Dr. Elizabeth Pickford
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How long have you been working
in your chosen specialty?

I have been a paediatrician since 1993 and have been working with asthma and allergies full time for more than 11 years now.

What specific benefits do apples offer in your field?

Apples are a great snack for children as they taste great, are easy to carry and eat, and have less calories than other snack foods, and no fat. They help children to keep their weight in the normal range, and carry health benefits such as healthy teeth, and because of their natural antioxidants can even decrease the likelihood of developing asthma in childhood.

What is your favourite apple?

I love a good sweet crunchy Cripps Pink (sold as Pink Lady™) apple! And of course apple cider apples (a lovely refreshing drink; Scrumpy Jack would be a great addition to the Australian market...on our honeymoon we did an apple cider tour of south west England with a view to growing apples and making cider here. Of course my husband "forgot" his driving license, so I had to be the designated driver for the whole time while he enjoyed the scrumpy). We saw some amazing cider barns that were unchanged for centuries, and learned a lot in the process, but eventually decided not to leave our day jobs.

What is your favourite apple recipe?

I have a great recipe for a Swedish apple pie. Luscious, but not exactly healthy (actually the story behind it is that my mother was given the recipe by her best friend. The best friend was living in England some years ago and was given the recipe by a friend there, but only as she left the country as the original lady said it was so good she only wanted to have one person in the country having the recipe....so it had to be handed over at the airport customs barrier like a secret spy document!!!!). If you want the recipe I can provide it, but I may have to ask you to leave the country (only joking).

Where do you buy your apples?

I usually shop at my local greengrocer's place, but if I am out in the mountains or orchard areas I will stop and buy direct from the grower as they are so lovely fresh from the tree.

Do you take the idea of "being kept away" personally?

Not at all! I am only too pleased to see well people staying away from the doctor. In my field in particular, it is very upsetting to see sick children, so the healthier and happier the better as far as I am concerned.

In truth, I think we can all do a lot more to look after ourselves and I think starting with a really healthy diet is a great beginning.

If you could give people just one piece of health advice, what would it be?

I think we should all eat a wide variety of foods every day, from all of the food groups, and not eat too much of any one thing. I wish we could all have more time to cook natural foods for ourselves instead of relying on store bought ingredients, meals and sauces, and have often said to people that "if your grandmother would not have recognised it, don't eat it" and "if you can't see by looking at it what the ingredients are, you probably don't want to know".

How important is good diet to health?

You can't have good health without a good diet. We are what we eat, in a very literal sense.

How many apples do you have in a week?

I try to eat an apple every day, and apart from looking in the mirror, very rarely have to see a doctor!

What is this apples campaign going to cost you?

I don't want to take my kids out of private school! Seriously, forgoing a few luxuries for better community health I a very small price to pay, but I really do want to finish my renovation!!