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

After attending the 2016 ANZOS (Australian & New Zealand Obesity Society) Conference in beautiful, balmy Brisbane last week I decided to summarise a few hot tips about exercise, mental health and Mediterranean diet, willpower versus habits, how much sugar is too much sugar and how to improve your gut microbiome.

Spring is a time for new life and rejuvenation. A time to clean up old habits which were not meeting our health needs. To bounce back into health. Start by planning some time outdoors each day.

Diet is integrally related to our health and a large number of common health problems. For this reason, it is a good idea to have a session with a dietitian at any time that you have concerns about your diet or the diet of a close family member or you have a new diagnosis. Ten top reasons for visiting a dietitian include chronic health condition such as diabetes, heart problems such as high cholesterol and blood pressure.

Mental illness, such as depression, is common in Australia, effecting one in five people at some time. Depression can make it difficult to function on a daily basis, creating feelings of worthlessness, low motivation and insomnia. However, your diet may help.