Products Catherine loves

Here's my must-buy list of products I've come to use and enjoy. These are products whose ingredient list and nutrition credentials I'm happy with. Many make my life easier when I'm trying to get dinner done in a hurry or when I need a quick snack to grab. A couple are my clients' products that I use myself at home.

I occasionally work with food and nutrition related companies to help them improve their products and communicate the benefits of their products to consumers. You can rest assured that I only work with ethical companies whose products I use myself. I won't recommend a product unless I have used it and satisfied myself that it delivers on its claims.

Can you imagine shopping with me? It takes me forever as I'm always picking up new products and reading their label.  It's hard when you're a nutritionist - you want the food you eat to be healthy (less sugar, less salt, more fibre, more good fats) but you also want it to taste good. If you're into cooking, as I am, you get to appreciate good meals, practical recipes and, of course, key ingredients.

My top products

Maille Dijon mustard

I know it's French. I know it's imported. But honestly I think it's the best mustard in the world! It adds that "little something" to a barbecued steak and is my secret ingredient in my vinaigrette dressing. Just olive oil, lemon juice or wine vinegar, with half a teaspoon of the Dijon plus a few grinds of pepper. Sensational!

Brita water filter jug

I'm a big fan of Brita water filter jugs ever since doing some work with them on hydration a few years ago. They're so simple and they mean you always have chilled filtered water in your fridge. My kids drink a lot more water when I have the jug filled in the door of the fridge. Interestingly their friends comment that the water tastes a lot "sweeter" at our place.

Lipton's Yellow Label tea

I've been working with the tea industry - and lately Liptons - for almost ten years so I'm always sipping different teas - regular (I like mine with milk), green, peppermint, herbal and rooibus. The research into tea and its health advantages has been growing and growing each year and is impressive. This Lipton's tea really hits the spot - good flavour, dependable and refreshing.

Green veggie bags

I've begun using these bags and I'm impressed - my herbs stay fresher, the lettuce is less soggy and, most importantly, I throw out a lot fewer veggies! Quite a saving! They really do extend the life of your vegetables.

How do they work? When fruit and vegetables ripen they release a gas called ethylene. This gas encourages the produce to ripen further, (which is why we put a hard avocado in a brown paper bag with a ripe banana to speed up the ripening process) but ultimately it ends up causing deterioration. Green bags absorb the ethylene, slowing the ripening process and increasing the time it takes before your fruit and veg go brown and limp. Another bonus is that they also maintain vitamin levels. You can find the bags at your local supermarket. Brands are "Fresh bags".

Be Natural Nut bars

These are the best muesli type bar I've found. They come in two varieties - nuts alone and nuts plus fruit. I love them both. You get 50 grams of nuts from each one which is more than your recommended day's serve. Unlike ordinary muesli bars, they fill you up when you're starving.

Take-away containers

I've started using plastic take-away food containers to store extra portions of meals. They're ideal to take to work or college for lunch the next day or you can freeze one- or two-serve portions for later. I buy the larger 750ml size in lots of 50 from Campbells Cash 'n' Carry Warehouse stores but I've also seen them at supermarkets and discount stores.

Look for containers with a microwave symbol if you plan to re-heat dinner in them (they cost more and are thicker). Yes, I know they're plastic and end up in landfill but I was washing so many re-useable storage containers that I figured all the detergent and water I was using was not that good for the environment (meat or tomato dishes are hard to clean). Some containers are recyclable. Look for the numbers 1 or 2 in the triangular recycling symbol. Cost: around $8 for 50, including lids, which puts them at 16 cents each.

Lemons

On fish, in tea, squeezed over salad leaves. And my favourite main meal, slow-cooked Greek leg of lam with lemon, garlic and rosemary. Lemons are always on my shopping list. Why on earth didn't I plant a tree years ago?

Tomato pasta sauce

A good pasta sauce is the best stand-by pantry staple. It makes so many different meals from the much-loved Bolognaise sauce to ravioli and bean dinner. I prefer the Riverina Grove brand but any jar with less than 400mg sodium and under 5 grams of fat per 100g is a good mod-fat choice. Some brands have added olive oil so the fat content will be higher - anywhere from 5 to 11 grams per 100g. Use these ones where you just want a simple tomato topping say over ravioli. But where you're adding other ingredients like mince or tuna, then a low fat sauce is ideal. Read what to look for in my product review of pasta sauces.

Vinaigrette dressing (Hellmans)

When I don't have time to mix my own, this is a pretty good standby. What's a salad without dressing?

Rocket

The first time I ever tasted rocket with its peppery flavour, I was hooked! I mix it in with baby spinach leaves for a salad with bite! It have some growing in a large pot on our front verandah. Easy to pick when you need a few leaves to add flavour.

Stock

So many lighter recipes call for stock. See how cheap and easy it is tomake yourself at home with my home-made stock recipe. When I don't have the time to make my own, I like to use the liquid stock rather than stock cubes - you get a better flavour and less salt.

Just bear in mind that many commercial stocks are high in salt which isn't good. Shop for one that says "salt-reduced" or has 300mg sodium per 100g or less eg Continental Salt-reduced Simply Stock has a low 210mg, for instance, which rates as around one of the lowest. Campbell's Reduced-salt Chicken Stock is another healthy choice.

Got a product you Like? One that helps you eat healthily? Let me know about it:

Do you have a product you think is healthy and delicious? And that saves time in the kitchen? Then drop us an This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and tell us about it.