Is Salt the Same as Sodium?
Throughout these InstaHealth posts, we’ve covered food labels from top to bottom. In this issue, it’s time for the very last item on the list: Salt. Why is it important to know the salt content of your food? There is convincing evidence that eating too much salt can raise blood pressure and increase the risk…
What’s in Your Food?
Do you travel to other countries for work? Or maybe for pleasure? Ever go to the local store to pick up a bite to eat? You pick up a product, look at the label and thought “huh? I haven’t seen that before.” or “why doesn’t this label make any sense?”. We can´t help with the…
Fat: Good, Bad, or Both?
When you look at a food label, you’ll notice that fat is the first macronutrient to appear on the list, such as in the UK label below: With high rates of obesity across much of the world, fat has been put in the spotlight as one of the causative agents. But is fat as bad…
Protein: Just for Musclemen?
In our previous issue of this InstaHealth series, you were introduced to carbohydrates. In this segment, we will unveil the world of proteins. Many folks out there hear the word protein and immediately associate this macronutrient with big tough muscles. But as you can see below, protein has a number of other roles: Have a…
Carbohydrates: Love ‘em or Hate ‘em?
In part 1 of this InstaHealth series, you learned that all nutrition labels list these three macronutrients: Carbohydrates Proteins Fats In this post, you’ll learn about the first of these: Carbohydrates (often just called “carbs”). Take a look at the Nutrition Label from the UK (on the right). Can you spot where the carbohydrates are…
Does Reading Nutrition Labels Improve Health?
Have you ever looked at a nutrition label and felt unsure of what you were looking at? If so, you’re not the only one. Maybe you were confused by the terminology (“what does ‘of which saturates’ mean?”) or maybe the amount you’re eating per portion (“how many calories does the slice I cut contain”?). In…
Are These Supplements Killing Us?
“Some supplements linked to increased risk of death”, reads a terrifying headline in The Guardian. Of course, the moment I see something like this, my sceptic sense begins tingling… First of all, which supplements are they talking about? And even then, at what doses? So, I delved into the data to find out for you.…
UK Government vs Food Industry: Measures to Halve Child Obesity by 2030
Have you heard this? It’s been all over the news… The UK government just released a staggeringly lengthy list of measures to tackle child obesity. And things are being shaken up! Chefs are panicking. Food companies are furious. TV producers trembling. I’ve received countless questions about this… So what’s my take? First, let’s look at…
Intermittent Fasting: Good or Bad for Your Gut Bacteria?
Ever been told you need more bacterial diversity? (You probably did hear that, from me!). Yes, we do need a more “diverse” bacterial garden to reap all kinds of benefits – from a lower body weight to sharper senses… But what happens if we skip a few meals? Would these tiny helpers in our gut…
Science Catch-up. Strawberries To Relieve Inflammation?
Welcome to our Thursday Science Catch-up: curated links by The Health Sciences Academy. Get our email updates every other Thursday here (it’s free). Let’s catch you up with studies and news that recently made the headlines! Click on your favourite topics to read our summary: 1. Strawberries to relieve inflammation? 2. Tricked by wine and…
