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So you’ve decided to try a vegan diet? Well, if you want to do it in the healthiest way possible, this is probably the most complete, one-stop guide you need to learn how.

I love a cooked breakfast but I don't often have time in the mornings so when I do, I love making eggs. While scrambled eggs and omelettes are great, I love these mini omelette bites as nice finger food when cooking for a few people.

Pasta carbonara is one of those dishes that people trying to keep calories low don't get to eat all that frequently. That tends to be the case with dishes where some of the main ingredients are eggs cheese and pasta. I took that as a challenge to see if I could do something to make this classic dish a little more macro friendly.

When I was a child, my favourite dessert was stewed apples, made by my granny. It was warming, comforting, easy to eat and she always spiced them with cloves which for me is the spice of my child hood. When she taught me how to make them, I couldn't get over how easy they were, even for 10 year old me. They're low in calories, free from added sugars and are a great all round healthy dessert.

As a child I never really liked peas and thats more than likely because the only way they were served to me was microwaved and boiled... without any really seasoning other than salt. Unfortunately that's the way most people are served vegetables these days so it's no wonder parents have trouble getting their kids to eat their veggies.

I've got a thing for creamy, cheesy sauces combined with carbs and mac n' cheese ticks all those boxes... and then some. It can be a bit of a calorie-bomb though so this recipe will show you how to make a very creamy but low-fat and high protein sauce that you can use for mac 'n cheese and much more.

The best fried rice I ever had was sitting at the bar of a tiny little ramen shop in Miyazaki, Japan. I told the chef as much and he was very proud to get the compliment, all the more so because I doubt he got many foreigners, if any, there. I asked him his secret and he smugly smiled and slapped his forearm. It's a Japanese thing which means "skill" as in it was all down to his skill as a chef.

I wasn't convinced and there had to be something that gave that fried rice such a distinctive flavour (not least because the Japanese tend to be very traditional with ingredients unless they're trying to to highlight the uniqueness of the dish... he wasn't). I took another bite and put my tastebuds and memories to work. 

After a few more seconds, it hit me, "Is there butter in this?" I asked. The smile fell off his face the same way it would if someone had called your bluff on a bad hand of poker. He mumbled a little and conceded it had a little butter and then he went back to cooking, not making eye contact with me the rest of the evening until I left, victorious in my attained knowledge.

I have often said that I should have been raised in either Thailand or India, such is my love for the cuisine of each country. Ever since I discovered Thai curry paste I have experimented with different ways of making lower-calorie versions of my favourite curries and this is one of the results that I've adapted for cooking in bulk.

There has been an explosion in vegan-friendly products on the market which is great in one way as people who don't want to eat animal products have many more options but are these products always good replacements for their animal-based counterparts? 

Losing weight isn't easy. Some people can struggle with their weight for years and if you're reading this right now, you're probably one of those people. With that said, anything that can help make losing weight a little easier is definitely worth giving a try.

“Protein will destroy your liver”! “Protein will make your kidneys explode”. “Protein will give you cancer, bad eyesight, herpes, mad cow disease”... You name it, protein probably causes it... at least that’s what so many armchair experts like to say.

“I want to lose weight!” It’s quite possibly one of the most common self-improvement goals you’ll ever hear. The internet is literally over-loaded with tips on: “how to lose weight” or “how to drop 10lbs before the summer”. The only problem is, it’s probably the wrong goal. In this article I’m going to teach you what you really need to focus on to get the body you want and how to make sure you’re doing it the right way.

We all want to live long, healthy lives. We want to be able to see our children grow up and play with our grandkids and live with vigor into our golden years. Well I can tell you that the fountain of youth does exist; the only problem is, it’s not as easy as taking a refreshing sip from some long hidden spring. Like anything worthwhile in life, you’ve got to work for it. 

Cheesecake is life. I can not begin to put into words how much I love a good, rich, sweet and creamy cheesecake... but I do. The only problem is that most cheesecakes are ridiculously high in calories of which most is fat and sugar... not exactly great if you're on a diet... but fear not, I have solved the problem.

Amongst the many changes people can make to permanently lose weight and get healthy, learning to cook (or at least PREPARE) your own food is probably the one that will have the most benefit for you in the long term.

That’s a pretty ballsy statement but I’m pretty confident that it’s true and I'm going to show you why.

Eat oily fish at least twice a week. Have chia & flax seed puddings. Snack on some walnuts!!! Sound familiar? These days, most people know that they need to get enough Omega-3 fatty acids into their diets but as with many subjects in nutrition, a lot of people are unsure of the best way to do it. Truth be told, most people who think they are getting enough Omega-3 are probably way off the mark.

Does it ever seem to you that gaining weight is just the easiest thing in the world? That no matter how many new diets and exercise plans you try, you always seem to be a little bit heavier at the end of the year? It’s almost as if some external forces are conspiring against you to make you plumper.

What happens when you put regular chocolate muffins through a rigorous training regime of heavy weight lifting and on a healthy, high-protein, low-fat diet? You get Buff Muffins or Buffins and they're gonna make your healthy dessert dreams come true.

If you've ever been or currently are overweight, you know that losing weight can be one of the hardest things you've ever had to do. No matter what you do, you may have some initial success but it rarely lasts. You start to gain back all the weight you lost and sometimes you even gain more. It's almost like your body wants to stay fat.... but why?

The “High-Protein” movement really has taken the world of diet and fitness by storm; high-protein breads, high-protein yoghurt, high-protein candy... you name it, there’s probably a high protein version of it.

It’s amazing how little changes can make such a big difference when it comes to weight loss. We all want to have great bodies with rippling abs and pert booties but we also want to eat the foods we love. With some little changes in “how” you eat, it’s possible.

Which diet works best for fat loss? Low Fat or Low Carb? It’s an argument that’s been going on longer than “Which sandwich cut tastes better: Diagonal or Straight?” (as every sane person knows, the answer is diagonal. Duh!).

It's already well into January which means that most people's "healhty" resolutions have already met a few bumps in the road. In Part 1 of this article I gave you a few solid tips to help make your New Year’s Weight Loss and Fitness resolutions actually stick. If you haven’t read it yet, you can find it right here. 

 “New Year, New You”: That’s all we seem to hear during January and for the majority of people the concept of “New You” tends to revolve around two resolutions: Losing Weight and Getting Fit.

Even if you eat well and exercise regularly, if you’re not getting enough sleep you might be making it harder for yourself to lose fat and/or build muscle.

Have you ever wondered if it's a good idea to do cardio and weight training on the same day? Does one affect the other and if so, what's the best order to do your exercise in. We'll look at what some of the scientific research says in this "Research Review".

Boring diets work wonders! But if I were to tell you that a boring diet was the answer to all your weight-loss problems, you probably wouldn't believe me. Don't worry, I'm used to people not believing at the beginning and I'm also used to convincing them otherwise too.

It's the most wonderful time of the year... the holiday season; Christmas and New Years (and Thanksgiving too, if you live in North America). A time for family, friends and ohhhh so importantly... FOOD... lots and lots of food!

In Part 2 of this article we’ll continue learning about the foods that I, as a nutritionist, tend to avoid much more than others, mostly in order to maintain optimal health. You can find Part 1 of the article by clicking here.

Any nutritionist will tell you that one of the most common questions we hear is “Should I eat this?”. In fact, I was asked just that at a dinner last night, hence this article.

So you think you know the right way to go through a door do you? I bet you even think there’s only one way to do it too, right?

I really don't like it when people ask me what the “one thing” is that they should do to improve their diet. Generally, you can’t make your entire diet healthy by c hanging just one thing. However, when pushed, my go to response is pretty simple: “Eat More Vegetables”!

I HATE CARDIO... and I’m not afraid to admit it.

WARNING: If you enjoy spending hours on a treadmill, a stair-master, a stationary bike, elliptical cross-trainer or if you just like running laps for hours at a time, then this article ISN’T for you. 

Does your diet give you complete control over your nutrition and food choices? Does it put you in the driver seat, able to make changes, decisions and alterations when necessary? If the answer is no, then your current diet may very well be disempowering you and putting you at a disadvantage.

“I can’t have that that, I’m on a diet”

How many times have you either heard or said that exact sentence yourself over the course of your life?    

We live in a world where these days, it’s easy to be overweight or even obese. It has to be, right?... considering that so many people in the western world already are {1} and that trend shows no real sign of changing any time soon. Bellies are big and getting bigger.

Processed foods are bad. Processed foods are the cause of the obesity epidemic. Processed foods cause diabetes, cancer and annoyingness. Processed foods shot JFK!!!  

One of the most significant changes I usually have to make to someone’s eating habits when working with new clients (besides managing calorie intake) is increasing the amount of protein in their diets. This is especially common with some of my female clients and it’s not unusual for me to more than double their current daily protein intake.   

The person who originally had the crazy idea of making a cake out of an orange, root vegetable deserves to go down in history as one of the greatest minds of mankind. I love cake and a deliciously moist, lightly spiced carrot cake topped with creamy cheese icing has got to be one of my favorite types.

Soups can become one of your greatest allies when trying to eat healthy without too much effort or time. They're delicious and comforting, can be made in bulk and even frozen in batches for use later on. Soups are also a great way to easily consume more vegetables, especially for people who aren't used to eating veg regularly (especially kids).

Chili con carne is one of the great comfort foods. To be honest, if a food can be eaten directly out of a bowl (in one hand) and using only a spoon (in the other hand), it’s a winner in my books. When that food is ridiculously healthy and tastes delicious... even better.

In Part 1 of this article we learned what nutrient density is, how it’s measured and the different systems used to do so. We also learned that the champions of nutrient density are fresh vegetables with fresh fruit coming in second place. We already knew that we needed to include more fruit and vegetables in our diet and understanding nutrient density was the confirmation as to why. However, simply stopping at “Eat more fruit and veg” would be a terrible waste of the potential of nutrient density to improve our diets.    

There are plenty of tools available to the general public that allow you to take better control of your eating habits to help you (depending on your goals) maintain, lose or gain weight. Calories calculators, macro-tracking apps, training routine apps etc. are commonly available and are gaining in popularity as their effectiveness is proven repeatedly by the success of ordinary people in the real world.

When it comes to food and nutrition, the amount of bad information that has become so ingrained into people’s minds that it has become “fact”, never ceases to amaze me 

It’s every dieter’s dream. Eating the foods that you love and losing weight at the same time.

Impossible, right? Foods like ice cream, pizza, chocolate etc. are widely known as being fattening because they contain the two most reviled substances of the modern dieter: fat and sugar.

Amongst the most commonly heard complaints amongst frequent dieters is that they either feel restricted in their food choices or they feel hungry all the time. If you’re overweight or simply trying to lose a few extra pounds, restricting some of your food choices and feeling a little hungry on occasion are things that you will have to deal with but by no means should they cause you to suffer nor make sticking to your diet overly difficult.

Everyone has an opinion regarding why the human race has steadily been getting fatter since the first half of the 20th century. There’s the “too much sugar” lobby, the “excess saturated fat” campaign, the “gluten is killing us all” group and many more that defend the idea that the obesity epidemic is caused by high-fructose corn syrup, food additives, modern agricultural products, dairy, carbs, eating at night, hydrogenated vegetable oil, emigrants, Obama... you name it, you’ll probably find a movement that claims that one single food type is responsible for humanity’s expanding waistline and declining health.