Nutrition – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

The fry who came in from the cold. Hot Property

January 13, 2016

Is black pudding really a superfood? Err… no!

Jennie Jackson, Glasgow Caledonian University

Hold the cape and leggings. The dear old blood pudding has its merits, but it’s far from perfect.

Finding the right balance in feeding a racehorse. Cheryl Ann Quigley/Shutterstock.com

November 2, 2015

How to feed a racehorse and keep him healthy

Paul McGreevy, University of Sydney

As we celebrate the Melbourne Cup today, it’s worth taking a look at the way we nourish our champions of the turf.

Kenya’s nutrition plan has resulted in dramatic improvements in its nutrition targets. Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

October 30, 2015

Lessons other countries can learn from Kenya’s ambitious nutrition plan

Elizabeth Kimani-Murage, African Population and Health Research Center

Over the last three years Kenya has seen marked improvements in its nutrition-related targets as a result of a national nutrition plan it has implemented.

Sunflowers contain less protein than aloe plants and bees need more of this. Chamanti Laing

October 20, 2015

Poor nutrition may be another reason for the declining honey bee population

Sue Nicolson, University of Pretoria

Nutrition is another factor - in addition to pesticides and bee disease - that has led to the dwindling of the global bee population.

Maybe not so good? Pills via www.shutterstock.com.

October 1, 2015

Forget the antioxidant pills; just stick with veggies

Richard G. "Bugs" Stevens, University of Connecticut

If the antioxidants that occur naturally in food are good for us, that must mean antioxidant supplements are also good for us, right? Not quite.

‘Tasters’ often dislike bitter green vegetables, such as broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Kevin O'Mara/Flickr

September 28, 2015

Blame it on mum and dad: how genes influence what we eat

Nicholas Archer, CSIRO

Hate the taste of Brussels sprouts? Do you find coriander disgusting or perceive honey as too sweet? Your genes may be to blame.

The main thrust of the advisory committee’s report is that diets should be focused on whole foods, not specific nutrients. U.S. Department of Agriculture/Flickr

September 24, 2015

Expert is as expert does: in defence of US dietary guidelines

Rosemary Stanton, UNSW Sydney and Tim Crowe, Deakin University

National dietary guidelines have become an easy target for those looking for a scapegoat for bad diets in rich countries. And a BMJ article about draft US guidelines adds further fuel for the fire.

Here’s a clue: what you eat is just as important as the size of your meal. Dave Chiu/Flickr

September 21, 2015

Health Check: ‘food comas’, or why eating sometimes makes you sleepy

Angus Stewart, Edith Cowan University

We’ve all done it: enjoyed a delicious meal only to nod-off in a comfy chair for a while. A habit for some but unavoidable for others, what is it about food that can make us so sleepy?

Not all supplement brands commit to nutritional supplement “best practice” manufacture policies, emphasising the need for these products to be regulated. Shutterstock

September 17, 2015

Why the business of nutritional supplements must be brought into the regulatory fold

Habib Noorbhai, Cape Peninsula University of Technology

With all the fuss around nutritional supplements , it is important for these products to be appropriately regulated.

Food insecurity is not only a matter of hunger but may have multiple manifestations. Reuters/Emma Farge

September 10, 2015

Food insecurity is more than just severe hunger

Sheryl L Hendriks, University of Pretoria

Food insecurity is a problem that doesn’t only stem from hunger. It is also a result of eating food that is not nutritious.

Imagine spending an extra $68 every time you did a $100 shop – and getting nothing extra for it. thebittenword.com/flickr

August 31, 2015

Food price gap shows need for subsidies and promo deals for remote areas

Julie Brimblecombe, Menzies School of Health Research and Megan Ferguson, Menzies School of Health Research

On average, all food is 53% more expensive in remote communities, with the price increasing annually by approximately 5%, compared to an annual rise of only about 1% in Darwin supermarkets.

Around the world, tea is the most common drink after water. jurek d./Flickr

August 24, 2015

Health Check: five reasons to put the kettle on and have a cup of tea

Clare Collins, University of Newcastle

Put the kettle on and relax with a cuppa; your brain, heart and waistline will thank you.

See your doctor if you suffer from gastrointestinal symptoms, particularly if you’ve had them for weeks or months. Holly Lay/Flickr

August 20, 2015

So you think you have IBS, coeliac disease or Crohn’s? Here’s what it might mean for you

Rebecca Reynolds, UNSW Sydney

Conditions affecting the stomach and bowels are common in modern humans and many are on the rise.

We need to stop fussing over macronutrients and think about foods. Eugenia Loli/Flickr

August 13, 2015

Eat food, not nutrients: why healthy diets need a broad approach

Rosemary Stanton, UNSW Sydney

By focusing on micro- or macronutrients, most nutrition research fails to recognise the most important truth about food: diet is more than the intake of nutrients.

Exclusive breastfeeding until children are six months old is recommended by the World Health Organisation for optimal growth of infants. Nureldien Abdallah/Reuters

July 31, 2015

Kenya is a breastfeeding success story but still has its challenges

Elizabeth Kimani-Murage, Brown University

In 12 years Kenya has managed to dramatically improve its exclusive breastfeeding rates from 13% to 61%. The success has not come without challenges, and some persist.

July 23, 2015

Let’s hear it for carbs – Tour de France cyclists couldn’t do it without them

Matthew Haines, University of Huddersfield

Intake of carbohydrate before, during and in-between Tour stages is the best known way to power cyclists’ ‘engines’.

The colder months of the year don’t inevitably lead to an expanding waistline. bark/Flickr

July 10, 2015

Gaining weight in winter isn’t inevitable, unless you decide you will

Kacie Dickinson, Flinders University

Time spent indoors during winter provides a good excuse to eat more, and generally indulge. But does the weather really influence what we eat, or is it merely a fig leaf for our inherent gluttony?

Food can prompt behaviours and brain responses similar to those seen in more traditional forms of addiction. Justin McGregor/Shutterstock

July 8, 2015

Explainer: can you be addicted to food?

Tracy Burrows, University of Newcastle and Kirrilly Pursey, University of Newcastle

Are you a “carb craver” or “chocaholic”? We often use language associated with addiction to describe our relationships with food. But is it really possible to be addicted to certain types of food?

Multiple approaches to alleviating poverty help cater for different contexts and groups of people. Reuters/Pascal Rossignol

June 5, 2015

The perfect package for reducing poverty is made up of different parts

Rachel Sabates-Wheeler, University of Sussex and Stephen Devereux, University of Sussex

There is no one perfect package for alleviating poverty, but there is agreement on what the elements should be. Combination and sequence of interventions varies, depending on context and beneficiaries.

The food industry has made the most of our taste for salt by hooking kids from an early age. Phil Burns/Flickr

May 12, 2015

No need to pickle children: get Big Food to cut salt for better health

Bruce Neal, George Institute for Global Health and Kathy Trieu, George Institute for Global Health

Kids are eating way too much salty food even though it leads to high blood pressure in adulthood as well as increased risks of stroke, heart attack and kidney disease.

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