A.   Monounsaturated fats have only one double bond in their carbon chain (hence the term "mono"), while polyunsaturated have two, three or more of these bonds ("poly" means many). Understanding this difference in their structure will help us understand the role they have in our health.

A frozen meal tucked away in the freezer is the ultimate quick dinner or hot lunch at work. But what if you have type 2 diabetes? Just how healthy are they for you? Should you be eating them at all? Or are there any that give you the vegetables you’re meant to eat AND that are low in saturated (bad) fats and salt without drowning you in carbs?

More than 1.5 million Australians have diabetes. Given the rise in obesity and sedentary lifestyles, more than twice this number will be at risk of developing diabetes in the next 25 years. So it’s timely that the nutrition team from the CSIRO Wellbeing books and Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute have published a book on diabetes.

You have probably heard of Sebago, Desiree or Kifler potatoes, but have you heard of the Carisma potato? This new variety of potato has just hit the shops riding on its claim to be the first low Glycemic Index (GI) potato. It is grown in South Australia and only available through Coles supermarkets. The potatoes have an oval shape, white skin similar to the Nadine potato and pale yellow-coloured flesh.

Wondering how much fat is in that recipe? Or whether something is gluten-free? Or ok for your partner on a low-salt diet? Here's how we classify the recipes on the Foodwatch site in terms of nutrition. Check out the fat, saturated fat, kilojoules, fibre, GI, carbs, protein ... and allergy listings.

A. If a food claims its ‘low fat’, it must contain no more than 3g of fat per 100g which is the same as 3 per cent fat. Many products turn this around to say they are ‘97% fat-free’. This is the case for low-fat yoghurts, instant soups, cereals and rice crackers.

Stevia is a new sweetener that extracted from a plant yet has no kilojoules/calories, does not increase blood glucose levels and does not cause tooth decay. It is 250 to 300 times sweeter than cane sugar but tastes similar - certainly better than the older sweeteners like saccharin or cyclamate with their bitter metallic after-taste.

There are so many milks in the dairy case these days, it can be hard to work out which one suits you. And when you notice that they cost more than regular low-fat or home-brand milk, you start to think twice.

Here I review three of the more ‘unusual' added-value low-fat milks so you can see if one is worth paying the extra for your health problems.