Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

It’s been a light blogging week for me. My attention has been taken up by our new Balance2health clinic website. It’s nearly, nearly ready and should be fully functioning next week. Which means I’ll have that bit of spare time back, which I need for blogging. In the meantime – here’s the usual Friday Quicklinks. * Re-gaining weight: Short piece at Weighty Matters on why Oprah regained her weight. We don’t usually talk celebrities and gossip here at Limes …

Read more 12 December, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

How many servings of vegetable did you eat today? If it’s not at least the standard five serves then your health is missing out. Here are five ways to quickly and easily boost your intake tomorrow. h3. 1. Buy some hummous Hummous is made from chickpeas – a vegetable. Full of protein, carbohydrate and fibre, chickpeas are also a wonderful source of antioxidants and general nutritional goodness. While you can only use legumes as one of your “five vegie …

Read more 04 November, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

• How to cook: Mark Bittman hands his Bitten over to his producer, who wants to learn to cook. Her first effort is pumpkin soup. Not everything goes to plan, but she makes a soup that’s “tasty and satisfying”. * Credit crunch lunch: Shocked to realise the real cost of school lunches, Charlotte from The Great Big Vegetable Challenge has made some butternut pumpkin tarts for packed lunches – and they’re only 40p a serve. * Chickpea salad: Lovely …

Read more 24 October, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

• On becoming an omnivore: This has nothing to do with health, nutrition or even being sensible really. But I just love Jeffrey Steingarten’s writing. Here he talks about becoming an omnivore. * Mediterranean-style quinoa: Each week I say to myself I’m not going to link to 101 Cookbooks again. And then Heidi posts another superlative recipe and I just have to let you know. This one is culturally confused quinoa dish – with “pesto, roasted cherry tomatoes, pine …

Read more 03 October, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

Ten Minute Kitchen: pears The latest issue of Life etc magazine is out. This includes my regular recipe column: Ten Minute Kitchen. The featured ingredient in this issue is pears. The column includes three recipes for: * Pork cutlets with pear * Pear & berry compote * Roasted pears with blue cheese Here in Australia, Life etc is on sale from newsagents. If you just want the recipes you can download them from their website. Just click on …

Read more 24 September, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

Eating well is one of the foundations of health. A good diet not only reduces your risk of ill-health in the future, but it will make you feel good right now. A good diet enables your body to function at it’s best – so you will have more energy and vitality. h3. Do you feel overwhelmed? However changing your diet can feel like an overwhelming task. Eating more vegetables, reducing saturated fat, having plenty of …

Read more 18 September, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

Following the success of the guest posts during the 31 Days to a Better Diet series, I’m continuing the series. Each month there will be a post from a guest writer on what they do to eat well. And this month it’s Sue-Lin Tin from Noodlebowl talking about watching your portion sizes. I am Sue-Lin Tin, an average girl with an average yo-yo dieting lifestyle and a more than average love of broccoli. Muesli, yoghurt and a banana. A …

Read more 16 September, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

I first wrote this post for the Passion For Health blog. Recently Mike & James have closed down that site, to focus on Habit Guide – so I’m re-posting it here. I have now been a practising nutritionist and herbalist for five years. As you’d expect I’ve learnt a lot over this time and have grown and developed as a practitioner. While I still have the same fundamental philosophy about health, my approach to patients and their health has …

Read more 10 September, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

It’s day 31. The final day in the series 31 Days to a Better Diet. Over the last month we’ve tried new foods. Worked on strategies to reduce portion sizes. Discussed different ways to get organised. And worked on building a greater awareness of what you eat. The central goal of the 31 Days to a Better Diet was of course to improve your diet. But I also aimed to highlight the small-scale, incremental changes …

Read more 31 August, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

Today’s task in 31 Days to a Better Diet is one way of controlling the size of the portions of food you eat. Not so long ago it seemed everyone was buying big white plates and bowls. Presented on gleaming white plates, food does look beautiful. White plates highlight the colours and textures of what you’re eating, making herbs look greener, tomatoes brighter and citrus even more luscious. However at home, big plates and bowls can _encourage you to …

Read more 29 August, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

Today in 31 Days to a Better Diet I have a guest post from Shauna Reid of The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl. Shauna’s wise words are about a different approach to the tricky subject of treat foods. There was once a time when the right time for a treat was any time and the right treat was any treat. That was one of the reasons why I wound up with 80 excess kilograms on my body. I’ve always believed …

Read more 26 August, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

Today’s task in 31 Days to a Better Diet is aimed at increasing the variety of foods you eat. Back in May I spent some time blogging about the importance of variety in your diet. As part of that series, I kept a record of the number of different foods I ate over four days. Many people end up eating a limited range of foods. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks revolve around the same foods every day. The weekly …

Read more 25 August, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

I’m totally delighted to have Sophie from Mostly Eating guest blogging today. Sophie has some wise words about controlling those alcohol fuelled food blow-outs. Does this sound like a familiar scenario? You’ve had a wonderfully healthy week, brimming with fruit and vegetables, splendidly low fat and wholegrain-tastic. What better way to round off the week than with a quiet drink with your friends, or maybe just a few glasses of wine at home. Fast forward and it’s the end …

Read more 19 August, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

It’s now well into the second half of August, which means we’re also over half way through the 31 Days to a Better Diet series. How is everyone going? Welcome to all the new readers. If you’ve just tuned in to Limes & Lycopene you may be interested in subscribing to my monthly email newsletter. You can sign up here. You can also add Limes & Lycopene to your RSS reader – the feed address …

Read more 18 August, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

Today’s task in 31 Days to a Better Diet is about one of my favourite meals to cook when I’m busy. In a busy life it’s really handy to have a couple of easy, flexible dishes up your sleeve. The kind of dishes you can make at the end of a long day, with what’s in the house. If you are confident you can make something tasty in 20 minutes, with limited effort, you’re less likely to reach for …

Read more 15 August, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

Today’s task in 31 Days to a Better Diet is centred around getting more variety in your diet. This group is marked by the image to the left. One way to increase the variety of foods you eat, is to switch around your staples. By changing foods which form the foundations of your diet, you’re eating something new, but doing it in an easy, repeatable and sustainable manner. You’re consuming foods you know, whilst simultaneously adding to your nutrient …

Read more 14 August, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

Today’s task in the 31 Days to a Better Diet is about being more aware of what you’re eating. If you’re following this group of posts, they’re marked by the picture on the left. There’s an episode of Seinfeld where George Costanza realises every choice, every decision he’s ever made has been wrong. He hasn’t had bad luck, he’s just made bad decisions. From that point on he decides to go against instinct and start saying and doing the …

Read more 13 August, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

Today’s task in 31 Days to a Better Diet is a from another guest writer. I’m very pleased to welcome Cassie of Veggie Meal Plans to Limes & Lycopene. Cassie’s post reveals a useful way to increase the variety of foods you eat. One of the most important changes in how I eat and what I eat started one night when I was at friend’s home heating a diet frozen dinner in the microwave.‭ ‬I was planning to eat …

Read more 12 August, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

Today’s task in 31 Days to a Better Diet is centred around controlling hunger and the portions you eat. If you’re following this group of posts, they’re marked by the picture on the left. Do you ever find yourself saying “once I’ve had the first chocolate I just can’t stop myself”? Or “I can’t keep ice-cream in the house because I know I’ll eat it all”? Or “once I ate that first chip they were gone …

Read more 11 August, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

Today’s task in the 31 Days to a Better Diet is centred around getting you to eat more vegetables. If you’re following this group of posts, they’re marked by the picture on the left. I regularly talk to clients about eating at least five serves of vegetables each day. It’s something they often struggle with and the most frequent complaint is they have no idea how to fit that many in. While I have some clients who eat only …

Read more 10 August, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

Today’s task in 31 Days to a Better Diet is from another guest writer. I’m very pleased to welcome Mike Kinnaird of Habit Guide to Limes & Lycopene. Mike’s post is centred around planning and making it easier to eat well. h3. Create a structure One of the bigger problems with nutrition is that there are just so many factors to fit in every single day – high fiber, low salt, the right balance of fats, protein, “good” carbs, ...

Read more 09 August, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

Today’s task in the 31 Days to a Better Diet is about being more aware of what you’re eating. If you’re following this group of posts, they’re marked by the picture on the left. Do you gulp down your food? Intent on the next thing, rather than the food itself? It’s easy to do this. Our lives are busy; days are packed. But if you’re not thinking about what you’re eating _how can you possibly be satisfied with …

Read more 08 August, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

Today’s task in the 31 Days to a Better Diet is aimed at increasing the variety of foods you eat. If you’re following this group of posts, they’re marked by the picture on the left. Preparing your own food is a good life skill. With even a little knowledge and a few techniques you can prepare good quality, tasty meals. Food which is better for you than anything you buy from a take-away, restaurant or food hall. Cooking for …

Read more 07 August, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

Today’s task in 31 Days to a Better Diet is centred around controlling hunger and the portions you eat. If you’re following this group of posts, they’re marked by the picture on the left. Maybe your stomach rumbles. Maybe you get light-headed or really tired. Or is it that everyone around you suddenly starts annoying you? Whatever the signs, do you know when you’re hungry? Because it’s surprising how many people don’t. h3. Do you have time for hunger? ...

Read more 06 August, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

Today’s task in the 31 Days to a Better Diet is a from a guest writer. I’m very pleased to welcome Crabby McSlacker of Cranky Fitness to Limes & Lycopene. Crabby’s post reveals a tricky way to get more fruit and vegetables in your diet. This group is marked by the image to the left. Everyone knows that salads are healthy, but to me they get tiresome after a while. And I used to make things worse by taking …

Read more 05 August, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

Today’s task in the 31 Days to a Better Diet is centred around planning and making it easier to eat well. If you’re following this group of posts, they’re marked by the picture on the left. I work from home several days a week, but on the other days I go into clinic and see clients. These tend to be long days, so I usually pack a lunch box. This will include my lunch, plus some snacks. Stuff that’s …

Read more 04 August, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

Today’s task in the 31 Days to a Better Diet is one aimed at increasing the variety of foods you eat. If you’re following this group of posts, they’re marked by the picture on the left. h3. Today’s task There are so many different foods. Fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, meat, fish, dairy, legumes, grains. And then within each group there’s even more variety. Fruit comes in fresh and dried forms. You can buy oily fish like salmon, or white …

Read more 03 August, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

Today’s task in the 31 Days to a Better Diet is all about being aware of what you’re eating. If you’re following this group of posts, look out for the picture on the left. h3. Today’s task Before changing your diet, it’s really important to know what you’re eating now. So today’s task in the 31 Days to a Better Diet is to keep a diet diary for a week. h3. Why a diet diary? As a nutritionist I …

Read more 02 August, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

If I told you that in 31 days you could have a better diet and better health, would you believe me? While you may want to change your diet, it often feels too hard. A task so enormous and overwhelming that you just can’t do it now. Your day is filled with commuting to and from work. At work you’re busy, stressed and the boss just keeps piling up your inbox. While weekends are spent …

Read more 01 August, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

Today I’m very pleased to be doing something new. New for Limes & Lycopene anyway. We have a guest blogger, Ali from The Office Diet. If you read my Quicklinks posts you’ll know I’ve recently become a fan of this site and it’s commonsense approach to eating well at work. Over to Ali . . . If you work in a desk-based job, sometimes making it to five pm at all can be a challenge, let alone getting there …

Read more 10 July, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

• Being healthy at the office: I’ve been really enjoying following The Office Diet blog. It’s one of those rare sites which provides realistic and real advice, grounded in the practicalities of working in an office. I particularly like these five suggestions for making it easier to cook in the evening. * Salad for breakfast: I don’t know many people who eat salad for breakfast, but I really like this suggestion. And thanks to Sophie for pointing it out. ...

Read more 27 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

I’ve been doing some research today, for an article I’m writing. Via Melanie’s Dietriffic site I came across a quote that struck a chord with me. It’s by Craig Hassel of the University of Minnesota. He’s talking about whether coconut oil is healthy or not. But you could give this answer for almost any other food. I’m frequently asked whether a particular food is healthy or not. And this quote sums up why my answer is almost always it depends. ...

Read more 18 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

One of the most common topics during Q & A Thursday is dairy. Is it good for you? Do you have to drink milk to get enough calcium? Low fat vs full fat? What about healthy bones? It’s a topic guaranteed to get people commenting. Recent comments and discussion got me thinking – that it was time to write a longer post on my attitudes to dairy h3. Dairy as a natural food People regularly comment to me that …

Read more 17 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

I seem to have bumper list of Quicklinks today: * How virtuous are you?: A gentle poke at dietary snobbery that made me laugh. I am as guilty of this as anyone! * Healthier baking: Sophie from Mostly Eating has written an excellent post with tips on making your muffins healthier. It’s solid and useful advice. * Our diet is killing us?: Michael Pollan was recently in Australia for the Sydney Writers’ Festival. He did an interesting interview on …

Read more 06 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

Next on Q & A Thursday we move on to portion sizes. A reader has asked: bq. There’s lots of information around about how many portions of fruit & veg, protein, grains & carbs and fats we should be eating each day; and there’s a reasonable amount of info about how big a ‘portion’ is. My problem is this – when I set out to eat the recommended daily amounts of everything, it’s too much food for me. I …

Read more 05 June, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

Mid week meals are all about simple, low maintenance and low fuss. In summer, salads and stir fries are the perfect solution. However as we head into winter I find myself wanting something more hearty. In winter I want easy and hearty and healthy. Which can seem like a big ask. But it’s why each winter I find myself drawn to one pot cooking. Dishes where you roughly measure a series of ingredients into a casserole dish, place in …

Read more 28 May, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

Over the last week I’ve been blogging about the importance of variety in your diet. Over four days I posted a list of the foods I ate, to check on the variety in my own eating. Each day I ate over 30 different foods, but you may have noticed the same ones cropping up regularly. * There were at least two occasions where I had tahini bars, quinoa and oat croquettes and fetta and olive muffins. * I had the …

Read more 21 May, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

This week I’ve been talking about eating a variety of foods. I’ve blogged about why it’s important, and I’m also in the process of listing the variety of foods I’m eating this week. Plus I’ve asked you to keep a track of how many different foods you’re eating. With fruit and vegetables we are told to aim for 2 + 5 serves a day. But there’s no magic figure for the number of different foods you should eat. No …

Read more 16 May, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

During this week on food variety I’m keeping track of how many different foods I eat each day. I was originally going to post this information in the comments section. Instead I’ve decided to list it all in one separate post. I’ll add to this over the next few days. h3. Wednesday * Quinoa & oat croquettes with strawberry jam: quinoa, rolled oats, sesame seeds, sugar, strawberries * Mandarin * Soy coffee: soy milk * Lentil soup & bread: ...

Read more 15 May, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

As I noted yesterday, most health authorities publish lists of dietary principles to follow. In amongst the advice to lower saturated fat, eat more vegetables, choose lean protein and avoid trans fats, the principle most commonly overlooked is the exhortation to choose a variety of foods. h3. Variety of foods means variety of nutrients Variety of foods is important, because it’s the best way of ensuring you get all the nutrients you need. Lists of the healthiest foods in …

Read more 14 May, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

This week on Limes & Lycopene I want to talk about one of the fundamental principles of good nutrition: eating a variety of foods. Almost everywhere you look, health and nutrition bodies recommend variety as one of the key dietary guidelines. So this week I’m going to be talking about why it’s important and what variety actually means. I’ll end the week with the most important part – how to increase the variety in your diet. Some simple and …

Read more 13 May, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet

First up on Q & A Thursday, Naomi is asking about iron and B12: bq. I only cook red meat occasionally at home. How can I maximise the benefit of the iron and B12 in meat when I do eat it? How long does the iron etc I’d get from a meal stay in my system? The mineral iron and the vitamin B12 are both important micro-nutrients. We use them to form strong, healthy red blood cells. These cells …

Read more 08 May, 2008

Posted by kathryn in A Balanced Diet