Blog | Leah Itsines

There is nothing worse than bland food! Luckily, there a few simple hacks that can completely change your meal from yuck to yum in 30 seconds. 1. Squeeze Half a Lemon Adding lemon juice or zest to your meal, sweet or savoury, completely changes your whole meal. The freshness and citrus tang of lemon enables flavours to reach their full potential. In fact, lemon is just as important for flavour as salt is! Just squeeze half a lemon over your dish and you're done. My favourite thing to add lemon on is salads!  2. Add a Table Spoon (or Two) of Tomato Paste Tomato paste is the secret to giving your meal body and enriched flavour. Whether your cooking pasta sauce, stew or even a curry, tomato paste is going to completely change your experience. Tomato sauce is also an amazing addition to any dry rub. I add it to my spice mix with a little olive oil and BAM - you've got yourself an incredible marinade. A couple tablespoons will do the trick! 3. Spice, Spice And More Spice! There's no denying that the right spices can make or break a dish. After salt and lemon, they are the bread and butter of flavouring. The trick is to get the right balance and combination of spices. I love a sprinkle of dried oregano, garlic and pepper to accompany my salt - everything goes with this combination!  Do you have any secret hacks? I'd love to hear them! Share them with the community in the comments below. Happy cooking, Leah x

  Swap it, don’t stop it, is something I’m sure we’ve all heard countless times but guess what … IT’S AN ACTUAL REAL THING THAT WILL DO WONDERS FOR YOUR HEALTH. Today I thought we’d focus on breakfast swaps - nutritious alternatives that will change up your daily routine for the better.  SWAP sourdough bread FOR 5 seed loaf bread: Although I do eat sourdough (nothing wrong with it!), sometimes I love the switch  to a more seedy loaf. More seeds, more fibre, more grainy goodness that your tummy will thank you for. Pair it with a poached egg and some avocado and you'll be feelin' satisfied!  SWAP a fast food egg muffin FOR a home made egg muffin: Instead of rushing past the golden M, pre make some eggy muffins! This way you can pick your own ingredients, skip on the nasties and have plenty for the rest of the week! Grab a super easy eggy muffin recipe here! SWAP a chocolate muffin FOR a banana and blueberry muffin. Sure, chocolate for breakfast is tempting, and also very delicious - but lets save it for easter! There are plenty of options, but if you're feelin' like a muffin.... these raspberry muffins are healthy and delicious - get the recipe here!  SWAP  skipping breakfast FORa breakfast smoothie. Trust me, I understand the struggle of the morning rush, and breakfast can often be the thing that gets left behind. The truth is, skipping this vital meal can be detrimental to your health (e.g. metabolism suffers, energy levels are depleted). A breakfast smoothie is a wonderful way to ease a morning meal into your routine. Try blending berries, oats, and almond milk (with a cheeky spoonful of peanut butter) and breakfast may just turn out to be something worth getting out of bed for!  Hope these help you make delicious - but nutritious choices! Love, Leah x 

"Don't eat pasta, it's not good for you! It will make you gain weight" Blah blah blah, I'm sure you've heard this all before! But have you ever stopped to think why pasta gets such a bad rap? Is it the heavy sauces and portion sizes or is it the actual pasta itself? It's no secret that I absolutely LOVE pasta (literally could bathe in it)! So I thought I'd explore the myths and facts around whether pasta is actually good or bad for you. The Nutritious Facts: When it comes to pasta, there are plenty of low-GI options that are packed with fibre and will keep you fuller for longer, including whole-grain, brown rice, spelt, corn, quinoa, rice and soba - to name a few. Pasta is a great source of carbohydrates, which is one of your primary sources of energy. While carbs have been given a bad name lately, the truth is that you NEED carbs to function. They're SO important that I even wrote a whole blog post on them, which you can read here. In our BARE guide, we have included pasta (of course) and it has been dietician approved, so thats a huge win!  So why does pasta get such a bad rap? The reason why people say pasta is 'bad for you' is typically because of the heavy creamy sauces or excessive cheesy toppings that come with it, not pasta itself. As said above, pasta is a great source of carbohydrates - which we need! There are also new pastas like chickpea or red lentil pasta that provide a little extra protein - win win! It's also super important to note on portion sizes. Overeating in general (of anything!) can naturally lead to weight gain, so it's no surprise that overeating on big bowls of pasta with heavy sauces will do the same. Again, not the PASTA, but the portion.  How can you make pasta healthy? Try to keep portions sizes to 1 cup or 1 1/2 cups per person and get creative by adding an abundance of healthy ingredients. Add vegetables, lean meats, beans, fish, or a classic tomato sauce and make sure you don't forget your herbs. Herbs are the perfect replacement for heavy sauces because they add a burst of flavour to your meal. Some of my favourite herbs for pasta, include basil, parsley, chilli and thyme but there are so many amazing ones to choose from so be sure to get creative! Even a squeeze of lemon or some lemon zest can give a pasta a whole new flavour.  And if you're still looking for some healthy pasta inspiration then I have an abundance of delicious and easy pasta recipes for you to try, including... 1. Lentil Bolognese This vegan lentil bolognese sauce is the best! It's seriously delicious but also incredibly healthy and easy to make. You'll be loving every single bite! Plus, it's an amazing batch cooking recipe that can be enjoyed by the whole family, including kids, or be served up as leftovers for work lunches. It's a win win.     2. Spaghetti Alla Panna  This was my favourite pasta that my mum would make me when I was little! It's so easy to make, super delicious and 100% kid friendly recipe! I've got a special trick that makes my homemade Alla Panna sauce taste super creamy without a lot of heavy cream, making it the perfect light and tasty alternative.  This Alla Panna Pasta Bake is a guaranteed winning dinner idea!     3. Haloumi Pasta Salad Ahhhh I love a good pasta salad! And this Haloumi Pasta Salad is one of the best pasta salad recipes you will ever try. The combination of haloumi and olives makes it super delicious! Plus, it's really easy to make and can be eaten cold or warm.  This is perfect dinner recipe but is also a great leftover and work lunch recipe.     4. Salmon and Asparagus Pasta  We are ALL in need of a 15 minute meal, right? Well this salmon pasta is so quick and easy to make. It's also packed with flavour and the combination of the pasta and salmon makes it incredibly filling and satisfying.  Your tummy and tastebuds will be left super satisfied.     5. Simple Napoletana Sauce This Napoletana sauce is so fresh, simple and easy!  It's the perfect pasta sauce in itself but also acts as a great base to add veggies, lean meats and herbs to.  I love serving this up on top of spaghetti and meatballs for a easy and satisfying dish.   I often have girls tell me about their hesitations to eat pasta but the truth of the matter is, pasta is NOT your enemy! It's your best friend...or maybe just my best friend haha! Pasta should be embraced as a versatile energy sauce and a staple in a balanced diet. It’s time to let pasta shine like the glorious carby goodness it is. I mean how can you say no to a big hearty, warm bowl of pasta?! It's all about balance and understanding how to enjoy pasta in the best way for you. Try recipe or two this week and be sure to let me know your thoughts I LOVE LOVE LOVE hearing your feedback! Be sure to also share your creations with me on Instagram so I can like, comment and share! Use the tag @leahitsines and hashtag #leahitsines to reach out. PS. Don't forget about the BARE guide! If you need guidance on healthy eating, portion sizes, cooking basics and a load of dietitian approved recipes - grab the BARE guide now and eat ALL of your favourite things with no stress!  Happy cooking, Leah xx

  So you're looking at improving your food photography hey.. well you've come to the right place. I'll be covering my tips, tricks and guides to how I photography food. Now, to make sure I get things straight before all the profesh photographers don’t yell at me…I’m no expert! These are just the tips and tricks that I have learnt over the past couple of years  Lighting!Food photography calls for Natural light. Around your home, find a window or door that brings natural light in – you don’t need to be confined to your kitchen! Find a place that brings in good, steady light and test with a plate of food. You'll know you have good lighting when there is...Make sure to have all room lights turned off when you’re shooting as they may give you a yellow tinge. If you don’t have windows, try outside! Outside can be great, but you don’t want to be going directly into the sun, this will warp the food colour. If you're struggling to find natural light and need an alternative, there is an artificial light source called a Ring light (They’re around $120- $180 on EBay depending on the brand) that can be a great help in a dark room – but again…I’d always prefer natural light as the colours of the food will be deep and fresh.  Food styling When it comes to food styling…here is an example of how my photography skills have transformed over the past few months with a “before and after” photo.     Here's how I transformed my photography skills: Backgrounds: The photo on the right is shot on a homemade blue board, with lighting coming through a window on the left side and edited on a program that can change the colour (cool hey!). The photo on the left is directly in the sun, outside, no props and edited over on instagram.  If you want to make your own backgrounds, buy a couple pieces of plywood (super lightweight) and mix your chosen colour with some flour and get painting! This will give it the rough texture that comes out in photos. If you want to buy some backgrounds – my "go too" place is Svpply co! They have a huge range of backdrops, one for everything!  Props: Props are essential to making a photo amazing! I LOVE plates, bowls, old cutlery and tea towels! You don’t need to spend a great deal to get the most amazing props…I went to my local thrift store and you’d be surprised what some people throw out. Cutlery, bowls, plates and more.. Yes I have become a little bit of a hoarder, but hey it's all for a good cause right?! It’s always great to have a range of colours, styles and material so each photo can be different. As you can see, in the right photo I used a matte pottery plate with red chopsticks (both found at thrift stores!). Always use something in the photo, whether is a fork, tea towel, spoon, knife…whatever! Give some life to the meal.  Your own style:  It’s taken me forever to properly get a “style”. This should come NATURALLY. If I try to style, shoot or create recipes like somebody else…it always turns out terrible. My style is rough, raw, bright colours and bright lighting. Each photo is different but I always stay true to my style. I throw ingredients all over the board and LOVE the mess… but if you like a more “tidy and bright” look, then you’ll need to be a little more careful where you place things. Tips: Water and oil trick: If your styling your food for a while and it’s looking a little dry…grab a small spray bottle and fill half water, half oil (this should be a TINY bottle) and spray away! This will bring life back into the food and leave it looking succulent and juicy! Use a tripod: Once having used a tripod to shoot…I wondered why I ever did it freehand! So easy, cleaner shots, you can style around the shot and have everything in place for one click….and also there is no crazy bending/moving for you to get the shot. Google "crane tripod" and it'll come up with an adjustable tripod, perfect for overhead shots.  Camera/editing programs: I shoot with a DSLR camera, and have just recently upgraded. I used to have a Canon 600D and it was perfect for a beginner to start. I now use a Canon 80D with a 24-70mm lens which produces incredibly crisp shots…but isn’t necessary if you’re starting out as it can be very pricey due to the lens. iPhones are also great – but hard to shoot on tripods.  The editing program I use for my videos is “final cut pro” which is a step up from Imovie. This is a paid program where you can edit colours etc.… but for a beginner I would recommend I movie…Cheap and easy to learn! For images, I use Lightroom and I SWEAR by it! I pay for this monthly, and I use it every single day. There are many things you can do to your photos and I just LOVE it so much, couldn’t recommend it any more! I hope this helps transform your food photography skills like it did mine, as I mentioned earlier, I am no professional.. but I am learning and I hope these tips/hacks point you in the right direction. Love, Leah x 

These are MY tips on how to stay on track while on holidays!

  ‘Breakfast’ is just that. Breakfast is “Breaking the fast” from your overnight sleep….if you think about it, your body hasn't been given anything to run on in 7+ hours, so the way the body copes is by slowing down your metabolic rate. Having breakfast in the morning breaks this ‘fasting’ cycle and yells GOOD MORNING to your body and your body wakes up, speeds up and starts burning!  Skipping a meal if often thought to help you lose weight, when this is absolutely NOT the case. There are two main reasons as to why this doesn't work for anyone, first being that when you decide to skip a meal, your body goes into what medical professionals call a “fasting mode” which will increase your insulin response. Insulin is a hormone which moves glucose (sugar) from the blood into the muscles and fat cells for storage - which is not what we want!!   The second reason is that you will be HUNGRY and more likely to over-indulge with every meal throughout the day. If you don't eat first thing, your body will crave high-fat and high sugar foods.  However, if you DO eat in the morning you will experience…. increased energy,  increased cognitive function, an improved metabolism, many beneficial nutrients, and boosts your fibre and calcium intake (compared to no breakfast). I always ask the question, WHY don't you eat breakfast? and the answer i usually receive is “i have no time”. My answer to that is MAKE TIME.  Set your alarm 15-20 minutes earlier if you want to eat breakfast at home OR pre-make breakfast options the night before and take with you on your way out. Leah xx

  There is a HUGE misconception that "carbs are bad for you", but this couldn't be further from the truth! Let's get one thing straight… YES you will see weight loss if you eliminate ALL carbohydrates, but the issue is that while losing weight, there is a significant reduction in your metabolic rate.  Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose (sugar) which the body depends on, effectively making carbohydrates the body's number one source of energy. There is a difference between "bad carbs" and "good carbs" though, this is where the misconception of "carbs are bad for you" comes into play.  “Bad” carbs are what we refer to as simple carbohydrates, these types are easily digested. These foods give you a quick energy spike, but this doesn't last long. The body only takes what they need when it comes to glucose, so with this rapid sugar rush, the body cant use it all at once so it stores the leftover as fat.  “Good” carbs are what we call complex carbohydrates. These foods take longer to digest, which means they are broken down slower, resulting in sustained energy as the glucose is released into your system at a much slower rate.  Here are some GREAT examples of COMPLEX (good!) carbohydrates - BROWN RICE: This is GREAT source because it is filling and also not expensive! Its also one of the richest sources of carbohydrates among grains. CHICKPEAS: One cooked cup of chick peas can contain up to 45 grams of slow-acting carbs.SWEET POTATO: One medium-sized cooked sweet potato comes in a little over 100 calories and boasts 27g of total carbohydrates. WHOLE WHEAT PASTA: Because sometimes you just need pasta—and whole-wheat kinds offer two to three times more fiber than refined white varieties, but they’re just as versatile and delicious. Thank you SO much for reading! Leah X

The biggest questions vegans get asked is "But where do you get your protein from?"..... SIMPLE!