It’s oh-fish-ial, Snapper & Co in Yarralumla has been named ACT’s Winner for the 2022 Great Australian Fish & Chip Awards. Organised by Seafood Industry Australia (SIA), the country’s best fish & chippers in each state and territory were crowned after close to 60,000 votes from the public were cast across 683 stores. Snapper & Co’s win follows their reopening in October, in which new dining space, The Deck, was launched. When making a day trip upcoast, keep NSW’s winner, Pelican Rocks at Greenwell Point, in mind. New South Welshmen cast the most votes out of any state or territory, meaning Pelican Rocks reeled in the most votes in the entire competition. SIA CEO Veronica Papacosta said the awards highlight the importance of buying fresh, local, Australian seafood. “It’s important to always ask for Aussie seafood; even when you’re buying fish & chips,” she says. “Australian seafood is one of the most sustainable protein sources in the world and our fisheries management is world-class. However, 62 per cent of seafood eaten in Australia is imported, so until the Albanese Government’s Country of Origin Labelling for seafood sold in foodservice is brought in, it’s important you chat to your server about where your seafood is from,” said Ms Papacosta.

To view the full list of winners, visit fishandchipawards.com.au

Walnuts are the new brain food for stressed university students, according to new research.

Stressed university students might want to add walnuts to their daily diet in the weeks leading up to exams, according to new research from the University of South Australia. A clinical trial of undergraduate students has shown positive effects of walnut consumption on self-reported measures of mental health, including stress and depression, and biomarkers of general health. The study, published in the journal Nutrients, also suggests that walnuts may counteract the effects of academic stress on the gut microbiota, especially in females. Lead researchers, PhD student Mauritz Herselman and Associate Professor Larisa Bobrovskaya, say the results add to the growing body of evidence linking walnuts with improved brain and gut health. Eighty undergrads were split into treatment and control groups and were clinically assessed in three intervals, at the beginning of a 13-week university semester, during the examination period, and two weeks after the examination period. Those in the treatment group were given walnuts to consume daily for 16 weeks over these three intervals. “We found that those who consumed about half a cup of walnuts every day showed improvements in self-reported mental health indicators,” Mr Herselman says. “Walnut consumers also showed improved metabolic biomarkers and overall sleep quality in the longer term.” Students in the control group reported increased stress and depression levels in the leadup to exams but those in the treatment group did not. Previous research has shown that walnuts are full of omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, as well as melatonin (sleep inducing hormone), polyphenols, folate, and vitamin E, all of which promote a healthy brain and gut. Associate Professor Bobrovskaya expanded on the future of the research. “Due to fewer numbers of males in the study, more research is needed to establish sex-dependent effects of walnuts and academic stress in university students. It’s also possible that a placebo effect might have come into play as this was not a blind study.”