Whole food diets and meal plans

'How are you not seeing this? Of course doughnuts are a hole food!'

‘How are you not seeing this? Of course doughnuts are a hole food!’ (Source Cartoonstock.com)

If only everyone could agree on what the perfect diet is, life (and eating) would be simple.  At Healthy Meals To Your Door we focus on whole foods.  We believe there is no “perfect diet” for everyone, and that is why we offer a range of different dietary preferences.  After all we are all different, why shouldn’t our eating habits be?

There is one thing we are certain about though, and that is that everyone is better off eating food in its most natural form, and that is why we put such an emphasis on whole foods.  It’s ok to eat for taste sometimes, it’s ok to eat for comfort sometimes, as long as you are eating to nourish most of the time.

At Healthy Meals To Your Door we like to help you take the stress and time out of ticking the “nourishing” box, for the majority of the time, so that you get your nutrition into your body, in delicious ways, and then what you eat for the other 20% of the time doesn’t threaten your health so much.

After all it’s not just calories that matter, it’s nutrients, and we like to jam as many into our meals as we can.

Because… Your Body NEEDS Nutrients… and a variety of them in order to function.  The more “whole” a food, the more nutrients it contains, packaged up in ways the body knows how to use.

If you can follow one rule of eating, let it be this:  Eat whole foods

Nutrient utilization in humans (the body uses and needs protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and a bunch of other nutrients found in whole foods.)

utilizationandproductionhumanbody

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image Source: http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/dynamic-adaptation-of-nutrient-utilization-in-humans-14232807#

 

Fresh food delivery Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast

vegetarian meals home delivered in brisbane

If you are looking for a fresh food delivery service in Brisbane, Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast (and anywhere in between, and yes we deliver to Noosa), we offer a range of calorie controlled, healthy meals delivered to your door.

If the following is important to you:

Fresh Meals: Our meals are cooked fresh each week, just for you, and made to order. Day 1, 2 and 3 are fresh meals (not frozen), Day 4 onwards are freezable (or frozen) or non-perishable (eg. breakfast) to ensure freshness and allow flexibility.  We know sometimes you have other plans for dinner or “life happens”, so we have given you some room to move with freezable options.  And we don’t use preservatives or other baddatives so this helps keep yourexecdinners food fresh and safe.

Taste and Variety:  We have a four week rotating meal plan to ensure lots of variety within our menus so you don’t get bored, and all our meals are chef prepared and made to be delicious and nutritious.

Special dietary needs: We cater for a range of dietary preferences and special diets including vegan and vegetarian, and gluten and dairy free.

Home Delivery: We offer a delivery service to your home or office and deliver our meals in a cold box with ice packs to keep it fresh for you.

Healthy: Our meals and plans are developed by a nutritionist so they are designed to be nutrient dense.

Calorie controlled: All our plans are portion and calorie controlled. Typically a one day plan will range between 1350-1650 calories a day.  (There are ways for you to eat less or more than this if you desire, though we generally don’t encourage very low calorie intake (like 1200 calories or less) because from what we know about health and nutrition, it would be difficult to get nourished on that amount of food and you are likely to set up starvation programs in your body and actually hinder weight loss attempts in the long term.)

Family friendly:  We even have a family friendly plan so you can all eat together!  (This is very popular with our vegetarian and vegan families!)

family

You can order a one week trial of any plan you like, just place your order and write ONE WEEK TRIAL in the notes and we organise that for you.  Many of our customers order rolling subscriptions and we feed them every week, they simply contact us to pause when they are going away.

We look forward to serving you!

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Healthy Meal Delivery in Noosa

healthy meal delivery noosa and sunshine coastWe have had a few inquiries from one of my favorite Queensland places to visit, Noosa!  Yes!  We do deliver healthy meals to Noosa! (Delivery surcharge of $15).

Delivery is Tuesday, you can order a range of dietary preferences (one week trial or ongoing) and a range of different plans including dinners only or breakfast, lunch, dinners and snacks, delivered to your home or office.

We make it easy for you to eat healthily!  We have a four week rotating menu so there is loads of variety and you won’t get bored if you are on an ongoing order.

A daily plan ranges from about 1200 to 1600 calories (about 300-550 per meal depending whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner and about 100-200 calories per snack).  We use fresh delicious produce and our recipes don’t use salt, sugar or preservatives.

You see menu and meal plan examples here: meal plan examples

You can check out our price ranges here: healthy meal delivery prices

Imagine what you can spend your time doing when you aren’t shopping, planning and cooking healthy meals from scratch!  You can order our five day plans and save your “passion for cooking” for the week end!

More time for your hobbies, family and leisure activities!

Crowd out method: Add these 20 Healthiest Foods to Your Eating List

20 healthiest foods |Healthy Diet | www.sizefantatic.com.au Rather than dieting, use the Crowd Out Method.  (I have coined this phrase after reading how Harvard health supports crowding out unhealthy foods, and I agree.) (1)

So here, instead of a list of foods to avoid is a list of foods for you to eat… Eat from this list daily, and your challenge, should you choose to accept it is to create as many of your meals with these foods in them as you can.

Here are my top 20 healthiest foods to add to your day:

  1. Berries especially blueberries and blackberries. (2) High in antioxidants and despite being a fruit they aren’t going to spike your blood sugar terribly.
  2. Lemon: squeeze it into water, over meat, over salads, over avocado
  3. Coconut: eat the flesh, drink the water, use the oil (cold pressed)
  4. Sardines (in a can): high in omega 3, without the mercury, and because they contain the bones they are also high in calcium.
  5. Oysters, high in iron, protein and all sorts of sea minerals.
  6. Goats cheese or goat’s yoghurt (if you fancy cheese, goat is the way to go)… more closely resembles human milk than cows milk, therefore easier to digest.  High in calcium and vitamin D and protein.
  7. Fresh herbs like basil, mint, coriander, rosemary and thyme they don’t just add flavour to meals, they have great health qualities too.
  8. Sugar snap peas… yummy crunchy, green and full of B vitamins, fiber, protein and yumminess.
  9. Broccoli and cauliflower, soo much goodness in cruciferous veg!  Wonderful cancer fighters.
  10. Tahini (sesame seed paste) high in calcium… and yummy in dips or dressings
  11. Apples (organic and washed!)apples for health and weight loss | www.sizefantastic.com.au
  12. Chilli or Harissa
  13. Cinnamon (this is a spice, not a food, I know… but it can actually help you manage your blood sugar levels so eat it with food like pumpkin, oats, apple)
  14. Olives
  15. Pistachios (one of the best nuts to eat for a number of reasons!)
  16. Sauerkraut or Kimchi (fermented foods are great for gut health)
  17. Ancient grains: quinoa, millet, amaranth, buckwheat (all wheat free and naturally gluten free, so these grains are not going to irritate your gut like other gliadin grains tend to, they are also high in essential amino acids.
  18. Leafy greens especially watercress, chinese cabbage, beet greens,  dandelion greens (which are great “liver cleansers”) and spinach.
  19. Ginger and Tumeric (cook with them, add them to stir fries, rice, casseroles… soo good.)
  20. Sprouted legumes or beans
  21. Great quality cocoa – I have to sneak that in there… full of antioxidants!

Some other tips: garlic is amazing, any veg especially endives, artichoke hearts, asparagus, spaghetti squash, tomatoes.  If you are going to eat potatoes opt for purple or red skin new (small) potatoes or sweet potatoes.

If you are going to eat meat, go for organic where possible and always grass fed, same applies for chicken.  Game meats and bone broth are great and full of goodness too…

Soya has got a bad wrap, but actually organic soya beans or tofu, have amazing health benefits and have actually been found to be protective against cancer.

As fish go, salmon and mackeral are great, but unfortunately farmed are not always and now there is the issue of a polluted sea and mercury levels etc… wild caught ocean cod may be an option too.

References:

  1. Harvard Health
  2.  Aha Journals

 

 

Embrace your body

Nutrition Consultations

Do you need help deciding which plan is best for you?

Why not speak to our nutritionist?

Sometimes it can be daunting trying to figure out what you should be doing.  You don’t have to figure it out on your own.  You can talk through your health goals, your dietary preferences and our nutritionist can help you meet your specific needs.Nutritionist Brisbane | www.healthymealstoyourdoor.com.au

Face to face (nutritionist in Brisbane), skype and telephone consultations also available.

Do you have a healthy issue and want to know how changing your diet can help?

Who Knew Nutrition Could Affect So Much_Fees:
$200 initial consultation
$150 follow on consultation

Health rebates may apply if you have private health insurance, check out your plan, you may be able to claim a percentage of your consultation back.

Nutritionist (Brisbane based):

Lisa Cutforth (BSc. Hons Nutrition with Psychology)

Lisa Cutforth is our lead nutritionist and the founder of Size Fantastic.
She is qualified in Nutrition and Psychology and therefore can advise you on what your body needs from food in order to feel well, as well as being able to help you action any advise. Sometimes change can be challenging and Lisa who is also completing her Diploma in the Neuroscience of Leadership can help you understand your mind and your brain and how they influence what you do. This plays an important part in getting well again.

lisa1

The Healthiest Country in the World

healthiest country in the world | www.healthymealstoyourdoor.com.auAn article written by The Italian Tribune displayed some recent data from Bloomberg Rankings, showing the top healthiest countries and the least healthiest countries in the world. Each country is given a health score and a health risk score.

Singapore was named the number one healthiest country in the world (yes we were surprised too). Coming in at a close second was Italy, followed by Australia, Switzerland, Japan, Israel and Spain. While Swaziland, Lesotho, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad and Mozambique were rated the top 5 least healthiest countries in the world, respectively.

We were interested to know how these rankings were assigned. The health score given to each country was based on mortality rates, smoking rates, immunization rates, the number of people with access to healthcare, healthcare efficiency and satisfaction and life expectancy. These are all very important factors, but it would interesting to see the worlds healthiest countries ranked in terms of just diet and lifestyle, instead of quality of healthcare. Would Australia still come in third place? Probably not. Japan might slide up a few spots though, given that it has one of the lowest rates of obesity (3.3%) compared to Australia (20%) and the U.S (35%).

It’s important to note that good quality healthcare is not the number one predictor of health. Many countries with excellent health care (like Australia and the US) are actually staggering under huge numbers of unhealthy individuals. We are overweight, obese; we have diabetes, cancer, mental illnesses.

There are many reasons why a country might have a fantastic health care system, one being that they are most likely a developed country.  Usually you see an increase in health in a population as healthcare infrastructure increases.  Unfortunately this doesn’t always correlate.  Australia has an amazing public health care system, as does Canada, and the UK comparative to many other countries.

Sadly despite the comparatively good health care systems in the States, the UK, and Australia, this infrastructure often is bulging under the pressure to treat the millions of people everyday who are burdened with chronic diseases.  Ironically many in first are a product of the first world and modernisation or “westernisation”, and arguably could be prevented with lifestyle changes or a return to more traditional ways (specifically eating less processed foods, cooking meals, and eating as a family, being part of a community, less stressful lives).

In underdeveloped countries the illness and disease profiles look quite different, and it is surprising that with improvements and infrastructure that more developed countries aren’t performing better than this in their countries “health scores”.

So the question is whether we should be looking at the quality of treatment that a country gives to its citizens as a marker of the health of the country or the effectiveness in preventive health care and health promotion infrastructure available to the general public of said country (e.g. diet, exercise and lifestyle factors, social support mechanisms and other support services and infrastructure and policy) to enable its citizen’s to better take care of themselves and each other.  What do you think?

meditterranean diet | www.healthymealstoyourdoor.com.auWe did love some of the notes on how the Italians do life, and we do love and promote the benefits of enjoying a Mediterranean diet… viva Italy!  In our minds, it’s not just the great health care infrastructure that lifts their health markers… it’s the lifestyle factors, that are so often underestimated like: culture, social support, community and of course great eating practices that also play a key role.

Read the article by The Italian Tribune here: http://www.italiantribune.com/italy-second-healthiest-country-in-the-world/

 

Feeding Children – The balance of responsibility

feedingchildrenI often am approached by parents wanting information on best feeding practices for their children.  Sometimes parents complain they battle with “fussy eaters”, sometimes it is that their “toddler is too busy to eat”, sometimes it is that their children are constantly nagging for junk food, or “won’t eat anything healthy”.

On the one hand I encourage parents to keep the peace in the home and resist the urge to try to control their children, especially with regards to eating.  Food wars, almost always will cause problem eaters down the track.  At the same time, parents are the nutritional gatekeepers, and so I do encourage them to take advantage of their ability to influence their children’s eating habits.  They can do this in several ways:

  1. They can make sure there is delicious healthy food available.
  2. They can be a good role model, choose, prepare and eat healthy food in satisfying ways.
  3. They can watch their dialogue around food, eating, and body image.
  4. They can invite their children to take part in meal decisions or meal preparation.
  5. They can crowd out or minimize the availability of junk food in the house.
  6. They can set norms, boundaries and expectations around eating in the home.
  7. They can create an environment for best eating practice.

At every stage of childhood, parents have responsibilities with feeding while children have responsibilities with eating.  As the child gets older, their responsibilities increase. So be aware that you will have different degrees of influence and responsibility at different ages.  That is why being a role model, and a facilitator and leader is a better strategy than trying to control everything, or nothing.

Here’s what I mean:  In the case of the infant: the parent is responsible for what the infant eats and how they eat it.  A baby has no ability to control that, they can cry, they can refuse to eat, but the parent will decide whether the baby is offered breast or bottle, if bottle, which formula, the parent will decide when to wean, and the parent will decide what to wean with.  (Once the preferred infant food is decided by the parent, the infant is only in charge of how much they consume.

As a child starts eating more solid foods they become accountable for not only how much they eat but also whether they eat.  Usually the older they get, the more they assert their will and their preferences, but they still can’t really “help themselves” or control “what their choices are”.  Children choose how much they eat and whether they eat.

If parents successfully take on responsibility for their part of the feeding (e.g. choosing food, preparing food, being good role models around food and mealtime), children will learn how to eat, how to determine satiety and how to eat a variety of different foods, all of which lead to competent eating (1). But in order to achieve this, parents must give their child some responsibility of their own. This is crucial in teaching children good eating habits.

Here is one example highlighting why it is important they are given some of the responsibility.  I have watched many well intentioned parents insist their children don’t leave the table until they finish everything on their plate (my mother included).  While the parent has the best interests of the child at heart (or perhaps they don’t like to waste food), unfortunately this rule overrides the child’s natural abilities to judge “satiety” and learn when they have had enough and practice the act of “stopping eating”.

Under three, children will stop eating based on their own internal cues rather than being influenced by serving size or how much food is on their plate; after five however, a child will typically be much more influenced by serving size, and eat more or less dependent on external rather than internal cues.  So I would encourage you to give your child the opportunity to practice this skill, if they have had enough, let them stop.

In the same breath, I am a mum, and I “get” that children might “play up”, get distracted, have preferences and so it is necessary to consider some practical guidelines around eating, and certainly important to manage expectations and boundaries.

Here are some ideas:

Encourage them to sit down and eat their food at the table (not on the run or in front of the TV), research shows this facilitates mindful eating, and furthermore research shows lower incidence in teenage depression of families who share at least one meal a day at the dinner table.

You might set an expectation that they eat vegetables every day, but you encourage them to choose any two types of vegetables from the options available for their plate each night (they can choose from what is available e.g. “Which two would you like, you can have pumpkin, raw carrot sticks, cucumber, avocado, broccoli or peas?)  By doing this you work within their preferences but you set the expectation and habit of including vegetables and healthy food as part of the meal.

You might make an effort to both include new things for them to try, and include old familiar favorites they like.

Remember parents are the nutritional gate keepers, you do most of the food shopping and preparation, therefore you need to make sure there are delicious and nutritious options available for them to choose from.  (If you need some support with healthy meal preparation and catering remember Healthy Meals To Your Door does healthy family dinners!)

As we know, educating children on good eating behaviours and allowing them to develop their own positive attitudes toward food is greatly beneficial for when the child steps into adulthood. Their habits and values will carry with them throughout their life.

For more information or support in understanding or healing your relationship with food visit www.sizefantastic.com.au

  1. http://ellynsatterinstitute.org/dor/divisionofresponsibilityinfeeding.php

Why you should take nutrition personally!

Why should you take nutrition advice personally?  And what do I mean by that?

why you should take nutrition personallyAs a nutritionist I’ve been quizzed about the strengths and weaknesses of different diet trends and fads.  Usually my clients want a simple answer in response to a question like “Is veganism healthy” or “What do you think of Paleo”?

The truth is that different people have different dietary needs, tolerances and preferences, and nutrition is highly personal.

It’s interesting, we expect people to be different to each other in a number of ways: their hair colour, their build, their talents, their favourite sport, their style of dress, their favourite colour, their favourite movie, their choice of music, their career choices, their dream partner and their dream home among other things. We expect that some people will have common interests and may even be very similar in some ways, though we understand that won’t mean they are exactly alike. We even anticipate that identical twins will have some differences to each other.

We know people have different preferences to foods. Some people love spaghetti bolognaise, other people love roast dinner, some people love spicy foods, some love seafood, some like marmite and it hurts me to say it, but some people even claim to love McDonalds.

In the same way that people have different preferences, people also have different needs. And while it would be really convenient and even tempting to advocate for the idea of a perfect diet that would perfectly meet everyone’s needs… it is highly improbable.

For example research tells us that the healthiest diet on the planet is a whole food plant based diet, so arguably a well constructed vegan or vegetarian whole food diet would be the closest you can come to achieving that.  However, some people have a DAO enzyme deficiency, (like me) which means levels of histamines (an amino acid but also secreted by the body in response to allergens) can rise too high.  If someone has a histamine intolerance eating a diet high in nuts, seeds, beans and certain vegetables can over elevate their histamine levels. Despite these all being “healthy foods”, this “perfect diet” would be imperfect for some people, and if they excluded these plant proteins they may become deficient, despite the fact the diet is built on “super foods”.  Furthermore, some vegans become low in iron and vitamin B12, even without enzyme deficiencies so they too need to monitor their nutrition status.

So does that mean everyone can eat meat (or should)?  Well back to the histamine intolerance example, in fact too much chicken or processed meat, or fish can also raise levels too high, so it is not just a vegan diet that is problematic, they actually NEED to be picky with what they eat.

Let’s consider another diet, one currently trending in popularity, the Paleo diet.  This diet recommends the restriction of grains, pulses, beans, corn, dairy and sugar, and promotes animal protein and vegetables, fruit, animal fats and coconut oil as primary food sources.  There are lots of great benefits reported by this way of eating, however the approach doesn’t restrict or exclude processed meat (e.g bacon), which we know are linked to colon cancer.

Typically people eating this way consume an excess of protein rich foods on this diet, which for some is detrimental for their kidneys and digestive system and can be problematic for people who suffer from inflammatory conditions.  And for someone suffering with Hemochromatosis (a genetic disorder where your body stores too much iron) this diet would be far too high in iron, making you vulnerable to iron toxicity.

Additionally, if you eat too much meat, and fats and not enough starchy carbohydrates, you can affect your digestion, your cholesterol levels, your energy levels and your brain function.

Some may argue the Paleo diet can be done well, but often quite frankly, it isn’t. So again, this apparently “great and healthy diet” is not healthy for EVERYONE, and like any diet, it needs to be considered with the context of the individual in mind.

So, in answer to questions about what the perfect diet is, I usually respond: “Eat real food, and for the rest, it really depends on you (your needs and preferences), and what you are trying to achieve.”

Personalised nutrition is fundamental for health.  You need to be eating what is healthiest for your body, and that’s subtly different for everybody.  In fact, I encourage people to take their nutrition, personally.

YES there are guiding principles for the “best diet” and they are eat real and whole foods as much as possible.  For the rest, get yourself tested, see a good nutritionist and find out the best diet for you PERSONALLY.

Seasons Greetings!

healthy meals to your door | healthy weight loss |

We wish you and your families all the best for the holiday season and look forward to feeding you again in the New Year!