As we near the end of Dry July it is timely to reflect on our drinking habits. Responsible drinking means balancing your enjoyment of alcohol with the potential harm that alcohol can cause. Choosing no more than 2 standard drinks per day reduces your risk of alcohol related harm. How does your drinking add up? Here are some tips for managing your drinking behaviours.

I chopped up a pile of vegetables including onion, carrot, leek, celery, broccoli, swede and parsnip. I placed these in my slow cooker with a lamb shank, a good handful of soup mix (barley & split peas) and fresh herbs such as rosemary, bay leaf, thyme and sage. Lamb & Barley Soup is on the menu for dinner tonight.

Eating family meals at home has social, economic and health benefits. If you are looking for some inspiration, look no further, as I share my favourite family meals with you. My first recipe idea is an Italian fish dish called Pesce all' Italiana. This is a good way to introduce fish to reluctant eaters!

Do you struggle with willpower when it comes to weight loss? If you answered yes, you are not alone. This is a common difficulty when it comes to weight loss. The problem is that willpower is a finite resource. We usually start the day well, but as the demands and pressure placed upon us over the day builds up our supply of willpower dwindles. Psychologists have discovered that it is far easier to focus on making changes to habits rather than depending on willpower. Here are some simple habits that can help you achieve your weight loss goals

During Australia's Healthy Weight Week 2017 the focus is on enjoying more home cooked meals. Why? Increasingly, studies are showing that purchasing meals, both takeaway and restaurant foods, away home from is associated with more weight gain. The solution is eating more meals at home. Unfortunately in our busy lifestyles lack of time and energy are often the barrier to cooking meals at home. But the good news is that throwing together a healthy meal is as simple as one, two, three.

To celebrate Australia's Healthy Weight Week 2017, during the month of February, I have decided to share some of my family's favourite recipes. My first dish is a Mediterranean inspired fish dish which is tasty and likely to satisfy even those reluctant fish eaters. Mediterranean Fish with Tomato & Zucchini

How often does your family sit down to a home cooked meal together? Sometimes it can become a challenge once the kids are back at school and you become caught up in transporting them to an array of extra curricular activities along with juggling work and other commitements. However apart from saving some money, enjoying home cooked meals is good for our health. It improves our well being and makes it easier to maintain a healthy body weight. Perhaps it is a good time to set some new habits in your home. To get you started I have a few tips:

An increasing body of research is linking our digestive health to many other aspects of health including anxiety, depression, weight problems, heart health, inflammatory disorders such as ulcerative colitis, arthritis and diabetes. So its not surprising that we are keen to learn more about the effects of food choices on our microbiome.

Breakfast eaters are better able to maintain a healthy weight. Eating breakfast kickstarts your metabolism and keeps you satisfied so you are less likely to consume excess kilojoules later in the day. Breakfast also improves mental alertness, concentration, mood and learning by stabilising blood sugar levels. Breakfast provides a range of important nutrients including carbohydrates, protein, fibre, calcium and B group vitamins

Diabetes is a chronic condition which impacts on the body's ability to make or use insulin. This causes high blood sugar. Maintaining a healthy level of blood sugar is needed to manage diabetes and prevent complications. Choosing nourishing foods and regulating your portion sizes will help you self manage your diabetes. It is important that any dietary advice is tailored to your specific needs. Dietitians are food and nutrition experts who have studied at university for at least 4 years and are up to date on the best diet to manage your diabetes.