Detox diets and detox 'cleansing' kits are big sellers. They promise lots of things - to purify the body, remove 'wastes' and eliminate 'toxins' (which are never really defined) and rejuvenate the liver. They say they can improve a sluggish digestion, revitalise the skin and boost your energy. Detox has become so accepted in our time-poor, instant world that many people embark on one whenever they've overdone the excesses of life and feel the need to refresh and revitalise. After Christmas is a classic time.

A.  In most cases, no special diet is needed. Your gall bladder is usually removed if it contains gall stones that can block the bile tube leading from the gall bladder to the small intestine.

This post has been sponsored by Heart Active

Milk. It’s one of those basic foods that’s been in our lives ever since our toddler days. Like all full-fat dairy foods, milk contains saturated fat and is often avoided if your doctor suddenly announces that you have to lower your cholesterol and you’re a sitting duck if you don’t do something FAST.

Fortunately, there are many good-tasting no-fat, low-fat and skim milks on offer but if you’re out to lower your cholesterol then why not drink a milk that will actively help? Having put my husband on it as part of his cholesterol-lowering diet, I thought it was time to take a closer look at HeartActive.

Having a child with a weight problem needs perseverance and patience. An overweight child will typically not achieve their healthy weight range in anything less than six months and an obese child may be looking at several years before they get there.

At Foodwatch we take product reviewing very seriously. Our readers rely on the fact that we “say it like it is” without fear or favour. Catherine reviews many products as they come to her attention via readers or at the supermarket or food store. That is, she chooses to review them. However, if you have a product you would like Catherine to review, you can request a review.

Less than 10 calories per serve? Fewer calories than a slice of bread? Fat-free, low-carb, low GI, high-fibre AND gluten-free? Ticking all the boxes, it sounds too good to be true. When the people at Chang’s handed me a packet of their new Lo-Cal Wok-Ready noodles to try telling me how fast sales were growing, I realised this was a new trend. Then when I spotted a similar noodle called Slim Pasta at the supermarket, I knew I had to investigate.

Too tired to cook? Too busy to shop? Need to lose weight? Busy lifestyles often leave little time to shop, cook and eat the right meals for weight loss. Take-aways are quick and easy but they're no good for your waistline. Are home-delivered diet meals a better option for you? We put one lot to the test ...

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.