Even women who are not trying to have a baby should take folic acid tablets daily as 50% of pregnancies are unplanned, according to experts at Safefood.

Most shift workers are skipping meals and not getting enough sleep, it has emerged.

Foods like raisins and smoothies aren’t always as healthy as you might think.

Plans by the European Commission to allow claims that sugary drinks and energy drinks containing caffeine boost alertness or concentration have been vetoed by the European Parliament.

Two out of five parents routinely give their children treats like crisps, chocolates, and sweets at least once a day or more.

Facts, not fads, should lead discussions about rising obesity levels, the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute has said.

Irish children will get an average of five Easter eggs this weekend in an annual sugar splurge that will see them eat their way through more than 160 tonnes of chocolate.

Energy drinks may claim to give you wings, a buzz, a mega hit, an adrenaline rush or, in one case, a “nuclear weapon against hangover”. But food safety experts sum up the characteristics in a rather less appealing way: Sugar and caffeine.

One in three people are now trying to lose weight — and a new app has been launched to combat Ireland’s growing obesity problem.

A typical Indian takeaway meal has enough food for two people, health chiefs have warned.

Fewer than one in four women takes folic acid before getting pregnant, despite studies showing the supplement is effective at preventing birth defects.

Low-income households need to spend at least one quarter of their income to afford to buy a basket of healthy food.

WHY is one in four Irish schoolchildren overweight or obese? Poor diet. Tick. Lack of exercise. Tick. Lack of sleep. Tick.

Parents are more concerned about their children being overweight or obese than they are about them engaging in underage drinking or taking drugs.

One in three consumers finds it difficult to manage portion sizes and most think it is only relevant to dieters, it has emerged.

Men are a disadvantaged group health-wise because of their relationship with food, a study reveals.

People need to re-train their palate so they can eat savoury and not crave sugar says Helen O’Callaghan

It’s time to think beyond pizza and chips. Getting your children to try different foods is vital for their health and development.

Support for policies targeting obesity is much higher in Ireland than in other European countries, research has found.

Pre-school children can identify Coca-Cola and Coco Pops far more readily than Actimel or cheese strings even though similar TV advertising time is devoted to each of these brands, according to research.

Treats make up one fifth of the calorie intake of the average child in Ireland, according to an expert at Safefood.

IT’S more than a century since women everywhere were liberated from their corsets by the bra.

Sugar is being described as the “new tobacco” for children and the food industry is being urged to slash the amount of sugar it adds to processed food.

A survey by safefood has found that many juice drinks contain as much sugar as fizzy drinks.

You might want to reconsider putting that low-fat spread on your toast — research indicates that foods marketed as ‘healthier’ could make you put on more weight as they typically lead to larger portion size.

A 10% tax on fizzy drinks, sweets, biscuits, crisps, and chocolate is to be recommended to the health minister as a way of tackling the country’s soaring obesity problem.

A “fat tax” might be the only way to curb the country’s growing waistline, a report has suggested.

Ireland's obesity problem is costing the country more than €1bn every year, new research has found.

Almost 450,000 people in Ireland are living in food poverty following a 3% rise in the numbers lacking an adequate, nutritious diet in 2010.

One in 10 people in Ireland are too poor to afford a properly balanced diet, a study has shown.

The Director of Human Health and Nutrition at Safefood says Irish children are living in a hostile and toxic environment when it comes to childhood obesity.

The average Chinese takeaway contains as many calories as nine Mars bars or 66 McDonald’s chicken nuggets, and has 160% more salt than the daily recommended intake.

A burger meal can amount to an adult’s entire daily dietary requirements.

Children could be weighed on their first day of primary school in an drastic attempt to address Ireland’s rising obesity epidemic.

It may be a delicious meal at the end of a long day or a tasty option when you don’t feel like cooking, but that cheesy and tempting pizza comes at a cost.

A single 12-inch takeaway pizza contains more than the total daily requirement of calories, saturated fat and salt, health chiefs have warned.

THE Department of Education has said its powerless to force schools to provide healthy alternatives in vending machines despite a report on obesity recommending a clear code of practice be drawn up.

EMOTIONS and social pressures around food, coupled with limited budgets are causing food poverty, which now affects just under one in six (15%) of the population.

IRISH people are in denial about the scale of the obesity epidemic here even though two out of three people are overweight.

THE majority of people are consuming well over the recommended daily intake of salt, according to a report carried out by safefood.

Most Irish adults eat more than the recommended daily limit of six grams of salt.

HAVING a breakfast is more important for children than the make-up of the cereals they eat, according to Safefood, the body responsible for the promotion of food safety.