Spa it Girl chatted exclusively with Mel Potter from Wellness By Mel www.wellnessbymel.com.au to find out what she personally eats in a Day as an Accredited Practising Dietitian & Nutritionist, how she loves to Keep Healthy and Fit, and what her Go-To Dinner Recipe is for those nights when you have the that thought of I can’t be bothered making dinner tonight because I feel so tired.
Meet Mel Potter: Accredited Practising Dietitian & Nutritionist
Can You Tell Us a Little Bit About Yourself? My name is Mel and I’m an accredited practising Dietitian and Nutritionist. I spent 6 long years studying to get here and prior to that, I worked in the corporate world. I’m a Sydney girl, but I actually grew up in the country and I like to think that my country roots have helped shape the person I am today. I love helping people in general and the fact that I get to help people to improve their health and live a happier, healthier life as my job is pretty cool! I’m also a huge foodie and I love to share a lot of this foodie love on my blog ‘Wellness by Mel’, which started as a hobby of mine while studying, but has since turned into a platform where I can help others to lead a healthier lifestyle.
What Inspired You To Become a Qualified Dietitian & Nutritionist? Around 6 years ago I realised how toxic my relationship with food and exercise was and how unhappy this caused me as a result. I was totally obsessed with body image and food and exercise were purely objects of obtaining what I thought in my eyes was the perfect body. This led me on a mission to better educate myself on nutrition and the human body, not only so I could heal the negative relationship that I had with food and my body, but so I could share my knowledge to help those around me live a healthier life.
What do you love most about being a Dietitian and Nutritionist? It feels really good to know that I’m helping people to improve their health through eating, which is something that comes so naturally to us! To know you are playing a part in what can be a life changing journey for many people is really special. It can be a really rewarding and empowering job.
What Does Being Healthy Mean To You? I realise that each person defines health very differently, but to me being healthy is about feeling mentally content as well as physically (both on the inside and outside) and I’m a big believer that everything we drink or eat, the way we move our bodies and the people we surround ourselves with has a massive role to play in this. Forming a healthy relationship with food has also been really important to me and I don’t believe I was truly healthy until this happened.
How Do You Stay Healthy? I feel my healthiest when I am looking after my body by eating good, wholesome foods but at the same time without restricting myself of what I feel my body needs. I give myself permission to enjoy the foods I feel like without guilt and I’ll just make sure that if I do treat myself or overindulge, (which definitely happens from time to time as I am only human), that I compensate by getting in lots of veggies, drinking plenty of water and moving my body – not as a form of punishment but in order to feel good and get myself back on track. If you can find that balance in your diet and give yourself total permission to listen to your body, you’re a lot less likely to feel guilty, which can put a lot of pressure on us and isn’t healthy for our minds.
I also try and get plenty of exercise in and move in some way on most days of the week because for me this really helps me feel good mentally and gives me more energy, believe it or not! And spending time with my beautiful family and close friends makes me happy and content and this is important in any health journey.
Why Do you Think it’s Important to Live a Healthy Lifestyle? Living a healthy lifestyle and looking after ourselves not only ensures that we function to our full capacity each day, but it sets us up for good health for the rest of our lives. We live in a world where chronic disease is sadly more common then ever and so much of this is preventable through living a healthier lifestyle. We also feel our best when we are looking after ourselves and when we feel good, we radiate that energy to everyone around us.
What does a day on a plate look like for you? Breakfast is usually a green smoothie, rolled oats with fruit and seeds or grainy toast with eggs and avocado, lunch is usually an egg and salad wrap or leftovers from the night before and dinner is usually grilled salmon or fish with roast veggies or vegetarian Mexican style beans topped with guacamole and Greek yoghurt, which is a weekly hit in my house. Snacks vary but will always include fruit, nuts, roasted chickpeas or fava beans, bliss balls or air-popped popcorn. At the moment I’m especially loving apple slices with natural peanut butter and I am a sucker for dark chocolate.
What is your Favourite Fruit, Vegetable or Drink you couldn’t live without? I definitely don’t think I could live without sweet potato and avocado! They’re in one or more of my meals every single day and I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of them.
Can you suggest any Healthy Snacks we could take to work with us? Or carry on us? Veggie sticks with hummus, yoghurt, boiled eggs, fruit, nuts, and individual packets of air-popped popcorn are great to pop in your bag to have on the go. I like to make up a big batch of bliss balls to get me through the week or healthy cookies or power bars; they really help with those sweet cravings! My favourite snack at the moment would have to be apple slices with natural peanut butter! Pop a jar of natural peanut butter in your drawer at work and it’s an easy go-to snack.
Is Drinking Water as important as they say? If so what do you think we should be aiming for? Absolutely! Every cell in our body needs water to function properly. Water helps to maintain body temperature, lubricate our joints, carry nutrients around the body, aid in digestion and remove waste product, among other things. The amount of water you need really depends on our age, sex and level of physical activity. For example, men need around 2.6 litres per day, where as women need around 2.1 litres per day – bearing in mind these figures include the total fluid we get from our food in addition to what we drink. You will obviously need more if you live in a hot climate and the more active you are. Remembering to replenish your body with fluids following exercise is vital – our bodies actually need around 1.25 – 1.5 times the amount of fluid lost through sweating, in order to re-hydrate.
A general guideline as to how much water you should aim for each day is:
- 5 – 2 L per day (or 35-45mL/kg/day) for adults, and
- 1 – 1.5 L per day for children
If someone has a slow digestive system can you suggest any food’s that could help with making it not as sluggish so things generally Move? Looking after your gut health is a good place to start and there are many ways in which we can do this!
An adequate amount of fibre is important, as fibre is nature’s way of keeping us regular. It’s also important to get a good balance of different types of fibre in the diet; including soluble fibre, insoluble fibre and resistance starch. The different types of fibre are all beneficial for our digestive system in different ways and most plant foods contain a mixture of the types. If you’re eating plenty of fruit, vegetables, legumes, wholegrain carbohydrates, nuts and seeds, then you’re off to a good start.
Fermented foods including yoghurt, kefir, kombucha, tempeh and kimchi are a great source of probiotics, the healthy bacteria that our digestive system love!
Drinking plenty of water helps us to stay hydrated, which makes it easier to digest foods and absorb nutrients, and helps everything pass through more easily. Herbal teas such as peppermint and chamomile tea can also be quite soothing on the gut for many people and this may also help to get things moving.
In addition to food, exercising regularly can also be helpful as simply moving can sometimes get everything else moving as well.
What really is the recommended amount of Fresh Fruit and Vegetables we should be eating? With so many social media opinions it can get so confusing, as a basic guideline what should we all strive for? The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend that the average Australian adult consume a minimum of 5 serves of vegetables and 2 serves of fruit daily. Most Australians are only getting in around ½ of these recommendations! These recommendations are based on the latest scientific evidence to provide the nutrients required for good health and to reduce the risk of diet-related chronic disease.
What Makes You Happy? There are lots of things that make me happy – spending time with my family and friends, my dog, having organisation in my life, helping others, and definitely when I’m feeling my healthiest.
What Activewear are you working out in? I’m obsessed with 2XU tights because they’re so comfy and supportive during exercise and I also love anything Adidas.
Do you have any Daily Rituals you couldn’t live without? My days change quite a bit but I always like to get a walk in each morning before work as I find it clears my head and allows me to start my day off on a good note, so this is something I always try and make the time for.
Do you have any Favourite Spa’s you have visited that we should know about? One of my favourites would have to be Bodyworks Spa in Bali! It is so beautiful and has a really traditional feel to it! It’s been at the top of my to-do list every time I’ve visited Bali, I could spend an entire day there.
What do you do to Relax and Unwind – what things do you like to do when it comes to having some down time? Down time for me usually involves taking my dog for a walk, or a hot cup of green tea, a good Rom-Com movie and putting my feet up. I love laying with my feet up on the wall after a long day, it seriously helps to take that heavy, tired feeling away after you’ve been on your feet all day.
Can you suggest any Go-To Dinners when you have had a big day at work and you arrive home from work and think to yourself I can’t be bothered to cook dinner tonight? My favourite go to dinner when I can’t be bothered would have to be my vegetarian Mexican style beans, they’re so quick and easy to throw together and you mainly need your basic pantry staples (the recipe is on my website). I’ve even had them on toast before and it was delicious! It’s actually a lot easier than you may think to whip up something quick and much healthier than reaching for take away! Some of my regular go-to dinners when I can’t be bothered are:
- Veggie omelette with tomato, mushroom, spinach and cheese.
- Throw together salad (AKA whatever is left in the fridge) with a can of tuna or salmon or some boiled eggs.
- Stir-fry using pre-prepared or frozen vegetables (Woolies or Coles do some great pre-cut veggie and salad packs).
- Boiled eggs with whole grain toast, avocado and baby spinach (who says you can’t have breakfast for dinner?).
It can also be handy to pre-prepare a few meals and pop them into the freezer for when times like these call. You can freeze almost anything these days from soups, curries, pasta and rice dishes, and all you have to do is pull them out and heat them up!
Do you think the Food we eat can impact the way we feel especially when it comes to our Overall Mental Health? Can you suggest any Healthy Foods that can Help Lift Our Moods? Especially if we are suffering from the Back to Work Monday Blues? Absolutely! Nutrition and the effect that this has on our overall mental health can be really underestimated but we are beginning to see more research come to light as to just how significant an impact food can have on our mental state. Sometimes when we are feeling down it can be all too easy to reach for the chocolate or chip packet, but the short term pick-me-up effect of these foods are offset by the long-term damage these foods can have on our health. Foods that support our mental health and help to balance our mood include:
- Omega 3 fats: found in oily fish (tuna, salmon, mackerel, perch, sardines and herring), eggs, nuts and seeds (in particular flaxseed).
- Zinc: found in red meat, seafood, eggs, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds.
- Folate: found in green leafy vegetables, fruit, legumes, bread and some whole grain cereals.
- Foods to support healthy gut microbiota: including whole grain carbohydrate, fibre (from fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds) and probiotic-rich fermented foods such as kombucha, kimchi, yoghurt and kefir.
- Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration, which can affect our mood by causing irritability and restlessness.
Should we really just be eating when we are hungry or like we have been told: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and snacks in between and every 3 hours? Eating regularly is important to keep our blood sugar levels stable and to ensure that we have enough energy to get through the day. It also helps to avoid over-eating at later meals. However, if you’re just eating and you aren’t hungry, then you may be just eating extra. This is why it’s so important to recognise your bodies true signs of hunger and fullness – i.e. eat when you’re hungry, not starving and stop eating when you’re satisfied, but not totally full or still hungry.
Above all, everyone is different and while I definitely encourage eating regular meals for the above reasons, I think it’s also important to listen to your body and find what works best for you! For example, having regular small snacks between meals may work well for one person, while for the other snacking only when hungry may work best.
Is Breakfast still really the most important Meal of the Day? Breakfast is really no more important than lunch, dinner or our snacks in between. Every mealtime is important because it’s an opportunity for us to nourish our bodies with the nutrients it needs. A good breakfast alone is certainly not the key to success. Breakfast is simply our first opportunity in the day to nourish our bodies and set ourselves up for the day after a period of fasting overnight. Starting breakfast on a healthy note can also help us to make healthier choices throughout the rest of the day. It is important to note though, that not all breakfasts are created equally.
A good quality breakfast is one that includes a good source of protein, low GI carbohydrate (with an emphasis on whole grains), fibre and healthy fats. This combo will slow down the digestive process, keep our blood sugar levels stable, give us long lasting energy, pry off hunger until our next meal and ultimately avoid a mid-morning crash.
When it comes to Eating Dinner is there a time it is really best to have eaten by? You might have heard that you should eat your dinner by 7pm, but does it really matter so much if you don’t eat your dinner this early? Well no, not exactly. Much of the reason behind not eating too late in the evening is that many people tend to over-eat at night, especially if it’s been a while since lunch! More often than not our most sedentary time in the day is the evening, which ultimately means we are using less energy and so any excess energy will only be stored in our body if not used up.
It’s also important not to eat dinner too late at night as your body needs a chance to do its thing and digest the food you’ve eaten before you lie down for bed (this also helps to avoid reflux).
So as long as you try to keep a similar pattern of meal times (this helps to control appetite and therefore avoid over-eating), keep a check on your portion size, and avoid over eating or eating too late at night, then there really is no ‘best’ dinner time.
We Follow you on Instagram @wellnessbymel and are totally obsessed with your non-stop amazing recipes that you do – can you tell our Readers exactly what an Acai Bowl is and how to make their own? An acai bowl is basically just an extra thick smoothie containing the acai berry, eaten out of a bowl. The acai berry is an antioxidant rich berry, native to the rainforests of South America. It has a beautiful, bright purple colour and this is due to its high level of anthocyanins, an antioxidant found in purple fruit and veggies.
My favourite homemade acai bowl combo is:
- 1 frozen acai sachet OR 4 Tbsp acai powder
- ½ frozen banana
- ¼ cup frozen mango
- 1 handful baby spinach leaves
- 1 tsp natural peanut butter
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
Toppings: Fresh fruit, shredded coconut, chia/pumpkin/sunflower seeds, crushed nuts (the options are endless)
Just throw all of your ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth. Enjoy with toppings of choice.
Your Skin Looks Amazing – what skincare are you using right now? I’ve definitely struggled with my skin over the years but I’m finally at a really good place with it and I credit this to a religious skincare routine and healthy lifestyle. I like to change up my skincare based on how my skin feels but at the moment I’m loving Kate Somerville products; the oil free moisturiser is my favourite.
When it comes to food, our skin loving nutrients are healthy fats, zinc, selenium and vitamins A, E and C. Generally speaking, eating a variety of foods from the five food groups with an emphasis on whole foods should see that we consume adequate amounts of these nutrients. Think oily fish, avocado, nuts and seeds, lots of fruit and veggies and plenty of water and you have a recipe for healthy skin.
Can you share any words of wisdom for those girls wanting to live their Dreams but have to make a Career Change in Order to Do So? It’s never too late to make the change, it can be hard work but it’s absolutely worth it to follow your dreams! Being happy in your career is so important, especially when you think about how long our working lives are. Life is way too short to settle for a career that doesn’t make you happy to wake up for each day.
What’s installed for 2017 when it comes to Wellness By Mel? We see you have some on-line nutrition consultations launching? Can you tell us some more? Apart from working as a clinical Dietitian, I’m now offering online nutrition consultations through Wellness By Mel, which is just like a regular consultation with a Dietitian, but the beauty of an online consultation is that all of your questions can be answered at a time that suits you and from the comfort of your own home.
In a nut shell, an online consultation involves a full nutrition assessment including an in depth analysis of your current diet and discussion of your health and nutrition goals. We then work together to come up with an individualised nutrition plan tailored to suit any medical conditions, personal preferences and lifestyle factors such as budget and work and exercise schedule. The individualised nutrition plan includes a nutritionally balanced meal plan, strategies to assist you in reaching your goals, healthy recipe and snack ideas and any relevant resources – all sent to you as a package, following the online consultation.
To find out more information visit www.wellnessbymel.com.au, and feel free to shoot me a message through the ‘contact’ page if have any questions.
How Can We Stay In Touch with You? I’m quite active on social media so you’ll find me on any of the below. I’m always happy to chat or answer any questions.
Instagram: @Wellnessbymel
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wellnessbymel/
Website: www.wellnessbymel.com.au