Nutrition for a healthy life
Nutrition and physical activity are key in maintaining our energy levels and a healthy balanced lifestyle.
With so much information available, it can be difficult to know how we should be fuelling our bodies for movement. There are a few common mistakes we often see in individuals working towards an exercise goal, or simply attempting to fuel a healthy lifestyle.
There are some things we can do more or less of to nourish and energise our bodies appropriately.
Things to do more of
1. Incorporate movement throughout the day
Incorporate at least 30 minutes of physical activity throughout the day. This allows us to meet the physical activity guidelines for adults1 . Sitting for long periods of time has been shown to increase our risk of several physical and mental health conditions2 , 3 . So, breaking movement up across the day will reduce this risk.
2. Focus on sustainable changes
A good diet is a sustainable one! Often, we have an all or nothing approach where dramatic changes are implemented but we are only able to maintain this lifestyle for a short amount of time before reverting to previous ways. For sustainability, focus on making one change at a time.
3. Focus on what foods you can include, rather than what to exclude
When we think of a healthy diet, unfortunately we generally think of removing certain foods. Instead, it can be helpful to think of what can be added to our diet. Those who consume 30 plant foods or more each week have more diversity in their gut microbiome than those who consume 10 or less4 , which is linked to improved health outcomes. Next time you are doing the weekly shop, challenge yourself to select a vegetable, fruit, grain, or nut that you don’t usually incorporate into your meals.
You may like to try out the soba noodle salad with salmon recipe below.
4. Plan ahead
Having healthy pre and post exercise snacks on hand (in the cupboard, desk drawer, or sports bag) will help you avoid becoming overly hungry and selecting a less nutritious option when you are tired or in a hurry5 .
5. Hydrate
Make sure to drink water throughout the day – don’t wait until you feel thirsty or when you are exercising as you may already be dehydrated by this point6 .
Things to do less of
1. Over restriction during the day
Restricting energy intake reduces the energy available to perform at your best, and can also lead to reduced concentration levels, fatigue7 and impaired immune function8 . It can also impact our ability to be physically active.
Over restriction of energy often leads to overeating later in the day or at night too. We end up consuming the same amount of, or more, energy across 24 hours but not having this energy at an appropriate time earlier in the day. This can reduce sleep quality, having an impact on nutrition choices and energy levels9 .
Weight loss is generally a goal when restricting energy intake, but it’s interesting to note, regardless of how much weight is lost through a ‘diet’, most of the weight is usually regained 2-5 years later10 .
2. Removing whole food groups
It can be tempting to remove foods such as gluten or dairy from our diets. While a lifelong gluten-free diet is required for those with Coeliac Disease, gluten free packaged products often contain higher amounts of added sugar and salt and less protein, fibre, vitamins, and minerals than comparable gluten containing products11 .
Removing whole food groups is not recommended, unless medically required, and doing so can result in difficulties consuming enough nutrients11 , 12 and reduce the variety of foods we are consuming.
3. Changing strategies frequently
No physical activity or nutrition plan will provide immediate results and by changing a plan too frequently you won’t give yourself enough time to observe noticeable benefits.
4. Compensating physical activity or food with the opposite
We need energy to live (for our bodies to breath, digest, think and generally function) and we do not need to ‘work off’ energy consumed. Similarly, try not to ‘reward’ exercise with discretionary foods. Try to focus on the benefits of physical activity and appropriate nutrition for our physical and mental health rather than associating each of these with compensating for the other.
5. Being drawn in by ‘health halos’
The term ‘health halo’ is used to describe claims made on a product to make it appear healthy. Just because something is labelled as high protein for example, this doesn’t automatically make it a healthier choice. It could just be clever marketing and other foods may have the same amount or more protein and be an overall healthier, or cheaper, option. For example, there’s often negligible difference in the protein content of high protein yogurts compared to regular Greek yogurt.
References
- Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care
- Heart Foundation Australia
- Better Health Channel
- Chloe McLeod
- Queensland Government
- Sports Dietitians Australia
- Sports Dietitians Australia
- National Institutes of Health
- Sleep Foundation
- Oncore Nutrition
- Dietitians Australia
- Dairy Australia
- Sports Dietitians Australia
- Better Health Channel
Soba noodle salad with salmon
Method
- Boil noodles for 3-5 minutes or until al dente. Drain water and fill pot with cold water. Set aside.
- Heat pan with half the sesame oil on medium heat and place the salmon fillets skin down. Cook salmon fillets for 3-5 minutes on skin side and then turn over to cook for another 2 minutes and set aside.
- In a large salad bowl, add vegetables, and pumpkin seeds.
- Pour vinegars, remainder of sesame oil and soy sauce over salad and combine well.
- Drain noodles. Toss through salad, mix well.
- To serve, divide the noodle salad between bowls and place salmon on top.
Ingredients
- 180g soba noodles
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 4 salmon fillets (80-120g per fillet)
- 1/4 red onion (finely sliced)
- 1 carrot (grated)
- 1 small Lebanese cucumber (halved, sliced diagonally)
- 1 red capsicum (finely sliced)
- 3 cups rocket (chopped roughly)
- 1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
Last updated: February 5, 2025 at: 3:37 pm