With only 7% of adult Australians actually eating adequate serves of five vegetables each day, any food products in the supermarket to encourage increasing vegetables in the family meals is a welcome market.  Vegetables are packed full of essential vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants and fibre, which work in perfect synergy to improve your health.  Research from all around the world validates the benefits of eating more vegetables to improve our health and vitality. The pre-prepared and packaged vegetables market is increasing to meet the demands of time-p ..read more

With current recommendations suggesting that we have 8-10 serves of fruit and vegetables a day, the days of eating vegetables just at dinner are long-gone.  Adding more plant foods into your day is tasty, colourful, nourishing and affordable.  I recommend every meal and every snack to include some fruits and vegetables and there are many ways to be creative to ensure you are the most ardent fruit and vege lover in your household.  Let’s start with breakfast and snacks …… Breakfast Toast toppers sautéed mushrooms and tomato sweet corn, diced tomato and baby spinach, parsl ..read more

A monumental day, a landmark achievement and a significant move forwards in the treatment of eating disorders in Australia.  On 1st November 2019, the Australian Government has introduced 64 new Medicare item numbers for the treatment of eating disorders.  This means that patients with eating disorders (who fulfil the eligibility criteria) will have access to an evidence-based, best practice model of treatment, known as an Eating Disorder Plan (EDP).  We applaud the Federal Government for this historic reform, which vastly improves access to evidence-based treatment, and will ultimately save m ..read more

The popularity of vegetarian eating and veganism is growing world-wide.  People are choosing this eating style for health, ethical and environmental sustainability reasons.  Unfortunately, for a small percentage of people who choose vegetarianism or veganism, this choice may lead to further food restrictions and more rigid food behaviours.  In these circumstances, the quest for improved health may in fact lead to unhealthy food and eating behaviours – so guidance from a qualified nutrition professional is important. Vegetarian diets are certainly nutritious with the abundance of plant-based fo ..read more

According to a recent study, one-in-three Australians exclude specific food groups from their diet – including wheat or gluten, dairy and/or animal products.  My observation within my practice is that this number may be even higher. Every day I hear conversations around what food movement people follow and it seems that this food avoidance is being linked to a sense of identity and belonging.  There are so many food tribes out there – “don’t do sugar”, vegetarian, vegan, clean eating, “don’t do gluten and dairy”, 5:2, to name just a few. There are people who have genuine allergies and food int ..read more

There is a common misconception that people fail at diets because they lack will-power.  The truth of the matter is that diets fail people – every single time.  Our bodies and our minds are not meant to diet, and if our body is forced to eat less than what it needs each day, it will go into some behind-the- scenes work to conserve itself.  The hypothalamus in the brain has a pre-determined set point of where your body’s weight should be and adjusts your hunger, metabolism and levels of activity to keep things constant.  Dieting can negatively affect our mental and physical health. Diets conve ..read more

For centuries around the world, fermenting foods has been a way to preserve food and lengthen its shelf life, whilst producing a unique flavour. Fermentation relies on the natural action of micro-organisms (yeast and bacteria) to convert carbohydrate in food into short chain fatty acids and other by-products.  It is the ingestion of these fermented foods in the gut that produces its health benefits. It’s only recently that these health benefits are being investigated in the research world and so far, the results are impressive.  Fermented foods can improve our gut microbiome and optimise gut h ..read more

The gut microbiome (collection of gut bacteria) is hot topic.  There are over 100 trillion gut bacteria living in the gut.  Increasing evidence is supporting the view that the gut is the centre of our body and the cornerstone of our health and well-being.  The gut carries messages directly to the brain via the vagus nerve, and is the largest maker of serotonin (happy and calming hormone) in the body.  Serotonin is important to help regulate our appetite, mood and cope with life’s stressors.  Further, 80% of our body’s immunity resides within the gut, making the gut an absolute powerhouse. It i ..read more

On Anzac Day, we pay tribute to all the men and women who have served our nation as members of the Australian Defence Force. Lest We Forget “The army biscuit, also known as an Anzac wafer or Anzac tile, is essentially a long shelf-life, hard tack biscuit, eaten as a substitute for bread. Unlike bread, though, the biscuits are very, very hard. Some soldiers preferred to grind them up and eat as porridge. The popular Anzac biscuit is a traditional, eggless sweet biscuit. Ingredients include rolled oats, sugar, plain flour, coconut, butter, golden syrup or treacle, bi-carbonate of soda and boilin ..read more

Enjoy your Easter eggs…. at Easter Easter is a hop around the corner, which often means four days of entertaining with family and friends, Australians spending $190 million on eggs and bunnies and yes, chocolate galore.  How does one navigate this holiday celebration to be in line with your nourished lifestyle, and I don’t mean swap your chocolate eggs for carrot sticks and hummus.  Follow my top nutrition tips for enjoying your Easter “egg”stravaganza. Choose quality over quantity Choose a high quality dark chocolate egg or bunny over large bags of chocolate that are often made of compounded ..read more