Category: Dairy products

Regularly eating yoghurt in the first year of life may protect infants from developing eczema and allergies, researchers from the universities of Otago and Auckland have found. Children who were fed yoghurt daily in their first year, once introduced to solids, had up to 70 per cent reduction in eczema and allergy incidence, according to

HFG senior nutritionist Rose Carr looks at one of our staple foods and investigates how good it really is for our health. We’re a dairying nation. Most of us were brought up to drink and eat dairy products such as milk, yoghurt and cheese. Some of us will even have memories — fond or otherwise

We’re big on dairy in New Zealand and we love our cheese! HFG senior nutritionist Rose Carr looks at some of the cheese varieties available. Semi-soft cheeses Edam, a Dutch-style cheese, is traditionally produced using skimmed and full milk, so it’s usually lower in fat than other ‘hard’ cheeses. Edam has a mild flavour and

Nutritionist Fiona Carruthers explains the good, the bad and the controversial about fat in our diets. The concept of fat being good for us can be hard to grasp. Once upon a time all fat was bad, so how can it now be good? Then again, how good is good and how bad is bad?

Q. I have heard that products which are fat-reduced have had sugar added to enhance the flavour. This seems counterproductive if we’re trying to be healthier. Can you please tell me if it’s true? A. Healthy Food Guide senior nutritionist Rose Carr responds: We always recommend using low-fat or reduced-fat dairy products to help limit

Q: Can yoghurt be frozen to use in baking or sauces just for the taste — or does it separate and curdle? A: Chef, nutritionist and food writer Bronwen King responds: To answer this question I did my own personal study. I froze two different unsweetened plain yoghurts — a higher-fat Greek-style (5.5% fat) and

HFG senior nutritionist Rose Carr takes a look at what spreads are available in stores. Unfortunately, with standard butter having around 82 per cent fat and more than 50 per cent saturated fat, we need to advise against using butter as your everyday spread. But there are plenty of alternatives. What’s available? Better butter blends

We may be familiar with cream cheese and cottage cheese, but these days a much wider choice of soft cheeses is available. Rose Carr tells us which soft cheese varieties are healthier. Cream cheese, crème fraîche and mascarpone are predominantly made of cream, and like cream they are very high in fat and saturated fat.

It has its fans, but is raw milk as good as supporters claim? HFG senior nutritionist Rose Carr investigates. Q: Is raw milk really healthier for us? I read online that it has enzymes, vitamins, probiotics and healthy fats that regular processed milk doesn’t have? A: There is no evidence to support claims that raw

Eating yoghurt is a great way to spread your protein intake throughout the day. We compared products to see which contains the most protein. There’s only a little protein in coconut yoghurts. Soy yoghurts have a bit more, but dairy yoghurt has the most. Greek-style yoghurts have been strained and are the highest in protein.