Nutrition

Every day Nutritionists and Dietitians are asked a host of different questions, from organic vs non-organic, quick weight loss diets and what foods you should and shouldn’t eat? In her first article for HIF, Nutrition expert Rosie Mansfield reveals the most common questions about food and the answers you may or may not have been hoping for.

What are you eating for lunch today? A quick salad or sandwich from the food court, some leftovers, or maybe a few crackers with tuna at your desk? While we often hear that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, let’s not forget how important lunch is when it comes to weight control. According to Susie, "The most common scenario now sees busy workers, mums and students eating their ‘lunchtime’ meal at 2 or 3pm and choosing ‘lunch’ options such as sushi, wraps, rolls and stir fries. These dishes are packed full of carbs which not only play havoc with our hormonal balance and cravings, but it also sees us consuming a significant number of calories in the second half of the day, when we are least active." With this in mind, we caught up with Susie to discuss why lunch holds the key to nutritional balance and her advice on the best foods to eat. 

Celebrity chefs and weight loss experts have been encouraging us to eat less sugar for some years. Sugar is partly to blame for more than 60% of Australian adults who are considered to be overweight or obese. PhD researcher Masoor Shariff compared sugar consumption to drug abuse and found some similarities in changes to the layout of our brain cells. With the evidence mounting against sugar, what can you do to wean your child off their high sugar diet?

We all know that we have to eat more vegetables and that five serves each day are what we need for good health, but according to nutrition guru Susie Burrell, "Far fewer of us know that when it comes to optimal health and well-being we need a lot more than the minimum of 5 serves of vegies a day that is recommended by public health agencies. In fact, when we look at the data from countries who have the healthiest diets, they are on average consuming 7-10 serves of fresh fruit and veggies every single day." Well, consuming more vegetables is easier than you think, follow Susie's five simple steps to hit your veggie target every day. 

How much water do you drink per day? According to our Susie, "The average adult requires a minimum 1.5L of extra water each day, and even more if they are regularly active or training. Surprisngly though, it is estimated that at least 75% of Australians are dehydrated at any one time." With summer just around the corner, we asked Susie for her advice on the best fluids for optimal hydration. 

We often hear about the importance of breakfast, but let's not forget about how important lunch is too. According to HIF health expert, Susie Burrell "On any weight loss plan, it is a general perception that the less we eat the better. This can somewhat explain the reason why dieters choose a light breakfast and try and hold off from eating lunch for as long as possible. This is the worst thing you can do if you are trying to lose weight. The earlier you have your lunch, even in place of a late morning snack, the better it will be for your metabolic rate. If you are hungry at 11 or 11.30am, eat your lunch then rather than holding off and then binging on sweet foods at 3 or 4pm because your blood glucose has dropped significantly which can leave you ravenous and prone to overeating. In this article, Susie discusses why lunch holds the key to nutritional balance and offers her advice on the best foods to eat at lunchtime. 

Hands up who’d like a guilt-free recipe for Halloween? If you’ve answered yes, then you’ll love these “Scary Spiders” from our resident health guru Susie Burrell. Combining roasted almonds, sweet macadamias, peanut butter nut spread, fresh dates, raw cacao and a coat of coconut – these scrumptious treats not only taste delicious but are super healthy too. Happy Halloween everyone! 

Diet trends – they’re everywhere, but are they food fads or sensible eating? According to HIF health expert Susie Burrell, "As we learn more and more about nutrition, and with the number of ‘experts’ out there publishing diet books increasing, it inevitably leads to the propagation of new diet beliefs and trends (whether or not there is evidence to support them)." In this article, Susie discusses the latest food trends including, “Swapping back to full cream milk”, “Sushi is a healthy choice” and “We should all be eating Paleo” and offers her advice on the nutritional science behind these trends. 

We all know that winter months usually mean thick socks, heater hugging and cosy nights in front of the TV. Regrettably though, Susie Burrell says, “These actions usually result in many of us going off track when it comes to our diet and lifestyle resolutions. Too much chocolate, training sessions skipped in favour of more doona time and plenty of comfort food often means one thing – weight gain. With this in mind (and considering Spring is only a few  weeks away) we thought we’d share this latest post from our Healthy Lifestyle Blog. In this article, Susie offers her advice on the food swaps we can make to ensure we can enjoy our favourite comfort foods, without the extra kilos to match.