Long-term health and well-being

Food isn’t medicine — it’s so much more than that. From the day we are born to the day we die, food not only nourishes us, but provides pleasure, social interaction and anchors us to our family, community, culture and point in time.

Food should not only be good for us — it should also be enjoyable, affordable and sustainable. I am an all-round expert in food and nutrition having studied human nutrition/dietetics, food science and commercial cookery. Join me here to learn about cooking, eating, nourishing and celebrating food.

Let’s face it, most of the major events in our lives revolve around its consumption: births, deaths, weddings, religious celebrations, to name but a few …

In Australia (where I live) and many other wealthy developed nations, we have an abundance of foods and drinks to choose from, and most of us can enjoy foods from whatever dietary pattern we can imagine: Chinese, Indian, French, Japanese, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Thai, Vietnamese, etc … that have developed over many thousands of years and are savoured all around the world … yet for many of us, food has sadly become the enemy. Once a relatively rare condition, orthorexia has now become extremely common.

Rising rates of overweight, obesity and associated conditions like type 2 diabetes and heart disease are at least in-part due to unhealthy eating habits. These habits don’t pop up overnight — for most of us they have become engrained over our lifetime. Around 2,500 new diet books are published around the world every year, with most promising to solve all of the worlds nutrition problems by advising us to instantly change our eating habits, by simply following their prescribed diet and in so doing avoiding nutrient X, ingredient Y and/or food group Z …

The problem is of course it isn’t that simple — most of these diets require you to follow strict rules that impact on your social and psychological well-being, let alone your enjoyment of food. If changing your diet was simple, there wouldn’t be so many diet-related health conditions. Ultimately, one diet does not suit all of humankind — we are omnivores, and part of our success as a species is being able to enjoy a wide range of foods and cuisines. Flexibility is one of the keys to long-term success and enjoyment.

As an Accredited Practising Dietitian and chef, my philosophy is congruent with the American Diabetes Association — “Maintain the pleasure of eating by only limiting food choices when indicated by [the highest quality] scientific evidence.”

My professional affiliations

I have been a member of the Dietitians Australia since 1993 and am an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Accredited Nutritionist.

I have been a member of the Australian Diabetes Society since 2004.

I have been a member of the Royal Society of Medicine since 2019.

I have been a member of the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology since 2026.