Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

We break it all down for you.

Police believe the little girl's parents had fed her a very strict diet that may have lead to her stunted growth.

Is this a blatant grab for the young market - AKA our children? We investigate...

Pasta? Chocolate? Potato chips? There's a reason for that.

Chocolate and cheese? Yes, please!

We’ve just launched a great new cookbook — and Health Minister Tania Plibersek even cooked breakfast with us to celebrate. The Minister helped our Test Kitchen director Pamela Clark whip up a batch of healthy blueberry hotcakes this morning. The Eat for Health mini cookbook is packed with family meals and snacks, and each recipe […]

Every woman’s experience is different so menopause treatment is not a one size fits all – it has to be tailored to your needs says Professor Kerryn Phelps Flushing? Awake at night sweating? Cranky? One of the great medical controversies of the past decade has been the debate over the best and safest treatment for […]

Many people consider vitamin supplements a waste of money, but a new study has found they can actually make you smarter. Research from British scientists, published in not one, but three prestigious journals — the British Journal of Nutrition, Psychopharmacology, and Human Psychopharmacology — concluded that popping a daily multivitamin supplement boosted brain power and […]

About 25 percent of cancers could be prevented by improvements in diet and exercise, a new Australian study has found. Research conducted by the Medical Journal of Australia found that the incidence of cancer in Australia is likely to increase to 170,000 per year by 2025, a rise of nearly 60 percent since 2007. Of […]

With Easter just around the corner, it’s hard to avoid the subject of chocolate, but don’t feel guilty — modern science has come up with many excellent reasons why you can indulge. Up the ante: The cacao beans used to make chocolate actually contain the same disease-fighting phenolic antioxidants which are found in red wine, […]

Women are particularly vulnerable to gingivitis — now there is a simple natural remedy for this potentially devastating disease. Gingivitis is an inflammatory condition of the gums that is caused by a build-up of dental plaque. Women are particularly prone to it, as hormonal changes during pregnancy and menopause can both trigger and worsen the […]

Women spend their whole lives trying to lose weight but once they turn 85, research suggests they’d be better off fat. Obesity contributes to the deaths of millions of people every year, reducing a person’s lifespan by an average of six to seven years. Related: A DIY guide to living longer But a new study […]

Eggs have had a bad rap in the nutrition stakes for years, most often being criticised as causing cholesterol to climb. But it turns out that they’re not that bad for you, with most evidence suggesting that foods containing saturated fat and trans fat have more influence on blood levels of cholesterol. In fact, a […]

It’s easy to put on that extra 5 kilos, but it’s just as easy to lose them. Small changes are a big help in reaching a healthy weight, without feeling deprived. Have fibre, first up Breakfasting on fibre-dense multigrain toast or wholegrain cereal makes you less likely to feel empty by mid-morning. In pictures: Gym […]

You are probably aware that consuming too much unhealthy saturated fat increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. But what you might not realise is that butter is one of the main culprits responsible for high levels of saturated fat in your family’s diet. Luckily, The Heart Foundation, through ‘Mums United’, is here to debunk some […]

Exotic-sounding fruits like mangosteen, acai and goji are the caped crusaders of the nutrition world. However, most ‘superfruits’ are more like Clark Kent than Superman — they’re so unassuming we don’t notice their healing powers. Red grapes: Red grapes — as opposed to green ones — contain resveratrol, a phytochemical which shows great promise in […]

Chocolate? Pizza? Hot chips? What’s your food obsession? Tara Diversi looks at the difference between normal and potentially dangerous food cravings and how to free yourself of them forever. Check in with the 97 per cent of women who experience food cravings and you will hear the following four foods mentioned over and over again […]

McDonald’s in the US is setting out to make their Happy Meal range for children healthier by cutting portion sizes and adding fruit. The fast-food chain has made an executive announcement to ditch the extra calories starting in September by cutting the size of the French fries portion and making the optional apple “dippers” part […]

It’s time to get up and get moving, according to a new study on heart health. Research has shown that adults who spend less time sitting throughout the day have a lower risk of early death from cardiovascular disease. In pictures: How to lose kilos without noticing Current government guidelines recommend 30 minutes or more […]

Across Australia, children’s waistlines are steadily expanding as intake of fast food and soft drinks because increasingly normal. With a host of unhealthy options available at almost every school canteen, here are some guidelines to help you ensure your children are eating a balanced diet. In pictures: Gym habits that are holding you back A […]

You may have heard that carrots help you see in the dark, but is this just an old wives’ tale? What other foods will help maintain good eyesight throughout your life? Vitamin A Carrots are a good source of betacarotene, which the body converts to vitamin A. Vitamin A has long been associated with vision […]

A study has found children could be inheriting emotional eating patterns from their parents. Emotional eating was defined in the International Journal of Eating Disorders as “eating in response to a range of negative emotions … or to cope with a negative effect”. It occurs even if we aren’t hungry. In adults, emotional eating is […]

Two decades ago, the only people eating brown bread were health food fanatics and New Yorkers. But a new report has found that health-conscious Australians are increasingly choosing wholegrain varieties, steadily eroding the popularity of white bread. In pictures: Your favourite recipes Sales of wholegrain and nutrient-enriched bread are growing by 10 to 15 percent […]

Is there anything omega-3s can’t do? These anti-inflammatory fatty acids, found in cold-water fish (such as salmon, tuna, herring and mackerel, and also in some other seafood), have already been shown to exert a protective effect against heart disease, depression, diabetes and arthritis. In pictures: Ten hot tips to stay young Researchers from the Johns […]

Ever since hormone-replacement therapies were linked to a slightly increased risk of cancer, many women are turning to natural supplements to ease annoying menopausal afflictions. Try these drug-free remedies for relief. Get a phyto fix Phytoestrogens are compounds with mild oestrogen-like effects that have been shown to offer relief for hot flushes and vaginal dryness. […]

In a study reported in the Journal of Nutrition, Japanese researchers have found that bilberry extract helped to control blood sugar and improve insulin sensitivity. The team gave the extract, along with a normal diet, to mice that had a genetic predisposition to developing diabetes; the other group of lab mice just received the food. […]

Lettuce is one of the world’s most popular vegetables and is commonly used in salads. There are thousands of different types of lettuce available. Some of the more common lettuce varieties include: Butter: a soft leaf lettuce that has a bright green head and a mild flavour. Cos: this is a crisp pale green lettuce […]

Did you know a regular intake of walnuts has been associated with many positive health benefits including a reduction in LDL or “bad” cholesterol, reduced risk of coronary heart disease, protection against cancer and even help in the control of high blood pressure. In addition, walnuts may even have anti-inflammatory properties which could help to […]

A sweet tooth can be harder to tame than a nicotine addiction, says Pamela Allardice. Here’s what you can do about it. The average Australian eats over 27 kilograms of sugar a year; and that’s without counting added sugar, courtesy of sweeteners like high-fructose corn syrup, which is found in many processed foods. This avalanche […]

Coeliac disease is the permanent intolerance to a protein called gluten, and currently affects approximately 1 in every 100 Australians. The disease involves an autoimmune reaction to the intake of gluten, causing the lining of the small intestine to become damaged and nutrients to be poorly absorbed. Upon diagnosis of coeliac disease, a diet completely […]

We may not experience it every day of the week, but sometimes our motivation and energy levels can dwindle significantly in the hours after lunch. Why? It has a lot to do with the natural rhythms of our body – we have a biological tendency to hit an energy lull in the afternoon. But it’s […]

Question: Will avoiding carbs after 5pm will help me lose weight? Answer: There is nothing magical about not eating carbs after 5pm – this is an arbitrary cut-off point. A search of the National Library of Medicine Medline database of more than 4800 scientific journals failed to find a single study that lends support to […]

Question: Are fresh vegetables better than frozen ones? Answer: Ideally, we would all be growing fresh vegetables from our flourishing vegetable patch in the back garden. For most of us, this scene is unfortunately far from reality, instead relying on our local supermarket for fresh and even frozen vegetables. This week we aim to clarify […]

What are Phytochemicals? Phytochemicals are partly responsible for vegetables’ protective benefits, helping to improve your overall health! Did you know that it is these phytochemicals that give vegetables their colours and each colour holds their own, unique health benefits? (See below for the 5 colour groups and some examples of vegetables they include). Chose vegetables […]

Question: Are there greater benefits in eating whole foods as compared to taking nutritional supplements? Answer: Supplements can’t supply all the nutrients in food. Food is very complex. Whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and wholegrain breads and cereals contain thousands of phytonutrients that can interact with each other in positive ways. When […]

A recent study into the nutrition composition of pork conducted in conjunction with CSIRO has dispelled a common misconception that the meat is high in fat and best limited from the diet. In fact the survey found that lean, trimmed pork is just a lean as skinless chicken. Let’s explore the nutrition benefits of pork […]

If you need a good reason to get your daily dose of Vitamin D — then nothing beats this! Here’s a good reason to get a daily dose of at least 1,000 IU of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol): it lowers your risk of developing certain cancers, notably colon, breast and ovarian cancer, by up to 50 […]

Learn to love fibre, for your heart’s sake. That’s the message from a recent Medical University of South Carolina study. Thirty-five healthy adults were randomly selected to consume either the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) high-fibre diet (nearly 28 grams of fibre per day) or a psyllium fibre supplement (equivalent to 27 grams of […]

You’ve probably heard of antioxidants, right? You know those powerful disease fighting components in foods, especially plant foods like fruits, vegetables, wholegrains and herbs. Even tea, red wine and chocolate are hailed for their antioxidant powers. But unlike other nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, we do not currently have an RDI or recommended dietary […]

Women of child-bearing age aren’t the only ones who should take folic acid, a B vitamin which helps protect unborn babies from developing neural tube defects. The latest research shows that it also has powerful antioxidant properties, and may even slow the development of particular cancers. The findings, published in the June 2006 issue of […]

This month we take a closer look at one of the less common varieties of canned fish. A little fishy There’s nothing new about sardines, but the fact that they have been largely overlooked in the omega-3 stakes is, well, just a little bit fishy! Sardines are a great health bargain as they are easy […]