MY TOP 10 TIPS TO REVOLUTIONISE YOUR HEALTH (+ A SNEAK PEAK OF WHAT I EAT!)

People always ask me what I eat. And I love telling them! I am extremely passionate about health and nutrition and I love to eat in ways that nourish and energise my body. I am always coming up with new food creations, and discovering different combinations to create new flavours. I am also fascinated by the role food plays in our body, and how it affects how we look and feel.

I must admit, I am not much of a recipe follower. Nor do I read instructions. Rather, I make food intuitively. I like to experiment with flavours and pull together bizarre combinations to create a delicious treat.

My food doesn't always look the best. But that is not the point. I eat for nutrition, and for taste, not for looks. I guess that is where I sometimes differ from other people. When I prepare food, I try to squish in as much nutritional content as I can, regardless of appearances.


MY JOURNEY TO HEALTHY-NESS

I was not always healthy. In fact, I was the complete opposite. When I was a child I lived on Coco Pops and Milo. When I was at High School my diet consisted of toast with butter and honey for breakfast, a white bread Vegemite roll for lunch, and a huge bowl of pasta with cheese for dinner. Then, once I got to Uni, I relied on staples of coffee, chocolate and hot chips to get me through. It was not until I was in my early twenties that I really began to take control of my health.

Over the past 5 years, I have completely changed the state of my health and my body. I look and feel like a completely different person. Over the years, I have tried many different styles and ways of eating, and they have all combined to help me get to where I am now. I do not stick to any particular diet or way of eating. However, what take away from all of it, are some basic principles that I believe underpinned the transformation I experienced.


10 TIPS TO REVOLUTIONISE YOUR HEALTH  
(+ SOME PICS OF WHAT I EAT!)


1. DRINK FRESH JUICES + SMOOTHIES
I do not mean bottled juices or the smoothies that you get from Boost Juice bars that are loaded with sugar. I mean freshly squeezed juice (preferably with lots of veggies, not just fruit) and smoothies made with fresh ingredients and ideally dairy free.

All you need is a blender and you can whip up a fruity smoothie. And then, why not make it even healthier by throwing in some leafy greens! The fruit in the smoothie will do an amazing job at cutting through the strong flavour of the greens. You'll be amazed! 

SUPER GREEN SMOOTHIE

This is one of my make-it-up-as-you-go-along smoothies!

The ingredients are; 2-3 handfuls of baby spinach + 1/4 avocado 

+ 2 tsps of wheatgrass powder + 1 tsp of maca powder

+ 1 scoop of Sunwarrior Vanilla Protein Powder + a handful

of chia seeds + lots of cinnamon + water!

2. EAT FAT

I eat fat. Natural, good fat. Your body needs it. This type of fat does not make you stack on the weight. Rather it is the type of fat that is used for certain body functions and that is necessary for organs such as your brain, to work. Do not be scared of fat! I love to eat plenty of avocado, coconut oil, almonds, flaxseed oil and chia seeds. These foods are jam packed with healthy fats and Omega 3's. 

3. DITCH REFINED CARBS

I do not eat white carbohydrates. They have pretty much no nutritional content and all they do is make me feel heavy and sluggish. Instead I eat whole grains. I love brown rice, quinoa and buckwheat. They are full of nutrients, gluten free and are higher in protein, fibre and flavour. Plus, they will not give you a horrid blood sugar spike and make you hungry again an hour later. 

I like to eat carbs earlier on in the day (especially after I go to the gym in the morning) as they are much easier to burn off, and I find them easier to digest. My favourite grains to have at breakfast time are buckwheat and quinoa. Below are the 2 ways that I eat them!

MY FAVOURITE BREKKIE #1

Avocado on Buckwheat toast! I often have this in the mornings

after the gym with a boiled egg on top and with fresh baby 

spinach on the side. 

MY FAVOURITE BREKKIE #2

Savoury Quinoa! I cook up the quinoa the night before and the 

next day I will mix in some avocado and put a boiled egg on top.

In this picture I have also mixed through some kale, but when I am 

at work I often add cherry tomatoes and fresh spinach.

4. REDUCE SUGAR

I do my very best to only consume sugar in the form of fruit and honey. Even then, I eat these things sparingly. Unfortunately, sugar is hidden in pretty much everything these days, so to avoid it, you have to keep your eye out for it. Be aware of hidden sugar in sauces, breakfast cereals, drinks, dairy products and pre-packaged meals.

5. ADD IN GREEN FOODS + LOTS OF VEGETABLES

Whenever I am feeling a little sick or run down, the first thing I do is increase the amount of greens and fresh vegetables I am eating. It seriously makes a huge difference. At the moment, I do my best to eat something green with every meal. I do this by having baby spinach with my eggs/grains at breakfast time. Then for lunch I have a big leafy salad. And I always do my best to include green leafy vegetables with my dinner. Increasing my greens is the number one thing that I believe has changed my health.

MY LUNCH

Baby spinach + cherry tomato + mixed sprouts + avocado + tuna

+ red capsicum

6. DRINKS STACKS OF WATER

I know you have heard it a million times, yet I will say it again. Drink water! When you are dehydrated you get tired, your brain doesn't function and your skin looks dry and dull. When you are feeling hungry, drink a big glass of water first and then wait 20 minutes. You might just be thirsty rather than hungry! I keep a large glass bottle on my desk at work and I aim to drink 2 of them a day. It is much easier to get your water intake when it is sitting in front of you all day.

7. EAT IT RAW

I went through a phase of eating a lot of 'raw' food. This means fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds that are not heated/cooked, as well as soaked and sprouted grains and legumes. I am no longer completely for that way of eating, however, it is important to eat living food in it's natural state that is not over-cooked.

Heating and cooking damages the structure of the nutrients in the food and also destroys many precious vitamins and minerals. It also destroys the enzymes that are needed to digest the food. Aim to eat as many of your vegetables in their raw, natural state to ensure you are getting all of their wonderful nutrients. 

RAW PIZZA @ GREEN LIZARD

A girlfriend and I visited the Green Lizard Raw Food Cafe in 

Sydney and sampled their raw menu. We shared a few different 

dishes, including this raw pizza! A.ma.zing.

8. ADD IN SUPERFOODS

Some people are a bit anti the superfood thing. But I am not! I love anything that is jam packed with nutrients. Some of my favourites that I use regularly are; goji berries, maca powder, spirulina, coconut, chia seeds, raw cacao and wheatgrass.

MORNING TEA PICK-ME UP

I love to create yummy superfood snacks. This treat is made up of

quinoa + tahini + raw cacao + a date + coconut flesh

... and the last 2 are lifestyle tips...

9. EAT LIGHT AT NIGHT

One of the changes that I made which dramatically changed my energy was eating a lighter dinner. I wake up at  5am everyday, and I simply cannot do it when I eat a big dinner. If you go to bed with a full stomach, your body will spend half the night digesting which will take away from it's ability to restore and renew itself.

Personally, I like to sometimes just have a green juice for dinner, yet I know that is not everyone's cup of tea. Just make an effort to start cutting back on the size or heaviness of your dinner. I guarantee you will find it a lot easier to get out of bed the next day.

GREEN JUICE

My standard combo = kale + celery + cucumber + lemon + ginger

Delish!

10. PREPARATION IS KEY
In order to eat well, you need to be organised. I find that on the days where I do not prepare healthy food to take to work, I will end up eating whatever I can find!

This may mean that you have to make time in your evenings to get your lunch ready, or wake up a bit earlier in the morning. Sure, it may seem like a lot of work, but I guess it depends how much you want to be healthy. Personally, I am happy to sacrifice a few minutes of sleep to ensure I get to eat healthy, nutritious food all day.

WHAT I TAKE TO WORK!

I always ensure I have  a supply of baby spinach, cherry tomatoes,

 red capsicum, celery and avocado at work. Then, I also take along a 

quinoa dish, boiled egg, my buckwheat bread and maybe a few

other snacks as well!  It varies from day to day but I like to just

leave a little supply in the fridge at work, so I can draw on it when 

I am in need of a nutritious meal.