Life Healthy Eating

Healthy Eating

Victoria Beckham's four-a-day avocado habit: the secret to eternal youth, or the ultimate fad diet? 

This week, Victoria Beckham revealed the secrets behind her dewy glow - wolfing down four avocados a day.

When does fussy eating become a disorder? What you need to know about Arfid 

In an ideal world children would voluntarily tuck into cucumber and quinoa, rather than chicken nuggets and chips.

All or nothing: The people who are intermittent fasting their way to weight-loss 

We've all been on a diet at some time or other with many people lurching from one weight-loss programme to another without much long-term...

'After the death of my parents, I comfort ate and drank red wine. Now it's time to future-proof my body.' 

IF you're a woman of a certain age, there's a list of things you've probably done by now.

Nutritionist to the Royals: 'The secret to weight loss is the balance of blood sugar' 

As a glamorous former fashion model, close friend of the Royal Family, and nutritionist to a host of A-list celebrities, it would be easy to assume...

'Caveman diet' of fasting followed by feasting is the secret to losing weight 

Fasting every other day could be the secret to losing weight while staying healthy because it mimics humans' caveman diet, a study suggests.

Why meat-free doesn't guarantee good health 

It can be hard to keep up when it comes to deciding what foods we should and should not be eating for the good of the planet, but one thing's for sure - the shift towards plant-based eating...

Eat this, not that: Five healthy, affordable breakfast swaps 

If you’re looking to live a healthier lifestyle, breakfast is a good place to start.

Sugar-rich diet feeds the rise of new superbug 

The West's sugar-rich diet is supporting the emergence of a superbug which has evolved to thrive in hospitals, scientists have warned.

It's too easy to put the blame on ultra-processed foods 

Over half a century ago, we discovered that high blood cholesterol and high blood pressure greatly increased the risk of heart disease.

Dark chocolate lowers risk of depression 

Good news for those with a sweet tooth. Eating dark chocolate could boost mood and relieve symptoms of depression, scientists have said.

Real Health Podcast: golden rules for food shopping 

The trick to eating healthy is stocking your presses, pantries, and car's glove compartment with fresh and healthy food.

Summer berries and their health benefits 

Stir them into yogurt, dust them with cinnamon or eat them straight from the punnet - nothing beats tucking into a bowl of berries on a hot summer's day.

85,000 children in Ireland will die prematurely due to obesity, research says 

Our children are getting bigger in every sense of the word, and research has shown that one in four Irish children is classified as being overweight or...

Does healthy eating cost more, and how much do experts spend on their weekly shop? 

New research has revealed that some families have to spend up to one third of their income to buy basic nutritious food.

Bill Linnane: 'I don't know whether to feel proud or concerned at the locust-like rate my sons devour food' 

Parents of adult males, a question for you: does the food consumption ease off at any point, or does it only get worse? I have three sons and I'm not...

Hard to swallow: The eight biggest nutrition myths 

With so much advice available about food and diet, it's hard to know what to believe.

Two-thirds of children's meals in restaurants 'exceed fat guidelines' 

An alarming 68pc of meals for children in restaurants studied across Ireland and the UK exceeded nutritional guidelines for fats.

Is coffee better than tea?: 9 facts about your cuppa 

We tend to like our coffee how we like our men: strong, sweet and in small doses. Except now, science says that if you're a fiend for a latte, or your Americano habit is insatiable, you're pretty...

From fruit juice to honey: The truth about health sugars 

You've cut back on booze, sip matcha green tea and haven't looked at a rasher of bacon for months, but tell the truth: do you have any idea how much sugar you're consuming? Despite...

Why everything you know about protein is wrong 

Bars, bagels, sparkling water, spread: protein is everywhere, but not as you know it. What was once considered a staple component of chicken, fish and eggs has become the healthy-eating...

Sugar, dairy, superfoods... 4 myths about food and cancer 

Some myths about cancer are surprisingly persistent. Dr Aoife Ryan on the foods supposedly linked to the disease.

Poor diet is biggest health risk and more deadly than smoking 

Poor diet is the world's deadliest health risk, accounting for a fifth of all deaths, a study has shown.

Disrupting diet culture - nutritionist Laura Thomas reveals how to eat intuitively 

The health and wellness world is an exceedingly noisy one, at times inspiring and at other times filled with hypocrisies and littered with...

Superfood or stroke risk - what's the truth about eggs? 

Along with avocado and green juice, eggs have been hailed as a superfood in recent years. However, a new study of significant scale has now tarnished their halo somewhat.

Eating for your genes: the 'anti-diet' revolution 

As a man who relies on evidence-based science, Giles Yeo has always been wary of the unsubstantiated claims that are peddled by the diet industry.

'It ain't supposed to be easy' - Expert's common-sense tips on losing stubborn weight 

Dr Giles Yeo is loathe to dispense diet advice. However, the geneticist does have some common-sense tips for those trying to shift a few extra...

'Forget the fads. Enjoy your spuds and bread' - Why it's time to stop painting carbs as the villain 

Potatoes, bread and the carbohydrate food group of which they are part have been vilified time and time again. But do they really deserve their bad...

Roasting Sunday lunch creates 'toxic levels' of pollution in the home 

Families should boil rather than roast their Sunday lunch to avoid indoor pollution levels worse than the most toxic cities on Earth, scientists have said.

Are plant-based milks any good, or are you better off just having a bowl of porridge? - Irish experts give their verdicts 

Say you drink coffee and you want to buy a creamer, so you go into a supermarket. There...

High-fat diet 'increases risks of food poisoning and infectious disease' 

A high-fat "western" diet weakens the ability of the immune system to fight infectious disease particularly in the gut, leaving people more at risk of food poisoning, according to researchers at...

Barbara McCarthy: 'Save me from egomaniacal health fiends' 

There's a scene in the film version of Umberto Eco's classic historical murder mystery 'The Name of the Rose', which stars Sean Connery and F Murray Abraham, in which a monk self-flagellates - an...

Extreme eating: Diet is unrealistic for most Irish people, who would struggle to stick to it 

The EAT-'Lancet' Commission has addressed the necessity to feed a growing population a healthy diet while also minimising damage to the planet...

Eating less meat over climate is ‘crazy’, says Healy-Rae 

Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae has claimed that avoiding meat to help the climate is "crazy" and has become a "fad".

Dear Dr Nina: I have what, I suspect, are bleeding piles. Do I need to go to the doctor? 

Q I have what, I suspect, are bleeding piles. Do I need to go to the doctor?

'It was lose weight or tablets for the rest of my life': Sports Minister cuts out the carbs to lose five stone in a year 

Sports Minister Brendan Griffin has revealed how he dropped five stone in weight last year, putting...

'I used to eat in secret as I felt that if no one saw me, it didn't happen' 

Aisling Burke has always had a problem with overeating and ever since she was a teenager would eat food in secret, spend pocket money on sweets and do her utmost to avoid being...

The 5 worst dieting fads to avoid - dietitian Orla Walsh on the diets that don't work and the strategies that do 

Some 80pc of resolutions fail by February and just 8pc of people are thought to achieve their New Year's resolutions, studies have found. A...

Dear Dr Nina: My two-year-old son vomits after every meal 

Question: I am at the end of my tether trying to get the proper care for my two-year-old son. He hasn't been right since he was born - he vomits after almost every bottle and meal, and has...

Psychologist Allison Keating: You can have a healthy relationship with food 

Food is an issue that comes up a lot in my practice. For many, the relationship they have with food is one that is filled with shame, fear, angst and self-hatred. If we take another step...

How the festive trimmings 'can be good for your health' 

Don't feel too guilty as you tuck into your Christmas dinner - the traditional turkey and trimmings can be relatively healthy and actually contains some superfoods.

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.

Advent calendars adding to the childhood obesity crisis, warns TV's Dr Eva 

Chocolate Advent calendars can have a serious effect on children's health, a leading doctor has claimed.

Karl Henry: Timing meals will improve how you eat 

So how did you get on with last week's homework? Did you sign up for an event early next year to work towards? Have you been standing for an hour a day? If you completed your homework then...

By the book: Libraries embrace Healthy Ireland 

Libraries across the country have become a little healthier.

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.

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...

How going vegan may be the secret to managing diabetes 

Vegan diets may help the management of diabetes, a review has suggested.

Vegetarian products 'have more salt than seawater' 

Many processed meat-free alternatives, seen by some as a "healthier" option, are exceeding maximum recommended salt levels, with some being saltier than seawater, a campaign group...

Doctor on a diet: How a health scare forced this Irish doctor to change her life 

On the day in June, 1978, that Paula Gilvarry qualified as a doctor she weighed seven and a half stone. Her weight went up to eight stone when...

Dietitian Orla Walsh: Which colourful foods should you be eating to protect your heart? 

Heart disease is Ireland's number one killer of Irish women. Every two hours, it kills another woman. Most cases of heart disease and stroke are...