Brain down. Cannot compute. Error alert. System failure. Oh, of course! It’s 3 pm! Better have me some Coke and Cadbury to power through this fog that has descended upon my brain because I just can’t think. Sound familiar? You are not alone. So what does it mean when you feel the cloud settle over the brain, leaving you unable to think clearly or speak coherently? Brain fog – what is it? Though not a medically defined term, when you hear it, you know what it is, right? Collectively, symptoms such as forgetfulness, confusion, lack of clarity and focus tend to sum up brain fog. Research is ..read more

Ever reached for a box of cookies even though you weren’t hungry or feeling anxious or a little down? Or sitting at your desk at work, nibbling on a couple of squares of chocolate, then before you knew it, you had demolished the whole block? Eating mindlessly plagues many of us and, unsurprisingly, can result in us eating or drinking excessive amounts of the sweet stuff. Yet, we can combat these unhelpful habits and our relationship with food by understanding and practising mindful eating. Mindful vs mindless eatingEating mindfully is one aspect of mindfulness practice and can address our rel ..read more

Eating mostly homemade real, whole foods is one of the best ways to kick the reliance on – and desire for – added sugar. As a bonus, you will feel great for it! Naturally, there will be times when you have less control over the quality of what you eat, be it a work event, family gathering, when on the run or travelling, or any instance that has you eating away from home.  And that is okay! Doing what we can as often as we can to nourish ourselves with good food is important, but so is celebrating Gran’s birthday with cake, eating out with your partner, sharing a meal at a friend’s, or sa ..read more

Whether you eat 15 minutes or several hours after waking, the quality of food you choose to eat for breakfast is important. Why? Breaking the overnight fast with high sugar, low-quality, or ultra-processed foods can adversely impact performance and mood, and increase cravings for less healthy food or drink. And poor breakfast choices day in and day out can contribute to an overall decline in health. Our bodies need appropriate fuel to get through and recover from the stresses of each day. Equipping the body to do this starts with a nourishing breakfast. What, then, constitutes a good brekkie ..read more

Credit: Canva It is widely accepted that too much added sugar is not great for health. Specifically, then, how might excess added sugar intake impact the immune system? Sugar and the immune system Past research indicates immune system activity is suppressed following the overconsumption of free sugars, particularly fructose (though some scientists feel more studies in humans to further support this are needed). Sugar may also inhibit the activity of vitamin C. And we all know how vitamin C is a stalwart in the fight against infection! However, what we should be more concerned with is the ..read more

True or false: Eating healthy means spending loads of cash on fancy superfoods found only at fancy health food stores. Thankfully, the answer is false, friends.  Look past the latest fad or trend on TikTok. There is no need for exotic, expensive ingredients to eat well and be healthy. There are plenty of affordable staple pantry foods and seasonal produce that taste good and offer plenty of nourishment.  Assuming that most of us do our shopping at major supermarkets or have access to fresh produce markets and bulk food stores, here are our suggestions on how to eat well, boost healt ..read more

Credit: Canva Sleep is essential to health. Equally important as eating well and moving the body. But what does sleep have to do with sugar? A lot, it turns out!   The importance of sleep We need sleep for pretty much every aspect of health. This includes proper immune, metabolic, brain, and cardiovascular function, appetite regulation and weight management, tissue repair, psychological health, and more. Lacking quality sleep, and an adequate amount of it, affects us in many ways. In the short-term, it is common to experience: altered mood cravings for less healthy foods poor c ..read more

Changing dietary habits can be hard, regardless of what motivates one to do so. Perhaps this is because we have adopted an all-or-nothing attitude when it comes to ‘diet’, which can be difficult to maintain. Or we rely on willpower alone. This is near impossible. Or we become overwhelmed with counting every kilojoule, despite there being much more to eating well than energy in and energy out. (As we saw in That Sugar Film, Damon swapped his diet but didn’t change his energy intake. It was only the quality of food that shifted. Eating heavily processed, high sugar foods resulted in seriou ..read more

Credit: Canva   Kids love sweet stuff. In fact, humans are wired to desire it.  For most of history, humans evolved to seek out sweet tastes. Finding sweet, ripe foods offered an easy energy source, therefore, an evolutionary advantage.  In the modern-day developed environment, foods high in added sugars are readily available and abundant. It is difficult to ignore the deep-rooted desire to consume sweet tastes. While a little is okay, it is easy to overdo it when packaged into hyper-palatable, well-marketed, affordable products. And when we over consume, our health suffers. So ..read more

Credit: Canva You are what you eat, yet what you eat can be influenced by many factors.  When attempting reduce added and free sugar intake, and eat well overall, it is useful to be aware of what may be driving your food or drink selection. The reality is, there are many of forces at play! Here are some factors to consider, adapted from this review, falling under the categories of food-related features; individual differences; and society-related features. Food-related features Internal factors These desires include sensory and perceptual features, driven by the food itself, such as ..read more