Posted by kathryn in Fats & oils

Food manufacturers use trans fats because they’re cheap and easy. Fats used to be an expensive ingredient. However through hydrogenation, cheap poly-unsaturated vegetable oils can be converted into a semi-solid form. This product is much more useful to food manufacturers. Hydrogenation changes the physical properties of the fat: * hydrogenated fats have a longer shelf-life * they can be re-used without spoiling * they’re cheaper to transport * hydrogenated fats mix well with flour, to make better biscuits and …

Read more 1 comment 31 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Labels & advertising

Should manufacturers be allowed to advertise junk food to children? This is one of the key questions being discussed at the Consumers International conference in Sydney. The cartoon character Shrek featured heavily in food promotion earlier this year. Toys are regularly used as giveaways in cereal boxes and at fast food outlets. Many food manufacters have websites featuring games and giveaways. It’s no longer enough to market food products to parents. Instead manufacturers are now directly targeting kids. Concerns …

Read more 3 comments 30 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Eggs

I’m a great admirer of the egg. They’re an excellent package of dense nutrition, easy to use and highly adaptable. Eggs contain protein, along with a plethora of minerals and vitamins. With eggs you’re getting a lot of nutrition for your money. h3. The white vs the yolk Diet books and bodybuilders recommend restricting yourself to the egg white only. But, if you do that you’re missing out on loads of wonderful nutrition. The egg white is mostly protein …

Read more 11 comments 29 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Mental & emotional health and Salads

• Beetroot recipes: Here in the Southern hemisphere we’re moving into summer. But how can I resist two more beautiful beetroot recipes? Lisa’s Kitchen features a beetroot and fetta salad, while Mostly Eating has posted a beetroot, sumac and sweet potato salad. * Snowpea Salad: Much more suitable for summer – Chocolate & Zucchini has a recipe for triple sesame snow pea salad. Blanched snow peas are livened up with a nifty dressing containing the sesame trifecta of seeds, …

Read more 2 comments 26 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

The next question in Q & A Thursday is one I can’t answer! Antti-Juhani has asked about sugar beet fibre flakes: bq. Do you have any comments about sugar beet fiber as a fiber supplement? Are there any reasons one should prefer it to, say, rye bran, or vice versa? Any good or bad points one should be aware of? I’ve never heard of sugar beet fibre flakes and I’ve never seen them in Australian stores. So far my …

Read more 6 comments 25 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

Imagine if you stopped drinking alcohol, ate well balanced meals, cut out junk food, drank lots of water and went to bed early. Hands up who doesn’t think they’d feel better and have more energy? If you eat well and look after yourself, you will feel better. You will have more energy. Those black circles under your eyes will disappear. Your skin will be clearer. *But feeling good and having lots of energy, is not rocket science. It’s not …

Read more 9 comments 25 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Labels & advertising

It’s Q & A Thursday and the first question is about something which appears on every packet of food: the nutrition information panel. LeAnne has asked: bq. I’ve been eating a lot of soy products. Everything I buy is dry and I have to soak it in water before I cook it. The nutrition information is on the box for 100 grams of product. Is that 100 grams before or after I soak it? When it comes to …

Read more 2 comments 25 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Blogging

The reminder Tomorrow is Q & A Thursday. Let me know if you have a question, by leaving a comment or sending me an email. h3. And the warning . . . Limes & Lycopene will be unavailable for about 30 minutes this evening. From 7.30pm AEST we’re upgrading hardware. I know some of you have experienced problems accessing L&L and at times it’s been very slow. The funky, shiny new hardware should sort this out. Thanks for your …

Read more No comments 24 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Labels & advertising

Most of us know to reduce the fat, sugar and sodium in our diet. However these can be hidden away in the ingredients list. For example, while “salt” may be listed at the end of the ingredients, the product may still contain a lot of sodium, The salt is simply disguised as other ingredients. Similarly fats and sugars also often travel incognito. h3. The many names for fat: * margarine * butter * vegetable oil * lard * shortening * …

Read more 2 comments 24 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Blogging

A question for you today – do you eat well and if not what would help you improve your diet? I’m not checking up on who’s having their vegies! At the moment I’m working on some better content for this site. I want to make it easier to access the information and resources you need to have a good diet. So, my question is – what do you need to eat well? * How do you like to access information? …

Read more 9 comments 23 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Miscellanea

The latest issue of Life etc magazine is out, complete with my Ten Minute Kitchen recipes. These simple, no-fuss recipes are designed to take minutes. They also provide a well balanced meal and at least two of your daily vegetables serves. The theme ingredient this issue is avocado and the recipes are: * herb fishcakes with avocado salsa * warm lima bean and avocado salad with ginger * chilli chicken skewers with chickpea and avocado salad. You can download these …

Read more 4 comments 22 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Fruit and Soups

• Eating more fruit: It’s a topic I’ve been writing about this week. Veggie Chic also has a useful post on 3 easy steps to eating more fruit. I particularly like the suggestion to find your own best time to eat fruit. Jul says “eating fruit when I’m at my hungriest makes me enjoy it more”. * How to change eating habits: Rudd Sound Bites asks why isn’t education enough to change eating habits?. There’s also an interesting discussion …

Read more 2 comments 19 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

Q & A Thursday is over for this week. I haven’t answered all the questions I received. I’ll save the extra ones over for next week. A big thank you to everyone who asked a question, or left a comment. h3. This week’s questions * is there a simple way to convert dried weights of carb foods to cooked weights? * how to get enough calcium when you don’t drink milk * "is fruit really important to a healthy …

Read more No comments 18 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Vegetables and Fruit

I’ve been pulled up on my last two posts in Q & A Thursday: * Are tomatoes part of your fruit or vegetable intake * Is fruit really important to a healthy diet? As Meg and Joanne have both commented there are other “vegetables” that are actually “fruits”. How do these fit into the whole fruit vs vegetables debate?. Hmm, I wasn’t counting on botany being used against me! Okay, it’s true I’ve over-simplified the message – something we …

Read more 3 comments 18 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Fruit

The next post in Q & A Thursday partners the previous question: can you count tomatoes as part of your daily fruit allowance? Despite primarily being used as a savoury ingredient, tomatoes are actually a fruit. Botanically they’re the ovary and seeds of a flowering plant, the classification of a fruit. Tomatoes are therefore nutritionally flexible. You can count them as one of your vegetable serves or as part of your fruit intake. Tomatoes contain vitamin C and many …

Read more 5 comments 18 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Fruit

I was asked a question about fruit this week: if you eat plenty of vegetables, do you need to eat fruit? Both vegetables and fruit are necessary in a healthy diet. While we sometimes clump them together in our head, and they come from the same part of the supermarket, they provide different nutrients. h3. Why you need fruit Fruit and vegetables do contain many similar nutrients. For example they’re both rich in potassium and fibre. However, you need …

Read more 3 comments 18 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Nutrition

The next question in Q & A Thursday is from Sarah. It’s one for the lactose intolerants: is it possible to get enough calcium when you don’t drink milk? h3. Calcium and bone health I’ve written a number of posts about calcium in the past, including a three part series on bone health: * what are bones? * the calcium debate * how to ensure you have strong, healthy bones In the final part of this series I discuss …

Read more 2 comments 18 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

First up in this week’s Q & A Thursday, Peta asks if there’s a simple way to convert the dry weight of carbs like rice and pasta, to cooked weight or volume? Carbohydrate foods like rice and pasta absorb a lot of water during cooking. However, there’s no one rule you can follow to convert from dry to cooked weight. Instead I’ve found this list of conversion measures at Ellen’s Kitchen to be really useful. It covers a wide …

Read more No comments 18 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

Q & A Thursday is open for this week. It’s going to be a bumper edition, as I already have a long list of varied and interesting questions. Let me know if you have any other topics, either by leaving a comment or sending me an email. As always, at the end of today I’ll add this week’s topics to the Q & A Thursday archives.

Read more No comments 18 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

Here in Australia, we’re slipping gently into summer. However, it’s a different story for my northern hemisphere readers. Days are shortening and the weather is getting cooler. Which also means cold and flu season is looming. Earlier in the year I posted my top five ways to keep a cold at bay. While winter hasn’t set in, start looking after yourself now, in preparation for the cold weather. If you can follow these five strategies you will have a better …

Read more No comments 17 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

A reminder – Q & A Thursday is on tomorrow. Do you have any questions about food, diet and health? You can lodge a question by leaving a comment or sending me an email. Want to know what the heck Q & A Thursday is? Then take a look at the introductory post and the Q & A Thursday archives.

Read more 2 comments 17 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Labels & advertising

A couple of weeks ago I asked what’s wrong with these ready meals?. In amongst the excellent answers, a couple of readers talked about food label trickery. And they’re right. Like natural, lite and light, the words healthy and lean don’t have any legal definition. Food manufacturers can slap those two words on any products they want. It gives the food the aura of wellbeing. The hope is you’re a time-poor consumer who wants to eat well. So you’ll pick …

Read more 1 comment 17 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Blogging

Thanks for your patience, comments are now working again!

Read more 2 comments 15 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Mental & emotional health

Eating irregularly and eating the wrong foods can make you moody, tired and irritable. Each time you eat, some parts of the food are broken down into glucose – the primary source of fuel used by your body and brain. However, a few hours after eating, that glucose supply dwindles – leading to a drop in blood sugar levels. When blood sugar levels are low many people experience mood changes. Feelings of depression, annoyance, anger and inability to cope are …

Read more 12 comments 13 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Mental & emotional health

Alcohol is a depressant. Just think about that. It’s Mental Health Week, we’re talking diet strategies to improve your mental health, and one of the most common drinks we consume is a depressant. While a glass of wine at the end of the day can be relaxing and you may use a couple of drinks to rev up for a party, alcohol is not a stimulant. Small amounts calm and reduce inhibitions, because it’s a central nervous system depressant. …

Read more No comments 12 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Mental & emotional health

Your brain is an organ, just like your heart, liver and kidneys. There’s a lot we don’t know about how the brain works. One thing we do know, is you need to feed your brain for it to be healthy. Carbohydrates, Omega 3 essential fatty acids, protein, vitamins, minerals and water – these are the nutrients your brain needs. Vitamins are needed by your brain, because they assist biochemical reactions. For example, vitamins are catalysts in the production of …

Read more 1 comment 11 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Mental & emotional health

Are you in Australia and close to a radio? This morning Triple J’s weekly science talkback is all about mental health. Natasha Mitchell will be talking to Zan Rowe about mind, brain and behaviour. They’ll also be taking questions from listeners. * Time: 11.00am – 12.00pm AEST * Ratio station: Triple J – in Sydney it’s FM 105.7 I’ll check later if there’s a podcast of the session. :Update: there’s no podcast for thIs session. However All in the Mind …

Read more No comments 11 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Mental & emotional health

Yesterday was World Mental Health Day. The following are some links to people who’ve been talking mental health: * Down to earth has blogged about depression and rural suicide here in Australia. * Sue is a mental health nurse and has posted about her experiences, training and the difficulties of working in the mental health arena. * Mental health notes asks When did you come out with your mental illness? * The Transparent Hypnotist celebrated World Mental Health Day …

Read more No comments 11 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

A reminder that Q & A Thursday is on tomorrow. Do you have any questions about food, diet and health. Given it’s Mental Health Week, I also thought I’d throw the forum open to mental health questions and topics for discussion. You can lodge a question by leaving a comment or sending me an email. Want to know what the heck Q & A Thursday is? Then take a look at the introductory post and the "Q & A …

Read more No comments 10 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Mental & emotional health

Hands up who’s stressed? Seems it’s become a normal part of our lives these days. We experience it at work, running for the bus, driving in City traffic, around our relatives and ferrying the kids around. A certain amount of stress can be useful, especially when trying to make a deadline! Too much stress on the other hand can cause health problems, both physical and mental. h3. Are you stressed? While we all react to stress slightly differently, there are …

Read more No comments 10 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Mental & emotional health

Tomorrow is World Mental Health Day and in Australia it’s also Stress Less Day. There is a huge range of activities going on around the world. Here in Sydney, the official launch of Mental Health Week is happening in Martin Place and I’m going to head down and take a look. The launch includes: * speakers * free massages * a Living Library tent * free nutrition consultations * personal training sessions * tai chi classes * as well …

Read more No comments 09 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Mental & emotional health

The most important meal of the day and still so many people forget it. Although eating breakfast might not be high on your list of priorities, it will make your brain work better. h3. The importance of breakfast After sleeping through the night, your body has used up it’s easily accessible energy stores. If you don’t have breakfast your blood sugar levels drop and you’re more likely to experience a low mood, irritability and tiredness. A number of studies …

Read more 2 comments 10 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Mental & emotional health

Omega 3s are essential for brain health. They’re a group pf poly-unsaturated fats, found in fish and some plant foods. These fats form part of the structure of our brains, including the myelin sheath. Low levels of Omega 3s have been linked to depression, as well as learning problems in children. Although this is an important nutrient, we’re eating less and less of it. Most people don’t eat a lot of fish, plus our consumption of the Omega 3 …

Read more No comments 09 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Mental & emotional health

While you may be aware diet is important for physical health, we rarely think about the impact of food on mental health. However, what you eat will affect the health of your brain. We’re a long way from saying food definitely causes mental health problems. However, diet is an important part of treating mental health issues. By eating well and following a few simple diet guidelines, you can minimise your risk of mental health problems. The diet guidelines for …

Read more No comments 09 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Mental & emotional health

Quit smoking, lose weight, eat a healthy diet, exercise more: these are the well-known ways to health and wellbeing. However, in concentrating on the physical, we often forget another vital part of health: emotional wellbeing. Being happy, having good self-esteem, knowing who you are and where you’re going, are as much a part of good health as eating your vegies. h3. Mental Health Week It’s National Mental Health Week here in Australia, and Wednesday is World Mental Health Day. …

Read more 4 comments 08 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Vegetables and Dinners

• Mental health: Finding Optimism has a wonderful series on being the partner of someone with depression. The posts are written by Anna, the wife of Finding Optimism’s blogger James. It’s a personal, but practical look at how to cope if the person you love has a mental health issue. The series starts here: the depression dialogue. * Mediterranean diet: Revolution Health has a post about the Mediterranean diet – the “behind the scenes” facts which make this way …

Read more 2 comments 05 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Lifestyle

Walking is one of the easiest and cheapest forms of physical activity. While you can treat it as exercise, walking is also a mode of transport. You can walk to the shops, to a friend’s house and you can even walk to work. If we all walked a bit more, it would do wonders for our health. Today is national Walk to Work Day. This is an annual event, aimed at getting people out of the car and into …

Read more No comments 05 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

A quick link over to my latest post at Diet-Blog: Chocolate the new antidepressant. New research from the Black Dog Institute, here in Australia, has found a link between chocolate cravings and certain personality types. If you’re prone to irritability and worrying about rejection, then not only are you more likely to crave chocolate, but it may actually improve your mood. I’ve blogged about the health benefits or otherwise, of chocolate before. For more information on this latest study, …

Read more 3 comments 04 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Blogging

Regardless of whether you have a blog or not – I’d suggest you take a look at Problogger’s-birthday-bonanza. Over the next few days Darren is giving away $54,000 worth of prizes. All sorts of stuff from computer monitors, through to iPods, logo designs, magazine subscriptions . . . it’s all a bit mad really. And yes, full disclosure, this post is a blatant attempt to win one of the computer monitors that’s up for grabs – surely you can’t blame …

Read more No comments 04 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Vegetables

Next on Q & A Thursday Lindsey from Oh Sunday School has asked about broad beans: bq. You mentioned broad beans are in season and I’ve seen then on special at my grocer’s. Do you have some suggestions on how to prepare them? I’ve never bought fresh broad beans and I’m a bit intimidated – I’m under the impression that they are a bit of a hassle to peel, etc. what do you think? Fresh broad beans, or fava …

Read more 12 comments 04 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Grains

Next in Q & A Thursday, Ann has asked for some guidelines on how to cook with non-wheat flours: bq. I was wondering about substitution of alternative flours – wholemeal spelt, white spelt, amaranth, barley etc – in recipes calling for wholemeal or white flour. Are there any general rules? And are some grains or combinations better substitutes than others for wheat flour? There are more and more people out there avoiding wheat, and fortunately there are now a …

Read more No comments 04 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

There is nothing more likely to get me shouting at the TV than a ready-meal advert. Despite the pictures of happy families and sexy young singles, ready-meals INFURIATE me. I posted some product pictures yesterday and asked the question – what’s wrong with these ready-meals? And you, my lovely readers, posted excellent, excellent answers. Ready-meals do have way too much salt in them (even the “healthy” ones), they’re expensive and most have an ingredients list as long as your …

Read more No comments 04 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

Q & A Thursday is open for this week, so if you have any food, diet or health dilemmas, let me know. I’m going to start this week’s Q & A Thursday by exploring the question I posed yesterday – what’s wrong with ready meals. You can lodge questions, by leaving a comment below or sending me an email. For more information take a look at the introductory post and the Q & A Thursday archives.

Read more 2 comments 04 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Vegetables and Fruit

It’s super-hot in Sydney today. Spring has barely sprung and yet temperatures are already topping 30°C. The wind is like being inside a hairdryer. We’re out of the awkward seasonal transition month of September, so produce choices are getting better and better. I’ve been eating lots and lots and LOTS of asparagus, it’s been super-cheap over the last few weeks. Blueberries are now coming to us from NSW, so they’re creeping down in price. On the other end of the …

Read more No comments 03 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

A reminder that Q & A Thursday is on tomorrow. You can lodge a question by leaving a comment or sending me an email. Want to know what the heck Q & A Thursday is? Then take a look at the introductory post and the Q & A Thursday archives.

Read more 2 comments 03 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

I’m starting today with a question for you. Below is a fairly standard selection of the ready meals available in your local supermarket. Despite being labelled Healthy Choice and Lean Cuisine, what’s wrong with all these meals? If you have any thoughts or suggestions, leave them in the comments below. :Update: I’ve posted my follow up article: why I hate ready meals. h3. Reminder Tommorrow is Q & A Thursday – *a …

Read more 9 comments 03 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Fats & oils and Myths

There are some foods which seem surrounded in confusion, myths and half-truths. Soy is one of these and I’ve seen it labelled as toxic, birth control for babies and likely to turn you gay. I’ve already written some posts about the confusion over soy. Another food surrounded by dodgy claims is canola and Melanie of Dietriffic has written a myth-busting post: is canola oil healthy? One of the most persistent charges against canola states it was first produced by genetic …

Read more 2 comments 02 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

By knowing a small amount about the GI you can both prevent diabetes in the future, but also boost your energy levels now. While the GI can sound complicated, you don’t need to know numbers and figures. Instead there are simple guidelines you can use to switch to low GI foods. You’ll start feeling the benefits immediately, through improved energy levels during the day. Plus you’ll be preventing diabetes and other health nasties in the future. h3. The importance …

Read more 6 comments 02 October, 2007