Nutrition Connection

06/12/2025

Ultra-processed foods now comprise around half of New Zealanders' diets with health implications including diabetes, obesity, heart disease and depression.

Ultra-processed foods are made from cheap ingredients using industrial methods, contain a lot of sugar, salt, fat and additives, and are heavily promoted.

“In Aotearoa, New Zealand, it is likely that consumption of ultra-processed food is around 50 to 60 percent of the nation’s diet, similar to other high-income, English-speaking countries,” says Professor Boyd Swinburn, a population nutrition researcher from the University.

“We do know that unhealthy diets and obesity are our biggest risk factor for disease and death in New Zealand, and this is driven by our high intake of ultra-processed foods,” Swinburn says. “We really need policies to create healthier food environments if we want to make a difference to our increasing rates of obesity, diabetes, and mental health problems.”

“Ultra-processed foods are harmful products and their marketing to children should be banned – New Zealand has the second highest rate of child obesity in the OECD, yet no policies to address this.”

Swinburn is an author of one of the three papers comprising The Lancet’s Series on Ultra-Processed Foods and Human Health. Read more here: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2025/11/20/upf-now-comprise-half-nz-diets.html

10/11/2025

I know lots of people are using AI to find out more, and more quickly - but here’s where 20+ years of ‘doing the job’ comes into play. Read this interesting article by an experienced dietitian who used AI to summarise recent guidelines - and how AI changed the info. Does it make you more likely to keep your trust in experienced clinicians like Nutrition Connection?

https://annewrightrd.substack.com/p/i-asked-ai-to-summarise-the-new-bda?utm_source=multiple-personal-recommendations-email&utm_medium=email&triedRedirect=true&fbclid=IwZnRzaAN-P_hleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeweNY25iqXhxNmbVLhD9XWyX_7nrQASPAQtI0xp1GvvXKq55URxiaFc3WgLI_aem_a-bJNNmP8BTMvtmTwg2zMQ

Today I did something most of us will do eventually: I asked AI to help me save time.

27/09/2025

Did you know starting Wegovy WITHOUT a dietitian results in an average of only 4% weight loss? Make your effort last beyond the injections by getting help from a professional in behavior change and food psychology!

11/09/2025

As we wrap up Malnutrition Week - please remember that malnutrition is not always obvious. Even when food intake seems adequate, chronic gut conditions like Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, coeliac disease, or pancreatic insufficiency can impair absorption of essential nutrients, leaving the body undernourished at a cellular level. Restricted eating and fad diets can also cause inadequate nutrient intake. This “hidden malnutrition” contributes to fatigue, muscle loss, impaired immunity, and poorer recovery, yet it often goes unrecognised because body weight alone does not tell the full story. As Dietitians, we look beyond the surface, screen proactively, and prioritise tailored nutrition strategies that restore both digestive and whole-body health. ?

09/09/2025

Growing minds need nutrients- neuroatypical may just need a few more 😉. I know how tough it can be to get even baseline nutrients in so don’t be shy in seeing an expert (me ☺️) who can help you make it happen!

Twenty weeks of micronutrient supplementation could support maintenance and continual improvement of ADHD symptoms. This study supports micronutrients as an alternative treatment for ADHD, especially considering their safety profile.

29/06/2025

How much B6 are you getting without realising it?

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-28/tga-takes-action-over-b6-toxicity/105470210?utm_source=abc_news_web&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_web

One of the things I often do is STOP people from taking supplements. You might have been recommended this, that, and that! by anyone from your neighbour to your health food store owner - but do they know what is going on across your whole day? At Nutrition Connection Rebecca and I love to help people know for sure what is needed and what isn’t. Let us take the guess work out of your better eating!

A rise in the number of B6 toxicity cases across the nation has sparked action by the TGA to move products behind pharmacy counters.

20/06/2025

08/05/2025

The move away from robust science and evidenced based practices in the States will have long term consequences on the ability for people to unpick the nutrition messages that actually matter. Before you decide to ‘follow’ someone- ask yourself ‘what are they selling?’ 🙁🫣

President Donald Trump is tapping Dr. Casey Means, a physician-turned-wellness influencer with close ties to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as his nominee for surgeon general after withdrawing his initial pick for the influential health post. Trump said in a social media....

25/11/2024

This is a fantastic summary of how far our ‘modern world’ food practices have moved away from ‘whole foods’ - I like to think in NZ we have greater opportunities to choose foods that are least Ultra-processed…. What do you think?

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/14eWu3TEyX/?mibextid=UalRPS

08/06/2024

You might be asking how it is possible that the same combination of micronutrients treats ADHD, antenatal depression, anxiety and stress. Too good to be true? Not at all. We need the full array of vitamins and minerals to support optimal brain health. When there are deficiencies relative to the brain's needs, we see emergence of symptoms. Fix the chemistry and symptoms improve. Simple as that. The medical model has led us astray to think that we need different drugs for different disorders. Instead let's remember what Linus Pauling said: "What is probably inherited in mental illness are genes that regulate brain metabolism of essential nutrients." .co

09/05/2024

Are you confused too? 🚫🍎 Health influencers condemning fruit for being too high in sugar, while putting protein bars on a pedestal.

Truth is, fruit comes packaged with fibre, vitamins, and antioxidants which are essential for health and wellbeing. Fruit is also a natural whole food that makes a tasty snack. While there is nothing wrong with protein bars if that’s what you want, but let’s be honest and call a spade a spade. After all, most protein bars are just a chocolate bar with a health halo.

02/05/2024

As a parent and health professional I’m very interested in this research on sleep quality and screen use!

Dunedin School of Medicine PhD student Brad Brosnan’s exceptional research on whether digital devices are really affecting adolescents’ sleep will see him presenting at the European Congress on Obesity in Italy in May.

Brad’s PhD thesis, ‘Streaming or Dreaming: Are Digital Devices Really Affecting Adolescents’ Sleep?’, has been awarded exceptional thesis status.

With a background in dietetics and physical activity, Brad has always been interested in lifestyle choices that contribute to health. Based in the Department of Medicine, he says sleep is a “crucial health pillar” that is often underestimated.

In his PhD and other related research, Brad was keen to innovate. Rather than just tally screen time, he measured actual activities, such as whether young people were doing “late-night movie marathons or endless messaging”.

“My aim was not solely to satisfy my own questions, but to make a tangible impact, helping to shape sleep hygiene guidelines that resonate with today’s realities, and providing parents and whānau with the insights to help safeguard their children’s sleep.”

After he graduates in August, Brad will focus on developing his own initiative – Screen wise: https://www.screenwise.co.nz/. This is an online educational platform which outlines the how and why of healthier screen use.