09Nov 2020 by Tyler Brooks
Is Pink Salt Healthier?

Is Pink Salt Healthier?

Food, Health
A common food trend over the last few years has been the increasing popularity and use of 'pink' or Himalayan salt. Despite the more striking appearance and common perception of it being 'healthier' and 'more natural', does it actually have any nutritional benefits beyond that of regular white table salt? A recently published paper funded by Nutrition Research Australia has shed some light on this topic, but before exploring what they found it is first useful to understand in detail what salt is. Some people use the terms 'salt' and 'sodium' interchangeably but it is important to understand the difference. Sodium is one component of salt. The chemical name for salt is "sodium chloride" and the chemical symbol that denotes table salt is "NaCl". By weight, the salt we eat is typically…
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23Sep 2020 by Tyler Brooks
What is RED-S and What Should You Do About It

What is RED-S and What Should You Do About It

Health, Other, Sports
What is RED-S Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, "RED-S" or simply "RED-S" is a clinically defined syndrome referring to the impairment of physiological function caused by a deficit in a person's energy intake relative to the energy required to maintain optimal health, homeostasis, growth, the activities of daily living, and sport.  Being in this state of relative deficit is often also referred to as being in a state of low energy availability (LEA). In this state, there is a lower than required amount of energy for the body's normal physiological functions. This can have a variety of health consequences including:  Altered metabolic functionMenstrual disturbances and amenorrhea (loss of period)Amenorrheic athletes have 2 to 4 times greater risk for a stress fractureImpaired bone health (increased osteoporosis risk) Reductions in immune system functionReduced protein synthesis (ie for…
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30Jul 2020 by Tyler Brooks
Is Msg Dangerous or Is It a Safe Flavour Enhancer?

Is Msg Dangerous or Is It a Safe Flavour Enhancer?

Food, Health
MSG There are 5 basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and ‘umami’. Monosodium glutamate or ‘MSG’ is a food additive responsible for the umami taste. You may have heard of MSG being referred to as the ‘flavour enhancer”. This is because the umami taste tends to also enhance the palatability and overall flavour intensity of food it is added to. What is it? Glutamate is one of the most commonly found amino acids in nature and is in many common natural plant and animal foods. Just to name a few, this includes tomatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, fish, meat, cheese, and even human breast milk. Glutamate is a non-essential amino acid. This does not mean that we don't need it - it means that the human body can make glutamate itself if/when needed,…
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28Jul 2020 by Aidan Muir
How to Convert Calories to Kilojoules

How to Convert Calories to Kilojoules

Health
Even though I'm a dietitian in Australia where we use the metric system and kilojoules are the unit that is used on nutrition panels, I've always preferred to talk in calories. From my experience, that is also the way my clients and followers on social media typically prefer to talk as well. I believe a large portion of this is because a lot of people read about nutrition online and a lot of the information comes out of places like America where calories are used instead. That being said, even though most people prefer to talk in terms of calories, this still creates an issue when looking at nutrition panels that do not include the calorie number, for those who do not know how to do the conversion. What Are…
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09Apr 2020 by Aidan Muir
Nutrition for PCOS: A Dietitian’s Guide

Nutrition for PCOS: A Dietitian’s Guide

Health
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal condition that affects 1 in 10 women. For women of reproductive age, it affects 12-18% of individuals, although reportedly up to 70% of women with the condition remain undiagnosed. Polycystic literally means “many cysts.” Ovarian means it is in the ovaries. Therefore, PCOS stands for many cysts within the ovaries. Even though that is the translation, the diagnosis doesn’t rely on there being cysts. Some women may not even have cysts in their ovaries since the diagnosis involves having any two of these three factors: Lack of ovulation causing irregular menstrual cycles (either <21 days apart, >35 days apart or no cycle at all).Excess male hormone production (e.g. testosterone) detected through a blood test.Cysts on the ovaries as detected via ultrasound. Other…
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29Mar 2020 by Aidan Muir
Supplements for PCOS: A Dietitian’s Guide

Supplements for PCOS: A Dietitian’s Guide

Health
When it comes to PCOS, there are quite a few supplements that can help. Prioritising your overall nutrition will help far more than any individual supplement, but supplements can certainly provide some value. When it comes to supplements, often they are only beneficial whenever there is a deficiency or inadequate intake. Adding the supplement in addition to an already optimal intake likely won’t provide any additional benefit. So, keep that in mind since a lot of these needs can be met through food as well. Supplements are just the icing on the cake. If you would like to learn more about nutrition in general for PCOS, I recommend reading this post. PCOS can't technically be cured but these might help reduce symptoms related to menstruation, excess hair growth, ovulation, fertility,…
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31Jul 2019 by Matthew Benetti
3 Ways Dieting Could Be Slowing Your Metabolism

3 Ways Dieting Could Be Slowing Your Metabolism

Health
Having trouble losing weight?Unless you are a lucky minority, most people who have attempted weight-loss have faced the horrid weight-loss plateau. This refers to a stop in weight-loss for an extended length of time despite no change in observed behaviour (e.g. diet and physical activity). Anyone who has gone through this will understand how frustrating and discouraging it can be. Your personal trainer thinks you’re lying, your friends think that you have messed up your metabolism and you feel frustrated that the scale is not changing.Lucky science is able to provide some explanations that hopefully can help us make smarter decisions to handle this. This blog will investigate the big culprits for weight-loss plateaus. You Are Unknowingly Eating More Than What You Think Before getting into the tips, it's worth…
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24Jul 2019 by Aidan Muir
Why I’m Not a Non-Diet Dietitian: Part 2

Why I’m Not a Non-Diet Dietitian: Part 2

Health
A year and a half ago I wrote an article called “Why I’m Not a Non-Diet Dietitian.” It’s not the most-read post on this blog, but it is something that I’m proud of since I consider myself to be a poor writer and I believe that it is was one of the only long-form piece of writing I had done up until that point that has had a major impact on a number of people. I had planned on writing more about the topic, but honestly, I haven’t had much more to say and the original article still sums up the majority of my thoughts even though I have been in the field for almost twice as long now. The title is 99% for clickbait. The whole point of discussing…
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09Jul 2019 by Nadia Mazari
Is Bone Broth Really a Cure-All?

Is Bone Broth Really a Cure-All?

Health
Is Bone Broth Really a Cure-All? Winter is well and truly upon us, and with it comes the barrage of comforting soup recipes, immune-boosting remedies and winter ‘fitspo’. Bone broth appears to tick all three of these boxes. What’s more, those on the bandwagon claim that it’s a cure-all for a multitude of common ailments such as poor gut health, joint pain and skin ageing. This article will, therefore, explore whether the hype around bone broth is based on science or science fiction. What is Bone Broth? Many of us are led to believe that we can use broth, stock and bone broth interchangeably. However, the preparation methods of each differ slightly and as such so does their nutritional value. Understandably, not knowing this makes it all too easy to…
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10May 2019 by Nadia Mazari
Fighting Fatigue

Fighting Fatigue

Health
Fatigue is a common ailment that most of us will experience at some point in our lives. In fact, it has been reported that each year, approximately 1.5 million Australians present to their doctors with fatigue. This isn’t surprising considering how busy, high-stress and emotionally demanding many of our lifestyles have become. Fatigue generally describes a feeling of unrelenting tiredness, lethargy and/or lack of motivation that lasts for several weeks. Daily, low-grade fatigue is a symptom of an underlying issue, condition or disease. It can be caused by a myriad of interacting physical, psychological or medical factors such as insufficient sleep, increased stress or catching the influenza virus. Fatigue can hence be remediated by addressing poor lifestyle habits or the underlying medical issue. In this article, we will explore some…
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