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The way we produce our food matters, says the IPCC, and dietary choices can help reduce emissions and pressure on land. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: There are no healthy people on a ravaged planet

18 Aug, 2019 5:01am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: We are in the midst of what the authors called a "global syndemic".

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: Health ratings not written in the stars

11 Aug, 2019 3:00pm
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Change can only be a good thing.

All sausages contain some plant matter. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: The wurst of both worlds

4 Aug, 2019 5:15am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: When you're trying to cash in on a trend, you need to apply a bit of common sense

Nourishing our bodies well by eating lots of antioxidant-rich vegetables and fruit is a great start in the fight against winter ills and chills. Photo / Getty Images

LIFESTYLE

What to eat to battle winter colds and flu

29 Jul, 2019 7:00am
5 minutes to read

Niki Bezzant on the foods that will help keep you well this winter.

Discarded single-use plastic bags can present a hazard to marine life. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: We need to use less plastic, now

28 Jul, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Less than 20 per cent of waste plastic generated globally each year is recycled.

Labels clarify just how much sugar there is in Froot Loops. Photo / File

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: Shining light on food facts

21 Jul, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: IT can be hard to get as much information as we'd like about the food we eat.

Choice architecture could make a big difference to our lives. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: A simple trick could help us lose weight

14 Jul, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Let's re-arrange how we choose what we eat.

What would be wrong with a zero-alcohol-on-tour rule? Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: Our attitude to drinking is all wrong

7 Jul, 2019 6:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Why do we need to ingest a harmful toxin in order to relax?

Alcohol is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen. That's the same category as asbestos, for the record. Photo / Getty Images

LIFESTYLE

The uncomfortable truth about alcohol

1 Jul, 2019 7:00am
5 minutes to read

There's really no positive way to spin the alcohol story. Niki Bezzant explains.

The trick for older people is to get good amounts of protein in when less nutrients are needed. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: Are you getting enough protein?

30 Jun, 2019 7:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: The older you are, the more you need.

Seafood on the Sunshine Coast. Photo / Supplied

TRAVEL

From bush tucker to fine dining on the Sunshine Coast

25 Jun, 2019 7:00am
6 minutes to read

Niki Bezzant eases into the Sunshine Coast.

Use snacks as useful opportunities to get a bit more nutrition, rather than as treats. Photo / Getty Images.

LIFESTYLE | Food & Drink

Niki Bezzant: The healthy way to snack

24 Jun, 2019 7:00am
5 minutes to read

"Snackification" is a big and growing trend. Don't get caught out by it.

Cooking red meat at high temperatures can create harmful compounds that increase cancer risk. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: Steaks are high

23 Jun, 2019 7:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Some sobering news for meat lovers.

Eating plant-based meals is the basis of a cancer-preventing diet. Photo / Getty Images

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: How to prevent cancer

17 Jun, 2019 7:00am
4 minutes to read

Eating lots of vegetables and fruit is the basis for a cancer-preventing diet.

Pretty yoga poses are a start but they aren't the be all and end all. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: 'Wellness' can be bad for you

16 Jun, 2019 10:55am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Women rarely blame the dodgy advice, or its source. They blame themselves.

The more often we eat veges and fruit, the more our mental wellbeing increases. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: How your diet can improve your mood

9 Jun, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Taking GST off fresh fruit and veges could improve physical and mental health.

Governments around the world have implemented sugar taxes - but not New Zealand. Photo / File

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: Govt shows weakness on sugar tax

2 Jun, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: The only people who don't support tax are those making sugary drinks - and Govt.

Sodium is a significant contributor to stroke, heart disease and kidney disease. Photo / Getty Images.

LIFESTYLE

The hidden ingredient that's as dangerous as sugar

27 May, 2019 7:00am
4 minutes to read

Salt is responsible for the disease-related deaths of three million people a year.

A pie and beer diet is only likely to leave you craving a healthy salad. Photo / Supplied

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: The real reason you can't resist fast food

25 May, 2019 7:00pm
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Low-quality, highly processed foods don't satisfy us - so we eat more and more.

Healthy food can deeply influence how our genes operate or express themselves in our bodies. Photo / File

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: The 'fire hose' food you need to eat

19 May, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Niki Bezzant on the study of the interplay between food and genes.

Eliza Pryor is one of thousands of children who rely on EpiPens. Photo / Dean Purcell

LIFESTYLE

The $120 foolproof lifesaver the Govt won't pay for

12 May, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Food allergy is an expensive condition to live with day to day.

At the restaurant you can dine up close amongst nature like they do in the sub-tropics. Photo / Spicers Tamarind Retreat

LIFESTYLE

Destination Dining: The Tamarind, Sunshine Coast

6 May, 2019 9:36am
3 minutes to read

Niki Bezzant headed across the ditch and found herself transported to Thailand.

There are 300 public water fountains in Auckland but they are expensive for councils to install. Photo / Doug Sherring

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: Free water for a healthier planet

5 May, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: The habit of choosing water first is a great one to pass on to our kids.

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: The thin red line

28 Apr, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: New research links red and processed meats to colorectal cancer.

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: Kids know best

21 Apr, 2019 5:00am
2 minutes to read

COMMENT: We're vulnerable to the lure of a well-placed shop display or a well-timed TV ad.

We can’t just concentrate on cutting back on salt. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: Which is the lesser of two evils?

14 Apr, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Which is worse for your health - salt or sugar?

Claims on the front of food packaging are mostly marketing, and mostly pretty meaningless. Image / Getty Images

LIFESTYLE

The truth about 'wholesome', 'healthy' food labels

8 Apr, 2019 7:00am
5 minutes to read

Niki Bezzant explains why some food labels are better ignored.

Sugary drinks have been linked to premature death. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: Take a break from the sweet stuff

7 Apr, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: The dose makes the poison, you could say.

We can significantly reduce our risk of dementia and protect our brains when we're younger. Photo / Getty Images

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: What to eat to avoid Alzheimer's

1 Apr, 2019 8:31am
4 minutes to read

Dementia is a common disease in New Zealand, affecting around 70,000 people right now.

Yovana Mendoza explaining 'Fishgate' on YouTube. Photo / YouTube/Rawvana_English

LIFESTYLE

Bezzant: Influencers dish out the junk

31 Mar, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: We should take notice of them, especially when they espouse nutrition advice.

Think milk is all bad news? Think again. Photo / Getty Images

LIFESTYLE

Why we don't need milk, but should still drink it

25 Mar, 2019 7:00am
5 minutes to read

There are lots of myths and misunderstandings out there about dairy. So what's true?

The salt used in cooking and at the table is only about 20 per cent of what we eat. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: Salt - the villain hiding in plain sight

24 Mar, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: We're focused on keeping sugar down but it may be that salt is doing more harm.

To get the best possible health benefits from a vegan diet, though, it needs to be well planned. Photo / Getty Images

LIFESTYLE

How to go vegan the healthy way

18 Mar, 2019 7:00am
5 minutes to read

Going vegan is hot right now. Here's what you need to know if you are making the switch.

Can poor oral health actually cause diseases? Maybe. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: Fortune smiles on good health

17 Mar, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Our mouths are a mirror, in many ways, to our bodies.

With so many different opinions on the benefits of breakfast, which one is right? Photo / Getty Images

LIFESTYLE

Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?

11 Mar, 2019 9:06am
5 minutes to read

Recent research has cast doubt on the way you start your day.

It looks as if establishing one healthy habit can lead us - possibly unconsciously - to starting others. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: The race is on to a better diet

10 Mar, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Looking to eat healthier? It might be as simple as moving more.

A diet consisting largely of white rice can’t be considered healthy. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: The truth about diets?

3 Mar, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Don't always trust the headlines.

It's time for a new look into what Kiwis are eating, Niki Bezzant writes. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Comment: Time for a check-up on Kiwis' latest eating habits

24 Feb, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Comment: It's time for a check-up on Kiwis' latest eating habits, Niki Bezzant writes

Whole unhulled hemp seeds are high in both soluble and insoluble fibre. Photo / Getty Images

LIFESTYLE

Hemp: Should you start adding it to your diet?

18 Feb, 2019 9:02am
4 minutes to read

Is hemp truly a wonder plant? Nikki Bezzant weeds out the truth.

Symptoms of food allergies include sneezing, but also hives, breathing difficulty and swelling of the lips or tongue among others. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

A food allergy? Yeah, nah...

17 Feb, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Do you have a food allergy? Are you sure...?

Exercise and lots of fresh fruit and vegetables are your best bet in avoiding certain types of cancer. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: Fruit and veges could save your life

10 Feb, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Comment: Hair dye and power lines are unlikely to give you cancer - but what will?

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: Should we stop drinking water?

3 Feb, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Comment: Nitrates could be contributing to New Zealand's very high rate of bowel cancer.

Eat ethically without giving up all you love. Photo / Getty Images

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: How to be an ethical eater without giving up everything you love

3 Feb, 2019 5:00am
12 minutes to read

We know we need to change how we eat, but do we have to give up everything we love?

Have a couple of fish meals and a couple of chicken meals a week. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: A diet to save the planet

27 Jan, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Planetary health diet seems broadly in line with traditional Mediterranean diet.

Build it right and a salad bowl meal can be a hearty, healthful and nutritious option. Photo / Getty Images

LIFESTYLE

How salad could be making you fat

21 Jan, 2019 5:00am
4 minutes to read

We could be sabotaging ourselves thinking we're eating a healthy option, but actually not.

Don't take shortcuts when it comes to getting fibre in your diet. Photo / NZ Herald

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: We need to get high on fibre

20 Jan, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Are we getting enough of this important aspect of our diet?

Nike Bezzant has a simple resolution for you to live your best life in 2019. Image / Getty

LIFESTYLE

The simple resolution to change your life in 2019

14 Jan, 2019 10:30am
5 minutes to read

Forget about a detox. It's time to re-health.

Among the Hadza, a hunter-gatherer community in Tanzania, fewer than 2 per cent of adults are overweight. Heart disease is almost non-existent. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: What we can learn from hunter-gatherers

13 Jan, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT:Hunter-gatherer populations were, and are, seriously healthy by today's standards.

The main component of the Beyond Burger is pea protein. Photo / Supplied

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: I have tasted the future of protein

6 Jan, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: The main component of the Beyond Burger is pea protein.

Millennials are increasingly driving what we're eating and shopping for. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Where's the smashed avo? How you'll change how you eat in 2019

30 Dec, 2018 5:00am
10 minutes to read

Herald on Sunday food columnist Niki Bezzant explains what's on menu.

Essentially oils are great for aroma but not for ingesting. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: Sniff, but don't eat

23 Dec, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Sweet smell of Xmas.

Potentially there are lots of people avoiding lots of foods, at great expense, for no good reason. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: I am intolerant of this intolerance rort

16 Dec, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: There are lots of people avoiding lots of foods for no good reason.

What we do know about any kind of extreme diet is that they are hard to stick to long term. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: Trying a new diet? Trust your gut instinct

9 Dec, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: We don't know what the long-term effects are of cutting out whole food groups.

It looks like meat, it has the texture of meat and vaguely tastes like meat, but it's made from plants. Photo /123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: A growing appetite for meat-free

2 Dec, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Have you noticed that not all is as it once was in meat section of supermarket?

There's evidence artificial sweeteners may contribute to obesity. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: Are you a sugar label detective?

25 Nov, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: How much sugar in your kombucha?

The more we understand about diabetes, and the more we support others rather than stigmatising them. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: Time to stop judging diabetics

18 Nov, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Health is an area where we are sometimes quick to judge others.

Right now there's no regulation around what can and can't be marketed to kids. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: Let's keep our kids healthy

11 Nov, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Kids are twice as likely to be exposed to unhealthy food marketing than healthy.

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: Don't cheese off the planet

4 Nov, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

How to eat dairy without trashing the planet.

Kiwis love a sausage — but choose quality over quantity. Photo / 123RF

NEW ZEALAND

Niki Bezzant: Barbecue season is upon us

28 Oct, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Kiwis eat a lot of sausages.

Meat should be seen as a garnish. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: We need to start eating smarter

21 Oct, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: How do you feel about no more rice, chocolate or coffee? It's time for a rethink.

Changes in how we eat only work if we can sustain them long term; for life, basically. Most diets are too restrictive. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: Will Weight Watchers' rebranding work?

14 Oct, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: No longer will the company be focused — in name at least — on losing weight.

They're quick, versatile and nutritious and the Ministry of Health says we can eat eggs every day. Photo / File

LIFESTYLE

Niki Bezzant: Eggs - The foolproof foodstuff

7 Oct, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: There are many good health reasons to include eggs in your meals.