PERRY BULWER - BRIGHT ON THE EDGE

We don't need doctors and nutritionists to tell us how to eat. Our own bodies do a much better job.

Ten thousand years ago the Agricultural Revolution was the beginning of a drastic change in the human diet that continues to this day. Today more than 70% of our dietary calories come from foods that our Stone Age ancestors rarely, if ever, ate.

Traditional diet may mitigate health problems such as diabetes and obesity.

Métis physician, Dr. Jay Wortman, believes that the western diet which replaced the traditional diet is the primary cause of obesity, diabetes and heart disease, which were unknown in aboriginal populations until very recently.

Food rations sent by the government - white flour, lard, canned meats and other sugary, processed foods - conspired with the genetic anomalies of the Indians to sow an obesity epidemic that is among the highest rates of diabetes in the world.

The diet, which includes high quantities of olive oil, fruit, vegetables and wholegrain pulses and cereals is already known to protect against cardiovascular disease and, according to some research, against Alzheimer's.

"Food is like a pharmaceutical compound that affects the brain," said Fernando Gómez-Pinilla, a UCLA professor of neurosurgery and physiological science who has spent years studying the effects of food, exercise and sleep on the brain.

Taking exercise, not drinking too much alcohol, eating enough fruit and vegetables and not smoking can add up to 14 years to your life, a study says.

The U.S. government's food policy suggests an apple is an apple, regardless of how it was grown. Scientific data suggests otherwise.

A new book explores how we got into the modern situation where we know so little about what we eat and yet regard it as entirely normal.

Acclaimed author and journalist Michael Pollan argues that what most Americans are consuming today is not food but “edible food-like substances.”

Dietary advice in seven words: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

Scientists are finding that spices can ease inflammation, kill bacteria and viruses, and even cause cancer cells to self-destruct.

Turmeric, an Asian spice found in many curries, has a long history of use in reducing inflammation, healing wounds and relieving pain, but can it prevent diabetes?

Researchers at Bonn University and the ETH Zürich have discovered that this spice also contains a substance which, amongst other qualities, appears to help cure inflammations.

Health campaigners reckon that it's a recipe for high blood pressure – but some mineral-rich varieties can actually benefit our health.

A new study reveals part of the magic behind a diet rich in antioxidants, showing how artichokes, blueberries and pecans can hold at bay the leading cause of age-related blindness in developed countries.

On the basis of typical serving sizes, blackberries, walnuts, strawberries, artichokes, cranberries, brewed coffee, raspberries, pecans, blueberries, ground cloves, grape juice, and unsweetened baking chocolate were at the top of the ranked list.

Foods high in antioxidants may be excellent sources of healthful compounds, and researchers are striving to learn more about their ability to be absorbed and utilized within the human body.

Phytochemical-rich foods, such as blueberries, are effective at reversing age-related deficits in memory, according to a study soon to be published in the science journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine.

Researchers have discovered eating broccoli could undo the damage caused by diabetes to heart blood vessels.

In ancient Greece and Rome, marigold tea was used to combat sleep disorders and calm nerves. During the Renaissance, the yellow plant was used to treat everything from headache, red eyes and toothaches to jaundice and skin problems.

Men who eat a diet low in fat and red meat but high in vegetables and lean protein and who drink alcohol in moderation may not just be doing their hearts a favor.

Almonds, as well as being high in vitamin E and other minerals, are also thought to have other health benefits, such as reducing cholesterol.

Turning up the heat on the red tomato during processing has the potential to give the popular garden staple added disease-fighting power, Ohio State University research suggests.

Taking 1000mg of a specific olive leaf extract (EFLA®943) can lower cholesterol and lower blood pressure in patients with mild hypertension (high blood pressure).

Quercetin, a close chemical relative of resveratrol, is present in a variety of fruits and vegetables, including red onions, grapes, blueberries, tea, broccoli and red wine.

Red wine may be much more potent than was thought in extending human lifespan, researchers say in a new report

Those who drank only wine showed the most benefit, the researchers reported in the American Medical Journal.