Understanding our cravings for alcohol and fast food

A UNSW psychology experiment has shown why it can be so hard to direct our attention away from cues that might lead to behaviour we’d like to avoid, like drinking alcohol and eating unhealthy food.

Ultra-processed foods linked with heart disease and early death

Two new studies have underlined the links between heart disease and processed food such as packaged baked goods and snacks, fizzy drinks, sugary cereals and ready meals.

The growing spectre of domestic food insecurity

A million Australians worry about where their next meal is coming from and additional help is required to prevent more people falling off the “food security tightrope”.

The science behind your break-up binge

Bad news, emotional eaters: food doesn’t deal with the underlying problem you are reacting to, but there are biological reasons for your eating choices.

Reconciling urbanisation and global food security

Changing our diets and food choices can have a knock-on effect on global supply and demand – even balancing the impact of our rapid urbanisation on food security.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? Wrong

It’s no yolk, there’s nothing special about breakfast. Indeed, a new study shows that, contrary to popular belief, eating or skipping breakfast has little influence on people’s weight.

Eating more fruit and vegetables is good for mental health

Many studies show that eating lots of fruit and vegetables is good for your physical health, but the latest research suggests that it might be good for your mental wellbeing too.

What price food security?

Events such as extreme weather, over-fishing, and geopolitical crises are already causing sudden losses in global food production, and these ‘shocks’ are likely to become more common, posing significant threats to global food security.

Time for joint action on obesity, undernutrition and climate change

A new report from The Lancet Obesity Commission has drawn links between obesity, undernutrition and climate change and calls for strong global actions that address all three issues at once.

Untangling the politics of children and food

Parents face an uphill battle against the food industry’s tactics to sell unhealthy food to their children, but if we’re going to build a healthier world for the next generation, we need to do this through education, not guilt.

How to feed a growing population healthy food without ruining the planet

If we’re serious about feeding the world’s growing population healthy food, and not ruining the planet, we need to get used to a new style of eating.

Organic, free-range, fairtrade or vegan: sifting fact from fiction

Making it easier for consumers to assess the ethical credentials of products – through in-store information, accredited labeling systems or apps – would help people make more informed choices about the food they buy.