Vegetable intake a serious problem 50 years on

Diet will become the number one modifiable factor for disease and death, overtaking cigarettes, experts warn as Australia reflects on the golden anniversary of dietetics, which started at Sydney. This year marks 50 years of dietetics and nutrition as a university course in Australia. The University of Sydney started its program in 1967, back when nutrition related treatment was conducted mostly in hospitals. Since then, plenty has changed but there also seems to be some age-old issues that need to be addressed, so we sat down with Professor of Dietetics at the Charles Perkins Centre , Margaret Allman-Farinelli , and PhD candidate with the School of Life and Environmental Sciences Monica Nour to understand the current Australian diet and the challenges that exist. Times have changed. "I think that the biggest thing that's happened in 50 years is the food available - the supply has really changed," says Margaret. "What's hard for us now is the food environment encourages people to eat unhealthily." Most people are not aware that diet is the second leading cause of cancer and it will soon overtake smoking, with the rate of obesity worldwide continuing to increase.