Getting Back To Basics

Nutrition is the science of nutrients and how they are digested, absorbed, transported, metabolized, stored, and eliminated by the body. This means what you eat will affect your health, how much fat you lose, how much muscle you can gain, how energetic you feel and so much more.

Here are Naed Nutrition’s top tips to improving your health & wellbeing

Keep hydrated: water is important for

Boosting energy & Aiding the absorption of water soluble nutrients

Elimination of toxins which is needed for  WEIGHT LOSS and for fat metabolism,

Joint mobility & Improving cognitive function

You need to eat fat to burn fat. When you are wanting to burn body fat and lose weight you want to focus on the unsaturated fats such as monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA’s) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA’s). 

MUFA’s : olive oils, avocado’s nuts & seeds

PUFA’s (Omega 3’s): fish, nuts, seeds & algae

Eat High protein foods as they allow the body to burn fat by satiety. It allows you to limit excessive carbohydrate intake by keeping you full, controlling appetite, levelling blood sugar levels and increasing metabolism. Protein is found in:

Red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, beans and legumes

Eat Carbohydrates in moderation. Carbohydrates are important for burning fat. Good carbohydrate sources are

Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, rice, seeds, legumes and sweet potato

Removed Refine Sugars: white breads, pasta, sugar, lollies (adding to coffee, tea, cereal); these highly refined sugars spike insulin levels and eventually feel you leaving low on energy, depletes essential nutrients from your body, affects your liver and promotes weight gain.

1 x treat per week: If you’re 100% focused on clean eating & weight loss, don’t convince yourself that a ‘treat’ more than once a week is ok. A treat can be anything from chocolate, to alcohol, to a big pasta meal. Once a week until you get to your goal is enough to keep you focused on your goal without depriving yourself, your goal is bigger than that block of chocolate!

Increase your veg: for most people this is the most difficult and here are some helpful hints

Cut up carrot and celery to snack munch on during the day

Make a fruit salad or have a piece of fruit as a snack

Make a stir fry with veggies you don’t normally eat

Try a Green smoothie

Add an extra cup of salad to lunch & an extra cup of vegetables to dinner

Plan & Organise your food:

Plan you meals AND snacks AND include the weekend: Write it down from Monday to Sunday, breakfast through to Supper, every meal & you want to eat. A common mistake people make is forgetting to plan their food for the weekend as well as during the week

Prep what you like with lots of variety: If you don’t like cooking & freezing meals you don’t have to, your prep can be portioning out your meats & protein, cutting & washing & separating all your veggies for the week. You will be amazed at how much time you will save during the week

Portion control: Just because you have cooked up 1kg of chicken that is to die for doesn’t mean you eat it all in a day: portion out the correct portion and spread it out to get the best variety

If you need more help with your nutrition contact sinead@naednutrition.com.au

Why Keep a Food Diary?

Being accountable to your food intake can ultimately be the difference between achieving your goal and not achieving your goal. One of the easiest ways to be accountable is to keep a food diary. You can track what you eat, when you eat, when you stick to your plan and when you struggle to.

It is such an amazing tool to keep you on track, conscious of your intake, and watching out for areas you can improve on. It is NOT about making yourself feel bad or pointing out every time you went s stray from the meal plan.

It is all about ACCOUNTABILITY.

How can I keep a food diary?

• Writing it down on paper or in a journal
• Using an app on your phone, ipad or laptop (i.e. Doc's Diet Diary)

What do I need to track?

• How much you eat AND drink– portions in cups or grams
• What you eat – everything involved writing ‘salad’ is no descriptive enough
• When you eat – timing is everything with food intake when you eat can affect your progress
• Why you eat – is it according to your meal plan? Is it because you are bored?

What else should I track on my food diary?

• Your thoughts/emotions – can help you understand why you make certain food choices
• Any symptoms you are having – if there is an intolerance? Or fatigue in a training session
• Your training – to ensure you are fueling your body & staying accountable to your training
• Supplements & medications – to ensure you are sticking to your regime and timing

Should I share my food diary?

Not on Facebook but to a trusted health & fitness professional that can give you some honest and constructive feedback on how you are going. Making a few small adjustments can be the difference between achieving your goal and not achieving your goal

At Naed Nutrition we offer food diary feedback as part of many of our packages and services however you can choose it on it’s own for only $10 per week: Food Diary Feedback

Healthy Hot Chocolate

The winter chill is here & you may be craving particular foods (mostly chocolate) to keep you warm! But why are you having these cravings?

What causes food cravings?

• Low energy
• Boredom
• Poor diet
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Stress
• Depression
• PMS
• Insufficient calorie intake
• Alcohol/Hangover
• Dealing with emotions
• Food Intolerances
• And much more!

Specific chocolate cravings can be more specifically linked with magnesium deficiency.

Foods high in Magnesium

• spinach
• broccoli
• pumpkin seeds
• sunflower seeds
• sesame seeds
• flaxseeds
• cucumber
• green beans
• celery
• kale

Alternative you can take a magnesium supplement such as Bioceuticals ultramuscleze night or P5P

A great way to satisfy those chocolate cravings is with our Healthy Hot Chocolate recipe

Ingredients

• 100ml A2 milk (or almond milk)
• 1 tsp of coconut sugar
• 1 tbl of raw organic cacao (cacao vs cacao blog post)
• 200ml boiling water

Method

• Boil the kettle
• In a mug add milk, coconut sugar and cacao. Milk thoroughly
• Add boil water and mix well

Nutrition Information
Servings per package:	1.00
Serving size:	325	ml
	Average Quantity per Serving		Average Quantity per 100 g
Energy	335	kJ	103	kJ
Calories	80	cal	25	cal
Protein	4.1	g	1.3	g
Fat, total	4.0	g	1.2	g
- saturated	3.1	g	0.9	g
Carbohydrate	6.3	g	1.9	g
- sugars	5.2	g	1.6	g
Sodium	49	mg	15	mg

To find out how to adjust your nutrition intake and reduce cravings contact us at admin@naednutrition.com.au

What is a Nutritionist?

Nutritionists are trained allied health professionals who provide safe, evidence-based dietary and nutritional advice to assist in the management of health and prevention of disease. Poor diet, the ingestion of harsh chemicals and eating foods with a low nutritional value can have a detrimental effect on health, however through correct nutritional advice more diseases can easily be prevented, treated and even cured. It also involves providing advice to clients based on the physiological responses of their body to diet through metabolic pathways (how the energy and nutrients from food is absorbed and used in the human in the body).

Nutrition is focused on the science of nutrients and how they are digested, absorbed, transported, metabolized, stored, and eliminated by the body. Besides studying how food works in the body, nutritionists are interested in how the environment affects the quality and safety of foods, and what influence these factors have on health and disease.

At Naed Nutrition, we know that everyone is different and as such are passionate about personalised nutrition. There is no one size fits all for clean eating, what works for one doesn’t work for some.

Each person has their own goal, their own likes and dislikes with foods, has a different lifestyle, and different health concerns whether it be past or present.

This means that each person receives the nutrition service that will fit them.

Consults will consist of a variety of health, diet and lifestyle related questions with the upmost confidentiality and privacy

We offer a range of personalised services from consults right through to meal plans including as much or as little accountability as required.

Naed Nutrition endeavours to go above and beyond for our clients. For more information of how we can help you achieve your goal simply pop on our website www.naednutrition.com.au or email admin@naednutrition.com.au

Smoothie Bowl

Smoothie bowls are currently taking over our social media and we have to admit they look delicious! But are these colourful fruit filled bowls actually good for us? At Naed Nutrition we get excited about breakfast, the endless array of options that start your day in a positive way and fuel yourself for the day ahead; smoothies have to be one of our favourites. Smoothies are a fantastic fast and convenient breakfast option especially for those on the go, simply prep and portion your smoothies and freeze in zip lock bags for the week ahead to grab out in morning, blitz and go!

When preparing smoothies limit yourself to one piece or 1/2 -1/4 cup of fruit, try to add some greens like a handful of kale or baby spinach, and add a protein source; whether a scoop of a good quality protein powder (we recommend Boomers Whey Protein Isolate) or 1-2tbs of LSA mix or mixed unsalted nuts and seeds. By adding a protein source to your smoothie you assist to regulate insulin and blood sugar levels, stay fuller for longer, and create a slow release energy that will last you well into morning tea.

A smoothie bowl is essentially a smoothie poured into a bowl topped with an array of fruits, nuts, and seeds. They can be a delicious meal eaten any time of the day filled with an array of nutrients, just ensure you don't add too many toppings as you have already blitzed up your requirements in the smoothie, therefore by adding an additional array of toppings you are essentially adding extra calories that you may not require, depending on your activity level for the day. The recipe below details a smoothie bowl of a healthy portion size!

Ingredients

1 scoop of protein powder

1/4 cup of berries or 1 piece of fresh fruit

2 handfuls of baby spinach or kale

150mL unsweetened unflavoured almond milk

1 tbl natural probiotic yogurt

1 tsp of chia seeds

1 tsp flax seeds

1 tsp roughly chopped walnuts

Directions

Blend protein powder, berries/fruit, spinach/kale, unsweetened almond milk and yogurt in a blender until smooth. Pour into a bowl and top with chia seeds, flax seeds and walnuts. Enjoy!

Traditional VS Quick Oats

As nutritionists we LOVE oats, they taste delicious with a pinch of cinnamon and a drizzle of honey especially on those cold winter mornings. Clients are often surprised when we recommend a bowl of hearty porridge for breakfast, but we explain that oats are packed with nutritional goodies! Oats are high in protein to keep you fuller for longer and provide your body with building blocks for life. A rich source of both soluble and insoluble fibre oats can assist gastrointestinal health, along with supporting cardiovascular health to help mop up excess cholesterol and glucose in the digestive tract. Oats are also powerful antioxidants, and have anti-inflammatory properties that can help to reduce the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in arteries, therefore reducing risks of cardiovascular disease. They also assist to maintain blood sugar levels in diabetics, and scientific evidence has found consumption of oats can improve immune health, protect against cancer formation, and assist in the management of body weight and childhood asthma. Further more, oatmeal can be used topically as an anti inflammatory lotion for the relief of dry itchy skin from dermatitis, and chemotherapy induced rash.

The question is, which oats do you buy? From steel cut to quick oats, the table below lists a number of common oats available in your local supermarket, and compares their nutritional value and cost. Steel cut oats are wholegrains with the outer husk removed and cut into smaller pieces, they are rich in bran and germ meaning they are an excellent source of fibre beneficial for gastrointestinal and cardiovascular health. Similarly, traditional and quick oats are also high in fibre and are your cheapest option at the super market the only difference between them is that quick oats are chopped for a quicker cooking time. The price of oats rises as you begin to choose sachets and flavours, which are also accompanied by a rise in sodium and refined sugars. Original sachets are basically quick oats in a convenient sachet form, but cost almost 3x the price per 100g. Quick High Fibre sachets have the highest fibre profile compared to all oats available on the market, but also have the highest sodium quantities and price. Lastly, quick brown sugar and cinnamon sachets have the lowest protein and fibre amounts, accompanied with high sugar profiles.

		Nutrients per 100g
Variety of Oats	Cost per 100g	Protein	Total Fibre	Beta Glucan	Soluble Fibre	Insoluble Fibre	Sodium
Steel Cut	0.88	12.8	9.7	4	4	5.7	12mg
Traditional	0.55	12.8	9.2	4.5	4	5.7	6mg
Quick	0.55	12.8	9.7	4	4	5.7	12mg
Quick Sachet –Original	1.44	12.8	9.7	4	4	5.7	12mg
Quick Sachet – Hi Fibre	1.51	10.9	15	3	4.9	10.1	41mg
Quick Sachet –Brown Sugar & Cinnamon	1.44	9.9	7.8	-	-	-	11mg

In conclusion, traditional oats are your best option, they are high in protein and fibre and low in sodium and refined sugars, to add additional fibre simply top with a teaspoon each of chia seeds and ground flax seeds, and a touch of organic local honey or fresh fruit to sweeten.

Sarah Campbell

Nutritionist at Naed Nutrition - Currambine