Junk food, diets and the f-word: it’s time to talk

Sugar is evil, but until recently people said the same of all kinds of fat. Calories and BMI (body mass index) have fallen under suspicion as flawed measurements. Few of us do enough exercise or consume our five portion of fruit and vegetables every day. We don't always eat because we're hungry, but to satisfy other needs – and because we cave in to the sometimes subtle and sometimes strident temptations all around us

What we eat – in pictures

Photographers Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio have produced a gallery of pictures of people from different countries, showing what - and how much - they eat in a day

Suzanne Moore: ‘I’ve joined the gym!’

She was an average middle-aged woman addicted to crisps and cava, but in the midst of a national obsession with obesity, Suzanne Moore decided it was time to take herself in hand

Should I get up earlier to lose weight?

Luisa Dillner: Recent studies have found that it is not just how long we sleep that can affect our weight, but when we wake up. Should we all be jumping out of bed at dawn?