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

School Lunch Box Ideas

Its back to school for the kids and your stuck for healthy lunch box ideas! No need to stress as Naed Nutrition have put together a few tips to help you spruce up your kids lunch boxes, and provide them with the nutrition they need to keep up their concentration and energy levels for day. 

• Think healthy snacks for morning and afternoon tea. Provide your kids with a snack they can eat quickly, as they will often leave food if it takes too long to eat and takes up their play time. Quick and healthy snacks include; cut up vegetable sticks filled with dip (celery, carrot, cucumber, capsicum, snow peas),  baby quiches, wholemeal picklets, wholemeal fruit muffin, rice cakes and avocado, cold chicken breast pieces, cold chicken drumsticks, cheese cubes, boiled egg,  natural yoghurt, cheese and fruit skewers and cut up fruit pieces.

• Ensure your kids lunch is comprised of protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates. Children require additional needs compared to adults for growth and development therefore they require a nutrient packed lunch that will keep them energised for the afternoon. Some sandwich options include  lean turkey breast and salad, tuna and salad, roasted vegetables and salad. When making sandwiches always use a multigrain or wholemeal bread, try using hummus or avocado as a replacement for butter or margerine, and fill with salad to ensure your children are getting enough greens. Other lunch ideas include frittatas, cold wholemeal pesto, wholemeal pitta pockets, wholemeal roasted vegetable pizzas and multigrain wraps.

• Get your children involved in making their lunches. Aim to get the kids involved in packing or creating their lunch; they are more likely to eat something they have made themselves. Plan to make some mini quiches, fritters or boil some eggs together on the weekend. 

• Get creative! Children are attracted to colourful shapes and characters. Cut their sandwiches into fun shapes, include colourful fruits like berries and cherry tomatoes. Place foods onto skewers to create a fun lunch experience.
  

• Variety is key to keep your children interested. Having the same lunch everyday is boring for adults let alone children, therefore swap us fruits and vegetables, wraps and sandwiches, shapes and colours to keep children interested. Variation is also  important for nutrition to provide a variety of vitamins and minerals, and ensure your children have access to all the nutrients they require for growth and development.

• Always pack a colourful water bottle!  Avoid juice boxes, fruit juices, cordials or flavoured drinks as many can cause a sugar rush and hyperactivity in children. High sugar juices and meals can also cause tooth decay in children, therefore by avoiding sugary drinks and encouraging children to drink water with their meals, children can avoid an increased susceptibility to tooth cavities. Flavour water with fruits such as berries or apple pieces, lemon or lime wedges and encourage children to drink water throughout the day to aid digestion, hydration and energy production.

Grain Free Cracker Recipe

It can be difficult to find crackers that are high in fibre and protein while low in sodium, but this recipe has the perfect balance of goodness! These crackers are grain free as they do not contain any flour and are also vegan with no milk or eggs, therefore they are a perfect gluten free, diary free and vegan alternative.   High in protein and essential fatty acids from the addition of linseed, almonds, sunflower, chia and sesame seeds, these crackers make a perfect healthy snack either eaten alone or with some home made hummus or avocado dip.

Ingredients

1 tbsp Chia seeds

60g Water

140g Almonds

15g Linseed – flax seed

30g Sunflower seeds

¼ tsp Himalayan sea salt

½ tsp Garlic powder

¼ or ½ tsp Chilli flakes

2 tbl Sesame seeds

Directions

Mix chia seeds with water in a bowl and allow to stand for approximately one hour. Preheat oven to 170°c and line a baking tray with non–stick baking paper.

Place almonds, linseed, sunflower seed, Himalayan sea salt, garlic powder, and chilli flakes into a food processor and process on high until small crumbs form. Add soaked chia seeds, which will now have a gel like consistency, and process on high until a dough forms, scrapping the sides if needed.

Using a spatula scrape the dough onto a sheet of non-stick baking paper, and place an additional sheet on top to prevent the rolling pin from sticking. Roll the dough to 2-3mm thickness. Remove the top sheet of baking paper and sprinkle dough with sesame seeds, gently pressing the seeds into the dough to ensure they stick. Using a bread knife or pizza cutter gently score the dough into cracker shapes approximately 4-5cm in length and spread apart to ensure the crackers are cooked evenly.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before serving.

Zesty Salmon & Roasted Beets Recipe

Summer is upon us and this means its salad season! Zesty salmon fillets atop a fresh spinach salad with wholesome roasted beets sounds like summer to us at Naed Nutrition, and we want to share this delicious recipe to get you excited about fish and fresh produce!

Many of us rarely eat our recommended 2-3 servings of fish a week, and many of us find it difficult to create recipes that incorporate fish. At Naed Nutrition we regularly receive comments from clients that they don't like fish or have tried it and couldn't stand the 'fishy' taste. Don't give up!  a fresh fillet of fish should in no way smell or taste fishy, the key is to buy fresh produce from your local market, grocer or fish monger.

Fresh fish, especially salmon, mackerel, sardines and even tuna can provide you with omega 3 fatty acids, specifically EPA & DHA.  Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) lowers blood pressure, prevents blood clott formation, protects against irregular heart beats, and reduces inflammation. While Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), is essential for the central nervous system, brain development and normal brain function. Regular intake of omega 3 fatty acids will help to reduce joint pain, arthritis, inflammation and assist to maintain cardiovascular and brain health. Regular consumption of fish can assist to improve your health in a number of ways, therefore give this recipe a try!

Ingredients

4 small fresh beetroots, around 200g

1tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed

2 skinless salmon fillets

2 small oranges, zest of 1 and juice of ½ 

3tbs pumpkin seeds

1 garlic clove

1 red onion, finely chopped

4 handfuls of baby spinach

1 avocado, thickly sliced

Directions 

Preheat oven to 180 C, 160C fan. Trim the stems of the beetroot and reserve any tender leaves that are suitable for eating in the salad. Cut the beetroots into quarters then toss with ½ tbsp oil, the coriander seeds, and some seasoning then pile into the centre of a large sheet of foil and wrap up like a parcel. Bake for 45 minutes or until the beetroots are tender then top with the salmon, scatter over half the orange zest and return to the oven for 15 mins. If you want to toast the pumpkin seeds, put them in the oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the peel and pith from 2 oranges then cut out the segments with a sharp knife working over a bowl to catch the juices. Finely grate the garlic and leave for 10 minutes to allow the enzymes to activate. Stir the garlic into the orange juice and remaining oil with seasoning to make a dressing.

Remove the parcel from the oven and carefully lift off the fish. Tip the beetroot into a bowl with the red onion, remaining orange zest, pumpkin seeds and spinach leaves and toss well. Gently toss through the orange segments and avocado with any remaining beet leaves, then pile onto plates and top with the warm salmon. Drizzle over the dressing and serve.

New Year - New You! 5 Steps to Setting Goals in the New Year

Our amazing friend and affiliate at Insite Mind; Alisa Illich has put together a 5 step plan to set new goals for the new year. At Naed Nutrition we encourage the clean slate the new year brings, which allows us to forgive and forget the bad habits we had in the year that has past, and create new and healthy habits for the year to come!

Step 1: Understand what feeling stuck looks like

We often feel frustrated, regretful and depressed about the past, but we need to feel excited and inspired by the future! The first step to becoming unstuck is to take a step in the right direction and create action, therefore moving forward.

Step 2: Identify where you would like to create a goal

Have a think about what goal you would like to set for the new year. There are many areas in our lives that we feel stuck particularly around nutrition:

• Weight loss
• Health
• Wellness
• Fitness
• Mindset

For each of the aspects you have connected with, do you feel stuck in the past or the future? Examples could be as simple as regretting that slice of cake you ate for dessert last night, or opting for a sleep in rather than getting up early for your morning run. Perhaps you are unstuck in future, not knowing how fulfil a desire to become healthier in the future.

Step 3: Alignment

Before we can take action to move forward in the areas we stuck in we must first align ourselves. This means we must get into the right head space and become inspired to make decisions and create actions. We can do this by:

• Meditation
• Appreciation
• Breathing
• Affirmations
• Exercise

What are you going to commit to in order to move your energy into the right space before moving onto the next step? 

Step 4: Setting Goals

A useful way of creating powerful goals is through the use of the acronym SMARTIES..

S - Specific

M - Measurable

A - Achievable 

R - Realistic

T - Time Bound

I - Inspirational

E - Emotional 

S - Success

Create a goal for the areas you identified in step 2. Examples could be to increase your exercise, lose weight in the new year, feel healthier or improve your health.

Step 5: Create an action plan

What am I currently doing to achieve my goal?
What are the things I need to be doing to achieve my goal?
What are some of the challenges I may face?
How am I going to overcome these challenges?
What actions am I going to commit to, to achieve my goal?

For example, rather than planning to meet your friends and family for lunch or coffee, plan to meet for a walk, or have a picnic at the park.

If you plan to eat healthier, write a shopping list to avoid purchasing unwanted unhealthy items and avoid ordering take away.

If you have a weight loss goal for the new year contact Naed Nutrition to discuss how we can help you achieve the,.
If you require additional assistance in setting goals and shifting your mindset contact Insite Mind