Healthy Food Guide magazine subscription

Healthy Food Guide (HFG) magazine is your complete guide to healthy eating. Our recipes use easy-to-find, affordable ingredients. Cook with HFG and you’ll always enjoy a nutritious meal. We give unbiased opinions and are not affiliated with any food manufacturers. All branded food in HFG has been approved by our dietitians. Advertisers cannot influence editorial content. You can trust our advice. All our health information is supported by solid scientific evidence, not media fanfare. We smooth out any confusion caused by ‘pseudoscientists’. Dietitians review all our articles so they’re always accurate with up-to-date information. A full list of references is also available on request. Every recipe in Healthy Food Guide is healthy Our recipe writers work with qualified dietitians to develop all our meals. A nutritional analysis is provided for…

Q&A Working night shifts can definitely take a bit of trial and error. Your body runs on a 24-hour internal clock (circadian rhythm) that’s designed for being awake in the day and asleep at night. When this pattern is flipped, it can affect energy, digestion, sleep quality and even hunger. However, regular planned eating can help ‘anchor’ your energy levels so you feel more alert during your shift and can still wind down for sleep afterwards. Before your shift: Set yourself up with a balanced main meal (protein + carbs + veg + healthy fats). This helps provide steady energy and keeps you fuller for longer, especially as your body still tends to respond to evening dinner time cues. During your shift: Instead of large meals, aim for small, planned…

Collagen under the microscope Collagen supplements have become one of the most popular products in the wellness industry, but do they work? Recently, the largest review of research conducted so far found that collagen supplementation can provide measurable benefits for skin health and osteoarthritis symptoms but offers little help when it comes to boosting sports performance. Aesthet Surg J Open Forum BRAIN HEALTH 90 AND BEYOND A three-year study of nearly 4000 adults ranging from age 19 to 94 years old found that brain health can improve at any age, challenging the common belief that mental sharpness must decline as we get older. Participants spent just a few minutes a day on brain-training activities, and researchers found measurable gains across multiple aspects of brain health, including thinking clarity, emotional well-being…

When Greek yoghurt vanished from supermarket shelves earlier this year, it wasn't a supply chain problem – it was the power of social media. A viral TikTok recipe, combined with the ongoing trend for high-protein foods, sparked a rush on the dairy staple and highlighted how online content can influence what we buy. According to experts, many viral food trends are driven by aspiration, novelty and fear of missing out (FOMO). Unlike traditional celebrity endorsements, influencers often appear relatable and trustworthy. But that means people may embrace trends without stopping to assess whether they're healthy or evidence based. While a Greek yoghurt craze is fine, as social media continues to shape shopping habits, experts say critical thinking is becoming just as important as reading nutrition labels. UNSW…

Nutrition is one of the most important factors we can control to support brain health throughout life. From childhood development and learning, to memory, mood and cognitive function in older age, what we eat can make a real difference. Research shows a healthy diet helps support brain function and may build resilience against cognitive decline over time. Early childhood Chronic undernutrition and inadequate intake of nutrient-dense foods in the first 1000 days of life have been associated with delayed brain maturation, impaired development and long-term deficits in learning, memory and attention. During prenatal development and early childhood our brain goes through rapid growth. Neurons and networks are created and complex brain structures, function and circuitry are formed. To develop the 100 billion brain cells a baby will be born with…

Social media is saturated with menopause solutions: powders for brain fog, gummies for sleep, or capsules promising hormonal balance. Supplements such as magnesium, lion’s mane, creatine and collagen are being marketed as must-haves for perimenopause and menopause. But how much of this is actually grounded in science? During perimenopause and menopause, fluctuating and declining oestrogen levels can trigger symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats, sleep disruption, anxiety, brain fog, joint pain and changes in muscle mass and body composition. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) remains the most effective treatment for many symptoms, but not everyone can or wants to use it. This is why alternative remedies attract so much attention. Does magnesium help with menopause? Magnesium plays a role in more than 300 metabolic processes, including muscle relaxation, nerve signalling…

Pre-diabetes is one of the most common early warning signs of type 2 diabetes, yet many people are unaware they have it until it appears on a routine blood test. It describes a stage where blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not yet in the diabetic range. At this point, the body is still producing insulin but it is becoming less effective at moving glucose out of the bloodstream and into the cells where it is used for energy. The important point is that this stage is still highly responsive to change. With the right combination of diet, movement and lifestyle adjustments, it is often possible to improve blood glucose control and reduce the risk of progression to type 2 diabetes. This guide explains what is happening in…

1 cup cherry tomatoes with 20g parmesan 440kJ Fibre-rich snack bar (<600kJ bar) 2 tablespoons almonds 450kJ Kiwifruit, yoghurt and molasses 1 kiwifruit, ¼ cup reduced-fat Greek-style yoghurt, ½ teaspoon blackstrap molasses 510kJ 1 thin slice toasted grain bread, 1 sliced tomato and 10g shaved parmesan 520kJ Seed crackers and hummus 2-3 small seed-based crackers with 2 tablespoons hummus 560kJ Broccoli and rocket soup made with 1 cup broccoli, 1 cup rocket, 1 spring onion, 1 clove garlic, ½ cup reduced-salt stock. 250kJ ½ cup fresh or frozen berries with ¼ cup ricotta 480kJ 1 carrot, cut into sticks and 1 tablespoon peanuts 410kJ 2 cups homemade popcorn (air-popped) with chilli and paprika sprinkle 300kJ Lunch builder ideas Pick from each selection and mix and match for lunch. PROTEIN (pick one)…

Fill your kitchen with the aromas of winter cooking. From slow cooker creations and a speedy spicy pasta to nourishing plant-based stews and warm fruit puddings, these recipes make cold-weather eating a pleasure. Bonus: they‘re all healthy too! To make life easier, we‘ve done the healthy eating hard yards for you! Every main meal contains at least two serves of vegies. Each dish meets our dietitians‘ criteria to ensure it doesn‘t contain too much energy, saturated fat, sugar or sodium. Recipes all come with a nutritional analysis, with the table on p95 showing how they fit daily nutritional needs. Our food writers work with qualified dietitians to develop these recipes for maximum health benefits. For more about our recipe badges, see p99. ✓ gluten free ✓ dairy free ✓ diabetes…