Wellbeing

Healthy eating for mental fitness

Did you know there is a strong link between what we eat and how we feel?  You may have noticed that you feel sluggish and flat after an unbalanced diet. We now know that eating a balanced diet (with a variety of fruit, veggies, nuts and wholegrains) can have a big impact on our mood, our concentration and even our level of happiness.    Eating a balanced diet can:

• help you get a better night’s sleep  
• give you more energy
• improve your concentration, this can help with things like work and study
• make you less likely to crave foods with high sugar, salt or fat
• improve your mood

Here are some helpful hints:

• eat a wide variety of food from five food groups, focus on beans, vegetables and fruit
• pack your lunch the night before
• aim to eat a variety of colours
• drink plenty of water
• view high sugar and high fat food as sometimes food, not part of your regular diet 

For more information:

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/food-and-your-mood

https://headspace.org.au/explore-topics/for-young-people/eat-well/

HOW TO BUILD A HEALTHY LUNCH-BOX

Healthy Recipe Idea: Chinese Tomato Egg Stir Fry

We are so fortunate in Australia to have the opportunity to eat healthy foods from a range of different cultures.  Melissa Wang has kindly submitted this delicious healthy recipe idea for a Chinese tomato egg stir fry.  Give it a try!

This 10-minute Chinese tomato egg stir-fry is a dish you’ll find on many Chinese home dinner tables. It’s fast, easy, cheap, and delicious. And vegetarian!

SERVES:  2

PREP:  5 minutes  

COOK:  5 minutes 

TOTAL:  10 minutes 

INGREDIENTS

4 small to medium tomatoes (about 500g)

1 spring onion

4 eggs

3/4 tsp salt (divided)

1/4 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp shaoxing wine

3 tbsp vegetable oil (divided)

1/4 to 1/2 cup water

INSTRUCTIONS

• Start by cutting tomatoes into small wedges and finely chop the spring onion
• Crack 4 eggs into a bowl and season with ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon white pepper, ½ teaspoon sesame oil and 1 teaspoon shaoxing wine. Beat eggs for a minute.
• Preheat the wok over medium heat until it just starts to smoke. Then add 2 tablespoons of the oil and immediately add the eggs. Scramble the eggs and remove from the wok immediately. Set aside.
• Add 1 more tablespoon oil to the wok, turn up the heat to high and add the tomatoes and spring onions.  Stir-fry for 1 minute and then add 2 teaspoons sugar, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ cup water (if your stove gets very hot and liquid tends to cook off very quickly in your wok, add a little more water). Add the cooked eggs.
• Mix everything together, cover the wok and cook for 1-2 minutes, until the tomatoes are completely softened.
• Uncover, and continue to stir-fry over high heat until the sauce thickens to your liking. Serve.

HEALTH AND WELLBEING SERVICES/CONTACTS - 

KNOX, MAROONDAH, YARRA RANGES