Signs of the Times

Psyllium Power

Need to improve your intestinal health, blood cholesterol or blood sugar? Psyllium could help.

Better Health at Work

Online personal trainer Andrew Cate looks at how the workplace environment can place your health at risk—and what you can do about it.

The Basics of Vegetarianism

Thinking of starting on a meat-free diet but not sure how? Kimberley Ellison provides some easy- to-follow steps.

Foraging for Fibre

More than 60 per cent of people in the Western world lack adequate fibre in their meals, leading to multiple chronic conditions.

The Health Risks of Energy Drinks

While energy drinks can give you a lift, recent research has found that they have a dark side.

Shed That Holiday Weight Gain

Are you anxious about those extra kilos you’ll gain this festive season? Sheila O’Connor shares her strategies to avoid them.

Going Raw

Raw-food restaurants and cookbooks are becoming more popular. But does eating more raw foods significantly benefit your body and general health?

Eggs: Unscrambling Fact from Fiction

Misconceptions exist that dietary cholesterol is harmless and you can eat as many eggs as you like without risk.

Getting enough Vitamin B12

A lack of vitamin B12 can make you anaemic, cause nerve damage and psychiatric abnormalities, and even raise your risk of heart disease.

Vitamins Explained From A to K

Did you know that 2012 is the hundredth anniversary of the discovery of vitamins? Melody Tan investigates their functions and sources.

Lowering Your Cholesterol

Do you have problems tolerating cholesterol medication, or do you simply wish to avoid it and manage your cholesterol naturally?

Need to Boost Fluids?

Approximately 60 per cent of our body is water, so being adequately hydrated is important to achieve and maintain peak bodily function.

A Little Friendly Help

Darren Morton tells us why it is not just teenagers who are influenced by those with whom they associate.

Are Supplements Risky?

New research suggests taking high doses of certain supplements could actually do more harm than good.

Detox Your Cookware

Could toxic chemicals be leaching from pots and pans into your food?

Accepting Your Body

Are you happy with the body nature gave you? Personal trainer Andrew Cate looks at the issues surrounding body image and self-esteem.

Why the Bible's Health Law Still Makes Sense Today

Most people are probably unaware of how much the Bible says about healthful living. Charles Mills reflects on some of these instructions.

Step into the Sunshine

Many people have insufficient blood levels of vitamin D. Based on new recommendations as a minimum for sufficiency, more than half the people in Australia and New Zealand are deficient.

How to Stop the Panic Attack Cycle

Ryan Rivera explains the triggers and causes behind anxiety attacks and shows us how to break free from their stranglehold.

Healthy Hearts with CHIP

Seventh-day Adventist churches in New Zealand are changing the health of their local communities through a simple lifestyle program. Paul Rankin reports.

A fatty liver can arrive like a stealth bomber—without warning pain or nausea to alert you. It has the potential to progress to a more serious chronic liver disease such as cirrhosis, unless you take significant lifestyle action.

Get More Energy

Signs' life coach Darren Morton shares how we can all be filled with a zest for life.

Playing with Fire

Barbecues might be a super way to socialise, but throwing another steak on the barbie could be dangerous for your health.

6 Time-Saving Strategies for Healthy Family Meals

Karen Fischer offers busy mums some tips on meal preparation that will give them more time with their families.

How to Lose Weight Permanently

Many people think it’s impossible to lose weight and keep it off. But research shows that at least 20 per cent of overweight people are successful in losing the flab for the long term.

Beach Bodies

Online personal trainer Andrew Cate shows you how to make the most of the great outdoors while helping to springboard your fitness routine this summer.

Fancy a Fruit Juice?

Is fruit juice a health food or a glamorised, sugary drink?

The Five Worst Foods in Your Fridge

Feeling sluggish? Lacking concentration or fighting flab? The contents of your fridge may be to blame. The quantity stored there and their position directly influence what you eat and drink. What does your fridge say about you?

Should You Add Salt

You don’t need to have high blood pressure to be harmed by salt.

12 Secrets to Beating a Tobacco Addiction

Want to kick the nicotine habit for good? Adrian Webster offers 12 suggestions that can help you to succeed.

Tomato: The Everday SuperFood

Eating more tomatoes daily could make you healthier, protect your skin from sun damage and lower your risk of contracting modern diseases, according to a review of more than 100 studies.

Going Dairy-Free

If you suffer from symptoms like eczema, colic, acne, loose stools, bloating or sinus problems, you may have an allergy to dairy products—a condition that can be life-threatening for some.

Soy and Breast Cancer

Soy has been hailed as a potential anticancer agent in healthy people, but could its phytonutrients increase the recurrence of breast cancer?

Staying Motivated this Winter

Health and fitness writer Andrew Cate looks at ways to stay in shape and motivated this winter.

Omega-3 for Vegetarians

While vegetarians may have generally lower intakes of cholesterol and saturated fat, are they getting enough omega-3?

Teen Health and Acne

Many adolescents believe that eating chocolate or fatty and sugary foods will give them a “crater face.”

Nature's Laxatives

Chronic constipation can cause a lot of discomfort. An even greater concern is the elevated risk of colon cancer.

Stress Out!

Health coach and family physician Christopher Pitt shows us how we can all take control of our stress.

The Facts About B12

If you are a vegetarian, there’s a chance you’re not getting enough vitamin B12. Peggy Rynk looks at what can result, and ways to avoid problems.

Living Well with PCOS

If you’re a woman who’s put on a bit of weight and finding it difficult to lose, or if you’re struggling with facial hair, acne or irregular periods, chances are you have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Fats: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

How do you discern between good and bad fats? A simple way is to check their origin. Are they plant- or animal-based? And how processed are they?

Foods for Mums-To-Be

Mothers, what you eat during pregnancy influences not only your own wellbeing but that of your baby. Your diet can program your baby's future risk of developing obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Understanding Breast Cancer

October is recognised in many parts of the world as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Melody Tan shares some facts about this disease.

Smart Breakfast Ideas for Kids

Breakfast is brain food for kids. While skipping breakfast is a bad idea for anyone, kids will feel the impact more. They have a higher ratio of brain weight to liver weight, which means that their brain's overnight demand for glucose more quickly outstri

Heal the Planet

Victor Parachin believes we can all help heal the planet by simply becoming vegetarian.

Magic of the Mediterranean diet

Western diets are making us sick, but certain traditional eating patterns can deliver both health and flavour on the one plate.

You Don't Have to be an Olympian

You don't have to train like an athlete to enjoy the many benefits of exercise. Personal trainer Andrew Cate shows that the meaning of fitness is different for everyone.

Grocery Shopping on a Budget

Market research suggests that most shoppers take only three seconds to choose various foods in the supermarket, which is hardly enough time to consider value, nutrition and convenience equally.

Alcohol Addiction

It is said that a glass of red wine a day is good for one's health. Clark Carr explores the truth behind the health myths of alcohol.

Had a Gutful?

Do you suffer from unresolved symptoms of irritable bowel, such as bloating, gas, pain, diarrhoea or constipation? New research brings hope: limiting or avoiding FODMAPs in your diet may help.

Solo Team Incentives

Personal trainer Andrew Cate looks at how to harness some of the excitement and team spirit of a World Cup team when you're exercising alone.

Love Your Food, But...

Did you know that reducing food waste from leftovers or fresh produce past its optimal date can save you money and help cool the planet?

Fight Obesity in Kids

Obesity in childhood strongly predisposes to obesity in adulthood. Yet many parents are oblivious to the fact that their child is carrying around more than just puppy fat, and they assume their child will simply grow out of it.

A Lacto-ovo Vegetarian Diet Versus a Vegan One

Most people think of a vegetarian as someone who doesn't eat meat. But Dr Ross Grant* points out other kinds.

Getting Gluten-Free Fibre

Many people on gluten-free diets struggle to get enough dietary fibre. Some even suffer long term health consequences. Fibre is only found in whole plant foods. There is no fibre in meat, poultry or fish. Many gluten-free commercial products lack fibre du

The Healthiest Spreads

Should you use butter, margarine or something else on your bread?

Sugar Shock!

New research reveals that a sweet tooth may be more of an addiction than mere predilection, says Pam Mellskog.

Liquid Calories to Burn

Did you know that the size of a soft drink container has increased by two to three times over the past 50 years?

Soy for Healthy Bones

Many women are fearful of developing cancer but hip fractures are more common than cancer of the breast, cervix and uterus combined. While calcium has stolen the spotlight, researchers have discovered that soy and other plant foods may also be vital ingre

Training for a Fun Run

Organised walks and fun runs are a great motivational opportunity for getting fit and losing weight. Andrew Cate shows you how to get started.

Low-GI Eating Can Control Your Sugar

Millions of overweight people around the world have above normal blood sugar levels, but few realise how dangerous this is.

Can Nonstick Cookware be Toxic?

While easy to clean and good for low-fat cooking, Teflon and similar brands of nonstick cookware can release a toxic chemical called PFOA when overheated.

Seeing Stars

I am amazed at the accuracy of my horoscope in reference to my health. If they say I am to have a good week, I will; if a bad week I will.

50 Amazing Years in Space

Robert Wearner takes a look at space travel past-and future.

Should you go vego?

Appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan, are healthful, nutritionally adequate and may help in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases

Cinnamon: Culinary Spice or Medicine?

The discovery that cinnamon can make cells in the body more sensitive to insulin and lower your blood sugar has opened a debate.

Winter Health

With the cold and flu season upon us, it's time to look at ways to boost your immune system. By building up resistance, your body will be better prepared to defend itself when the dreaded winter bugs arrive. Personal trainer Andrew Cate gives five practic

Sweet Relief

Sugar is sweet to the taste, but it wrecks havoc on the body. Elizabeth Casey looks at the dangers.

Kids in the Kitchen

Looking for ways to get your kids eating healthier while offering more choice and responsibility? Get them into your kitchen.

The Truth About Getting Drunk

So often seen as a normal part of the lives of young people, binge drinking is increasingly putting those lives at risk. Victor Parachin reports.

Overcome the Top Dieting Pitfalls

Eating right has numerous enemies. Kelly James-Enger reveals four pitfalls that derail healthy diets.

"What Good is a Counsellor?"

There is wisdom in seeking a listening ear. Mary Barnabas considers the benefit of visiting a counsellor.

How to Manage Stress

Learning to deal with stress is an important part of maintaining your wellbeing and protecting your health, says Andrew Cate.

Boost Antioxidants with Herbs

Adding a small amount of herbs-or herb paste-when making a salad or red pasta sauce can more than double the antioxidant value of your meal! In fact, a modest serve of fresh or dried herbs (110 grams) has a similar antioxidant level to a serve of most ve

Green Food Shopping

What you eat matters! Greening your diet can have a more profound effect on greenhouse gas emissions than switching to a hybrid car.

Health Food Fakes

It might say "healthy" on the label but some foods promoted as healthy can be anything but. Andrew Cate investigates some common health food fraudsters.

Top 10 Health Mistakes

Online weight-loss coach Andrew Cate looks at the top 10 health mistakes and ways to make better choices today.

Breast Cancer: How to Lower Your Risk

Kelly James-Enger looks at a number of things women can do to protect themselves from breast cancer.

How to get Kids to Eat Vegetables

Many parents complain that they can't get their children to eat vegetables, often giving up after the first few tries. But teaching your kids to develop a love for vegetables is one of the best gifts you can give, as it will be with them for a lifetime.

Motivation to Move

Many people start exercise programs with great gusto, only to find their athletic shoes collecting dust a few weeks later. Andrew Cate looks at ways to keep you moving.

Smart Beach Eating

If you've worked for months to fit into that bikini, don't blow it once you get to the beach by giving in to greasy takeaways and sugary drinks. Research shows it's very easy to regain lost weight- especially on holidays-so make every mouthful count while

Comfort eating over Christmas

Some people can experience intense loneliness and resort to comfort eating

Post-Baby Bladder

In the weeks after childbirth, problems controlling urine are common, as the bladder seems to become very weak and lax.

How to Set Goals in 6 Easy Steps

Goal setting is one of the least practised, most helpful strategies for life change. Andrew Cate shows you how goals can get you motivated and help keep you committed.

Good Morning Food

Apart from a breakdown in traditional social networks and relationships, financial stresses, and increased work hours, our diets have changed over the past 50 years.

Talking about Depression

My doctor increased my antidepressant dose. This has resulted in side effects, such as a dry mouth and tingling in my hands.

Sudden Sneezing

Sneezing is common as a reaction to temperature variations

Tackling Childhood Obesity

Obesity is an epidemic, with many children also overweight or obese. Health and fitness expert Andrew Cate shows what can be done.

Shopping Lists Promote Healthier Choices

If you want to cut down on impulse buying, save money and make better food choices, take a few minutes to plan a shopping list before you go to the supermarket.

Wandering Effects

Some who have been prescribed zolpidem (Stilnox)

Long-term Weight-loss Secrets

Losing weight may seem easy when compared to weight-loss maintenance.

Start Walking

A brisk daily walk is fine but only if you can cope with it. Do whatever your body permits.

Salt Increases Blood Pressure

Forget AIDS, cancer and famine for a moment

A Woman's Work

If women calculated the number of kilojoules utilised in their daily routine of running a household

The CREATION of a Better Life

Life can always get better. Julene Deurksen-Kapao reveals eight ways to improve yours.

Benefits of Cross Training

If your exercise routine needs an injection of enthusiasm, why not try cross training. Online weight-loss coach Andrew Cate looks at how you can add some spice to your training program.

Warming Winter Soups

Warm up this winter with a hearty soup and prevent gaining weight!

Weighing Baby

A baby

10 Ways to Walk Smart

Walking is the most popular form of exercise. Weight-loss coach Andrew Cate looks at how to get the most from every step.

Hot Winter Breakfasts

Getting up on a cold winter

Memory Loss

It seems as though my memory is failing

Claudication

Severe cramps in the calves in adults is often claudation

10 Ways Alcohol Wrecks Your Health

Health-and-fitness writer Andrew Cate looks at some of the more serious consequences to your health from drinking alcohol.

The Real Cost of Upsizing

Bigger portion sizes make you eat more, even if you think the food tastes terrible, according to a new study from Cornell University. Portion size is now thought to be as influential as taste, in determining whether we overeat.

Burnout or a Break

Recently I

Seeing Clearly

Spectacle lenses may be cleaned any way you like. Commercial liquids give a good result.

Faith in Health and Healing

Conflicting research findings disagree about the impact of prayer and faith in healing the sick. Victor Parachin suggests it is about focus.

Are Trans Fats to Die For?

Consuming 5 g trans fats daily is known to increase heart disease risk by 25 per cent.

Don't Panic

Is there anything I can do to prevent myself from becoming panic struck?

Sun-Smart Head

Wearing a hat is very important when outside.

Eat more, Weigh less

People who choose low "energy-dense" diets eat more food (by weight) but consume fewer calories, helping them to better regulate their weight, according to a new study of more than seven thousand Americans published in the American Journal of Clinical Nut

Child Won't Eat

Some infants are

A Healthy Farm for Healthy Food

A diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains sounds healthy but as Susan Johnstone has found, how that food is farmed makes a big difference.

Pills or Peanuts?

Sometimes fact seems stranger than fiction. Certain high-fat foods, such as peanuts and peanut butter, not only protect us from developing heart disease, but high mono-unsaturated fat diets based on these foods have been found to work better than low-fat

Kiss and Tell

Kissing is a great way to express emotions, but also a common way of transmitting germs.

In Pursuit of Happiness

Modern science and ancient wisdom team up to make your day. Darren Morton explains.

Healthy Gift Ideas

For many people, the festive season can bring too many indulgences, resulting in unwanted sluggishness and weight gain. Why not give your friends and family something more energising this Christmas?

Aboriginal Meds

There has been a healing culture among Australia

Six Dieting Myths Busted

Health-and-fitness writer Andrew Cate takes a closer look at six dieting beliefs that shape up more like fairytales.

Plant foods keep the pressure down

Plant foods protect against increases in blood pressure while red meats stimulate blood pressure to rise in young adults.

A Tale of Depression

It took almost 20 years before I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid gland and treated for hypothyroidism.

Pressure Monitor

Self-monitoring your blood pressure at home is now often suggested by doctors

Six Ways to Supercharge Your Health

We all want to be healthy. Andrew Cate reviews six studies that teach us about healthy living. Why not take one idea and run with it?

Bread of Life

In recent times, with our carb-obsessed culture, bread has received a lot of bad press, despite being a nourishing staple in many countries for centuries. The truth is not all carbs are bad. Wholegrains are required for good health and wellbeing.

Soy

Soya beans are probably the most nutritionally valuable vegetable

Is Stress Making You Fat?

What's eating you could be controlling what you're eating. Kelly James-Enger suggests that stress may be the most fattening thing in your diet.

Anti-reflux Guidelines

Gastroesophageal reflux (or heartburn) is a common condition that causes a burning sensation in the chest and can lead to ulcers or even cancer of the oesophagus.

City Smog

Smog and pollution in the air can either cause or aggravate asthma.

Herbs with an anti-cancer punch

Cancer prevention could be as close as your spice rack, says Winston Craig, a professor of nutrition.

Office Munchies

If you find yourself reaching into the office biscuit tin to ward off hunger, alleviate boredom or satisfy a bad habit, think again! The fix will not give you lasting energy and, worse still, will add to your waistline!

Food Facts

The best source of vitamins, minerals and flavonoids, all essential to healthy living is in fruit, vegetables, lean meat and fish, legumes, nuts, berries, shoots, dairy products, nuts and grains and cereals, all as unrefined as possible.

Beating Bugs

Where do colds, the flu and the other viruses come from? Matthew Steele serves up a dose of viral history and suggests ways to stay strong and healthy.

Eating for 20/20 Vision

A high intake of dietary antioxidants-present in normal daily foods-may delay the onset of early age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. AMD is a leading cause of blind

Tooth Picking

Some wonder if it is safe to use a toothpick that has already been used by another person.

Healthy School Lunch Boxes

With the rates of obesity, type-2 diabetes, high-blood pressure and high cholesterol rising rapidly in children, packing a healthy lunch box has never been more important.

Itchy Eyes

In hot weather, when there are many pollens in the air, do not rub itchy eyes.

Steps to Health

Kelly James-Enger introduces some simple changes for more healthful living.

Dying to be Thin

Jennifer Schwirzer serves up the deadly truth about eating disorders.

No Alcohol in Pregnancy

There are many better alternatives to alcohol, especially for women.

Headache

Trying to detect a cause for migraine is the first step to eliminating it.

The Woes of Weighing

Health and fitness expert Andrew Cate explains why your bathroom scales alone are no measure of diet success.

Barley Benefits Health

Once a staple food of Roman gladiators, today barley is primarily used for animal feed and to make malt for the brewing industry. However, with the recent approval of a health claim by the US Food and Drug Administration that barley lowers heart-disease r

Natural therapy

Dill has been around as a traditional medicine for centuries, and is claimed to effectively deal with an upset stomach.

Athlete Fitness

Most people already know that inactivity leads to poor health, but too much exercise has its own set of problems. Health and fitness writer Andrew Cate looks at how to strike a healthy balance.

Recipe Makeover

Giving your favourite family recipes a nutritional makeover can help you cut down on fat (especially the undesirable saturated type) and include more of the right carbohydrate and incorporate foods known to fight chronic diseases.

Cracked Nails

Lines and ridges on the fingernails are unattractive. They are usually the result of a defect in the nail growing bed.

A Gout-Prevention Guide

A study of some 47,000 male health professionals has confirmed long-standing suspects-beer and red meat-as significant factors in increasing the risk of gout.

Caffeine Alternative

Many find that caffeine drinks, including softdrinks laced with the drug, will keep them awake at night and make them twitchy

Nature's Pure Drop

Rather than water, too often we choose carbonated, high-sugar or caffeine-laced beverages. We also confuse thirst with hunger and eat instead.

Drink More

It is also possible to overhydrate, which has its own side effect.

Dieting Pitfalls

All-or-nothing approaches to dieting don't work in the long run. They can even be dangerous in the extreme. Better to try something that allows success over the long term, proposes nutrition expert Kelly James-Enger, keeping a balance and with higher prob

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