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Sugar is added to a lot of our everyday packaged food and drink. This includes seemingly healthy foods, such as muesli bars, fruit-flavoured yoghurt and store-bought muffins, and those convenient foods we turn to when low on time and energy, such as instant soup and cereal. Without the need to whip up elaborate meals throughout … Continued

Most Aussies are consuming too much added and free sugar. Recommendations are to limit daily intake to 6 teaspoons (25g), yet some are having at least 38 teaspoons of free sugars per day! Too much added and free sugar can lead to short- and long-term health concerns, so it is important to keep intake in … Continued

Sleep is essential to health. Equally important as eating well and moving the body. But what does sleep have to do with sugar? A lot, it turns out!   The importance of sleep We need sleep for pretty much every aspect of health. This includes proper immune, metabolic, brain, and cardiovascular function, appetite regulation and … Continued

Creating a meal to please kids that is also healthy can be a challenge. Children and teens can have a discerning palate and a preference for particular (often less healthy) foods. It is not surprising. We are faced with endless marketing of hyper-palatable ultra-processed and packaged foods, many of which contain added and free sugars while offering … Continued

  Kids love sweet stuff. In fact, humans are wired to desire it.  For most of history, humans evolved to seek out sweet tastes. Finding sweet, ripe foods offered an easy energy source, therefore, an evolutionary advantage.  In the modern-day developed environment, foods high in added sugars are readily available and abundant. It is difficult … Continued

You are what you eat, yet what you eat can be influenced by many factors.  When attempting reduce added and free sugar intake, and eat well overall, it is useful to be aware of what may be driving your food or drink selection. The reality is, there are many of forces at play! Here are … Continued

  Whether at the workplace or school canteen, lunch can often be the meal we buy on the run or piece together with various packets of ultra-processed, pre-made, instant foods. Yet buying out all the time can be expensive, and take-out and pre-made foods are often high in unhealthy types of fats, added salt, and … Continued

The gut microbiome. You’ve probably heard of it. It is the community of trillions of microbiota (also referred to as microbes or microorganisms) residing in the intestinal tract, their genes, and the products they produce. The microbes coexist with us so we can function. Amazing.  The composition of different bug populations residing in the gut … Continued

Credit: Canva Our brain is our best friend. A friend we often take for granted!  To keep the brain healthy, we need to eat healthily. That means more whole foods, less ultra-processed foods, and limiting consumption of added and free sugars. Why? Read on.  Activating reward centre When eating sugary foods, the brain’s reward system … Continued

If you have concerns about heart health, you should pay attention to added and free sugar intake. Excess consumption isn’t good for heart health, in part due to the impact on the liver. The liver and the heart Development of non-alcoholic fatty-liver disease (NAFLD) has been linked with high intake of added sugars, particularly sugar-sweetened beverages, even … Continued

Small changes can have incredible impact, as has been proven by an exceptional New Zealand school. In 2006, Yendarra School in South Auckland introduced a water-only policy. That meant no sugar-sweetened beverages were allowed on campus, whether sold at the school or brought from home. Junk foods such as pies, icy poles and ice-creams were … Continued

We read and hear frequently that foods with anti-inflammatory properties are good for us. So, if anti-inflammatory is ‘good’, is inflammation ‘bad’?   The short answer, no.  Inflammation is essential, a completely normal biological process and a natural part of our body’s defense system.  When injured or infected, a complex response takes place in your body … Continued