Our body needs energy to get through the day and this energy (calories or kilojoules) comes from the food we eat.  It's important to eat balanced meals and healthy snacks throughout the day to help maintain energy levels.  Starving yourself is just false economy if you think it's going to help you cut calories.

Fabulous Fibre
Everybody knows that fibre is good for you - but do you know exactly why? A healthy bowel and digestive system means more than just being regular. Keeping your digestive system in good shape encourages the growth of beneficial bacteria, is more resistant to toxins and can help the absorption of important nutrients.  The key factor to help keep your bowels in good shape is to not only enjoy a diet high in fibre but to also include a variety of fibres from a range of healthy foods everyday.

Water is the most amazing natural resource.

It contains absolutely no nutrients and it's a vital component of our diet.

Water comprises 50 to 70 per cent of an adult's total body weight and, without regular top-ups, our body's survival time is limited to a matter of hours or days.

Walking is a great way to get into shape and it's so convenient.

You don't have to join a gym, get to a class, buy expensive equipment or learn a whole lot of complicated routines.

All you have to do is lace up a good pair of trainers and step outside your front door. So what are you waiting for!

Effective portion control is one of the most important factors in weight loss, and although most of us start out very conscious of portions, being on the program for a while can make you a little 'portion weary'.

Our portions gradually grow in size without us realising and the result can be slower weight loss.

According to Dr Brian Wansink, author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think, we make 250 decisions about food every day.

But some of our choices take us further from our goals rather than closer and we’re not always sure why.

This week we take a look at four fat traps that can sabotage your progress that you might be unaware of.

Antioxidants are naturally occurring molecules that help fight free radicals which cause oxidative damage to DNA in the body. 

Free radicals are formed during the body’s normal metabolic process and through general wear and tear on body cells.

Sometimes the body’s immune system’s cells purposefully create them to neutralise viruses and bacteria.

This week is the Burgen® Healthy Eating challenge, where each team is pitted against each other to make the ultimate low-calorie sandwich using Burgen® bread. Each team needs to make ONE sandwich with TWO slices of bread using Burgen® Wholemeal & Seeds bread.

Black Team (Using White Foods) 377.5 Calories,
3rd Place 
Ingredients: Chicken, Onion, Low Fat Cottage Cheese, Shallots, Mushrooms

Blue Team (Using Red Foods) 324 Calories,
1st Place 
Ingredients: Roast Beef, Tomato, Red Onion, Red Capsicum, Red Cabbage

Red Team (Using Green foods) 356.5 Calories
2nd Place 
Ingredients: Green Prawns, Lettuce, Cucumber, Green Onion, Tabouli

Enjoying wholegrain foods everyday is an important part of a healthy diet and lifestyle. 

Wholegrains contain all three parts of the natural components of the grain kernel:

Bran (outer layer) contains fibre, some vitamins, trace elements and phytonutrients
Germ (middle layer) contains protein, fats, vitamins, trace minerals, some phtyonutrients and antioxidants
Endosperm (inner layer) contains carbohydrates, protein and some vitamins.

It's important to eat a variety of foods everyday, including foods containing carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are comprised of sugars and starches, together constituting one of the three principal types of nutrients (macronutrients) used as energy sources (kilojoules/calories) by the body.
The body breaks down most carbohydrates into glucose, a simple sugar that the body uses as its principle energy source.

Glucose is also an essential fuel for the brain and is the main source of energy for muscles during exercise.

Australians are great travellers, but whether you're flying off to a holiday, going on a weekend drive to another town, or travelling for business, being away from home can ruin the best-laid healthy eating plans.

The temptation to grab a quick snack on the run can mean eating food that's high in sugar and fats. Try this – while you're packing, include some Snap Lock bags filled with dried fruits, nuts, and some low-fat rice crackers. They'll keep for several days and be a good source of nibbles while waiting around airports or driving long distances.

There's another big benefit of bringing your own lunch – the money you'll save. The cheapest takeaway meal eaten outside the office is probably going to set you back $4 - $5 at least, and that's nothing compared to what a restaurant will charge.

You'll spend about half that amount on a lunch you bring with you from home. Even if it's just two or three days a week, think of what that can add up to in a year.

If someone told you that you could save money and eat healthier food you'd probably think it meant going on some sort of diet, but what it can also mean is bringing your own lunch to work.

Okay, it may not be something we want to do all the time but when you consider the advantages of doing it just some of the time it becomes a really attractive proposition.

The trouble with feeling you have no energy is that you can't be bothered to do anything about it. But you can change the way you feel by making great food choices.