Niki Bezzant
The New Zealand Herald has more than 200 journalists across the country, bringing you the stories that matter on our website and app, in print and across our social media platforms.
We are your advocate, Aotearoa. Uncovering stories that matter, asking hard-hitting questions of those in power, live-blogging sport events, monitoring the highs and lows of the NZX and providing Premium expert opinion and analysis. Bringing you distinctive, quality journalism and breaking news from across New Zealand and around the world. With specialists working together to create indepth reads, engaging video, and unmissable podcasts.
Check out Niki’s latest content
Spicy food: Should we avoid it or eat more of it?
If you have ever wondered if spice is nice, or not, Niki Bezzant has the answers.
Niki Bezzant: How to stay healthy when dining out
Here's how to make the experience of dining out as healthy as possible.
Niki Bezzant: Coronavirus myths busted
Social media has fuelled strange claims about diets that will help protect from the virus.
Niki Bezzant: Four foods you never need to eat
Marketed as beneficial, Niki Bezzant says there's no reason to eat these foods, ever.
Which is best? Paleo, intermittent fasting or the Mediterranean diet
Not all diets are created equal. One of these has been found to trump the rest.
The truth about soy: Is it good or bad for you?
Do you really know how much soy you're consuming? Niki Bezzant explains.
How to avoid gaining weight as a couple
Falling in love can also see us fall in to some unhealthy habits.
Why this is a tough time to be a Kiwi kid
Think kids these days have it easy? Niki Bezzant explains why they don't.
A realistic guide to easing up on alcohol
Looking to ease up on the drink? Here's how to realistically achieve lowering your intake.
Niki Bezzant: Time to get off the social media diet
COMMENT: Be wary of those self-proclaimed experts.
What's dinner really like at Europe's oldest restaurant?
Niki Bezzant ate at the oldest restaurant in Europe.
How social media is harmful for your diet
Social media is changing how we think about life, health and food.
The secret to quick and healthy weeknight meals
You'll never have to succumb to Uber Eats again.
Is plant-based meat a processed nightmare? Modern food dilemmas solved
Food shopping is now wrought with dilemmas.
Destination Dining: Hearth, Perth
A glamorous restaurant to explore truly local and indigenous Australian ingredients.
How to stay healthy on holiday
On the road, in the air or in between this summer, here's how to maintain a healthy diet.
How to avoid food poisoning this summer
Summer entertaining can quickly turn sour if food isn't properly prepped.
Niki Bezzant: Why a tax on sugary drinks won't work
Are beverage manufacturers and the Government doing enough to combat sugar?
Niki Bezzant: Australia is finally waking up to climate change
COMMENT: There is a link between a healthy (or unhealthy) planet and healthy people.
How to keep your diet on track this festive season
In the most overindulgent time of the year, Niki Bezzant explains how to keep eating well.
Niki Bezzant: Dieting messes with our heads
COMMENT: I can't believe I am writing this again, but here it is: diets don't work.
Niki Bezzant: We are (only human in) what we eat
COMMENT: We want to eat less meat and more veges but at end of the day, food is personal.
Niki Bezzant: The warning signs for diabetes
One hundred thousand Kiwis are walking around with this chronic health condition.
Niki Bezzant: Probiotics may prove bitter pill
COMMENT: Do probiotics do us more harm than good?
Niki Bezzant: The problem with The Game Changers and vegans
COMMENT: The Netflix film The Game Changers is a compelling narrative.
The processed foods that are good for you
Revealed: The processed foods you may be overlooking in your healthy diet efforts.
Niki Bezzant: Why we need to talk about men and body dissatisfaction
Speaking to each other about issues could be life saving.
Niki Bezzant: How to look after your bones
Are you getting enough from food to maintain the health of your bones?
Niki Bezzant: The truth about red and processed meat
COMMENT: A predominantly plant-based diet is still the best.
The gut health issue no one wants to talk about
There's one gut issue we're less keen to talk about, but probably affects many of us.
Live like a local in ... Adelaide
With its thriving food scene and park-like setting, Adelaide's perfect for a mini break.
Niki Bezzant: 15 years of nutritious advice
COMMENT: How have our diet trends changed in the past 15 years? Niki Bezzant explains.
The best foods to curb arthritis symptoms
A leading cause of disability in New Zealand, here are some key ways to curb the pain.
Niki Bezzant: Eat less meat, not more meat-free alternatives
COMMENT: Nutritionally, you may not be doing yourself any favours.
Niki Bezzant: How to eat more fish for less
There are tons of often-overlooked fish species that are economical and delicious.
Niki Bezzant: Mistrust of farmers is misplaced
COMMENT: My experience of growers of our food is that they love what they do.
Niki Bezzant: 'Food insecurity' a real worry
COMMENT: Money plays an important part in our access to safe and healthy food.
Niki Bezzant: An apple a day keeps impetigo away
COMMENT: Fruit in schools is helping keep kids healthy.
The healthiest comfort food to eat this winter
If you want to lose weight, soup could be your go-to meal this winter.
Niki Bezzant: There are no healthy people on a ravaged planet
COMMENT: We are in the midst of what the authors called a "global syndemic".
Niki Bezzant: Health ratings not written in the stars
COMMENT: Change can only be a good thing.
Niki Bezzant: The wurst of both worlds
COMMENT: When you're trying to cash in on a trend, you need to apply a bit of common sense
What to eat to battle winter colds and flu
Niki Bezzant on the foods that will help keep you well this winter.
Niki Bezzant: We need to use less plastic, now
COMMENT: Less than 20 per cent of waste plastic generated globally each year is recycled.
Niki Bezzant: Shining light on food facts
COMMENT: IT can be hard to get as much information as we'd like about the food we eat.
Niki Bezzant: A simple trick could help us lose weight
COMMENT: Let's re-arrange how we choose what we eat.
Niki Bezzant: Our attitude to drinking is all wrong
COMMENT: Why do we need to ingest a harmful toxin in order to relax?
The uncomfortable truth about alcohol
There's really no positive way to spin the alcohol story. Niki Bezzant explains.
From bush tucker to fine dining on the Sunshine Coast
Niki Bezzant eases into the Sunshine Coast.
Niki Bezzant: The healthy way to snack
"Snackification" is a big and growing trend. Don't get caught out by it.
Niki Bezzant: How to prevent cancer
Eating lots of vegetables and fruit is the basis for a cancer-preventing diet.
Niki Bezzant: 'Wellness' can be bad for you
COMMENT: Women rarely blame the dodgy advice, or its source. They blame themselves.
Niki Bezzant: How your diet can improve your mood
COMMENT: Taking GST off fresh fruit and veges could improve physical and mental health.
Niki Bezzant: Govt shows weakness on sugar tax
COMMENT: The only people who don't support tax are those making sugary drinks - and Govt.
The hidden ingredient that's as dangerous as sugar
Salt is responsible for the disease-related deaths of three million people a year.
Niki Bezzant: The real reason you can't resist fast food
COMMENT: Low-quality, highly processed foods don't satisfy us - so we eat more and more.
Niki Bezzant: The 'fire hose' food you need to eat
COMMENT: Niki Bezzant on the study of the interplay between food and genes.
The $120 foolproof lifesaver the Govt won't pay for
COMMENT: Food allergy is an expensive condition to live with day to day.
Destination Dining: The Tamarind, Sunshine Coast
Niki Bezzant headed across the ditch and found herself transported to Thailand.
Niki Bezzant: Free water for a healthier planet
COMMENT: The habit of choosing water first is a great one to pass on to our kids.
Niki Bezzant: The thin red line
COMMENT: New research links red and processed meats to colorectal cancer.
Niki Bezzant: Kids know best
COMMENT: We're vulnerable to the lure of a well-placed shop display or a well-timed TV ad.
Niki Bezzant: Which is the lesser of two evils?
COMMENT: Which is worse for your health - salt or sugar?
The truth about 'wholesome', 'healthy' food labels
Niki Bezzant explains why some food labels are better ignored.
Niki Bezzant: Take a break from the sweet stuff
COMMENT: The dose makes the poison, you could say.
Niki Bezzant: What to eat to avoid Alzheimer's
Dementia is a common disease in New Zealand, affecting around 70,000 people right now.
Bezzant: Influencers dish out the junk
COMMENT: We should take notice of them, especially when they espouse nutrition advice.
Why we don't need milk, but should still drink it
There are lots of myths and misunderstandings out there about dairy. So what's true?
Niki Bezzant: Salt - the villain hiding in plain sight
COMMENT: We're focused on keeping sugar down but it may be that salt is doing more harm.
How to go vegan the healthy way
Going vegan is hot right now. Here's what you need to know if you are making the switch.
Niki Bezzant: Fortune smiles on good health
COMMENT: Our mouths are a mirror, in many ways, to our bodies.
Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?
Recent research has cast doubt on the way you start your day.
Niki Bezzant: The race is on to a better diet
COMMENT: Looking to eat healthier? It might be as simple as moving more.
Comment: Time for a check-up on Kiwis' latest eating habits
Comment: It's time for a check-up on Kiwis' latest eating habits, Niki Bezzant writes