I love anything nutrition related. I have always loved cooking and creating recipes, and like many teenage girls, I struggled with eating in a way that fuelled my body best when I was younger, which lead to a bunch of health problems. I’m now studying nutrition to try to help others in a similar situation- and I tell you what, I never thought I would enjoy studying, but I’m loving it so much! Between that and my own journey, it’s fair to say that I often think about and ask others what their biggest achievable nutrition tips are. Right now my focus is adding to your meal rather than taking away. By this I mean taking something you already eat and taking the time to add vitamins, minerals, healthy carbs, healthy fats and protein. You see, when I focus on cutting out anything unhealthy from my diet, I miss out on foods that I love, and it makes me feel grumpy and deprived, but when I focus on adding healthy foods into my diet, I fill myself up on healthy things, and am less likely to reach for less nutritious foods. As well as that, mentally I am staying away from the ‘deprive’ way of thinking and focusing more on how fortunate I am to be able to fuel my body. So here’s an example of how you could try this using your breakfast cereal – I have used Weetbix because they are my favourite, but you could use any cereal you want. You don’t have to add any of these things, they are just ideas, and you can add what suits your day, tastebuds and budget. It does take a little more time, but you may just find that it is worth it!!

First, I have started off with some of my favourite cereal, with milk. And I could definitely just eat by itself- the same goes with any breakfast cereal, if that’s what you want, but for this day, I wanted to add some more nutrients.

The first thing I like to add to my cereal is a Tbsp of chia seeds for some fibre, Omega 3s, a little protein, and some calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc. Then I’m adding some cocoa powder because I think chocolate Weetbix are the best, and because it contains antioxidants.

Then if you like them, you could throw in a few sunflower seeds or any seeds of your choice for healthy fats, protein and fiber.

I love yoghurt and it’s a delicious creamy topper full of protein.

Now it’s time for some fruit- you can use your favourites or whatever you have on hand. I love bananas, apples, pears, berries, kiwifruit, melon and pretty much any other fruit, but today I had green kiwifruit and some frozen strawberries. Adding fruit adds lots of vitamins and minerals, and from these fruits I added vitamin C, K, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, folate and antioxidants. And they taste great and add an extra burst of sweetness!

Now to top it all off, an optional swirl of around a Tbsp of nut butter! My favourites are peanut butter, almond butter and cashew butter. They add healthy fats and plant based protein and I think they taste so good!

And here’s my finished product- a delicious meal with protein 33g protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats, fibre, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, potassium, vitamin C, E and K, omega 3, and even some probiotics from the yoghurt. And I’m eating this with a glass of water (with a little apple juice because it helps me drink more water). Enjoy your cereal creation!