Can changing what I eat protect against depression?

Can changing what I eat protect against depression?

Promising new research suggests that increasing your fruit & vegetable intake may help reduce your risk of developing depression.

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Should you break up with pasta?

Should you break up with pasta?

It’s winter here in Sydney and we are at the end of week 5 of lockdown with at least another 4 weeks on the horizon. We’re all wearing our active wear and eating comfort food. Often, when I meet a new client and we review what they’ve been eating they will mention pasta and say it’s “bad” and expect me to tell them to give it up. But I think I must have been Italian in a former life because there’s no way pasta is off the menu for me and my clients! Here’s my tricks for keeping pasta on the menu - mangiamo!

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Pregnancy Nutrition

Pregnancy Nutrition

Are you thinking about getting pregnant? Have you heard about the First Thousand Days? This is the time from pre-conception until your baby turns two and is when most genetic programming occurs. The eggs and sperm contain the genetic material for your baby, and the health of these can be greatly impacted by diet. So it makes sense to pay attention to you and your partner’s diet during the three months prior to conception.

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Lemon matcha protein balls

Lemon matcha protein balls

Do you like a little something sweet with your cup of coffee? I know I do! If you eat breakfast early or like an early morning workout it can seem a long way from breakfast to lunch! A morning snack can fill that gap. These tasty protein balls are not too sweet and contain protein and fibre to keep you nice and full!

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My favourite soups for winter

My favourite soups for winter

I absolutely adore soup and it is my go-to lunch in winter. Soups are a great way of getting in more plant foods in an aim to get to the target of 30 different plant foods across the week. Why 30 plant foods? This is to support the microbes living in our gut which need a diverse range of plant foods to flourish. These soup recipes are delicious, healthy and filling from the plant protein.

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Nutrition to power your paddling

Nutrition to power your paddling

You know I’m all about finding a sport you love and eating well to support it! This blog is written by Jess Liao who is currently undertaking her external clinical placement with me. Jess has looked at optimum nutrition for dragon boating and paddling as she is gearing up to compete in the 2021 State Dragon Boating Championships.

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My favourite yoghurts

My favourite yoghurts

One of the most common questions I get asked is “what yoghurt should I buy”*?  There are so many varieties available with options such as fat free, greek, greek style, pot set – what should you choose? With a group of my colleagues we’ve put together a table of our favourite brands.  What we have considered is taste, protein/fat/sugar content, calcium content and whether the yoghurt contains probiotics. 

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Recovery Nutrition

Recovery Nutrition

Are you back at the gym this week after a post-COVID lockdown? I am!  🙋‍♀️ Feeling a bit sore? I am!  🙋‍♀️ Let’s talk about how getting your post gym meal or snack can help you recover faster from your session and avoid injury.

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Mussels in a tomato, chilli and lemon broth

Mussels in a tomato, chilli and lemon broth

Mussels are such a quick, healthy and easy dinner and they’re cheap too! As we head into winter and want to improve our immunity, mussels are a great food to include in your weekly meal rotation. They are high in zinc, iron, a fantastic source of protein, low in fat but a good source of omega-3 essential fatty acids. Now that prepared mussels are readily available in the supermarket it is always worth picking up a couple of packets for quick easy dinner.

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Fig, date and cocoa protein balls

Fig, date and cocoa protein balls

Do you like a little something sweet with your cup of coffee? I know I do! If you eat breakfast early or like an early morning workout it can seem a long way from breakfast to lunch! A morning snack can fill that gap. These tasty protein balls are not too sweet and contain protein and fibre to keep you nice and full!

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Eating well when you're WFH, or… How to stop grazing when you’re stuck at home!

Eating well when you're WFH, or… How to stop grazing when you’re stuck at home!

I get it! When you are working from home, food is acting as source of entertainment, as a treat, as way to break up the day. But if you’ve been working towards a health or fitness goal this year, don’t allow this to be an excuse that undoes all of your hard work!

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How I make meal kits healthier

How I make meal kits healthier

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.

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Managing portion sizes in a busy household

Managing portion sizes in a busy household

In 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. 

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Healthy Eating for One

Healthy Eating for One

One 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:

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Fad or Fab?– Collagen supplementation for Athletes

Fad or Fab?– Collagen supplementation for Athletes

An 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?

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Microba Insight Microbiome Test

Microba Insight Microbiome Test

Did 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:

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Healthy Eating for Men

Healthy Eating for Men

It’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.

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Your gut microbiome

Your gut microbiome

How 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?

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Can the Mediterranean diet provide protection against dementia?

Can the Mediterranean diet provide protection against dementia?

If 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.

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4 tips for a low FODMAP Christmas Dinner

4 tips for a low FODMAP Christmas Dinner

Christmas dinner is challenging with food intolerances, but especially so if someone else is doing the cooking. Here’s some tips to help you have a low FODMAP Christmas dinner so you can enjoy your day and keep your IBS under control.

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