Lyndi Cohen Sumo Citrus Mandarin Interview

Lyndi Cohen Sumo Citrus Mandarin Interview

The wait is almost over - Sumo Citrus™ mandarin season is almost upon us! The deliciously sweet, giant citrus fruit will be on supermarket shelves from 1st August for a limited time only.

Returning to Woolworths stores for a fourth consecutive year, Sumo Citrus™ mandarins will, for the first time ever, be available nationwide this year – sweet news for all the citrus lovers out there! They will also be available on the Woolworths online store.

The Australian grown Sumo Citrus™ mandarin is best known for its exceptionally sweet and juicy flesh and extremely convenient seedless nature. Living up to its -enormously good to eat' persona, Sumo Citrus™ mandarins are naturally large in size and packed full of vitamin C, making them a healthy snack option and a hit with the kids!

Their bumpy, brightly coloured orange skin and trendy -top-knot' make Sumo Citrus™ mandarins stand out from the citrus-fruit crowd!

Expected volumes this year take Sumo Citrus™ mandarins to more than 50,000 trays - a direct result of trees maturing and more of the many licensed Sumo Citrus™ growers now starting to produce significant volumes.

Justin Kusselke of Cross Farms Curlwaa, NSW, said: 'For the first time ever in Australia, Sumo Citrus™mandarins will be available nationwide – this is fantastic news, not just for consumers but for growers too.

'Each year we learn more and more about the growing habits and challenges of the variety - when is best to pick the fruit, how best to cure the fruit after harvest, what temperature variance is acceptable in transport. We hand pick each and every Sumo Citrus™ Mandarin - although they look big and tough, the peel is actually very tender."

Coming on board this year for the 2016 Sumo Citrus™ mandarin season, is dietitian and nutritionist, Lyndi Cohen. Lyndi is an advocate for a realistic and balanced approach to healthy eating and explains why citrus is an important - and tasty - addition to the diet.

'The Sumo Citrus™ mandarin is a naturally good-for-you wholefood that is packed with nutrients like fibre, vitamins and minerals. Loaded with vitamin C, enjoying a Sumo Citrus™ mandarin is a delicious, yet simple way to boost immunity.

'Sumo Citrus™ mandarins are also naturally low in kilojoules (calories) making this seasonal fruit the ideal healthy snack to help manage your weight and combat sugar cravings when they hit. Reap the benefits of Sumo Citrus™ mandarins by adding this juicy fruit to kids lunch boxes, seasonal salads, fresh smoothies or enjoy by peeling and eating on the go!"

Originating more than 40 years ago, a citrus grower from Japan decided to combine the easy-to-peel nature of the Japanese Satsuma with the juicy, sweet oranges from California. The result – the biggest mandarin you'll ever see!

Sumo Citrus™ mandarins will be available nationwide in most Woolworth stores across Australia from 1 August until mid September. They will also be available via Woolworths Online.

Visit www.sumocitrus.com.au for further information

Fudgy Chocolate Sumo Citrus Mandarin and Coconut Health Balls

Serves 15

Ingredients

1 cup Almonds
1/2 cup Cashews
Zest of one sumo citrus mandarin
1/2 cup freshly squeezed juice from your mandarin
2 Heaped Tablespoons Cocoa powder
2 tablespoons Coconut oil
1 tablespoon Honey
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
A handful of pitted dates(finely chopped)
Extra mandarin zest and desiccated coconut for the coating

Method
Add the almonds and cashews to a food processor and grind until fine. Add the dates, coconut, cinnamon, cocoa powder and mandarin zest then grind until even.
In a separate bowl mix the coconut oil, juice and honey. Slowly add this liquid to your mixture and process until it forms a ball (make sure you add enough for the mixture to bind and but not so it becomes too wet)
You should be able to roll around 15 large health balls/30 smaller ones depending what you prefer
Roll/coat the health balls in the left over coconut and mandarin zest and put the fridge to set for an hour.

Interview with Lyndi Cohen for Sumo Citrus Mandarins, Dietitian and founder of The Nude Nutritonist

Question: What do you love about Sumo Citrus Mandarins?

Lyndi Cohen: What's not to love about Sumo Citrus Mandarins?! They are a naturally good-for-you wholefood and the perfect health snack for when you're craving something sweet. This easy to eat citrus fruit is packed with vitamin C, making them a delicious way to get a healthy, radiant glow. Vitamin C is also an important nutrient to help boost your immunity and prevent seasonal sickness so it's a great idea to add Sumo Citrus Mandarins to your shopping trolley when they are in season from August. I know I'll be buying them by the tray!


Question: Why has fruit received a lot of negative attention, lately?

Lyndi Cohen: I think fruit has unfairly received a bad reputation for being -too high in sugar'. People assume that because fruit contains sugar, if you eat too much you will gain weight and your health can suffer. The truth is that the naturally occurring sugar found in fruit reacts differently in our bodies than refined sugars thanks to fruits' natural fibre and phytonutrient content.

I think the big problem is that Australian's aren't eating enough fruit! Instead of cutting out a delicious and natural health food like fruit, we should be focusing on eating less processed and refined junk food.


Question: How much fruit is too much fruit?

Lyndi Cohen: It is really tough to overeat fruit! I would way prefer someone eats five pieces of fruit per day than eat junk food when they are craving something sweet. If you regularly eat a lot of fruit, my only concern would be that you don't have enough space to fit in the other food groups and therefore miss out on getting a variety of nutrients.


Question: Why is fruit so important, to our diet?

Lyndi Cohen: Forget over-rated superfoods and processed -health' foods! Fruit is a natural health food that is loaded with fibre and provides slow burning energy, meaning you stay feeling fuller and energised for longer. Fruit is also packed with antioxidants, which fight free radicals in your body, which can slow the aging process, prevent disease and keep you looking great. Each fruit is individual and contains unique micronutrients that can supercharge your health in different ways. Simply include plenty of brightly coloured fruit into your diet to get the benefit of fresh, whole fruit.

Question: Can you talk us through how much fruit and vegetables we need to consume, daily?

Lyndi Cohen: When it comes to fruit intake, we should ideally be eating two serves per day. It is easy to hit your fruit target when you snack on fruit instead of muesli bars or processed foods. You may be surprised to know that you should be aiming for at least 5 serves of vegetables per day. In fact, it's ideal to aim for 5-10 serves of veggies per day. When you consider a serve of vegetables is either half a cup of cooked veggies or one cup of salad, it can be a lot of veg to chow through each day.

Question: Are you able to talk us through your own struggles with weight?

Lyndi Cohen: My struggle with my weight is something I've spoken about openly and honestly on my blog. Ever since I can remember, I struggled with my weight and was constantly yo-yo dieting. But instead of helping me achieve my dream body, dieting made me obsessed with counting calories, over exercising and depriving myself. I used to be controlled by dieting, emotional eating and binge eating disorder.

The more I tried to lose weight, the more I gained! I felt so alone and was so far from being healthy, happy or balanced.

After years of struggling, I eventually realised that I needed to stop dieting and restricting. Since quitting diets and learning to listen to my body, I have discovered the joy and freedom of eating everything in moderation. I've learnt to naturally manage my anxiety, I've fallen in love with food again and as an added bonus, I've lost over 20kg.


Question: How can we lose weight without diets and calorie counting?

Lyndi Cohen: Statistics show that only 5% of diets work in the long term! Interestingly, obsessively trying to diet and lose weight can often cause you to eat more – and feel incredibly guilty and stressed about food. On a diet, you often create a list of -bad' foods that are off-limits which makes junk food even more tempting and you actually end up craving these foods more!

By quitting diets and stopping calorie counting, unhealthy junk food loses its power over you and you are less likely to eat emotionally after a hard day at work.


Question: What is your BodyLove eCourse?

Lyndi Cohen: Healthy eating has become so overwhelming and confusing due to the mixed messages in the media. We are also sold the message that in order to be healthy, you need to be thin. Instead of motivating us, this belief only makes us struggle with body image and over or under-eating. Developed with my good friend and fellow dietitian Kathryn Hawkins, the BodyLove eCourse is a 6-week intensive online course designed to help guide women to ditch the diets and learn to love their body again.

I share all the tricks I have learnt from overcoming my emotional eating and we share how simple food can be when you listen to your body instead of diets. At the end of the six weeks, women who have always struggled with their weight feel liberated from food guilt and confident to nourish their body.


Question: What's a typical days food like, for you?

Lyndi Cohen: These days, it is important to me to eat intuitively so I try to only eat when I am hungry. Some days I'm naturally more or less hungry and will adjust what I eat on those days. If I had to share an average day, it would look a little like this:

Breakfast: A small coffee + Greek yoghurt with seeds like pepitas, sunflower and flax seeds with a drizzle of honey or chopped up fresh fruit.
Lunch: A big salad with lots of mixed vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower and chickpeas or hummus. I'll also add seeds and nuts for protein and crunch. Tahini lemon dressing is my current favourite!
Afternoon snack: A piece of fresh fruit is my go to snack. I can't wait to snack on Sumo Citrus Mandarins in the afternoon when I am craving something sweet and tasty.
Dinner: Monday is fish night in our household so I either BBQ some salmon or make delicious fish tacos! On the other weeknights, we eat grilled meat like chicken with two to three serves of vegetables. I love BBQ cauliflower at the moment with a side salad of rocket, Parmesan and pear.
Snack: It is normal for me to crave chocolate after dinner but I generally choose a piece of fruit instead.


Interview by Brooke Hunter