Maureen Partridge Bone Health Boosting Meal and Exercise Plan Interview

Maureen Partridge Bone Health Boosting Meal and Exercise Plan Interview

In a bid to help Australians boost their calcium levels, Pauls has partnered with health and fitness enthusiast Maureen Partridge, to develop a Bone Health Boosting Meal & Exercise Plan (www.pauls.com.au) featuring Pauls PhysiCAL Milk. Maureen is mother of much-loved Australian personal trainer and TV personality Michelle Bridges and they clearly have a lot in common.

Full of simple, delicious recipes and easy exercise ideas, Maureen Partridge's 7 day plan draws on Maureen's experience of home-cooking for her family and takes inspiration from her fabulously active lifestyle. The recipes, which are inspired by the Pauls PhysiCAL Milk range, are delicious, fresh, quick and easy, while the exercises include a variety of weight-bearing exercises that Maureen incorporates into her daily routine for improved bone strength.

'Now into my sixties and with a diagnosis of early osteoporosis, I know it's more important than ever to look after the health of my bones through diet and exercise," says Maureen. 'So many people think they're getting enough calcium, but I've recently discovered that the average intake of calcium in women is 25-40% lower than recommended."

'I want to encourage everyone to take simple steps to boost their bone health. Pauls PhysiCAL makes it easy. It's so simple to substitute for regular milk, and it tastes great."

Maureen's meal plan includes hearty yet healthy home-cooked recipes, which incorporate Pauls PhysiCAL milk for added calcium. Maureen's favourites include home baked fresh raspberry custard served with sliced nectarines, a long-standing Bridges family favourite, and zucchini, corn & chickpea fritters with fresh salsa.

Pauls PhysiCAL contains 40% more calcium than regular milk, plus added vitamin D to aid calcium absorption. In fact, just two glasses provides 100% of the recommended daily calcium intake.

The Pauls PhysiCAL milk range is available in Low Fat and Skim varieties.

To download the full 7 day Bone Health Boosting Meal and Exercise Plan by Maureen Partridge, visit www.pauls.com.au. To find out more about Maureen and see her introduce the campaign, watch the video on Facebook at facebook.com/PaulsDairy.

The Bridges' Favourite Little Raspberry Custards

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2

Ingredients
Custards:

125g fresh raspberries
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 cup Pauls PhysiCAL low fat milk
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 teaspoons cornflour

To Serve:
1 teaspoon icing sugar, to serve
Fresh raspberries

Method
1. Preheat oven to 1800C. Divide raspberries between two 1 1/3 capacity shallow oven-proof dishes. Place dishes in a baking pan.
2. Place eggs, egg yolk, milk, caster sugar, vanilla and cornflour in a small food processor and process until well combined. Pour over raspberries.
3. Fill the baking dish with boiling water until it comes half-way up the sides of the dishes. Bake for 30 -35 minutes or until just set. Remove the custards from water bath and rest 10 minutes before serving.
4. Just before serving dust lightly with sifted icing sugar and decorate with a few fresh raspberries

Get up and Goji Gym Smoothie

Preparation time: 3 minutes + 5 minutes soaking time

Ingredients

2/3 cup Pauls low-fat PhysiCAL milk
1/3 cup Pauls All Natural 99.8% fat free Yoghurt
2 tablespoons dried Goji berries
1/4 cup boiling water
1/3 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 banana, chopped
2 teaspoons brown linseed (optional)
1/2 cup ice cubes (see tip)

Method
1. Place Goji berries and boiling water in a small heatproof bowl. Stand for 5 minutes.
2. Place undrained Goji berries into a blender with all remaining ingredients and blend well.
3. Pour into a tall glass. Serve immediately.

TIP: Ensure your blender is suitable to crush ice. If not, place the ice in a freezer bag and hit with a rolling pin until crushed, then add to your blender.

Interview with Maureen Partridge

Question: What a can you tell us about your Bone Health Boosting Meal and Exercise Plan?

Maureen Partridge: A few years ago I was diagnosed with early osteoporosis and realised how important it is to look after your bone health. Like so many people I assumed I was getting enough calcium, but I've recently discovered that the average intake in Australian women is about 25-40% lower than recommended. I created this seven day meal and exercise plan to encourage everyone to take simple steps to boost their bone health. It includes my favourite, simple, calcium rich recipes, inspired by the Pauls PhysiCAL milk range, and a variety of weight-bearing exercises – making it easy to look after your bones!


Question: What inspired the creation of this meal and exercise plan?

Maureen Partridge: I was inspired to create the plan to encourage other people to look after their bone health – and show how easy this is to do. The plan itself draws from my own diet and fitness regime, which has become a real focus since my osteoporosis diagnosis. It includes lots of fresh, easy and delicious home cooked meals that help me meet my daily calcium needs and variety of bone strengthening exercises that I love to do.


Question: What type of exercise is included in the Bone Health Boosting Exercise Plan?

Maureen Partridge: The exercise suggestions in my plan are all inspired by my own exercise regime, which includes going to the gym four times a week for mixture of classes, including aerobics, body pump and body balance, which help to build bone strength through baring weights. In between I'm always active – I love going for brisk walks and volunteer with my local Lions Club, which keeps me on my feet. I also have a new found passion for New Vogue dancing which I do every Saturday night!


Question: How did your daughter, Michelle Bridges, help you with this plan?

Maureen Partridge: Whilst Michelle wasn't directly involved in creating the plan she has definitely had an influence on my fitness regime, reflected in the plan. I used to do lots of swimming and yoga but after my osteoporosis diagnosis Michelle told me that I needed to get into the gym and start lifting weights! I now do regular weight baring exercises which you'll see in my plan, because these are great for building bone strength and now thoroughly enjoy them.


Question: Who is the Bone Health Boosting Meal and Exercise Plan plan for?

Maureen Partridge: For anyone who wants to look after their bone health – which most of us could do a better job at doing! The program takes a balanced approach to both diet and exercise. That said, you should always seek advice from a qualified healthcare professional before changing your diet or exercise regime and for specific individual advice.


Question: How will this program help those at risk of osteoporosis?

Maureen Partridge: With the plan I hope to show how easy it is to get your recommended daily intake of calcium, which is really important for good bone health – key to preventing and managing conditions such as osteoporosis and the risk of broken bones later in life. All of my recipes include Pauls PhysiCAL milk which includes 40% more calcium than regular milk, plus added vitamin D to aid calcium absorption. By incorporating just two glasses into your diet throughout the day, for example by adding to soup, or mashed potato, it's surprisingly easy to get your recommended daily intake. This is supported by regular weight baring exercise which is also important to strengthen bones.


Question: Can you share with us one of your favourite recipes from the Bone Health Boosting Meal and Exercise Plan?

Maureen Partridge: I love all the recipes in my plan but one of my favourites is the home baked Little Raspberry Custards, which I used to cook for Michelle's Nana. I make these with Pauls PhysiCAL low fat milk so (as well as being a delicious treat!) they are a great way to boost your calcium intake and not too heavy on the calories. Another favourite is the Zucchini, Corn & Chickpea Fritter topped with a delicious fresh veggie salsa for a tasty and healthy lunch. I also love to whizz up my smoothie before heading to the gym, which provides lots of calcium, vitamins and minerals – perfect to fuel my workout.

 

Crispy Corn & Zucchini Fritters with Tomato & Avocado Salsa

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves: 2

Ingredients
Fritters
3/4 cup drained canned chickpeas
1 zucchini (100g), coarsely grated
1/2 cup drained canned corn kernels
1/2 cup packed coriander leaves, finely chopped, plus extra, to serve
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/3 cup, plus 1 tablespoon Pauls PhysiCAL low fat milk
1 egg
3/4 cup self-raising flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Olive oil spray
Pauls sour light cream, to serve

Salsa
1 tomato, diced
1 avocado, diced
1/4 small red onion, diced
1 small red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
2 teaspoons lime juice

Method
1. Prepare salsa. Combine all salsa ingredients. Cover and set aside.
2. Prepare fritters. Place chickpeas in a small food processor and process until finely chopped. Place in a medium bowl. Add zucchini, corn, coriander leaves, green onions, garlic and cumin. Stir to combine. Whisk milk and egg together in a separate bowl; add to chickpea mixture and stir to combine. Gradually stir in the sifted flour and salt.
3. Cook. Spray a large non-stick frying pan with the olive oil spray. Place over a medium-high heat. Using 1/3 cup mixture per fritter, cook 4 fritters for 3 minutes each side or until golden brown and cooked through. Repeat with remaining mixture. Serve the fritters with salsa and sour cream.

 

You should seek advice from a qualified healthcare professional before changing your diet or exercise regime and for specific individual dietary and exercise advice.

Interview by Brooke Hunter