The perception of the 'healthiness' of nuts has changed over the last three decades, following the publication of a landmark study in 1992, 'A possible protective effect of nut consumption on risk of coronary heart disease'. The study concluded that regular nut eaters had half the risk of heart disease compared to those who didn’t eat nuts.
Many years later in 2003, the health promotion program, Nuts for Life, was established by the Australian nut industry collectively, and Horticulture Australia Limited, with a remit to educate Australians on the health benefits of regular nut consumption.
Lisa Yates, who was the Program Manager at Nuts for Life for more than 13 years, walks us through the development of Nuts for Life and the ‘health history’ of nuts from a ‘fat-promoting’, ‘need-to-be-avoided' food to an important core food with a wealth of health-promoting properties.
About today’s guest
Lisa Yates is an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian and newly-minted Fellow of Dietitians Australia. She is currently working part time in private practice, consulting to patients and industry, and also works part time in food policy. She has a wealth of knowledge in public relations and marketing, nutrition communications, stakeholder management, and strategic planning, implementation and evaluation.
Supporting resources
Nuts for Life website https://www.nutsforlife.com.au/
A possible protective effect of nut consumption on risk of coronary heart disease. The Adventist Health Study (1992). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1627021/
Credits
Host: Belinda Neville
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