THE QUESTION IN DETAIL

Q. I can't eat any dairy products for medical reasons. I was wondering what I could include in my diet so that I get enough calcium? I'm a 15-year old girl.

A. It's hard to get enough calcium when you can't eat dairy as these foods - milk, yoghurt and cheese - are our richest source of calcium. They provide between 60 and 75 per cent of all the calcium we consume in Australia.

A. In Australia, products sold as “cornflour” were once alwaysmade from wheat, not corn or maize (its alternative name). These days, however, many of the cornflours at the supermarkets are now produced from maize.

A. Often it’s just as hard to put on weight as it is to lose weight, particularly if you come from a family with a tall slender build which you’ve no doubt inherited. On the plus side, as you get older, your skinny build will become an advantage as you’re less likely to succumb to heart troubles or diabetes, conditions which are aggravated by being overweight.

The question in full:

Q. I have a lot of trouble with wind and was wondering what else I can do. I've already cut out really windy foods like cabbage and lentils but I still seem to have problems which is so embarrassing.

Sugar. It's been labelled "deadly", "addictive", "toxic", "sweet poison" and blamed for the rise in global obesity in recent years." Get rid of the white toxin from your diet and you'll free up your body to drop those excess kilos" (or so say anti-sugar campaigners Sarah Wilson, David Gillespie and Robert Lustig). Here are the three real reasons why I believe quitting sugar helps you lose weight.

Tea - black, green, white or herbal - is one of life's precious things. It allows you to relax, chillax, refresh and be revived. It encourages a conversation and openness in a way that water, soft drink or coffee never can do. It is a joy to sip and savour. It is one of my favourite moments in life. If you share the same feelings about tea as I do, take a moment to read our thoughts and tea moments from the May EatKit online Twitter chat.

Meeting up at the bar or pub? Sharing a drink with friends? These are the times when you notice salty snacks everywhere – potato crisps, corn chips, beer nuts, cashews, pretzels and rice cracker snacks. Salty snacks fly under the radar – no one remembers eating them. Yet they’re a big problem for health and may explain why you can’t lose weight. Here’s my take on them.

It all depends on your health profile.

If you have high cholesterol or a history of heart disease, go for a soft margarine OR a margarine with added sterols (Logicol, Pro-activ) that block cholesterol absorption.