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Diet and Nutrition

Good carb, bad carb? See how much you really know about this important nutrient

Low-carb diets are all the rage for weight loss. But do they really work?  And what are carbs anyway? Take our quiz to find out what the latest research suggests.
A salad with edamame beans, strands of carrot, lightly seared tuna and slices of avocado

More Australians are living alone — so why are recipes always 'serves four'?

Cooking might seem like a chore — but some argue creating space to make a time-intensive meal from scratch is an act of self-care and can even help you heal through hard times.
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A middle-aged white woman with long curly red hair and wearing a denim jacket

analysis:WA has limited ham being sold in school canteens, leaving parents confused. Here's why

Western Australia has new guidelines limiting ham in school canteens. Parents are reportedly confused and frustrated. So what has changed and what evidence is it based on?
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A toasted sandwich on a paper plate sitting on a blue table

Young children are going hungry in daycare, leading to behaviour problems, research finds

Research suggests young children are going hungry in early childhood centres, and being given food that doesn't meet dietary standards.
Two toddlers eating apples segments

analysis:This salt alternative can help lower blood pressure. Why don't more of us use it?

High blood pressure is a common health problem in Australia and cutting salt intake can reduce the risk. But most people find it hard to change the way they cook and eat. Potassium-enriched salt might offer a solution.
pieces of rock salt on a wooden spoon

Bacon, eggs and a side of PR? How advertising shaped what we eat for breakfast

You’ve probably heard that breakfast is the ‘most important meal of the day’. But is that true and when did bacon, eggs, or cereal become part of our morning routine?
Traditional full american breakfast eggs pancakes with bacon and toast

analysis:You can't reverse the ageing process but these five things can help you live longer

There are no quick fixes or short cuts to living longer and healthier lives, but the science is clear on the key principles. Here are five things you can do to extend your lifespan and improve your health, writes Hassan Vally.
A photo of a woman wearing grey racerback top stretching, shot from behind

analysis:There's a science to the ideal salad dressing — and you can nail it at home

Most salad dressings are temporarily stable mixtures of oil and water known as emulsions. But how do salad dressing emulsions form? And how can we enhance our emulsions for better salads and more?
Salad dressing

Feel sleepy after a big meal? It's because we've evolved to have food comas

Humans have a long-standing tradition of eating themselves into a "food coma". So what's the science behind this post-meal slump?
Cropped shot of a family making a toast on Christmas day

analysis:The accidental arrival of Ozempic could affect the health of the global economy

Not since Viagra has the world of medicine seen a bigger "accident" but if Ozempic can tackle the challenges obesity has presented in recent decades, there could be a profound impact on the global economy, writes Ian Verrender.
Ozempic is displayed in a pharmacy in Provo

I want to lose weight and eat healthily. So why do I feel hungry all the time?

When we change our diet and start losing weight, we disrupt how our appetite hormones function. Here's how you can stay on track, writes Nick Fuller.
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A man with a wide open mouth leans into a hamburger

Experts say we've become dependent on ultra-processed foods. How did we get here?

When ultra-processed foods first hit supermarket shelves, people weren't convinced they were real food. Now many Australians depend on them. 
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A person looks at a packet of chips in a supermarket or convenience store.

Forget salt and vinegar, did you know there are 1,400 bona fide flavours of chips? This is how they're created

The humble bag of chips has come a long way, with flavours like cheeseburger, curry, and cucumber now available. To get the flavours right involves a bit of technology — and a whole lot of noses.
A close-up of a woman eating a potato chip

Quail meat grown from cells 'safe to eat', says food regulator in Australia-first assessment

Quail is a delicacy for many, and restaurants could soon be serving meat grown from quail cells after Australia's food safety regulator judged cell-cultured quail meat safe to eat.
A plate of cultured meat.

Skipped your morning coffee? This is why you might be feeling off

If you're a regular coffee drinker, you may have experienced the dreaded caffeine withdrawal headache. It's a painful reminder that caffeine is a drug that changes your brain.
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Cup of coffee

Remote community strives to improve health by growing their own fruit and veg in APY Lands

A Central Australian Aboriginal community hopes to improve the health of residents and increase food security by re-establishing a once plentiful orchard that has fallen into disrepair.
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An Aboriginal woman wearing a bright purple shirt, stands in front of overgrown orange trees on red sandy soil.

Renowned Sydney pastry chef develops cake that's good for your brain

Sydney pastry chef Christopher Thé and health experts from the University of New South Wales develop a brain-friendly cake for food delivery charity, Meals on Wheels.
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A close-up of the frosting of a cake.

'God will never be happy with you': How Lujayn overcame the clash between veganism and her religion

Australians of faith who want to eat less meat can sometimes find themselves torn between their religious identity and environmentalism. 
Updated
A young woman wearing a black headscarf and black eyeliner looks serious.

analysis:Like a gym class for your tastebuds, you can learn to enjoy foods you don't like

It is possible to train your tastebuds to enjoy foods you previously didn't, like training a muscle at the gym, write Nicholas Archer and Astrid Poelman.
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A bowl filled with brightly coloured salad vegetables and a metal fork

Yoghurt vs probiotics: Which is better for restoring that good gut bacteria?

Probiotics that fill supermarket shelves promise to boost your digestion and immune system. Some even claim they can help people with an irritable bowel or low mood. Let's look at the evidence.
Probiotic variety

Snacks and treats are becoming 'luxury items' as Australians battle rising grocery prices

New data suggests many Australian shoppers are now treating snacks as luxury items, to combat rising grocery prices.
A top-down photograph of a number of individual potato chips laid out on a table

Alex appeared to have the perfect physique, gym and diet regime. In reality, he had an eating disorder

Sculpted men with bulging muscles, sweating it out at the gym is not commonly an image one would associate with eating disorders, but, with more than 1 million Australians suffering through an eating disorder, the reality is 25 per cent of them are males.
Updated
Alex Rodriguez a brown haired man wearing a white polo shirt and blue pants sitting on a couch.

analysis:Can you control where you lose weight on your body?

Spend some time scrolling social media and you're all but guaranteed to see an ad promising to help you with targeted fat loss. Unfortunately, it is not possible to target the location of fat loss.
A man measuring his waistline.

Brown, red, black, riceberry: Which is the healthiest type of rice?

There are more than 40,000 varieties of cultivated rice. If you've ever wondered about the differences between all the colourful rices at the supermarket, here's a rundown.
A close up photo of uncooked grains of coloured rice in a white ceramic bowl

Pub-goers, pensioners join the frontline as 1 in 5 struggle to put food on the table

Community-led food pantry pop ups gaining popularity as people look to help their neighbours through cost-of-living crisis.
A woman and a man leaning against a bright yellow box filled with food attached to the outside of a building