The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

No Prisoners by Ellis Blake. Hannah Lyon is a brilliant physicist whose husband disappears and when the police don’t take much interest, takes matters into her own hands, uncovering not only the truth of what happened to him, but also another dark secret from her family’s past. Set in New Mexico, this is actually written by a Kiwi author.

Getting Away with Murder by Shari Lapena. Jill and Ted live the good life in Manhattan, but when their extravagance and poor investments catch up with them they come up with a deadly plan to secure their future. 

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Megan Singleton's journey's continue - and she's currently seeing what Fiji has to offer.

She's on a 'multi-generational' holiday, and she's observed there seems to be a lot to offer for young families, from pools, to beaches to dining.

She joined Francesca to explain further.

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This week on the Sunday panel, director at 818 Chris Henry and partner at Freebairn and Hehir Liam Hehir joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

Stuart Nash has stepped away from NZ First after accusing Napier MP Katie Nimon of being lazy - and copping backlash from all sides of the political aisle. Are we surprised about this? Do we think this is the right call? 

National recently announced that if they got re-elected, they'd gradually extend paid parental leave to 30 weeks by 2029, with a longer-term goal of reaching 40 weeks. Do we think this is a good idea? Is National taking advantage of the Stuart Nash controversy? 

There's a new trend - dopamine apps let you fill out a food delivery order or an online shopping cart without delivering anything. But do we think this is a good idea? 

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On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 26 July, one of our most successful acting imports has returned home to film a rate local film.  Karl Urban talks his new kiwi film I, Object and pays tribute to the late Sam Neill and talks of his impact on the local film industry.

Goldenhorse lead singer Kirsten Morrell is back with her first solo album in a few years. Kirsten tells Francesca why she returned to writing music after a long break.

Could New Zealand have its first comprehensive cancer centre within the next decade? Head of University of Auckland's new Department of Cancer Sciences, Dr Ben Lawrence, has a grand new vision and joins Francesca to talk about how he plans to make it reality.

And Erin O'Hara tells what really happens to your body when you skip meals

Get the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast every Sunday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Whether you are intermittent fasting, working through lunch or skipping breakfast, going too long between meals can have some serious consequences on your health and metabolism.

Food helps to power every system in our bodies, so pretty much every part of your body is impacted when you skip a meal or fast.

Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explained further - and how we can create healthy routines to support our metabolism.

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Cook time: 20 minutes 

Prep time: 5 minutes 

Serves: 6-8

6 lemons  

4 medium eggs, lightly beaten 

350 gm caster sugar 

120 gm unsalted butter, cubed

Pancakes 

1 cup plain flour 

1 tsp caster sugar 

Pinch of salt 

1 egg 

3/4 cup trim milk 

2 tbsp oil for frying

Using a microplane, zest the lemons and squeeze the juice of all.  

Place juice and zest into a heat proof bowl, along with the lightly beaten eggs, then stir in the sugar.  

Bring a pot of water to the boil and place the bowl over the top. Whisk whilst cooking out the egg, continue to cook till the mixture reaches 76*c or starts to thicken like a runny custard.  

Remove from the water.

Add in the cubed butter, one at a time. Continuing to whisk until all the butter is added.  

For the pancakes  

Sift flour and combine with the sugar and salt. Add egg and gradually whisk in the milk. Stand in the fridge for at least an hour. 

Heat a little oil in a large frying pan, pour in the pancake mix in batches (1/4 cup of mix makes one pancake), tip the pan to spread out the batter across the pan. After 2 minutes turn and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Place the pancake onto a pan and spread over some curd and roll up.  

Serve hot! 

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If you reach for a caffeine-filled drink first thing every morning, you've probably heard conflicting advice over the years. 

Caffeine is good for you, caffeine is bad for you. 

So which is it? 

A new scientific review published in the journal Circulation suggests we've been asking the wrong question. 

Instead of asking whether caffeine is healthy, we should be asking what the caffeine comes packaged with. 

Your morning coffee and an energy drink might contain similar amounts of caffeine, but they are not the same when it comes to your heart. 

Studying caffeine sounds simple, give people caffeine and see what happens. 

The problem is that researchers usually aren't studying caffeine in isolation, they're studying coffee. 

And coffee isn't simply a caffeine delivery system, it's a remarkably complex drink containing hundreds of biologically active compounds, including antioxidants and anti-inflammatory molecules that appear to have health effects of their own. 

Rather than conducting one new experiment, researchers reviewed decades of evidence, bringing together large population studies involving hundreds of thousands of people, randomised controlled trials, genetic research and laboratory experiments to build the clearest picture yet of caffeine and heart health. 

The findings were reassuring for coffee drinkers. 

For most healthy adults, consuming up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day (3-4 cups of regular coffee) appears to be safe. 

Surprisingly people who drank moderate amounts of coffee (even decaf) consistently showed lower risks of heart disease, stroke, heart failure and Type 2 diabetes. 

Scientists think those benefits may have less to do with caffeine itself and more to do with the antioxidants in coffee which appear to improve blood vessel function, increase insulin sensitivity and even influence the bacteria living inside our gut. 

Coffee isn't just delivering caffeine; it's delivering an entire chemical cocktail that may help offset some of caffeine's effects.

Energy drinks contain similar amounts of caffeine to coffee, but they also contain ingredients such as taurine that may increase how quickly caffeine is absorbed. 

Unlike coffee, these highly concentrated caffeine drinks were associated with: 

• increased blood pressure
• abnormal heart rhythms
• cardiovascular problems, even in otherwise healthy young adults. 

The caffeine molecule may be identical, but the delivery system isn't. 

Ever wondered why one person can drink an espresso after dinner and sleep perfectly, while someone else lies awake after a lunchtime coffee? 

Researchers estimate that 30–50 percent of the differences in how people tolerate caffeine are inherited. 

Much of that comes down to variations in a liver enzyme called CYP1A2, which controls how quickly caffeine is broken down. 

Fast metabolisers clear caffeine quickly, slow metabolisers can experience stronger and longer-lasting effects, even after drinking exactly the same cup of coffee. 

That's why there is no universal "safe" amount that works for everyone. 

Finally, how you brew your coffee matters.

Unfiltered coffee, including French press, Turkish coffee and some espresso preparations contains higher amounts of a compound called cafestol, which can raise LDL ("bad") cholesterol. 

Paper filters remove most of it meaning your brewing method may influence your heart health just as much as the amount of coffee you drink. 

This study doesn't suggest everyone should start drinking coffee, but instead, highlights that foods are more than the sum of their ingredients. 

Coffee delivers caffeine alongside hundreds of naturally occurring compounds that may work together to produce health benefits. 

Energy drinks often deliver concentrated caffeine alongside ingredients that appear to amplify cardiovascular stress. 

The stimulant may be the same, but the biology isn't. 

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It's looking likely that System of a Down and Faith No More will be announcing a new tour very soon.

Teaser images have been spotted around Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane - as well as Wellington.

Entertainment correspondent Steve Newall reveals what we know so far. 

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Psychologist and bestselling author Nigel Latta has been honoured with a special in memoriam award at the Aotearoa New Zealand Book Industry Awards.

Nigel Latta passed away last September and his last book, 'Lessons on Living', was published he day he died.

His widow, psychologist Natalie Flynn, says it was a 'lovely event' where she got to celebrate the impact of his work and books.

"His last one seems to have resonated with so many people and touched so many lives - look, his aim while he was living was to help as many people as possible." 

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Stuart Nash appears to be calling time on his political career, ruling out any form of comeback.

Nash has apologised to Napier MP Katie Nimon, after calling her 'lazy' for taking maternity leave.

The controversy, which included MPs calling Nash sexist, prompted the former Labour cabinet minister to withdraw as NZ First's Napier candidate. 

Newstalk ZB political reporter Azaria Howell says Stuart Nash already had a controversial reputation, and he's been warned in the past before this incident.

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