Health News

Easy Health & Living will be contributing to How Healthy Are You? a major new health and lifestyle series, which will be presented by nutritionist Elsa Jones and will be broadcast as part of TV3's Autumn Schedule in 2010.

Each week, Elsa and her team of experts will be tackling some of the most common nutritional, fitness and health issues affecting the nation, in new and challenging ways. Over the course of six weeks, the series will delve into everything from emotional eating and techno fitness to low libido and sleep disorders, and will offer viewers innovative, effective and practical ways to solve many of their problems. Elsa's mantra is 'small changes, big difference' and this belief is at the core of this new, quirky and fresh series.

Food product company Kelkin will be sponsoring the new health show and are delighted to be involved. Elaine Doran, Kelkin Marketing Manager, said, "As soon as we heard about How Healthy Are You? we recognised that the programme would be an ideal fit with our brand. For years, we have been working to educate consumers about the importance of healthy eating and healthy lifestyle choices, through on-pack communication, free nutritional classes and more recently, a nationwide road show. The upcoming sponsorship of How Healthy Are You? will reinforce this important message to consumers."

Dieters who ate 75g of these nuts every day reduced their weight and body-mass index by a solid 18% compared with an 11% drop in the no-nut group, a study in the International Journal of Obesity found. Almonds are high in alpha-linolenic acid, which can speed the metabolism of fats. Stick to 12 per serving.

Children who eat a lot of burgers may be at an increased risk of developing asthma, the results of a new study indicate. German researchers based their findings on data collected on 50,000 children between 1995 and 2005. The children were aged between eight and 12 and were from 20 rich and poor countries around the world. Parents were asked about their children's normal diet and whether they had ever been diagnosed with asthma and/or have had wheeze. According to the study, diet did not appear to be associated with becoming sensitised to common allergens such as grass and tree pollen. However, it did seem to influence the prevalence of asthma and wheeze.

In fact, eating three or more burgers a week was associated with a higher lifetime prevalence of asthma and wheeze, particularly among children with no allergies in rich countries.

Conversely, a Mediterranean diet and rich in fruits, vegetables and fish, seems to reduce the overall lifetime risk of asthma and wheeze.