Nutrition Literacy Is the New Media Literacy
Most parents worry about what their children are seeing on social media. Far fewer spend the same amount of time thinking about what their children are seeing in supermarket aisles, convenience stores, school tuck shops, and online food advertising. Have you ever stopped to think that this kind of messaging may be just as influential? […]
Global Wellness Day: Have We Confused Wellness with Health?
Somewhere along the way, wellness became a product. What was once largely associated with everyday habits and behaviours has evolved into a global industry worth billions. Wellness is now packaged, branded, and marketed through supplements, wearables, retreats, specialised treatments, and an endless stream of products promising better sleep, more energy, improved focus, and a longer […]
A New Weekly Diabetes Injection: A Breakthrough in Diabetes Care or a Sign of a Bigger Challenge?
Every few years, a new diabetes drug arrives with results that seem almost too good to be true. Blood sugar falls. Weight drops. Headlines celebrate another breakthrough. Yet despite these advances, rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes continue to climb. So are we winning the battle against metabolic disease, or simply getting better at […]
Youth Month, Freedom and the Courage to Question
Each year, Youth Month provides an opportunity to reflect on one of the most significant moments in South Africa’s history and to honour the young people whose courage helped shape the country we live in today. For many South Africans, the events of 16 June 1976 are familiar. We learn about them at school, we […]
Men’s Health Month: Are We Talking About the Right Things?
If awareness alone were enough to improve health, this should be the healthiest generation in history. Information about nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress, and disease prevention has never been more accessible. Health campaigns occupy an increasingly prominent place on public health calendars, while social media provides a constant stream of advice, recommendations, and reminders about how […]
Salt: Have We Been Asking the Wrong Question?
Each year, World Salt Awareness Week returns with a message that sounds settled, almost beyond debate: reduce salt intake for better health. It is often presented as one of the clearer areas of nutrition science, where the evidence is consistent and the guidance is straightforward. But nutrition has a long history of mistaking confidence for […]
World Move for Health Day: Rethinking the Snack
At The Noakes Foundation, we’ve never been fans of snacking. If food is doing what it is supposed to do, meals should be sufficient. Hunger should have a rhythm, not a constant presence, and the need to snack every few hours often says more about what we are eating than about how often we should […]
National Breakfast Day: The 100-Year-Old Myth Behind “The Most Important Meal of the Day”
Every year on 18 March, the phrase “National Breakfast Day” pops up across media channels, a marketing-friendly celebration of the meal many of us were told we should never skip. It’s the meal that supposedly kick-starts metabolism, fuels the brain, and sets the tone for the day. And of course, it’s the meal we’ve all […]
World Obesity Day: Real Food as a Response to a Global Crisis
Every year on 4 March, World Obesity Day brings together organisations, health professionals, and communities across the globe to raise awareness about obesity and its impact on health (1). Launched in 2015, the campaign is led by the World Obesity Federation, which works in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO) (2). In 2026, […]
Rethinking Chocolate Gifts This Valentine’s Day
As Valentine’s Day approaches, the tradition of gifting chocolates and other sweet treats emerges once again, almost always overshadowing healthier choices. This tradition, stemming as far as the Victorian era, where chocolate was associated with romance and luxury, has become very common for Valentine’s Day. Similar patterns arise during the Easter season and other special […]