Is it okay to eat chocolate every day? Are multivitamins worth taking? And what's the best way to improve your gut health?
AU Answers is a new video series where our experts answer the community’s burning questions on a range of fun and interesting topics.
In the first episode, Adelaide University Program Director of Human Nutrition Associate Professor Evangeline Mantzioris, tackles some of the most common questions about food, diet and healthy eating.
Associate Professor Mantzioris says there is no single ‘superfood’ for health and longevity, but that the evidence consistently points to a varied, predominantly plant-based diet.
“What the evidence shows us is that plant-based diets are the ones that are going to do that the most,” she says, noting that fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds should form the foundation of a healthy diet.
She also highlights the importance of variety, explaining that different coloured fruits and vegetables provide different nutrients and health benefits.
“The more variety you can have in your diet, the more chance you have of consuming all the important nutrients that we need,” she says.
Addressing the popularity of supplements, Associate Professor Mantzioris says nutrition is best obtained from food rather than relying on a daily multivitamin.
“What we do know is that getting all the nutrients through food is more important,” she says. “And remember, we evolved on food, not multivitamins.”
The episode also explores some of the internet’s favourite nutrition questions, including whether it's okay to eat chocolate every day.
“I really wish the answer to this was yes,” she says, noting that if people do indulge regularly, dark chocolate is generally the better option because it contains more antioxidants and less sugar.
Associate Professor Mantzioris also shares practical advice on fibre intake, processed foods and improving gut health, including why feeding the gut microbiome starts with eating a wide range of fibre-rich foods.
Watch the video now and subscribe to Adelaide University’s YouTube channel for future episodes.
Associate Professor Mantzioris is an accredited practicing dietitian and sports dietitian, and in 2021 was appointed to the NHRMC Australian Dietary Guidelines Expert Review Committee.