diet

Mauritius: The island where food is everywhere

It's a globe-spanning display of produce that migrated here along the paths of the sailing ships that brought settlers, slaves and servants to Mauritius.

"It's a melting pot, curry from India, noodles from China," says Linzy Bacbotte, a Mauritian singer and advocate of Creole culture. "It's very colorful, all the spices. And if you want a snack, the dried fish. It's yum."

She also likes a drink called alouda, sort of a milkshake with tapioca balls and sweetened with flavored syrups.

But Mauritius is one of those places where a bounty of snacks are never far away.

countries where people still eat cats and dogs

The new Animal Protection Act will see anyone selling, eating or buying the animals for consumption facing fines of up to £6,500.

Those found guilty of animal cruelty could also receive a huge fine of £52,000 and two years in prison.

Taiwan is the first Asian country to crack down on the practice.

The new law tackles long-standing cultural beliefs about the benefits of eating dogs - for example, eating black dogs in winter is supposed to help you stay warm.

Christina El Moussa's nutritionist breaks down her diet

Instead, the mother of two stays committed to a food routine that works for her, designed by nutritionist, fellow mom and BFF Cara Clark. According to the California-based expert, the first task was increasing calories. 

"She's always been super active and she was like any typical client of mine that is very healthy aware. She was way undereating at that point when I met her," Clark told E! News exclusively, explaining that her food intake was not enough fuel to support her busy daily life.

What the changing food habits of Australians tell us

Global market research company Mintel monitors the way new food and drink products perform in the market while surveying consumers to understand their eating habits.

Justin Nell from the company's Australia and New Zealand arm is in Adelaide to speak at the Food South Australia Summit and says these are the biggest trends playing out in 2017.

Night-time loo trips 'linked to salt in diet'

The problem - called nocturia - which mainly affects the over-60s, leads to disrupted sleep and can significantly affect people's lives.

In a study of more than 300 volunteers, researchers found that reduced salt intake led people to urinate less.

Advice to follow a sensible diet could help improve symptoms, UK doctors said.

The researchers, from Nagasaki University, presented their findings at the European Society of Urology congress in London.

Compare the eel recipes used by the Aboriginal people of Parramatta and colonial settlers

Each season when the eel was spawning along the Parramatta River, they would gather with other Indigenous tribes to celebrate and share stories.

After 1788, those practices were slowly lost as colonial settlers moved into the area.

On Sunday the annual Eel Festival at Elizabeth Farm in Rosehill will give visitors a chance to understand the ways of the Dharug people and how significant eel was to the way they lived.

Obesity crisis: Is this the food that is making us all fat?

When he was growing up in the 1960s, vegetable oil was still a precious commodity and used sparingly.

Fast-forward to today and oil is now so abundant and cheaply available that most of us use it liberally in our cooking - chucking it in anything from salad dressings to deep fat frying.

It's not only in our home cooking, oil is also an ingredient in most of the items we buy from the supermarket.

Is rice healthy?

It depends on the kind of rice you choose.

White rice is considered a nutritionally inferior "refined grain" because its bran and germ are removed during the milling process, which strips away B vitamins, iron and fiber. Though white rice is typically enriched with iron and B vitamins, fiber is not added back.

Brown rice is the same thing as white rice but is a "whole grain," because only its inedible outer husk is removed. Since brown rice retains its bran and germ, it's a better source of antioxidants, vitamin E and fiber.

Are nuts healthy?

Nuts are rich in heart-healthy polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats, which lower LDL or "bad" cholesterol; plus, they are a good source of phytosterols, compounds that help lower blood cholesterol.

They are packed with fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals, including folate, vitamin E, potassium and magnesium.

What happens to your brain when you give up sugar

My friend and fellow graduate student Andrew is equally afflicted, and living in Hershey, Pennsylvania -- the "Chocolate Capital of the World" -- doesn't help either of us.

But Andrew is braver than I am. Last year, he gave up sweets for Lent. I can't say that I'm following in his footsteps this year, but if you are abstaining from sweets for Lent this year, here's what you can expect over the next 40 days.

Sugar: natural reward, unnatural fix