Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

We may not experience it every day of the week, but sometimes our motivation and energy levels can dwindle significantly in the hours after lunch. Why? It has a lot to do with the natural rhythms of our body – we have a biological tendency to hit an energy lull in the afternoon. But it’s […]

Question: Will avoiding carbs after 5pm will help me lose weight? Answer: There is nothing magical about not eating carbs after 5pm – this is an arbitrary cut-off point. A search of the National Library of Medicine Medline database of more than 4800 scientific journals failed to find a single study that lends support to […]

Question: Are fresh vegetables better than frozen ones? Answer: Ideally, we would all be growing fresh vegetables from our flourishing vegetable patch in the back garden. For most of us, this scene is unfortunately far from reality, instead relying on our local supermarket for fresh and even frozen vegetables. This week we aim to clarify […]

What are Phytochemicals? Phytochemicals are partly responsible for vegetables’ protective benefits, helping to improve your overall health! Did you know that it is these phytochemicals that give vegetables their colours and each colour holds their own, unique health benefits? (See below for the 5 colour groups and some examples of vegetables they include). Chose vegetables […]

Question: Are there greater benefits in eating whole foods as compared to taking nutritional supplements? Answer: Supplements can’t supply all the nutrients in food. Food is very complex. Whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and wholegrain breads and cereals contain thousands of phytonutrients that can interact with each other in positive ways. When […]

A recent study into the nutrition composition of pork conducted in conjunction with CSIRO has dispelled a common misconception that the meat is high in fat and best limited from the diet. In fact the survey found that lean, trimmed pork is just a lean as skinless chicken. Let’s explore the nutrition benefits of pork […]

If you need a good reason to get your daily dose of Vitamin D — then nothing beats this! Here’s a good reason to get a daily dose of at least 1,000 IU of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol): it lowers your risk of developing certain cancers, notably colon, breast and ovarian cancer, by up to 50 […]

Learn to love fibre, for your heart’s sake. That’s the message from a recent Medical University of South Carolina study. Thirty-five healthy adults were randomly selected to consume either the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) high-fibre diet (nearly 28 grams of fibre per day) or a psyllium fibre supplement (equivalent to 27 grams of […]

You’ve probably heard of antioxidants, right? You know those powerful disease fighting components in foods, especially plant foods like fruits, vegetables, wholegrains and herbs. Even tea, red wine and chocolate are hailed for their antioxidant powers. But unlike other nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, we do not currently have an RDI or recommended dietary […]

Women of child-bearing age aren’t the only ones who should take folic acid, a B vitamin which helps protect unborn babies from developing neural tube defects. The latest research shows that it also has powerful antioxidant properties, and may even slow the development of particular cancers. The findings, published in the June 2006 issue of […]