Crunch Bites

If you enjoyed our last episode “The Garden Within”, but it left you wanting more, this one is for you. Join us for the extended version of Mikala’s conversation with Dr Amy Loughman as they explore the gut microbiome in further detail.

Topics covered:

• Microbiome across the life stages
• The role our microbiome plays in digestion
• Environmental factors and food that can influence the microbiome
• The gut microbiome and its effect on mood, behaviour and health

Episode links:

• The good gut
• Food and mood centre

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guts contain a wide variety of bacteria known as ‘gut bugs’ or commonly called the microbiome. This rich ecosystem can be as diverse and fruitful as a forest floor. Join Mikala as she explores this topic with Dr Amy Loughman from the Food and Mood Centre at Deakin University. In this episode, they chat about how the microbiome develops throughout childhood and some of the life events that can shape this developmental journey. Tune in and find out more about how the microbiome can influence both our physical and mental health.

Topics covered:

• Microbiome across the life stages
• The role our microbiome plays in digestion
• Environmental factors and food that can influence the microbiome
• The gut microbiome and its effect on mood, behaviour and health.

Episode links:

• The good gut
• Food and mood centre

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With so much focus on what to feed our kids, have you ever stopped to think about the importance of how we feed them? In this episode Mikala dives into food parenting practices with Dr Kathryn Walton from Guelph University. They chat about how to set up positive mealtimes and the importance of parents being on the same page when it comes to the family table and beyond.  

This one’s a meaty episode so grab your carrot sticks and get comfy.

Topics covered:

•       The division of responsibility (when to serve and what is on offer)
•       Appetite regulation and listening to hunger cues
•       Parents roles in establishing feeding patterns  
•       How to set up positive mealtimes
•       Where to get more information.

Episode links

•       Guelph family study cookbooks
•       Guelph family study website

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The range of baby and toddler foods on the market has exploded over the last decade, with more pouches and puffs available every day. But are these really foods we want to be feeding our kids? Join Mikala as she chats with Andrea Schmidtke, public health lawyer and researcher at the Food for Health Alliance, about the impact these foods are having on our children as they begin developing their eating habits.

Mikala and Andrea also discuss the need for stronger regulations around what goes into baby and toddler foods as well as how they are marketed to families.

Topics covered:

• What is in baby and toddler foods and why we should be mindful of what we choose
• Marketing and the many tactics companies use and how to see through them
• The need for tighter regulations to protect families
• How families can navigate the toddler food aisle and what to avoid

Episode links:

• Kids are sweet enough campaign.
• Parent resource for navigating the baby and toddler aisle resource
• Choosing food for babies and young children - Food For Health Alliance – various languages (Arabic, Burmese, Chinese, Dari, Punjabi, Vietnamese).
• Beyond the Label report

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The traditional family model is changing, as many families now juggle both parents working outside the home. Grandparents are increasingly stepping in to offer support and perform a regular childcare role. Join Mikala as she speaks with Professor Michelle Jongenelis about her research examining this changing landscape and the important role grandparents play in shaping children’s habits, such as what they eat and how much they move their body. 

Topics covered:

-         The changing family model

-         Grandparents role and impact on children’s nutrition and physical activity

-         The importance of consistent and clear communication between parents and grandparents

-         Valuable resources and tools for grandparents and families to support children’s health and wellbeing

Episode links:

• Dr Michelle Jongenelis website and factsheets
•   Grandparents as healthy eating champions factsheet
•  Fussy grandchild
•  Healthy eating activity cards  
• Crunch&Sip website
• LiveLighter website

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following Mikala’s detailed conversation with Dr Joanna McMillan about her book The Fibre Factor, join us for this bonus bite-sized episode where we summarise the info in a quick 20 questions, easy to digest format.

Episode links

•    The Fibre Factor
•    Dr Joanna McMillan’s website

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Find out what your gut wants you to know about fibre as Mikala talks with Dr Joanna McMillan about her latest book The Fibre Factor. In this engaging conversation they discuss why fibre leads to more than just healthy digestion, the different types of fibre and why diversity matters, how fibre can improve the whole body and lots of family-friendly and practical ways to include more fibre in the diet.

Topics covered:

•     The fibre dream team – diversity counts  
•     The role of fibre in the body and the many benefits beyond the gut
•     Practical ways you can increase fibre every day
•     Why starting low and going slow is the key to increasing fibre, rather than “fibre maxxing”

Episode links

•    The Fibre Factor
•    Dr Joanna McMillan’s website
•    @the.guthealthdietitian 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do we support our emerging athletes as they juggle the demands of school and sports? 

Join Mikala as she talks about sustaining snacks and meals that maximise nutrition with Julie Meek, performance specialist and Sports Dietitian.

Julie shares her top tips when it comes to juggling a full training schedule and ensuring kids find time to fuel up on the food needed for healthy growth and development. Hear ways to boost iron, pack in protein and the importance of considering calcium for growing skeletons.

Topics covered in today’s episode:

• How to fuel kids with busy sports schedules
• When to eat and how to tackle tricky timing when juggling late games or early starts 
• Which nutrients are needed most
• The importance of allowing children to regulate their appetite and develop a positive relationship with food
• Being mindful of marketing around foods that are high in protein
• When to reach for a sports drink

Episode links:

• Julie Meek website
• Eat for Health website
• Better Health Channel – understanding lactose intolerance
• Transcript

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us as we yarn about bush foods with Dale Tilbrook, a proud Wardandi Bibbulmun woman. Mikala and Dale explore bush foods and discuss some common examples, where you can find them and how to weave them into your weekly cooking.

Topics covered in today’s episode:

• What are bush foods
• Where you can find bush foods
• The rules of foraging
• The importance of supporting Aboriginal owned companies 

Links

• Dale Tilbrook
• Maalinup aboriginal gallery
• Transcript

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Engineered to eat: A chat about ultra processed food 

We know food processing can be beneficial for safety, nutrition, and convenience, but can it go too far? In this episode, Mikala and Nicole explore food processing in detail and how different foods are categorised. They discuss how industrial methods used to make ultra processed foods can contribute to poor health and highlight the importance of understanding how to read food labels.

Topics covered in today’s episode:

•        What is food processing, and how are foods categorised?
•         Easy ways to recognise an ultra processed food.
•         The emerging concerns around regular consumption of ultra processed foods.
•         Ways to limit consumption of ultra processed foods in the home.

Episode links:

•         Nova classification system
•         Label reading episode
• Transcript

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.