Vegetables- How To Eat Enough Of Them

A question I get asked a lot in my nutrition work is ‘how can I eat all the vegetables I need in one day?’ and I have to admit that it isn’t a simple question to answer. I thought today I would provide some tips and tricks to getting all your serves of vegetables in (and enjoying them).

The Australian Guide to Health Eating outlines the number of serves of vegetables a day that is recommended

	19-50 years	51-70 years	70+ years
Men	6	5 ½	5
Women	5	5	5

 (source)

A serve of vegetables is different depending on the vegetable. A few examples include:

o   ½  a cup of cooked green or orange vegetables

o   1 cup green leafy or raw salad vegetables

o   ½ a medium potato

o   1 medium tomato

I'm sure this is obvious to everyone but the reason why it is important to eat such a large volume of vegetables daily is because they are packed full of nutrients and are really low in kilojoules (calories). 

Are you saying to yourself ‘This information is all well and good but how on earth can you eat all those serves of vegetables?’ here are some tips on how to get your 5-6 serves a day:

o   Try and include vegetables in all your meals and snacks.

o   Always bring fruit and vegetable snacks with you to work (then there is no need to search for the vending machine).

o   Be adventurous. Try new vegetables, recipes or cooking methods. This will stop you from getting bored

There are so many ways to incorporate vegetables into your meals. Below I have listed some of my favourite ideas as well as some links to delicious recipes.

-Tomato on toast wholegrain with salt and pepper

-spinach and poached eggs on whole grain toast

-zucchini slice

-Pizza’s stacked high with vegetables

-Vegetable sticks and dip

-pesto and chicken with zucchini noodles

-Salads (there are so many options! Have a look on Pinterest for inspiration)

-Add grated vegetables to your bolognese sauce (zucchini and carrot are good) 

-Frozen vegetables (obviously heat them up) with tinned tuna and sweet chilli sauce

-Add frozen vegetables to dinners and lunches

-Vegetable Lasagne

-Stir-fry vegetables with soy sauce and garlic

-Roasted vegetables

-Vegetable soup

-A simple salad sandwich
-Soba noodles with stirfried vegetables and honey soy dressing

At the end of the day all you can do is your best to get as many vegetables into your day as possible. I hope you try out some of the recipes linked.

Bridge xo

Myths About Gluten-Free Diets

Today I heard someone say that a particular shampoo was really good because it was organic and GLUTEN FREE! A few weeks ago I saw a segment on Jimmy Kimmel where they asked people who eat a gluten free diet to explain what gluten is (which they had no idea). 

This gave me a little chuckle because this gluten free craze is getting out of control. My aim today is to explain what gluten is and disprove some of the myths surrounding the gluten free diet. I don't talk much about gluten sensitivity in this post because I'm not an expert if you suspect you have an intolerance you need to see a doctor to be tested. 

Gluten is made up for two proteins Giladin and Glutenin. It is found in wheat, barley and rye. The elasticity of dough and the ability for bread to rise and hold its shape is the result of the gluten in the flour. Gluten is also used as an additive in processed foods to do things like thickening a liquid. Another place where you can find traces of gluten is in products that have been processed on the same equipment as gluten containing foods for example oats.

 If you are eating a gluten-free diet there is a very high chance you are paying more for your food when there really isn't a need to. Gluten-free has become a marketing tool that is raking in the big bucks for food companies. It is at the point now where lotions and shampoo are being advertised as gluten free.

Gluten intolerance and celiac disease are both adverse effects to gluten. There are a lot of symptoms associated with these conditions and it effects everyone in different ways.

On to the myths......

Gluten makes you fat
This is untrue, gluten itself doesn't have kilojoules (calories) associated with it so it isn't contributing to your energy intake. The presence of gluten is irrelevant. The other components in the food such as carbohydrates, fat and protein contribute to the energy content of the food and can intern make you gain weight if you are not eating a balanced diet and exercising. Often gluten free foods have more kilojoules in them because extra sugar or fat has been added to make it taste better.

It is possible to lose weight eating a 'gluten-free' diet because it is likely you are avoiding processed foods, pastries and white bread (which are all quite high in kilojoules) and swapping them for more vegetables, fruits. Also when eating 'gluten-free' it would require you to be looking more at nutrition labels and this can help you to make healthier choices overall. The down-side of this is all the nutrients you miss out on by avoiding whole grain foods.

Gluten is unhealthy
Gluten isn't actually unhealthy for you (unless you have celiacs disease). Gluten doesn't really have any nutritional value itself but it is in whole grain products which provide fibre and certain vitamins that are good for your body.Flour in bread is also fortified with folate. If you are avoiding gluten there is a chance you could become deficient in these vitamins. Just because something says it is gluten free doesn't mean it is healthy, a gluten free cookie is still a cookie with sugar and butter.

(Source)

There isn't really a reason to avoid gluten unless you have a form of gluten intolerance (which your doctor can test you for). Eating a balanced diet (including gluten) is much less complicated and more affordable.

I hope you have a lovely weekend!

Bridget xo

The Beginning of More Consistent Blogging (hopefully)| Big Things

It’s been a while since I have written a blog post and I guess consistency hasn’t really been a theme on Beauty Bites and Big Things the past few months. So here I am again with a new goal to commit more to this blog.

Since I last updated you on life in general I was just back from America and ready to take on the year ahead. I mentioned in the first post of the year that I was going back to my old job. Well, my old job didn’t really work out in terms of hours, but when one door closes another one opens. In this case two doors opened. I was lucky to have two job opportunities fall into my lap and both of them relate to nutrition!

First I was offered a position in a gym working as a nutritionist (Yay). I have gained experience in developing my own nutrition business under the guidance of the gym. Currently I am doing some nutrition consulting, information booths and nutrition seminars. The population of the gym leans towards the older adult and I am enjoying getting to know a few of them. Also I can use the gym for free which is a nice little bonus!

The second job is in the public health system where I am in an administration position working with a brand new multidisciplinary service focused on obesity. Even though I’m not actively working in nutrition I am learning so much from the great team I am surrounded by.

Since I have been so busy with work I haven’t been up anything else that exciting. I have been keeping up to date with the latest nutrition news and I'm keen to share some information with you all.

 Who knows what the rest of the year holds so I am sticking to what I said back in January and embracing whatever comes my way.

Prepare yourself for some more consistent blogging!

Bridget xo