I rarely advocate for daily vitamin supplements for clients unless they exhibit a specific deficiency. Most products, like multivitamins, contain a little bit of everything without sufficient amounts to make a substantial impact—what we term a therapeutic dose.

As my son navigates the 21st year of his birthday, I’ve found myself pondering whether we might be lauding the wrong age. When it comes to youthful health, the pivotal age isn’t 21; it’s 25.

Join us on a culinary adventure as we explore the exciting trend of Culinary Nutrition, bridging the gap between nutritional science and everyday cooking. Chef Katie Ridgeway from Sage with Katie and Nutritionist Edwina, in collaboration, present Lessons in Food Chemistry

Imagine a lavish Christmas lunch—turkey, roast veggies, and decadent desserts. While not inherently unhealthy, the sheer volume exceeds our energy needs. Applying the law of food averaging, skip dinner post-feast or opt for a light salad and protein the next day. This way, we achieve a more reasonable calorie intake over the two-day period.

Convenient Frozen Meals for Busy Lifestyles In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, preparing meals every night can be quite challenging. That's where the convenience of ready-made frozen meals comes into play, proving to be not only a time-saver but also a healthier alternative to takeout.

Many parents see this as their job or one of the basic functions that they are required to do for their teen each day. However, one of the greatest gifts or life skills you can transfer to your teen is an interest in healthy food (without being obsessed), an understanding of food budgeting and sourcing, as well as the ability to cook at least basic items such as an egg, spaghetti bolognese, grilled salmon and perhaps a homemade pizza loaded with veggies. 

As parents there are so many things to wrangle and consider when it comes to your teens. From schoolwork, to sport, friends, social media, sleep, hydration, family catch ups, relationships etc, it’s overwhelming for a parent. An area that’s often forgotten amongst the madness, is food and nutrition.

Rural health is a passion of mine. I have joined the Rural Health Alliance and recently wrote this article for their journal.

While not technically an event, it is a good time in the year to assess and refresh your Nutrition habits. As the weather warms up we tend to eat more light food with a salad base and seem to be more interested in exercise and health.

Clients often asked me what is the healthiest restaurant or takeaway food. One of my favourites is authentic Japanese. (I say “authentic” as like many food cultures in Australia the traditional foods are gradually becoming more westernised and adding more sources, salt and sugar to appeal to Western taste so look for a traditional one).

A very good friend of mine (who is a chef and a cycling athlete) tested these cookies and said, “whole family loves them”.

These cookies contain only natural ingredients and are free of trans fats, hydrogenated oils an artificial colours and flavours which are common in unhealthy snacks.

The ABS have started to release the data for the 2011-2012 Australia Health Survey. The survey covered 9,500 households and tracked physical activity levels and food intake for 0-18-year-old children. When compared to the recommendations there were some concerning results such as insufficient calcium intake amongst teenage girls.

Skiing is a unique sport as it combines power and endurance. The climate is cold and you are exercising at high altitude – all demanding on the body. Planning and prioritising your nutrition for skiing will make a difference to your enjoyment and your performance, and assist in preventing injury.

We hear a lot about Magnesium and for good reason.  It is essential for human health and required in over 600 cellular reactions throughout the body. Most people know that magnesium relieves aching muscles however did you know it also contributes to brain, heart and muscle function, energy production as well as bone health and sleep?

Many of my teenage rugby clients want to “bulk up” or gain muscle mass and ask me about taking protein powders. Unfortunately, there is no magic pill or powder for muscle gain. It is a combination of factors including growth stage and genetics. Certainly diet and protein intake, sleep and resistance exercise also contribute to muscle gain.

Given that a Triathlon involves three different sports, training loads can be heavy, often will multiple sessions in a day. Nutrition becomes critical for both fuelling sessions and recovery to prevent fatigue and allow you to “back up” for the next session.

Parents of teenage athletes that visit my clinic often ask me if their teenager should take a fish oil (Omega 3) supplement. In the rare case the teenager has a diet rich in oily fish such as salmon, tuna and sardines (at least 3 times a week), I would not recommend a supplement as their dietary intake would be sufficient.

At this time of year there is always lots of information about healthy lunch boxes and feeding school kids. This is indeed essential and something I am passionate about however let’s not forget about the mums (and dads)!

Nutrition and Diet advice has primarily focused on the 9 months of pregnancy. However increasing research recognises the importance of pre-pregnancy nutrition for not only the female, but also for the male.

Many parents visiting my clinic report classic signs of dehydration in their child. Early recognition is crucial for your child's health. In this blog post, we discuss seven key signs of dehydration.