Written by Kate Bullen, APD
Just finished watching tonight's Biggest Loser. Pretty powerful stuff (ok... that might be a bit of an overstatement...) but Meg gained 4kg after consuming over 20,000kj (almost 5000calories) at temptation.
To put this in perspective - my daily energy needs are around 7,500kj (1785calories), and Meg is probably on a 6,000kj (1500calories) - or maybe even only 4,000kj (1000cal) diet.
My point of this quick post is - calories can easily add up to extra kilograms.
Thursday, March 31, 2011Tuesday, March 29, 2011CelebrationsWritten by Kate Bullen, APD We have established a bit of a tradition in our family of always making a birthday cake for whoever’s birthday it is. It was my husband’s birthday yesterday, so a week in advance my 4yo daughter took on the very important task of getting out the birthday cake cookbook and choosing a cake. At this point I usually get a bit anxious and kind of hover behind her hoping that she doesn’t choose something too complicated! Thankfully she chose the ice-cream echidna. I thought that was pretty do-able and my daughter was able to give a huge helping hand. Why am I writing about this on a nutrition blog? Because food plays such an important part on creating fun and happy memories. Birthdays should be celebrated – and celebratory food is an important part of this. Think back to your childhood – what are some of your favourite memories? They are often accompanied by food. I remember having roast potatoes at birthday meals when I was a kid – this was a huge treat for us! I protected these roast potatoes as otherwise they were stolen by my older brothers! My 4yo daughter is aware that cakes are ‘sometimes’ food and fully embraces the fun aspect of party food. So we all enjoyed our dinner, then the birthday cake came out – ta-da!!  Certainly not perfect – but made with love. What is your favourite food memory?
Monday, March 28, 2011Recipe: Fast Fish Medley
Written by Sophie McGough APD CDE
Fast Fish Medley is a good one for those of you who are looking for a different way to have fish. It is from the Healthy Food Fast recipe book by Dept of Health WA - yes it's one of my favourites! So good to be able to pick up a recipe and not have to modify it! This recipe is extremely quick to make and contains 13 serves of vegetables. Last time I made it, I used prawns and scallops instead of the fish and it was really yummy. The 3 year old did detect the small amount of chilli in the dish (don't you just love those sensitive taste buds!), so for those of you with young children, you may wish to skip the chilli - my daughter still ate it, but whinged!! You can also add any other vegetables to suit your taste - I have added sweet corn and beans and it was delicious. Ingredients:  1 cup rice1 teaspoon olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, crushed 425g can chopped tomatoes with herbs 1 fresh red chilli, seeded and chopped 1/3 cup of red or white wine (optional) 1 medium red capsicum, seeded and chopped 1 cup frozen peas 350g white fish fillets, cut into small pieces 100g scallops or scallop pieces (optional) 1 bunch English spinach, washed, drained and chopped. Method:
Serves 4 (adults). Product Review: Muesli Bars Muesli bars can fit into one of two food groups – either as a serve from the 'breads and cereals' food group or as a serve from the ‘extras’ food group along with the cakes, biscuits and chocolates. What determines which group it belongs in is obviously the nutritional quality of the bar. For a museli bar to be considered under an essential, every day food group like 'breads and cereals', it must meet similar qualities to other healthy foods in that group. It should be low in fat (particularly saturated fat), high in fibre and preferably low in GI (glycemic index). From a kilojoule perspective, it should also not exceed 600 kJ per serve. The main ingredient should also be a wholegrain cereal e.g. wheats, oats, rye, barley. So let’s take a look at the ones I bought:
 The Uncle Tobys varieties don’t meet the fat criteria but are still low GI, a good source of fibre and pretty good from a kilojoule content. They are still OK to have, but they are just not quite as good a choice if your cholesterol level is high. Still loads better than snacking on potato chips though! The other muesli bars I would include under the ‘extras’ food group and only have them as a treat food now and again. If you compare them to other foods in this group such as chocolate, cake and biscuits, they would actually be a much better choice! Let us know if there are any other muesli bars that you would like us to review. Some of you may also be interested in us reviewing some of the children’s varieties. Alternatively, if you have some muesli bars at home – check out the packets and if they meet the recommendations, please share with our fellow readers. We have many readers from other states in Australia and overseas who may like to share some of their local muesli bar options. Sunday, March 27, 2011Kids party bags - part 2
Written by Kate Bullen, APD
The last time I wrote about kids party bags, I got some great responses. Today we went to a 2nd birthday party. My son was fast asleep, so just my 4yo and I went. We took home some great party bags, so I thought I would quickly share:   Hope everyone had a great weekend. Saturday, March 26, 2011Easy weekend lunchesWritten by Kate Bullen, APD My husband picked up a cooked chicken today (which is his all time favourite lunch food). He impresses me no end – as the first thing he does is remove all the chicken skin and throws it in the bin. Step 2 – he separates all the chicken meat and puts it in a container ready for everyone to eat. So we all had chicken and salad for lunch. My 4yo daughter had a chicken and salad sandwich (avocado instead of margarine, grated carrot, tomato and chicken), with some cucumber, snow peas, grapes and cheese on the side.  And her plate after she had finished lunch:  My 16 month old son is not really enjoying chicken on its own at the moment (this is quite common at this age as plain chicken is quite dry), so I placed his chicken separately on his plate, for him to try the chicken, and his sandwich had just carrot and avocado in it.  Healthy eating doesn’t need to be complicated, time consuming or expensive!
Friday, March 25, 2011Recipe - Salmon FishfingersWritten by Kate Bullen, APD Inspired by a recent recipe on My Kitchen Rules, I set out to make some salmon fish fingers for dinner. I try to have a fish dinner at least once a week. On this day I hadn’t prepared anything – and I have to say that anyone who wants a quick and easy meal – then this is the one for you! I timed myself – it took exactly 16 minutes from start to finish – this included getting all the vegetables cut, cooking, and plating up for the table, and having the 2 kids running around in the kitchen! I think 16 minutes is pretty do-able for a fresh, healthy and tasty recipe!  Serves 2 adults, 2 kids Preparation time: 16 minutes Ingredients 2 eggs 2 tsp sesame seeds 1/3 cup breadcrumbs 200g skinless salmon fillets, sliced into finger sized pieces 1 tbsp olive oil ½ zucchini, julienned, or sliced using a mandoline ½ broccoli, cut into bit size pieces 1 bok choy, cleaned and cut in half 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp oyster sauce Method 1. Quickly whisk 2 eggs in a bowl. Mix together sesame seeds and breadcrumbs in a separate bowl. Dip salmon pieces first into egg, then into breadcrumb mix. Place salmon on lined tray. 2. Heat non-stick frypan over medium heat and add olive oil. 3. Heat a 2nd non-stick pan/wok over medium heat and add vegetables. Stir regularly to stop them sticking. Add sauces and serve up. 4. Add salmon to fry pan and allow to cook approx 2 min each side until browned and crisp. Place salmon onto of vegetables. 5. Enjoy!
Butter versus Margarine
Written by Sophie McGough APD CDE
In the last year or so, I have been talking to more and more people whom have become very anti-margarine and very pro-butter. Their reasons general follow the theme that butter is ‘natural’ and that ‘margarine is full of trans fatty acids’ and ‘margarine is so processed and full of additives.’ I can completely understand the move towards less processed foods (and support a lot of it) but let’s make sure we get our facts right before we start putting slabs of butter on our bread. Butter is Natural! First of all, I thought it is important to address the current thinking that butter is natural and therefore good for you. Natural or not, butter still contains 50% saturated fat! Saturated fat is the type of fat that if eaten in large amounts WILL, without doubt, clog up your arteries and increase your chance of having a heart attack or stroke. Believe me – I’ve seen hundreds of people in my practice that it has happened to! Just because a food is natural and unprocessed, it doesn’t necessarily equate to it being healthier for you. ‘But a little bit of butter on my bread won’t hurt me’ Let’s put it into perspective. It is not hard to accumulate at least 1 tablespoon (20g) of butter in a day. 5 – 10g is what the average person spreads on a slice of bread. So let’s have a look at what that is equivalent to in regards to saturated fat quantity.  1 tablespoon of butter has 10.8g of saturated fat. This is equal to the same saturated fat found in:4 ½ party pies OR 100g packet of potato crisps OR 1 large lamington OR 1 Big Mac Even a Krispy Kreme Donut has less saturated fat (7.1 g) than 1 T of butter! Seriously, think about it – it you are having butter on your bread, you could be having the equivalent of a Big Mac every day! If you add a tablespoon (20g) to your cooking – that’s a Big Mac you’ve just shared with your family! Australians eat way too much saturated fat and what is most frightening is that the National Children’s Nutrition and Physical Activity survey 2007 found that our children are consuming TWICE the recommended maximum levels of saturated fat. The National Heart Foundation has a great fact on their website – ‘By switching butter for margarine on your morning toast and sandwich at lunch you are removing 3kg of saturated fat from your diet per year!’ My son weighed 3kg when he was born…..that’s a lot of saturated fat! So what about all this negative press around margarines? Let’s answer the main ones: What about Trans Fatty Acids? Trans Fatty Acids are good fats that are converted into saturated fats as a result of a process called hydrogenation. So to clarify – trans fats are not worse then saturated fat, they are both as bad as each other!  Luckily in Australia (compared to other countries like the USA) we have extremely low levels of trans fatty acids in our margarines. In fact, the level of trans fatty acids in margarines in Australia is amongst the lowest in the world.If you are worried about trans fats – pay less attention to margarine and more to the manufactured cakes, biscuits and potato crisps that have large amounts of ‘hydrogenated vegetable oils.’ In regards to saturated fat, regular margarines have about 3 – 4g in a tablespoon and some of the reduced fat or phytosterol containing spreads are as low as 1 – 2g. Is margarine is full of additives? Yes, all margarines do use additives. I have just been through some labels and checked – the main colours used are the natural colours beta-carotene or annatto. The main additive is lethicin, a natural occurring phospholipid mainly found in egg yolk and soybeans. You would use the same ‘processing’ when you bake if you add an egg to anything that requires the fat and wet ingredients to mix. They have to by law also add a small amount of Vitamin A and Vitamin D. The preservative used is potassium sorbate – which again is used at extremely low levels – you’d find more in some orange juices and baked goods. It’s a whole other post in itself but Food Standards Australia have conducted numerous studies on the level of consumption of sorbates and have always found them to be extremely low in the Australian population (even in those eating loads of baked goods, margarine and orange juice!) and their use very safe. So do you have to eat margarine if you don’t eat butter? No, not necessarily. There are other spreads out there that you may like to use - avocado, cream cheese, low fat mayo, mustard, pickles and chutneys all make great substitutes in a sandwich. Having said that, there has been some research showing that indicates canola based margarines are an easy dietary source of the omega 3 fatty acid called alpha linolenic acid, but there are other dietary sources such as flaxseed, walnuts and soybeans. I’m also not saying don’t eat butter at all. Just be aware that it is extremely high in saturated fat and it is certainly not a healthier alternative to margarine. Tuesday, March 22, 2011EggsWritten by Kate Bullen, APD Sometimes the simple things in life really are the best. For an easy lunch this week I made myself a mushroom omelette. It was incredibly satisfying – and oh so easy to make.  Which leads me to a question I am often asked ‘Are eggs good for me?’ Eggs had a bit of a bad reputation a few years ago (ok – maybe a decade ago – the years are starting to merge together…), largely because eggs contain cholesterol and everyone was scared of eating cholesterol. Now we all know that the bigger problem is actually saturated fat in foods – as that is what clogs our arteries and blocks them. Yes – eggs do have some saturated fat, but they also contain unsaturated fat (the ‘good’ fat that helps to unclog our arteries). Overall an egg has only around 5 grams of fat, with the majority of that coming from the ‘good’ unsaturated fat. More importantly, eggs are a bit of a powerhouse of nutrition – great source of protein and contain vitamin D. The next question I am usually asked is ‘how many eggs should I eat?’ The Heart Foundation recommends that you can have up to 6 eggs per week, as part of a healthy balanced diet. Which leads me to my next point – it comes down to how you cook your eggs. Boiled eggs and poached eggs can be made without added fat – brilliant. Watch what you eat with them – ie: a slice of wholegrain toast is perfect – with some avocado smeared on top is a good suggestion. Avoid adding butter/margarine. Back to my omelette lunch. I quickly whisked 1 egg with about 2 tablespoons of milk and poured it into a hot non-stick pan. Meanwhile, I chopped my 3 large mushrooms and sautéed them in a small pan with a tablespoon of water. I then added the mushrooms on top of the omelette and placed it under the grill. Three minutes later out came my omelette. I quickly grated a bit of parmesan on top, added cracked pepper and it was done. Ready to eat.
Monday, March 21, 2011Recipe: Moussaka (with Thermomix Conversion)Written by Sophie McGough APD CDE Just a note about Moussaka. It will appear quite runny/sloppy when it first comes out of the oven. Like a lasagne though, you need to let it sit and cool for a good 30 – 60 minutes prior to serving. For any of you with children – I served this up to my 8 month old tonight (obviously a mixed up version of it) and he loved it. It has been about a month since we last had Moussaka so my 3 year old took a bit of coaxing because she couldn’t remember if she liked it (yes I resorted to asking her to eat her Mooooooooosaka complete with a cow impersonation – I know I’m leaving myself wide open there!!) As usual though once she got that first spoonful in and realised that she did like it, down the hatch it went! I have cooked this recipe with and without the use of a thermomix and both have worked well. On this occasion I did use the thermomix, so I've added a conversion below for those of you that may have one. Moussaka Serves 6 Ingredients:
400g lean lamb mince 1 large onion, finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic, crushed 1 large carrot, grated 425g can crushed tomatoes (with added herbs if you don’t have any fresh) Fresh italian herbs to taste (I used oregano and basil) 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1/3 cup/60g of white wine (optional) 1 bay leaf Olive or canola oil spray 50 g Low-fat cheddar cheese, grated Pepper to taste Cheese sauce: 1 ¼ cups/300g low-fat milk 1 ½ tablespoons plain flour (30 – 40g if using thermomix) 15g Parmesan cheese, grated 1 cup/250g reduced-fat ricotta Pinch cayenne pepper Pinch ground nutmeg Method:
Thermomix Conversion Meat/Eggplant:
Cheese Sauce:
Saturday, March 19, 2011A dinner partyWritten by Kate Bullen, APD Recently we had a nice casual dinner party at our house for 7 people. It was a lovely evening – and food is always an important component of any dinner party. So what did we eat you might be asking? Great question! My husband made gyoza’s (Japanese dumplings) which I completely forget to get a photo of. My husband declared that the gyoza’s were 98% fat free... I am not convinced of this accuracy, but I would have to agree that they were very lean, made from pork fillet, cabbage, coriander and then lightly browned and steamed. For main I made 2 salads: Rice salad – with capsicum, sugar snap peas, carrots, spring onions, bok choy and roasted peanuts. Dressing was made from sweet chilli sauce, ginger, lemon juice and some vegetable oil.  Easy salad – with cucumber, lettuce, roasted pumpkin, mango, red onion and balsamic dressing.  This was served with fillet steak and prawns – bbq’d. And we quickly made a creamy garlic sauce – with garlic, evaporated milk and some cornflour. Forgot to photograph these as well - sorry! And dessert. I like desserts! This is my husband’s favourite – white chocolate mousse with raspberries. Yum! Yes – this was the real deal made with cream, white chocolate and egg whites. And then a packet of frozen raspberries were layered through.  So there you go – an easy menu that was healthy (well, except for the chocolate mousse!), tasty and mostly prepared in advance.
Friday, March 18, 2011School lunches
Written by Kate Bullen, APD
A quick post today - I thought I would just touch on what my 4yo daughter is taking to school for her lunch these days. I have mentioned her school lunches a few times here and here. This is what she took yesterday:  And this was all that was left at the end of the day: 
Thursday, March 17, 2011The Cost of Healthy Food vs Fast FoodWritten by Kate Bullen, APD An article in the Sunday Times recently caught my eye with the title 'The real cost of fast food'. It compared the price of some of the meal deals from big fast food companies to homemade cooking. As soon as my husband read the article he declared it was ‘ridiculous’ as it didn’t offer valid comparisons. The healthy evening meal comparison in the Sunday Times article was pasta with steamed vegetables and tomato based sauce – something my husband said no sane person eating fast food would change to. So, I thought hhhmmm, how about I do a price comparison of a homemade burger to a takeaway burger? About once a month we make homemade burgers – they are a great family meal and I always include a heap of salad.  So in our burgers I included: · Carrot · Lettuce · Cucumber · Beetroot · Yogurt (instead of mayo!) – mix it with a bit of garlic – yum! · Bread roll · Capsicum · Tomato sauce · Onions · Beef pattie (mince, egg) And I costed it out as ... wait for it ... $2.72. I know – outrageous! As a comparison a Hungry Jacks combo meal costs $5.95. Yes – the Hungry Jacks combo includes a burger, chips, drink and a sundae – and provides you with 55% of your daily energy needs and 62% of your daily fat needs. Would you like to upsize that? In summary, healthy food is cheaper than fast food. And you know what else? It doesnt take that long to prepare.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011Diet Danger Zones: What Kind of Eater Are You?
Written by Sophie McGough APD CDE
The food psychology arena is littered with information about being mindful when you eat. ‘Mindful eating’ means being completely focused on what you are eating, at the time you are eating it or to use an analogy from the meditation field ‘eating in the present’. Researchers have found that if people are distracted while eating they tend to eat more and generally make poor food choices. Dr Brian Wansink is a Food Psychologist from the USA who has spent many years researching this concept of ‘mindless eating’. A quote from Dr Wansink that I love is: ‘People make 200 food decisions a day = 6000 per month = 72 000 per year! That’s 1 million food decisions in 14 years!’ It’s hardly surprising then that people struggle to make all these food decisions and struggle to lose weight. If you add ‘mindless' food decisions on top of this and it’s just a recipe for disaster! So how do you know if you are participating in ‘Mindless Eating’? Dr Wansink and his team have identified the following ‘Diet Danger Zones’ that they have discovered cause people to either eat more or make unhealthy food decisions (or both): 1. Meal Stuffer: This person eats large amounts at mealtimes. They eat very fast, must clean everything off their plate and often go back for seconds. Meal stuffers would consider that they just have a healthy appetite. I’ve seen this is my practice most commonly in two groups of people – those that deprive themselves of food between meals and often get extremely hungry before eating and those that have previously had to eat large amounts to sustain a large energy output (ex-athletes or men who’ve worked in very physically active jobs then retired!) I have also seen it with people who have been deprived of food during their childhood. 2. Snack – Grazer: This person is a convenience eater and will eat food if it happens to be available. Sometimes it is because they are hungry but often it is habitual. They take in food regularly all day and seldom pass up the offer of food. They can have eating as a nervous habit needing something to do with their hands or just an excuse to get up and walk around. In my practice I see this type of behaviour commonly in Mums, those with anxiety/depression or those who are lacking energy/don’t sleep well (which describes many Mums!) 3. Party Binger These people do quite well with their ordinary eating but give them a party, buffet or happy hour and they love nothing more than consuming large amounts of food and often alcohol. Food and drink is seen very much as an essential part of the experience and they generally lose track of how much they have had. This behaviour is very common in my business clients (particularly sales and marketing) where wining and dining is part of their job. It’s often a challenging one for them to change! It’s also more common in younger people, particularly the overweight girls I see in their early 20’s where alcohol is playing a big part in their total calorie consumption. 4. Restaurant Indulger: This is the person that sees going out to a restaurant or café as a big treat and goes to town on the food and drink. They are more likely to choose restaurants that give larger portions sizes and particularly love the buffet style. They are keen to get value for money and don’t like to leave anything on the plate. In my practice, most people like to treat themselves when they go out but it becomes a problem for those clients who eat out regularly for lunch and dinner and suddenly that ‘treat’ is happening 4 – 5 times per week. Very common in affluent or DINKS (double income no kids) households! 5. Desktop Diner: This is the person that always has snacks available on or near their desk. They like to multitask and eat while they work. They will often eat their lunch while at their desk to save the hassle of getting a prepared lunch. They are the person that often visits the fundraising chocolates, the staff tearoom for any morning/afternoon tea and the nearest vending machine. In my experience this applies predominantly to people with very busy jobs or those who are not supported by their employers to take allocated breaks. It is very much influenced by the culture of the workplace and of course the environmental influences of things like vending machines. It does overlap a lot with the Snack – Grazer where eating at the desk can be related to a habit. 6. Dashboard Diner: This person loves the drive and dine concept. They often eat on the run to save time but also to save the hassle of getting a real meal. They are frequently found at the various drive-through take away stores and their car often represents a montage of all the different wrappers! They rarely even pull over to eat the food and more likely quickly shove it down while getting from A to B. I see this most commonly in people who are often on the road such as sales reps, tradies and truck drivers. This group often complain to me about the lack of healthy options available on the road. So what kind of eater are you? Can you identify with any of those described above? If so, try to be more mindful of your eating behaviour the next time you are in your ‘danger zone’ (yes I have that song from Top Gun stuck in my head too!) If you are interested in reading more about Mindless Eating, visit Dr Wansink’s website at http://www.mmethodeating.com/
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