Eat Well

EATWELL for the love of food If you are considering growing rhubarb in your garden, you are probably thinking of the lovely desserts you will have when you bake up the luminous, long, red, snappy stems. This is a perfectly understandable ambition, but the added bonus for you is that you will be growing a plant which is part of a family that has been part of the medicinal hoard of herbalists for millennia. Rheum rhaponticum is the garden rhubarb that you will grow. It is related to R. palmatum and R. officinale, which have been favourites of Chinese herbalists for more than 2000 years, but it is the root of the plant that they use, not the stems. In recent times, Western herbalism has also embraced rhubarb root as…

EATWELL for the love of food Coffee is made by infusing the dried and roasted beans of the Coffea arabica or the Coffea robusta trees. Australians consume an average 2.4kg of coffee per head per year, so you are not alone if you love your coffee. According to legend, the modern love affair with coffee has its origins in Ethiopia, where a goat herder named Khaldi noticed one day that his goats were very jumpy and saw that they had been eating the red berries of a bush. He decided to make a brew of those berries and so coffee drinking began, starting a worldwide phenomenon. In its natural state, coffee grows on trees that are part of the diverse make-up of rainforests. The coffee tree will usually be shaded…

It's time for me to close my chapter on EatWell. I have been creating this magazine since its very beginning and have proudly produced 54 issues. In that time, I've cooked our recipes; styled and photographed dishes; interviewed growers, makers and chefs; worked with the EatWellTV crew; attended food fairs and countless events; feasted with our chefs and celebrated everything that there is to love about food. I am proud to say that, despite our many design overhauls, we have stayed true to our ethos of sharing food that is nourishing, approachable and downright delicious. I've cooked countless EatWell recipes for my family as they are truly my favourite dishes. Never have I found the recipes complicated, tasteless or requiring little-known ingredients. Our recipes are wholesome and well loved by…

FOOD IN PROFILE eggs Eggs are an extremely versatile, healthy breakfast choice that will help keep you and your family going until lunchtime. Eggs are an excellent source of protein that stabilises blood-sugar levels, preventing mid-morning drops in energy and concentration, along with making you feel full and satisfied. Eggs for your mood Eggs are a great source of the amino acid tryptophan. This essential amino acid can't be produced in the body, so it must be supplied through the diet. Tryptophan is used by the body to produce serotonin, which is the neurotransmitter responsible for making us feel happy and content. Tryptophan is also needed to produce melatonin that helps us get a good night's sleep. People with low serotonin levels are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety…

Most of us have heard the expression “You are what you eat”. This is particularly true for people who suffer from digestive issues including Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) where food is unfortunately a common trigger. IBS is one of the most common digestive disorders, affecting approximately one in seven adults and causing symptoms including bloating, constipation, nausea, stomach pain and diarrhoea. Studies have shown that adopting a low-FODMAP diet can help alleviate the debilitating symptoms associated with IBS. But what exactly is FODMAP eating, how do you start it and is it suitable for you and your gut? FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols. These can be further divided into five groups called fructans, galacto-oligosaccharides, lactose, excess fructose and polyols (sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol and maltitol). Sounds like a…

Low-FODMAP diets have seen a surge in recent years — and with good reason. Approximately 6.4 million Australians suffer from food intolerances of some kind. Changing what we eat can make us feel good, not just physically but emotionally too. But what exactly is a low-FODMAP diet and who is it best suited to? FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols — short-chain carbohydrates (sugars) that are challenging for the small intestine to digest. In some people, this can result in digestive distress and cause an array of conditions that range from mild bloating to severe cramping, gas and pain as experienced by sufferers of IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). Here, you'll discover some of our favourite low-FODMAP recipes suitable for the whole family. Scrambled Eggs with Feta & Chives Recipe…