There seems no end to the conspiracy against healthy eating in the modern world, even by quasi-official associations — such as the Heart Foundation of Australia — who should know better, writes Michael R James, a research scientist and writer.
Obesity
Denmark’s fat tax: a sweetener for taxing soft drinks?
Denmark’s fat tax is a real-world experiment that could help shape obesity prevention policies here in Australia, and potentially sweeten the palate for a soft drink tax, writes Janer Martin.
Should war on obesity be a key objective of transport policy?
I know people who have the option of driving but instead take the train so they can improve their physical fitness, writes Alan Davies of The Melbourne Urbanist.
KFC and Cricket Australia: ‘an absolute f-cking disgrace’
Like most sports, cricket is huge for advertisers, and KFC spends a fortune to get involved: at least $8 million according to industry sources, writes Paul Barry.
The sugar bomb is ticking away dangerously
The line-up of Heart Foundation tick-approved products will now include some of the highest sugar breakfast cereals on sale in Australia, writes David Gillespie.
healthcare 
High in fat, low in fact: has the Food and Grocery Council kicked an own goal?
The Australian Food and Grocery Council recently claimed that ads for high fat, sugar and salt foods aimed at children only make up a very small portion of all food and beverage advertisements on children’s TV in Australia. Not so, says Wendy Watson.
Who ya gonna call … fat busters … or are you?
Can’t shift those love handles? Diet not working? Sick of your cellulite? What about those new machines that freeze or fry your fat away? asks Loretta Marron.
Do more fast-food restaurants make the locals fat?
It’s commonly taken for granted that a disproportionately large number of fast-food stores in an area is a key reason why the local population often has high rates of obesity, writes Alan Davies of the Melbourne Urbanist.
The fattest nations on the planet
Australians may be fat, but we ain’t fat enough to make the top ten list of countries (to be fair, we make the top twenty) of the WHO’s most obese nations. A whopping 95% of Nauru’s population is overweight and
Deep-pan debacle: the US govt’s cheesy contradictions
Last year American organisation Dairy Management came to Domino’s rescue and developed pizzas with 40 percent more cheese. The strategy worked well - but Dairy Management is a creation of the US Department of Agriculture, which campaigns against fatty foods.
Banning junk-food advertising to kids? Take with a pinch of salt
Claims by Professor Boyd Swinburn in Crikey that the Productivity Commission got it wrong on childhood obesity should be taken with a pinch of (artery-hardening) salt, writes health policy consultant Jennifer Doggett.
Election mantra ‘more hospital beds’ not what we need
he two major political parties cannot seem to muster any prevention policies to save our health system, let alone the planet, writes Professor Boyd Swinburn, director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention at Deakin University.
Brumby’s new fast food menu labelling to sort fat from fiction
The Victorian state government’s fast food menu labelling announcement is a step in the right direction for obesity prevention, writes Jane Martin, senior policy adviser of the Obesity Policy Coalition.
America’s worst meals
Forget the Double Down, there are some truly terrifying things being served up at American fast food outlets — like Claim Jumper’s 4,301 calorie Beef Back Ribs, or Chili’s 2,130-calorie Jalepeno Smokehouse Burger.
Christine Nixon: another fat sheila, another lame jibe
Whatever Christine Nixon has done in public life — being Police Commissioner, going to dinner on Black Saturday, running the Black Saturday recovery — she’ll always cop the fat sheila abuse. It’s the way we treat all overweight women, writes Claire Harvey.
Why medium density housing is a health issue
The ever increasing urban sprawl and private car based travel is causing enormous health, social, environmental and economic costs, says Victoria Walks’ Ben Rossiter. But can the public be convinced that more urban housing doesn’t necessarily mean more concrete?
Crunching the real numbers on obesity surgery
KPMG seems to be saying that because drug and lifestyle interventions are less effective than surgery, they should be kept to a lower standard, writes associate professor Jan Barendregt.
Thai-a-betes: Thailand’s new epidemic
Thais are getting richer — and fatter. The country’s love of sugar, mixed with rising income levels, has been a recipe for disaster: one in 10 Thais now suffer from diabetes.
Why we don’t need Jamie Oliver’s food “revolution”
Jamie Oliver is bringing his faux-Cockney accent and “Ministry of Food” program to America — but America doesn’t want it, says food blogger Baylen Linnekin: his ideas are unhealthy, expensive and self-serving.
The Last Supper gets super-sized
It isn’t just fat 21st century Westerners whose meals are getting bigger: scientists have found that depictions of the food being eaten by Jesus and his disciples in paintings of the Last Supper have gotten progressively larger over the past century, too.
Salt restrictions leave a bad taste
Following the soda wars and calorie-counting menus, New York’s next big food-industry target is salt. The government should keep its mitts out of our cracker boxes, says Windsor Mann.
Fat ain’t all bad if you’re old
Being fat gets a lot of bad press. But according to new research, people who are overweight in their 70s are less likely to die than people of normal weight. So yes, it is time for second helpings, but only if you were born in the 1940s.
Crikey Clarifier: Will a fat tax for airline passengers work?
Will airlines be forced to charge excess baggage for beer guts, love handles and other bits on the cellulite-infused porkers? There’s no “fat controllers” yet, but how do we battle the bulge and the budget carrier?
How friends can make you fatter, happier and sexier
Your choice of social group affects way more than just how you spend your Saturday nights: social connections — even to people you’ve never met — can dictate everything from your weight to how often you get laid.
How chefs stay thin
Your Ian Hewitsons and Two Fat Ladies aside, many chefs manage to maintain model-like physiques, despite being surrounded by their own fatty, sugary, delicious creations all day long. How do they do it? The Daily Beast gets their inside secrets.
