ANMF backs star rating system
11 March, 2014The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation has voiced its support for the Star Rating system, which it says will help consumers make healthier food choices, leading to a decrease in obesity levels and related illnesses like type 2 diabetes and stroke.
Calorie counting off the menu
10 March, 2014Researchers have shown that calorie restriction has no beneficial effects on life span in mice. The researchers found that not all calories are created equal: protein, carbohydrate and fat have very different effects on food intake, health and ageing.
WHO recommends cutting sugar intake in half
07 March, 2014The World Health Organization (WHO) has sugar in its sights, recommending that consumers aim to cut their sugar consumption in half to 5% of total daily calories.
From cassava to KFC: global standardised diet threatens local crops
06 March, 2014A new study of global food supplies has confirmed what experts have long suspected: in the last 50 years, human diets around the world have grown more and more similar - by a global average of 36%.
Saturated fat: unfairly targeted?
06 March, 2014A US cardiovascular researcher and doctor has made waves within both the medical and research sectors by publishing an editorial arguing that the theory that saturated fat raises cholesterol levels is false.
Canned food can do you good, study shows
05 March, 2014Canned food has received the tick of approval after an analysis of more than 40 scientific studies found that canned foods are a good way to help people increase their fruit and vegetable intake, regardless of geography or income level.
Dark chocolate proven beneficial for heart health
04 March, 2014Researchers from The Netherlands have found that dark chocolate helps restore flexibility to arteries while also preventing white blood cells from sticking to the walls of blood vessels.
Strawberries shown to reduce cholesterol
26 February, 2014Eating strawberries can lower your cholesterol, researchers have found, but you may need to eat quite a lot - in the order of half a kilo each day - to have the desired effect.
High-vitamin C foods could reduce stroke risk
19 February, 2014While an apple a day may keep the doctor away, an orange a day could reduce your risk of stroke. Researchers have found that eating foods high in vitamin C could reduce the risk of the most common type of haemorrhagic stroke.
Good gracious - greater grains!
08 February, 2014Research undertaken by Flinders University scientists could help increase the nutritional output of the staple grains of developing countries. The team has shown that they can alter the distribution of micronutrients such as zinc and iron in rice and wheat, creating more nutritious crops. Staple food crops such as wheat and rice form the bulk of diets in poorer countries, but they contain very low levels of essential micronutrients; iron and zinc in particular. Whole grains contain higher levels of micronutrients but most of these are found in the outer layers of the grain which are often removed prior to cooking.
A universal definition of "whole grain"
07 February, 2014The term "whole grain" seems like it should be relatively straightforward. In reality, there has never been a complete legally endorsed definition of whole grain flour and products.
Yoghurt consumption linked to decreased diabetes risk
06 February, 2014Scientists have found that a higher consumption of yoghurt reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes by 28%; consumption of low-fat fermented dairy (including all yoghurts and some low-fat cheeses) reduces risk by 24%.
Sodium intake linked to obesity
04 February, 2014A new US study has drawn a link between high sodium intake and obesity in teenagers. Dr Haidong Zhu, a molecular geneticist at Georgia Regents University, found a correlation between salt and fatness, and also inflammation.
RFID technology keeps army rations fresh
31 January, 2014The reduced shelf life of food rations is costing the US military millions of dollars each year in wasted food. To combat this, researchers have been working to improve the shelf life of the US Army's MREs and FSRs for front-line troops.
Smelling the way to more appetising low-fat foods
28 January, 2014While taste, texture and mouthfeel are crucial to food enjoyment and acceptance, almost invariably the first way a food is sensed is by its smell. If it smells good we are much more likely to eat it. But it seems our sense of smell is much more refined than we realise - we can even detect dietary fat levels by smell!
