17Jun 2018 by Aidan Muir
Low-Fat vs Low-Carb Diets for Weight-Loss?

Low-Fat vs Low-Carb Diets for Weight-Loss?

Health
There is the age-old question of which is better for weight-loss: Low-Fat or Low-Carb diets? At the end of the day, it comes down to calories in and calories out. If calories and protein are matched, then the results should be equal. But that brings up a different question: What if one of the diets is easier to follow in the real world? Of course, you can show the results are the same if you account for all the variables in a strictly controlled study, but that doesn’t mean very much from a practical perspective for those looking to lose weight on their own. Due to this, I’m going to mainly focus this article on what I truly believe is one of the most interesting nutrition studies of the last…
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09Jun 2018 by Aidan Muir
The Evidence-Based Dietary Treatment for Depression

The Evidence-Based Dietary Treatment for Depression

Health
For a long time, it has been known that there is some form of dietary link with depression. It doesn’t take a genius to look around and notice that people with depression often don’t have the best diets (although there are exceptions), but that brings up a chicken or the egg situation. Do they have poor diets because of the depression leading them to care less about their diets? Or is their poor diet one of the key factors in their depression? I believe it is likely a combination of both. Having worked with quite a lot of people with severe depression, I can clearly see that there are a lot of times where they throw any care in the world about good nutrition out the window, no matter how…
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04Jun 2018 by Renae Earle
Transitioning to Solids – Infant Nutrition

Transitioning to Solids – Infant Nutrition

Health
  Are you a new mother? Having a new baby can be overwhelming at times. A flurry of emotions and mixed information. You will have been told again and again, ‘breast is best’ and it has probably been drilled into you by each of your health professionals. Now, your little one is growing up, and you think it might be time to start weaning off the breast and on to solid foods. Just when you thought you were getting this mothering thing down pat, this new obstacle arises. Read on if you want to know more about getting off the breast. When The WHO guidelines suggest introducing solids after 4 months, and no later than 6 months. While these guidelines are a great place to start, your bub will let…
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21May 2018 by Renae Earle
The Sugar Tax

The Sugar Tax

Health
What is it? The idea of the sugar tax has been thrown around a lot over the past few years. It is a tax only applying to sugar sweetened beverages. Australia is proposing 20%, which would apply to all the classic sugar laden soft drink giants. For example, Coke, Sprite and Fanta. It would also apply to a few of the less obvious culprits such as mineral waters, energy drinks and flavoured milks. The tax aims to reduce the consumption of these drinks through an increase in their price, making them less desirable to the consumer. Hence, having positive effect on the health of our society, decreasing the prevalence of overweight, obesity, diabetes, dental caries and other chronic diseases. Many people think the sugar tax is a good idea. Many…
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17May 2018 by Victoria Lekkas
The 6 Best Foods for Your Thyroid

The 6 Best Foods for Your Thyroid

Health
The thyroid gland, a small yet powerful butterfly-shaped gland located in the neck, is responsible for producing a range of hormones that help maintain many of the body’s processes such as metabolic processes, heart rate, weight, body temperature and blood pressure. This small gland plays an extremely crucial role in the endocrine system, and works with the nervous and immune system to ultimately regulate metabolism. When a gland involved in so many important bodily processes starts to deplete in function, it can really take a toll on your health in a number of unpleasant ways. An underactive or overactive thyroid gland (termed hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism respectively) produce opposite symptoms. Symptoms of hypothyroidism include weight gain, fatigue, feeling cold, hair loss, dry skin and constipation. Symptoms of hyperthyroidism often mirror those…
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09May 2018 by Renae Earle
The Lowdown on Ketogenic Diets

The Lowdown on Ketogenic Diets

Health
Ketogenic diets are becoming increasingly popular. As a weight loss tool, as a performance enhancer and for other health benefits. No matter the reason behind your consideration of the ketogenic diet, it is important to understand the relevant evidence. What is the Ketogenic Diet? The ketogenic diet is traditionally high fat low carbohydrate. However, there is some debate over the exact definition of ‘low’ and ‘high’. A popular figure is 80% of calories coming from fat. In reality, this is extremely hard to achieve. In order to consume 80% of calories coming from fat, your diet must consist of mainly egg yolks, nuts, dairy, meat and oil. You can throw in a select few vegetables if you feel like shaking things up! Here are some examples of keto-friendly recipes: -…
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03May 2018 by Larina Robinson
Do Plant-Based Eaters Live Longer?

Do Plant-Based Eaters Live Longer?

Health
What is a plant-based diet? Do those who follow a plant-based diet really live longer? For most people, a plant-based can be defined as a diet which consists of all minimally processed fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, herbs, and spices, with few or no animal products, including red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products. It’s sounds like a healthy diet for most people, but because of it’s very ambiguous nature, examining the research and comparing studies for and against plant-based diets for longevity is quite the challenge. Unfortunately, the term ‘plant-based’ is thrown around rather loosely and can imply a variety of eating habits. For some, it’s another way to say they’re vegan. For others, it simply means they eat a lot of plant food but…
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28Apr 2018 by Dr Ryan Harvey
How to Encourage Your Children to be Healthy

How to Encourage Your Children to be Healthy

Health
Are your kids as healthy as they could be? The early years of a child’s life are an important period in establishing positive attitudes and behaviours towards health. To give you an idea about the latest findings, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports interesting insights, including: • 2.5% of children aged 5-14 and 3.3% of people aged 15-24 eat enough fruit and vegetables. • 26% of children aged 5-14 and 22% of young people aged 15-24 are overweight or obese. Encouraging your children to pursue an active lifestyle The above statistics and insights are certainly concerning. That’s why it’s important to encourage your kids to lead a healthy lifestyle. Here are three ways to do just this. 1. Playing sports The benefits of playing sport are well documented.…
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07Apr 2018 by Natalie Thompson
Things Your Grandmother Would Say About Nutrition That Are Actually Right

Things Your Grandmother Would Say About Nutrition That Are Actually Right

Health
I was inspired to write about this topic because I love grandparents. I love my grandparents - I am lucky to be surrounded by 5 grandparents, 4 who are nearing 90 and one who is 90! Good genes or good nutrition? Aren’t grandmothers (and grandfathers!!) full of wisdom?! I often find myself reflecting on how I don’t have many opportunities to soak up their wisdom with how busy life is and living interstate. I enjoyed interviewing my grandmothers and hearing additional stories from grandmothers about their thoughts on food, eating and nutrition growing up. I even learnt a few things along the way. Interestingly, the wisdom shared by these grandmothers form some of the foundational pieces of my nutrition philosophy from which I live and help my clients by. What…
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06Apr 2018 by Victoria Lekkas
The New Nordic Diet – Could Scandinavian be the New Mediterranean?

The New Nordic Diet – Could Scandinavian be the New Mediterranean?

Health
Scandinavia – the land of incredible healthcare systems, more paid holiday days than anywhere else in the world and subsidised tertiary education, amongst many other qualities. With all these amazing assets, who wouldn’t be inspired by the Scandinavian lifestyle? They must be doing something right, considering recent studies have shown that the Nordic countries are home to some of the happiest people in the world. With recent hype around diets such as the Mediterranean diet and veganism, the Nordic countries have had one of their greatest and most beautiful secrets practically pushed to the side and concealed from the global media spotlight: the Nordic diet. What is the Nordic diet? As the name suggests, the Nordic diet features foods that are native, traditional and easily sourced in Denmark, Sweden, Norway,…
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