Healthy Living

We all know that we have to eat more vegetables and that five serves each day are what we need for good health, but according to nutrition guru Susie Burrell, "Far fewer of us know that when it comes to optimal health and well-being we need a lot more than the minimum of 5 serves of vegies a day that is recommended by public health agencies. In fact, when we look at the data from countries who have the healthiest diets, they are on average consuming 7-10 serves of fresh fruit and veggies every single day." Well, consuming more vegetables is easier than you think, follow Susie's five simple steps to hit your veggie target every day. 

How much water do you drink per day? According to our Susie, "The average adult requires a minimum 1.5L of extra water each day, and even more if they are regularly active or training. Surprisngly though, it is estimated that at least 75% of Australians are dehydrated at any one time." With summer just around the corner, we asked Susie for her advice on the best fluids for optimal hydration. 

We often hear about the importance of breakfast, but let's not forget about how important lunch is too. According to HIF health expert, Susie Burrell "On any weight loss plan, it is a general perception that the less we eat the better. This can somewhat explain the reason why dieters choose a light breakfast and try and hold off from eating lunch for as long as possible. This is the worst thing you can do if you are trying to lose weight. The earlier you have your lunch, even in place of a late morning snack, the better it will be for your metabolic rate. If you are hungry at 11 or 11.30am, eat your lunch then rather than holding off and then binging on sweet foods at 3 or 4pm because your blood glucose has dropped significantly which can leave you ravenous and prone to overeating. In this article, Susie discusses why lunch holds the key to nutritional balance and offers her advice on the best foods to eat at lunchtime. 

Diet trends – they’re everywhere, but are they food fads or sensible eating? According to HIF health expert Susie Burrell, "As we learn more and more about nutrition, and with the number of ‘experts’ out there publishing diet books increasing, it inevitably leads to the propagation of new diet beliefs and trends (whether or not there is evidence to support them)." In this article, Susie discusses the latest food trends including, “Swapping back to full cream milk”, “Sushi is a healthy choice” and “We should all be eating Paleo” and offers her advice on the nutritional science behind these trends.