Could your sunscreen be doing you more harm than good?
30 Sep 2010 |
CHOICE reports on the latest findings and tests a range of sunscreens for nanoparticles.
You don’t need a doctorate in chemistry to see there’s something wrong with regulation of chemicals in Australia.
11 Jan 2010 |
CHOICE is campaigning to ensure effective products reach the market while protecting our health, safety and our environment.
4 Jan 2010 |
CHOICE submission to the NETS discussion paper.
Mineral foundations not as miraculous as marketers would have you believe.
30 Sep 2009 |
Mineral foundation is marketed as a more natural alternative to other foundations and usually contains finely crushed, naturally occurring minerals. But our investigation found it's not as natural as you'd think.
No longer in the realm of science fiction, nanofoods are on their way to a supermarket near you.
23 Feb 2009 |
CHOICE wants nanofoods better regulated to ensure they are both safe and properly labelled.
Skin clinics claim to help identify and treat skin cancers. How good are they?
18 Jan 2008 |
In the last financial year The Cancer Council NSW received 3974 calls about skin cancer to its helpline, 2251 (57%) of which were specifically about skin cancer clinics.
Nanotechnology is already here, yet most of us know nothing about it.
22 Jun 2007 |
Nanotechnology is heralded as making products and processes smaller, smarter, cleaner and safer, but could also spell trouble for our health and the environment.
What's the progress on cruelty free cosmetics?
4 May 2007 |
How can consumers work out what has been tested on animals and what hasn’t? And what are the alternatives to animal testing?
Some exposure to sunlight is essential for your health, but too much can be dangerous.
10 Oct 2005 |
Summer is the season to get outdoors and enjoy the warm days, but it's also the season when the sun's rays are harshest on your skin.
If you have the basics, making your own salad dressing can be quick and easy.
1 Feb 2012 |
CHOICE reviews prepared French, Italian and Caesar salad dressings for nutrition and taste.
Scan your way to healthier food choices.
19 Jan 2012 |
Consumers can now use their iPhones to scan food barcodes and instantly see traffic light information thanks to an app developed by The George Institute and BUPA.
The results are a mixed bag.
13 Dec 2011 |
Ministers have handed down their decisions on the future of food labelling, and the menu contains mixed results for consumers.
Over 3700 consumers joined the call for traffic light labels.
9 Dec 2011 |
More than 3700 signatures and CHOICE’s open letter were sent to food and health ministers from around Australia.
Over 3700 consumers joined the call for traffic light labels.
9 Dec 2011 |
More than 3700 signatures and CHOICE’s open letter were sent to food and health ministers from around Australia.
A new report finds the front-of-pack labelling system is too confusing for consumers to understand.
28 Nov 2011 |
Research has confirmed CHOICE's long-held belief that Percentage Daily Intake labels are confusing and based on inconsistent serving sizes.
Read nutrition labels carefully - a 'low-fat' claim doesn't mean it's healthy.
6 Oct 2011 |
CHOICE reviews a range of desserts marketed with low-fat labelling from the fridge and freezer section of supermarkets.
23 Sep 2011 |
The food industry’s response to CHOICE’s Shame the Claim campaign has missed the point and simply added to consumers’ confusion.
Nutrition claims on food labels often don't tell the full story.
15 Sep 2011 |
Seductive labels on food that promise less saturated fat, no added sugar or a bumper amount of wholegrains often don't tell the whole nutritional story.
Are they essential, or just a pricey gimmick?
1 Sep 2011 |
There are plenty of specialist multivitamin on the market for conception, pregnancy and breastfeeding. Can they be beneficial or are they just a gimmick?
Consumers are embracing the benefits of "good" bacteria with open arms and purses.
6 Jul 2011 |
"Good" bacteria, long used as starter cultures for yoghurts and fermented dairy drinks, are now in high consumer demand, particularly probiotics.
An overwhelming proportion of kids foods are far from healthy.
22 Jun 2011 |
CHOICE compares the nutritional panels of various products to help consumers make more informed choices about foods for their children.
Maintaining mother's good health is one of the keys to successful breastfeeding.
20 May 2011 |
How much more do breastfeeding mothers need to eat and which foods they should focus on to stay as healthy as possible?
Can slimming be as easy as popping a pill?
2 May 2011 |
We look at the so-called "active ingredients" in weight loss pills to see if they live up to their claims.
We found many vegetarian meat substitutes are alarmingly high in salt - and taste bland.
11 Apr 2011 |
CHOICE put a handful of vegetarian meat substitutes to the test, rating both nutritional value and taste.
South Australian Government forces fast food retailers to display energy counts on menu boards.
14 Mar 2011 |
New regulations requires food chains with 20 or more outlets in SA to display the kilojoule content alongside product price.
Is your “miracle” weight-loss strategy actually expanding your waistline?
20 Jan 2011 |
CHOICE looks at problematic myths and misconceptions, as identified by our in-house experts and a survey of professionals.
Australians are consuming up to 10 times the amount of sodium we need for good health.
11 Oct 2010 |
Australia’s salt habit is costing the nation much more than the in-store price tag. But will binning our salt shakers solve the problem?
Essential for children's development and our ongoing brain, heart and joint health. Are you getting enough?
6 Oct 2010 |
Omega-3s in our diet can prevent cardiovascular disease and may even protect against arthritis, mental decline and Alzheimer’s disease.
Multigrain breads can be top scorers for taste and texture, and rate well nutritionally.
6 May 2010 |
We size up the main varieties you'll find at your supermarket.
We reveal which brands and chains offer the healthiest and tastiest options.
15 Mar 2010 |
CHOICE compared more than 190 brands and flavours of pizza available nationally from supermarkets (chilled or frozen) or from takeaway chains. We found some big differences in nutritional value – and in value for money.
Think a detox is a quick antidote for a month of excess? We debunk some common health myths.
21 Dec 2009 |
Read these long-held misconceptions about everything from diet and exercise, to air travel and antioxidants.
CHOICE finds some manufacturers still sneak unhealthy trans fats into our foods.
26 Jun 2009 |
They rarely rate a mention on the label, but the trans fats hidden in many processed foods are worse for your health than saturated fats.
CHOICE compares the most popular dishes and provides healthier, cheaper alternatives.
21 May 2009 |
Although there’s nothing wrong with takeaways occasionally, many contain too much salt and saturated fat for regular eating.
CHOICE investigates why nut allergy rates are now soaring, and what you can do if you think you have an allergy.
24 Mar 2009 |
Australia has one of the highest allergy rates in the world, and the number of people affected is growing at an astonishing rate.
Many of them are packed with additives, including artificial colours linked to hyperactivity in children. We tell you which brands to avoid.
23 Mar 2009 |
Make a cake at home and you'll probably use about six ingredients. Look at the ingredients list on a supermarket cake and you might find 40 or more.
You can't judge a book by its cover – what about food by its label?
20 Jan 2009 |
Food labelling can be a minefield of confusion and misinformation. Labelling legislation offers some relief, but often isn't sufficiently enforced.
A growing number of pharmacies are getting into the weight-loss business, but how do these diet plans weigh up?
20 Jan 2009 |
Pharmacy diet plans may help to shed extra kilos quickly, but most fail to deal effectively with the complex broader issues around weight loss.
New research shows traffic light labels help consumers make healthy choices.
19 Sep 2008 |
A colour-coded traffic lights system, first developed by the UK Food Standards Agency, has been suggested as a more useful tool for helping consumers to make healthier food choices.
We compared 14 brands of sports drink from supermarkets, servos and convenience stores to give you the facts.
7 Aug 2008 |
Unless you’re an athletic superstar, sports drinks won’t make you run faster; they’ll merely make you fatter.
There are five good reasons to include more wholegrains in your diet.
7 Aug 2008 |
Wholegrains have become a marketing tool food companies use to convince us to buy one product over another.
CHOICE’s expert dietitian puts our volunteers' diets to test. Find out how they measured up.
24 Jun 2008 |
The most common problems in our volunteers’ diets were too much salt and not enough calcium, fibre and water.
Which ones pose a health risk?
2 May 2008 |
We look at the latest research into additives that health questions have been raised about - and give CHOICE’s verdict on which ones you’d do best to avoid.
There’s a lot of misleading information about exercise — we take a look at fitness facts and fictions
2 Sep 2007 |
There are many myths about exercise — fictions which are endlessly perpetuated and validated through sheer repetition.
Can juice from 'super' fruits — goji, noni, mangosteen or açai — really cure cancer?
16 Aug 2007 |
Forget about an orange or apple — distrubtors say if you really want to keep the doctor away, you need to knock back a daily dose of "superfruit".
Some low-fat yoghurts have so much sugar they can be more fattening than full-fat.
15 May 2007 |
Lots of yoghurts with a 'lite' or 'low fat' claim contain so much sugar you’d be eating more kilojoules than in a full-fat yoghurt.
If you're buying a whole pumpkin, look for one which is heavy for its size, with firm skin.
16 Mar 2007 |
Pumpkins are generally available all year around, but are particularly associated with Autumn and Winter.
A handful to munch or in a recipe, walnuts are heart-healthy.
28 Feb 2007 |
The Australian walnut crop is growing – so you will find walnuts from Tasmania, Victoria and parts of NSW and South Australia.
Do you really need them?
1 Jul 2006 |
It’s likely only elite athletes really benefit from protein bars and drinks. For the rest of us, they’re just an additional source of kilojoules and little more than an expensive snack.
It's the health tonic of the moment, but where’s the evidence for its benefits?
23 May 2006 |
If you believe the hype, wheatgrass can nourish the blood and detoxify poisons, purify the liver, rebuild the bloodstream and more — all before breakfast.
The facts on the most common nutritional deficiency in the world and what to do about it.
1 Nov 2005 |
Women of child-bearing age are most at risk of too little iron and there are different types of iron found in food and they are absorbed differently.
Been burning the candle at both ends?
5 Oct 2005 |
A week or two on a detox program won’t absolve you from a year of unhealthy eating, smoking or drinking too much alcohol.
Low-carb processed foods are no healthier than their conventional equivalents — but can cost a lot more.
22 Aug 2005 |
Low-carb versions of processed foods such as pasta certainly have less carbohydrate and usually fewer kilojoules — but are they’re a healthier option.
Australians are a constipated lot. But it's not just our bowels that would thank us for eating more fibre.
14 Feb 2005 |
One thing is certain –– millions of doses of laxatives we swallow each year wouldn't be needed by most people if we ate more fibre.
They're the drink of choice for many children but are they suitable?
9 Jan 2005 |
They’re fizzy drinks with a difference. What most of them in fact do is give you a caffeine fix with plenty of sugar.
"Upsizing" your meal will really push the fat, salt and sugar right over the top.
9 Jan 2005 |
When we started analysing the nutrition info from the fast-food giants, even our hardened food team was shocked by the amount of kilojoules, fat and salt that some options packed.
Do you really need to take one?
6 Jan 2005 |
Research shows that a balanced diet is still the best way to get your vitamins and minerals, and that diets high in whole grains, vegetables and fruit reduce the risk of cancers and other diseases.
We check out over 90 spreads and dairy blends, and pick the healthier options.
1 Jan 2005 |
Margarine’s now a "spread" and butter can come from the fridge soft enough to spread on your toast. But which is the healthiest?
Quick-fix diets are never the solution to sustainable weight loss. We give you healthy tips to help you lose weight.
15 Nov 2000 |
Coming to grips with your own body and making the best of what you’ve got is a safer bet than yet another failed diet.