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Healthy Food Guide (HFG) magazine is your complete guide to healthy eating. Our recipes use easy-to-find, affordable ingredients. Cook with HFG and you’ll always enjoy a nutritious meal. We give unbiased opinions and are not affiliated with any food manufacturers. All branded food in HFG has been approved by our dietitians. Advertisers cannot influence editorial content. You can trust our advice. All our health information is supported by solid scientific evidence, not media fanfare. We smooth out any confusion caused by ‘pseudoscientists’. Dietitians review all our articles so they’re always accurate with up-to-date information. A full list of references is also available on request. Every recipe in Healthy Food Guide is healthy Our recipe writers work with qualified dietitians to develop all our meals. A nutritional analysis is provided for…

Q I’ve noticed there are some differences in the levels of certain food chemicals, additives or pesticides tolerated by food safety authorities here in Australia compared with what European standards are. And some additives banned in Europe are still used here. Why is this, if both are meant to be based on science? Richard, via email A You’re right, some additives and colours are banned overseas but still allowed here in Australia and New Zealand. But that doesn’t always mean our standards are lower – it’s more about how different countries assess risk. In Europe, regulators tend to take a ‘better safe than sorry’ approach. If there’s any uncertainty, they might ban or pause the use of an additive until more research is available. Here, Food Standards Australia New Zealand…

AI. Intervention An AI-based diabetes intervention program was as good as a human coach-led program, a US study found. Researchers assigned participants to either an AI or a human-led program. They found 31.7 per cent of the AI group and 31.9 per cent of the human group were able to achieve the desired outcome – 5 per cent weight loss, 4 per cent weight loss plus 150 minutes of physical activity per week, or a blood sugar reduction relative to holding off diabetes – after 12 months. JAMA DID YOU KNOW? There’s no need to avoid nuts if you’re on a weight management plan or are worried about weight gain. Naturally satisfying, they’re tasty little nutrient powerhouses, and research has shown that not all of the fat in nuts is…

Skipping your first meal of the day probably won’t affect your brainpower in the short term, a New Zealand-led study shows. Kids, though, still need their breakfast. Intermittent fasting has become popular in recent years, promoted for potential benefits such as improved insulin sensitivity, cellular repair and weight management. A meta-analysis of 71 studies compared cognitive performance in fasted and non-fasted healthy people, assessing memory recall, decision-making and response speed and accuracy. The study found no meaningful difference in adults, suggesting that most of us need not worry about temporary fasting affecting our mental sharpness or ability to perform daily tasks, and that any mental effects might be due to distracting hunger pangs. There was however, a noticeable reduction in cognitive performance in the fasting children who made up a…

Last year, three out of four of us set resolutions in January, and if you were one of them, it’s a safe bet that something health related was on top of your list. People resolved to take a holiday, be more environmentally conscious or save money, but it was vowing to live a healthier lifestyle that nearly one in two resolution-setters settled on. Take a look at some stats and it’s not surprising that health is on so many radars when the new year rolls around. In Australia there’s been a shift in how people view diet – increasingly it’s seen as the path to overall wellness rather than just a weight-loss tool. In New Zealand, a ‘healthization’ trend is gaining popularity, with young people viewing health as an all-encompassing…

● WHY EVERY MOVE COUNTS Being active isn’t just about getting fit, it’s about moving your body to boost energy, lift mood and sharpen your mind. Regular movement strengthens muscles and bones, improves sleep, balance and mobility, and helps you feel your best every day. Even small tweaks, like adding intervals or mixing in functional moves can deliver big results and help you break through plateaus. ● BREAKING THROUGH THE BARRIERS Common obstacles don’t have to stop you in your tracks. Busy schedules, tiredness, sweltering summer heat, holiday plans or a stuck-in-a-rut routine are all normal challenges, but with smart planning, strategic swaps in your routine and a focus on what works for your body, you can keep moving and make every session count. ● MAKING ACTIVITY PART OF EVERY…

You may have heard claims that today’s fruit, like oranges, are nothing like the ‘ancestral’ or ‘heritage’ varieties, having been bred to be far sweeter, and therefore less healthy. These ideas often circulate on social media, wellness blogs, and among proponents of ancestral, paleo, or low-carb diets who suggest modern fruit is over-processed or nutritionally inferior. But what does science actually say about the fruit on our plates today? CLAIM: ORANGES AND FRUIT TODAY ARE NOT NATURAL The idea that oranges aren’t ‘natural’ comes from the fact that many fruits have been bred over time to improve traits like size, sweetness, colour and disease resistance. Today’s oranges are indeed different from their wild ancestors, which were smaller, more bitter and less juicy – but this is true for almost all…

When we think of glowing skin, shiny hair and strong nails, we often picture skincare serums, hair masks or nail treatments. But what if your next beauty routine started on your plate? Here’s something you might not know – your skin, hair and nails all belong to the same family, known as the integumentary system. It’s your body’s first line of defence, protecting you from injury and harmful microbes, and even helping to regulate temperature. Because they’re all part of the same system, it makes sense that what nourishes one can benefit the others too. And while food isn’t usually the first thing we think of when it comes to beauty, the science is clear — what you eat plays a powerful role in the health and appearance of your…

Bodies naturally come in all shapes and sizes “You look so great! Have you lost weight?” “Wow, you’re looking so healthy now! Good for you.” As fat people, we’ve heard comments like this for most of our lives. At the times when our bodies were smaller, these comments made us feel proud and accepted. We felt like we were finally ‘good enough’. But when we regained the weight, as happens for most people, we felt like our bodies were no longer ‘good enough’ and that these well-intentioned comments were in fact harmful. Through our work as size- and weight-inclusive researchers, we’ve come to understand it wasn’t just us – the extent of harm from comments such as these is far-reaching. Both positive and negative comments about weight can lead to…