Food Groups

Dietitians / Nutritionists often talk about the 5 main food groups: breads and cereals, vegetables, fruit,  dairy and meat or protein. This is where I often get myself in trouble or am not your standard nutritionist as I don't calorie count (or very rarely), I don't look at serve sizes or number of serves and I don't count my macro nutrients. My aim is to eat whole foods as often as possible and limit the processed stuff. However, for the point of this blog and for the February challenge we are going to do in my bootcamp I am going to talk about the 5 food groups as these are what we are going to use as a guide for the nutrition side of the challenge.

Firstly there are the grains, breads and cereals group. This was a group I struggled with the most during my uni days as part of our degree required us to follow the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (AGHE) for 2 weeks consuming the recommended serves from each of the groups. Thankfully these guidelines have now been revised and the grains group has reduced what is now classified as a serve so I find it a lot easier if you want to follow the recommendations for number of serves. The AGHE currently recommend that the average Australian adult consume 6 serves everyday. An example of a serve is 1 slice of bread, 1/2 cup cooked rice or pasta or 1/4 cup muesli. It is important to note that when consuming foods from this group you should try and choose where possible options which have not been heavily processed, so wholemeal or wholegrain.

Next are the vegetables. This is my favourite group and the one I will be concentrating my recipes on as there is such a high percentage of Australian adults who are not consuming the recommended serves for vegetables. As a mum it is also the group which is hardest to get my son to consume. The average Australian adult should consume 5-6 serves everyday. An example of a serve is 1/2 cup cooked vegetables, 1/2 cup cooked beans, 1 cup salad vegetables or 1/2 medium potato. It is important when consuming foods from this group that you aim for a variety and a lot of people would have heard me say to EAT A RAINBOW!

Fruits, are probably the easiest for kids to meet and my son will happily consume fruit as a snack and would eat more that the recommended daily intake but as adults we sometimes struggle. The AGHE recommend that we consume 2 serves of fruit everyday. An example of a serve is 1 medium apple or banana, 2 apricots, 1 cup diced fruit or 1/2 cup fruit juice. While fruit juice and dried fruit are both included in the serves of fruit these should not be consumed on a daily basis as they are higher in sugar when compared to whole fruit such as an orange.

Dairy is often a food group which is cut out completely during weight loss as it is typically high in fat, however it is an extremely important group and one that should not be neglected. Yes it has fat in it but it also has protein and calcium which help our muscles and bones to stay strong and healthy. It is recommended that we consume 2.5 serves everyday, according to the AGHE we should also try to consume low fat options where possible, something I do not agree with but it is up to individual preference. Serve size examples include : 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup evaporated milk, 2 slices of cheese or 3/4 cup yoghurt. For those who are lactose intolerant but need to increase their calcium intake good options include 100g almonds, 60g sardines or 100g firm tofu.

The last food group is the meat or protein group. This is the group which is the most overconsumed group of all, especially among adult men. It is recommended that we consume 2.5 to 3 serves everyday. Examples of serve sizes are 65g cooked lean red meat, 80g cooked lean poultry or 100g cooked fish. Non meat alternatives include 2 eggs, 170g tofu or 1 cup cooked beans/peas.

Now most of this is just to refresh your memories as I know most if not all of you would know what the 5 food groups are and maybe even how much of each group to consume. Feb's challenge is not going to focus on serve sizes or number of serves from each group but more at consuming from these food groups as opposed to eating from the 'sometimes foods'. I look forward to going more into that on the bootcamp page closer to Feb.

Simone
xx

Setting realistic goals for the new year

It is that time of year where almost everyone sets new year's resolutions with the most common being related to health or fitness. So today I am going to talk about setting goals and making sure they are realistic. 

Firstly the big thing is don't go out too fast too soon. If you are someone who has not worked out in years it's not a great idea to set yourself a goal of working out twice a day, 7 days a week because you are likely to get a few days in and feel exhausted, sore which may result in you giving up all together.

Secondly it's important to ensure you find something you enjoy doing or do it with someone you enjoy spending time with. For example if you are someone who finds running really boring it's probably not a great idea to take up running 3x a week, you could however choose to go for a hike or a walk at the beach with friends or family which you may find enjoyable and may not notice the amount of steps you clock up and calories you burn. Other good options are group fitness classes, swimming or being active with the kids.

Thirdly, make sure your goals have a purpose. You may be thinking you want to lose weight because you want to be able to play with the kids more, or you want to increase your incidental exercise so you can remain active as you get older and reduce your chance of injury. By having a purpose you are more likely to stick to it. Make sure it is something that you want to do, not something you feel like you need to do. If you set yourself something that is positive and something you want to achieve you are more likely to stick to it. 

Make the goal specific. Instead of saying I am going to lose weight, state I am going to lose 2kgs a month for 6 months. This way you know exactly how much you want to lose and the time frame in which you want to lose it. It's also important to set both short term and long term goals. It's no good saying I am going to lose 20kgs without setting smaller goals to keep you on track and so you don't feel like you are putting in a lot of effort with no results. 

Making goals are personal and should be something each of us come up with ourselves, not goals that others set for us. So what are your goals for 2017??

I hope this has helped for you to make realistic goals around your health and wellness for this year

Simone
xx

Recipe : pumpkin and spinach risotto

Pumpkin and Spinach Risotto

Serves 4

Ingredients:
400g pumpkin
4 large handfuls of baby spinach
6 cups vegetable stock
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
240g aborio rice
olive oil
oil spray

Method:
Preheat oven to 180 and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Peel and chop pumpkin into small cubes and place on the baking paper, spray with oil and place in oven and cook for approximately 25 minutes or until slightly roasted
Heat oil in a saucepan and cook onion and garlic until onion is transparent, add rice and cook until fragrant (a couple of minutes)
Add 2 cups of stock and cook until almost all the stock is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Continue this adding stock one cup at a time. This should take approximately 30 minutes until all stock is used and rice is al dente
Gently stir in pumpkin and spinach and cook until heated through
Serve and enjoy

This recipe was adapted from Kayla Itsines recipe book. Tip add other roast vegetables to the mix along with the pumpkin. This is a great way to use up excess vegetables in your fridge

Recipe for nice cream

If you haven't heard of nice cream and are a big ice cream fan this recipe will be right up your ally! I only tried this for the first time a few weeks ago and absolutely loved it. I could have eaten it by the bucket load. The good thing about this recipe is it has so many variations and you can really make it your own based on what you like.

Choc Almond Nice Cream

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 frozen banana

1 1/2 tablespoons almond, coconut and cacao nut butter

1/4 cup milk

Method:

Blend all ingredients together in a food processor, adding a little more milk if required to make it your desired consistency and place in bowl. Shave a small amount of dark chocolate on top and enjoy!

Alternatives - cashew butter or frozen berries or cacao powder

Recipe for Healthy Potato Bake with baked chicken

I have been doing a lot of cooking and baking of late to make some healthy meals and thought I would share a few of the recipes with you today

Vegetable bake with Chicken

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato

5 potatoes
3 large handfuls baby spinach
1 brown onion
2 carrots
2 tins diced tomatoes
1 small tin coconut milk
2 chicken breast fillets

Method:
Preheat oven to 180. Slice sweet potato, potatoes, onion and carrots into approximately 1cm thick slices. Place into a casserole dish with baby spinach, diced tomatoes and coconut milk and toss until all combined. Cook for 50 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
Meanwhile place 2 chicken breasts on a tray and bake for 25 minutes or until baked through.
Slice up chicken breasts
Place Vegetable bake onto plates and arrange chicken on top

Feel free to add any other vegetables you enjoy - turnip, swede and pumpkin would all be great additions

Alcohol and how it may impact your weight loss journey

Let's face it we all enjoy a glass or two of alcohol, be it wine, beer or spirits, every now and then particularly coming into the silly season of Christmas, New Years and all those endless parties. So can I still drink alcohol and lose weight? Or at the very least can I still drink alcohol and maintain my current weight? In short alcohol of any kind is not great for weight loss as it is what I call 'empty calories' (meaning you get no nutritional benefits for the amount of calories you are consuming), it also promotes fat storage and decreases muscle growth. Once you begin consuming alcohol it takes away the glycogen built up in our livers which makes us hungry meaning not only are we consuming the empty calories of the alcohol but we are also more likely to consume fatty take away foods which also sabotage our weight loss.

Alcohol can impact on the liver, stomach and kidneys due to it irritating the lining of the stomach and gradually weakening the kidneys and liver meaning all 3 don't work as efficiently as our bodies require them to. If these organs are impaired we will not be able to break down our food as effectively which will effect our ability to absorb nutrients and maintain a healthy body. So how is alcohol absorbed? Alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream extremely quickly with approximately 25% absorbed in the stomach and the remainder through the small bowel. Absorption is affected by food in the stomach (drinking on a full stomach slows absorption of the alcohol), carbonation of the drink being consumed (champagne is absorbed quicker then non-sparkling wine) and the concentration of alcohol within the drink (the higher the concentration the faster it is absorbed so choose low alcohol options). At least 90% of the alcohol is processed in the liver taking approximately 10 hours per standard drink to be completely processed by the body. This is why we can offer wake up after a big night out still feeling intoxicated and why police are often doing RBTs in the morning as it is likely you would still be over the limit.

Something you need to keep in mind is for every gram/ml of alcohol you consume that is 7 calories or 29KJ. If you think about that the AVERAGE Australian male should consume 8700KJ per day. This is all the drinks, main meals and snacks throughout the day. And I say average because this does not fit for everyone, if you are someone who is really active then you may need to consume more than this, there are many factors which influence the amount of kilojoules we should consume each day including gender, age, fitness levels and ethnicity. So what are the best options when consuming alcohol this festive season?

Common drinks and calorie/kilojoule content:
Beer - 139 calories / 581KJ
Light Beer - 104 calories / 435KJ
Wine - 120 calories / 502KJ
Cider - 210 calories / 879KJ
Vodka and club soda - 64 calories / 268KJ
Champagne - 84 calories / 351KJ
Rum and coke (small glass at pub) - 120 calories / 500KJ
Sangria - 167 calories / 698KJ
Martini - 69 calories / 289KJ
Vodka and 1/2 can red bull - 110 calories / 460KJ

It is also really important to keep up water intake throughout the night as well as alcohol can cause dehydration, leading to headaches and feelings of fatigue so try and match your alcohol glass for glass with water.

Hopefully this helps you to choose your alcohol wisely if you are looking at losing weight or going out throughout the next couple of months.

Simone
xx

Are all fats bad for me?

A lot of people when they start up a new healthy eating plan or diet tend to cut out all fat thinking this is the enemy and will help them to lose fat. While it is true when it comes to things like McDonald's, KFC, chips and other take away or 'junk' food it is not true across the board for all fats. Fat is essential for us to lead a healthy lifestyle and our bodies to work at it's optimum level but we need to ensure that we consume the right types of fat. It's important to read the labels and understand the difference between saturated, unsaturated and trans fats.

Saturated fats are often referred to as the 'bad fats' and are both animal and plant based and are typically solid at room temperature. They have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke and high blood cholesterol levels. Sources of saturated fats are dairy foods, meat, palm oil, coconut oil, coconut milk and cream, cooking margarine and lard. It is also commonly found in packaged foods like potato chips, crackers, cakes, high fat muffins, deep fried take away foods, pastries, pies and sweet and savoury biscuits. When choosing meat products it's important to trim off or drain as much excess fat as possible.

Unsaturated fats are often referred to as the 'healthy fats' and these help to reduce the risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol levels. There are two different types of unsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats, both have slightly different chemical structures. Unsaturated fats are commonly liquids at room temperature with common sources being omega 3, omega 6 fatty acids found, fish, oils, nuts as well as avocados. It's important to still consume these in moderation despite them being the healthier alternative as too much of anything can cause weight gain.

Trans fats are processed unsaturated fats which means that they act in a similar way to saturated fats and can increase the risk of heart disease. It is important to limit the intake of trans fats to maintain a healthy diet. There are typically found in packaged foods as well as butter and some margarines, similar to saturated fats. 

Cholesterol is a type of fat found in our bodies and more and more people are being diagnosed with high cholesterol levels. It was long believed that consuming large amounts of food containing cholesterol you were at a higher risk of high blood cholesterol levels. It has now been shown that consuming high levels of saturated or trans fats pose a greater risk to high cholesterol levels than those foods which contain unsaturated fats. Cholesterol plays many important roles in the body including production of hormones, bile and vitamin D.

Hope this helps to break down the myth of fats and that not all fat is the same

Simone xx