Australia day, another holiday in the calendar that is celebrated in the sun with lots of food, drink and good company. It is a firm belief of mine that life is to be enjoyed with balance, including balance itself so this post is not about throwing away the lamingtons, pav or cold beer by the pool, but to consider some ideas on how to make the day that little bit more nourishing, especially if health is a major priority for you.
Our Top Tips:
Indulge but don’t over indulge – before heading for that second helping of dessert or extra sausage on bread, wait 20 minutes so that your brain can register what’s already in your stomach. Sometimes eating too quickly can cause over eating because at the time of the meal and decision for a second helping the brain hasn’t had the opportunity to tell you to stop eating. The result, feeling uncomfortably stuffed.
Drink enough water – The Aussie summer is pretty full on, coupled with a few alcoholic beverages this is a recipe for severe dehydration, headaches and waking up worse for wear. Prevent this by alternating your beer/wine/spirit with a glass of water. Add fresh slices of lemon and lime, fresh berries or cucumber and mint to a jug of iced cold water, it’s delicious and refreshing.
Choose wholefoods vs processed foods – What do we think of on Australia day when it comes to food? Throw another shrimp on the barbie! BBQ’s are a perfect way to get in some nutritious foods, it does not have to be processed sausages on white bread.
Here are some nutritious BBQ swaps – use bits of real meat such as lamb chops, chicken tenderloins, pork fillet, steak, prawns, tofu or homemade rissoles, marinade in garlic, olive oil and lemon juice instead of store bought sauces which often contain high amounts of added sugars and other unnecessary ingredients such as preservatives, chop up large pieces of vegetables and throw on the BBQ too (think carrots chopped in half, slices of eggplants, zucchini strips, capsicum halves, corn on the cob, sweet potato slices, green beans etc etc).
Make your own salad dressing using balsamic vinegar or lemon juice and olive oil instead of buying premade ones and use veggies sticks instead of crackers for your dips.
For further Australia day food inspo check out the nutritious recipes below:
Raw cashew and vanilla lamington bites
Healthy tasty lamington smoothie
Persian watermelon salad – nothing says Australia day like watermelons
Mango coconut salsa – or juicy mangoes
Garlic and chili prawn skewers
Here’s to a happy, healthy and balanced Australia Day 2018!
Our Nutritionist Jess Cheney, is available for consultations, so if you need some help to tweak your nutritional intake, book an appointment today.
