The Nutrition Guy

09/08/2023

Come and join me this weekend. It’s bound to be a lot of fun and delicious, too!

Casey Central is home to Coles, ALDI, Woolworths, Kmart and over 90 stores across fresh food, fast food and casual dining, health and beauty, travel, fashion and accessories, medical and general services.

15/02/2022

Here’s my digital cookbook 🚀

This recipe eBook contains 20 recipes featuring dairy, eggs, fish, whole grains, legumes and plenty of fruit and veggies. You’ll find my faves like hummus, extra virgin olive oil brownies, haloumi and apple slaw tacos and miso salmon.

My Chief Taste Tester has approved all my recipes👩‍🍳 So I’m confident that you and your family will love them too.

Use the discount code: 20OFF for a 20% discount. This code is valid till 11:59pm Friday.

I hope you love making my recipes as much as I enjoyed creating them.

Bon appetit 😋

My recipes celebrate wholesome food and meals. This eBook will delight your senses but still deliver good nutrition.

03/11/2021

I’m looking forward to presenting and being a co-panelist at the upcoming Dietitians Australia webinar on career possibilities in corporate nutrition. There’s a wonderful opportunity for dietitians to help shape the future of food and ensure that our food supply is sustainable. If you’re a dietitian or a dietetics student, then please register for the event - see details below.

11 November 2021 at 12:00pm - 1:00pm (AEDT, Canberra/Sydney/Melbourne time) 11 November 2021 at 11:00am - 12:00pm (AEST) 11 November 2021 at 11:30am - 12:30pm (ACDT) 11 November 2021 at 9:00am - 10:00am (AWST)

21/06/2021

People are often surprised to hear that Ms R eats very little red meat. It’s just not top-of-mind for either my wife or me as we are both non-meat-eaters. That’s not to say that my child’s diet is lacking in iron or other vital nutrients. She eats a diverse range of foods and is thriving in every possible way 👧

So, how do I meet my little one’s iron needs without a lot of meat? Here are my top iron-containing plant foods. You can also check out my article - https://weetbixlittlekidsessentials.com/articles/headline-help-my-toddler-wont-eat-meat/

1️⃣ Wholegrains - Consider beefing up your meals (pun intended) with the addition of delicious wholegrains - whole wheat, spelt, freekeh, quinoa and teff. These grains offer a wide range of essential nutrients, including iron.
2️⃣ Iron-fortified cereal – Look for cereals that are fortified with iron and contain wholegrains. The newest edition on the shelves is Weet-Bix Little Kids Essentials, which is high in iron. It has been created especially for little ones and contains nine essential vitamins and minerals. So, you can rest assured that your tot is getting a good whack of iron, as well as other vitamins, before they leave home in the morning for a busy and active day ahead 🥣
3️⃣Legumes – Peas, beans of all varieties, lentils and chickpeas are excellent sources of iron as well as protein. Try adding to their favourite pasta sauces, soups, homemade baked beans, mashed or even using in dips like hummus.
4️⃣ Green leafy vegetables – Add spinach, silverbeet, and watercress to a range of delicious meals. Think soups, stews and casseroles, stir fries and pasta sauces. They contain a host of vital nutrients including iron 🥬
5️⃣ Nuts and seeds – They may be small in size, but they punch well above their weight in the nutrition stakes. Nuts and seeds are a rich source of iron and protein, manganese, vitamin E, phosphorous, calcium, folate and fibre. For little ones its best to start them on seed and nut butters and pastes 🥜

And don’t forget to pair iron-rich plant foods with foods that contain vitamin C to absorb more iron. That’s as easy as adding berries to a bowl of cereal (iron), dried fruit to a chickpea stew, red capsicum to a tofu stir fry, beans to a tomato sauce.

Now you can have confidence that your toddler is still getting what they need even when meat is not a regular mealtime feature.

19/05/2021

Miss R started childcare earlier this year. But along with her new backpack, water bottle and comfort toys came a seemingly endless run of germs and illnesses in record timing. It knocked Mrs TNG and me for six! 🏏

Yet, we know that we are not alone. It is not unusual for toddlers to get sick when they start childcare. In fact, it is common for little kids to get up to 12 infections a year. It’s just staggering! Parents just can’t afford to take time off work to nurse a sick bub.

But there is some good news – what our little ones eat, particularly for breakfast, can help ensure they have all the nutrients they need to support their immune system.

There are a number of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that play a unique role in supporting budding immune systems. Regularly including them in your child’s diet will help maintain their natural defences 💪

Think of these nutrients as members of a team – we need all the players to support our natural defences.

The nutrients of note for a healthy immune system include vitamin C, zinc and iron. All of these nutrients can be found in a hearty bowl of -BixAU Little Kids Essentials topped with fruit, nuts or nut spread and yoghurt. It’s a nutritious and delicious way to start the day and it can help keep immune defences strong which is important for healthy happy kids 👧🏼👦🏻

06/05/2021

Miss R takes the cake for being a messy kid at mealtimes. She loves to experience food with all her senses – taste, touch, sight, smell and sound!

Yet, despite the messy benchtop and food-stained clothing, I love that Miss R is quickly becoming a foodie. We often add yoghurt and fresh fruit to her bowl of Weet-Bix Little Kids Essentials in the morning to tick the box on nutrition, taste and texture.

Some of her food may end up on the floor, some on the benchtop and some occasionally on the walls. But it fills me with pride to see Miss R being so engaged at mealtimes. Between the Weet-Bix wholegrain goodness and the healthy toppings, I also know when some does make it into her mouth, she’s getting the fibre and essential vitamins and minerals that she needs.

Mess can easily be cleaned; experiences like these will set her up for a lifetime of healthy food adventure – see https://weetbixlittlekidsessentials.com/articles/why-messy-mealtimes-are-a-parenting-win/

26/04/2021

Nothing gives me more pleasure than creating wholesome and delicious meals for Miss R… after all, she is my official taste tester.

So that’s why I was excited to see that Weet-Bix had reformulated their Kids brekkie cereal. Meet the new kid on the block – Weet-Bix Little Kids Essentials.

It’s made from 97% Aussie wholegrains (wheat, rye and sorghum), is high in iron, low in sugar and has no added salt. It’s also chock-a-block full of other nutritional goodies like calcium, vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B6, magnesium, prebiotics and fibre. It’s a nutritional standout! And it certainly deserves its 5-star Health Star Rating.

It also gets the tick of approval from the experts. Nine out of 10 kids dietitians recommend the uniquely formulated breakfast cereal.

I can be assured that Miss R is kicking off her day in the right way… even if some of her cereal ends up on the floor (or walls). It gives me a real sense of confidence both as a dad and as a dietitian.

Stay tuned for more details about this impressive cereal, which I will highlight, in some upcoming posts.
Weet-Bix

04/02/2021

Want to make this pizza at home? 🧐 Now you can.

I’ve teamed up with Dinner Sorted and created this delicious zucchini, pea, ricotta and mint pizza. All you need to do is jump on the Dinner Sorted website (see the link below) and select this bad boy from the menu and the team will send you out the ingredients + instructions so you can make it at home.

Bon appetit 🍕🤤

https://www.dinnersorted.com.au

11/01/2021

2020 was certainly a challenging year. But there were some positives too. On a personal note, I updated my website. Aside from some technical issues, it didn’t quite hit the mark when it came to highlighting the work I do. This new and revamped site better reflects me as a dietitian and the services I offer. I’d love you to take a look - see link below.

Joel Feren, The Nutrition Guy, helps food brands tell their nutrition story & educate & connect with customers to drive meaningful change.

16/11/2020

It hasn’t been all bad news in 2020. There have been some new and exciting food and diet trends to emerge. I take a look six new trends and innovations that we’ll be seeing a lot more of over the next few years... long after this annus horribilis has passed.

Exciting food and diet trends have emerged in 2020. Say goodbye to the keto diet and hello to plant-based proteins and mindful eating.

26/10/2020

Dietitians have long played an important role in public health by developing national nutritional guidelines, guiding health policy and providing dietary advice to clients.

But there’s also an opportunity for dietitians to play a pivotal role in the food industry. Because improving the quality of the food supply is everyone’s business.

Check out my latest blog post exploring why dietitians must be given a seat at the food industry table.

Food industry dietitians can shape the future of food & ensure that it is sustainable & free from unsubstantiated marketing hype.