There a number of machines, gimmicks and diet plans claiming to help you lose weight and keep it off in just a number of days. If a weight loss product sounds too good to be true - then it probably is. Don’t waste your money and time. A lifestyle change is your best bet. Simply eat healthy foods (most of the time) and limit items such as cakes and sticky buns. Team it with an active lifestyle and over time you’ll get the results you’re looking for – minus the fad diet and fancy exercise machine. If you want to lose weight, you have to reduce the amount of energy (food) going into your body and increase the amount of energy you use (exercise). Try eating more fruits and vegetables which are high in fibre, making you feel full, reducing the temptation to eat those cakes and sticky buns.
If you are looking to maintain your weight, you need to use up the same amount of energy on exercise (whether planned or incidental) as you consume in food (13).
Dietary Guidelines for Australian Adults
Enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods:
- Eat plenty of vegetables, legumes and fruits – Go for 2 fruit and 5 vegetables everyday!
High in phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals, fibre and water content (Phytochemicals are plant chemicals, which are thought to protect against some diseases including heart disease and cancer (8)).
What is a vegetable serving?
Vegetable Serving
One vegetable serve is 75 grams or:
- ½ cup of cooked vegetables
- ½ cup cooked legumes (dried beans, peas or lentils) (8).
- Plan your meals around vegetables, rice and pasta first then add meat/fish/legumes to flavour.
- Try to plan a vegetarian meal once per week
Vitamin, mineral and phytochemical packed meal
Fibre boosting meal
Can be a great low kilojoule (energy) option
Can be lower in bad fats
- Save money, buy less meat (~$10-30/kg) and more vegies (~$2-3/kg)!!!
Carrots, cabbage, peas, beans, potatoes and legumes are all cheaper options and are a great way to add fibre to your meals.
- Frozen vegetables are just as beneficial as fresh vegetables (8).
What is a fruit serving?
Fruit Serving
One fruit serving is 150 grams of fresh fruit or:
- 1 medium sized piece (i.e. apple)
- 2 smaller pieces (i.e. apricots)
- 1 cup canned chopped fruit
- ½ cup (125ml) 100% fruit juice
- 1½ tablespoon dried fruit (eg. Sultanas or 4 dried apricot halves) (8).
Tips:
- Pick canned fruit in natural juice rather than in syrup
- Choose fresh fruit over fruit juice or dried fruit.
Juices have lower fibre content than fresh fruit.
Dried fruit, if eaten in large quantities, can contribute to tooth decay because it contains a concentrated form of sugar that can stick to your teeth. However, you can always rinse your mouth with a drink of water to reduce this affect.
Dried fruit is energy dense so limit amounts eaten (8).
- Eat plenty of complex (low GI) carbohydrates (including breads, rice, pasta and noodles), preferably wholegrain
- Include lean meat, fish, poultry and/or alternatives
- Include reduced fat skim milks, yoghurts, cheeses and/or alternatives
Limit dairy products that have little or no calcium eg… cream cheese or butter.
Have a bottle of water at arm’s length away all times, so then you have the opportunity to get plenty of water in for the day!
Drinking water can help reduce unnecessary snacking.
Note that caffeinated and alcoholic drinks, although contain water are diuretics, so they have they have a weak dehydrating effect.
And take care to:
- Limit saturated and Trans fat acids (i.e. butter, some commercially made cakes and biscuits)
- Moderate total fat intake
- Choose foods low in salt (sodium)
- Limit your alcohol intake if you choose to drink
Limit alcohol to two STANDARD (link to alcohol section in health risks) drinks per day.
Try to drink no more than four STANDARD drinks on any day.
Have at least two alcohol-free days per week.
- Consume only moderate amounts of sugars and foods containing added sugars
- Consume foods high in calcium
Gram for Gram Energy Values
Remember the golden rule - energy consumption needs to be equal to, or less than, energy expenditure (physical activity) to lose or maintain weight. We need to be conscious of how much energy we are getting from certain food sources.
1 gram of carbohydrate = 16 kJ of energy
1 gram of protein = 17 kJ of energy
1 gram of alcohol = 29 kJ of energy
1 gram of fat = 37 kJ of energy (13).
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are an essential part of our diet as they:
- Fuel your muscles, liver and brain.
- Influence blood sugar levels and are an efficient form of energy. If you don’t eat enough you may feel sluggish and tired, potentially affecting your physical activity levels.
- Provide nutrients for the good bacteria in your digestive system.
- Are high in fibre can help to regulate your blood cholesterol levels and blood pressure. (High fibre diets are also believed to reduce the risk of colon cancer.)
- Protect your protein tissues (i.e. muscles). Your body uses carbohydrates as an energy source first, but may resort to protein if there isn’t enough carbohydrate. This could result in your muscle tissue being broken down, decreasing muscle mass and slowing metabolism (13).
Carbohydrates have a low energy rating, but keep in mind not all carbohydrate foods are created equal. In fact, certain types of carbohydrate can behave quite differently in our bodies. To help you to classify carbohydrates, you can use the glycemic index (GI). GI ranks different carbohydrates according to its effect on blood glucose levels. By choosing low GI carbohydrates, a smaller fluctuation in our blood glucose and insulin levels occurs. This has been shown to improve health, reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes, and help to maintain or lose weight (4). Because low GI foods don’t spike your blood sugar levels as much as high GI products, you experience less highs and lows of energy throughout the day (view figure below). You can complement this by eating smaller portions more regularly (i.e. 4-6 small meals per day).
Low GI: Food/drink that is slowly converted to glucose (energy) and has a GI rating of 55 or under i.e. firm pasta.
Mod GI: Food/drink that is moderately converted to glucose and has a GI rating of 56-69 i.e. raisins.
High GI: Food/drink that is quickly converted to glucose and has a GI 70 and above i.e. boiled peeled potato.
If you are curious to find out what the glycemic index rating is of certain foods, search for them on the glycemic index database. Try to substitute high GI foods with low GI alternatives. You may have some surprising results! Here are just a few of the examples retrieved from the Glycemic Index (2005) website (4).
Although some foods may have a high GI, in some cases there aren’t enough carbohydrates in the item to have any significant influence your blood sugar levels. For example, watermelon has a GI of 72, but a typical 120g serving only has 6g of carbohydrates. To determine glycemic load (GL) use the following equation (2).
Glycemic Loading (GL) = grams of carbohydrates per serve x GI / 100
With minor changes over a day you can make quite a difference! But you can have too much of a good thing, so low GI foods still need to be eaten in moderation. Keep high GI foods as infrequent treats.
Foods which are high in carbohydrate also tend to have a high water content. For example, bread is 40% water and 50% carbohydrate (13). It is for this reason that people often lose weight rapidly following dangerous “low-carb” diets. The body uses up all of its carbohydrate stores (muscle and liver stores) plus it loses all the water attached to those molecules (2). This is why results on these fad diets are often short lived, as the weight loss hits a plateau. If you choose wisely, carbohydrates can actually help you lose weight (because they are high in fibre so you feel full and crave less).
Generally, people prepare the carbohydrates in a way which can make them less healthy:
- Butter on bread (the butter on the bread can total to more energy than the bread its self),
Try having no butter or substituting for lower fat spreads eg. chutney, mustard, or pickles.
Try using more tomato based sauces
- Satay sauce on rice or noodles
Try lower fat versions or other low fat sauces
Try using lower fat cheeses or skip having cheese from time to time
Try using low fat creams or use low sugar jam
Try using bigger chunks of potatoes, so less fat is absorbed
Alternatively you can bake potatoes instead of deep fry or roasting
- Oil absorbed by bread crumbs
Try having more meals where you don’t have to crumb the meat (11).
Protein
Protein is required in all living cells in our bodies and accounts for 17% of body weight for an average adult. Protein is only second to water for contribution to body mass. Protein is important in our body and used for structure and function:
- Makes up enzymes and hormones,
- Used for storage and transport,
- Gives us structure (skin, bones, connective tissue & muscles),
- Allows our muscles to contract and
- Transports messages around the body (13).
Protein is present in many food products you consume daily e.g. milk, cereal, oats, bread, pasta and beans. These products are generally lower in saturated fats than meat and eggs (which are another good source of protein). When eating meat, try to limit the serve to the size of your palm. For fish, the serve should be the size of your whole hand with fingers together. Before cooking, trim any visible fat, remove the skin from chicken and buy low fat or lean cuts of meat when you can.
Due to the popularity of fad diets, many people are lead to believe that a high-protein, low-carb diet is the best way to lose weight. This is another myth! Protein does tend to make you feel full, however animal protein sources tend to be high in fat. Fat is very energy rich, and if that energy is not used up through exercise, it will be stored as fat! Protein is also a very inefficient energy source, making you feel sluggish and tired, which could prevent you from performing physical activity (12).
Alcohol
Alcohol is also very energy rich! 1 gram of alcohol yields 29 kiloJoules (kJ) of energy. Gram for gram, alcohol is just under twice the energy value gram of carbohydrates (16kJ) and protein (17kJ). It’s bizarre how carbohydrates have the lowest energy rating, yet many people avoid them! Companies make millions from this misconception, with ‘low carb’ beers offered as the solution for a ‘beer belly’. The truth is, there is only a marginal difference between the amount of energy in a standard full strength beer and a full strength beer with low ‘carbs’ (i.e. Pure Blonde (125kJ) vs Hahn Super Dry (126kJ)).
Please note: 1 standard drink contains 10g or 12.5mL of pure alcohol (ethanol) (7).
As you can see, the higher in alcohol content, the higher the energy content. Obviously, the lower ‘carb’ options have a slightly lower energy value, but as a beer only has 2-3g of carbohydrates per 100ml. it’s rather insignificant. Basically, all the sugars are converted to alcohol during fermentation. The amount of carbohydrates in beer is so low they don’t even bother with a glycemic index (GI) for it. Choosing a beer with less alcohol content and less ‘carbs’ is more ideal (i.e. Hahn Super Dry 3.5), but you still have to keep track of your consumption. Keep in mind that all alcoholic drinks (i.e. spirits, liqueurs and wine) are energy dense and bring very few nutrients. Even though red wine does contain antioxidants, there are plenty of other options. Fruits and vegetables are great! Try an apple a day, visit ‘one a day superfood’ for the evidence.
Fat
As we mentioned, fat is very energy rich, so rich that one kilogram of body fat provides approximately 29 MegaJoules (MJ) of energy, which could meet the energy requirements of an average adult for about three days. Men tend to deposit extra kilos into the fat tissue around the waist and upper back (13). Fat deposit around the midriff can increase your risk of coronary heart disease and diabetes (14).
We still do need some fat in our diets. Fats are sources of vitamins A, D, E and K and are also necessary for the absorption of these compounds (13). Generally, you shouldn’t have to try and meet your fat requirements as fat is in many food products we eat daily. Even when eating lean chicken and beef, there is still fat in the serve (5-8g/100g) (2). This is why it is advised you remove all visible fat and skin from meat. Simple substitutions such as the ones listed below can reduce total energy (highlighted in red), fat intake and more importantly saturated fat intake.
Like carbohydrates, not all fats are created equal! Certain types of fat can offer protection against heart disease (mono and polyunsaturated fats), however, if excessively consumed could lead to weight gain. Saturated and Trans fat acids should be minimised, as excessive consumption is detrimental to your health and also the waist line (2).
Monounsaturated (MUFA) Fats
MUFA are liquid at room temperature and become thicker when chilled. MUFA lower total blood cholesterol and ‘bad’ cholesterol (LDL - Low Density Lipoproteins) while increasing ‘good’ cholesterol (HDL - High Density Lipoproteins). Examples of food that contain MU fats include:
- Canola, olive, peanut, sunflower and sesame oil
MUFA doesn’t appear to contribute towards future disease, if anything it seems to have a positive influence on cholesterol, which reduces your chance of developing future disease (i.e. heart disease, hypertension and thrombosis) (13).
Polyunsaturated (PUFA) Fats
PUFA are liquid at room temperature and they stay in liquid form when refrigerated. PUFA lower total cholesterol and ‘bad’ cholesterol (LDL - Low Density Lipoprotein). Examples of foods that contain PUFA include:
- Fish, corn, soy, safflower and sunflower oils
- Oily fish (herring, mackerel, salmon, tuna)
Omega 3 fatty acids
PUFA doesn’t appear to contribute towards future disease, if anything it seems to have a positive influence on cholesterol, which reduces your chance of developing future disease (i.e. heart disease, hypertension and thrombosis) (13).
Trans Fatty Acids (TFAs)
TFAs were developed when we started to ‘hydrogenate’ liquid oils so the products would have longer shelf life. TFAs are technically an unsaturated fat, but act like a saturated fat with a greater influence of health risk. TFAs increase the amount of ‘bad’ cholesterol (LDL – Low Density Lipoprotein) just like saturated fats, but additionally destroy some ‘good’ cholesterol (HDL – High density lipoprotein). Fortunately, in Australia, some action has been taken to reduce TFAs in products (eg. margarine). TFAs tend to be found in:
- Commercially packaged foods
Cumulative consumption of TFAs greater than 1% of daily energy consumption is detrimental to your health as it increases your risk of future disease (i.e. heart disease, hypertension and thrombosis) (9,12).
Saturated Fats
Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and get harder when chilled (11). Saturated fats raise the total blood cholesterol as well as ‘bad’ cholesterol (HDL – High Density Lipoprotein). Examples of foods that contain saturated fats include:
Cumulative consumption of saturated fats greater than 10% of daily energy intake is detrimental to your health as it increases your risk of future disease (i.e. heart disease, hypertension and thrombosis) (9,12).
Nutrition Tips
When it comes to nutrition the best tips are:
1. To get organised
2. Read nutrition labels!
3. Don’t skip breakfast
4. Get your hands on some easy to cook recipes
5. Portion control
6. Allocate your plate
7. Substitute for a healthier diet
8. Be smart when eating out and eat out less
9. Prepare and store food safely
1. To get organised, plan your meals. If you do one big weekly (or fortnightly) shop and make your dinner and lunches at home you are more likely to eat healthier and save money.
2. Read nutrition labels!
3. Don’t skip breakfast. Research suggests that those who eat breakfast:
- Eat less throughout the day
- Less likely to snack on unhealthy food
- Have a lower Body Mass Index (BMI) (1,12)
4. Get your hands on some easy to cook recipes
Once you have a few easy to cook meals up your sleeve, you can cycle through them making minor changes each time to keep them interesting. Go for 2 & 5 and Nutrition Australia have some great options and the meals are based on the dietary guidelines for Australian adults. Nutrition Australia also offer cooking programs where you can learn some great cooking and food shopping skills.
If you are a BBQ man then the following might be of some interest…
How to have a BBQ with a hint of good health
BBQ’s are a great Australian tradition. We even claimed the BBQ as our own at the Sydney Olympics opening ceremony. The barbecue actually originated in the Caribbean where the locals used a grating of green wood over a slow fire to cook strips of meat.
It is quite common to leave the meat on the BBQ for too long. Charring or blackening meat is thought to produce cancer causing chemicals (carcinogens). It’s best to be safe and eat BBQ meat that is not blackened (try cooking over a lower heat).
Tips for a Healthy BBQ
- Substitute sausages, greasy burgers or chops with lean kebabs, lean steaks, lean hamburgers, skinless chicken fillets, fresh fish, or veggie burgers
- Include healthy salads, such as garden salads and tabbouleh
- Serve a variety of fruit (try a fruit salad instead of just nuts and chips)
- You only need a piece of meat the same size as the palm of your hand, or fish the size of your hand with fingers touching.
- Make vegetable kebabs by placing pieces of chopped vegetable onto wet kebab sticks. Vegetables could include capsicum, zucchini, onion, and mushrooms.
- Experiment! Some BBQ’a have a wok-burner, so you can make vegetable stir-fry’s with sauce and seafood. These are ideal as they are filling, cook quickly and are nutritious and tasty.
- Try marinating lean cuts of meat overnight in the fridge in lemon, garlic, herbs, spices, mustard or wine (10).
Simple and Tasty Marinade Ideas
- Apricot Glaze: apricot jam, cumin, low-oil French dressing, dry sherry.
- Red Wine: red wine, oil, water, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, crushed ginger, dried oregano (10).
5. Portion control
- Bigger is not always better!
Watch your portion sizes. You probably grew up with your mum insisting you finish everything on your plate. You should actually stop eating when you feel satisfied. This sensation is usually delayed so eat slowly to allow your body to feel full. Another good tip is to use smaller plates, bowls and mugs so you can’t load them up with excess calories. Remember you have to eat to meet your energy requirements. If you don’t do much physical activity, eat less. This concept especially applies when eating unhealthy options such as chips and fish fingers…
The campaign ‘Draw the Line’ gives clear examples of how to make beneficial diet choices and how to become more active.
6. Allocate your plate
Divide up your plate so it consists of ½ a plate of vegetables, ¼ protein and ¼ whole grain cereals. If you do this, you’re likely to decrease the serving size of meat and half a plate of fruit and vegetables will also help you to meet the recommended two fruit and five vegetable servings for the day.
7. Substitute for a Healthier Diet
- Eat baked potatoes with skin on rather than fried potatoes
- Eat sweet potato rather than white potato
- Eat Basmati rice rather than other varieties
- Eat tomato based pasta rather than creamy pasta
- Eat wedges with skin on rather than chips (thicker potato chunks so less oil absorption)
- Eat lean meat over fattier meat (at least drain fat off)
- Use chutney, pickles or low fat mustard instead of butter/margarine
- Use diet yoghurt (no added sugars) instead of deluxe yoghurt
- Try light ice cream (no added sugars) instead of ice cream
- Drink light cordial or water instead of cordial
- Drink light-mid strength alcohol instead of full strength alcohol
- Drink ‘zero sugar’ or diet soft drinks instead of regular soft drinks
- Eat fish at least two times a week
- Try a new vegetarian meal each week
Please note: this is not an exhaustive list, its just a few ideas to get you started….
8. Be smart when eating out (and eat out less)
Businesses cook to demand and the demand is good taste. Unfortunately restaurants seem to think that great tasting food and huge amounts of fat go hand in hand. If you have tasted the simple recipes from Go for 2 & 5 or Nutrition Australia you would know that this does not have to be the case! Restaurants are also under pressure to make sure their customers don’t leave hungry. This leads to larger serving sizes and/or numerous courses. Don’t kid yourself, restaurant food can be just as bad (if not worse) as takeaway food with regards to saturated fat and kilojoules/calories. Unfortunately, restaurants don’t have to disclose energy ratings per meal so most of the time we have to use take an educated guess. Try to make wise choices when dining out and keep dining out to a minimum.
- How to eat smart when dining out
Don’t indulge for entrée, main and dessert!
Even miss entrée if possible
You don’t have to eat the whole meal – remember what your standard portion size is
Share dessert
Ask for sauces or dressing on the side
Avoid putting butter on the dinner rolls
Go for tomato, red wine based sauces rather than creamy sauces
Choose smaller and leaner cuts of meat that aren’t crumbed or fried
Look out for keywords in dish description eg. fried, creamy, crumbed, rich sauce, cheese etc…
9. Prepare and store food safely
- If sick or have cuts/sores on your hands, wear gloves
- Use separate chopping boards for raw meats, fruit and vegetables
- Keep hot foods hot (>60°C) and keep cold foods cold (<5°C)
- Defrost food in the fridge or microwave
- Do not refreeze thawed food
- Do not overload the fridge
- Clean and sanitize after preparing/storing raw food
- Never smoke in food areas
- Clean the entire food preparation area and cooking utensils regularly and thoroughly
References
(1) Brott, A. (n.d.) Blueprint for men’s health: A guide to a healthy lifestyle (2nd ed.) Washington, DC: Men’s Health Network.
(2) Cardwell, G. (2006). Gold Medal Nutrition (4th ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
(3) Fosters Group. (2006). Beer. Retrieved 18th August, 2009, from http://www.fostersgroup.com/enjoy/beer.htm
(4) Glycemic Index. (2005). What is the Glycemic Index?. Retrieved 17th August, 2009, from http://www.glycemicindex.com/
(5)Go for 2 & 5. (2009). What is a serve?. Retrieved 18th August, 2009, from http://www.gofor2and5.com.au/article.aspx?c=1&a=5
(6) Lion-nathan. (2009). Great Brands. Retrieved 18th August, 2009, from http://www.lion-nathan.com/Great-Brands.aspx
(7) NHMRC. (2009). Australian Guidelines: To Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol. National Health and Medical Research Council: Canberra.
(8) NHMRC. (2003). Dietary guidelines for Australian adults. National Health and Medical Research Council: Canberra.
(9) Nordqvist, C. (2007). Trans fat focus may raise saturated fat intake. Media News Today. Retrieved 10th September, 2009, from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/69287.php
(10) Nutrition Australia. (2008). Barbecue the Aussie tradition. Retrieved 18th August, 2009, from http://www.nutritionaustralia.org/dynamic/food-fact-sheets.php?id=3
(11) Nutrition Australia. (2001). Food Safety. Retrieved 17th August, 2009, from http://www.nutritionaustralia.org/static/food-safety.php
(12) Rinzler, C.A. (2006). Nutrition for dummies (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing.
(13) Sanders, T., Emery, P. (2003). Molecular basis of nutrition. Taylor & Francis: London
(14) Welborn, T.A., Dhaliwal, S.S. & Bennett, S.A. (2003). Waist–hip ratio is the dominant risk factor predicting cardiovascular death in Australia. Medical Journal of Australia, 179(11-12), 580-585.
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