Make your porridge via your desired method – raw or quick oats, microwave or stove-top then add a topping for a flavour change!

Strawberry Coconut – add 1/4 cup chopped fresh or frozen strawberries with 1 tblsp coconut flakes (toast them first for extra flavour)

Banana Cinnamon – slice 1 banana and add a sprinkle of cinnamon

Peanut Butter Delight – add 1 tsp peanut butter before cooking and stir through once cooked, top with 1/2 sliced banana

Tropical Tango – add 1 sliced kiwifruit, a few cubes of red pawpaw and the pulp from 1 passionfruit

Berry Cacao – add 1/4 cup frozen mixed berries with 1/2 tsp cacao and a few drops of stevia liquid

Anzac Biscuit – drizzle 1/2 tsp golden syrup and 1 tblsp toasted coconut flakes

Rhubarb delight – poach some rhubarb with a cinnamon stick & vanilla bean paste.  Add 1/4 cup poached rhubarb to your porridge with 1 tblsp flaxmeal

Apple Sultana – grate 1/2 apple over your porridge, sprinkle over some cinnamon and add 1-2 tblsp sultanas

Sticky date – chop up 1-2 fresh dates and drizzle over 1 tsp golden syrup

Honey Nut – drizzle over 1 tsp honey and sprinkle with 1 tblsp crushed nuts

Maple Pecan – chop 5 pecans.  Top porridge with pecans and drizzle over 1 tsp maple syrup

Middle Eastern – crush 8 pistachios, sprinkle over porridge with 1 tblsp diced apricot pieces.  Add 1 tsp honey if desired

Cranberry Pistachio – sprinkle over 1 tblsp each of cranberries and crushed pistachios

Body image is defined as the perception that a person has of their physical self, the thoughts and feelings the person experiences as a result of that perception.  These may be positive, negative or a combination of both and are influenced by individual and environmental factors.

Eat Smart’s Jess loves Bircher Muesli! It’s great for breakfast for all but can also make a tasty snack for athletes needing a good source of carbohydrate and protein pre or post training.

Bored with the usual lunchbox fare?  Try these kid friendly suggestions to increase interest in eating at school!

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.  Grease a 17x27cm slice pan.  Line with baking paper.
2. Combine dry ingredients.  Whisk together milk and egg.  Add to flour mixture and mix to combine.
3. Spoon into prepared pan.  Bake for 25-30 mins or until firm.  Stand for 15 mins before turning on to cooling rack,  Once cool slice in to 18 pieces.

Most people know that breakfast is important but do you know why its the most important meal of the day?

New research has shown that eating breakfast is associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes, lower BMI and body fat levels and higher levels of nutrient intake including fibre.  We already know that eating breakfast increases concentration, reduces food volume eaten over the whole day and may reduce total calories eaten over the day.

Smart choices for breakfast include:

• Fresh fruit, yoghurt and a sprinkle of natural muesli or a few nuts & seeds
• High fibre cereal with milk, possibly topped with fresh or canned (in fruit juice) fruit
• Porridge with milk topped with fresh, dried or canned fruit for sweetness
• Grainy or wholemeal toast with eggs
• Grainy or wholemeal toast topped with baked beans
• Healthy toastie:  lean ham, light cheese & tomato on grain bread (with a scrape of margarine if required)
• Super smoothie: milk, yoghurt, frozen fruit with a spoon of flaxmeal meal or LSA
• Veggie omelette – fill your omelette with any combination of mushrooms, tomato, capsicum, onion, spinach, tomato
• Grain or wholemeal toast spread with peanut butter and topped with sliced banana
• Rye toast topped with egg and smoked salmon
• Grainy or wholemeal toast topped with ricotta, sliced pear & flaked almonds
• Grainy or wholemeal english muffin spread with goats cheese and topped with prunes, flaked almonds & a light drizzle of honey
• Breakfast on the run:  a glass of milk, a piece of fruit and maybe a healthy muesli bar

If you would you like more suggestions, or a personalised plan to suit your lifestyle, make an appointment with an Eat Smart Dietitian in Brisbane, Bayside or the Gold Coast.

Now this is not the time to give up and say you’ll think about it next year…

In one month you can:

• lose 2-4kg
• take up 1 new health promoting habit such as drinking 2 litres of water per day
• improve your fitness by at least 10%
• increase your strength by 10%
• ensure you eat 2 pieces of fruit per day, not such a hard task in stone fruit season
• eat more salads, also not hard when its too hot to cook anyway
• get up early to exercise 3 mornings per week – since the sun is up before 6 you can too
• reduce your cholesterol by a few points

In the silly season, it may be unrealistic to avoid all champagne, plum puddings and savoury nibbles, but you can aim to keep your current good habits.  For those who like to achieve, you may even be able to pick up a new, healthy habit in the next month.  Giving up is one option, but taking steps to a healthier you in 2013 can start in 2012!

Here’s to early morning runs, followed by some stone fruit, a bottle of water and a salad for lunch! What’s your 1 month challenge?

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day…and it doesn’t have to be bland and boring. Try these nutritious options – great for some variety (especially on the weekend!)

Magnificent Muesli                                              Serves 12 (1/2 cup per serve)

400 g (4 cups) rolled oats
15 g ground linseeds
100 g slivered almonds
40g pepitas
(pumpkin seeds)
125 g dried apricots, chopped
125 g dried cranberries
1 tblsp ground cinnamon

1. Combine all ingredients.
2. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
3. You can make Bircher muesli by soaking ½ cup muesli in ½ cup skim/low fat milk (alternatives are soy milk or unsweetened almond milk) or apple juice overnight then stirring through grated apple or pear, and a add a dollop of low fat natural yoghurt.
For toasted muesli:
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Spread half the oats on a flat ungreased oven tray and cook for about 5 minutes, or until oats brown, stirring once or twice. Repeat with remaining oats.
2. Toast almonds on the same tray.
3. Store in an airtight container.

Brekkie Quinoa                                            Serves 2
½ cup quinoa
1 cup low fat/skim cow, soy or unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 apple
(peeled and diced)
1 tbs each slivered almonds, sunflower seeds and sultanas
2 tsp honey (optional)
2 tblsp low fat natural yoghurt, to serve

1. Rinse quinoa.
2. Place in a saucepan with milk and cinnamon. Bring to the boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add apple to quinoa with nuts, seeds and sultanas. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep an eye on the progress – its ready when it has a porridge consistency. Add water if porridge looks dry.
5. Stir through honey and serve with a dollop of yoghurt each.

The month or more of Christmas over-indulgence has now passed and many people are looking to a detox program to spike their energy levels, clear their digestive system, detox their liver, lose a few kilos and espouse their guilt!  The downside (and there is always a downside!) of every detox program is the restrictive diet or numerous pills or shakes to be taken, headaches, the need for a close lavatory and generally feeling like you’ve been hit by a bus for the first few days.  So what if there was a way to by-pass the first few days of feeling rubbish and skip to the light, bright, energetic, slimmer, glowing you?

Detox diets are only successful for the time that you follow them which often means a lot of pain for only a short-term gain!  Increasing the anti-oxidants in your diet can be an easy and sustainable solution to feeling great, most of the time!

So what are these antioxidants I hear you say?  The effects of modern day life such as stress, poor sleep, pollution, drinking too much alcohol, staying in the sun too long, smoking or even healthy behaviours such as exercise can cause oxidative or free radical damage.  Antioxidants stabilize these free radicals to prevent disease, damage or ill-health occurring within the body from the oxidative free radicals.  Oxidative damage has been linked to diseases such as arthritis, aging, degeneration of the eye lens, damage to the nerve cells in the brain, some cancers, heart disease and liver disease.

Antioxidants are found in nutrition powerhouse foods, some of which may surprise you!

So should I start that detox or eat more antioxidants? Definitely eat more antioxidants!  Not only is it tastier and includes many everyday foods negating the need for a special diet but it’s more sustainable for better long term health.  By including more antioxidant rich foods you can expect to feel more vibrant, energetic, lose weight if this is required and feel good knowing you are combating those free radicals of daily life!

So harness your antioxidant power today!

Suddenly the weather is warmer, the sun is up earlier, Winter white legs are back on show and the Summer wardrobe is back in use.

Is your body ready to be back on show?  Or are the hearty winter stews, puddings and toasted sandwiches starting to show?

Spring is a great time to not only clean your house or de-clutter your office but also a great time to Spring Clean your body…

Let’s start at breakfast – porridge is no longer holds so much appeal, so why not try our Spring Bircher muesli or Spring Smoothie recipes? (see our recipe file)  There are many good quality breakfast cereals on the market, why not try a new one?  Goodness Superfoods have a range of cereals using the CSIRO created super-grain BarleyMax.  It is high in fibre, low in fat and high in protein – a fantastic way to start your morning!

Spring brings in a new wave of delicious fruits, why not snack on a new season mango, pineapple or passionfruit, strawberries remain abundant and blood oranges are starting their season.

Lunches are no longer about soups, leftover stew or a noodle dish.  Spring is the time for gourmet salads filled with new season pumpkin or asparagus.  Add a little pizzazz with crumbled fetta, olives or semi-dried tomatoes.  Fill your wrap or sandwich with plenty of fresh salad to fill your tummy and give yourself a nutrient hit at the same time.

Think colour on the dinner plate tonight – how many different coloured vegetables can I include?  Different coloured vegetables, whether cooked or fresh, contain different micronutrients and antioxidants so the greater variety you include, the greater the nutritional benefit.  Eating a vast array of vegetables is like having a mini-detox every day – your skin, immune system, heart, bowel and brain will all thank you!

No Spring Clean is complete without a little water and elbow grease to remove any lasting blemishes.  Make the most of the gorgeous weather we are having by having hitting the pavement, park or pool for some rejuvenating exercise.  And don’t forget to drink plenty of water to flush your body.  Spring cleaning complete – time to enjoy these longer, sun-filled days!