Posted by kathryn in Fruit

Some good advice from Choice on juices for babies. Golden Circle, Heinz and Just Juice have started selling specific Baby Juice. Despite the packaging and marketing, they’re nothing extraordinary, but are simply watered down to better suit the baby’s digestive system. The choice advice includes: * Always dilute it for your child – about one part of juice to one or two parts of water gets the sugars down to a level they can manage. * Never give juice or …

Read more 1 comment 31 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Lifestyle

There’s anecdotal evidence that Sydney-siders are cycling more. Whether it’s biking to work every day, or about town on the weekend, more and more people seem to be getting on their bikes. Which makes this Saturday’s chocolate and fine food cycle ride a cute, interesting and timely event. It’s organised by the Marrickville-South Sydney Bicycle Group and is a 20 kilometre cycle, over three hours, that winds its way around the cafes, patisseries and chocolate shops of the inner west. …

Read more No comments 30 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Myths and Fruit

As I’ve blogged about, juices are not necessarily all they’re cracked up to be. Yes, they contain vitamins and antioxidants, but that’s mixed up with a whole lot of kilojoules and no fibre. 1 glass of orange juice (ie 250ml) is more than 500 kilojoules, which is equal to: * 2 bananas * 3 small apples * 3 punnets of fresh strawberries * 3 oranges * 2 tablespoons of sultanas So, if you’re drinking a few glasses of juice a …

Read more No comments 30 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Myths and Labels & advertising

GlaxoSmithKline in New Zealand have been fined $NZ227,500 ($200,000) for making misleading claims about the vitamin C content of Ribena. As I suspected, their claim that “the blackcurrants in Ribena contain four times the vitamin C of oranges” has been food label trickery. While blackcurrants themselves are indeed a rich source of vitamin C, Ribena only contains 4% of the fruit. Ribena is therefore a richer source of sugar, water and kilojoules than vitamin C. As reported in the …

Read more 2 comments 29 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Myths and Fruit

While we’re on the subject of juice, under the heading Juice – it’s a health miracle, Weighty Matters points out the effectiveness of marketing by the juice industry. Here in Australia, just think about how ubiquitous ads, in-store promotions and marketing are by the big juice companies: Just Juice, the Daily Juice Company, Berri and so on. While at the Diet Dish, Cynthia Sass discusses a UK article stating it’s not uncommon for the average woman to use 70% …

Read more No comments 28 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Myths and Fruit

A while back Cooking Chat asked a question in the comments on my post about antioxidant supplements – are juices a good way to get your daily fruit serves? I can totally understand the attraction of juice – they’re sweet, easy to consume, tasty, no fussy cutting up or messy fingers at the end, you can buy them anywhere and they’re made from fruit, so they must be good for you? However, it’s not that simple. Fruit is part of …

Read more 8 comments 28 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Myths and Labels & advertising

School science projects can lead to unlikely results – GlaxoSmithKline were caught out on their ribena claims by two New Zealand schoolgirls. Two years ago Anna Devathasan and Jenny Suo, a couple of 14-year-old high school students tested the vitamin C levels in Ribena. Not only did they find it contained very little vitamin C, they also found at least one commercial orange juice brand which had four times more vitamin C than Ribena. I’m wondering if this is more …

Read more No comments 27 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Myths and Labels & advertising

Ribena manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline have dobbed themselves in to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for misleading advertising. Apparently their claim that ribena contains four times more vitamin C than oranges, is not entirely true. They are already under investigation in New Zealand and will be in court next week facing more than 80 charges relating to misleading claims. Back in January Choice included ribena in their list of the ten foods that make kids fatter faster. Citing their high sugar …

Read more No comments 22 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Easier eating

Good advice from Bill Granger this week on how to feed fussy eaters. In response to a question, he suggests: bq. Feeding young children can be trying at the best of times, but with these challenges please don’t let her fussy eating get the better of you. All children go through periods of not eating different foods and wanting only starchy carbohydrates. It is natural for children, or all of us, especially when we’re tired, to go for carbs because …

Read more 3 comments 21 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Myths

I saw this article, food facts and fiction in the Sydney Morning Herald last week and it’s finally up on their website. Paula Goodyer answers some of those basic questions about diet and nutrition, for example is spinach a good source of iron, does broccoli prevent cancer and does sugar cause diabetes? As Paula writes: bq. Healthy eating should be simple to do but many of us still take our information from our friends, mothers and the media – …

Read more 2 comments 20 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Miscellanea

I’ve been reading a lot in the media recently about the Parents Jury. Set up by Diabetes Australia, the Cancer Council and the Australasian Society for the Study of Obesity, the Parents Jury is an online resource and forum enabling parents to discuss children’s food, health and physical activity. Through collective advocacy, they are targeting food industry marketing tactics, aiming to reduce the marketing of products to young children. And it’s not just about television adverts. The Parents Jury scrutinises …

Read more No comments 19 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Miscellanea

Over the last 150 years life expectancy has constantly been on the rise. For most people it’s a given – we eat better, are wealthier, have better health care, science has brought us more drugs and medical procedures, meaning we’ll have a longer life span than our parents and grandparents. Surely? Well not necessarily. According to Professor Ilona Kickbusch, the rise in childhood obesity is putting this at risk. The World Health Organisation estimates there are over one billion people …

Read more No comments 19 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Vegan

The diet dish has an excellent introduction to becoming a vegan. Cynthia answers basic questions like what does it mean to be a vegan and why people choose to become a vegan. However she also covers the practical stuff like, what vegans eat (and it’s not just carrots and lettuce), along with how to get enough protein and calcium, and whether a vegan diet can be healthy. Being a healthy vegetarian or vegan is certainly possible and while we’ve all …

Read more 1 comment 17 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Vegan

In the Post Punk Kitchen Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero cook vegan food, including . . . cupcakes. In Vegan Baking 101 they run through the range of replacements for eggs, milk and butter, giving recommendations on which work best with different types of baking. I’ve used silken tofu before, but have never thought of flax seeds. Baking without eggs, milk and butter also means many of their recipes are useful for people with allergies. Source: Good Living …

Read more No comments 17 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Summer

Yikes, I’m so behind with my blogging that I’ve forgotten my monthly what’s-in-season list. It may be the middle of the March, but here’s my list of the in-season fruit and vegetables in Sydney at the moment. We’re into autumn, so they types of fruit and veg available are gradually starting to shift. Stone fruit and berries are going out of season this month, which will be reflected in sharp price increases. While the new season apples, pears and nashis …

Read more No comments 16 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Miscellanea

Mr Oliver’s new cooking programme Jamie at home is back on TV. Having been tantalised by the first few episodes back in February, Channel 10 are now showing the rest of the series. It’s on Thursday evenings at 7.30pm. [Sorry about the day late notice, I meant to post this yesterday, but my internet connection was struggling!]

Read more No comments 16 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Fats & oils and Junk Food

I’ve blogged about trans fats before – why they’re bad for us, what foods contain them and how much of a problem they are in Australia. Most Australians don’t eat anywhere near as many trans fats as the US and Canada, however, one of our big sources is fast food. This week the Assistant Health Minister, Chris Pyne, has met with the fast food industry to discuss the fat content of their foods. Hungry Jack’s, Krispy Kreme, KFC and Pizza …

Read more No comments 14 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Fish and Ethics & Sustainablity

One of the bits I found interesting in the Matthew Evans’ article I linked to this morning: of the 166 species of fish available to chefs in Sydney, the top restaurants only use ten . As Evans says: bq. It’s a shame, because chefs cook seafood better than most home cooks can. They’re our inspiration, so it would be brilliant if they stopped relying on farmed fish and unsustainable species and showed their talents with the fantastic species we need …

Read more No comments 08 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Fish and Ethics & Sustainablity

The MSC is an international organisation that measures and grades fisheries on their management and sustainability. The core principle is that: bq. A well-managed and sustainable fishery protects the fish and the environment in which they live, whilst allowing responsible use of the species that come from it. The MSC has certified a number of fish products in Australia, most of which are available in supermarkets. These products display the blue MSC logo on their label and include: h3. …

Read more No comments 08 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Fish and Ethics & Sustainablity

Today is the Marine Stewardship Council’s second Sustainable Seafood Day. Here in Australia, the latest Bureau of Rural Sciences report estimates that at least a quarter of Australian fisheries are overfished. Of the 166 species available to consumers, only about nineteen have the sustainable all-clear. Part of the problem is lack of information to consumers, but also different bodies give conflicting advice on which fish are managed sustainably and which are at risk. Health-wise, fish is a low-fat source of …

Read more No comments 08 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Recipes, Fruit and Baking

I’ve had a lot of deadlines recently, which has made it hard to blog with my usual regularity. I’ve been writing articles, recipes, sending out newsletters and finalising details of a new monthly column. In amongst this I’ve been seeing clients and been putting together two new seminars at the clinic. On top of that, Richard and I are beavering away on a new project. It’s very exciting, but not due for release until later in the year, so more …

Read more 9 comments 07 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Nutrition and Lifestyle

With the incidence of type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes on the rise in Australia, it’s increasingly vital to spread the message of how it can (usually) be regulated through diet and lifestyle changes. If you want to prevent complications, keep your blood sugar levels stable and continue living a long and healthy life, then diet and lifestyle are important. The latest GI newsletter contains a comprehensive list of the ten diet and lifestyle changes you need to make to reduce your …

Read more 3 comments 02 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Miscellanea

From May of this year I’m going to be doing Nutrition Tours . Run over two sessions, this programme aims to give you the practical information, tools&resources to make it easier to shop&eat well. For most people, eating well starts with the shopping. If your house is full of healthy, tasty and easy-to-use foods, then it’s more likely you’ll eat well during the week. However, for many people the supermarket can be a minefield – too much choice, too many …

Read more No comments 01 March, 2007