Sarah Wilson (journalist)

Sarah Wilson (born 1974) is an Australian journalist, television presenter, blogger, media consultant and author of the best-selling 'I Quit Sugar' book. She was the editor of Australian Cosmopolitan magazine until 2008, and the host of the first season of the cooking show, MasterChef Australia in 2009. She is now the face and program developer for Foxtel’s Lifestyle You channel, and a health and wellness commentator through her online webpage.

Early life and education

Wilson grew up on a subsistence-living farm with five younger siblings. She owned her first business at the age of 12, making doll's house furniture. She has a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Australian National University and a Graduate Certificate in professional writing from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT).

Career

Wilson’s first job as a journalist was as a restaurant reviewer for News Ltd’s Sunday Magazine. At 25 she had a weekly opinion column in News Ltd's Herald Sun.

For four years, she was the editor of Australian Cosmopolitan magazine until early 2008. During her time at the magazine, she interviewed former Australian Prime Ministers John Howard and Kevin Rudd and entered the Guinness Book of Records by staging the World’s Biggest Bikini Shoot at Bondi Beach. During this time she was also the fashion editor of Channel Nine's Today show. Wilson’s first host role as a television presenter came in 2009 as the host of Masterchef Australia. The show enjoyed tremendous success as the first competitive cooking show of its kind to air in Australia. She left Masterchef that year with no host to replace her for subsequent seasons. A spokesman for Broadcaster Network Ten, David Mott stated; "Sarah has an impressive background with abilities that far outweighed her duties on the show."

From 2009 until the end of 2011, Wilson wrote more than 130 weekly columns that appeared in Sunday Life, a magazine lift-out in the Australian Sun-Herald newspaper in Sydney. Her columns explored ways of achieving wellness, productivity and a simple lifestyle. These themes are also explored in her popular blog, aimed at enriching life. Wilson has also embraced social media, and engages with her followers regularly on her Facebook and Twitter pages. Wilson’s interest in health, wellness and food, led her to become the face and program developer for Foxtel’s Lifestyle YOU channel. She hosted the show ‘Eat Yourself Sexy’, a nutrition and wellness makeover program that screened on Foxtel in late 2011. She also the authored the ebook, I Quit Sugar: an 8-week program. Wilson is well known for her social commentary on politics, health advocacy, restaurant reviewing, opinion writing and trend forecasting. She has been the ambassador for Ride To Work, Dalai Lama Australia, Street Smart, Welcome to Australia, The Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, and is a patron of Febfast Wilson frequently makes guest appearances on the Seven Network’s Sunday Night, The Morning Show and Sunrise and The Ten Network’s The Project and now defunct Good News Week.

On 11 April 2013, Sarah Wilson was heavily criticized for her statements supporting the anti-vaccination movement while a guest on the morning variety show Sunrise. Claims made included suggesting that there was lack of evidence for efficacy and safety of vaccinations. These claims are despite the fact she had no medical or health qualifications at the time. She was quoted as saying 'What they say is that the gold standard studies, right, that are done to really absolutely conclusively prove things, the double-blind placebo cross something or other tests have not been done and it's almost impossible to do that on human beings, especially children.' This was in reference to double-blind randomised controlled trials, of which many are available online.

I Quit Sugar

Wilson wrote the e-book, I Quit Sugar after experimenting with quitting sugar for her column in Sunday Life in January 2011. The positive response to her experiment lead her to interviewing experts and cardiologists about the health problems associated with sugar and soon readers were asking for a package of her writing. This led to the release of the first e-book version of 'I Quit Sugar,' Wilson said that she expected the e-book to sell 100 copies but it sold a lot more than that.

'I Quit Sugar' details Wilson's own personal experiences, her work as a health coach and from talking to experts around the world. The e-book is an extension of the wellness theme of her blog. It is a practical week-by-week guide full of tips, recipes, advice and inspiration for quitting sugar. Wilson has often said that she was addicted to sugar as a child. But after she realised it was making her sick, she set about researching how to stop eating it. She endorses quitting sugar as a great way to "get clean, get well, lose weight and become a much nicer person."

Due to the success of the e-book and the interest in the health concerns of quitting sugar, Sarah Wilson was approached by publishers to turn her e-book into a physical book and 'I Quit Sugar' was published by Pan Macmillan in 2012.

The print book went on to become a best-seller in Australia, selling over 100,000+ copies.

'I Quit Sugar' was followed with a sequel 'I Quit Sugar for Life' in 2014

Wilson has written a string of spin-off e-books related to quitting sugar which she sells on her website, as well as an eight-week program which has seen approximately 280,000 people sign up

Additional e-books written by Sarah Wilson include:

• I Quit Sugar Christmas Cookbook
• I Quit Sugar Chocolate Cookbook
• I Quit Sugar Smoothie Cookbook
• I Quit Sugar The Chocolate Cookbook Volume II
• I Quit Sugar Kids Cookbook (Print)

Her books have now been published in the United Kingdom as well as the United States where 'I Quit Sugar' became a best-seller.

The I Quit Sugar empire now employs 13 people and turns over approximately $1.8 million a year

Personal life

Since being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis in 2008, Wilson has dedicated herself to finding ways to live more healthy and well in mind and body. An avid bike rider and bush walker, she frequently offers her readers hints and tips on to how to ride safely and confidently. She currently lives in Sydney.

External links

• Institute for Integrative Nutrition