Articles on Food and nutrition

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Pastry or fruit? Dietary guidelines aren’t helping us make the best food choices. from www.shutterstock.com

February 1, 2017

Dietary guidelines don’t work. Here’s how to fix them

Duane Mellor, University of Canberra and Cathy Knight-Agarwal, University of Canberra

Dietary guidelines fail to change our eating habits. So, how can we make them more relevant?

The gut of an obese person is more likely to contain bacteria that inflame the gastrointestinal tract and damage its lining. Undrey/Shutterstock

October 13, 2016

Fat or thin: can the bacteria in our gut affect our eating habits and weight?

Margaret Morris, UNSW and Jessica Beilharz, UNSW

When we can't lose weight, we tend to want to blame something outside our control. Could it be related to the mictobiota – the bacteria and other organisms – that colonise your gut?

A can of regular soft drink contains 39 grams of total sugar, which is about 9 1/3 teaspoons of sugar and more than the recommended daily healthy limit for adults. Flickr / Shardayyy and WHO

October 12, 2016

Sugar tax is not nanny state, it’s sound public policy

Alessandro R Demaio, University of Copenhagen

Since Mexico introduced a 10% “tax” on sugar-sweetened beverages in 2014, global political momentum for this form of fiscal policy has been building. Societal interest and support have also grown. Taking…

What does it mean when it’s too hard or too soft? Nomad_Soul/Shutterstock

October 11, 2016

What the consistency of your poo says about your health

Trevor Lockett, CSIRO

For most of us, the form of stool we excrete can vary widely depending, in part, on what we've been doing.

The exact composition of each person’s microbiota is as unique as their finger prints. The Conversation

October 10, 2016

Healthy guts are swarming with bugs, so what do they do?

Robert Moore, RMIT University

The make-up of our gut is constantly changing and affects everything from our immune system and digestion, to our brain function.

To improve your blood pressure, eat rolled oats or oat bran for breakfast. Rasulov/Shutterstock

October 6, 2016

Seven things to eat or avoid to lower your blood pressure

Clare Collins, University of Newcastle; Tracy Burrows, University of Newcastle, and Tracy Schumacher, University of Newcastle

High blood pressure can be treated or prevented. Eating oats, fruit and vegetables – and beetroot, in particular – helps. So does avoiding salt, liquorice, caffeine and alcohol.

The purported medical effects of curcumin have a long history, going back at least to the 18th century. SMDSS/Shutterstock

October 4, 2016

Mellow yellow? The mood and cognitive effects of curcumin from turmeric

Andrew Scholey, Swinburne University of Technology and Katherine Cox, Swinburne University of Technology

There is converging evidence from both human population and animal studies that curcumin may help prevent age-related cognitive decline.

Up to one in ten infants have a proven food allergy. Andy Lim/Shutterstock

September 20, 2016

Introduce eggs and peanuts early in infants’ diets to reduce the risk of allergies

Merryn Netting, University of Adelaide and Katie Allen, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute

New research published today shows the early introduction of egg (from four to six months) and peanuts (from four to 11 months) is linked to lower rates of egg and peanut allergy.

Swap the bacon for something a little healthier. Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock

September 20, 2016

If you love me, don’t feed me bacon

Clare Collins, University of Newcastle

It is easy to fall into the trap of giving people you love lots of ultra-processed, high kilojoule, nutrient-poor foods because they like them. But immediate pleasure comes at a cost.

Normal pee should be the colour of straw. Devin_Pavel/Shutterstock

July 25, 2016

Health Check: what your pee and poo colour says about your health

Clare Collins, University of Newcastle; Kristine Pezdirc, University of Newcastle, and Megan Rollo, University of Newcastle

Beetroot, artificial colours, vitamin supplements, medications and illnesses can change the colour of your urine or bowel motions.

June 22, 2016

Nanotechnology could make our food tastier and healthier – but can we stomach it?

Seda Erdem, University of Stirling

Tastier salt, packaging that alerts you to food that has gone off and fish oil that tastes better – nanoparticles have lots of potential.

A bucket of chips contains around 275mg of sodium, which accounts for 16% of an adult’s daily limit. Darkkong/Shutterstock

June 13, 2016

Health Check: how much salt is OK to eat?

Kacie Dickinson, Flinders University

Around 60% of Australians over the age of two years exceeded the recommended daily maximum intake of salt.

About 58% of the average household’s food budget is spent on ‘junk’ food. Minerva Studio/Shutterstock

May 25, 2016

A healthy diet is cheaper than junk food but a good diet is still too expensive for some

Amanda Lee, Queensland University of Technology

Many people believe eating healthily is expensive – and more costly than buying junk food. But our new research shows this isn't the case.

The sugar content of your favourite snacks might surprise you. Syda Productions/Shutterstock

May 23, 2016

Health Check: how much sugar is it OK to eat?

Kacie Dickinson, Flinders University and Louisa Matwiejczyk, Flinders University

If you're an average-sized adult eating and drinking enough to maintain a healthy body weight, you should consume no more than 12 teaspoons of sugar per day.

$2 a day bought me a lacto-ovo-pesco vegetarian style diet (milk, eggs and fish) but with very small quantities of protein foods. Peterfz30/Shutterstock

May 10, 2016

Lessons from living below the extreme poverty line on $2 a day

Karen Charlton, University of Wollongong

Last week I joined 8,500 Australians on the charity challenge to live below the extreme poverty line, spending just $2 a day on food for five days. It was tough and my diet was far from complete.

Eating a typical Western diet high in fat and sugar is bad for our memory, including remembering whether or not we’re full. from www.shutterstock.com.au

April 25, 2016

High fat and sugar diets stop us from feeling full

Heather Francis, Macquarie University

When we eat a meal, we take for granted that we should feel full afterwards. But eating a diet high in sugar and fat makes it harder for our body to tell if we are full or not.

Inflammation in your stomach and intestinal tract causes diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping and pain. Photographee.eu/Shutterstock

April 24, 2016

Health Check: what to eat and drink when you have gastro

Vincent Ho, Western Sydney University

Oral rehydration is the cornerstone of treatment for gastro, especially if you're suffering from mild to moderate dehydration.

To improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nutrition and health we need real community consultation, improved public governance and political will. Gina Lyons, Irrunytju WA. Photo by Suzanne Bryce, NPY Women’s Council.

February 16, 2016

We can close the Indigenous nutrition gap – here’s how

Amanda Lee, Queensland University of Technology and Nicole Turner, University of Newcastle

After years of neglect and a notable absence in last week's Closing the Gap report, nutrition is finally being recognised as integral to closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage.

Don’t limit yourself to grapefruit – increasing the amount and variety of fruit and vegetables can help you lose weight. Dan Zen/Flickr

February 15, 2016

Health Check: six tips for losing weight without fad diets

Clare Collins, University of Newcastle

Monday – start diet. Tuesday – break diet! Wednesday – plan to start again next Monday. Sound familiar?

Some people are just better at resisting temptations than others. Jack Fussell/Flickr

December 29, 2015

Self-control or government regulation? Squaring the blame for overeating

Lenny R. Vartanian, UNSW and Tegan Cruwys, The University of Queensland

People overeat. And people don’t always make the healthiest food choices. That much is clear. But who is to blame for overeating and poor food choices?

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Top contributors

Tim Crowe
Associate Professor in Nutrition, Deakin University
Clare Collins
Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle
Merlin Thomas
Adjunct Professor of Preventive Medicine, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
Gary Sacks
Senior Research Fellow, WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention, Deakin University
Peter Clifton
Professor of Nutrition, University of South Australia
Penny Wilson
PhD Researcher, Australian National University
Caroline Homer
Caroline Homer is a Friend of The Conversation.

Professor of Midwifery, University of Technology Sydney
Timothy Gill
Principal Research Fellow, University of Sydney
Boyd Swinburn
Alfred Deakin Professor, Deakin University
Chris Forbes-Ewan
Chris Forbes-Ewan is a Friend of The Conversation.

Retired nutritionist, Defence Science and Technology Organisation
Bruce Neal
Chair, AWASH and Senior Director, George Institute for Global Health
Warwick Anderson
Secretary-General, International Human Frontier Science Program Organisation; Vice-Chancellor’s Professorial Fellow, Monash University
David Laing
Professor of Neuroscience: Medicine Faculty, UNSW
Rob Moodie
Professor of Public Health, University of Melbourne
Sandra Jones
Professor and Director of the Centre for Health and Social Research, Australian Catholic University