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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
Health
Damon Cronshaw

'Faster than Uber Eats': join the spring eating challenge

Nutrition expert Clare Collins cooking dinner in her kitchen. Picture by Bronte Godden
Nutrition expert Clare Collins cooking dinner in her kitchen. Picture supplied

A six-week healthy eating challenge will begin in spring with advice from University of Newcastle nutrition experts.

People can now sign up for the free "SpringEatz Challenge".

"We're going to help people clean up their eating habits if they want to," Professor Clare Collins said.

The challenge will be run through the university's free No Money No Time website, which was designed to help people eat better in a cost-effective way.

"We know people are under a lot of pressure financially and many people don't know how to cook. They think that to eat well, you have to be a master chef," she said.

The website has more than 250 recipes.

"They're all low cost and easy to make. We want to break it down so people learn they can cook something delicious, yummy and cheap faster than Uber can get to your door," Professor Collins said.

She said the average person spends "$1500 a year on Uber Eats", which was a "waste of money".

The website includes a healthy eating quiz and hacks and myths that explain the latest nutrition evidence for a general audience.

Those who participate will receive "six weeks of free support to help them eat better and meet personal motivations".

"We found some people want to eat better to feel better, some want to get healthy, some want to do better at sport and some want to lose weight," she said.

The challenge will also be a research project for the university. Participants will be evaluated to determine whether addressing their motivations helps them eat better.

"People will get a weekly email with information and resources tailored to their motivations," Professor Collins said.

Expert support will be provided through the SpringEatz Challenge Facebook group.

And nutritionists will help those involved to "improve their healthy eating quiz score".

The challenge aimed to help people "feel the best they can feel by eating more healthily".

The website, she said, "cuts through the clutter of the self-styled experts who think their words are the only path to follow for health and wellbeing".

The site's filters help people save time by pinpointing the meal being made, dietary preferences and nutrition goals.

"We've really tried to look at people's barriers - time, money and resources."

Professor Collins, a critic of fad diets, said many people think "going on a diet to lose weight will help them feel better".

"The real power of healthy eating is feeling better in yourself because you're eating healthy," she said.

"There are so many nutrients in foods that do not come in a box. They come in foods from nature.

"We're trying to show people it's possible to be nourished and feel well by following the recipes and advice we've made for them on No Money No Time."

To be involved, sign up for the challenge at nomoneynotime.com.au by September 18.

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