Smurf berries

Blueberries

Our raw little indigo friend often added to muesli and porridge but how good is it really? Many claim it to be a superfood but is it packing the punch or just mediocre....

Nutritionally it has 351kj per 1cup and can be broken down into 91% carbohydrate, 5% protein and 4% fat and it has a glyceamic load of 6 (out of 250). It claims as being antioxidant rich are spot on (per 1 cup) with an inflammatory factor of -28 not to mention being a good source of magnesium (25%), vitamin K (36%) and Vitamin C (24%).

Positive effects:

 - Good source of Antioxidants... Blueberries are one of the richest sources of   proanthocyanidins.  These phytonutrients decrease free radicals levels that are linked to aging (yes wrinkling!) and disease.

-   Catechins found in blueberries activate fat-burning genes in abdominal fat cells to assist with weight loss, and belly fat loss in particular.  According to research at Tufts University, regularly ingesting catechins increases abdominal fat loss by 77 percent and double total weight loss

-  Helps prevent burst capillaries and varicose veins

-  Contain vitamin E 

Veggalicious

If getting fruity isn't you thing (Although we do recommend getting 2 fruits a day) then maybe 5 veg will be more helpful. Eat local. Eat what’s in season. Eat organic. Confused by multiple messages about what to eat and where to buy it?  We’ve looked into eating seasonal food and have it all figured out. Here’s why you should (really) do it.

Eating local and seasonal food is good for your health and the environment, but did you know it can also make food more flavorful and nutritious and better for the back pocket ($$). By eating seasonal produce you are able to choose foods that are farm fresh (Think less transit time from picking to packaging) which we all know tastes alot better. By decreasing the transit time too the freshness and therefore nutrient content of the food is also higher which really is a win win. Not to mention that food strait form the farms don't require storage which means the cost will also be significantly less. 

Our favorite place to shop for fresh vegetables is South Melbourne markets. Not only is there a great variety of fresh produce in the fruit and vegetbale sections there are also butchers, florists and specialty stores all available meaning you can shake up the usual protein +veg dinner.. (Look them up on twitter: @sthmelbmarket)

So these days with a fast track on transit and the ability to import export pretty much most fruit and vegetables are available all year round but purchasing seasonally will mean they are at their freshest.

VEGETABLES

Vegetables	Season(s)
Artichokes (Globe)	Spring
Artichokes (Jerusalem)	Winter
Asparagus	Spring
Basil	Summer
Beans	Spring Summer Autumn
Beans (Broad)	Winter Spring
Beetroot	All Year
Broccoli	Winter Spring
Brussel Sprouts	Autumn Winter
Cabbage	Autumn Winter
Capsicum	Spring Summer Autumn
Carrots	All Year
Cauliflower	Autumn Winter Spring
Celery	Autumn Winter
Chillies	Spring Summer Autumn
Corn	Summer Autumn
Cucumber	Spring Summer Autumn
Eggplant	Summer Autumn
Leeks	All Year
Lettuce	All Year
Onions	All Year
Parsley	All Year
Parsnips	Autumn Winter Spring
Peas	Spring Summer Autumn
Peas (Snow)	Winter Spring
Potatoes	All Year
Rhubarb	All Year
Silverbeet	All Year
Spinach	Autumn Winter Spring
Spring Onion	All Year
Squash	Spring Summer Autumn
Sweet Potatoes	Autumn
Tomatoes	Summer Autumn
Turnips	Winter
Zucchini	Spring Summer Autumn

Fruity for you..

No its winter we hear a lot of people saying its harder to eat healthy because of changes to fresh produce. Well we've done a little research with the help of The 'Seasonal Food Guide Australia' and got the low down on what seasons are best for your fruity favorites...

Fruit...

Seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables in season in Melbourne and Victoria.

FRUITS

Fruit	Season(s)
Apples	Autumn Winter
Apricots	Summer
Bananas	All Year
Berries	Spring Summer
Cherries	Summer
Figs	Summer Autumn
Grapefruit	All Year
Grapes	Summer Autumn
Kiwifruit	Winter
Lemons	Winter Spring
Limes	Winter Spring
Mandarins (Imperial)	Autumn Winter Spring
Melons	Summer Autumn
Oranges (Navel)	Winter
Oranges (Valencia)	Summer Autumn
Peaches	Summer
Pears	Summer Autumn Winter
Plums	Summer
Strawberries	Spring Summer Autumn

Running away....

Run through July

We've updated our Run Time page...

We've added some local fun runs for the month of July. Whether you're an elite runner or just giving it a go there is a race for all types.

July 2013

Park Run Victoria 

6th, 13th, 20th and 27th July 2013 (Every Saturday)

5km Walk/Run

Albert Park, Melbourne, Victoria                                                  Balyang Sanctuary, Newtown, Victoria

The Age Run Melbourne

Sunday 21 July 2013

Federation Square, Melbourne, Victoria
21.1km (half marathon), 10km, 5km Run/Walk
Kids' Event

The Brave Winter Warrior Challenge

Saturday 27th July 2013

Lake Mountain, Marysville, Victoria
14km of difficult terrain - including snow and obstacles

Hobson's Bay Fun Run

Saturday 27th of July 2013

New port, Victoria
5km fun run

Mornington Bay Run

Sunday 28th July 2013

Mornington Park, Mornington, Victoria
8.2km, 4.2km Run/Walk
Raising money for the Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation.

How much?

What should my dinner plate look like?

We're often asked how do we know if we're over eating so we've created this easy dinner plate to guide you. Its pretty simple you can eat all the foods you enjoy it comes down to how much and how often? So the best thing at dinner is to decrease our protein and carbohydrates to an appropriate amount and fill up on veggies!! It's a win win situation really!!

Coconut water yay or nay?

COCONUT WATER

Coconut Water

Naturally refreshing, coconut water has a sweet, nutty taste. It contains easily digested carbohydrate in the form of sugar and electrolytes. Not to be confused with high-fat coconut milk or oil, coconut water is a clear liquid in the fruit’s center that is tapped from young, green coconuts.

It has fewer calories, less sodium, and more potassium than a sports drink. Ounce per ounce, most unflavored coconut water contains 5.45 calories, 1.3 grams sugar, 61 milligrams (mg) of potassium, and 5.45 mg of sodium compared to Gatorade, which has 6.25 calories, 1.75 grams of sugar, 3.75 mg of potassium, and 13.75 mg of sodium.

Ideally getting it strait form a coconut is the best option however there are some great grab and go brands out there just be careful to check the label for any added ingredients!

Are you a happy healthy family?

Happy healthy families

With a significant amount of media attention paid to the ever growing waist bands of Australians (63% of Australians being overweight or obese) it is becoming more increasingly difficult to decide which the best approach to ensure you and your family are optimising your health and wellness. Media hype focusing on clean eating, vegan, raw, paleo, organic, gluten-free, no sugar, no fat, and detoxes has added confusion to the already challenging day to day battle of making healthy choices. First of all everybody is different and every family is different there is simply no one diet fits all approach. It’s important that you work out what your goals are as a family and what resources you have to achieve them. After that, these following strategies can help with the transition to being a happy healthy family.

A balanced diet

Nutritionally, whether you eat organic, vegan or omnivore a balanced diet should consist of three regular main meals and small snacks every day. It’s important to enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods every day.

For children the Australian guide to healthy eating recommend 3 fruits, 3 dairy and at least 4 vegetables per day and for adults 2 fruits, 2 dairy and at least 5 vegetables. Cereals and grains are an ideal source of energy and choosing wholegrain options like multigrain bread and basmati rice add to this balance.

Moderating the bad fat intake in the diet is also important. An easy way is to reduce our saturated fats (bad) by choosing reduced fat milk, yoghurt, cheese and other dairy products (for people aged 2 years and up) and selecting lean cuts of meat, trim visible fat and skin, and choose oily fish.

Portions

Maintaining adequate portion control and practicing mindful eating are often one of the biggest challenges to healthy eating. Our dinner plate generally should be 50% non-starchy vegetables (think green and colourful), 25% carbohydrates (starchy vegetables, rice, pasta) and 25% protein (roughly about the size of the palm of your hand). Mindful eating involves thinking about what you’re consuming and why. Are you actually hungry or eating because you’re bored.

Focusing on having a body weight in the healthy weight range, engaging in regular exercise and keeping hydrated are also important in optimising health. At least 30minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity 5 days a week will put you well on your way.

Routine

Breaking bread together is important. Having the main meal of the day together not only puts focus back on to nutrition and the goodness of balanced meals; it creates routine and is also a time to connect. Families that eat together, stay together. Integrating a minimum of four family dinners per week not only puts this into practice but allows time for other routines (read: kid’s sports and shift work). Sleep routine is also extremely important not just for your children but you too. A consistent sleep cycle will improve mood, concentration, energy levels and productivity which in turn make you healthier.

In the end a long-term healthy lifestyle has to work for you and your family. No sense keeping up with the Jones’ if it both doesn’t suit your family and isn’t affordable. You as  aprent are the best role model for your family.

It's that simple

10 Simple Health Tips for Busy People 

1)      Never skip breakfast.

2)     Drink a lot of water throughout the day.

3)     Bring your lunch to work.

4)     Developing good sleeping habits.

5)     Have healthy snacks on hand at all times such as nuts, freshly squeezed juices, fruit, veggies and dips & homemade baking.

6)     Write a shopping list. This saves you time in the grocery store and you’ll be less likely to throw in unhealthy stuff that you really don’t want.

7)     Do one big shop a week when you’re not rushed or hungry – Shopping when hungry or rushed leads to poor food choices or missing important items.

8)     Make extra food to spread over multiple meals

9)     Pay attention to posture

10)  Ten minutes of sunshine

Winter Warmer

Now we've finally hit winter and the cold days seem never ending I've noticed a trend in my clients struggling to make healthy choices with the excuse "I just crave warm meals with carbs". Now we're not saying carbohydrates are bad, its quit the contrary we love them (!!) however often its the serving of them that gets us into trouble (think.. never ending bowl of mac and cheese, a good movie & a glass of vino on Sunday nights) So I have created a list of winter warming meals that don't break the calorie bank to kick that stodgy winter food coma for good.

This weeks one is a definite favorite for me and I cooked it up and had a taste test last week. My friends were happily surprised and definitely left feeling like they'd had a hearty bowl of pasta without the post meal sloth like tendencies.

Veggie Bolognese  Serves 4

Veggie Spaghetti

3 zucchini

3 carrots

Bolognese

400g lean mince beef

3 garlic cloves

1 medium onion, diced

3tbsp of tomato paste

1btl of tomato passata

2 celery stalks, finely sliced

1 carrot, grated

1 zucchini, grated

2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

2 tbsp basil, finely chopped

Parmesan cheese to garnish

Method

-          Add ½ tsp olive oil. Cook onion and garlic, stirring, for 5 minutes until softened. Add carrot, zucchini and celery and cook, covered, for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to high Add mince. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up mince, for 5 minutes or until browned.

-          Add tomatoes, passata and paste. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Add basil and parsley. Simmer covered for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.

-          In the meantime, create the veggie spaghetti in a spiraliser (if you do not have a spiraliser, peeling the zucchini and carrot into fettuccini would also work).

-          Steam the zucchini spaghetti in a vegetable steamer over boiling water for a couple of minutes until the zucchini has softened to your liking.

-          Once the Bolognese is ready, place the spaghetti onto your plate, top with the Bolognese and please please please enjoy!

-          Tip: any extra sauce can be frozen and used at a later date.

We hope you love this as much as we do!! 

Enjoy. 

NF