Blog - Dr Joanna McMillan Price registered nutritionist accredited practising dietitian located in Sydney, Australia

Food colourings a rainbow of risks

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -1000

The CPSI in the US have released a new report "A Rainbow of Risks" which outlines the potential risks of artificial food colourings used in over a thousand of our foods. Included in this are the so-called Southhampton 6 E numbers 110, 122, 102, 124, 104 and 129 which were linked to behavioural problems in children last year. But also now includes links to cancer with Blue 2 (E132), Red 3 (E127), Red 40 (E129) and yellow 6 (E110). The studies are in rodents and so not proof of an effect in humans, but are we really going to wait for conclusive evidence before we act? One of the findings was that it is not just the dyes themselves, but several were found to have carcinogenic contaminants. These dyes are not necessary in our food chain, they are only there to make food look more enticing, particularly to children. My view is that they should be removed from foods and natural colours should be used in their place if colours are necessary at all. As consumers, and especially those of us who are parents, we should act and vote with our wallets - don't buy any food or drink with ANY artificial colours. If we don't buy them they'll stop making them. What do you think?

Watch my report on TODAY

Plastics back in the news

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -1000

Plastics are back in the news after several major retailers in Australian have committed to stocking only BPA-free baby bottles. To understand more on plastic leaching watch my segment on the Today show or download my article Not so fantastic plastic.pdf

Brittle Bones

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -1000

Last week I had the honour of presenting alongside a prestigious lineup that included the Governor-General and olympian Melinda Gainsford-Taylor, in a public seminar to raise awareness of osteoporosis or brittle bones. I was horrified at the latest statistics; one-in-two older Australian women and one-in-three older men are affected. That makes it more common than breast or prostate cancer yet we are not talking about it. This isn't a matter of just being a little prone to fractures - this is a serious debilitating disorder that reduced quality of life and ultimately affects mortality. If you are young you need to think about it now, and if you have any risk factors go and have your bone density checked. Your GP is your first stop. So what can we do? Weight bearing exercise including walking but try to include some jumping or impact type activities, do not be underweight, maintain your strength through resistance training, eat a calcium-rich diet and obtain enough vitamin D (essential to absorb and lay down calcium in bone). You can get some vit D from foods such as egg yolk and oily fish, but most is made in the skin on exposure to sunlight. All you need is 15 mins a day on unprotected skin - weaker winter sunshine is enough. If you can't achieve this then consider a supplement.

Plastic leaching

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -1000

BPA containing baby bottles are back in the news with claims the chemical can leach into the contents and cause health problems. I take the view that we should be taking action now rather than waiting for solid evidence of harm. Canada has already banned the use of BPA in children's products and much of Europe is considering following suit. As an advocate of chemical free where possible and a mother of two young boys I choose not to use these plastics in my home. Other think such stories are scare mongering. Read my article on plastics under the articles tab above and share your own thoughts.

Coconut oil - health food or bad fat?

Wed, 20 May 2009 00:00:00 -1000

Coconut oil is high in saturated fat and this has left it on the "bad fats" to avoid list for too long. The thing is that there are many different saturated fats and not all of them raise cholesterol or do us any harm. Coconut oil is high in medium chain triglycerides - MCTs for short - and not only do these not raise cholesterol they tend to burned off far easier than other fats. In fact MCTs were popular at one time as a supplement for athletes looking to prolong performance. While that didn't quite work there is evidence that we are more likely to use these fats for fuel than for them to end up on our waistline. The other thing about coconut oil is that it has a high smoke point and this makes it stable for cooking at high heat. Flaxseed oil may be fabuously healthy but cook with it and you have destroyed the oil. You need to use the right oil for the right application. My vote is for coconut oil to be recognised as a healthy cooking fat with it's rightful place in the pantry. To boot it tastes delicious and the smell as you start to cook is fabulous - great for stir fries and curries.