Swap OUT Pasta Penne.... Swap IN Vetta Smart Fibre Pasta Penne. Why? I love and recommend many types of pasta - wholemeal and lentil are a couple of my favourites but for a simple swap that tastes exactly like the original it has to be Vetta Smart Fibre Pasta. It's Australian durum wheat semolina plus 3% oat fibre. The oat fibre doubles the fibre content with no additional taste. It also comes in dinosaur shapes which the kids love! Swap OUT Mission Pita Pockets.... Swap IN Meb Khobz Wholemeal Pita. Why? Mission pita pockets have added sugar and preservatives - Meb pita pockets do not. Meb ..read more

Swap OUT Peters Lifesavers Icy Poles.... Swap IN Proud & Punch Mini Pops Why? Lifesavers Icy Poles contain artificial colours and flavours - Proud & Punch Mini Pops do not. Proud & Punch Mini Pops are made with Australian Fruit and Vegetables and have no added sugar. Lifesavers Icy Poles are made with sugar and have no added fruit or vegetables. Swap OUT Connoisseur Strawberry Gourmet Ice Cream.... Swap IN Haagen-Dazs Strawberries and Cream Ice Cream. Why? Connoisseur strawberry ice cream is made with 4.5% strawberries. Haagen-Dazs strawberry ice cream is made with 21% strawber ..read more

Swap OUT Parker's Baked Original Pretzels.... Swap IN Parker's Baked Pretzels - Mini 6 pack. Why? They both have the same 4 ingredients but... The mini pretzels have less than 50% less sodium! Sodium: Mini 559mg/100g vs Original 1300mg/100g Swap OUT Ajitas Vege Deli Crisps.... Swap IN Aldi's Deli Style Purple Potato & Sweet Potato Chips . Why? Ajitas Deli Crisps have added sugar and artificial additives. Aldi's Deli Chips have only potatoes, oil and sea salt. Aldi's chips have less than a quarter of the saturated fat content - 2.2g/100g vs 10.1g/100g. Aldi's chips have less sodium 300m ..read more

Swap OUT Golden Circle Raspberry Cordial.... Swap IN Tetley Cold Infusions - Strawberry & Watermelon. Why? Cordial has added sugar - 13g/serve vs no added sugar for the Cold Infusions. Cordial contains artificial flavours, preservatives and colours. Cold Infusions is naturally flavoured with fruit. Swap OUT Arnott's Tiny Teddy's.... Swap IN Whole Kids Vanilla Farm Animal Biscuits. Why? Whole Kids has less sugar - 22.8g/100g vs 25.2g/100g for the Tiny Teddy's. Whole Kids has less saturated fat - 5.8g/100g vs 7.1g/100s for the Tiny Teddy's. Whole Kids has less sodium - 160mg/100g vs 317m ..read more

Swap OUT Bega Original Peanut Butter.... Swap IN Bega Simply Nuts - or any other brand without added sugar or oil. A small amount of added salt I believe is fine, however you can also now get all natural peanut butter without anything added which is a great choice. Why? Bega Simply Nuts has more peanuts - 99.5% vs 85% Bega Simply Nuts does not contain added oil, Bega Original does Bega Simply Nuts does not have added sugar, Bega Original does Bega Simply Nuts has less sodium per 100g - 152mg vs 576mg Swap OUT Vegemite Original.... Swap IN Vegemite 40% less Salt Why? The salt reduced variet ..read more

Swap OUT Pre-packed Grated Cheese.... Swap IN Block Cheese. Why? Pre-packed grated cheese has Anticaking Agent (460) and Preservative (200) - block cheese does not. Swap OUT Uncle Tobys Strawberry Yoghurt Coated Muesli Bar Swap IN Carman's Strawbs and Cream Aussie Oat Bar Why? Carman's has more oats - 54% vs 34% Carman's has less sugar per serve - 2.8g vs 5.8g Carman's has more fibre per serve - 4.2g vs 3.3g Swap OUT Cheese flavoured Sakata Rice Crackers Swap IN Plain Sakata Rice Crackers Why? Plain has more rice - 97% vs 85% Plain has less sodium per 100g - 387mg vs 533mg Plain has no a ..read more

Do you have a picky eater? If you do, you are absolutely not alone! My kids have been picky eaters too but I feel like we are coming out the other side now, thankfully! So what’s worked for us? Below I have outlined my top 10 tips to increase the number of accepted foods your child will happily eat. To start with I suggest introducing new foods one at a time. Keep the serve size very small to begin with and pair the new food with an already accepted food or meal. Encourage a taste but don’t force them to eat it or make a big deal if they don’t. Keep encouraging a taste over time. It’s import ..read more

Did you know that as well is being a university qualified nutritionist I am also a food safety auditor and trainer! I've been getting lots of questions recently about ice packs and if they are needed when the weather is cold. The answer is YES absolutely if you are packing potentially hazardous foods in the lunchbox. Potentially hazardous foods are usually protein or moisture rich foods, they are foods that bacteria thrive on. Common potentially hazardous foods we find in the lunchbox are meat, eggs, dairy and cooked pasta or rice. In the temperature danger zone of between 5ﹾC and 60ﹾC bacteri ..read more

How often have you heard that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”? As parents we want the best for our children. We want them to head off for the day nourished with satisfied tummies. A nutritious breakfast is one that’s going to set them up for a good start to the day, it will provide important nutrients and energy that children need to concentrate, learn and play. My top tip for a nutritious breakfast is to include: healthy wholegrains for energy, plus fruit or vegetables for their important nutrients, plus protein or healthy fats to keep us feeling fuller for longer. Some o ..read more

I shared my meal plan earlier this week and have had quite a few questions about sausages, in particular what type of sausage I use and if they are all pretty similar nutritionally. It's very important to know that sausages are not all created equal! In fact there are some sausages out there that actually pose a health risk rather then being a good protein source. Most kids seem to enjoy a sausage, they are simple to cook and when wrapping in wholemeal bread and adding some veggies or salad or our favourite corn on the cob, it can be a pretty good meal if the right type of sausage is used. All ..read more