This week on Wellbeing we speak with Professor Lesley Wicks, from the University of Newcastle. Prof. Wicks' research is centered around how our diets affect mitigating disease risk factors associated with chronic diseases such as stroke and mental illness.

In this episode Dr Wicks talks about how food affects the body, how poor nutrition can cause negative impacts on the body, the different nutritional needs of different age groups, why people are not eating enough fruit and vegetables, the affordability of good nutrition, the links between obesity and the food people eat, the quality of the nutrition provided by the big food companies, and some simple ways in getting more nutritious foods into the diet. 

“Obesity is directly a function of energy. So, if you have more energy, if you eat more energy than you use, then your body will store it for later. The body is very efficient at storing energy and in our body, we store it as fat, and if you end up having a consistent situation where you eat more energy than you use, you will put on weight.”   - Prof. Lesley Wicks on this episode of Wellbeing

Tune in in a fortnight when we discuss alcohol use and addiction.

We would love to hear from you! If you would like to suggest topics, give us feedback, or just say hi, you can contact us on [email protected] 

Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins 
Wellbeing website: https://www.2nurfm.com.au/wellbeing 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.