products

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Go back 20 years and I doubt you would find Australian Sandalwood conditioner (with a hint of Kakadu plum), and Blue Mallee Eucalyptus shampoo (with a touch of lemongrass) in your hotel room amenity kit.Some of the lodges also offer stunning views, which appear to be designed with The Instagram Effect in mind. The vistas from The Louise’s pool, for instance, could easily be picked up and dropped off in Andalusia without raising an eyebrow… Likewise, you could easily be forgiven for entering a winery like Seppeltsfield (see below) and thinking you were in a Spanish Bodega.

Even if you have seen Kangaroos a thousand times before, it’s always nice to do so again

The wine is more ‘old world’ than Europe’s

Yep – you read that right. Thanks to some forward-thinking governance (as well as a helping geographical hand), Australia avoided the ravages of phylloxera (a vine eating louse) that hit most of the world in the 19th and 20th centuries.In contrast to the rest of the globe, South Australia guarded its precious vines (the oldest of which date back to 1853) with strict quarantine laws. Winegrowing regions like the Barossa remain phylloxera free to this day.As Ashleigh Evans, brand ambassador for Henschke, explained during my time there: “Australian wine is actually made from more longstanding vineyards than Europe’s thanks to pest control.”

Going there in person lets you take part in Australia’s latest wine trend

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Another benefit of going on a cellar door mission to South Australia is that you can impress your friends and family on your return, by signing up to a direct-to-consumer monthly wine order (or one-off purchase) from the likes of fine wine producers like Bekkers Wine.

There is plenty of ‘big city vibe’ accommodation kicking around too

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Fancy a Kubla Khan style monument to city living and urban escapism? Look no further than EOS by SkyCity. More modern amenities than you can throw a 3/4 soy flat white at and a ballroom to boot.That’s it: I’m officially ruined for life. Sydney: you had better raise your game…DMARGE travelled to Adelaide as a guest of Qantas, and was invited to stay and eat at all of the establishments named above. 

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• Australian Wine Snob Learns Important Lesson After Committing Ultimate Barossa Valley Crime
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The post I Went To ‘Australia’s Andalusia’. It Ruined Me For Life appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

The TAG Heuer Carrera is one of the most versatile watches to have ever come out of Switzerland.

The classically handsome chronograph, available in a wide variety of form factors, designs and complications, is just at home on your wrist at a cocktail party or big board meeting as it is on the racetrack, the high-octane crucible of which it owes its genesis to. From dressy, colourful numbers to performance-driven tools, the Carrera family is expansive and has a little something for everyone.

But for the most discerning watch fans, there’s one Carrera that sits above the rest: the Carrera Heuer 02T, better known as the Carrera Tourbillon. First introduced in 2016, the addition of a tourbillon complication elevated the famous, long-running Carrera into the world of high watchmaking – swapping the chronograph’s seconds sub-dial for an exposed tourbillon a particularly fitting and clever move.

Previous Carrera Tourbillon models have all featured skeletonised dials – another hallmark of haute horlogerie but one that necessarily sacrifices legibility for visual flair. They’ve also featured predominately darker or golden colour schemes and leather straps… Which makes TAG Heuer’s newest Carrera Tourbillon particularly special, and one that’s sure to excite real watch purists.

This new Carrera Tourbillon has three key features that set it apart from its forebears. As previously mentioned, this reference has a conventional dial instead of a skeletonised dial. This makes the watch far more legible, assisting in its function as a racing chronograph. It also allows TAG Heuer’s impeccable dial treatment to shine.

Speaking of dial treatment… Another key feature of this reference is that it’s blue. Ask any watch enthusiast worth their salt what their favourite colour for a watch is and they’ll probably say blue. And what a blue – a deep, royal tone that suits the timepiece perfectly.

RELATED: Australians Are Finally Becoming More Adventurous With Luxury Watches

Something that’s also a big plus is that it’s entirely made out of titanium. Previous iterations have sported alligator straps sewn on black rubber, or even just soft rubber, whereas this model makes the switch to a titanium bracelet, complementing its titanium case. Metal bracelets and sports watches go together like strawberries and cream: this move truly heightens the appeal of the watch, and reinforces its technical, performance-driven aesthetic.

But that’s not even its biggest party trick. This ‘ultimate Carrera’ retails for 30,400 AUD – making it the most affordable tourbillon on the market. It really is the best of all words.

A limited-edition of only 250 pieces, it’s available now, but we can’t imagine it will stay available for long. Find out more about the new TAG Heuer Carrera Tourbillon at their online boutique.

Technical Specifications

• Ref. CBN2A1F.FC6492
• 45mm polished / fine-brushed grade 5 titanium case
• Ceramic blue, polished tachymeter fixed bezel; domed, bevelled sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
• Blue rubber / titanium crown at 3 o’clock; titanium pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock
• Water-resistant to 100m
• Minute chronograph counter at 3 o’clock; tourbillon at 6 o’clock; hour chronograph counter at 9 o’clock
• Rhodium-plated polished applied indexes, hour and minute hands with white Super-LumiNova + rhodium-plated blue central hand
• Titanium grade 2 H-shape bracelet with titanium grade 2 / steel folding clasp with double safety push-buttons

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The post TAG Heuer Drops World’s Most Affordable Tourbillon Watch appeared first on DMARGE Australia.