Guest review by Airlie Lacy, student dietitian

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 ...

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Guest review by dietitian Frances Gilham, APD, AN

SumoSalad claims to be the healthiest fast food franchise. It caters to people looking for nutrition as well as convenience and taste for lunch on the go. And Australians are obviously seeking out healthier options to burgers and pizza – three new SumoSalad stores have recently opened up in Australia, despite the global economic problems. SumoSalad now boasts a grand total of 84 outlets across the country – which is fabulous for nutrition, but still pales in comparison to McDonalds’ 750+ outlets (including McCafes) and Subway’s whopping 1200 stores!

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Guest review by dietitian Josephine Mollica from Eat Wiser

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.

 

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Guest review by dietitian Emma Stirling APD from The Scoop on Nutrition

Are you a vegetarian? Or perhaps experimenting with more meat-free meals due to the growing green scene? Well, we've got great news for you. There's a brand new player in town, so I was thrilled when Catherine asked me to write this guest review. Quorn has certainly raised the bar in ‘mock meats' and demonstrates how today's food technology can be instrumental in our future food solutions. You'll just never guess where it originates from ...

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"Mindless Eating" is one of the best nutrition books I've read in the last four years. It was a real eye-opener for me - and I suspect for most of us - as it shows why you may not realize how much you're eating, what you're eating - or why you're even eating at all!  It starts out by pointing out that everyone makes over 200 food decisions each day but we have no idea why we're making them nor how we're influenced by the "hidden persuaders" around us!

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Are you so busy at work that you can't even spare ten minutes to go out and buy lunch? Wouldn't it be great if there were something quick and easy you could grab; something you could keep in your desk drawer; something that doesn't need to be refrigerated and yet is healthy?

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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.

 

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BARLEYmax. It's being touted as the greatest super food of all time and the king of cereal grains. BARLEYmax has finally appeared in our food supply in the form of three new breakfast cereals, the first products to be made with the super barley. It's been over 12 years in the making with scientists from CSIRO devoting their life work to breeding it, testing it, growing it as a commercial harvest, and finally working with a food company to create interesting novel products that showcase its benefits.

 

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People often ask me why we nutritionists keep changing out minds! One year, carbohydrate is wonderful, the next year it's not. One year, fat is a no-no, the next year, it's only saturated fat that we should worry about, the other fats are ‘good' fats that are OK to eat and enjoy. Protein was ‘forgotten' for some years, now it's back and considered important for satiety and weight loss.

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Sugar. We all love its soft sweetness but it's clear we overdo its consumption. As a nation, Australia has a collective sweet tooth that sees us consuming ¾ of a kilo a week of the stuff. From soft drinks to ice cream, doughnuts to dessert, sugar is everywhere. While it's not the cause, it's certainly contributing to health problems such as tooth decay, and being overweight .

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Soup is one of my favourite winter meals. Thick and hearty, it's warming and satisfying. It's a key food if you want to lose some weight without going hungry.

Soups are pretty easy to make (unlike pastry or fiddly finger food) but, depending on the type, can take 2 or 3 hours, as they often require long, slow simmering.

 

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Do your kids like to snack on fruit leather or fruit straps, those sweet long thin flat pieces of dried fruit? They come individually wrapped in single serves like muesli bars. They're easy to throw into a kids' lunch box. And they add a pleasant sweet treat to a wholesome lunch. But each time I spy some at my fruit market (placed tantalisingly at the check out), I have to ask myself: are they really a healthy snack or just confectionery in disguise?

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