Rachel is a university qualified nutritionist based in Balmain, Sydney. She is a busy working mum of two teenagers, so is practical and realistic with her advice. Specialises in peri menopause, menopause, gut health, weight issues, low FODMAP diet and sports nutrition. Online and in person consultations available.
From time to time when life gets busy I like to use a meal kit service. I like the convenience of having the ingredients ready and someone else to do the “thinking” for me. I think they are great if you’re not a confident cook or if you’re trying to nudge some of the other members of the household to do some cooking. Here’s how I work with meal kits to help them work for my health goals.
Read MoreIn a busy family on top of having to manage various food preferences and eating styles, one of the challenges can be managing portion sizes for differing energy needs across a range of people. The ideal amount of food for each family member will depend on their age, sex, height and how active they are across the day.
Read MoreOne of my clients recently asked me for some advice about preparing healthy meals for one. I’ve been thinking about it a lot since our conversation and I reflected that it really doesn’t matter how many people you are preparing food for - your will power is no match for a poor food environment. If you are surrounded by healthy food staples and if the foods that don’t serve your health aren’t in the cupboard, then there is no need to employ willpower and you can instead rely on habits. Here are my favourites when I’m cooking for one:
Read MoreMy Facebook feed at the moment of tips and tricks of how to "survive" the holiday season as if celebrating with friends and family is something to be dreaded! Food is such an important part of how we celebrate, how we share our time and love with others and how we create memories. You can’t have a healthy body without a healthy relationship with food. I love a party and I'd hate to think of people depriving themselves but it's worth knowing some tricks and tips so you can enjoy the party without that stuffed full feeling.
Read MoreWhat to do do when you’re tired, hungry but know you should have a salad with dinner? Enter my super speedy thai quinoa salad! This plant powered salad packs in a load of different veggies plus plant protein and is ready in 5 minutes, plus holds up in the fridge for leftover the next day. Winner!
Read MoreIt's heating up here in Sydney! With a newly vegetarian teenager in my house I'm trying to get in the habit of creating a big, substantial salad on a Sunday that can work as leftovers for the week. Or I get on the #meatfreemonday bandwagon. Here's 6 of my favourite salads, and one little extra.
Read MoreWe are entering into exam season and you might have a stressed-out teenager on your hands. As I'm sure you remember from toddler days, what they eat can have a big impact on mood. Here’s my tips for the foods to include in your teenager’s diet.
Read MoreDo certain foods cause you gastrointestinal issues when exercising? Would changing what you eat reduce the symptoms? What else should you do? I recently took a short course through Monash University aimed at helping health professionals work with their clients to help manage gastrointestinal issues associated with exercise. The course helped deepen my understanding of gut health and how food and exercise can affect the gastrointestinal tract.
Read MoreHad a few requests on insta and FB to share the recipe for my “buddha bowl” - a quick plant powered lunch or light dinner, perfect for this cold weather! Incorporating soy-based foods like tofu is an excellent way to get protein, iron, calcium and healthy fats into your diet with relatively little saturated fat, so beneficial for cardiovascular health. Soy products like tofu and miso are also rich in isoflavones which may reduce your risk of prostate cancer and has a protective (or at worst neutral) effect on breast cancer risk.
Read MoreIf you’re putting in the hard yards training for a marathon or half-marathon, developing a strategic fuelling strategy and plan is essential for running your best race. While sub-optimal fuelling might prove adequate for shorter, slower training runs, it can often be the factor which turns a great race into a disaster from the 10km point of the race.
Read MoreThis is one of our favourite meals which cooks itself while I drive my kids to rugby or swimming practice. I usually make enough for two nights, the second night I serve this with basmati rice and it tastes a bit paella-ish. The red capsicums (sweet peppers) are rich in vitamin C, and high in antioxidants such as beta-carotene, helping to promote vision and support a healthy immune system.
Read MoreAn exciting and rapidly expanding area of research that promises to improve athletic performance and minimize injuries is the use of collagen supplementation. Is it worth jumping onboard?
Read MoreDid you know it’s now possible to have a gut microbiome test which tells you about the microorganisms that are in your gut, how they affect your gut health and how you can achieve a better balance between desirable and less desirable microorganisms?
You can:
🐛 Learn which microorganisms are in your gut and what they might be doing - their potential to digest carbohydrates, protein, and fat, as well as their potential to produce essential vitamins and nutrients.
💊 Learn if the probiotics you have been taking are actually present in your sample: Sometimes probiotic supplements don't colonise in the gut and therefore don't provide much benefit. Find out if your probiotics are doing so.
🍓 Learn which foods to add to your diet, to promote a healthy gut:
Read MoreIt’s Men’s Health week this week so I thought I’d share my top tips for keeping the men in your life healthy. Men and women aren’t that different when it comes to daily nutrition. Yes, men tend to have more muscle mass which increases their requirements compared to a female. But nutritionally speaking, men still need a wide variety of vitamins and minerals to tick along each day.
Read MoreWinter is nearly here, so it’s time to think about surrounding yourself with the food that will support your immune system to stay well! 🥦🥝🍋
Read MoreHow many different plant foods do you eat in a week? The American Gut project recently found that found that people regularly eating 30+ different types of plant foods per week had a more diverse microbiome than those eating 10 or fewer different plant foods a week. Recent research has shown the richer and more diverse the community of gut microbes are, the lower your risk of disease. Can you add a couple of different plants this week?
Read MoreJust because I’m a nutritionist doesn’t mean I want to cook dinner EVERY single night. Why would you live in Balmain (in Sydney’s Inner West) if you didn’t take advantage of all our wonderful restaurants and cafes?
And just because I’m a nutritionist doesn't mean EVERY meal has to be healthy – because life is about BALANCE – right? However sometimes it’s great to have a meal out that is healthy and leaves you feeling fab instead of bloated and heavy. Here are some of my favourites.
Read MoreIf you’re anything like me, the word ‘dementia’ fills you with fear. I want to spend my retirement years travelling and playing with my grandchildren. Not relying on someone to take care of me.
Like me, you probably think that there’s nothing you can do to protect yourself from dementia. That is, until I read some promising new research suggesting the Mediterranean diet may help delay dementia by up to 5 years.
Read MoreBusy? In a rush? Know that you should be eating more veggies and fish but not sure where to start? If you’re flying in the door after a busy day and need something easy to get on the table that’s healthy and tasty for your family here is a round up of my favourite vegetarian and pescatarian meals.
Read MoreComing up with a lunch box day after day can do your head in! A healthy lunch box doesn't need to be full of expensive "super foods" that will get picked at - these ideas can be put together in 10 minutes max.
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