People often say to me that drinking is good for your heart health, it must be true because the media reports it all the time. Red wine is full of antioxidants, they're good for you. People drink wine everyday in the countries where they have good health, it has to be good for you. I have never prescribed to this logic. Something has always rung untrue about it. Why? Because we know that our body instantly tries to get rid of alcohol by breaking it down in our liver. We know all the negative effects of it so why would drinking some everyday be any good for you? New research is looking into this idea that older people who drink are healthier than those that don't. What are they finding? That the reason older people stop drinking is often because it interferes with their medications. Medications that they are taking because they're unwell. Those who do drink are healthier not because of the alcohol but because they're being measured against people who are sicker. This is why we say that correlation doesn't equal causation. This is why we keep investigating over and over to make sure we're giving you the best advice possible. Look after your heart ❤️

Take Time for Breakfast! Currently Wednesdays are my weekend, this is because outside of my life as a nutritionist I have another job where I work on weekends. Today isn't about relaxing, I'm planning on getting some manual work done. Bringing up firewood, turning over the old potato patch and hopefully heading out on a 5km walk. So fuelling myself for today is pretty important. Most of my clients don't eat a proper breakfast. They have something small or skip it and replace it with a coffee or juice instead. Then it gets to lunch and they have a sandwich or something then wonder why at 3pm they're feeling ravenous. As a result they snack on whatever is available and often overeat later. So my advice is to take the time to have a proper breakfast, sit down and eat it (you could do this when you got to work if you like). This was mine today, it took 15mins to prepare, cook and plate but you could easily precook pancakes to heat up quickly the next day! These are wholemeal apple and oat pancakes topped with a whole banana, a teaspoon of raw honey and a large spoonful of vanilla 'quark' yogurt. So my question is, what are you having for breakfast tomorrow???

Do you practice mindfulness? If you have a hobby or activity you love doing that you lose yourself in then the answer is yes! Practicing mindfulness helps to reduce the effects of stress, keeps your bones strong, DNA intact, blood pressure down and has a positive impact on your mental health. One of my favourite activities is crocheting stuffed toys like this one, my goofy Sheldon the Sheep. Making time for mindfulness such as your hobbies is much more important than you'd think. So spend a little time each day getting lost doing something you love. If you want to learn more about mindfulness for stress relief you can come along to my workshop on Tuesday the 8th of August, 6.30pm.

If you, like me, only bothered to read the title of this post (because morning talk shows make my eyes roll so hard I become blind for hours) then let me give you a little heads up. Don't even think about it!!! People LOVE to hear good news about their bad habits and this is a prime example. You know what else happens when you drink every day? You begin to destroy your liver. We all joke about giving our liver a hard time when we drink but it's seriously hands down one of the most important organs in your body. It literally stops you from dying on a regular basis by breaking down toxins, building proteins, storing energy, creating glucose from non-carb sources, packages fats up into handy clumps so your cells can use them, creates bile so your body can break down fats in your food... the list goes on and on. You want to reduce your risk of diabetes? Put down the wine glass and eat well and exercise. Stop listening to sensationalised media reports that only tell you the barest minimum of facts. My rant is done

Good, healthy, home cooked food is rarely fancy in my house. And it doesn't have to be in yours either. This is a very cheap vegetable soup. Consisting of a carrot, a potato, a small onion, 1/2 cup of soup mix and 3 1/2 cups of water with low salt chicken stock powder mixed in. Simmered for around 45 minutes. It's given me two large bowls of soup, perfect in this chilly weather. Don't think that healthy eating is all green salads, quinoa and perfectly plated up dinners. Keep it simple, you'll find it easier to manage!

Nothing particularly healthy about the health food aisle

Go nuts for heart health! Did you know that the number one preventable illness in Australia is heart disease? And did you know that it is mainly due to to lifestyle choices not genetics? Having a small handful of nuts as a snack can help protect your heart! Those who eat nuts at least 3 times a week have 30-50% lower risk of heart attack and also have lower cholesterol and blood pressure. These packets are the perfect snack size and can be grabbed on the go in the morning. I put together 36 packets in just 15 minutes. That's over a months worth of afternoon snacks! I like to team my nuts with a piece of fresh fruit or a small tub of yogurt, also very easy to grab in the morning! Want to know more about how easy it is to create healthy snacks? Come along to our healthy lunches workshop at the Wellness Within clinic in Eltham, Tuesday 4th of July 6.30pm.

Still struggling for inspiration to get your child eating healthy? Here's round two of cute ideas!

Struggle to get your child to eat fruit or veggies? Kids can be super fussy mainly because they're complex eaters; they focus not only on taste but appearance and texture. Here are some cute ideas to get your kids excited to eat their food!

Some interesting new research on the fasting diets

Prolonged stress is incredibly bad for your body. It has knock on effects not just for your psychological health but your immune system, your gut health and your heart health. Finding ways to reduce and deal with stressors is unbelievably important especially with the pressure of living in today's society. Intercedence will soon be offering mindfulness for both healthy eating and stress reduction. Meanwhile, read the link below to understand why dealing with stress is important.