Why “healthy” is a misleading word

For those of you who take an interest in what you eat, and your health in general, new product releases that claim to be the latest and greatest for health and fitness catch our attention In the past few weeks alone we have seen a new high calcium breakfast cereal, no added sugar yoghurt and the product which particularly grabbed my attention, pizza with the Heart Foundation TICK. All of these products claim to be “healthy” choices, based on their individual nutritional characteristics which have a potential selling point with consumers.

Unfortunately from a dietetic perspective, my definition of what is healthy is often very different from a high GI cereal that has calcium added; a yoghurt that contains artificial sweetener or a brand of pizza which may have a TICK but which also contains >90g of total carbohydrate which is the carbohydrate equivalent to 6+ slices of bread.

Another more general example of this can be demonstrated if we consider the nutritional profile of ice cream versus yoghurt. Ice cream is generally thought of as a product that is far less healthy than yoghurt but if you consider that a tub of yoghurt can contain up to 30g of total carbohydrate and >200 calories compared to an ice cream such as Paddle Pop MOO which contains <100 calories and just 20g of total carbohydrate, you can again see that it can be easy to be mislead by products that are routinely put into a “healthy” category.

What is healthy or not for an individual comes down to how many calories the food has; the type of carbohydrate and fat it contains and what else it offers nutritionally, not just one of these characteristics. And like everything in life, if a food seems and tastes too good to still be low in calories and carbohydrates, it usually is.

Is McDonalds really that bad?

The perception of what is healthy is often very different to what the science would suggest. In fact you may be surprised to hear that the fried foods from McDonalds are actually much better nutritionally than fried foods found at the other major fast food chains. Can you believe it?

Fast food; whether it is pizza, burgers, chips or wraps contains a significant amount of fat, and the majority of the fast food chains use palm oil or other hydrogenated vegetable oils to cook their food in. Not only are these oils a nightmare nutritionally, but the growing of the crops used to make these oils can be linked to the destruction of vast areas of forests in countries including Malaysia, which has put significant pressure on a number of endangered species including tigers and orangutans.

A few years back, McDonalds committed to using vegetable oils that have much more favourable nutritional profiles, which means that even though your burgers and fries are still high in fat, the fat is not as saturated, making it better for the heart. Now, this does not mean you have permission to indulge in high fat foods more than once a week, but it does mean that choosing Macca’s will be better than the other popular pizza, chicken and burger options.

Is McDonalds really that bad?

The perception of what is healthy is often very different to what the science would suggest. In fact you may be surprised to hear that the fried foods from McDonalds are actually much better nutritionally than fried foods found at the other major fast food chains. Can you believe it?

Fast food; whether it is pizza, burgers, chips or wraps contains a significant amount of fat, and the majority of the fast food chains use palm oil or other hydrogenated vegetable oils to cook their food in. Not only are these oils a nightmare nutritionally, but the growing of the crops used to make these oils can be linked to the destruction of vast areas of forests in countries including Malaysia, which has put significant pressure on a number of endangered species including tigers and orangutans.

A few years back, McDonalds committed to using vegetable oils that have much more favourable nutritional profiles, which means that even though your burgers and fries are still high in fat, the fat is not as saturated, making it better for the heart. Now, this does not mean you have permission to indulge in high fat foods more than once a week, but it does mean that choosing Macca’s will be better than the other popular pizza, chicken and burger options.

Theme park outrage

As an Australian, it is highly likely that you have been to Dream World or Sea World at some point in your lives. It is also highly likely that you mum, or girlfriend or wife packed some food to take with you for the day. Sure, you enjoyed a treat of ice cream or hot chips at some point during the day but you saved money and looked after your health by taking some decent food with you. No more is this the case.

Over the last week Warner Village Theme Parks has decided that we can no longer take our own food into the parks. No, it is to not protect wildlife or because they are implementing a brand new healthy menu, it is simply because they want to make sure you are buying your food there.

The decision of Warner Village Theme Parks to ban patrons from taking their own food provisions to the family focused locations is both disappointing, and quite possibly irresponsible given the current health climate in Australia which indicates that 25% of Australian children and 60% of Australian adults have significant weight issues. History indicates that the most foods available at event venues are high fat, energy dense food choices including pies, hot dogs and soft drinks. Given this decision, is Warner Village able to confirm that meal options available for families to purchase on site will be both nutritious and affordable?

We think not....at this stage anyway....

http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2009/07/28/102071_gold-coast-top-story.html

Is reduced sugar confectionery a good thing?

A media release issued by food industry giant Nestle detailing the company's plans to reduce the sugar content of its confectionery was met with mixed reviews from nutrition spokespeople last week. The main feeling was that improving a product that is 100% bad still makes the product bad.

While confectionery is never going to be on a list of healthy food options, the reality is that confectionery is not going anywhere either. If you consider that when a company the size of Nestle decides to change the nutrient composition of their products, it ultimately has an impact on the health of millions of people.

There is also a growing body of scientific evidence to show that the human brain can become primed to want increasingly sweeter food items. So, based on this reducing the sweetness of confectionery will be of benefit from population health perspective.

No one is saying that confectionery is good but at least a changed formulation may result in confectionery that is lower in calories than previously.

Now, if food companies then advertise the confectionery more in order to increase consumption; then we have a problem :)

The best meals

I am lucky to regularly eat in great restaurants all in the name of research. In the past week I have visited Glass at the Hilton, Fratelli Fresh at Potts Point and North Bondi Italian, from each of which I enjoyed scrumptious meals. But as they say, the simple meals are often the best and last night I enjoyed one of the best meals I have had in a long time. A visit to my old school saw the principal, who was my year 10 maths teacher way back in the early 1990's take myself and an old classmate who now teaches at the school to the local Italian prior to a nutrition presentation the school hosted for the parents.

The local features is your typical plastic chair, plastic flower 1980's fit out but the veal scallopine I had was one of the best I have ever tasted. So, if you are anywhere near Georges Hall, stop in and visit the crew at Lascala Italian Seafood Ristorante - you will not regret it :)

Foods that are not healthy for kids

If you have seen the new McDonald's ad on TV you could be mistaken for thinking that taking the family out for a play in the park followed by a trip to the local burger joint is a healthy thing to do. Unfortunately, while physical activity is great for kids, a high fat meal of burgers and fries is probably not the best choice to follow a family play session.

There are a number of advertisements currently been shown that send pretty mixed messages about healthy eating for kids. Take the Nutella ad for example; Nutella has a low GI because it is high in fat. A breakfast of 2 slices of toast with Nutella, milk and a piece of fruit is about double the total amount of energy a child requires for breakfast and 2 tablespoons of Nutella contains almost half a child's daily requirement of fat - so no, it is not a good breakfast choice for children.

Another example is seen in the Uncle Toby's Fruit sticks currently being plugged by none less than a sports dietitian. Each serve is packed with 16g of sugar which also means it is not such a good snack choice for children either.

It is time for food industry to stand up and take food marketing to children, directly or indirectly seriously. Featuring less than nutritionally sound food products in commercials that promote physical activity make things even more confusing for parents. Just becuase it sounds, and is made to look healthy, doesn't mean that it is.