This happens for a couple of reasons, firstly many FODMAPs are osmotic, meaning they draw water into the digestive tract, this is what can cause diarrhoea in some individuals, but also helps with regularity in others. Secondly, if we are not being mindful of including plenty of high fibre, low FODMAP foods in our diet, the diet can become very low in fibre. As we know, fibre and fluid are essential factors in keeping bowels regular. Below are some of the strategies to help you manage constipation while on the low FODMAP diet.

1. Look at fibre intake - aim to increase both soluble and insoluble fibres. Dietary fibres are the indigestible part of plant foods. Insoluble fibres are the ‘roughage’ of plant foods, eg. fruit and veggie skins and the outside part of grain foods. These foods add bulk to stools and promote regularity. Soluble fibres are fibres that become gel-like when mixed with water, eg. oats, seeds, legumes, the flesh of fruits and vegetables as well as some fibre supplements. These fibres attract water in digestion which helps to soften stools and make them easier to pass.

2. Increase fluid. Making sure we are well hydrated will ensure that our stools can pass as easily as possible. Check the colour of your urine, and aim for a light straw colour. Most of our fluid intake should some from water.

3. Daily movement. Moving your body plays an important role in constipation, as it can reduce the amount of time food is spent in the digestive tract. The longer the digestive process takes, the more water is drawn out of stools and the harder the stools become. Daily movement can help to get the bowels moving and make stools easier to pass.

4. Make sure you are eating enough. If there is insufficient food coming in, the body has less food to make into stool which will often result in constipation. We need to be eating enough food, regularly, to have regular bowel movements. Many of my clients are surprised by how much food their body needs to function well, because diet culture has lead us to believe that less food is better. This is not the case, and please get in touch if this is something you would like to work on.

5. Try kiwi fruit. Kiwi fruit are a low FODMAP fruit that have been shown to improve constipation in individuals with IBS. Kiwi fruit are high in fibre and attract water which adds bulk to stools, but they also contain an enzyme called actinidin, which is thought to promote laxation. Research supports the recommendation of two kiwi fruit daily to assist in the treatment of constipation.

6. Start the reintroduction phase. The elimination phase of the low FODMAP diet is not intended to be a long term dietary strategy, and can make our gut more sensitive if we follow it for a long period of time. It is important to persevere with the reintroduction phase, to identify triggers and to allow some of the osmotic foods back into the diet which may help to promote regularity. It’s all about finding your personal threshold and the right balance for you.

Please note that the information in this article is general in nature, everyone has individual requirements and individual recommendations will vary. If you would like support to help navigate your IBS or food intolerances, please get in touch, I’d love to hear from you and would love to support you in finding a balanced approach that helps to manage your gut symptoms and improve your quality of life.

If you found this post helpful, please share it on to any family and friends who have IBS and might find it useful, and subscribe to my seasonal mailing list to receive posts and recipes straight to your inbox!

Follow me on Instagram, if you're not already doing so, I regularly post easy meal ideas.

It is certainly not a cure-all diet and shouldn’t actually be the first line treatment approach for IBS. Often people will present to their GP or gastroenterologist and be given a one-pager low FODMAP diet to follow to help with their IBS symptoms, or they may google symptoms and find a list of what to eat and what to avoid. It is not uncommon for this approach to be ineffective (or not as effective as the dietary approach could be), as it’s not looking at the whole picture of what may be happening in your life and is not approaching the diet as the 3-step approach that it is intended.

The 3 steps for the low FODMAP diet involve eliminating high FODMAP foods from the diet, if there is symptom improvement you then move on to the reintroduction phase where each category of FODMAPs is tested to determine a tolerance level, and then a more personalised plan is created to help best manage symptoms, while having a varied and healthful diet that includes being able to enjoy eating socially.

Below are some of the reasons why a low FODMAP diet may not be working for you.

1. You have been on the elimination phase for too long. The elimination phase is not intended to be a long-term diet. It is the first phase of the diet, that is useful in determining if any of these foods are having an impact on gut function. The elimination phase of the diet is very restrictive and cuts out a lot of healthy foods that are prebiotics, or a food source for our healthy gut bacteria. Studies have shown that decreasing the FODMAPs in our diet can lead to a reduction in beneficial bacteria in the gut, and individuals with decreased beneficial gut bacteria have furthermore been shown to have greater pain scores in IBS (1,2). This means that if the elimination phase of a low FODMAP diet is followed for too long it can actually increase your sensitivity to these FODMAPs and may cause greater IBS symptoms.

2. There are other dietary triggers for your IBS that are not FODMAPs. As I said above, the low FODMAP diet shouldn’t be the first line treatment approach for individuals with IBS. It is helpful to first look at gut irritants such as caffeine, alcohol, spicy foods and fatty foods as often being mindful of the consumption of these foods can lead to significant symptom improvement.

3. You have cut out FODMAPs but haven’t looked at the fibre in your diet so you are now experiencing constipation. It can be common for individuals to start out experiencing diarrhoea or mixed bowel habits, only to develop constipation when trialling a low FODMAP diet. This happens for a couple of reasons, firstly many FODMAPs are osmotic, meaning they draw water into the digestive tract, this is what can cause diarrhoea in some individuals, but also helps with regularity in others. Secondly, if we are not being mindful of including plenty of high fibre, low FODMAP foods in our diet, the diet can become very low in fibre. As we know, fibre and fluid are essential factors in keeping bowels regular. If this is the case for you I would encourage you to persevere with the reintroduction phase, so you can include some of these osmotic foods back in your diet, and also to get in touch with your FODMAP trained dietitian to work out an approach to help manage the constipation.

4. You haven’t addressed your stress levels. More and more research is showing that the gut and brain are linked and are in constant communication. You have probably noticed this yourself, perhaps rushing to the toilet before a big exam or experiencing butterflies before giving a speech. Experiencing stress is normal, it has a very important role in pushing us to take action, we call this the ‘fight or flight’ response, it prepares our body to fight or run if we are faced with danger. The problem arises when we are under chronic or long-term stress and the fight or flight response is being activated continuously. This can be associated with an increase in gut symptoms, because when we are in fight or flight mode, our ability to rest and digest decreases. Including stress management strategies is therefore an important piece of the puzzle when learning to better manage your IBS symptoms.

5. Your eating is erratic and when you do eat meal sizes are large. Large meals can cause gut discomfort and bloating, and can cause individuals with IBS-D to rush to the toilet after eating due to the gastro-colic reflex. The gastro-colic reflex is stimulated by eating and helps to make room for the food we are eating. It is much more manageable for our digestive tract to have smaller, more frequent meals and this can be a very effective strategy in helping to manage bloating or rushing to the toilet after eating.

6. You are not eating enough. Under nutrition can cause many of the same symptoms as IBS, but the solution will be ensuring regular and adequate nutrition, not an elimination diet.

7. You are one of the 25% of people who will not get relief from the diet. Not everyone will find that their IBS symptoms improve on the low FODMAP diet. The diet has been shown to be effective tool to help around 75% of individuals with IBS improve their symptoms, but that leaves around 25% of individuals whose symptoms will not improve on the diet. There are other IBS therapies that can be trialled if this is you, be sure to talk to your dietitian to discuss the different options available.

Please note that the information in this article is general in nature, everyone has individual requirements and individual recommendations will vary. If you would like support to help navigate your IBS or food intolerances, please get in touch, I provide telehealth nutrition counselling for individuals struggling with food and eating. I’d love to hear from you and would love to support you in finding a balanced approach that helps to manage your gut symptoms and improve your quality of life.

References:

1. Staudacher HM, Lomer MC, Anderson JL, et al. Fermentable carbohydrate restriction reduces luminal bifidobacteria and gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. J Nutr. 2012;142(8):1510–1518.

2. Halmos EP, Christophersen CT, Bird AR, Shepherd SJ, Gibson PR, Muir JG. Diets that differ in their FODMAP content alter the colonic luminal microenvironment. Gut. 2015;64(1):93–100.

If you found this post helpful, please share it on to any family and friends who have IBS and might find it useful, and subscribe to my seasonal mailing list to receive posts and recipes straight to your inbox!

Follow me on Instagram, if you're not already doing so, I regularly post easy meal ideas.

1. By ditching the all-or-nothing thinking. Often when we want to make changes to our eating patterns, we try to emulate the ‘perfect’ diet (hint: it doesn’t exist, and will do yourself no favours by trying to have this). We go all in for something that is way too restrictive, and set ourselves up for failure, as we inevitably can’t follow this for very long. Healthy eating is not perfect eating, and it looks differently for all of us. Healthy eating is eating a variety of foods that make your body feel good, that you enjoy and the diet as a whole is supportive in keeping your mind and body healthy. So get rid of the idea that there is one perfect diet or way of eating that is best, and instead work on checking in with your body and discovering which foods make you feel good, which foods give you energy and which foods you enjoy.

2. By having a plan and being prepared. This is a big one and something that is often overlooked. We only have so much decision making power each day, and our lives are filled with making decisions. If we leave what to eat for dinner until after work, it will be all too much and we will fall back on what we know and what is easy for us. If, however, we put aside some time when we are relaxed and have capacity to put together a rough plan of what our dinners will look like for the week and buy all the ingredients that we will need the ‘what to eat for dinner’ decision has already been made, the ingredients are ready, and we no longer have to think and make decisions after a long day. Read my post on how to put together a meal plan if you are looking for more advice on this.

3. By stocking your kitchen with the foods you want to be cooking/ eating more of. If nutritious ingredients or foods aren’t available we won’t eat them. As above, if we make a plan with what we want our meals to look like for the week and buy these ingredients, this is what we will prepare. It is important to have a good variety of foods available, so we have different options if we feel like something different and also so we are not depriving ourselves of the foods we enjoy. It’s a great idea to have longer-life staples stocked in your pantry and fridge so you can make an easy meal or snack if you haven’t been prepared with the shopping. Here is a good list of kitchen staples, and here are some easy meals that can be made using the staples. Keeping a fruit bowl or jar of nuts on the kitchen bench is a great reminder to have some fruit or nuts as a snack when we are hungry.

4. By making sure your meals are balanced and you are eating enough. Under eating doesn’t lead anywhere positive. Our bodies need food, when our bodies are well nourished we can get on with all of the important things that we want to do and stop thinking about food all the time. Our hunger plays an important role in making sure our bodies get the food that they need, often we are scared of hunger, but hunger is a good thing it’s a sign that our bodies are working efficiently and using the fuel that we are providing it with. Eating regularly is a good way to make sure that we eat appropriately for our appetite, and leave the meal feeling good and energised. Having balanced meals is a good way to ensure our bodies are getting the fuel that they need and are satisfied from our meals. Read my blog here about what a balanced meal looks like.

5. By getting support. Getting support can be a crucial step in making behaviour change and working out a balanced and sustainable approach to eating more healthfully. Setting up a support system means that you are making a commitment to what you are wanting to change and the support helps to encourage and keep you accountable. This is great to help keep you on track with what you are doing but especially important when things aren't going the way you want them to.

Please note, this information is general in nature. If you have any medical conditions or food intolerances it is helpful for you to get advice from a dietitian as to what healthy eating might look like for you in these parameters.

As a dietitian and nutritionist in Canberra, I work with individuals to help them achieve their health goals, and in my experience when people commit to the process and have the accountability and support provided by regular appointments, that is where longer-term behaviour changes can be achieved and improvements to health made. If you would like support and guidance with making behaviour changes, get in touch! I'd love to hear from you.     

If you found this post helpful, please share it on to any family and friends who might find it useful, and subscribe to my monthly mailing list to receive posts and recipes straight to your inbox!

Follow me on Instagram, if you're not already doing so, I regularly post easy meal ideas.

Here is what I ended up stocking the freezer with:

Minestrone soup

I used leek instead of onion and garlic (I was really loving leek at the time, still am actually), added fennel and zucchini, and used different legumes.

Dhal

I made a few different batches, which was super helpful as my husband used them for his work lunches late in pregnancy when we hadn’t prepared anything else.

One batch I made I used chicken stock instead of coconut milk and added zucchini. The other batch was similar to the recipe, using coconut milk. I actually dished these up with rice in the container so the whole meal was ready for reheating and cooking. This was a great idea, and I highly recommend for an easy lunch meal for either parent.

Beef and veggie pasta sauce - I slow cooked beef with leek, celery, carrots, fennel, lots of tomatoes, stock, salt, pepper and paprika. Pasta will need to be cooked at the time of serving.

Shepherd’s Pie

Chicken stock - I like to have this in the freezer for future cooking requirements.

Lasagne - I made a massive veggie packed lasagne, it had leek, celery, carrot, zucchini, lentils, tomatoes, roast pumpkin. I layered it with ricotta and I made a delicious white sauce using parmesan and a pack of frozen spinach. This ensured we had plenty of meals the week that I cooked it and also around 10 serves for the freezer. A super easy lunch or dinner that just needs to be reheated, you can also make a side salad to serve if you wish.

Tandoori beef and lentils - This turned out really well, and was so easy! I used tandoori paste from a jar, diced beef, leek, carrots, zucchini, French lentils and a tin of coconut milk and slow cooked for a few hours, then added a heap of baby peas at the end. I portioned these with cooked rice for an easy lunch solution for when my husband returned to work.

I am so happy that I put the effort in to cook extra food when I had it, because it was a good couple of months post baby that I was back in the kitchen cooking again. In hindsight, I would have benefitted from making more easy to eat snack foods - perhaps muesli biscuits or banana bread. Energy requirements for breastfeeding are quite high and I struggled to get enough calories in without lots of snacks. I also found it difficult to eat a meal (without spilling on my daughter) so snacks were helpful in that respect too. I hope this helps any parents to be looking for inspiration with cooking to stock their freezer and I’d love to know what meals or snacks you prepared before having a baby that you thought were great.

If you found this post helpful, please share it on to any family and friends who are expecting and might find it useful, and subscribe to my monthly mailing list to receive posts and recipes straight to your inbox!

Follow me on Instagram, if you're not already doing so, I regularly post easy meal ideas.

You’re told that you need to eat to support a growing baby, but also that you’re not eating for two and your obstetrician has told you not to gain too much weight.

It’s confusing, I get it! So I’m hoping to break it down, and make it more straight-forward for you.

During pregnancy, your requirements of certain nutrients increase, including iron, zinc, iodine and folate in particular. Dietary fibre requirements also increase, as pregnancy can commonly cause constipation. In the second and third trimester energy needs increase too, however, this increase isn’t so substantial. In the second trimester this increase is equivalent to about 1 peanut butter sandwich extra per day, and in the third trimester this is about 1 peanut butter sandwich and a banana extra per day.

Hunger levels certainly increase too, so in order to meet the increase in nutrient and fibre needs and satisfy increasing hunger requirements without exceeding the increase in energy requirements, it is important to choose nutrient rich foods from the five food groups. We don’t need to specifically monitor our nutrient and energy intakes, but making sure we are hitting the target intake for most food groups most days is a great way to ensure your increasing nutrient needs are being met. Of course it is also completely fine to have ‘sometimes’ foods daily or occasionally, whatever works best for you and your lifestyle. It is important to have a healthy relationship with food and that means that all foods can fit. If an all-or-nothing approach is something that you struggle with, please get in touch. This is a very important time in your life and is so worthwhile to work on your relationship with food before baby comes along and takes all of your attention.

The food groups are vegetables and legumes/beans; fruit; grain foods; lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds and legumes/beans; and dairy products or alternatives.

Vegetables -

during pregnancy our recommended requirements remains at 5 serves per day. It is important to aim for this target as vegetables are high in fibre and filling - very helpful for our increased appetites, and are also a good source of folate. Not to mention that they are a good source of a range of vitamins and minerals, which is important to support body functions at any stage of life.

1 serve of vegetables is the equivalent of 1 cup of salad veg, 1/2 cup cooked veg, 1/2 medium potato, or 1/2 cup cooked legumes (lentils, beans or chickpeas).

Fruit -

our recommended intake of fruit remains at 2 serves per day. Fruit is a delicious and convenient snack, perfect to have in your bag if you are out and get hungry. It is also high in fibre, filling and contains a range of vitamins and minerals, important for maintaining good health.

1 serve is equivalent to 1 piece of medium sized fruit (banana, apple, orange), 2 smaller sized fruits (kiwi, plums), or 1 cup diced (berries etc) or tinned fruit.

Grain products, mostly wholegrain -

This is one of the food groups where our recommended intake increases during pregnancy. The recommended intake jumps from 6 serves per day to 8.5 serves per day. Whole grains are a good source of energy and fibre, which is helpful for satiety and regular bowels. In Australia, there is also a mandatory fortification of iodine and folic acid of commercial breads, meaning that bread is a good source of these nutrients.

1 serve is equal to 1 piece of bread, 1/2 medium bread roll or wrap, 1/2 cup cooked pasta or rice, 1/4 cup muesli or 1/2 cup cooked oats. These serves are quite small hence the recommendation for a few serves per meal.

Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds and legumes/beans -

During pregnancy our recommended intake for this group also increases. This is largely because our iron requirements increase greatly with pregnancy. Many of these options also contain zinc and folate, along with fish and legumes also containing iodine. So this is a very important group to be eating at each meal all the time, but in particular, during pregnancy. The recommended intake jumps from 2.5 serves per day to 3.5 serves per day. Getting a mix of different foods from this group everyday will help to ensure that we get a good mix of the nutrients they provide.

1 serve is equal to 65g cooked lean meats, 80g cooked lean poultry, 100g cooked or tinned fish, 2 large eggs, 1 cup of cooked legumes (chickpeas, lentils, split peas etc), 170g tofu or 30g nuts or seeds.

Milk, yoghurt, cheese and alternatives -

Dairy products and alternatives, as long as they are fortified with calcium (have calcium added in), are great sources of calcium. When growing a baby during pregnancy, calcium is a very important nutrient. Interestingly, during pregnancy our bodies are better at absorbing calcium, so our requirements don’t actually increase, however, it is import to make sure that we are hitting the recommendations. The recommendations for pregnant women 18 years and under is 3.5 serves per day and for women aged 19 and above is 2.5 serves per day.

1 serve is equal to 1 cup of milk, 40g hard cheese, 3/4cup or 200g yoghurt or 1 cup of non-dairy milk as long as it has at least 100mg per 100ml.

What might this look like?

Sample day 1

Breakfast - 2 pieces of wholegrain toast with 1/4 avocado and 2 eggs or 1 cup of baked beans - 2 serves grain, 1 serve lean meat/poultry group

MT - piece of fruit + small handful of nuts - 1 serve fruit, 1 serve lean meat group

Lunch - leftover spaghetti bolognese (1-1.5 cups pasta, 1 cup of sauce) with cheese and salad - 2-3 serves grain, 1 serve lean meat, 3 serves vegetables, 0.5 serve dairy

AT - 4 vita-weats with cheese and tomato or cucumber - 1 serve grain, 1 serve dairy, 1 serve vegetable

Dinner - Teriyaki salmon with rice (1 cup) and veggies - 1 serve lean meat, 2 serves grain, 3 serves vegetables

Supper - tub of yoghurt + piece of fruit - 1 serve dairy, 1 serve fruit

= 7/5 serves vegetables, 2/2 serves fruit, 5-6/8.5 serves grain foods, 4/3 serves lean meat and poultry, 2.5/2.5 serves dairy.

Sample day 2

Breakfast - 1 serve of overnight oats (1/2 cup rolled oats, ~30g mixed seeds/nuts - chia seeds, flax seeds and peanut butter, 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of yoghurt) served with 2 kiwi fruit - 2 serves grain, 1 serve nuts and seeds, 1 serves dairy, 1 serve fruit

MT - 1 piece of grainy toast with avocado - 1 serve grain

Lunch -Leftovers - slow cooker Mexican chicken bowls with fresh veggies and a large scoop of Greek yoghurt - 1 serve grain, 1.5 serves lean meat, 1/2 serve dairy, 3 serves vegetables

AT - 1 banana - 1 serve of fruit

Dinner -Soba noodle salad with salmon (1.5 cups soba noodles) - 3 serves grains, 1 serve lean meat, 3 serves vegetables

Supper - 200g yoghurt with 1/4 cup muesli - 1 serve dairy, 1 serve grain

= 6/5 serves vegetables, 2/2 serves fruit, 8/8.5 serves grain, 3.5/3 serves lean meat, 2.5/2.5 serves dairy.

Please note that the information in this article is general in nature, everyone has individual requirements and individual recommendations will vary. If you would like support with your nutrition during this exciting and important time in your life, get in touch, I’d love to hear from you and would love to support you in a healthy and happy pregnancy.

If you found this post helpful, please share it on to any family and friends who are pregnant and might find it useful, and subscribe to my monthly mailing list to receive posts and recipes straight to your inbox!

Canberra Nutritionist and Dietitian Approved Recipes RSS

Follow me on Instagram, if you're not already doing so, I regularly post easy meal ideas.

Lo-fo toast with pb

Baker’s Delight low fodmap range, traditional sourdough, gluten free bread or 100% spelt sourdough can be good options when on a low fodmap diet. Adding some peanut butter helps this breakfast keep you satisfied for longer after eating.

Lo-fo toast with eggs

Another good option, for a morning when you are hungry and have a little more time.

French toast with lo-fo fruit

Simply whisk one egg per piece of bread, soak bread in egg mixture (stale bread works well), and then cook with some extra virgin olive oil in a frypan over med-high heat. Serve with maple syrup and kiwi fruit (or orange, just ripe banana, or berries) for a satisfying breakfast.

Overnight oats with lo-fo fruit

One of my personal favourite easy breakfast options. At night simply place 1 cup rolled oats, 1 cup lactose free milk (or dairy free milk of choice), 1 cup lactose free yoghurt and 1 tablespoon chia and flax seeds into a jar. Mix, put the lid on and put in the fridge overnight. Add some low fodmap fruit and peanut butter and you have an easy and satisfying breakfast.

Porridge with lo-fo fruit

This porridge is made with rolled oats, chia seeds and flax seeds (~1t each), lactose free milk and topped with kiwi fruit. You can add a little maple syrup if you like it a bit sweeter.

Scrambles eggs and veggies

I can appreciate that this dish does not look fabulous, but it is a delicious and filling option for the mornings when you are hungry and have more time. I like to add corn (1/2 cob is low fodmap), tomatoes, spinach and tasty cheese to my eggs. Capsicum and zucchini are also good additions.

A Smoothie using lo-fo fruit and milk

This one is banana, cinnamon, lactose free milk, lactose free yoghurt and 1t chia seeds. You could add kiwi, or some frozen blueberries or raspberries too.

If you are looking for some low FODMAP products, FODShop is a great website with lots of helpful low FODMAP products, check it our here is you are interested.

If you like this recipe, please share it on to your family and friends, and subscribe to my monthly mailing list to receive similar recipes straight to your inbox! 

Canberra Nutritionist and Dietitian Approved Recipes RSS

Follow me on Instagram, if you're not already doing so, I regularly post easy meal ideas.

Let’s look into what calcium is, and why this is important.

Calcium is a mineral that is essential in the development and maintenance of bones, but is also important for regulating muscle functions, regulating heart functioning, blood clotting, enzyme function and the transmission of nervous system message. The majority of the calcium in our body is stored in our bones and teeth (98 -98%) with a small amount circulating in our blood. When there is not enough calcium in the diet and the gastrointestinal tract is absorbing insufficient amount of calcium, it is then taken from the bones (2). As the body uses calcium continuously, if intake is low, overtime the body will remove so much calcium from your bones that they will become weak and brittle. Low intake of calcium is associated with osteoporosis, which often results in bone fracture, and is one of the major causes of morbidity amongst older Australians (2). Blood tests show the calcium in our blood, but they don’t show us what our stores of calcium in our bones are, if we want to test this we need to have a DXA scan (a scan that uses x-ray to measure the amount of minerals in our bones).

This post won’t be looking at the other factors that play a role in bone health (namely vitamin D and exercise).

How much calcium do we need each day?

So as we can see from the above table, our calcium needs increase as we age. Also, women’s calcium requirements increase after menopause and this is due to the decrease in oestrogen production (oestrogen plays an important role in maintaining bone mass).

What foods contain calcium?

Calcium is found in a range of animal and plant-based foods. The below foods all contain calcium.

• Dairy products - milk, cheese, yoghurt, ice cream and custard all contain calcium. One cup of milk, or tub of yoghurt contains around 300mg calcium. A couple of slices of cheese (40gm) contains around 280mg calcium.

• Dairy alternatives - non-dairy milks and yoghurts don’t naturally contain calcium, however, many of them are fortified with calcium (this means calcium has been added into the product). If you are using soy or almond milk, just make sure to check that calcium is on the ingredients list. The amount of calcium will vary in dairy alternatives between 280 - 400mg calcium.

• Leafy green veggies - broccoli, cress, kale, bok choy, spinach and Chinese cabbage all contain some calcium. Spinach is very high in calcium, however, due to the high concentration of oxalates that it also contains, our bodies are only able to absorb a very small amount of the calcium (oxalates are also found in rhubarb and swiss chard).

• Tofu and tempeh - Tofu that has been set with calcium is a good source of calcium. Make sure to look for calcium sulfate on the label. 100gm tofu that has been set with calcium contains around 350mg calcium, whereas 100gm of tempeh contains around 100mg.

• Fish - fish with bones are also a great source of calcium, for example sardines and tinned salmon. 60gm of sardines contains around 240mg of calcium.

• Nuts and seeds - almonds, hazelnuts and tahini all contain some calcium. A 30gm serve of almonds contains 75mg calcium, or 1 tablespoon of tahini contains around 65mg calcium.

• Dried figs - 60gm of dried figs have just under 100mg calcium.

• Legumes - lentils and beans have contain some calcium. 200gm of white beans contains 130mg calcium, 200gm chickpeas contain just under 100mg calcium and 200gm lentils only contain around 40mg of calcium.

• Calcium fortified foods - there are a range of different juices, breads and breakfast cereals that are fortified with calcium.

Not all calcium is absorbed equally. There are different factors that can lead to low level of calcium absorption, these include low vitamin D levels, consuming excessive amounts of caffeine and alcohol, smoking, certain medical conditions (untreated coeliac disease) and medication (prednisone), along with diets high in phytates and oxalates (4).

Phytates are found in seeds, grains and legumes, and oxalates are found in dark leafy greens, such as spinach and beet greens and rhubarb, along with many other plant foods including cashews and peanuts. Oxalates and phytates can reduce the absorption of minerals from a meal. For oxalates, unfortunately, cooking doesn’t help increase the absorption of nutrients. For phytates, however, the way in which we eat these foods also has been shown to make a difference, whereby if we soak our legumes (or use tinned legumes) the nutrients are more bioavailable, meaning our body can better utilise the nutrients in the food. Fermentation has also been shown to degrade the phytates in the food, so a seedy sourdough bread might be a good option for increased absorption of nutrients. Cooking and sprouting are two other methods to help increase the absorption of nutrients in these phytate rich foods.

When we are consuming predominantly a plant based diet, it is important to make sure we get a wide variety of different vegetables, as we will be able to absorb a larger quantity of different nutrients from different vegetables, so we will be more likely to meet our requirements with variety. It is also good to aim to cook most of our phytate-rich foods (grains and legumes) and soak, sprout and ferment where possible.

So what does a sample day of meeting your dietary requirements of calcium look like?

Here is a sample day for someone following a vegan diet

BF - Weet-bix with strawberries and soy milk

L - Tempeh salad bowl with tinned chickpeas, green leafy veggies and a tahini dressing

Snack - soy yoghurt and a piece of fruit, and a small handful of mixed nuts

D - Sesame tofu and veggie stir-fry served with rice

And a sample day for an omnivore incl. dairy and fish in their diet

BF - Bircher muesli served with strawberries and an extra scoop of yoghurt

L - leftover sesame tofu and veggie stir-fry

Snack - avocado, cucumber and cheese on vitaweats, and a piece of fruit

Dinner - Teriyaki salmon with greens

I’m curious to know, do you try to meet your requirements for calcium? Or were you unsure how important it is? Please leave your answer below.

As a dietitian and nutritionist in Canberra, I love working with individuals to help them find a way of eating that is balanced and ticks the boxes for all the different nutrients, but is also enjoyable and sustainable. It is my pleasure to help people improve their health outcomes or learn to better manage a health condition, whilst also developing a really healthy relationship with food. If you would like support and guidance with making changes to your eating patterns and health outcomes, get in touch! I'd love to help you on your journey.   

If you found this article helpful, share it to your family and friends! 

Canberra Nutritionist and Dietitian Blog RSS

Follow me on Instagram, if you're not already doing so, I regularly post easy meal ideas. 

References:

1. Abs.gov.au. (2019). 4364.0.55.008 - Australian Health Survey: Usual Nutrient Intakes, 2011-12. [online] Available at: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/4364.0.55.008~2011-12~Main%20Features~Calcium~401 [Accessed 18 Mar. 2019].

2. Nrv.gov.au. (2019). Calcium | Nutrient Reference Values. [online] Available at: https://www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients/calcium [Accessed 18 Mar. 2019].

3. Betterhealth.vic.gov.au. (2019). Calcium. [online] Available at: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/calcium [Accessed 18 Mar. 2019].

4. Osteoporosis.org.au. (2019). Calcium | Osteoporosis Australia. [online] Available at: https://www.osteoporosis.org.au/calcium [Accessed 18 Mar. 2019].

1. Pay attention to hunger and satiety cues - I try to do this most of the time, but especially after a time of indulgence this is something I pay attention to. Often I will be less hungry than usual and I will be craving fresh foods. I take this into account when working out what and how much I will eat. However, I still want to make sure I am eating regularly, having mostly balanced meals and not skipping meals. For example, this week I have really been craving lots of veggies, so on Sunday I did the shopping and bought heaps of fruit and veggies, then prepared a big salad for the fridge and cooked a dish with lots of veggies, so they have been the easy choice for meals this week. This leads me on to my next point...  

2. Eat plenty of veggies - Often when we are away, vegetable consumption falls, and so this is something I will naturally crave. Make an effort to include an extra serve of veggies at lunch and dinner. Plan your meals and buy heaps of veggies, then wash and cut some up so they are ready to go for your next meal. Same goes for fruit - have plenty of interesting fruit in your fridge ready for your next snack.

3. Eat a balanced breakfast - Often when we overindulge it leads us to restricting our food intake, perhaps skipping breakfast, but this doesn’t lead you in the direction that you want to go in. Everyone is different, and some people find not eating breakfast works for them but I think that it’s a good idea to be prepared with some healthy options for when you get hungry in the morning instead of winding up at the vending machine come 3pm. Some good options might include prepping a batch of bircher, or boiling some eggs to have with a grainy piece of toast and some avocado. Making sure we have a balanced breakfast, or first meal of the day, is a good way to help us feel satisfied and stabilise our blood sugars for the rest of the day.

4. Get back in to exercise - I’m generally not as active on holidays as normal, especially this last one, so getting back into exercise everyday has been really good. It doesn’t have to be crazy, even committing to a 20 - 30 min walk each morning is a good place to start.

5. Have a break from alcohol - Especially if you’ve overdone the alcohol, this is a good idea. Cut back, and perhaps even have a complete break for a while to give your body a bit of a break. Less alcohol can also help with making better food choices, getting in to more exercise and improved sleep quality, so it’s a win all round!

I’d love to know, what’s helpful for you to get back in to a healthy routine after holidays?

As a dietitian and nutritionist in Canberra, I work with people to help them achieve their health goals, and equip them with the knowledge and skills to help them make the best decisions for them. If you would like support and guidance with making changes to your eating patterns and health outcomes, get in touch! I'd love to hear from you.   

If you found this article helpful, share it to your family and friends! 

Follow me on Instagram, if you're not already doing so, I regularly post easy meal ideas. 

Balanced breakfast - starting the day with a balanced breakfast is important to ensure that energy levels and hunger are stable throughout the morning. If you find yourself hungry within an hour or two or breakfast, it might be time to reconsider your breakfast options. A balanced breakfast will include smart carbohydrates (dairy, wholegrains, fruit or veggies) and protein (dairy products, eggs, nuts, smoked salmon). My go-to balanced breakfast is overnight oats or bircher muesli; fresh fruit with natural or greek yoghurt and some muesli; eggs, veggies and toast; or sometimes plain old peanut butter on wholegrain sourdough.

Protein with all meals - including protein with our meals is a good way to feel satisfied but also keeps us feeling fuller for longer and keeps our energy levels stable after eating. This could be a plant-based source of protein, eg. lentils, chickpeas, beans or tofu, or an animal source of protein, chicken, tuna, salmon, lamb, beef, eggs. If you’re not already doing so, start including a few meat free meals in your week, it’s good for the environment and your awesome body.

Stick to smart carbs - stick to carbohydrates that are low GI and high in fibre, eg. legumes, whole grains, vegetables and fruit. These carbohydrates take longer to digest and provide us with more stable energy levels, instead of causing us to crash. They also keep us feeling fuller for longer, which means we can get on with our day instead of being constantly hungry.

Meal prep to be prepared with nutritious options - spending a little time on the weekend (or one day during the week) to do some planning, shopping and meal prep is one of the most helpful thing you can do to start eating better. Having nutritious and easy options on hand will mean that is what you eat. Even if you don’t want to be eating the same thing everyday, washing and cutting up veggies, boiling some eggs, and cooking some protein and/or legumes or grains, will mean that a healthy salad or stir-fry is just a few minutes away.

Include a smart snack in the afternoon - the afternoon is a time when many people reach for something caffeinated or sugary, but unfortunately this usually leaves us crashing again 30 minutes later. Instead, plan ahead and be prepared with a smart snack to have in the afternoon. A smart snack will be something that provides both fibre, protein and perhaps some fat. Good options include, a small handful of nuts with 1-2 dates, an apple or pear with some cheese, a natural or Greek yoghurt with some nuts or berries, wholegrain crackers (vita-weats or ryvita are both good) with cheese or hummus, veggie sticks with hummus or other veggie dip, or even a piece of wholegrain toast with some peanut butter.

Fluid intake - many of us simply don’t drink enough water throughout the day. When we are thirsty, our body is already mildly dehydrated. Being even mildly dehydrated causes lethargy and low energy levels. Ideally, we want to be drinking fluids, mainly water, throughout the day. A good indication of our hydration status is the colour of our wee. Have a look next time you go to the toilet, and aim for a pale straw colour. Dark yellow = drink more water.

Watch for caffeine and sugar - We often reach for caffeine and sugar for a quick pick-me-up only to crash again 20 minutes later, and the cycle continues. Switch your afternoon coffees for a herbal or iced tea, sparkling water or even a kombucha! Instead of a 3pm trip to the vending machine for a chocolate covered pick-me-up be prepared with some of the snacks above, or if you feel like some chocolate, add it to your snack so you are having something filling and satisfying.

Eating enough - the food we eat provides our body with energy, so we also need to be making sure we are eating enough food to make sure our body is getting the nutrition it requires to function optimally.

This advice is general in nature, if you are feeling run down or tired all the time, you need to pay your GP a visit.

As a dietitian and nutritionist in Canberra, I work with people to help them achieve their health goals, and equip them with the knowledge and skills to help them make the best decisions for them. If you would like support and guidance with making changes to your eating patterns and health outcomes, get in touch! I'd love to hear from you.   

If you found this article helpful, share it to your family and friends! 

Follow me on Instagram, if you're not already doing so, I regularly post easy meal ideas. 

What we eat can also affect the composition of our gut bacteria, and having healthy gut bacteria is linked to overall good health including a better immune system, bowel health and even improved mood. Eating a diet rich in whole grains and plant products may be beneficial for the healthy bacteria in our gut. Of particular importance is the variety of plant foods we include in our diet on a weekly basis.

Recent studies have reiterated the importance of variety of plant foods in our diet, finding that a diet that includes many different types of plants (30 or more different plants per week) is correlated with a much higher diversity in the gut microbiota than a diet with limited variety of plant food (10 or less). These findings are irrespective of whether the person includes animal products in their diet or prefers to keep them out. This is important to note as a plant-based diet does not have to exclude meat, but it does have to include mainly plant products. This is a common misconception, but you don’t have to completely exclude animal products from your diet to improve your diet quality.

Here are 12 strategies to help you improve the variety of plant foods in your diet.

1. Opt for bread that is filled with seeds and grains. The more grains and seeds the better.

2. Swap the butter or margarine on your toast to avocado or peanut butter.

3. Add extra seeds and nuts to your overnight oats or porridge. Flax seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and nut butters are all good options.

4. Opt for wholegrain flours when baking - use oat flour, wholemeal flour, or you could even add some almond meal or besan flour to your baked goods.

5. Snack on fruit, and try new seasonal fruits on offer. Fruit platters are a great after school snack or dessert option.

6. Add different beans, legumes and chickpeas to your meals with sauces - curries, bolognese etc.

7. Add mixed beans to salads.

8. Top salads with toasted nuts or seeds.

9. Enjoy a range of veggie sticks with hummus for a snack, or add a dollop of hummus to your lunchtime salad.

10. Swap your plain crackers to something with seeds and grains eg. vita weat, ryvita or make your own.

11. Add a range of different salad greens to your salad. You could also add some herbs which is a nice way to create flavour and increase the variety in your salads.

12. Shop at the farmer’s markets and buy a new vegetable when you see one. Google a recipe when you get home to work out how to cook with it.

What this could look like:

Breakfast - muesli with oats, chia, flax seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, walnuts, dried coconut served with yoghurt and berries. 9 plant foods

Lunch - Sandwich on soy and linseed bread with avocado, tuna, grated carrot, lettuce mix, tomato and cheese. 8 new plant foods

Dinner - Spaghetti bolognese with lentils, chickpeas, mince, onion, garlic, mushrooms, tomato, grated zucchini, grated carrot and celery. 7 new plant foods (or extra if you use a pulse pasta)

Snacks - Fruit platter, crackers with hummus, cheese with grainy crackers, yoghurt with fruit and/or nuts.

*Please note that everyone’s requirements vary, and this sample day is simply to illustrate how to include a variety of plant foods in your diet each day.

As a dietitian and nutritionist in Canberra, I work with people to help them achieve their health goals, and equip them with the knowledge and skills to help them make the best decisions for them. If you would like support and guidance with making changes to your eating patterns and health outcomes, get in touch! I'd love to hear from you.   

If you found this article helpful, share it to your family and friends! 

Follow me on Instagram, if you're not already doing so, I regularly post easy meal ideas. 

I also often get asked to write meal plans for other people, so I though it would be helpful for me to share a few principles that I like to follow when I am planning my meals for the week. You might find that these principles help you too. Here is a link to my previous post about how to write a meal plan, these two posts compliment each other.

 Balance - most of the time I like to follow the healthy plate model when planning my meals, this means that around half to 1/3 of the meal is colourful veggies, 1/4 of the meal is a lean protein, 1/3 of the meal is a smart carbohydrate, and included is a small amount of healthy fats or dressings. Here is more details on how to construct a healthy meal if you are interested. This helps me to feel satisfied from my meals and ensures i’m not constantly hungry, using this strategy I also am able to regularly reach my goal of feeling better after eating than before I started, and this is because generally vegetables make me feel really good.

Variety  - variety is important to increase the amount of nutrients we have in our diet, but also to keep things interesting. Eating the same thing everyday gets boring, and when our food isn’t interesting or appealing it is only a matter of time before we look for more ‘interesting’ options, that perhaps aren’t the best choices for us. Getting creative with trying new recipes is a great way to keep things interesting, as too is trying different types of legumes, grains, fruits, vegetables and meats. I try to make up or follow 1 new recipe per week, this is achievable for me and it also helps to add new recipes to my repertoire.

Colours - generally the more colours the better. We get different vitamins, minerals and antioxidants from different coloured fruits, vegetables and legumes, so it’s a great idea to mix things up. Furthermore, our healthy gut bacteria thrive off diets containing more diversity. Diets containing 30 different plant food per week have been found to be correlated with a much higher diversity in gut bacteria (which is a good thing) than diets with 10 or less plant foods per week. I like to add different fruits, nuts and seeds to yoghurt or oats, and try to add a range of different vegetables to soups, salads and pasta dishes. I also add lentils, chickpeas or beans to any dish that I can, which helps to add in more colours and plant proteins. Shopping at a farmer’s market can be a good way to increase variety of vegetables and fruit throughout the year, as what’s on offer is the seasonal produce. It can be fun to buy a new vegetable that you haven’t tried before, and google a recipe when you get home, you never know it might be your new fave.  

Enjoyment - enjoyment is a very important part of any meal plan. Eating foods that are healthy, delicious and satisfying is the key to sustainability. There is room in your diet for all of the things that you enjoy, and when we learn to include these foods in to our diet in a considered way that is also balanced, then we no longer have to be ‘on’ or 'off’ our eating regime. Balancing the things you love might mean that you prepare a delicious salad to have with your pizza, or have some veggies and hummus along with the chips, or a salad or extra veggies on the side of our pasta. Enjoying the foods you love as part of a balanced meal means that you get to enjoy the foods you love, which is essential, as cutting out the foods we love never lasts for long anyway. This also means we are getting the nutritious foods that our bodies thrive off so it leaves us feeling more satisfied after eating, it’s a win-win.

Below are some of my favourite balanced meals that feature regularly in my diet.

As a dietitian and nutritionist in Canberra, I work with people to help them achieve their health goals, and equip them with the knowledge and skills to help them make the best decisions for them. If you would like support and guidance with making changes to your eating patterns and health outcomes, get in touch! I'd love to hear from you.   

If you found this article helpful, share it to your family and friends! 

Follow me on Instagram, if you're not already doing so, I regularly post easy meal ideas. 

1. We don't have a plan. 

In any area of life that we want to succeed we need to have a plan, and map out what we want to happen. Things don't always go to plan, but we have a general idea of the direction we should be moving in. When we start a business, we write a business plan; when we want to increase our savings, we create a budget; and when we decide that a renovation might be a nice idea, there are building plans to plan out exactly what will need to happen to get us where we want to be. The same is true with health changes. If we don't have a plan we are shooting blind. How can we possibly get where we want to be if we don't have an idea of where that is, and what it will take to get there. Making positive changes to your health might mean more cooking from home. This means you will need to put together a rough meal plan (here is my master post on making a meal plan, if you haven't already read it), so you know what to buy at the grocery store and prepare for your meals before you get too tired or hungry to be able to think rationally about it. Taking some time to put together a plan that is realistic for you is a great place to start. You might also need to learn how to cook, or learn about healthy and balanced eating.  

2. We're trying to do too much at the one time.  

Trying to make too many changes at once is a recipe for making no changes. It's totally unrealistic and doesn't work long term. We live in a fast-paced world, where we have access to so much at the push of a button. We are used to getting what we want fast, and get very impatient if what we want takes too long. These expectations transfer to when we want to make behaviour changes as well. We have a surge of motivation to make changes, and try to change everything at once, only to end up right back where we started (or in an even worse headspace) a week or two later. When we focus on one thing at a time, and continue focusing on that one thing until it's stuck, that is where the magic happens and where long term behaviour change is possible. We often have to change our expectations, though, and change our thinking to a long term approach. 

3. It's not fun! 

If something isn't fun, it won't be a long term behavioural change. Often I see people pushing themselves really hard to do things that just aren't enjoyable to them, only to do a 180 and end up right back where they started, with a little less self confidence.

If you are able to find a way to enjoy the journey, or the process, the destination, or your health goal, will be an added bonus instead of the drawcard. I really enjoy shopping at the Farmer's Markets and cooking new recipes with seasonal ingredients often trying to see how I can add more vegetables in, and I now mostly use exercise as a stress relief and to clear my head, which means I am always looking for ways to fit it into my day, instead of excuses to get out of it. 

4. We think it's going to be a quick-fix.  

We live in a world where we want everything instantaneously, and we take this approach with our health goals too. The thing is though, that working towards improve health is a life-long endeavour. We don't just achieve good health, and hold on to it forever. This is something we need to keep working on. We make changes to the behaviours that are no longer serving us, for ones that will have a more positive effect on our health outcomes, and this process might continue throughout our life based on what is happening for us at any one time.  

5. Our goals are short-sighted or superficial.  

The 'why' of making changes is incredibly important. While short-sighted goals might motivate you for a week or two they generally won't be enough to keep you going much longer. You really need to dig deep to discover your why, and your changes will be a lot more successful if your reason for making changes outweighs some inevitable effort that the behaviour change can take. 

6. We think failure is final and not part of the process.  

None of us are perfect, and when we set ourselves up for an all-or-nothing approach, we will inevitably fail. As I mentioned above, doing too much at once is a recipe for doing nothing at all. Changing your approach is OK and can even be a helpful strategy to help move in the direction you want to be heading. Deviating from your goals or plans can be thought of as a lesson instead of a failure, and we can adapt our plans to incorporate what we have learned. For example, if you were out of town on the weekend and didn't make it to the grocery store, you haven't failed at getting prepared for the week, instead this can be a lesson about how to still eat well when you haven't prepared as much as you would have liked to.  You could push your shopping and cooking back one day and use Monday as an opportunity to find a healthy option near where you work, or to see if you can throw together a healthy lunch with what's in the cupboard (hello tuna, brown rice and four bean mix). The aim is consistency not perfection. This means consistently doing the best you can with whatever situation you are in, instead of the all-or-nothing approach of perfection.

7. We don't have support.

 Having support from others can be absolutely crucial in the success of your behaviour change. Setting up a support system means that you are making a commitment to what you are wanting to change and the support helps to encourage and keep you accountable. This is great to help keep you on track with what you are doing but especially important when things aren't going the way you want them to.

As a dietitian and nutritionist in Canberra, I work with individuals to help them achieve their health goals, and in my experience when people commit to the process and have the accountability and support provided by regular appointments, that is where longer-term behaviour changes can be achieved and improvements to health made. If you would like support and guidance with making behaviour changes, get in touch! I'd love to hear from you.     

If you found this article helpful, share it to your family and friends! 

Follow me on Instagram, if you're not already doing so, I regularly post easy meal ideas. 

The key to making a meal that is healthy but will also leave you satisfied for the next few hours, is to include a mix of protein, fats, carbohydrates along with heaps of fibre. 

Step 1 - Start with veggies - basically the more the merrier. A mix of cooked and raw can be nice, or all cooked in colder months might be more satisfying. You can use whatever veggies you have in your fridge or freezer. I like thinly sliced red cabbage for crunch or you could use any type of lettuce, sautéed green veg - kale, spinach, Chinese greens, broccoli or broccolini, zucchini, and any other veg i've got - red capsicum, carrots, roast pumpkin. Seriously any veggies can work well. 

 Step 2 - Choose your protein -  A source of protein is an essential ingredient for any nourish bowl. Protein will ensure that your meal satiates you, as well as providing essential amino acids which are vital in the diet. Protein helps to maintain muscle mass and is used for a range of crucial body functions including the building and repair of tissues. Your protein could be tinned salmon or tuna, lentils, chickpeas, tofu or some cooked chicken or meat.  

Step 3 - Add a smart carbohydrate - These carbs provide a good source of energy and a medium to high fibre content, to make sure you remain full for longer after eating. An added bonus of some of these carbs (some cooked and cooled starches such as rice and potatoes, as well as legumes and other whole grains), is that they contain a carbohydrate called 'resistant starch', which acts as a prebiotic, or as food for the good bacteria in our gut, which increases gut health and overall immunity. Let your hunger and activity levels dictate the quantity of carbohydrates you include in your salad, we all have different requirements depending on activity levels. Cooked quinoa, rice, freekeh, roast potato or sweet potato all work well. 

Step 4 - finish with some healthy fats - A source of fat is also an important component to any balanced salad or nourish bowl. Adding fat to your vegetables is a really important way to make them more delicious and also help us absorb the fat-soluble vitamins that are in the vegetables. Not to mention dietary fat provides our body with essential fatty acids. Monounsaturated fatty acids, found in olive oil, avocado and nuts, and a great addition to your veggies, as they have been found to be most effective at absorbing fat-soluble vitamins and they are associated with improved health outcomes. I love adding a dressing of extra virgin olive oil, balsamic and a dash of reduced salt soy sauce, or avocado and toasted seeds to my nourish bowls. 

Lastly, organise your food in different sections to help make it super Instagram-able. But in all seriousness meals don't have to be instagram-worthy to be delicious and nutritious.  

What are your favourite ingredients to fill your nourish bowls? Below are a few of mine! 

Follow me on Instagram if you're not doing so already. 

Winter in Australia, means Summer in other countries, and is often a time when many of us do some travelling. 

Visiting new places is a fantastic opportunity to try new and different foods, and with a bit of mindfulness we can enjoy these new food experiences without feeling bloated and overfull. Here are my mindful eating tips for your next holiday, tried and tested by myself on our recent holiday to Fiji.  

Give yourself permission to eat whatever you feel like. When we give ourselves unconditional permission to eat whatever takes our fancy, different foods lose their power over us and binging or over eating the 'off limit' foods tends to subside. I have a goal with my food choices, and I want to leave a meal feeling better that when I started. With sticking to this goal I make appropriate food choices for how I am feeling and am less likely to over eat because A. I can eat the food again when I next feel like it and B. It wouldn't leave me feeling better than when I started the meal. Making sure you are eating enough food regularly, is the first step to provide our bodies with the safety they need to be able to feel calm around food. It’s understandable that you aren’t feeling calm around food if your body isn’t getting enough nutrition regularly.   

Check in with how you are feeling. Making the best decision for a meal means you first need to check in with how you are feeling. This can take some practice but it is certainly something that you will get better at with experience. When I am checking in with how I am feeling I will take into account my hunger level, what sort of food will leave me feeling most satisfied (hot, cold, crunchy, smooth etc.), when my next opportunity to eat will be and how much energy do I need for the activities I will be doing, eg. if we are planning on going for a hike I will make sure I eat a bit of extra carbohydrates, or if it's a morning of reading by the pool a lighter breakfast will be fine. 

It's also helpful to check in with how your body is feeling during the meal. Are you continuing to eat because you are still hungry or really enjoying the food, or is it just to finish what's on your plate? Is this bite as delicious as the first? It's ok to stop eating when you are satisfied, even if there is still food on your plate. You can save this food for when you are next hungry, it doesn't have to be wasted.

But, just because you can doesn't always mean that will be the best decision for you. Just because you're on holidays and you 'can' have multiple trips to the buffet for pastries for breakfast, doesn't mean that will leave you feeling the best after eating. By thinking about what you actually want to eat, and which food and in what quantity will leave you feeling the best after eating, you can make a choice that will satisfy your hunger and leave you feeling great after your meal to get on with the other activities that your holiday might offer. It’s also not a big deal if you eat more and don’t end up feeling your best, try to be compassionate with yourself.

Stop what you are doing and enjoy the meal. When you are eating try to enjoy the food and your company, and switch off from other distractions eg. watching T.V. or looking at your phone. Enjoying the meal and your company will leave you feeling a lot more satisfied, than when your watching T.V. and wonder where your meal has gone. Get the most out of your holiday by being present with what you are doing, starting with eating your meals.   

I find that eating mindfully, while also staying well hydrated and keeping most meals balanced ensures that I feel my best while also enjoying local delicacies. I may eat past my comfort level on occasion, and that's ok, I'm human and it’s really not a big deal, but the majority of the time I am able to check in with my body and make the right decision for me at that moment, and eat to a comfortable level of fullness and satisfaction. 

Do you have any tips for mindful eating on holidays? I'd love to hear about them in the comments section below.    

These tips are general in nature, if you are looking to improve your relationship with food, and are looking for a Canberra Dietitian to assist you in achieving your nutrition related health goals, click here to book in for a consultation.   

If you found this article helpful, share it on! 

Here is a link to the article. 

I thought I would also put together a more comprehensive post with great office lunches including some that require a small amount of prep (the night before or on the weekend), and some that just require you to go to the supermarket and pick up the ingredients. 

Leftovers: 

Any leftovers from dinner are great to take for lunch the next day! 

Lunch options that require a small amount of meal prep: 

Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Bowls - need to prepare ingredients and add them to the slow cooker the night before, that's it! 

Quinoa Salad - served with tuna or marinated tofu - need to make the quinoa salad ahead of time. 

Soba Noodle Salad - served with tinned salmon or tuna - need to make the soba noodle salad ahead of time. 

Salad with tuna and sweet potato - you just have to pre-cook the sweet potato ahead of time. 

Roast mixed veggies on a roll. Bake the veggies on the weekend and bring them to work with some cheese and a roll.   

Roast mixed veggies, slow cooked beef and jalapeño hummus served with baby spinach. Just prep the ingredients ahead of time. 

Hearty Minestrone Soup - served with some toast for a satisfying and warming lunch. 

Lunch options for no meal prep: 

Tuna and salad mix wrap - wraps, a tin of tuna and some salad mix. Avocado, hummus or feta would all work well for a spread on the wrap. 

A sandwich with veggies and lean meat. This one has ham, cheese, tomato and lettuce. 

Roast chicken with salad. Roast chicken, salad mix (or kale slaw), 1/2 tin of chickpeas, avocado and some dressing (I use balsamic and olive oil). So easy and so satisfying.   

Other ideas might be: 

• Tin of tuna or salmon, with a microwave rice cup and a salad mix
• Four bean mix with a small tin of corn and salad mix
• Soup (you can buy fresh soup from many supermarkets, or there are now heaps of different brands offering soups in pouches, which just need to be microwaved) with a grainy bread roll. 

Are there any easy lunch ideas that I've missed? I'd love to hear your easy lunch ideas in the comments section below. 

If you found this article useful, share it around to your friends and family members.   

Follow me on Instagram, if you're not already doing so, I regularly post easy meal ideas. 

1. Ask for help. Asking for help is tough, I know this, I come from a family of 'do-it-yourselfers' and it has been challenging for me to learn how to ask for help, but as the name suggests, it really is very helpful.

If you think you know what you're doing, but you're not quite sure, ask for help!

If you have no idea what you're doing, ask for help! 

If you thought you knew what you were doing and it worked for a while but it's no longer working, ask for help! 

Getting advice or a second opinion will save you a lot of time, make your life easier, and ultimately help you reach your health goals faster. Find someone that you can talk to and then use them as a sounding board for what you're thinking, trust me, it will be a huge advantage to you.    

2. Get a support crew. If you are making healthy changes, it will be a lot easier for you to work towards your goal if you are in a supportive environment. You will likely find support from the above help, but it is also important to have some day to day support as well. If you are wanting to increase your daily walking, you could invite colleagues at lunch and go together, or maybe you and your housemate or family member could plan healthy meals to cook and take it in turns, or perhaps you could start doing dancing classes with a friend? A lot of the time your environment can make or break your best attempts to live a healthier lifestyle, so it's a good idea to set up your environment in a way that supports your efforts. Tell your family/ friends about the healthy changes you are making, and ask them to be supportive. 

3. Find a way to enjoy the journey, not just the outcome. Enjoying the journey is the key to success in any area of life, but especially in creating and maintaining healthy behaviours. Find ways to enjoy your journey, maybe this means trying new foods that you haven't heard of before, learning to cook, or getting back into regular exercise that you actually enjoy. Enjoy your journey, because the key to successful behaviour change is that it's sustainable and you can continue with it in the long run. 

What tips do you have about enjoying the journey or working towards your health goals? 

Follow me on Instagram, if you're not already doing so, I regularly post easy meal ideas. 

Protein powder is spruiked as the secret to weight loss, weight gain, defined muscles and more. There is definitely a time and place for protein powder for some people, as it can be an easy and convenient way to get extra protein in your diet if you're trying to gain weight, and can be an easy way for athletes to quickly refuel straight after a workout. If this sounds like you, look for a protein powder with a simple ingredient list, and buy in bulk if you can to help save money, or try skim milk powder which is much cheaper than protein powders. 

For many of us though, we don't really need the extra protein in our diet and it's just acting as extra energy which can lead to weight gain. Especially if weight loss is the goal, it is a lot more satisfying to eat real food than drinking a protein powder, and often if we are hungry after a workout, a protein shake doesn't really fill us up so we end up eating a meal or snack on top of the protein shake. In most cases it is also much cheaper to eat food with an equivalent quantity of protein than to have a protein shake, especially if we are having it as an add-on to food.

Have a read of this article from the blog Dietetically Speaking, for a thorough examination of the pros and cons of protein powder. 

If you aren't a competitive athlete, and are looking to lose or maintain your weight, and can be prepared with real food after your workout, then in my opinion real food is always the best place to start. When we eat foods, or meals made from foods, we are getting a combination of all of the macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein and fats) along with all the antioxidants and fibre from the fruits and vegetables. This wide variety of nutrients will not only be more satisfying to eat, but will also provide our bodies with all of the good nutrition it needs to effectively recover from the workout. 

Here are 10 real food alternatives to protein powders, perfect for after your training session.

1 glass of milk (250ml) has 8-9g of protein 

50g skim milk powder has 17g of protein  

1 tub of greek yoghurt has 17g of protein 

1 chicken breast (100g) has 23g of protein 

100g of tinned tuna has 23g of protein 

1 cup of lentils or chickpeas has around 12- 14g of protein

1 cup of oats has 12g of protein 

1 sandwich made on grainy bread with cheese and salad has around 18g of protein

1 sandwich made on grainy bread with lean meat and salad has around 22-25g of protein

1 piece of grainy toast with hummus and seeds sprinkled on top has around 12g of protein   

A serve of protein powder generally contains 15-30g protein. How much protein you should consume post training will depend on your weight and goals. If you are exercising for fun you don't need to get caught up in the numbers, but making sure you eat something containing protein and carbohydrates will help your body recover better after training. If your exercise is quite light it's fine to just eat your regular meals as normal. 

If fat loss is a goal for you, it can be effective to train around meal times so you can optimise your recovery but don't need to be adding much extra food into your day. If you're looking for ideas for what to eat after a workout, have a look at this post I recently wrote. 

If you found this article useful, share it on! 

Follow me on Instagram, if you're not already doing so, I regularly post easy meal ideas. 

Here's the thing though, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to healthy eating, and there is no one diet or way of eating that will be right for everyone. What works for me and my lifestyle, may not be the best for you, and I understand this, and as such, like to keep an open mind. In saying that, there are a few things that I think are important, and are beneficial for most people, these are variety, balance and moderation.  

I believe that what we eat is important. Food fuels every cell in our body, and can play a massive role in how we feel, how much energy we have,  and can contribute to how physically healthy we are. We need a variety of different foods everyday, as no one food contains all of the nutrition we require for good health. But here's the thing, our overall health is not just determined by what we eat, or our physical health. Our social health and mental health are also big contributing factors. And guess what? food plays an important role with social connections. Think about going on a date with a partner, or to the movies with friends where popcorn and choc tops are inevitable, or sharing thanksgiving or Christmas dinner with your family - food plays a big and important role in all of these occasions. Allowing yourself to enjoy food and to be part of these occasions is vital for your social wellbeing, and ultimately your overall health and wellbeing as well. Life is to be enjoyed, and what is the point at spending all your time striving for health, when you're not able to enjoy yourself? 

And that leads me into mental health. When we stress about food choices, obsessively count calories or speak negatively to ourselves about what we've eaten, this is not a healthy headspace to be in, and it doesn't lead to 'healthier' decisions or you being in a better place. We should eat the core food groups most of the time, yes, but also be flexible and allow ourselves to enjoy social connections and the food that comes with it. We benefit from having balance in all areas of our life, and that is also true with the food we eat. Having a healthy mindset around food and being relaxed about your food choices is a freeing place to be, and ironically being relaxed about food choices, and allowing yourself permission to eat anything actually leads to making more appropriate food that will leave you feeling better after eating. When there are no foods that are off limits (with the exception of allergies, intolerances, and certain medical conditions) and we can choose to eat all foods in moderation, then all food is morally neutral, and our choices can be based on what makes our bodies feel good rather than what is the 'good' or 'naughty' option.   

My main purpose with eating, is to eat foods that make my body feel good, I aim to feel better after eating than before. So while I allow all foods in my diet, I will choose foods, or combinations that help me reach this goal. I will often include extra veggies into my meals or opt for a high fibre version, not to lower the calories but because I know that when foods contain more vegetables and fibre they will keep me satisfied, keep my mood and energy stable and make my body feel good after eating. I also enjoy pizza, burgers, cake and chocolate (to name a few) and I allow myself to eat these things when the occasion calls for it and I feel like eating them. I eat enough until I am satisfied, and then if there's food left I can leave it because I know the next time I want it I will be able to enjoy it again, and most of the time I leave the meal feeling better than when I started. I also find that balancing my meals and snacks, is a helpful way to eat my feel good foods along with other delicious foods that I feel like eating. For example, when I have cheese and crackers I might cut up some veggies to have with it, or make a salad to go with pizza. Sometimes meals are balanced, other times days or weeks are balanced. So variety, balance, moderation and eating in a way that is nourishing and also pleasurable are all part of my food philosophy.    

I'd love to hear, do you have a food philosophy? what is it? 

If you are confused by what to eat, or feel you would benefit from some guidance to help find your balance, get in touch! I'd love to hear from you.  

If you liked this article, share it around to your family and friends! 

Follow me on Instagram, if you're not already doing so, I regularly post easy meal ideas.  

So now we all know that it's a smart idea to eat to fuel our training, as we will be able to put more into it and will therefore get a lot more out of it. It is also a good idea to replenish our stores after a workout. Having a good recovery meal or snack will help restore energy reserves and rebuild damaged tissue, but can also promote building lean muscle mass and help enhance your exercise performance and recovery time. 

When we exercise, our bodies are burning fuel, and afterwards our bodies want to replace this energy, and so can ramp up our appetite to do this. Straight after exercise, our appetites may be suppressed, but later in the day our hunger hormones will rise and our appetite increases. Hunger is our bodies way of letting us know it needs fuel, so it's important to learn to work with our hunger not against it. If you try to ignore your appetite and let yourself get too hungry, you will enter a meal starving and eat incredibly quickly and inevitably overeat and end up feeling really uncomfortable and overfull. We want to be proactive about our hunger, if you find yourself starving a few hours after a workout, perhaps you could add something small in before hand, maybe a piece of fruit, and then also add something in after. 

What you eat will depend on the time of day you are training, your training goals, and how long/hard your workout was. If you have just done a small workout or some light cardio a piece of fruit or some veggie sticks with hummus might suffice. Aiming for minimally processed foods rich in fibre (eg. fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes) with a little protein, to help provide your body with the fuel it needs and to help to better manage your appetite.  

What your recovery meal or snack should include:

Protein to help aid muscle recovery; carbohydrates to replace energy (glycogen) stores; fluids to replace those lost through sweating and breathing, and electrolytes lost through sweating. 

What does a recovery meal or snack look like:

If you're training first thing in the morning, at lunch or after work, there's a good chance that your meal will naturally fall just after your gym sesh. This is beneficial if weight loss or weight maintenance are your goals. That means that you just need to make sure you're having a well balanced meal with the above essentials, and re-hydrating with some water or milk. If you are wanting to gain weight, or are training quite intensely, your food intake will likely have to be increased to reflect these goals. 

Breakfast examples: 

2-3 eggs, scrambled with veggies (frozen peas and corn work well) on grainy toast 

Smoked salmon with avocado on grainy toast

Overnight oats served with extra greek yoghurt and fruit. Try one of my tasty overnight oat recipes, there's raisin toast overnight oats, apple and almond overnight oats, and mango and coconut overnight oats. 

Lunch examples: 

Lean meat sandwich with wholegrain bread 

Kale slaw with chickpeas and tuna 

Rainbow salad bowl with tuna and a source of carbohydrates (eg. corn like in this bowl) 

Dinner examples: 

Chicken, beef or pork stir-fry with rice

Spaghetti bolognese with a salad 

Gilled fish with potatoes/sweet potatoes and salad 

Other times: 

Yoghurt with fruit and muesli 

Tub of greek yoghurt 

Piece of grainy toast with hummus 

Chocolate milk 

Recovery smoothie 

What are your favourite options for a recovery meal or snack? 

If you found this article helpful, please share it on to your family and friends who might also find it interesting.