Last week I met a guy who enthusiastically told me he was spending $70 a day on a 3 day ‘juice cleanse’. While I had to admire his dedication to improving his health, I also felt a bit sad knowing what a waste of time and money it would most likely be. And unfortunately, this is something I hear on an almost weekly basis.

It’s human nature to look for a quick fix to a problem, and there’s no doubt that for the majority of us, our health and weight is a major problem, or at least we think it is. So juice cleanses appear to offer a perfect solution, in the prescribed 3-7 days you can lose weight and do a total 180 in terms of your health – who wouldn’t sign up for that!

Except that’s not what really happens… [Read more…]

Want to know the secret to developing the next overhyped, billion dollar ‘superfood’?

Here’s the age old, proven method as demonstrated by an unlikely marketing genius:

Step 1: Take a fairly ordinary but nutritious food
In Russia in 1774, potatoes were fed to pigs, and even peasants refused to eat them. The Russian Orthodox Church even declared them unfit for human consumption due to the fact that they weren’t mentioned in the Bible. [Read more…]

Learning to read food labels can be one of the best ways to make sure you’re choosing the healthiest foods possible. But they can seem like a mess of confusing words, dubious claims and intimidating tables, and let’s be honest, we generally want to get out of the supermarket as quickly as possible, not spend hours standing in the aisles reading labels!

So I’m going to break it down into 5 steps you can follow so that you can quickly decode all the information and ultimately work out if this is a food you want to be eating or not. Here they are: [Read more…]

‘What can I snack on that’s healthy?’ would have to be one of the most common food related questions I get asked.

When it comes to sticking to a healthy diet, avoiding overeating and staying on top of cravings, snacking can be your best friend.

Snacking often gets a bad rap because of its association with highly processed foods high in saturated fat, sugar and salt (aka junk food). But having two or three snacks in between meals can be really helpful in keeping your energy levels up and preventing you from getting so hungry that you devour the first thing in sight as soon as you walk in the door at night.

And if you choose healthy options, it can be a great chance to get in some extra nutrients too. [Read more…]

Most people assume that their inability to stick to a healthy diet or exercise regularly is simply down to a lack of willpower. I often hear people say “I just have no willpower” as if it’s something we either have or we don’t. But willpower isn’t as simple as that.

We all have some willpower, but it’s a finite amount. It’s like a muscle, it can only be flexed so many times before it starts to fatigue. [Read more…]

As predictable as it may be, I love a good salad.  They are definitely one of my favourite things to ‘cook’ – and not just because they are quick and healthy but because you can be really creative and basically just make them up as you go along. Plus, I love all the different textures and flavours you get from a salad. But as much as I like to freestyle when it comes to salad making,  I find that following this formula always leads to great results.

1. Choose a bulking ingredient. This will make up the majority of the salad volume-wise but will likely be the least exciting bit. For example:
Rocket
Baby spinach
Mixed lettuce
Kale
Rice
Pasta
Quinoa
Kidney, cannellini beans, lentils or chickpeas

2. Choose a protein
This is the backbone of the salad, where you can take it from a side to a meal in itself. If you do just want a side salad, feel free to leave this out. Otherwise, try one of these:

Chicken – pan fry a chicken breast and slice or shred
Beef – as above
Salmon – bake or pan fry and flake
Bacon – sliced and fried until crispy
Egg – hard boiled and sliced or poached
Beans or chickpeas
Lentils.
3.Choose a highlight ingredient – this is the fun bit. I always try to use at least one really interesting ingredient a salad which can take it from everyday to a bit gourmet. The highlight ingredient is the star of the show, the salad’s selling point, so make it a good one!

Ideally it should be something either a bit exotic or with a texture that contrasts the rest of the salad. Some of my favourite highlight ingredients are:

Wild rice
Goats cheese, feta or blue cheese
Candied walnuts
Olives
Any sort of toasted nuts – almonds, pine nuts, cashews, walnuts, pecans
Avocado
Dates
Fennel

4. Choose a colourful ingredient.
The best looking salads are colourful ones. So make sure you choose something that will stand out and make the salad look beautiful. Some great colourful additions are:

Pumpkin (cut into cubes and roasted)
Pomegranate seeds
Cherry tomatoes
Red capsicum
Beetroot (roasted and quartered)
Spanish onion
Pink grapefruit
Strawberries
Figs

NB: The highlight and colourful ingredients can be the same thing!

5. Choose a dressing
I tend to use the same dressing for most of my salads which is really quick and easy to make:
1/3 cup olive oil + 1/4 cup lemon juice or balsamic/white/red wine vinegar + 1 teaspoon mustard and 1 teaspoon honey

For something a bit fancier I might use pomegranate molasses or a flavoured vinegar and olive oil.
Or if its an Asian style salad I’ll use a combination of lime juice, fish sauce, sesame oil, sweet chilli sauce and maybe a bit of soy sauce.

Ultimately, the secret to a great salad is to have contrasting colours, flavours and textures so it looks and tastes great. And remember, the best thing about salads is that there are no rules. You’re unlikely to completely stuff it up so be creative!

Want some salad recipes? Here you go

One of the most common questions I get asked by clients is “why do I always crave chocolate in the afternoon?”

Chocolate cravings are savage beasts. Generally emerging between the hours of 2 and 4pm every day, they attack suddenly and without warning, causing sudden extreme sleepiness, lethargy and the kind of overwhelming cravings that make even a block of Vegemite chocolate an actual viable option.

They will not be ignored and refuse to let you get anything productive done until they get what they want (or you fall asleep, whichever comes first). They assure you that you’ll be far more productive if you just have a little bit (and you’ll only eat half that chocolate bar anyway right?) until you eventually give in and raid the office kitchen/vending machine/your colleagues lolly jar.

But why do they keep picking on you? And more importantly, how can you get rid of them?

There are several reasons for the afternoon emergence of chocolate cravings (or less specific sugar cravings). One reason may be that you’re not sleeping enough – fatigue and stress can increase cravings for sweet foods as our body is telling us we need more energy (translation: sugar). Another reason could be that by repeatedly having something sweet after meals, you’ve accidentally trained your body to expect it. Or maybe its just because chocolate tastes so damn good (and we get a nice little buzz after eating it which is quite addictive). But the most likely culprit is pretty simple – you’re not giving your body what it needs in the first half of the day

This is particularly the case for people who don’t eat breakfast or those who are overly restrictive in their diets. Our bodies are hard wired for survival, and starvation, believe it or not, is a big threat as far as your body is concerned. When we’re hungry our blood sugar levels drop, and low blood sugar levels are perceived as dangerous territory. Your body’s clever way of fixing this problem? Trigger a craving for high sugar foods which will produce the most rapid response in getting blood sugar levels back up into a ‘safe’ range and in doing so keep your survival in check.

But get your blood sugar balance right in the first place and you won’t have to ride the rollercoaster your body sets up later in the day to try and correct them (and you’ll will waste less brain power wondering if anyone would notice if you had a nap under your desk).

Here’s how to do it:

• Eat breakfast! Even if its just a handful of nuts, a glass of milk, a banana – something small is far better than nothing at all
• Include some protein in your lunch – eggs, tuna, chicken, lean meat, beans, chickpeas – take your pick
• Include some low GI carbs in your breakfast and lunch such as oats or other wholegrain cereal, wholegrain bread, rice, pasta or quinoa.
• Have a healthy snack in between your meals. Fruit, yoghurt or wholegrain crackers with cheese/peanut butter/hummus are all good options
• Make sure you get enough sleep – sleep deprivation can contribute to cravings and increased snacking so get your 7-8 hours!
• When cravings strike, instead of panicking, try adopting a curious approach and ask yourself where they might have come from: Are you hungry? Are you bored? Are you trying to put off a task you don’t want to do? Are you tired? Being more aware of why the craving is occurring can be the first step in reducing their impact. If you find you’re not genuinely hungry, try getting up and going for a walk, making a cup of tea, going to chat to a colleague or calling someone and see if this sorts is out
• And finally, if after all of this you still want something sweet, there’s no reason you can’t have it. But try to think about what you really want and savour it, eating slowly and stopping when it doesn’t take as good anymore. A couple of dates, some dark chocolate, a yoghurt or a piece of fruit could be enough to do the trick.

For more on this topic, read my post on ‘How to win the 3pm vending machine stand off’ 

I’m the last person to tell you that you need to drink a green smoothie everyday to be healthy….I’m all for moderation and eating foods you love BUT,  you do need to eat your veggies.

Yep, your mum was right, vegetables are good for you…like, really good for you. We know this – and we know we’re meant to eat five serves a day….but how do we fit them all in??

As a dietitian, I’m pretty much a straight A student when it comes to getting my five a day – but my boyfriend is a different story. He spends most of the day in a meeting or running to the next one and barely gets time to eat at all, so whatever he does get time for is not exactly ideal – a ham and cheese sandwich isn’t doing much for the five-a-day tally.

So instead of nagging him to take a salad to work (never going to happen), snack on carrot and celery sticks all day (errr, no) or eat five serves of vegetables for dinner (again, not very likely), we’ve come to a compromise – a smoothie.

A fruit and veg packed smoothie in the morning means you can get half your daily fruit and veg needs before you even leave the house. This of course means you’ll not only be healthier but you’ll also feel all virtuous and high achieving for the rest of the day – win:win!

The best part is, you can basically add whatever you like… and make up a few days worth at a time for super efficiency. And because smoothies contain the whole fruit/veg, they’re a much healthier option than juices (and they don’t have to be green!).

So here’s a recipe to get you started (makes 2 serves)

Ingredients:
1 apple or pear
1 banana
2 sticks celery
1 carrot
Handful spinach or kale
1/2 beetroot
1cm slice ginger

Optional extras:
Handful mint
½ orange
½ lemon or lime, squeezed

 Method: 
Add enough water to cover everything, add some ice if you like and blend it up!

The Blue Zones
The ‘Blue Zones’ are five regions in Europe, Latin America, Asia and the U.S. which have the highest concentrations of centenarians (that’s people who live to 100+) in the world.

Not surprisingly, the amazingly good health of these people has largely been attributed to their diets. While looking at the different foods they eat, one in particular stood out as being common to four of the five regions: beans (or more accurately, legumes).

Praise the humble legume
Yep, apparently the humble legume (i.e. chickpeas, lentils, butter beans, kidney beans, black beans etc) is one of the healthiest foods you can eat. And no wonder. There aren’t many foods around which give you such an the impressive combination of protein, low GI carbohydrates, iron and fibre.

Not only that – they are also one of the easiest and most versatile (not to mention cheapest) foods to cook with. They can be added to salad, soup, stew to add extra protein and texture or even mashed as an alternative to mashed potatoes. Plus they make an awesome breakfast dish – homemade baked beans are an absolute favourite of mine and so much better than the tinned variety it seems wrong to even compare them!

So forget the latest Amazonian “superfood” – go for some good old beans instead.

Four bean salad with pesto recipe here

I often get asked if a certain food is ‘healthy’. I think I almost always disappoint whoever is asking as my answer is never the one word that people are looking for.

Instead, it’s generally something along the lines of ‘Well, it depends….’ followed by a lengthy explanation of the importance of balance, moderation and context when assessing the health attributes of individual foods.

The word healthy seems to have become one of the most overused and abused words in our vocabulary. If the definition of a healthy food is one that is ‘good for one’s health’, any food could be considered healthy depending on the context. Eating a Mars Bar if you were starving in the desert (for argument’s sake) would surely be the more ‘healthy’ option than eating nothing at all. But does that make Mars Bars healthy?

The classification of foods as ‘healthy’ or ‘unhealthy’ encourages us to see food as black or white, something that is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ and in turn we consider ourselves ‘good’ or ‘bad’ depending on what food choices we make. But instead of relying on this arbitrary description to dictate what foods you eat (or think you should eat), try thinking about the following:

• Is the majority of what you’re eating whole, minimally processed plant foods (vegetables, legumes, fruit and grains)?*
• Are you including a good balance of protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats?*
• Are you listening to your hunger and fullness signals and taking them into account when you decide what, how much and when you eat?*
• Are you enjoying food without obsessing about it, listening to your body and not eliminating any food groups?

Remember that all food can be part of a ‘healthy’ diet.

*If you’re not sure about any of these points, our dietitians and nutritionists can help.

The daily grind is hard enough without having to deal with low energy levels and the dreaded afternoon slump. We can all relate to the daily battle of the 3pm caffeine and chocolate cravings. But what and when you eat at work can make a huge difference to your day, helping you to feel more energised and focused so that you can concentrate on work instead of the contents of the vending machine!

Here are some tips to help make the working day a bit easier:

• Regular meals: Keep your energy and concentrations levels high by eating regularly throughout the day, i.e. a meal or snack every 3-4 hours
• Balance: Aim to have a good balance of protein and carbohydrates in your breakfast and lunch. Protein (e.g. lean meat, eggs, reduced fat dairy, beans/legumes) helps to keep you full while carbohydrates (e.g. bread, rice, pasta) provide energy to get you through the day.
• Keep it low: Opt for low GI carbohydrates such as wholegrain bread and crackers, rice, pasta, chickpeas and beans – this will help avoid the 3pm chocolate cravings! 
• Hydrate: Make sure you drink plenty of water – try filling up a large bottle at the start of the day and make sure its finished by the time you go home.
• DIY: If possible, take your own lunch and snacks to work – this way you can ensure your meals and snacks are as healthy as possible and you’ll also save money
• Time Out: Make sure you take time out for lunch and take a break from your desk – a quick walk can work wonders!

For more tips and healthy lunch recipes, check out the Shift Nutrition website, or email me to book an appointment