Food nutrition advice

The emphasis the press gives to food and nutrition these days merely serves to emphasis how important it is to our health.

What has changed so much in recent years is the range of choices available to us.

Through most of human history, food and nutrition was simple - you ate what was available. That was usually local, seasonal product, which you prepared yourself at home.

Now however, food and nutrition is a much more complicated matter. We have available products from all over the world, regardless of season.

We have endless recipes to choose from, and a dizzying array of pre-prepared choices.

The result? More obesity and food intolerances than ever before. Healthy eating now requires an almost scientific knowledge of a whole range of esoteric items - some of the most common include:

• Fish oil
• Fatty acids
• Cholesterol
• Hydrogenated fats
• Aspartame and artificial sweeteners
• Food intolerances (including lactose, glucose, wheat and fructose)

It's no wonder people get confused. As a result many give up and end up eating whatever takes their fancy.

On the basis that knowledge is power, the following articles attempt to explain what these are all about, putting it into non-technical language, so that you can make the right choices.