04Nov 2018 by Nadia Mazari
Are These Superfoods Really ‘Super’?

Are These Superfoods Really ‘Super’?

Health
The term ‘superfood’ is so frequently tossed around, exclaimed on food packaging and touted on social media influencers’ posts. Every couple of months, a new ‘ancient’ superfood is re-discovered. In our highly-connected society this often causes a domino effect; we see the latest superfood spreading through health-food stores, supermarkets, cafes and eventually to our pantries where they are allotted to the back-shelf until inspiration strikes or the newest superfood takes its place. So do we really need the latest superfood to have a super diet? What exactly are superfoods? Let’s begin with figuring out what superfoods are. Although no conclusive definition exists, superfoods are essentially wholefoods packed with high levels of antioxidants and minerals. The antioxidants and minerals are what gives superfoods their purported anti-ageing, anti-inflammatory and cancer-preventing powers. Some…
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18Aug 2018 by Nadia Mazari
The Low down on Personalised Nutrition

The Low down on Personalised Nutrition

Health
Personalised nutrition is a burgeoning niche within the trends of personalised medicine and scientific wellness. Promising highly individual solutions to dieting woes, longevity and a plethora of other health struggles, it’s no wonder that personalised nutrition has become both a buzzword and commercial enterprise. This has left many puzzled by its health claims, unable to sort fact from fiction. Perhaps most startling, however, are the sensationalist headlines spreading through social media platforms that discretionary foods such as chips could be healthier for you than salad. So let’s explore what personalised nutrition really does offer you and if such claims hold some truth. What is personalised nutrition? There is yet to be an agreed upon definition of personalised nutrition. The term is also often used interchangeably with nutrigenomics, nutrigenetics or nutritional…
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10Jul 2018 by Renae Earle
The HPE Diet

The HPE Diet

Health
If you’re a clinical dietitian working within the hospital setting, you probably know the high protein/energy (HPE) diet inside and out. For those of you with little exposure to the HPE, read on. What is Malnutrition Before we try to understand the HPE diet, we need to look at the condition a HPE diet is designed to prevent, malnutrition. Malnutrition is a silent killer that goes largely unrecognised, undiagnosed, untreated in our hospitals. Often, it is not taken serious enough. It occurs when an individual does not consume enough protein and/or energy to meet their requirements. Some common causes of malnutrition: - Increased energy and protein requirements (for example, cancer patients, post-surgery). - Decreased appetite (due to medication, age, being unwell etc.). - Early satiety: feeling full quickly. - Changes…
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07Jul 2018 by Aidan Muir
Bariatric Surgery Q&A Featuring Purva Gulyani

Bariatric Surgery Q&A Featuring Purva Gulyani

Health
Can you please tell us a little bit about your career so far? I started my career as a private practice Dietitian in 2004, and then we planned to move to Melbourne in 2009. That's when I cleared my APD status, but I had to head back to my home town of New Delhi, in 2010. In 2011 I joined the team of an esteemed Bariatric and GI Surgeon Dr Atul Peters, where I got hands on experience of Bariatric Nutritional Management. Every day was a new challenge; each patient comes up with some unique queries and issues. In March 2016 I finally ended up moving to Australia. It took almost 3-4 months to set up my own practice in Melbourne with help of my mentor and guide in this…
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03Jul 2018 by Renae Earle
Functional Foods

Functional Foods

Health
Functional foods are a new trend emerging in response to the public’s increasing health consciousness. The food industry continues to create products with ‘added health benefits’ and it seems as if there is a new product on the shelf every week. It can be difficult keep up. Let’s explore functional foods and if you should consider adding them to your diet. What is a Functional Food? What is a functional food? Now that, is a good question. There is no singular, universal definition for functional foods. However, the general idea, is a food with an added health function, that is superior to a ‘general’ food. This definition is vague; hence it is easier to understand functional foods in the context of examples. Functional foods can be naturally high in a…
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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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