Healthy Food Guide magazine subscription

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…

Can you please make suggestions for high-calorie recipes, preferably puréed food, to assist with weight gain? My wife lost nearly 15kg over nine months while doctors endeavoured to diagnose her health issues (difficulty swallowing). Now she needs to gain at least 9kg in order to survive chemotherapy. Suitable high-calorie and protein recipes appreciated, especially puréed options. Martin Brill, NZ Q & A Hi Martin, I’m so sorry to hear what you and your wife are going through. Losing a significant amount of weight over a short period, especially while navigating complex health issues, can be incredibly stressful. At Healthy Food Guide we can’t give personalised health advice, but we can provide some general tips. Because your wife has difficulty swallowing, it’s really important to work closely with a speech pathologist. They…

EGGS TO THE RESCUE Eggs may prove a natural brain food across your lifespan, recent research suggests. Their unique nutrient blend supports neurodevelopment, motor skills and academic performance during pregnancy, childhood and adolescence, respectively. Beyond early life, moderate egg consumption (three to seven per week) is linked to better cognitive outcomes in adults, including slower memory decline and a lower risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. The review combines evidence from both early development and ageing, reinforcing eggs’ brain-health benefits throughout life. Nutr Bull ARTS FOR ANTI-AGEING Keeping your brain sharp could be as simple as getting creative. Activities like arts and crafts, dancing, playing music, reading, gardening and even video games have been shown to support memory, attention and overall cognitive health as we age. The authors of a…

Up to four in 10 new cancer cases worldwide could be prevented through lifestyle choices, new research suggests. That amounts to roughly 7.1 million cases linked to factors that are largely under our control — including tobacco use, alcohol consumption, excess body weight, physical inactivity, diet, and certain infections. The analysis also revealed a higher overall incidence of preventable cancers in men compared with women, and highlighted how lifestyle and behavioural factors can accumulate risk over time. Experts say the findings reinforce the importance of everyday choices – from incorporating more vegetables and whole foods into meals to staying active, moderating alcohol and avoiding tobacco – in supporting overall health. The study draws on a global assessment of 30 modifiable risk factors compiled by the World Health Organization. Its results…

It‘s a commonly held belief that the ability to follow and stick to a diet is largely dependent on willpower – being able to follow something strictly; to deprive oneself of treats and indulgence, and to resist temptation. Indeed, this belief has fueled modern diet culture for years, priming those with the goal of weight loss to become stuck in a constant cycle of dieting, then self-blame when willpower falters. What may come as a surprise is that emerging research in the areas of willpower, self-control and goal achievement has found that sticking to a plan to achieve various goals is a lot more complex than simply needing more willpower. Rather, achieving our long-term goals has a lot more to do with planning than trying harder or exerting more self-control.…

All over social media, so-called ‘wholefood diets’ are trending, while the collective finger of blame for all our health woes is firmly pointed at ‘ultra-processed’ foods (UPFs). UPFs, typically energy-dense foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt, low in fibre and have a long shelf life, are demonised by wellness influencers and US politicians alike. At Healthy Food Guide, we try to steer clear of extreme views in our dietary advice and think fearmongering about any food group has the potential to damage our relationship with what we eat. But the mounting body of evidence linking UPFs to a range of chronic health conditions, accompanied by the unhelpful rhetoric online, means clear, science-backed practical guidance on healthy eating patterns is more important than ever. There is evidence that…

Feeling moody, tired or tearful? Periods all over the place? Having hot flushes or struggling to sleep? There’s a good chance it’s down to your hormones. These are the body’s chemical messengers, regulating a range of functions from appetite and metabolism to periods, sleep cycle and heart rate. When hormones are in balance, things run smoothly. It’s when they get out of kilter that the trouble begins. This doesn’t mean having to live life on a rollercoaster. We asked health experts who specialise in common hormone-related conditions for advice on dealing with the symptoms and different life stages. PMS PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME PMS is a group of cyclical physical and psychological symptoms. It usually occurs in the two weeks after an egg is released (ovulation) and the beginning of a period. Most…

Poo anxiety, bashful bowels, shy bowel syndrome: they’re all terms for what’s medically known as parcopresis, or difficulty pooing when you’re not at home. Germans have given a name to this condition: heimscheißer (pronounced ‘heimscheisser’), which means ‘home shitter’. Sufferers experience distress and anxiety at the mere thought of having to use a toilet at school, work or any public place. Some may even find it hard to poop while on holidays. If forced to use a toilet away from home, sufferers might experience a racing heartbeat, excess sweating, nausea, tremors and difficulty passing a bowel movement. Poo anxiety sufferers will sometimes eat less food or even avoid certain social activities that might expose them to needing to use a public toilet. HOW COMMON IS IT? Poo anxiety seems to…

As the days cool, autumn calls for food that’s comforting, nourishing and a little bit fun! We’ve got viral TikTok recipe makeovers, vibrant veg, iron and calcium boosters and gluten-free sweet treats – all designed to feel good long after dinner. To make life easier, we‘ve done the healthy eating hard yards for you! Every main meal contains at least two serves of vegies. Each dish meets our dietitians‘ criteria to ensure it doesn‘t contain too much energy, saturated fat, sugar or sodium. Recipes all come with a nutritional analysis, with the table on page 95 showing how they fit daily nutritional needs. Our food writers work with qualified dietitians to develop these recipes for maximum health benefits. For more about our recipe badges, see p99. ✓ gluten free ✓…