Restaurant meals 'are busting calorie limit' 

The calorie content of popular meals in restaurant chains is excessive and only a minority are meeting public health recommendations, a new report warns.

By the book: Libraries embrace Healthy Ireland 

Libraries across the country have become a little healthier.

The vitamins debate: snake oil or health booster? 

To the devoted disciples of the church of supplements, it was a pronouncement near tantamount to blasphemy. It was claimed that the expensive practice of swallowing vitamins and minerals to better one's health was little more than a tax on the gullible.

Low-carb diet 'best for losing weight' 

Low-carb diets allow people to lose more than one-and-a-half stones over three years because they boost metabolism, a study suggests.

Nuts are a 'shew-in for well-being 

Nuts are good sources of fat, fibre and protein, so why aren't we eating more of them?

Buzz about Irish heather honey: the 'superfood' to rival liquid gold manuka 

Move over manuka - Irish heather honey has now been described as the new "superfood" and is overflowing with health-boosting compounds.

Celebrity low-carb diets 'take years off your life' 

Eating a diet low in carbohydrates could mean you die younger, a 25-year study has suggested.

The trouble with the modern dinner 

We've all done it: arrived home late from work or spent a couple of hours battling to get young children into bed (or both), before finally settling down to a 9.30pm dinner. Or treated ourselves to an 11pm snack, just because.

Sleep tight: How food and drink affect your rest 

What we eat has a knock-on effect on the way we sleep, but this does not necessarily mean we have to ban stimulants such as coffee and alcohol from our diets.

Diets rich in seafood increase chance of pregnancy 

There may be something to that myth about oysters and sex drive after all. Couples who eat a lot of seafood have sex more often and are quicker to achieve a pregnancy, new research has shown.

Put pasta back on the menu to lose weight 

Pasta is no longer off the menu after a new review of studies suggested the carbohydrate can form part of a healthy diet, and even help people lose weight.

The diet you can count on? - ‘It would be quite easy to develop a bit of a calorie complex’ 

Ask any dietician about the concept of calorie counting and you'll likely be met with an exasperated look.

The rise of alternative water 

The idea has been batted around for a while now, but the so-called 'sugar tax' on fizzy drinks will officially come into effect on April 6. The date was announced last week and will see a tax of 30c per litre added on to sweetened drinks with over 8g of sugar per 100ml in a bid to fight rising obesity rates.

Five other alternative waters 

Coconut water: Coconut water is heralded as a refreshing, thirst-quenching drink. It's the clear liquid obtained from immature, green coconuts. Nutritionally, it's unlike coconut milk, cream and oil, which are made from the flesh.

How that scalding hot cup of tea could lead to deadly cancer 

Hot tea and heavy alcohol consumption can increase the risk of a deadly cancer fivefold, research has shown.

Dining with danger... The worrying rise in food allergies 

Perhaps you're a parent who has had a letter home from your child's school instructing you not to allow nuts into your son or daughter's lunchbox, or maybe you've learned not to serve your mother-in-law shellfish unless you want to make a quick dash to A&E.

Nutrition guide: Week 3 

It's fair to say that most food groups have taken a bashing during short-lived faddy food trends and carbohydrates are no exception.

Quinoa's out, pea milk's in ­ meet the new superfoods 

For fashionable foodies, 2017 was the year of coconut oil, smashed avocado and chia seeds - but what will the on-trend kitchen whizzes be eating this year?

Nutrition guide: Week 1 

You can't out train a bad diet. Your body reflects what you do. If you continuously eat poor quality food, your body will reflect this and not the few hours you've spent working out each week.

Children consume 'three times more sugar' than recommended 

Half the sugar consumed by children comes from unhealthy snacks and sugary drinks, according to a health watchdog.

14 ways to manage indigestion 

Overdoing it on mulled wine and minced pies can lead to major stomach gripes at this time of year as the unholy trinity of bloating, acid reflux and abdominal discomfort make their presence known. Before reaching for the Rennies again, consider the following simple tips on how to manage indigestion and keep your gut merry this Christmas.

Rewriting the menu for diabetics 

One of the first questions anyone newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes will ask is "what can I eat?", says the charity Diabetes Ireland.

Heart risks higher for fast eaters 

Diners who gobble down their food quickly are five times more likely to develop symptoms which raise their risk of a heart attack than those who savour each mouthful.

Coffee lowers the risk of heart failure and stroke 

A plant-based diet and drinking coffee may both help to reduce the risk of heart failure, say scientists.

Protein diet to help in obesity fight by making us less hungry 

High-protein diets have led scientists to a new hunger suppressant that could help fight obesity.

Strict 'five-a-day' rule sidelined in new bid to fight child obesity 

Strict healthy living rules like aiming for 'five a day' have been sidelined in a new campaign to tackle child obesity.

Scientists make bacon even better 

Bacon is about to get even better as scientists have created genetically modified pigs that have 24pc cent less fat than normal pigs.

Worth its salt? 

A new survey has revealed certain brands of pesto are saltier than seawater. Although a popular choice for parents feeding their children, certain brands of pesto contain more salt than a fast food hamburger. Not only were the current salt levels within certain pesto sauces high, they were shown to be on the increase. It's alarming that some brands are becoming less healthy at a time...

Are the alternatives just milking it? 

Milk used to mean cow's milk. Although low-fat milk and skimmed milk have been popular for some time now, there is now a flurry of milk alternatives on offer that are growing in popularity.

Low fat, high fat? ...make your mind up 

A study published in the Lancet journal made the front cover of many newspapers worldwide. The data is from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study and was led by researchers at McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences. It followed more than 135,000 people from 18 low-income, middle-income and high-income countries.

Wealth is health: the food poverty divide 

When you see an overweight person in the street, do you judge them for it? What about in the supermarket - do you look into their trolley to see if they're buying junk food? What about when you see an overweight child walking to school: do you blame their parents?

Spilling the beans: All you need to know about soy 

Soy comes from soybean plants, which are part of the legume family. As soy is closely related to the likes of beans, peas and lentils, it too is a great source of plant protein. You will find the same amount of protein in 1.5 cups of cooked soy beans as you...

Sugary drinks and protein do a fat lot of good 

Sugary drinks and high protein meals make a highly unhealthy combination, new research suggests.

Why I can't watch 'To the Bone' 

Up to 200,000 people in Ireland are affected by eating disorders - and many of those may feel overwhelmed with the content of the controversial new Netflix film, To the Bone, which premiered last week.

Does when we eat matter 

People are often encouraged to eat like a king at breakfast and reduce meal size as the day progresses. Is this based on evidence? Does it really matter when we eat our calories?

Eat to ease the Second Spring 

Adapting your nutrition to your age and time of life is crucial when aiming to optimise your health.

Taking root: The cure for what ails you? 

The concept that we might 'let food be thy medicine' is hardly a new one, being long-attributed to Hippocrates, the ancient Greek father of Western medicine.

Families unite to combat eating disorders 

When families are dealing with a child who is suffering from an eating disorder, the symptoms begin to play a central role in family life and often the parents and siblings find themselves lost at sea, not knowing how to help - this is where the New Maudsley Model steps in.

Move over gluten... there's a new food fad in town 

Food fear-mongering continues as a new supposed enemy called 'lectin' comes out of the shadows. Remarks suggesting that this component is how certain vegetation "defend themselves from being consumed by humans" are being made. Not the most scientific of...

Derval's fit food 

My love for running dates back to when I was a child. I ran all the time simply because I loved the feeling of being able to put one foot in front of the other and go as fast as I could. To this day, I have never lost that childhood sense of running just for the sheer fun of it. I spent 12 years competing as a professional athlete at sprint hurdles. I competed in three Olympic Games and was World...

Turn off TV at mealtimes to help shed the kilos 

Not having lunch at your desk and switching off the TV while eating could be the key to losing weight, research suggests.

How eating yoghurt stops your bones becoming brittle 

A yoghurt a day can help to keep brittle bones at bay.

Understanding coeliac disease... with dietitian Orla Walsh 

It is estimated that 1pc of the Irish population has coeliac disease - but what exactly is it?

A diet drink a day can up the odds of a stroke and dementia 

People who have 'diet' drinks every day are almost three times more likely to suffer a stroke or dementia, research suggests.

10 ways to manage your digestion 

Registered dietitian and member of the Irish Nutrition & Dietetic Institute Dara Morgan shares her expert gut-health tips.

Juice, smoothies and fruit and how your body digests them 

An apple, a carrot, an orange and some strawberries - dietitian Orla Walsh explains how the body digests them when juiced, made into a smoothie or eaten whole.

Can you fast your way to wellness? 

The idea of intermittent fasting has been very much on the radar the past few years, but one could make the case that it's never been off it.