A healthy diet and active lifestyle are two things that must go hand-in-hand. An active lifestyle with a poor diet can do more harm than good, whilst a healthy diet but an inactive lifestyle is akin to filling your brand new car with petrol - but leaving it parked in the driveway collecting dust.

Simple events including children's sports clinics, a morning walk with the family dog or even a friendly game of hide-and-seek in the backyard, are perfect opportunities for families to incorporate a healthy diet into their daily lifestyles.

A tasty fruit smoothie rather than a glass of soft-drink, a fruit salad with ice-cream rather than a chocolate bar; these are all easy ways of creating a healthy and balanced diet for the whole family.

Many people cite lack of time or limited level of choice as the main deterrents to maintaining a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. However, with the range of healthy recipes and products available at LaManna Direct, a healthy lifestyle and diet is not only made possible, but also delivered directly to your door-step!

The LaManna Direct concept has opened up an entirely new range of possibilities for Australian families. The time-consuming search through busy supermarket aisles for the freshest fruit and vegetables is now a thing of the past. Instead, shoppers are now able to purchase the best quality produce direct from the wholesaler with the simple click of a mouse. This not only reduces the weekly shopping time for families, but also ensures the best quality products are received at a time when they are needed most.

To view and download healthy eating recipes supplied by the Heart Foundation click here .

Take control of your health and body with these handy little hints:

• Nutrition is about how you digest and absorb the nutrients you gain from the food you eat. For example, drinking 10 glasses of milk a day will not be beneficial if your body can only absorb the calcium from 3 glasses of milk a day. Vitamin D helps you absorb Calcium. Spend 10-15 minutes in the sun a few times a week to get the vitamin D you will need!
• Vitamins are essential to our health. While our bodies produce certain vitamins such as B12, thiamine and folic acid, most other vitamins come from the food we consume. Cooking, storage, processing and refining often strips the vitamin we need from the food we eat. Studies show that the Vitamin C concentration in potatoes are lost faster when stored in air-tight containers. Do not wash your potatoes before storage and store in a cool, dry place with air flow.