In some countries they’re banned. In Australia, our federal government is advocating the reduction of them in our food supply. So what are trans fats? And why do we need to avoid them? Trans fats are formed when an unsaturated fat (a good type of fat) undergoes a process called hydrogenation. This changes it from […]

Love your heart. It seems a spoonful of strawberries makes the cholesterol go down. According to a new study published in Metabolism, eating strawberries daily caused a significant reduction in LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol. Even better, the participants’ LDL levels were less prone to oxidation, the chemical process that really damages your heart and arteries. Another […]

Sweet… Dark chocolate can help you eat less by curbing your cravings for sugary, fatty, or salty foods, say researchers from the University of Copenhagen. Their study set out to find whether eating milk or dark chocolate had any effect on hunger levels and on the amount of food eaten. Sixteen men were enrolled in […]

More than half of the nation is not healthy, with 54 percent weighing in at an overweight or obese level, but one in six obese Australians believe their weight is in the healthy weight range, a new study had found. Researchers commissioned by the Heart Foundation and insurer Zurich interviewed 1200 respondents aged 20 and […]

In my teens, I was slightly overweight, so my mother offered to send me to a well-known weight loss centre in an attempt to lose approximately 5-10kg. I was placed on a strict diet, and had to visit the centre regularly to use their exercise equipment. I was losing weight steadily, until one week my […]

There’s no doubt the current global financial crisis has been tough – but it’s also proved to have a silver lining for families. One in six families report spending more time together as a result of the downturn. And when it comes to the dinner table, more time together is good news for your health. […]

Danielle Vico is a 29-year-old mother of two young children. She’s funny, smart, pretty and happily married to the man she’s been with for 13 years. But for years Danielle has battled with her weight to the point she recently tipped the scales at 156.3 kgs. With Woman’s Day by her side, Danielle recently became […]

She’s come back from the dead twice on The Bold And The Beautiful, but Hunter Tylo’s dramatic off screen life continues to rival anything the show’s writers can come up with. Talking exclusively to The Lowdown, tragedy-plagued Hunter, 47, reveals she has been forced to kick out her musician partner Corey Cofield and take out […]

A study by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, published in Cell Metabolism, shows that foods which are rich in a “good” monounsaturated fat called oleic acid — namely avocadoes, olive oil, and nuts — actually curb hunger pangs. How? The oleic acid triggers production of a fat-derived hormone called oleoylethanolamide (OEA): this carries […]

You are probably so sick and tired of hearing about setting goals to achieve what you want. Some of you may even tune out when someone asks you to set goals because they have never really worked for you, in the past. Don't tune out now, because here are a few hints on how to make your goals work for you!