A Sydney dietitian’s quick and healthy meals for best corporate nutrition

Working extensively with many corporate clients and companies to educate and up skill in nutrition has proven to us that quick and easy meals can be a struggle. Before you hit that button for Uber Eats, check out some of our suggestions below.

Healthy balanced breakfast recipes

Breakfast smoothie:

300mL milk, frozen banana, 1xcup berries, ½ cup Greek yoghurt, 1xtsp cacao, tbsp of chia seeds, tbsp peanut butter, ice

Tip: Add all the ingredients to the blender the night before

Option: Add a shot of expresso. Trust me, it tastes amazing!

Peanut butter toast on grainy sourdough with a high protein yoghurt

Tip: Wrap your toast facing inwards to each other in aluminium foil. Buy the squeezie yoghurt options like Chobani Fit for less fuss. Lactose free? No worries, choose YoPro instead.

Healthy balanced lunch recipes

Rice, pre-packed salad & hot smoked salmon

Tip: Use ½ packet of re-heat able rice (~1 cup). My favourite is currently the Brown Rice and Buckwheat infused with Hainanese flavours. Coles and Woolies have many salad mix options like Kale Slaw, Coleslaw and leafy mixes.

Falafel wrap with tabouli and hummus

Tip: Buy some pre-made falafel (ie. Yumi’s) and use grainy wraps which are of a lower glycaemic index. This means they fill you up more and provide a steady stream of energy to the brain. If you can, why not leave all these ingredients in the fridge for the week at work?

Healthy and balanced dinner recipes

Frypan frittata

Tip: Use up all your veggies at the bottom of the fridge. Make sure to add some corn of sweet potato, as some carbohydrates at dinner can actually help with a good sleep J

Crispy red rice and lentil bake

Tip: You literally throw this all in to bake, walk away and 20 minutes later its done! You can access our recipe here: https://www.bodyfusion.com.au/blogbodyfusiondietitiansydney/2019/10/8/baked-fish

Iron rich red lentil and pesto chicken pasta recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

·      Garlic infused olive oil

·      ¼ squeeze of lemon

·      1-2 tbsp Jamie Oliver Pesto – Chili Tomato OR regular

·      Bunch of asparagus, bottoms chopped off

·      Bunch of broccolini cut into thirds OR 300g baby spinach

·      Zucchini, chopped

·      400g chicken breast

·      ½ cup of green peas

·      Packet of Barilla Red Lentil pasta

·      Parmesan cheese

·      Pepper

Method:

1.  Put a kettle on to boil and prep water for pasta

2. Heat a little oil in a pan and then lightly cook vegetables, set aside

3. Put pasta on to cook as per instructions on the box

4. Thinly slice chicken and fry over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, set aside

6.  When pasta is cooked, drain and add back to the saucepan

7. Add in the chicken and vegetables as well and cook over medium heat

8. Add your pesto

9. Serve with parmesan on top and some cracked pepper

Nutrition

High in fibre to fill you up, assist with digestion and keep you full

The lentil pasta has 2xprotein as regular pasta and 2xfibre as regular pasta, it is also high in iron (1 cup = 3 mg)

Vitamin C in the lemon helps with iron absorption

Healthy tips for a tasty Australia Day BBQ!

 Australia Day is approaching and you want to top last year’s Barbie!?

How can you enjoy a classic Australia Day barbecue, whilst ticking all your nutrition and health goals? Check out our pairing Ideas for your 2020 Barbie!

Idea Number One

A.   Skewers (or as the Italians call it Spiedini)

• Baby octopus

• Calamari

• Prawns

• Cod fish fillet or salmon fillet 

• Lean sirloin fillet 

B.   Starchy vegetable assortment – carbohydrate side 

• Sweet potato

• Parsnip

• Corn on a cob 

C.    Vegetable Options – good to grill/BBQ or keep fresh as a salad 

• Zucchini and tomato grilled

• Fresh radicchio with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil 

Idea Number Two 

A.   Plant based or animal based – great to BBQ grill 

• Homemade chickpea or lentil patties OR Syndian patties 

• Tofu or tempeh

• Lean cut of meat (i.e. beef or pork sirloin) 

B.   Fresh greens and grains salad 

• Quinoa, brown rice or barley as a wholesome grain 

• Fresh cos lettuce leaves 

• Baby spinach and baby tomatoes 

• Sliced avocado and sprinkle of parmesan cheese or baby mozzarella balls 

C.    Extra veggie sides

• Cauliflower steaks – great grilled on the BBQ 

• Zucchini or eggplant or capsicum sliced or button or Portobello mushrooms  

Flavour Ideas:

• Antioxidant rich fresh or dried herbs and spices 

• Fresh garlic, ginger and chilli

• Lemon juice or balsamic vinegar to add some zest! (also tenderises meat)

• Extra-virgin olive oil – flavour, healthy fats and plentiful antioxidants 

Now for some science.

• Cooking animal protein foods like meat, chicken and fish at high temperatures has the potential to produce harmful chemicals known as heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

•  These by-products of cooking are formed when the building blocks of protein (amino acids) react with sugars at high temperatures (HCAs) and PAHs form when fat drips, and burns, producing smoke as a result.

• The higher the heat and the more charred the protein, the higher sum of HCA and PAH, which have shown an increased risk in cancer diagnosis. 

Fact #1: well-done meat has over 3x more HCAs than medium-rare meat and the good news is you can reduce the formation of these harmful by-products by cooking for longer at a lower temperature and frequently turning the meat. 

Fact #2: choose extra lean cuts of meat to prevent fat dripping and formation of PAH and always maintain a clean barbecue surface between cook-ups!  

Fact #3: to reduce the formation of all by-products, some research has shown the use of healthy marinades high in antioxidants can decrease HCA formation by 90%.

 Fact #4: fruit and vegetables are great additions to a barbecue for flavour, colour, variety and also can be grilled with no harm of HCA by-products. 

Have a fabulous day, from Aims and Ash!!

Christmas Cacao Cherry Balls!

• Makes about 12-15 servings

Ingredients

• 100g dried/fresh cherries

• 4 tbsp. mixed seeds/nuts

• x6 pitted mejdool dates

• 30g desiccated coconut

• 2 tbsp. nut butter

• 2 tbsp. cacao powder

• 1/4 cup coconut milk unsweetened

• cinnamon spice

• optional: melt some white chocolate to drizzle over the top for an added Christmas effect!

What to do?

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until well combined.

Roll tablespoons of the blended mixture into balls.

Roll into extra coconut or crushed pistachio nuts if desired.

Melt and drizzle white chocolate on top (optional)  

Enjoy!

Nutrition Benefits:

• Good source of fibre >3g/serve

• Rich in antioxidants

• A source of healthy fat

Aimee went Vegan for a week and here is what she learnt!

As an Accredited Practising Dietitian and avid health foodie, I already eat many vegetables but I wanted to experience what being ‘vegan’, completely plant based i.e. no animal products in my diet would truly be like. 

A few reasons for this:

·      I wanted to better relate to my clients who already do follow a vegan lifestyle or interested in increasing plant-based foods. This would look to increase my knowledge of plant-based products and their creative use. 

 ·     Great health benefits linked to high plant-based foods and decreased cardiovascular and cancer risk

 First and foremost, the weekend before I began my vegan challenge, I made sure that all the meals I was replacing addressed the essential nutrients I would miss from my original daily animal-based food choices. This included dairy, eggs, meat and fish – calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin B12, vitamin D, readily available essential amino acids and omega-3 fatty acids. 

After careful consideration, here a few examples of snacks I chose…I was always hanging out for my buckwheat pancakes with a side of natural crunchy peanut butter!

• Homemade buckwheat pancakes + soy milk coffee

• Fruit + vita-wheats + hummus or a yummy edamame spread  

• Small handful of nuts or 1-2x fresh dates with nut butter for something sweet 

• Sesame tofu strips with a side of hummus or homemade guacamole

I have summarised my vegan week experience in the following dot points.  

·     On reflection, my energy didn’t change, I felt the same energy, positive and driven, neither improved or depleted with the diet changes, however I am not sure how my energy would be if I was to continue this as a long-term (lifestyle) diet. 

·     My appetite wasn’t as high due to the amount of fibre I was achieving each day with every meal, beans, legumes, lentils, pasta, grains, fruit, vegetables… I wasn’t able to finish most of my lunch or dinner meals, which was very surprising since I usually have quite a high appetite. 

·      I enjoyed eating a variety of different, coloured and wholesome vegetables and loved creating new recipes, being creative, for example making a pasta sauce with silken tofu and nutritional yeast was very fun and quite tasty, even my brother, an ex professional rugby union athlete approved! :)

However, on the contrary, what I didn’t enjoy about the vegan lifestyle: 

·      The ‘label’ or sense of restriction for key food groups, which we know can still form a very healthy balanced diet if eaten in small amounts 

·      I am not an athlete, however, I felt very bloated, gassy and uncomfortable if I had eaten a meal high in fibre before my training sessions and whilst this might have been my body getting used to the very high fibre food intake, it is still a very important factor to consider, especially if you’re an athlete needing to compete at optimal level

·      I missed the variety of foods that formed a healthy balanced diet on top of my plant based food choices, especially dairy, eggs and fish – readily available sources of vitamin B12, calcium, Vitamin D and Omega- Fatty Acids. 

·      The abundance of misleading “mock” animal based food products i.e. free from animal patties, fake fish, fake chicken, you name it… anything! And…unfortunately most of these products are >20 ingredients, with coconut oil highest on the list, which we know is 99% saturated fat – again, not the best for our blood cholesterol and healthy oxygen flow to major organs long term. 

What I learnt

The experience taught me to further ‘hero’ my plants, be mindful of the amount of dairy I have across the day, to spread my nutrients across a variety of food groups, both plant and animal based. I enjoyed this experience and I know myself and my husband have taken on board positive habits, (especially him, he is eating more tofu and veg based options – win for me!). However, the restriction of such available and nutritious nutrients from dairy and fish just isn’t worth it! 

 I will continue to embrace vegan meals, however with the healthy balance of whole food animal based options too. 

 A final note: As manufacturers, restaurants and cafes jump on board the plant-based eating lifestyle, it’s important to consider the health benefits (if any!) of animal-based substitutes, particularly “mock” meats – most of these are heavily processed and may not replace the key nutrients we must consider when opting out animal food sources.  

See my creamy vegan pasta recipe here!

Creamy Plant Based Pasta

What you will need

• ½ pack of Barilla red lentil penne pasta 

• 1x packet of Ipastai Pea Casarecce Pasta  

• 300g silken tofu

• 3 tbsp. nutritional yeast (Macro – Woolworths healthy food aisle)

• 1 cup frozen peas

• ¼ cup alt. milk i.e. Vitasoy Protein Plus or Impressed plant milk or So Good almond milk 

• 1x medium onion 

• 1 tsp. minced garlic 

• 1-2x big handful of baby spinach

• cracked pepper and salt for flavour and seasoning 

• sprinkle of parsley for garnish 

What you will need to do

• Boil a pot of water on the stove top with a dash of salt 

• Whilst water is boiling, chop the onion finely 

• Add to a blender silken tofu, milk, nutritional yeast, garlic, spinach, salt & pepper

• Blend ingredients until it makes a smooth consistency sauce 

• Once water starts to boil, add the barilla pasta in first, let it boil for 7-minutes for al dente 

• Drain pasta and water, re boil a pot of water and add the Ipastai pasta in once water has boiled.

• Boil pasta for no more than 3 minutes. (alternatively, you can choose just the one pasta if you don’t want to do both – this is only for variety and colour). 

• Once both pastas are cooked and drained, set a side 

• In a medium to hot pan, add a small drizzle of oil and diced onion, sauté until opaque

• Add the pasta’s and slowly add the creamy tofu sauce, mixing through the pasta evenly 

• Once the pasta is combined well with the tofu sauce, season with pepper and any herbs or spices you desire 

• Serve up with a sprinkle of parsley on top, enjoy!  

Nutrition Benefits

1. Calcium source from the tofu and enriched/fortified plant based milk 

2. Protein

3. Fibre

4. Folate

5. Vitamin B12 (from the added nutritional yeast)

Aims

Thai fish cakes with cinnamon sweet potato and steamed greens

Serves: 4

Ingredients

·      500g firm white fish fillets (such as ling, hake), coarsely chopped

·      2x eggs, lightly whisked

·      1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves

·      1/2 cup cornflour

·      2 tablespoons fish sauce

·      2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce

·      3 green shallots, ends trimmed, finely chopped

·      50g green beans, finely chopped

·      1/3 cup olive oil

·      Lime wedges, to serve

·      Sweet chilli sauce, extra, to serve

·      300g sweet potato, finely sliced

·      1 tsp cinnamon

·      Your choice steamed greens

• Asparagus/Spinach/Brussel Sprouts/Broccolini OR

• Simple side salad

 Method

·      Place sweet potato with a drizzle of olive oil in the oven and sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake for ~30 minutes on 180 degrees

·      In the mean-time place the fish in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Add the coriander, cornflour, fish sauce, sweet chilli sauce and eggs, and process until well combined

·      Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the shallot and beans and stir until well combined.

·      Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Divide the fish mixture into 8 equal portions and flatten. Cook for 4 minutes each side or until golden brown.

·      Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Repeat with the remaining fish mixture, reheating the pan between batches.

·      Steam greens with a little water (30mL) for 5 minutes

·      Add 2xfish cakes + sweet potato + greens to plate

·      Devour!! :)

Ash

A Dietitian’s response to the Game Changers Film

In light of the recent Netflix film ‘Game Changers’, we thought it would be advantageous to highlight key factors that came about from this film, both positives and negatives.

To summarise, the film sensationalises the benefits of athletes in following a vegan (or plant-based) lifestyle, yet fails to use robust, scientific literature to support their theories and instead uses anecdotal reports. 

As Accredited Practising Dietitian’s we have been promoting fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole-grains for years. Research continually supports the benefits for integrating plant-based choices into our diet as they assist in maintaining a healthy heart and assist in cancer prevention. This is due to their abundance of phyto-nutrients (plant nutrients), vitamins and minerals, which promote antioxidant benefits at a cellular level. Plant foods also provide a rich source of dietary fibre, known to protect us from colorectal, stomach, prostate and lung cancers as well as improving and supporting a healthy microbiome for overall immune strength.  

 In fact, veganism can be quite detrimental to one’s health, let alone athletic performance if not planned appropriately:

•  Once we begin to eliminate key food groups, an individual’s macronutrient and micronutrient intake is significantly compromised. Not enough energy can result in weight-loss, increased risk (or recovery from) injury if you are an athlete and disruption to hormones

• Not instigating a guided plant based diet can put at risk serious nutrient deficiencies over time including B12, Zinc and Iron.

• Achieving optimal nutrition and high-performance doesn’t solely originate from a single diet food or nutrient, it’s about the synergy of different nutrients from foods and applying these into our every-day lifestyle.

Unfortunately, whilst there were positives we can take from this film, such as many scientific reasons to why we should eat more plants, the film cherry picked their athletes and used subjective reports to confirm their theories. Every individual/athlete is different, where energy and macronutrient requirements need to be periodised to suit one’s training and competition loads. A ‘plant-based’ diet doesn’t have to be quite restrictive as a vegan diet, it can still involve small, modest amounts of meat, poultry, fish, seafood and dairy. On an athletic level, there is no robust or large-scale study that portrays veganism and improved athletic performance. 

 Key Points to consider before diving into a fully plant-based diet: 

Be mindful, the removal or restriction of even one key food group can lead to severe nutrient deficiency if not appropriately replaced. Guidance from an Accredited Practising Dietitian to find suitable substitutions should be sought out which are individualised to an every-day lifestyle, considering the types, amounts, distribution and timing across the day and aligning these with personal goals.

 Fibre– whilst increasing plant-based foods is great, dietary fibre will be indirectly increased, which when an individual is not use to a higher fibre diet can cause gastrointestinal discomfort. Particularly, for athletes or general gym goers, this can disrupt one’s performance during training or competition and again can compromise energy needs due to fibre’s satiating effects on the body, not ideal for optimal performance or growth. 

 Time and thought is necessitated to ensure an individual is achieving a wide variety of foods that encompasses all available nutrients required for your personal goals and nutritional needs. This involves a new knowledge of available products and how to integrate them in a sustainable manner.

 Building muscle mass and achieving optimal strength and recovery requires a diverse range of foods that covers a complete spectrum of amino acids (building blocks of protein) daily. This is briefly touched on in the film, however what they fail to mention is the physiological difference in achieving optimal MPS from different protein sources. 

In particular, leucine is a crucial amino acid involved augmenting new muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and is largely found in our animal based foods. It can be sourced from-plant based foods, with soy being the highest comparable food source (i.e. legumes, tofu, tempeh), however we need to eat a lot more to achieve similar results as it is not as efficient in the body. 

Overall, the film portrays a positive underlining message, however the communication needed to be based off more informed and robust science. The film needed to focus more so on the benefits for integrating a healthy balance,, with emphasis on whole plant based foods, rather than mis-guiding individuals to restrict all animal-based foods to achieve best health, especially when such claims are not supported by adequate science.

Aims

Frozen Yoghurt and Mango Ice blocks

Serves: 8 - Moulds available in a good kitchen store, Big W, KMART or supermarkets

Ingredients

• 3 ripe mangoes, cheeks removed, coarsely chopped

• 260g (1 cup) greek yoghurt

• 1 cap of vanilla essence

Method:

Place mangoes in the a blender OR food processor with vanilla essence and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Add greek yoghurt and gently fold until mixture is just combined. Spoon the mango mixture evenly among eight 80ml (1/3-cup) capacity ice-block moulds.

Nutritional Benefit of mango:

As per the Australian Mango’s website: “Mangos are high in Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Vitamin C, an antioxidant important in protecting the body from infection, is required in the formation of collagen, a protein that gives structure to bones, cartilage, muscle and blood vessels. Vitamin C also aids the absorption of iron, necessary for transporting oxygen from the lungs to cells all around the body.”

We also know Vitamin C maintains good immunity!

Enjoy :)

Top hydration tips leading into summer

Stay Hydrated

Up to 70% of the human (adult) body weight is water. Maintaining hydration across the day, especially during this summer heat is crucial to prevent complications, including dehydration,constipation, urinary tract infections (UTI’s), fatigue, cramping, lack of concentration and performance across the day and or during exercise.

Achieving adequate hydration is important to: 

• Help transport oxygen and nutrients to body cells, tissues and organs

• Aid in digestion

• Help to flush waste  

• Maintain thermo-regulation (internal body temperature control)

• Keep bowels regular 

• Avoid overeating and misinterpreting hunger cues as thirst

• Keep clear skin

Fluid intake is highly individualised, however according to the National Health and Medical Research Council NRV’s (Nutrition Reference Values), 1.5-2.0L (about 6-8 glasses) is recommended per day for the average adult and for pregnant women, a little more – 9-10 glasses. Having small amounts of water often across the day ensures you’re continually topping up and prevents fluid load on the body.

Setting a timer, having a glass before and or after each meal or carrying an insulated bottle with you everywhere can be a healthy way to remember! Sparkling water, fresh lemon, lime or mint can be great additions to "spicing it up", or try the hot/cold infusions by Twining's!

How do I know I am hydrated? A great indicator to keep track of your hydration status is the colour of your urine, aiming for a light yellow, clear colour. 

Happy Healthy Hydrating! Aimee & Ash :)