Australia

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Culture & Lifestyle | Health and Fitness

The 8 most surprising items in a nutritionist’s shopping basket

Site: Yeong Sassall

Image: Cafe Sydney
Image: Instagram

Coffee: Yes – nutritionists love coffee too.

There are some simple rules to enjoying coffee in a healthy way – ditch the sugar, make it organic, keep it to one per day, always drink it with or after food and most importantly, savour the ritual immensely.

Eggs: They became an undeserving victim of the cholesterol myth in ’70s. Do they contain cholesterol? Yes. Will eating them regularly clog your arteries and put you at risk of heart disease? Put simply, no.

Eggs are a nutritional powerhouse. They’re a complete source of high-quality protein, choline and B vitamins and – if they come from organic, pasture-fed chickens – contain vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids as well. Most nutritionists are besotted.

Wine: I also don’t know a nutritionist who doesn’t love a good glass of vino! But moderation is absolutely key here.

Australia is producing some fantastic organic, preservative free and natural wines that are worth seeking out.

Bread: Not all are created equal. There are many types you’d never catch a nutritionist eating – think fluffy white supermarket loaves – there are many healthy options. Sourdough, rye, spelt and sprouted breads are all nutritionally dense choices.

Want to avoid gluten? Grains (or rather seeds) such as buckwheat, teff and quinoa make fantastic gluten-free breads. I keep a loaf of seeded sourdough in the freezer. It’s not an everyday food for me, but when I feel like toast I don't deny myself.

Butter: Much like eggs, butter got a bad rap when saturated fat and cholesterol were cast as the villains in the war on heart disease. Margarine was touted as a more healthful choice – despite being full of trans-fats.

The more common household spread is actually the real villain of the story. All nutritionists now know (and many knew all along) that butter is a far healthier choice than margarine.

Dairy: It's always a contentious issue. All the nutritionists I know include some dairy – mostly in the form of full-fat, organic yoghurt and some cheeses – in their diets. But the catch is, they know they can digest it, which many people cannot.

If you’re not breaking down dairy properly, consuming it will come with some undesirable side-effects that you shouldn’t ignore. But if that’s not the case for you, small amounts of high-quality, organic dairy are a valuable addition to a healthy diet.

Red meat: It's often cast as a food evil when in fact, it is the over consumption of factory farmed and processed meat that is damaging to our health.

Organic, grass-fed, sustainably farmed red meat, eaten in small portions (no more than three times a week) is part of most nutritionists' diets.

Chocolate: Keen-eye readers will have noticed a theme to this list and the same principle applies here – not all chocolate is created equal. Nobody, not even nutritionists, should live without the pleasure of chocolate.

Just choose quality over quantity. There are so many healthy chocolate options – especially raw varieties – widely available now, there is no excuse not to.

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Ever wanted to know food what a nutritionist actually buys? Buro's resident expert Louise Cavanough graciously lets us peek inside hers...

All the nutritionists I know enjoy food far too much to deprive themselves of it. They know the importance of quality and moderation and how to enjoy the foods they love in a healthy way. Exclusionary diets are not sustainable long-term and inevitably will not help you reach optimal health.

Website: yourbodynutrition.com.au
Instagram: @yourbody_nutrition
Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Your-Body-Nutrition-l-Louise-Cavanough

health and fitness

food

nutrition

Culture and Lifestyle

Louise Cavanough

eating

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