Articles & Posts in Category: Nutrition

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Young sportswoman making herself a healthy smoothie and slicing fresh fruit in the kitchen.

Young sportswoman making herself a healthy smoothie and slicing fresh fruit in the kitchen.

By Steffani Ford – Eat Smart Nutrition Accredited Dietitian & Sports Dietitian

Why do we need sleep?

Sleep is a critical part of an athlete’s recovery because it has:

  • Physiological and psychological benefits, such as assisting with muscle growth and repair.
  • Positive effects on the brain, such as consolidating memories like new skills learnt during training.

Scientists do not have a definitive answer as to why we need sleep, but we do know that sporting performance is negatively affected by a lack of it. From recent research, we also know that a lack of sleep may have negative effects on your immune and endocrine systems, which could lead to illness and therefore impede training and recovery and performance in competition.

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Cute happy girl playing with daddy at home.

Cute happy girl playing with daddy at home.

By Steffani Ford – Eat Smart Nutrition Accredited Dietitian & Sports Dietitian

Christmas is typically a time for celebrations, catching up with family and friends and of course delicious food and drinks. But wouldn’t it be great if we could do all this without the associated overfull tummies, lack of exercise, weight gain and guilt? Did you know on average Australians gain 0.8-1.5kg over the Christmas period? While that may not sound like a lot the research shows most of us struggle to lose that extra holiday weight. This Christmas take a pledge with us to enjoy a healthier, guilt free Christmas!

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Family gathered over for Christmas holidays, celebrating, having lunch
Family gathered over for Christmas holidays, celebrating, having lunchBy Steffani Ford – Eat Smart Nutrition Accredited Dietitian & Sports Dietitian

With Christmas just around the corner, it is about that time that the team at Eat Smart Nutrition starts thinking about what delicious spread will be on their family table this year. But who said that healthy food could not be delicious and give us joy? We have put together an entrée, main and dessert to inspire you to plan a delicious and healthy Christmas feast for the family.

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