Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Get Inspired In The Kitchen


Quick Quiz:
Which of these is most closely correlated with the levels of obesity in the United States?

a) Percentage of women in the workforce
b) Income level
c) Amount of time spent cooking


Out Of The Kitchen, Onto The Couch, is an interesting article on rising obesity levels in the United States and is definitely worth your time.

"Consider some recent research on the links between cooking and dietary health. A 2003 study by a group of Harvard economists led by David Cutler found that the rise of food preparation outside the home could explain most of the increase in obesity in America.

Mass production has driven down the cost of many foods, not only in terms of price but also in the amount of time required to obtain them. The French fry did not become the most popular “vegetable” in America until industry relieved us of the considerable effort needed to prepare French fries ourselves. Similarly, the mass production of cream-filled cakes, fried chicken wings and taquitos, exotically flavored chips or cheesy puffs of refined flour, has transformed all these hard-to-make-at-home foods into the sort of everyday fare you can pick up at the gas station on a whim and for less than a dollar.

The fact that we no longer have to plan or even wait to enjoy these items, as we would if we were making them ourselves, makes us that much more likely to indulge impulsively.

Crusty as a fresh baguette, Harry Balzer insists on dealing with the world, and human nature, as it really is, or at least as he finds it in the survey data he has spent the past three decades poring over. But for a brief moment, I was able to engage him in the project of imagining a slightly different reality. This took a little doing. Many of his clients — which include many of the big chain restaurants and food manufacturers — profit handsomely from the decline and fall of cooking in America; indeed, their marketing has contributed to it. Yet Balzer himself made it clear that he recognizes all that the decline of everyday cooking has cost us. So I asked him how, in an ideal world, Americans might begin to undo the damage that the modern diet of industrially prepared food has done to our health.

Easy. You want Americans to eat less? I have the diet for you. It’s short, and it’s simple. Here’s my diet plan: Cook it yourself. That’s it. Eat anything you want — just as long as you’re willing to cook it yourself.”


Michael Pollan, the author, is the Knight Professor of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley.

His most recent book, “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto", is fantastic and I recommend you read it.

Answer: c

PS I have personally emailed this guy to thank him for his great work!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Food Journal - Why It Matters


Most, if not all of my clients have been asked to keep a Food Journal to document when, what & how much they are eating, but very few have completed this task.

It may not seem like a big deal whether you do this or not, but the research indicates that it is has a huge impact, more than age or exercise habits or current BMI, on whether you succeed or fail when attempting to lose weight; there is strong evidence that keeping a Food Journal leads to positive results for weight loss.

There is no judgment, neither good nor bad, of what is in the journal, it serves to make you more aware of your actions and the triggers for them. By better understanding yourself, the ways you make the choices you do, you give yourself more power to create the healthy lifestyle you want and the weight loss goal you have set for yourself.

I know some of you have not kept a journal because you did not want to admit that you are sometimes making poor food choices, but in the words of Dr. Phil, "you can't change what you don't acknowledge"; simply denying the evidence of poor choices does not lessen the health consequences and continuing to carry a significant amount of weight everyday is damaging your body & your health.

Most of you have an 8 Week Review coming up in August where we will look at your progress so far, and plan the next level of your training program; a Food Journal will be part of this process.

This isn't meant to be a growl :) and I do acknowledge the great efforts you are putting into your training; you are noticeably stronger, feeling fitter and more flexible.

Build on these great results in the next stage of your training and Get It Done!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Burning Fat


Some great articles here, specifically about how to burn more fat, which I'm asked about a lot.

"Finding the 'best' exercise to burn fat is less important than keeping at it" from the ABC Health & Wellbeing pages.

You've heard this from me time & again, keep at it, a little everyday is better than going hard (and hurting yourself) once a week, frequency beats intensity, get out there and get it done!

Also, this article from The Age earlier this year talks about reducing the amount of carbohydrates in your diet.

This is good information if you happen to regularly eat things like pastry, white bread, biscuits and crisps; cutting these out will yield results, however carbohydrates from vegetable sources, including beans, potato & sweet potato still contain important nutrients, so enjoy them as part of your 5 - 7 veggies a day, but leave off the butter or creamy sauces you may be used to.

Keep eating protein for breakfast, eggs, baked beans or good quality protein powder in you breakfast smoothie, and you'll bounce through your day.

Keep up the GREAT work! :)




Thursday, August 6, 2009

Little Changes Make A Big Difference


It's the little things we do each day and each week, those healthy habits that become part of our lives, that really add up to make a big difference to our health & well-being.

You are doing so many good things for yourself by training a couple of times a week, drinking plenty of water, walking every day or every other day, and you are already feeling the difference in the way you move & feel.

Eating healthy food still means eating well, and eating enough of the right foods leaves you satisfied and nourished, and less likely to be trawling the fridge or pantry, just to see what you feel like.

By the way, when you just want "a little something", and don't know what it is, you're most likely thirsty - close the cupboard, drink 2 big glasses of water and wait 20 minutes.

Eliminating habits that sabotage your goals is so important.

Fruit juice is sugar, there's no point trying to kid yourself it's the "healthy option".
Check out the nutritional panel and eat an orange instead; they keep longer than most fruit.

And did you know that muffin and latte afternoon "treat" can add up to almost 8oo calories

The average woman needs between 1500 - 2000 calories a day.

Adding an extra 500 calories per day can equate to an extra 1/2 kilogram weight gain a week, or 26 kg each year.

The great news is, cutting out these needless snacks, cutting your intake by 500 calories a day will result in a similar amount of weight loss.

If you're eating 3 balanced meals a day, each with plenty of fresh fruit & veg, good sources of protein, and some carbohydrates (wholemeal, wholegrain or vegetable sources without the sauces) you won't feel the urge to snack.

I can't say enough good things about our forgotten friends, beans & legumes; they are excellent sources of protein with almost no fat, make us feel full or longer, can be added to or hidden in just about any meal (eg. soup, pasta sauce, curry) and are cheaper than meat right now.

So keep up those good habits you've built into your life, keep moving every day and love the life you're living; you work hard, you deserve to feel great!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Spinach & Ricotta Pie


What's this? a pie recipe? Outrageous!

I enjoy this occasionally and just love it.
I don't eat commercial pastry anymore as it pretty much all has trans fats in it.

Some companies are changing their recipes, but I try to make my own if I'm indulging, so I know exactly what's in it.

I discovered a pastry recipe that uses olive oil and can be used immediately (no sitting in the fridge for 30 minutes, yay!)

It's great for topping any savoury pie that is full of vegetables, and the spinach & ricotta filling works well in cannelloni or burrito style.

Ingredients:
400g ricotta
200g feta (optional)
1 onion, chopped
2 large bunches of spinach, washed twice, towel dried & chopped
or 2 packets of frozen spinach, with moisture removed (squeeze in tea towel)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 coves of garlic, crushed & chopped (more if you like it)
2 handfuls of chopped parsley
1 tspn of nutmeg & 1/2 tspn of cinnamon,
salt & pepper to your taste

For the pastry:
125ml olive oil
125ml warm water
1/2 tspn salt
350gms plain flour

Method:
Preheat over to 190C

Heat a pan and add a couple of drops of olive oil
Fry the onion & garlic for a couple of minutes then add the chopped spinach
Cook for about 2 - 3 minutes, until it just begins to wilt
Add the spinach to a large bowl, with all the other ingredients, except the egg and mix well; I like to use my hands, but a fork will do.
Taste before adding the egg to adjust the seasoning mix, then combine the egg and place in baking dish

Mix oil, water and salt in a bowl and mix with a fork
Gradually work in the flour stirring with the fork and then with your hands
Roll out and use straight away on top of your pie.

Brush the top with any leftover egg mix and bake for approximately 30 -40 minutes.
Serve with delicious veggies, greens or a salad.

Serves 4. Keeps well for lunch the following day too!