Why You Need to Ditch the Detox this Year

Welcome to 2022!

I hope you all had a lovely break. I'm feeling pretty refreshed actually and ready for an awesome year ahead. I always have lots of really good ideas when I get to take the opportunity to step away for a bit. So I've got some pretty exciting things planned.

To set the scene for the year, I just wanted to give you some tips to help you actually achieve your health and fitness goals and stay on track. Instead of smashing it really hard at the start, going too hard, too fast and losing puff by February.

This is why you need to ditch the diet and detox mentality this year...

 1. Ditch the detoxes

• So many people think you need to detox the body to get rid of toxins, to lose weight, to kick start something
• There is no evidence to support detoxes
• Our body is well equipped with two kidneys, and a liver that know how to filter our blood and that gets rid of the toxins out of it
• If you can just simply eat well, and exercise...

5 Tips for Surviving the Festive Season

Before I take my one and only break for the year, I want to leave you with five tips to help you survive the silly season. I find that most people just completely switch off and let go of their healthy lifestyle and fitness goals as soon as December hits. We overindulge on delicious food and alcohol, are way more sedentary and just accept that 2kg weight gain is inevitable. Knowing that we’ll hit the diet or detox hard come January.

I'm not here to tell you to be strict and not enjoy all of the delicacies. I really want you to enjoy this time. But I challenge you to change your attitude this year and implement my top five tips for surviving the festive season without having a massive blowout.

 1. Aim For Balance

• Find a comfortable middle ground where you can still go out and have a great time, but try and minimise the damage by going overboard
• Make healthy choices when you can and when you can't, don’t feel guilty...

The Shit Show that was 2021

I wanted to take you behind the scenes a little bit at Dietitian Approved and the Triathlon Nutrition Academy and give you some insight into what's been happening this year. The highs and the lows, the lessons I’ve learnt and a peek behind the scenes at our plans for 2022.

Highlights of the year

• The Olympics! It provided a great distraction and banded the country together
• The Debut of the Triathlon mixed team relay
• Launched the Triathlon Nutrition Academy program
• Launched the Triathlon Nutrition Academy podcast
• Dietitian Approved turned 6
• Dietitian Approved transitioned to a more global brand with the change from .com.au to .com
   

Things I learnt this year

• Exercise is a huge part of my life, specifically social exercising. I need to prioritise
• I need to schedule breaks/holidays ahead of time so they actually happen
• If I am going to put myself out there in the online world, I need to develop a thicker skin. Because negativity will happen
• The...

Today on coffee & questions I answered Shane & Bec's questions on alcohol and its place in the week when it comes to exercise and performance.

Can I have a drink after my race?

Is there a way to be sensible with alcohol intake?

What effects does alcohol have on exercise performance?

I'm not here to say don't ever drink but from the perspective of a dietitian... Alcohol is a toxin. 

We don't store it anywhere - it gets processed in the liver and burnt off in preference to anything else as we try and get rid of it out of the body

It's used as a social lubricant and is a socially acceptable toxin

My advice will differ depending on who you are and what your overall goals are. Find a balance between drinking and exercise performance depending on who you are and what your goals are

Alcohol equals energy - calories or kilojoules

Alcohol = 29kJ/gram

It also depends on what calories you're drinking it with - e.g. soda water or full-fat coke

...

What is the difference between Nutritionists vs Dietitians in Australia?

We constantly get asked to explain the difference between a Dietitian and Nutritionist. Yes, they’re different and yes we will always correct you when you call us a Nutritionist. Read on to find out why we get slightly offended

Australia currently does not regulate the professional titles ‘nutritionist’ or ‘dietitian’, leaving a wide market for misinformation if you do not do your own research. The media also tends to use the two terms interchangeably, making distinctions between qualifications increasingly difficult.

Read on as we break down the differences between these professions, their relevant qualifications, what they can do for you and what to look for when looking for a professional to help you.

Nutritionist

This term can be the most confusing of the three as there are varying levels of qualifications that result in the title ‘nutritionist’. Nutrition is a...

As part of our Healthy Lifestyle Challenge, participants strive to include 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegetables each day. So what exactly is a serve?

Fruit

1 standard serve of fruit is approximately 150g (350kJ)

1 serve = 

• 1 medium piece of fruit e.g. 1 apple, orange, pear, small banana
• 2 small pieces of fruit e.g. 2 kiwi fruit, apricots, plums, nectarines
• 1 cup diced fruit e.g. fruit salad, melon, berries, pineapple
  
  

Fresh is best but occasional sources include:

• 30g Dried fruit e.g. 1.5 tbs sultanas, 2 dried apricots
• 125ml Juice (100% juice, no added sugar)
  
  

These should not constitute your fruit serves of a daily basis but are OK to include occasionally.

Vegetables

1 standard serve of vegetables is approximately 75g (100-350kJ)

1 serve = 

Non-Starchy Vegetables:

• ½ cup cooked vegetables
•  1 cup raw salad vegetables

Starchy vegetables:

•  1 medium potato
• ½ cup corn kernels
• 1 small sweet potato
  
  

We challenge you to use at...