Recently Kerri-Anne Kennerly was curious to know how on earth I was going to get Matt Preston in shape. She wanted to know if foodies can actually be fit, and what my top tips are for getting someone like Matt into shape.  Here is our interview:

My Top Tips to Becoming a Fit Foodie

Diet

• Begin with a 2 week Detox to kick start your metabolism
• Learn how long it takes to burn off certain foods
• Don’t get portion distortion
• Get creative with low calorie, high flavour foods
• Eat even sized meals throughout day

Exercise

• Train before breakfast on an empty stomach
• Wear a heart rate monitor and count your calories burnt
• Pick exercises that burn the most calories
• Something is better than nothing!

Are you a foodie? Do you think foodies can be fit too???

Tagged As: Amelia Burton, Kerri-Anne Kennerly, Masterchef, Matt Preston, Weight loss

Recently I appeared on Mornings With Kerri-Anne to discuss how we can burn more fat during our workouts and through our diet. Watch the 3:24min clip below.

My Top 5 Tips for Burning More Fat:

Do you have any fat burning tips that have worked for you in the past?

Tagged As: diet, exercise, fat burning, Weight loss

Ever wondered what the top nutritionists recommend for healthy snacks???  I recently had the pleasure of interviewing my nutrition idol Dr Joanna McMillan Price on her top tips for snacking. Joanna has written many fantastic books on health and nutrition. She comes from a strong research background, yet has a brilliant way of explaining things in practical terms.  She walks her talk and is one of the most highly respected Nutritionists in Australia.

Joanna talks about her favourite snacks for health, weight management and enjoyment!

Two key lessons really stood out for me:

1. Spread out your meals: You will expend more calories (ie speed up your metabolism) if you spread your calories out in the day (rather than eating 2-3 larger meals). That’s why if you skip breakfast then eat more than half your daily calories after 4pm, you will probably struggle to lose weight.
2. Beware Foods that Drive Hunger: The three main drivers for hunger (ie these things make you want to eat more) is Fat, Sugar, Salt. Food manufacturers know this so they load up food with these things. Chips: Fat and Salt. Chocolate bar: Fat and Sugar – ouch!

Joanna’s top Snack Pics:

• Fruit/veggies: Bananas, Oranges, apples, strawberries, carrot sticks, celery sticks.
• Muesli bars (Be Natural are her top pick). Beware of fat and sugar content
• Small portion sizes of nuts and seeds

Thanks SO much Joanna for your informative (and cheeky) interview! I need one of those banana holders!

What are your favourite snacks that follow my guide of  SIMPLE – NUTRITIOUS – DELICIOUS?

Tagged As: diet, joanna mcmillan price, nutrition, snacks, Weight loss

Recently I appeared on Mornings with Kerry-Anne Kennerly to discuss what it takes to burn off those Easter eggs.  Here’s some examples of what you would have to do to burn off your eggs:

• a small 7g mini Easter egg: 8 minutes of brisk walking (6.5km/hr) or 4minutes of jogging, skipping or boxing
• a medium 25g egg: 30min brisk walking or 14 minutes of jogging, skipping or boxing
• a large 100g egg: 2hr brisk walking, 1hr jogging, skipping or boxing

Some of the Questions Asked

Q. We’ve heard the studies about chocolate and red wine being good for you, so is chocolate really that bad?

• Bad only if you eat too much. 7g or 1 square per day is all you need to take advantage of health benefits
• Chocolate is calorie dense, nutrient poor. High in Sugar and fat, low in nutrients
• Dark chocolate is better as it contains antioxidants from the cocoa beans.

Q. What is chocolate made of?

• Cocoa beans, milk, fat, sugar, often many flavour chemicals

Q. Why is saturated fat worse for our bodies?

• Saturated fat hardens at room temperature, eg animal fat from red meat, butter, chocolate. It raises your LDL (bad cholesterol), has been associated with increase risks of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Q. How many grams of fat should we be eating a day?

• 45 for women and 60 for men. Preferably from mono unsaturated or poly unsaturated fats. Avoid Trans fats at all costs

Q. And what about carbs per day?

• Average woman 180g, trying to lose weight 100g per day.

The Verdict

Whilst one to two squares of chocolate per day has some health benefits, overdoing it quickly tips the scales. Dark chocolate (70% or higher) has considerably higher health benefits, so stick to dark and use it as a treat, not a daily snack.

What’s your plan of attack for keeping the sugar cravings at bay? Can you stop at just one egg, or once you break the seal is it all over?

Tagged As: chocolate, Easter, exercise, Weight loss

NOTE: If you would like to do a Detox please contact me here for more information.

You know those times in your life when you’ve partied a bit hard? Maybe you’ve been working long hours and eating crap? You feel exhausted, lethargic yet anxious and frankly not on top of your game. It’s time like these that you need to Detox. There are a plethora of Detoxes to chose from, lasting from one day up to three months. But before you go launching into the first brand you come across be warned, choosing the program can mean the difference between having a Detox that rocks or having Detox Disaster.

The Benefits of a Detox

Besides the usual benefits of increased energy, clear eyes, skin and regulated moods, Detoxing has many other benefits:

• Improves our Immune Function
• Reduce the amount of toxins and pollution into our body to lessen the burden against the detoxification organs
• Promote healthy eating, nutrition and supplementation to help our body effectively clear the toxins
• Scavenge free radicals and eliminate toxins
• Strengthen body’s fight against cancer cells and generate healthy cells in our body
• Cleanse mucous, congestion, fermentation, inflammation in our digestive tract
• Purify our blood
• Reform our lifestyle addictions for sugar, salt, high glycemic carbohydrates, alcohol, junk foods, nicotine, etc

Things to be Aware Of

Read more…..

Choosing the right snacks for low calorie diets can be really tricky. They need to be tasty, nutritious, filling, and easy to prepare. Here are my favourite 150 cal snacks (600kj). Please note to convert KJs into Cals divide by 4.

Nutrient Dense Whole Foods

Read more…..

Tagged As: diet, snacks, Weight loss

Protein intake is a passionate topic. Read any body building website and you will be bamboozled by the latest and greatest protein supplements. Then there are the other punters who cry that we are eating too much protein and our health will suffer. So how do you sort through the contradicting press and how much protein do we really need to look great, and feel healthy?

Recently I came across a comprehensive article written by The Fitness Spotlight on Protein intake per day. If you are looking for some more detailed insights, read their article. It details techniques such as protein pulsing and intermittent fasting as well as analysing some recent data.

Why is Protein Important?

Read more…..

Tagged As: muscle build, protein, Weight loss

Editors Note: This post is written by contributor Gina Ryan. Gina is a licensed nutritionist and Wellness coach from Hawaii. Read her Bio on the About page or visit her blog Lunch Without Ed.

Depending where you live in the world you may be swimming in tomatoes right now. Traditionally the overabundance of tomatoes leads to the process of cooking sauce and canning it for the months to come. When the more intricate process of canning is not available it is perfectly fine to freeze your sauce and enjoy it just the same. This post explores the health benefits of tomatoes and shows you how to make your own tomato based sauce from scratch.

If you don’t have a favorite sauce recipe or if this is the first time you may be considering this delightful kitchen project here is a great marina sauce recipe. It even has instructions on how to take out the seeds if this is your first attempt.

Cooked Tomatoes Powerful Benefits

Read more…..

Tagged As: antioxidants, diet, Health, nutrition, tomatoes

Editors Note: This post is written by contributor Gina Ryan. Gina is a licensed nutritionist and Wellness coach from Hawaii. Read her Bio on the About page or visit her blog Lunch Without Ed.

Much of the to do list of eating and living healthy can be achieved by simply using awareness. Paying attention to food and life style choices and actions made daily can simplify the sometimes confusing and contradictory health advice that is available on the Internet and elsewhere. Mindfulness puts the locust of control with you and your body.

What is ‘Mindfullness?’

It is with an understanding of what is meant by mindfulness when we speak of it in terms of eating. Mindfulness is clearly non-judgmental paying attention. Sounds simple and clear enough and this is a great place to stop and do it! Pay attention to what you are doing right now, do it with a noticing, a curious awareness and with out labeling it good or bad -simply notice. Yes, and then if the judgmental thoughts come up… notice that! Being aware of what is present for you in each moment physically, emotionally and physically can free you from reactive patterns and unhealthy habits. Being aware of what is actually happening right now gives you freedom of choice and a sense of balance. Read more…..

Tagged As: diet, eating, meditation, nutrition, Weight loss

Editors Note: This post is written by contributor Gina Ryan. Gina is a licensed nutritionist and Wellness coach from Hawaii. Read her Bio on the About page or visit her blog Lunch Without Ed.

Herbs (grown naturally in temperate regions) and spices (grown in tropic and subtropic regions) are an incredible and simple way to add flavor and powerful nutrients to your meals. Notice when foods are cooking and the delicious aromas fill the kitchen? The mixture of herbs and spices are releasing some of their aromatic oils to the air exciting the palate and preparing your body for digestion.

The Joy of Herbs and Spices

One of the easiest ways to get involved in your food from the ground up is to grow a simple herb garden. Food takes on a whole new and exciting feel when we have had our hands in the earth in which it was grown. Clipping your home grown dill for lunches cottage cheese or cutting basil for dinners. Pesto makes even the most resistant cook feel more like a creative chef and when we feel good and creative about preparing our food we make better food choices -naturally.
Read more…..

Tagged As: diet, herbs, nutrition