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Heard of this new super food but unsure of exactly what it is or how to use it!  Fear not, read on for all you need to know about Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah).

Originating on the slopes of the Andes in Peru and Bolivia, this grain is a fantastic and more nutritious alternative to rice and couscous. Quinoa contains all of the essential amino acids thereby making it a complete protein. Gluten free, high fibre, full of nutrients, quick and easy to cook; what’s not to love.

What to buy:

Quinoa comes in three different varieties; white, red and black. White is the most widely available and takes the least amount of cooking time while black takes the longest with red somewhere in the middle.

How to cook:

Rinse the grain thoroughly then place in a saucepan and add water at the ratio of 1:2. For example, add two cups of water for one cup of Quinoa. Place the saucepan over heat without a lid until it comes to the boil. Then add the lid, reduce the heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes.

Works well with:

The amazing thing about this super grain is that it works perfectly with both Middle Eastern and Indian flavours such as paprika, coriander, cumin and cinnamon as well as Mediterranean flavours such as parsley, lemon and mint. You are only limited by your creativity.

A quick recipe to get you started:

Quinoa and Roast Vegetable Salad

Ingredients:

½ medium Cauliflower, cut into florets

1kg of sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 3cm pieces

Spray Olive Oil

1 teaspoon of ground cumin

1 teaspoon of ground coriander

1/3 cup of slivered almonds

1 cup of Quinoa

200g feta, chopped

2 teaspoons of fresh rosemary, chopped

2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 ½ tablespoons of white wine vinegar

40g rocket

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 200⁰C. Line two baking trays with baking paper.

Spread the sweet potato on one of the trays and spray with olive oil – bake for 45 minutes or until tender. Spread the cauliflower on the other tray, sprinkle with the ground spices and spray with olive oil – bake for 20 minutes or until soft and golden. Cool both trays.

Spread slivered almonds on a baking tray and bake for around 3 minutes or until golden. Set aside.

Add 2 cups of water to a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the Quinoa and simmer for around 12 minutes or until just tender. Drain and cool – fluff the grains using a fork.

Combine the roast vegetable, Quinoa, feta, rocket and rosemary in a large serving bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and the vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Toss gently. Sprinkle with the almonds and serve.

See the Fitstyler Health & Nutrition page (http://www.fitstyler.com.au/Health_Nutrition/Health-Articles/ ) for more fitness and training tips.

We’re all back to another school year so perhaps now is the perfect time to rethink how we get our children there. A recent study found that less than 50% of kids that live within a 15 minute walk from school actually get there that way, despite the majority of those kids wanting to.

Chances are that most of the grandparents of today’s primary school children walked, rode or caught the bus to school; so why the change?

Deakin University has found that 45 per cent of parents were concerned about traffic, 22 per cent thought their children to young or unreliable and 20 per cent had fears surrounding ‘stranger danger’. Time constraints were also cited as a deterrent to an alternative to driving children directly to the school gate every day.

But it seems that the things parents use as a reason to chauffeur their kids to school may, in most cases, be unjustified and may, in fact, increase the risks. According to a UK paper ‘The Backseat Report’ – ‘We believe that getting a lift to school every day limits the horizons, leading to isolated, vulnerable children’.

The benefits of walking or cycling to school:

• Increased powers of concentration found to last up to 4 hours
• Positive effect on mood by reducing anxiety and feelings of anger
• Puts children in contact with their natural environment
• Instils a sense of community
• Increased daily exercise
• Responsibility and accountability and sense of empowerment and independence

The Australian Federal Government guidelines recommend that all children get an hour of moderate exercise each day. Unfortunately less than 20% of our kids are currently getting that so, walking or cycling to school is a great way to increase their daily exercise.

Pedestrian Council of Australia chairman, Harold Scruby, says ‘Research recommends that children should not be crossing a road without holding adult’s hand until about the age of 10. So if your child is younger than 10, walk with them.’ Even if you do need to drive the car, park 500m – 1 kilometre from the school gate and walk or cycle together; as well as getting some extra exercise it is a fantastic opportunity to talk to your child about road safety.

If your child will be more focused and in a better mood for the walk or cycle to school just imagine the benefits to you. And you may be pleasantly surprised with outcome; a happier, healthier, more focused, independent and responsible child. Allowing your child to walk, cycle or ride the bus to school is also a great way for them to learn valuable life skills such as road safety rules, effective time management and responsibility for possessions like bike, helmet or bus pass.

If you are still unsure about letting your children make their way to school on their own talk to your school; they may be able to put you in touch with a Walking- School Bus program in your area.

For more information on this great government initiative see http://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/wsb

For more information and tips on walking to school check out www.walk.com.au

Check out the Fitstyler Health Articles page (http://www.fitstyler.com.au/Health_Nutrition/Health-Articles/) for more health related articles.

Nothing says summer quite like a chilled mango and their health benefits make them a fantastic choice too. It’s easy to see why they are Australia’s most popular seasonal fruit; we consume around 8 million trays of them every year!

Mangoes (or mangos) are packed full of energy, are low in fat and brimming with calcium and other vitamins that are essential for a healthy body.

An average sized mango provides three times your recommended daily intake of vitamin A and C. They also provide more beta-carotene than any other fruit as well as being an amazing source of potassium and fibre.

Mangoes help you to maintain a healthy blood sugar level since most of the energy they provide comes in the form of carbohydrates. Being low GI means they will always keep you feeling fuller for longer and reducing the tendency to over-snack. Half a mango only contains 248kj or 60 calories for those watching their daily calorie intake.

As well as their health benefits they just taste delicious and are versatile too. You can eat them all by themselves or add them to dishes both sweet and savoury or even make drinks out of them. Try a homemade mango smoothie, or adding some freshly sliced mango to desserts such as Pavlova or to a summer salad for a touch of sweetness and vibrant colour.

Mango season, just like summer, never seems to last long enough so get them while you can. Your health and your tastebuds will thank you for it.

Fun fact: Mangoes have been around for over 5000 years and there are more than 1000 varieties around the world. What’s your favourite?

Check out the Fitstyler Healthy Recipes page (http://www.fitstyler.com.au/Health_Nutrition/Healthy-Recipes/) for some tips!

Ideally you should eat 3-4 hours before a training session to allow for adequate digestion and absorption of the food.
Getting up and working out early in the morning makes eating this far in advance of the session impractical. So what should you do?
You should definitely still have something in order to have the energy to get the most out of your exercise. Aim to ‘fuel up’ your body 1-2 hours prior to your workout.

Some ideas for a meal 3 – 4 hours before exercising:

• Baked beans on toast
• Porridge
• Cereal with milk
• Fruit salad and yoghurt
• Crumpets or toast with jam, honey or peanut butter
• A couple of boiled eggs and wholegrain bread

Light snack ideas for 1 -2 hours before a workout:

• Fruit smoothie
• Sports bar
• Cereal with milk
• Cereal bar
• Yoghurt
• Fruit
• Liquid meal supplement such as Sustagen

You should still have something to break the nightly fast even if you have less than an hour between waking and exercising – try a sports drink or sports bar, a banana or a glass or fresh 100% fruit juice and have the energy to get the most from your workout session.

Overall you need to determine what works best for you. Timing, food and amount will affect each individual differently. The amount you eat should also be determined by the type of exercise you are undertaking – larger amounts of food and drink are better tolerated if you are doing lower intensity exercise or activity where the body is supported such as cycling. If you consume larger quantities and then take part in exercise such as running you run the risk of stomach discomfort due to the jostling of the gut.

Try to include low GI foods such as multigrain bread, yoghurt or oranges – these foods will cause a slower release of glucose throughout the session, giving you energy for longer. If going for a sports drink or sports bar always read the labelling first so you know exacting what you’re consuming in terms of sugar, salt and additives – not all are created equally.

Eating too much prior to working out can cause you to feel sluggish or even suffer from stomach cramps. Eating too little can have you feeling depleted of enough energy to get through the session.

Remember to keep up your fluids to avoid dehydration and for optimum benefit of your session – eat again immediately (or within half an hour) after your training.

It seems the London Olympics is already plagued by controversy and the torch hasn’t even arrived yet. From team selections, allegations of stalking to sleeping arrangements but the issue seemly most talked about is the usage and subsequent effects of Stilnox. Past and present Olympians have come forward to have their say – but what’s it all about? What is Stilnox? Should its usage be allowed? What about the wider community?

What is Stilnox used for?
Stilnox is a medication used to treat insomnia and has been used by athletes to ensure that get adequate sleep in the lead up to an event particularly after long haul flights. While determined by Sanofi, the drug company selling the selling tablet, as still remaining to be safe for the short term treatment of insomnia the effects on some users is downright frightening.

Use of Stilnox by athletes
The Therapeutic Goods Administration has said ‘used properly this is a medicine of value to some patients, particularly with severe insomnia, and should not be taken off the market’. So why did the Australian Olympic Committee move to ban the drug from being used by athletes in London if it’s safe and why are there now calls for Stilnox to be banned by the International Olympic Committee?
For the well-being of elite athletes particularly upon revelations that athletes are combining the drug with the consumption of caffeine and other energy drinks.

So while Stilnox is a no go for Olympic athletes it is still widely available to the general public despite a warning issued to the medical profession last month.

Risks of taking Stilnox?
According to the warning the TGA stated that Stilnox “may be associated with potentially dangerous complex sleep-related behaviours which may include sleep walking, sleep driving and other bizarre behaviours”. Stilnox has also been linked to suicide and severe hallucination.

Statistics of Stilnox
While the government admits to not knowing exactly how many Australians routinely use Stilnox, since is it not funded by Medicare, and Sanofi refuse to release sales figures, it is estimated that approximately half a million people used a variety of subsidised hypnotics and sedatives between 2010 and 2011.

Advice from Stilnox user, Grant Hackett
Considering the ban by the Australian Olympic Committee; comments of Olympic swimmer Grant Hackett, who used Stilnox during his sporting career, labelling the drug as ‘evil’ and ‘scary’ and recent warnings to the medical profession perhaps it is time for the government to take a closer look at the potential side effects of the drug on the wider community particularly in the long term.