Some harsh Easter reality - Each week I cringe as I move through the supermarket and see an enormous supply of Easter eggs and chocolate flavoured Easter buns. Remember, supermarket sales gurus know that if you can see the food, you will buy it, and hence the reason Easter eggs have been available before the Christmas tinsel was taken down. So, if you do not want to gain weight this Easter, remember the rules – no buns until Good Friday and no eggs until Easter!
Eggs Selection kJ Fat
Cadbury Easter Bunny 3740kJ 50g fat
2 Caramello Eggs 500kJ 6g fat
1 Cadbury Crème Egg 718kJ 6g fat
Lindt Gold Bunny 2270J 33g fat
3 mini eggs 560kJ 7.5g fat
Small hot cross bun (no butter) 600kJ 2 g fat
Large hot cross bun with butter 1200kJ 10g fat
Choc chip hot cross bun 1100kJ 9g fat
Monday, March 21, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
The most common reasons clients do not lose weight
Each and every week I see between 20-30 clients for weight loss at my practice in Sydney. Seeing clients is actually what I enjoy doing most, simply as every appointment teaches me another trick I can use to help my clients reach their goal weight. Inevitably, it also means identifying issues that are also preventing weight loss but in more cases than not the common dietary issues I see that are impeding weight loss are very common. So, here are the most common ones I see and my advice on how to get things moving again.
1) Eating breakfast too late
Yes, it is calories in versus calories out but there is also no doubt that the earlier you eat breakfast, the better it is for your metabolic rate. Ideally aim to eat your breakfast before 8am and don’t forget the importance of getting a good mix of both carbs and protein.
2) Not enough salad at lunchtime
Ideally we need at least 1-2 cups of salad or vegetables at lunchtime to get the bulk and fibre we need to keep us full throughout the afternoon. For most of us, this means we need to increase this component of us lunch, even if it means taking an extra carrot or cucumber with you to munch on through the afternoon.
3) Dinner too late
The later you have your dinner, the smaller it needs to be. If you regularly find yourself eating after 8pm at night, try having a more substantial lunch and afternoon tea and aim for just 1 small bowl of vegetables and one of meat and carbs at night.
4) Overdoing it at restaurants and parties
Eating out is a common part of busy life and for many of us is no longer an occasional treat. For this reason we still have to be careful. Make sure you eat a filling protein rich snack such as a shake, cheese and crackers or vege sticks with hommus an hour before you go out so you do not get overly hungry and overeat high fat, high calorie restaurant or party food.
1) Eating breakfast too late
Yes, it is calories in versus calories out but there is also no doubt that the earlier you eat breakfast, the better it is for your metabolic rate. Ideally aim to eat your breakfast before 8am and don’t forget the importance of getting a good mix of both carbs and protein.
2) Not enough salad at lunchtime
Ideally we need at least 1-2 cups of salad or vegetables at lunchtime to get the bulk and fibre we need to keep us full throughout the afternoon. For most of us, this means we need to increase this component of us lunch, even if it means taking an extra carrot or cucumber with you to munch on through the afternoon.
3) Dinner too late
The later you have your dinner, the smaller it needs to be. If you regularly find yourself eating after 8pm at night, try having a more substantial lunch and afternoon tea and aim for just 1 small bowl of vegetables and one of meat and carbs at night.
4) Overdoing it at restaurants and parties
Eating out is a common part of busy life and for many of us is no longer an occasional treat. For this reason we still have to be careful. Make sure you eat a filling protein rich snack such as a shake, cheese and crackers or vege sticks with hommus an hour before you go out so you do not get overly hungry and overeat high fat, high calorie restaurant or party food.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Should you keep a food diary?
For a number of my nutrition consulting years I was not the biggest fan of clients keeping a food diary. I felt that it tended to make people more obsessed with eating, and more likely to be exceptionally strict with their diet before falling off the rails and feeling “bad” about it
10 years later, as my clinical dietetic experience has grown, I am now much more of a fan of the food diary. Keeping a diary during periods in which you are actively trying to lose weight can be one of the best tools you can utilize to get an idea of what you really are eating and what you are doing wrong when it comes to weight loss. All of a sudden those extra calories coming from added sauces and treats are real, as is the number of calories you are eating especially when eating out. In fact, an active diet diary that you can fill out online, which gives you all of this information is often all you need to keep your diet on track, long term.
Keeping a regular record of what you eat is likely to support weight control for several reasons. First of all it forces you to be more mindful of what you are putting into your mouth each and every day. Encouraging people to become more mindful of their food habits is a key area dietitians will often work on with clients as it is human nature to eat extra food if and when it crosses our path. As food is so readily available, it is easy to then see how easy it can be to eat small extras regularly, hence knowing that you have to write it down is also likely to make you think twice before you grab that extra biscuit with your tea or handful of lollies after dinner.
A food diary with feedback on calorie and sugar loads also helps to visually see where your calories are really coming from. All of a sudden the extra sugar in your coffee or glass of juice really starts to add up calorie wise and may not really seem worth it when these extra calories are adding up to equate to the difference between weight control or not. This is particularly useful when it comes to sauces, added sugar, dressings and oil used in cooking.
Perhaps the most beneficial aspect of keeping a food diary is that is also should see you starting to weigh your foods, especially meats, oils and dressings. In more cases than not we tend to serve ourselves much larger servings of foods than we think we do. For example, why we may think we are only eating 100g of meat, when we actually weigh it, it may be 120 or 130g. While this may not seen significant, an extar 20g of meat each adds up to give an entire extra serve of meat by the end of the week, which again could mean weight loss or not. Simply weighing and measuring our portions for a week can give huge amounts of information in terms of where we are eating much more than we think we are and as a result are taking in far more calories.
So, if you feel that you already eat well, but never get on top of your diet, even after seeing a dietitian, perhaps it is worth spending time recording your food intake for a week or two?
Check out www.biggestloserclub.com.au, for one of the most comprehensive sites you will find to support you online if you are keen to learn more about your own diet, for minimal cost, or www.calorieking.com.au for a less comprehensive site that is free of charge. You will be surprised how easy it is to stay on track with your diet when you are actively monitoring it.
10 years later, as my clinical dietetic experience has grown, I am now much more of a fan of the food diary. Keeping a diary during periods in which you are actively trying to lose weight can be one of the best tools you can utilize to get an idea of what you really are eating and what you are doing wrong when it comes to weight loss. All of a sudden those extra calories coming from added sauces and treats are real, as is the number of calories you are eating especially when eating out. In fact, an active diet diary that you can fill out online, which gives you all of this information is often all you need to keep your diet on track, long term.
Keeping a regular record of what you eat is likely to support weight control for several reasons. First of all it forces you to be more mindful of what you are putting into your mouth each and every day. Encouraging people to become more mindful of their food habits is a key area dietitians will often work on with clients as it is human nature to eat extra food if and when it crosses our path. As food is so readily available, it is easy to then see how easy it can be to eat small extras regularly, hence knowing that you have to write it down is also likely to make you think twice before you grab that extra biscuit with your tea or handful of lollies after dinner.
A food diary with feedback on calorie and sugar loads also helps to visually see where your calories are really coming from. All of a sudden the extra sugar in your coffee or glass of juice really starts to add up calorie wise and may not really seem worth it when these extra calories are adding up to equate to the difference between weight control or not. This is particularly useful when it comes to sauces, added sugar, dressings and oil used in cooking.
Perhaps the most beneficial aspect of keeping a food diary is that is also should see you starting to weigh your foods, especially meats, oils and dressings. In more cases than not we tend to serve ourselves much larger servings of foods than we think we do. For example, why we may think we are only eating 100g of meat, when we actually weigh it, it may be 120 or 130g. While this may not seen significant, an extar 20g of meat each adds up to give an entire extra serve of meat by the end of the week, which again could mean weight loss or not. Simply weighing and measuring our portions for a week can give huge amounts of information in terms of where we are eating much more than we think we are and as a result are taking in far more calories.
So, if you feel that you already eat well, but never get on top of your diet, even after seeing a dietitian, perhaps it is worth spending time recording your food intake for a week or two?
Check out www.biggestloserclub.com.au, for one of the most comprehensive sites you will find to support you online if you are keen to learn more about your own diet, for minimal cost, or www.calorieking.com.au for a less comprehensive site that is free of charge. You will be surprised how easy it is to stay on track with your diet when you are actively monitoring it.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Can you believe how many foods have MSG added?
In the 1980”s and 90’s “No Added MSG” became a common claim on many different food products after the flavour enhancer was linked to a number of side effects including increased heart rate, skin rashes and hyperactivity. Even I was surprised last week after checking a few labels of popular snack foods and sauces to find that many of them are once again using various flavour enhancers. While it may be “safe” for many of us to consume these additives, a broader nutritional issue is that the more of these rich flavours we consume, the more we tend to want which may be the very reason that many of us can polish off an entire packet of richly flavoured potato chips or cheese snacks. From this perspective, the less we have of these “flavour enhancers”, the better.
Food Additives What is it?
Red Rock Deli Chips HoneySoy 621, 627, 631 MSG, Disodium guanylate
Fantastic Noodles 627, 631 Disodium inosinate
Fantastic Delites Crackers 621, 635 MSG, Disodium ribonucleotides
Twisties, Burger Rings 621 MSG
Indo Mie Noodles 621, 631, 627 MSG
Fantastic Rice Crackers 627, 631 Disodium inosinate
Maggi Super Noodles 621 MSG
Maggi 2 Minutes Noodles 621, 635 MSG
Food Additives What is it?
Red Rock Deli Chips HoneySoy 621, 627, 631 MSG, Disodium guanylate
Fantastic Noodles 627, 631 Disodium inosinate
Fantastic Delites Crackers 621, 635 MSG, Disodium ribonucleotides
Twisties, Burger Rings 621 MSG
Indo Mie Noodles 621, 631, 627 MSG
Fantastic Rice Crackers 627, 631 Disodium inosinate
Maggi Super Noodles 621 MSG
Maggi 2 Minutes Noodles 621, 635 MSG
Monday, February 21, 2011
The best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour
A few weeks back after I wrote on “When people do not respond the way that you want them to”, I got a lot of feedback. It seems that such interactions were familiar to a number of us as we interact with others on a daily basis.
Following on from that discussion is learning to identify the personal attributes of others that warrant our love and attention – the core personality traits that we all covet but perhaps far fewer achieve – generosity, loyalty, honesty, kindness, thoughtfulness, humour and hope among others, as opposed to the less attractive qualities of insincerity, dishonesty, selfishness, self absorption, unreliability, aggressiveness and intolerance. Of course at different times, on any given day we can all possess these qualities BUT it is their ongoing presence that tends to pose an issue in our regular interactions.
One thing to consider if you find yourself in a rather toxic interaction is that when it really comes down to it, the people involved will often demonstrate their undesirable traits early in the interaction. Deeply entrenched personality characteristics, will often be noticeable at some level in both personal and professional interactions. The trick for most of us to be observant to these traits, and make a conscious decision early on, before we let new people into our inner sanctum, as to the level at which we want these people to be involved in our lives. When it comes to interactions we cannot avoid, at work for example, isolating the undesirable characteristic if the person in question will help manage your response to it., again potentially limiting the contact you have with these people.
If you time and time again find yourself in less than ideal relationships, it may be time to ask yourself how good your people radar is and who are the types of people you want to spend your time with? If it is kindness, thoughtfulness and generosity you claim to prefer, perhaps it is time to start seeking it and ridding yourself of the traits dragging you down, especially in our precious, personal down time.
Following on from that discussion is learning to identify the personal attributes of others that warrant our love and attention – the core personality traits that we all covet but perhaps far fewer achieve – generosity, loyalty, honesty, kindness, thoughtfulness, humour and hope among others, as opposed to the less attractive qualities of insincerity, dishonesty, selfishness, self absorption, unreliability, aggressiveness and intolerance. Of course at different times, on any given day we can all possess these qualities BUT it is their ongoing presence that tends to pose an issue in our regular interactions.
One thing to consider if you find yourself in a rather toxic interaction is that when it really comes down to it, the people involved will often demonstrate their undesirable traits early in the interaction. Deeply entrenched personality characteristics, will often be noticeable at some level in both personal and professional interactions. The trick for most of us to be observant to these traits, and make a conscious decision early on, before we let new people into our inner sanctum, as to the level at which we want these people to be involved in our lives. When it comes to interactions we cannot avoid, at work for example, isolating the undesirable characteristic if the person in question will help manage your response to it., again potentially limiting the contact you have with these people.
If you time and time again find yourself in less than ideal relationships, it may be time to ask yourself how good your people radar is and who are the types of people you want to spend your time with? If it is kindness, thoughtfulness and generosity you claim to prefer, perhaps it is time to start seeking it and ridding yourself of the traits dragging you down, especially in our precious, personal down time.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Jersey number or life role?
For some time now I have been trying to find some meaning in the work I do with football teams. Working with large numbers of ego driven sportsmen and their entourage may sound appealing but the work is tough at the best of times. The best way I can think to describe it is using the words of the Cold Play song, Talk, "And I feel like they are talking in a language I don't speak, and they are talking it to me".
And now, many years after I was told by the coach of the first team I ever worked with at the innocent age of 20, "Why the f**k do you want to do this?", and as I contemplate my future as a sports dietitian, all of a sudden things have become crystal clear for me. Male team sport is simple a metaphor for the way men work and behave in life, all you need to know is what position they played. The information I have gathered from hundreds of players, coaches and support staff has actually given me all the information on men I will need for the rest of my life.
See if any of these descriptions sounds familiar to you-
Fullbacks (1 or 15) - often a humble type. Has the opportunity to display pure athletic brilliance but also f**ks it up completely on occasions which tends to keep him nice and grounded.
Wingers (2,5, 13, 11) - spends plenty of time on another planet. Often not part of the core "male team" as visiting another world. Born quick so has not needed to spend any time developing other core skills and hence fairly non committal at the best of times.
Centres (12,14, 3,4) - has the rare opportunity to be both big and buffed and for this reason, rule the roost, particularly with younger players. Have successfully managed to do as little as they may like on the field while still scoring plenty of tries. Popular with the ladies and frequently spotted shirtless. Parade around the club and in life in general, always getting what they want. Suit self employment or modelling.
5/8 (10, 6) - a unique individual. Success depends on his halfback and hence is often a shy type, with amazing skills that are only fully exposed once you know them. The quiet achiever and extremely trustworthy. Makes a good captain, team leader or boss.
Half (9,7) - a self absorbed type. Never makes a good captain as too worried about how his own game will fare. Often become coaches in his other life to achieve the goals he never made in rugby himself. Intense, absent and focused. Works best alone.
Flanker (6/7) - likes to think he is different from the pack, especially as his position does not even exist in league. A nice match between brains and brawn although this should never be mentioned as this type is confident enough without compliments.
Lock (8) - any man who chooses to go it alone at the back rather than stick it out with the boys is a cult leader. His confidence demands respect from both men and swooning women which can be sickening if left unmanaged. Best for coaches to tone this one down before you lose control of him forever.
2nd row (4,5, 12, 11) - the shy insecure type, which is surprising given their size. They prefer to stick together with their mates rather than go it alone so never try and rely on this one in an emergency, they will always let you down. The gentle giants.
Hooker (2,9) - the clown of the group and always up for a laugh. Nothing is taken seriously but a true team man. Anyone who is going to put their head where he does is surely a brave man and the one we would all pick if a war was looming- yes?
Front row (1,3, 8, 10) -these boys like it kept extremely simple-"go hard and straight" is their motto. Are disinterested in complex situations that require thinking and much prefer instant gratification to any long term investments. Are prepared to risk everything for the boys and this is their mantra for life in general.
So next time you are with a rugby player; ex or current, the only thing you need to ask him is; "What position did you play?", because it will tell you everything you need to know.
**Please note, any likeness to real players is coincidental only
And now, many years after I was told by the coach of the first team I ever worked with at the innocent age of 20, "Why the f**k do you want to do this?", and as I contemplate my future as a sports dietitian, all of a sudden things have become crystal clear for me. Male team sport is simple a metaphor for the way men work and behave in life, all you need to know is what position they played. The information I have gathered from hundreds of players, coaches and support staff has actually given me all the information on men I will need for the rest of my life.
See if any of these descriptions sounds familiar to you-
Fullbacks (1 or 15) - often a humble type. Has the opportunity to display pure athletic brilliance but also f**ks it up completely on occasions which tends to keep him nice and grounded.
Wingers (2,5, 13, 11) - spends plenty of time on another planet. Often not part of the core "male team" as visiting another world. Born quick so has not needed to spend any time developing other core skills and hence fairly non committal at the best of times.
Centres (12,14, 3,4) - has the rare opportunity to be both big and buffed and for this reason, rule the roost, particularly with younger players. Have successfully managed to do as little as they may like on the field while still scoring plenty of tries. Popular with the ladies and frequently spotted shirtless. Parade around the club and in life in general, always getting what they want. Suit self employment or modelling.
5/8 (10, 6) - a unique individual. Success depends on his halfback and hence is often a shy type, with amazing skills that are only fully exposed once you know them. The quiet achiever and extremely trustworthy. Makes a good captain, team leader or boss.
Half (9,7) - a self absorbed type. Never makes a good captain as too worried about how his own game will fare. Often become coaches in his other life to achieve the goals he never made in rugby himself. Intense, absent and focused. Works best alone.
Flanker (6/7) - likes to think he is different from the pack, especially as his position does not even exist in league. A nice match between brains and brawn although this should never be mentioned as this type is confident enough without compliments.
Lock (8) - any man who chooses to go it alone at the back rather than stick it out with the boys is a cult leader. His confidence demands respect from both men and swooning women which can be sickening if left unmanaged. Best for coaches to tone this one down before you lose control of him forever.
2nd row (4,5, 12, 11) - the shy insecure type, which is surprising given their size. They prefer to stick together with their mates rather than go it alone so never try and rely on this one in an emergency, they will always let you down. The gentle giants.
Hooker (2,9) - the clown of the group and always up for a laugh. Nothing is taken seriously but a true team man. Anyone who is going to put their head where he does is surely a brave man and the one we would all pick if a war was looming- yes?
Front row (1,3, 8, 10) -these boys like it kept extremely simple-"go hard and straight" is their motto. Are disinterested in complex situations that require thinking and much prefer instant gratification to any long term investments. Are prepared to risk everything for the boys and this is their mantra for life in general.
So next time you are with a rugby player; ex or current, the only thing you need to ask him is; "What position did you play?", because it will tell you everything you need to know.
**Please note, any likeness to real players is coincidental only
Saturday, February 5, 2011
When people do not respond the way we want them to
Sharing particular facets of information with those closest and most important to us, whether it is announcing a new relationship or pregnancy, outlining a disappointment, planning a break up, or discussing personal achievement or career aspiration creates a special, intimate point in time between two people. In an ideal scenario, the receiver of “news”, and both good and bad, will share in their mate’s emotional state, acknowledging, celebrating or empathising where appropriate. Here, each participant in the interaction has responded or behaved in the right way, leaving both parties sure of where they currently stand in the relationship.
In a less than ideal situation, our friend or confidante fails to give us the emotional support we were looking for. They could be disinterested, annoyed, perhaps not so happy for us or simply fail to acknowledge the enormity of the situation for the other person.
When such a situation arises we could spend the rest of our lives wondering and trying to understand why they reacted the way they did; “I thought we were friends”, “How could she not be happy for me”, “he didn’t seem to even care that I had just lost my mother”….the examples are endless. The truth is though that nothing is achieved by wondering why someone has not responded the way we had hoped that they would. The actual issue is that we had expectations of a person that they were unable, at that particular time point to stand up to.
Now, indeed this may be a one off random occurrence for this person, or it may be a more regular one where someone who you trust and look to for support is unable, for whatever reason to give it. And here, it becomes more apparent that perhaps it is us who need to be more careful in choosing those who we trust with our hearts and our souls for those who are worthy will not let us down, where as those who are not supposed to be playing the roles we have defined for them, tend to falter.
In a less than ideal situation, our friend or confidante fails to give us the emotional support we were looking for. They could be disinterested, annoyed, perhaps not so happy for us or simply fail to acknowledge the enormity of the situation for the other person.
When such a situation arises we could spend the rest of our lives wondering and trying to understand why they reacted the way they did; “I thought we were friends”, “How could she not be happy for me”, “he didn’t seem to even care that I had just lost my mother”….the examples are endless. The truth is though that nothing is achieved by wondering why someone has not responded the way we had hoped that they would. The actual issue is that we had expectations of a person that they were unable, at that particular time point to stand up to.
Now, indeed this may be a one off random occurrence for this person, or it may be a more regular one where someone who you trust and look to for support is unable, for whatever reason to give it. And here, it becomes more apparent that perhaps it is us who need to be more careful in choosing those who we trust with our hearts and our souls for those who are worthy will not let us down, where as those who are not supposed to be playing the roles we have defined for them, tend to falter.
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