Dietary guidelines don’t work. Here’s how to fix them
Dietary guidelines fail to change our eating habits. So, how can we make them more relevant?
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Articles on Food and nutrition
Displaying 1 - 20 of 174 articles
Fat or thin: can the bacteria in our gut affect our eating habits and weight?
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?
Sugar tax is not nanny state, it’s sound public policy
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 the consistency of your poo says about your health
For most of us, the form of stool we excrete can vary widely depending, in part, on what we've been doing.
Healthy guts are swarming with bugs, so what do they do?
The make-up of our gut is constantly changing and affects everything from our immune system and digestion, to our brain function.
Seven things to eat or avoid to lower your blood pressure
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.
Mellow yellow? The mood and cognitive effects of curcumin from turmeric
There is converging evidence from both human population and animal studies that curcumin may help prevent age-related cognitive decline.
Introduce eggs and peanuts early in infants’ diets to reduce the risk of allergies
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.
If you love me, don’t feed me bacon
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.
Health Check: what your pee and poo colour says about your health
Beetroot, artificial colours, vitamin supplements, medications and illnesses can change the colour of your urine or bowel motions.
Nanotechnology could make our food tastier and healthier – but can we stomach it?
Tastier salt, packaging that alerts you to food that has gone off and fish oil that tastes better – nanoparticles have lots of potential.
Health Check: how much salt is OK to eat?
Around 60% of Australians over the age of two years exceeded the recommended daily maximum intake of salt.
A healthy diet is cheaper than junk food but a good diet is still too expensive for some
Many people believe eating healthily is expensive – and more costly than buying junk food. But our new research shows this isn't the case.
Health Check: how much sugar is it OK to eat?
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.
Lessons from living below the extreme poverty line on $2 a day
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.
High fat and sugar diets stop us from feeling full
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.
Health Check: what to eat and drink when you have gastro
Oral rehydration is the cornerstone of treatment for gastro, especially if you're suffering from mild to moderate dehydration.
We can close the Indigenous nutrition gap – here’s how
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.
Health Check: six tips for losing weight without fad diets
Monday – start diet. Tuesday – break diet! Wednesday – plan to start again next Monday. Sound familiar?
Self-control or government regulation? Squaring the blame for overeating
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
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Associate Professor in Nutrition, Deakin University
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Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle
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Professor of Medicine, Monash University
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Senior Research Fellow, WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention, Deakin University
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Professor of Nutrition, University of South Australia
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PhD Researcher, Australian National University
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Caroline Homer is a Friend of The Conversation.
Professor of Midwifery, University of Technology Sydney
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Principal Research Fellow, University of Sydney
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Alfred Deakin Professor, Deakin University
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Chris Forbes-Ewan is a Friend of The Conversation.
Retired nutritionist, Defence Science and Technology Organisation
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Chair, AWASH and Senior Director, George Institute for Global Health
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Secretary-General, International Human Frontier Science Program Organisation; Vice-Chancellor’s Professorial Fellow, Monash University
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Professor of Neuroscience: Medicine Faculty, UNSW
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Professor of Public Health, University of Melbourne
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Professor and Director of the Centre for Health and Social Research, Australian Catholic University
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