GIRL'S TIP: 5 Essentials for Women

With all the coverage of body weight, sometimes a lot of us forget about all the important nutrients we need to eat to be healthy. For women, there are five important nutrients we really shouldn't forget about. 

1. Iron needs - due to our menstrual cycle, pre-menopausal women need more iron as we lose a lot during our period. To make sure your iron needs are met, it's important that you include iron-rich foods such as lean red meat, fish, chicken, beans and iron enriched cereals in your diet. Iron-rich foods should also be eaten with vitamin C as this increases the absorption.
2. Calcium and vitamin D - both these are important for bone and teeth development. Vitamin D plays a key role in calcium metabolism and therefore needs to be consumed in adequate amounts. Get 20 minutes of sunlight on most days and consume three serves of dairy each day.
3. Eat breakfast - breakfast boosts your metabolism and helps you concentrate first thing in the morning. It helps to control body weight and studies show people who eat breakfast weight less than those who skip breakfast.
4. Enjoy your leafy green vegetables - it's important for women in child-bearing years, to consume enough folate. Inadequate folate increases the risk of developing neural tube defects in the unborn infant. Get your folate from dark green leafy vegetables, fortified cereals and asparagus.
5. Exercise daily - it doesn't have to be a hard exercise - you can still walk and get benefits. Enjoy at least 30 minutes of physical activity in most, preferably all days of the week.

FOOD TIP: Feb Fast

After a large festive season that starts on the first of December last year and continues till Australia, our bodies often feel like they are if a definite need of a break. And that is what you should give it. During the month of February, choose to go alcohol-free. FebFast is a new charity that encourages Australians to give up alcohol during the month of February.

When taking part if this great initiative, ask friends, family and work colleagues to sponsor your self-imposed prohibition and all proceeds will go to projects such as the Australian Drug Foundation and Youth Substance Abuse Service.

If you have a special event during February, such as Valentine's Day or a birthday, you can buy a $15.00 date stamped "Time Out Certificate" so that you can enjoy the event with an alcoholic drink. Then you can resume your FebFast the next down without feeling guilty.

Spend $25.00 and sign-up today. Registration will give you access to your own blogpage, write a short bio and document your experiences through the fast. For more information or to sign-up today visit www.febfast.com.au

EXERCISE TIP: Ab Roll-Outs

The fitball is a great tool and our can do a whole workout on. To strengthen your lower back and abs, use the fitball to perform Ab Roll-Outs. Here's how:

1. Start with your bottom on your heels and your arms out straight with your wrists sitting on the ball.
2. Pull your belly button towards your spine, tightening your torso. Slowly roll the ball forward without arching or straining on your back.
3. Push your elbows into the ball and hold in the outstretched position for 5 seconds.
4. Squeeze your abs to pull the body back to start. Just before your bottom reaches your bottom roll forward again.
5. Repeat 10-12 repetitions and 3 sets.

EATING OUT TIP: Breakfast Tips

Breakfast is becoming a popular meal to enjoy at a cafe - especially on the weekends. Some breakfast options are great choices, while others can be loaded with fat and kilojoules. Next time you are eating out for breakfast, follow this brekky tips:

• Have a glass of water before you start your meal.
• Order wholegrain or wholemeal bread instead of white bread. 
• Look for high-fibre cereals, but keep an eye out for the high kilojoule, fat-laden granola clusters.
• Choose skim milk on your cereal and in your coffee.
• Ask for low-fat yoghurt with your fruit, cereal or pancakes.
• Enjoy your eggs poached instead of fried or scrambled. Order a vegetable side such as tomatoes or spinach, instead of bacon.
• Only order the big breakfast on special occasions. Other times, order poached eggs on toast with one or two vegetable sides.

BUSINESS TIP: Biscuit Barrels

A lot of workplaces supply their employees with coffee, tea, fruit and endless supplies of sweet and savory biscuits. We grab a couple of sweet biscuits in the morning - they're perfect with our morning coffee. Then of course by 3pm , we need a sugar hit to get us through the rest of the day. So we reach for the biscuit barrel again. We definitely don't need to get these biscuits everyday - they're not vital for life, but they do give us some enjoyment when eating. And of course they're convenient and require no time to prepare. When these foods are so readily available, it's hard to resist them, even though we all know we don't need them. Next time you want to reach for the biscuit barrel, try these handy hints: 

• Store biscuits in opaque jars. Studies have should, biscuits out of sight are also out of mind, and even simply making a jar opaque reduces the amount of biscuits you reach for.
• Drink water. When the 3pm sugar cravings hit, have a glass of water. A lot of the time, at 3pm we're thirsty not hungry and out brain gets this confused. Drink 1-2 glasses of water before reaching for the barrel.
• Enjoy mint. Munch on chewing gum or even brush your teeth. The mint flavour will stop you from wanting anything sweet as the taste will be ruined.
• Give yourself one day. Choose one day a week, and allow yourself to have biscuits or chocolates only on this day. You can look forward to only having chocolate each Friday. Remember: you don't have to eat blocks of chocolate to make up for the other days you've gone without. Enjoy one or two squares of good quality chocolate.

PRODUCT NEWS: Cheeky Monkey

These bite-sized nut clusters are perfect for a mid afternoon snack. Cheeky Monkey Nut Mania contain almonds, peanuts and cashews with a hint of honey. They're low in sodium, high in fibre and a source of protein, so share a packet with a friend. These nut clusters are delicious and oven-roasted. Cheeky Monkeys can be purchased for the snack food aisle of your supermarket. You can also purchase two other varieties, which are Casablanca Crunch and Orchard Situation.

RECIPE: Oven roasted asparagus with smoked salmon

Serves 4: as a starter

Ingredients:

8 spears asparagus

2 tablespoons olive oil

Black pepper

1 slice smoked salmon, cut into strips

Lemon slices

Method:

1. In a bowl, toss the asparagus with oil and freshly ground black pepper.
2. Lay asparagus on a baking sheet and roast in a preheated oven (220oC) for 10 minutes.
3. Transfer the asparagus to a warmed serving dish and arrange the smoked salmon over the spears.
4. Serve with lemon wedges.

Reprinted with permission from Fresh Asparagus.