The Foodwatch eNewsletter

I really enjoy dill pickles but a search of supermarket shelves reveals that almost all of them are now made in India! That’s why I was interested to discover  two Aussie blokes at a Makers’ Market selling their own brand of wholesome, tasty dill pickles.

 Low carb foods are all the go at the moment. Whether you’re following a “keto” diet, a low carb program or just want to reduce your carbs, bread is the one food that most people find hard to live without. That’s why we’re taking a look at this "85% Lower Carb" bread.

We’re always being told to eat more vegetables, so veggie chips like lentil crisps or sweet potato chips seem like the answer to all of our problems - right? But are these snacks really healthier than the average potato chip? Or is it all just another marketing ploy? After all, potatoes and corn are vegetables! Here I’ve looked at three popular veggie chips you would find for sale at your local supermarket in the health food aisle, and compared them with regular potato chips. 

Launched in mid-2017, the Messy Monkeys range is a range of snack foods suitable for children. They claim to be lunch box friendly (so no nuts), gluten-free and good for them.

You’ve probably noticed the first in this series at your local supermarket. They are the little Messy Monkeys packs of whole grain snack bites. These snacks made the finalist list in the children’s nutrition range of the World Innovation Awards 2018 in the UK.

This post has been sponsored by Freedom Foods.

Move over linseed. Step aside chia. In Australia, hemp seeds have now been approved for consumption and you’ll soon see them everywhere. I predict they will quickly take their place alongside linseed and chia. They truly are superstar seeds that have a real nutrition benefit in the form of plant omega-3. For both farming and nutrition reasons, I’ve long been a fan of hemp so am pleased that – after years of being prohibited – they have finally been given the nod.

Back in 2009 I wrote about cereals made with the new BarleyMax grain. Then they were tough and often looked over-baked or dark-brown in colour. Since then, they’ve come a long way and are now made by Freedom Foods so I was asked to take another look at them. Here’s what I found.

This post has been sponsored by Barley+ and Freedom Foods.

Really? Yet another sugar-free version of the famous multimillion dollar Coca Cola brand? This is attempt No 4 at a no-sugar variety – following Diet Coke, Coke Zero, and the sugar-reduced-but-still-sweetened, Coke Life.

So the multimillion dollar question is - why release another fizzy drink containing no sugar? What are the differences? Does this newest one really taste THAT much better? We did a blind mini taste-test of Zero, Diet and this new No Sugar to find out.

Subtitled The easy beginner’s guide for Australian cooks, it’s probably a good one to hand to your offspring as they head off to their new, independent lives away from home.

I stumbled over this loaf in my IGA supermarket at Drummoyne in Sydney's inner west. I don’t go there all that often. There it was, sitting at the start of the bread section, screaming out to me via its bright yellow and red colours on the label. Is this yet another “lower-carb bread” (there have been lots lately)? Does this taste as terrible as most lower-carb products do? Is this a bread a dietitian would be happy to recommend? Read on to find out the answers to these and more.

A potato with 25 per cent LESS carbs? Does this mean they are low GI also? Would they be suitable for people with diabetes? And how do they taste? In this Snapshot, we taste test these new potatoes on offer via Woolworths supermarkets.

Can your daily bread help lower your cholesterol? This is a big claim so I was pleased to be offered the chance to taste-test two little-known loaves of bread and put them through the Foodwatch review system. Here’s how we rated these new Alpine Breads sold under the label of Heart Fibre and Heart Wholemeal.

This post has been sponsored by by Alpine Breads.

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Every major religion has some sort of fast. In the 1960s, I grew up as a Catholic and the Lenten ritual of giving up something (for me it was sugar in my tea and coffee) and fasting was a normal part of the year. We also used to fast one hour before Mass so we could receive the sacrament of Holy Communion on an empty stomach. No meat was allowed on Fridays (which later morphed into only the Fridays of Lent). Here we examine the traditional fasts of major religions as well the newer nutrition-based fasts for weight loss. See if it’s something you can manage …

Ketosis is when you push your body’s metabolism to burn stored fat for energy instead of sugar. So how do you do it? And is it good for you?

Recent studies have provided an interesting insight into the perennial ‘dieters’ dilemma’ - “Low-carb OR low-fat?” Which is better for your health? Which is better for weight loss? The results are in, so let’s take a look.

Australia’s Healthy Weight Week (AHWW) is back for 2017 and the theme is more healthy home cooking. That includes vegetables and salads! AHWW is an initiative of the Dietitians Association of Australia or DAA. Now in its tenth year, it aims to raise awareness of the importance of achieving and maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle. Sounds great to me.

Finding it hard to shed those extra kilos or pounds? New Year is traditionally a time for new beginnings so now is the ideal time to change your eating habits and the ways you exercise. It’s all about eating better on less and getting more movement into your day. Here are my fave 7 tips and tricks to boost your metabolism, burn more energy and promote healthy weight loss

It’s that time of year when we all turn over a new leaf and decide to lose those last stubborn kilos/pounds, exercise each day, quit smoking, give up alcohol, and become more healthy. In January, it’s a familiar mantra yet if done wisely can stay with you throughout the whole year.

Many women spend much of their lives going from one unsuccessful diet to another, convinced that they just haven’t found the right one yet, or that they lack the willpower necessary to stick to one. But what if the problem is actually DIETING itself?

Lately my social media feeds have been flooded with photos of ‘sugar-free’ sweet treats. Made popular by celebrity, Sarah Wilson, and her book ‘I Quit Sugar’, these recipes fill the hole left by traditional, sugar-containing sweets, chocolates, muffins and slices. Are they actually any better? 

Named after the celebrity-studded South Beach in Florida USA, the South Beach Diet promised to be easy and enjoyable with no suffering or deprivation. But once you read through the 14 days of the initial weight-stripping (Phase 1), you soon realize that it's a very restricted diet, only one degree better than Atkins. Will you lose weight on it? Absolutely, but not for the regime or combination of foodstuffs - simply because you're only taking in a meagre 4500 kJ/1070 cals per day!

The Low GI Diet won't eliminate all your carbs but it does make you think about choosing ‘smart carbs' to help your weight loss efforts. Legumes, pasta, grainy breads and the right types of cereal, rice and snacks are preferred over white bread and refined cereals.

It's based on the Glycaemic Index (GI) concept which says that low GI carbs are digested and absorbed much more slowly and so last longer in your system. It was originally a concept for diabetes but now has advantages for dieters too.

Sandra Cabot's book Can't Lose Weight? You could have Syndrome X promises help for those struggling to shed weight. However, it's no magic bullet - you will still have to exercise and change the way you eat. Is it helpful or is it just another fad diet? Here's my review...