Iron deficiency anaemia is a common health concern, particularly among females of child-bearing age. However, a person can be deficient in iron and not have anaemia. Conversely, not all anaemia cases are caused by iron deficiency. Iron deficiency is the most common nutrient deficiency (1). What is iron? Iron is a mineral present in multiple […]
Tag: diet
Are eggs going to kill you?
If you have been paying attention to the media, you might have heard that eggs increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. News outlets have been reporting on the recently published paper Associations of Dietary Cholesterol or Egg Consumption With Incident Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality (1). But is it true? Are eggs going to kill you? […]
Is dairy good for you?
Dairy products and alternatives constitute one of the five food groups in the Australian Dietary Guidelines. “Alternatives” are included in this group because there is an increasing number of people who cannot or choose not to consume foods derived from animal milk. Is dairy good for you? As it’s often the case, it depends. What […]
What is in your poo?
We are all familiar with poo, a.k.a. faeces, excrement or stool. We all know it’s a waste product that comes out of our anuses, it’s generally sausage-shaped and brown in colour. Have you ever stopped to think what is in your poo? And why does it even matter? How much poo? Encyclopaedia Brittanica tells us […]
Is tonic water good for you?
Tonic water is a tricky beverage. It has water in the name, so it must be healthy, right? Is tonic water good for you? Unfortunately, most tonic water has high than soft drinks. This is bad news for people who like gin and tonic, like me. What is tonic water? “a carbonated beverage flavored with […]
Eating for training and competition
Nobody would think about running 10km as preparation for an Olympic weightlifting meet. You should be polishing off your lifts and throwing in some max days to simulate competition day. This should translate seamlessly to nutrition. However, many athletes overlook their nutrition strategy and show up to competition with no plan. Eating for training and […]
Meal prep the right way
“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success” – Alexander Graham Bell. Most people don’t have time to cook a healthy meal every day of the week. Most people don’t have the money to pay someone to cook for them every day. Eating out is not as healthy and/or budget-friendly as making your own […]
Fructose: Sweet poison?
Fructose is a simple sugar (such as glucose and maltose) that occurs naturally in foods. It is a pentose (has 5 carbons). When one molecule of fructose combines with one molecule of glucose, it forms sucrose (a.k.a. table sugar). Years ago, agave syrup was all the rage because it was high in fructose. Fructose is […]
Avocado and health
Avocado, aguacate, palta. All of these words refer to the same fruit – yes, fruit. The avocado (Persea americana) seems to have originated in Mexico (1, 2) and is currently enjoyed in most corners of the world thanks to globalisation. The picture at the top of this article was taken in my hometown (Lima, Perú), […]
Cinnamon and health
The link between cinnamon and health has been recognised for a long time in traditional cultures. Cinnamon is thought to be antimicrobial, antiinflammatory (1, 2, 3, 4), antifungal (1, 2), antioxidant, antidiabetic (1, 2, 4), antimycotic (1) and anticancer (1, 2, 5). Thus, people have been using the spice for multiple purposes, including bad breath […]