A spoonful of sugar

Table sugar - also known as sucrose - is a simple carbohydrate. Simple carbohydrates are quickly and easily broken down by digestion, ready for use as energy. South African table sugar is extracted from sugar cane. In other parts of the world, sugar beets are used.

One teaspoon of sugar contains 16kcal/67kj, give or take a grain. So if you take one spoon of sugar in each cup of tea or coffee, and you drink 4-5 cups of tea or coffee in a day, that's 80kcal/336kj - about the equivalent of a slice of wholegrain bread. At least the bread supplies nutrients - you won't find any of those in sugar.

Avoiding sugar can be problematic. Although we can wean ourselves off it in tea and coffee, its distinctive qualities make it very palatable, and it is particularly useful in commercial food production and preparation. Sugar absorbs and retains moisture easily, that's what keeps your bread and muffins fresh: it helps prevent the growth of moulds and bacteria in jams and marmalades: it helps retain the natural colour in fruits when they are canned.

Sugar is a major component of cakes, biscuits, chocolate, sweets, ice cream, cordials, colas and alcohol. It's even in tomato sauce and canned baked beans!

And don't we just love it? Sugar is sweet, and saying the word 'sweet' makes us smile. Try saying it in front of the mirror; the corners of your mouth turn up, don't they? But too much sugar can cause overweight and tooth decay, just for starters, and neither of those makes anyone smile! It can also blunt the appetite for 'proper' food, and send susceptible kids bouncing off the walls.

How much is too much? This is an interesting question. I have literally dozens of books on healthy eating and weight loss. None of them gives a suggested daily portion size for sugar. And most of them avoid even mentioning sugar! It seems it is usually included in the fats and oils food group, and the suggested daily serving of fats and oils (and now sugar, too) is a maximum of 6 teaspoons.

Rather satisfy your need for sweetness with a piece of fresh fruit.

Food group review

The first food group we looked at, if you remember, was grains. The grains group includes all foods made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley, rye, etc. such as bread, pasta, crackers, breakfast cereals, biscuits and cakes. At least half of the grain products we eat should be wholegrain.
Potatoes are part of this group, too.
1 serving of grain = 1 slc of bread:
OR half a cup of cooked pasta or rice:
OR 1 small baby potato.
The recommended number of daily servings of grains = 6

Then we looked at vegetables, whether fresh, frozen, canned, dried or juiced.
1 serving of veg = 1 cup of cooked veg or juice:
OR 2 cups of raw leafy greens such as lettuce.
Potatoes are not part of this group. (see grains above)
The recommended number of daily servings of veg = 3 to 5. Aim for at least 5 for optimum nutrition.

Next we considered fruits - fresh, frozen, canned, dried or juiced.
1 serving of fruit = 1 cup chopped fruit or juice:
OR half a cup dried fruit.
The recommended number of daily servings of fruit = 2 to 3.

The milk and dairy group came next. Any product made from milk, and that retains its calcium content, fits in this group, so cottage cheese is included, but cream cheese is not. Choices from this group should be low-fat or, better still, fat-free.
1 serving of dairy = 1 cup milk or yoghurt:
OR 45gm hard cheese:
OR 60gm processed cheese.
The recommended number of daily servings of dairy = 3.

Then I talked about proteins. I gave very minimal portion sizes for proteins, because I use the formula:

Body weight in kg x 0.8 = gms of protein foods required in a day.

Most references give a portion size of between 80 and 100gm, regardless of the protein source. But I gave you:
1 serving of protein = 35gm red meat:
OR 45gm poultry:
OR 60gms fish
OR 2 Tblsp cooked beans:
OR 1-2 Tblsp seeds:
OR 1 Tblsp nuts:
OR 1 medium egg.
The recommended number of daily servings of protein = 2 - 3.
(It is very easy to eat protein in excess of the servings given here. In my recipes I generally allow 3 protein portions per person, and that’s in just one meal.)

Lastly - are you still with me? - I looked at fats and oils. These are not all enemies. Some of them are essential to health. Animal fats are solid at room temperature where vegetable fats are liquid. Animal fats are high in saturated fats, vegetable fats are high in unsaturated fats (the friendly ones).
Included in this group: butter, cream, cream cheese, mayonnaise, salad dressings, cooking and salad oils, margarines (hard and soft) and, of course, the fat on the side of your steak or chop.
The recommended number of daily servings of fats and oils = max. 6 tsp

If you want to lose weight, cut back on fats and oils - use only vegetable oils, trim excess fat from meat, remove chicken skin.
If you want to gain weight, add an extra portion each of fruit, veg, grains and proteins.

Protein 3 – Pulses, nuts and seeds

Pulses - peas, beans and lentils - are an inexpensive protein option. They are low in saturated fat and cholesterol free, plus they are a good source of fibre. Due to this, they are believed to help reduce blood cholesterol. They also have a very low GI, so they keep you feeling fuller for longer. Winners all round!

Some pulses are available precooked and tinned, e.g. chickpeas, lentils, butter beans, cannellini beans. These need to be thoroughly rinsed and drained before being eaten (to get rid of the excess starch and added salt). All pulses are available dried, but (apart from split peas and lentils) they all need to be soaked overnight before being cooked. And some of them can take an hour to cook. At the beginning of winter, I always buy in a large supply of dried pulses. I soak them, cook them and then flash-freeze them. I love the convenience of frozen, and they are so handy for adding to soups, stews and casseroles. If you want to do this, allow yourself plenty of time. And freezer space - you'll need to freeze the cooked beans on a baking tin or tea tray - whatever will fit in your freezer. Once frozen, pour into zip bags before returning to the freezer for storage. Do NOT add salt to the cooking water, as this makes them tough.

Of the pulses, soya beans have the highest percentage protein (14%), then aduki beans (9.3%) followed by pinto beans (8.9%), lentils (8.8%) and kidney beans ((8.4%). Chickpeas - my personal favourite - have 7.7% protein.

Nuts and seeds are great for snacking, sprinkled on cereal or added to a salad. They are nutritious, high in fibre, a good protein source and low in saturated fats. They are, however, high in kcals / kjoules and total fats. Sunflower and pumpkin seeds are the best seed choices for protein, and almonds, cashews and Brazils are the best nut choices.

In the case of these protein sources:
1 portion of protein equals:
2 Tblsp of cooked, drained pulses;
OR 1 Tblsp seeds;
OR 1-2 Tblsp nuts.

Protein 2 – Fish, fowl and eggs

The fat content of poultry varies according to which type and part of the bird is eaten, whether the skin has been removed or not, and how the bird is prepared (roast, grilled, fried, smoked).
Ostrich has low levels of cholesterol and fat, duck has high levels. Chicken and turkey have more or less the same fat levels, but the dark meat (legs) of both have higher fat levels than the white meat (breast). Always remove the skin before cooking, unless you are roasting, in which case you need to leave the skin on to protect the meat. Roast poultry on a trivet so that the fat can run off, and remove the skin before eating.

Fish contains oil rather than fat (this means that the fat is liquid at room temperature). Fish oil contains Omega-3 fatty acids, which are considered beneficial. Omega-3 aids in regulating cholesterol, is anti-inflammatory, and it may help protect the brain from the cognitive problems associated with Alzheimer's. It is also probable that Omega-3 helps alleviate depression and A.D.D., and it can help people to cope better with stress.

Shellfish comes under the title of fish, but be aware that prawns have high levels of cholesterol at 130mg per 85gm serving. Keep in mind that you are unlikely to eat only 85gms of prawns, and that the healthy daily maximum ingestion of cholesterol is 300mg. If you are eating out, those prawns were cooked in butter. A lot of butter.

There has been ongoing debate over the years, regarding the pros and cons of eating eggs. One large egg contains a whopping 274mg cholesterol, all of it in the yolk. The debate seems to have been settled - for the moment, at least - in favour of the egg. But that being said, I would still advocate eating no more than three eggs a week - and not on the day you eat prawns!

Remembering that we should have 2 to 3 servings of protein per day, whatever our choice of source:

1 portion of protein equates to:
45gms poultry;
OR 60gm fish;
OR 1 medium egg

Protein – red meat

Protein is an essential nutrient that is not stored in the body, and so we have to eat some protein foods every day. Protein deficiency is rare, in fact most of us eat too much protein, so these days the focus is rather on the fat content of the protein source eaten.

The protein group comprises, as its main components: red meat (beef, pork, lamb); poultry (chicken, turkey, ostrich); game (venison, rabbit); fish; eggs; beans and pulses; nuts and seeds. This is rather an extensive and complex list, so today I'm only going to look at animal protein, specifically red meat. However, if you don't eat red meat, please keep on reading - the next paragraph applies to other protein sources, too.

Protein contains nitrogen-bearing molecules. The liver has to break these down and dispose of them; the liver's job is to detoxify the body, so it is not doing anything unusual, but it has to work that bit harder to process protein. In addition, there is some concern regarding the safety of consuming animal protein. Modern farming methods include the regular use of antibiotics, growth hormones, sex hormones and pesticide dips. All these are passed on to the consumer in meat products.

Up to 75% of the kilocalories/kilojoules in red meat come from fat, much of which is saturated (saturated fats are the ones we need to cut down on). Game meat - provided it is not 'reared' or 'farmed' may be a healthier choice since the animals have not been chemically treated and fattened for market. Or buy organic, if you can afford to.

Meat eaters generally have a low health rating. A meat eater is twice as likely to visit a doctor or be hospitalised compared to a vegetarian. And a meat eater may suffer from degenerative diseases up to ten years earlier than a vegetarian.

As I said at the start, most people - especially braai-loving South Africans - eat too much protein, which contributes to osteoporosis, acidity and heart disease. Obviously the healthy thing to do is to reduce red meat consumption to, perhaps, once every ten days (if you really must have it). Rather choose chicken, fish and/or vegetarian protein sources.

We only need two to three portions of protein per day (growing children, adolescents and pregnant women need slightly more) - whatever the source.
One portion of protein is equal to:
35gm (raw) of boneless meat, such as lean beef, lamb, pork, venison or offal (liver, kidney, heart etc). This sounds like a miniscule amount, but protein requirements are based on a formula:

Body weight (in kilograms) X 0.8 = no. of gms of protein required per day.

So someone who weighs 62kg requires 49.6 gms of protein food per day. That is the minimum needed for body function. Not much, is it?

Dairy

The milk or dairy food group includes milk and all products that are made from milk and retain their calcium content. Cream, cream cheese and butter do not form part of this group; they are fats.

Milk and milk products are good sources of protein, vitamins and minerals, especially calcium. That being said, they are not the only sources, or even necessarily the best. I can't emphasize enough that the best route to health is to eat a variety of foods from all the food groups.

These days there is a wide range of milk and milk products to choose from, and we are not restricted to cow's milk. Although sheep's milk and goat's milk are not readily available in South Africa, cheeses made from these milks are. Soy milk is available, and in some countries (I've never seen it here) rice milk.
Different milk treatments, such as drying, long-life, canning and ultra-heat-treating, provide products with a longer shelf life.

Although full-fat milk is only about 6% fat, products made from whole milk are comparatively high in saturated fats, so always choose the low-fat (about 2% fat) or fat-free (0.1%) varieties of all dairy products. Only children under the age of two need the full fat product - but NO dairy before six months of age, please. And no cheese before twelve months. Cow's milk is actually designed for calves, not humans, and it is very different in composition from human breast milk. Early feeding with cow's milk can lead to the development of allergies.

If you find it difficult to switch from full-fat to skim, then take it in stages. It is only the fat content that changes; the protein, vitamin and mineral content are unaffected. Use low-fat milk for a month, and then switch to fat-free. In South Africa, we now have a 1% fat milk option, too.

Admittedly, fat reduced cheddar is not terribly nice, although it is fine for cooking. For cheese sauce, I often stir through some fat-free cottage cheese for creaminess, and I add a bit of parmesan for extra flavour. The fat free feta, mozzarella and fromage frais are all good, as are low fat cheese spreads and cottage cheese. Be careful of ricotta and soft cheeses - they can be high in cholesterol. And try to buy white (un-dyed) cheeses - who needs artificial colourants, anyway? Cheeses often have high sodium (salt) levels, too. Substitute fat-free fromage frais or natural yoghurt for cream or sour cream in soups and sauces. Do this right at the end, and off the heat. If you reheat your soup or sauce, do so gently otherwise the yoghurt or fromage frais will separate out and spoil the appearance of your food.

The recommended ingestion for dairy products is 3 servings per day.
One serving equals:
200ml of milk;
OR 150gm of yoghurt;
OR 40gms hard cheese or feta;
OR 60gm processed cheese;
OR 125gm cottage cheese or fromage frais.

Fruits

Fruits are classed as carbohydrates. The fruit group includes all fresh, frozen, canned and dried fruits, as well as juices. Be careful with canned fruit - the sugar content can be high; the same applies to juices - many of them are sweetened. And of course, dried fruit is very high in sugars. Fruits are naturally sweet, but, for the most part, low in calories and fat.

Like vegetables, fruit comes in the most wonderful assortment of shapes, sizes, colours and flavours - from delicate little bluberries, through to enormous watermelons. Also like vegetables, fruits are packed with vitamins, minerals and fibre, as well as flavonoids and polyphenols. Choose fresh fruit over juice. The vitamins and minerals are still there in the juice, but the fibre content is reduced. Dried fruit has more kilocalories/kilojoules and nutrients than an equal weight of fresh fruit. Some of the lighter coloured fruits, like apples, pears, sultanas and apricots are treated with sulphur-based preservatives when they are dried, to prevent discolouration. Anyone with asthma or allergies should exercise caution when eating fruits dried in this way. Dried fruit makes a great snack and provides a quick energy boost.

The recommendation for fruit consumption is two to three servings per day.
One serve is equivalent to:
1 medium apple, orange or pear;
OR 125ml juice;
OR 80gm (about half a cup) blueberries, raspberries or strawberries;
OR 3 prunes;
OR 1 Tblsp raisins or sultanas.

Personally, I eat very few bananas, maybe one a week, just because of the high sugar content. And the riper the fruit, the higher the sugar content - not just bananas. Limit dried fruit to 1 cup a week.
I make a lot of fruit salads - in South Africa, we are fortunate to have a pretty wide selection of fruits available throughout the year. But I know that in many places you're lucky to get more than apples and oranges during the winter months. Sometimes I set mixed, chopped fruit in a sugar-free jelly. If you want to do this, don't put pineapple or kiwi fruit in, they effect the set. Oh, and reduce the amount of water slightly.

Vegetables

Vegetables are complex carbohydrates. They are rich in vitamins, minerals and fibre - a great food for improving overall health and preventing disease. Plus, the vast selection and beautiful colours are a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach.

It's best to eat vegetables raw, because the vitamins and minerals are easily destroyed by cooking. But unless you live in a very hot climate, and you only want to eat salads, you are going to be cooking vegetables most of the time. The most conservative way to cook veg is steaming - the nutrients are not boiled away in the cooking water. Otherwise, stir frying or microwaving is a good way to go. Whatever cooking method you use, just remember to cook for the shortest possible time, in the least amount of water.

For optimum nutrition, your daily veg intake should be varied - that means branching out from the stock standard peas and carrots every night. Try something different for a change. How about artichokes, okra or fennel bulb?
Did you know:
Artichokes and green celery leaves contain natural insulin?
Cucumber is rich in iron, potassium, magnesium, calcium and vitamin C?
Tomatoes are rich in vitamins A and C, and lycopene?
Carrots are very high in vitamin A, calcium, magnesium and iron?
My top five vegetables for boosting health are: broccoli and spinach; butternut and carrots; and tomatoes and beetroot. My favourite veg - for flavour and versatility: tomatoes and broccoli.
All vegetables are good, regardless of whether they come to you fresh, frozen, canned, dried or juiced.

All the experts are always on about '5-a-day' They are talking about five servings per day of vegetables and fruit. Personally, I would rather see that as '5 veg-a-day’, and fruit over and above the 5. Anyway, a minimum of 3 servings a day is what's recommended, so 1 serving of vegetables is equivalent to:

3Tblsp of cooked vegetables;

OR 2 cups of raw leafy veg (lettuce, spinach);

OR 1/2 cup vegetable juice.

Day 366

My objective is achieved! When I started this blog, my intention was to compile a quick-and-easy-to-prepare collection of healthy recipes, suitable for a family of four. I have posted a different main meal recipe every week day, hoping to encourage you – and myself – to change to (and maintain) healthier eating habits.

My weight has only varied by about 1kg over the past twelve months and what has helped me to maintain my 18kg weight loss is tracking and portion control. I now eat breakfast and lunch every single day – I never used to eat breakfast, and would skip lunch too, more often than not, only eating very small portions at dinner; but I didn’t lose weight, in fact I just kept gaining! So excessively restricted eating is not the way to lose weight. Our bodies need fuel at regular intervals, otherwise our BMR (basal metabolic rate) slows right down and we conserve our energy as fat.

To stop those awful feelings of hunger, deprivation and lethargy, be sure to eat a wide variety of foods from each of the food groups every day. Eat regularly and never, never skip breakfast.

More PC

On Monday I covered fruits and vegetables. Today I’ll cover the remaining food groups.

Grains are starchy carbohydrates.
The grains group includes all foods made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley etc, such as bread,
pasta, oatmeal, breakfast cereals. At least half of all grains consumed should be WHOLE grains, so
choose whole wheat bread and pasta and brown rice. Generally, 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of ready-to-eat
cereal or ½ cup of cooked cereal, cooked rice or cooked pasta represents 1 portion.
Recommended daily consumption: 6 portions of grains (8 for men)


Meats and beans, nuts and seeds are proteins.
Meat and beans – 30gms lean steak or chicken, 50gms white fish, 1 egg, 1 Tblsp peanut butter,
¼ cup cooked dried beans/lentils or 15gms nuts/seeds equals 1 portion. Limit eggs to 3 per week,
although the cholesterol/egg dispute has more or less been settled in favour of the egg.
Recommended daily consumption: 3 portions of meats and beans (4 – 5 for men)

Milk and milk products are dairy.
The milk group includes all fluid milk products and foods made from milk that retain their calcium
content (yoghurt, cheese). Foods made from milk which do not retain the calcium content – cream,
cream cheese, butter – are NOT part of this group, they are fats. Most choices from this group should be low-fat or (preferably) fat-free. In general, 1 cup of milk or yoghurt, 45gms hard cheese (natural, uncoloured), or 60gms processed cheese (not reccomended) is considered to be 1 portion.
Recommended daily consumption: 3 portions (4 for men)

All fats and oils count as fats.
Oils include fats from many different plants and some fish, these oils are liquid at room temperature,
e.g. canola, olive, sunflower. Some foods are naturally high in oils, like nuts and avocados. Foods that are mainly oils include mayonnaise, some salad dressings and soft margarine. Avoid trans-fats, and try to limit saturated fats (solid at room temperature, of animal source). Mono- and poly- unsaturated fats are the good ones – monounsaturates, in particular, are supposed to help get rid of belly fat.
Recommended daily consumption: Maximum 6 teaspoons (men and women)

I’ve labeled the different food groups as either carbohydrates, proteins, dairy or fats, but obviously there is a bit more to it than that. Carbohydrates can contain some fats and proteins, they definitely contain fibre. Proteins contain fats and, in the case of beans, nuts and seeds, fibre too. Dairy products contain fats. Only fats and oils are purely fats and don’t overlap with any other food group. All food groups contain vitamins and minerals.

That covers the six food groups. Come back Friday for tips on portion control. (434)

The new PC – portion control

At the risk of boring people who have been following my blog since the beginning, this week I’m covering portion sizes again. Portion control really is key to losing and/or maintaining your weight and staying healthy, so herewith healthy eating, weight loss guidelines.

Please think of this as an eating guide, rather than a diet. “Diet” implies something you will stop once
you reach your goal weight. For successful weight loss (i.e. to lose and keep weight off, once and for all) this is a style of eating you need to follow forever.

ALWAYS eat breakfast – fasting all night raises cortisol levels: high levels of cortisol encourage
fat storage. To control cortisol levels you need to raise insulin levels (insulin suppresses cortisol). To raise insulin levels, you need to eat.

To control blood sugar levels, try to keep to low GI foods. You can use cinnamon sprinkled on fruits and cereals. Cinnamon helps maintain blood sugar levels.

Try to eat dinner before 7.00pm – this may be difficult if you eat out.

There are basically six food groups: Fruits, vegetables, grains, meat and beans, milk and oils. I’ll cover fruits and vegetables today.

Fruits are carbohydrates.
The fruit group includes all fresh, frozen, canned and dried fruits and fruit juices. In general,
1 cup of fruit, or ½ cup of pure fruit juice (unsweetened) or ½ cup of dried fruit is considered to be 1 portion. I suggest you limit bananas to 2 per week, and dried fruit to 1 cup per week – purely because of the high sugar content. If you wish to set fruit salad in a sugar free jelly, slightly reduce the water used to make the jelly. Do NOT put pineapple in, it affects the set.
Recommended daily consumption: 2 – 3 portions of fruit (3 – 4 for men)

Vegetables are carbohydrates.
The vegetable group includes all fresh, frozen, canned and dried veg and veg juices. In general,
1 cup of raw or cooked veg or veg juice, or 2 cups of raw leafy greens (eg lettuce) equals
1 portion. Potatoes and sweet potatoes are NOT included in this group - these come under the grains group.
Recommended daily consumption: 3 - 5 portions of vegetables (5 – 8 for men)

On Wednesday, I’ll talk about the other four food groups.

Dairy products

Milk, cheese and yoghurt are some of our main dietary sources of calcium, a mineral essential for healthy teeth and bones. Butter, cream and most cheeses (as well as full cream milk and yoghurt) are high in saturated fats, so the semi-skimmed (low fat) is better and the skimmed (fat-free) versions are best.

I occasionally use low-fat cheese spread, and I always buy fat-free cottage cheese. I have tried the fat-reduced cheddar, but I didn’t find it very palatable. I would rather use less of a strong flavoured full-fat cheese, such as Black Crow, for cooking.

Dairy products also supply us with phosphorous and magnesium, as well as good quality protein. Just because the fat has been removed doesn’t mean that the products are any less nutritious. 250ml of low fat milk contains almost 20% of your daily protein and calcium needs.

Cow’s milk is, of course, designed for calves and not for people. The digestive enzyme required for the proper digestion of milk – rennin – is only produced in humans up to the age of about two years. Some children initially suffer with lactose intolerance, though they often outgrow this. Soy milk is a convenient substitute, it has about the same amount of protein as cow’s milk but has very little in the way of digestible calcium. To overcome this, most manufacturers now enrich soy milk with calcium carbonate. Soy milk has little saturated fat (about 2%) and no cholesterol.

The South African Food Based Dietary Guidelines recommend no more than 400-500ml of milk per day (for adults). 250ml of milk is equivalent to 30gm cheese or 175ml yoghurt. Without even realising it, you probably use at least 125ml of milk in your tea and coffee throughout the day, and another 125 – 250 ml on your breakfast cereal.

Rules can break your commitment

I’ve just seen on Face Book that my niece is starting a ’major health kick 28 day plan’. She says she is giving up smoking and alcohol (both excellent commitments to make!), and that she intends to cut out sugars and fats altogether.

Alarm bells are already sounding in my head! Very few people can set these kinds of limitations, all at once, and succeed.

The greater the number of stringent rules you make for yourself when committing to a diet or health regimen, the less likely you are to keep them up. The only rules – not even rules, but guidelines - you need to implement to lose weight and lead a healthier lifestyle are:
1. Make healthy food choices
2. Master portion control
3. Consume sufficient kilocalories/kilojoules
4. Introduce gentle exercise
5. Don’t set a time limit

Making healthy food choices means eating more fresh fruit and vegetables, and choosing whole grain products over their refined equivalents – whole grain bread and pasta, brown rice etc.

Mastering portion control is a little more difficult and takes a bit of time. Use the Google search tool above, type in ‘food groups’ and it will list all the posts I have written in the past about how much of what equals a portion, and how many portions of each food group your body needs in a day.

Eating enough is tied in to portion control. If you eat the number of portions from each food group, each day, you will be getting sufficient energy from a healthy variety of foods. When you radically limit the quantity and quality of the foods you ‘allow’ yourself, you will be hungry, tired and quickly get depressed and down on yourself. All foods are 'allowed' - just watch your portion sizes.

Introducing gentle exercise is as easy as parking on the far side of the lot, before walking briskly into the mall or shopping centre, where you will use the stairs in preference to the lift or escalator.

Don’t set a time limit. You will more than likely set an unrealistic goal, not be able to meet it, and get despondent. You will lose faith in yourself, be de-motivated and give up on the whole idea! Slow and steady attains the goal – it’s not a race. Changing too much all at once means you have too much to think about and consider every time you want to eat.

Have a great weekend.

Add fibre with ease.

Yesterday, my number one tip was to eat more fibre, and it really isn't difficult.

A high-fibre cereal for breakfast - oats, muesli or bran. A forty to fifty gram serving of any of these with 1/2 a cup of fat free milk and 1/2 cup of fat free yoghurt, sprinkled with a little powdered cinnamon, makes a great start to the day.

A whole grain bread sandwich for lunch: two slices of bread (or a roll) stuffed with lettuce, tomato and cucumber slices, cress, 1/4 of an avocado pear, spread with mustard and/or low fat mayo. Add a hard boiled egg or a thin slice of ham or cheese for protein. Serve this with some home-made, broth-based vegetable soup, if you like - chunky or smooth.

Dinner: at least two fresh vegetables (carrots, broccoli, butternut, spinach, mixed salad, whatever - I like to combine different coloured vegetables on my plate) with brown rice, barley or beans as your starch. Try and stick with chicken or fish as your animal protein source. They are lower in saturated fats than red meats.
Check out the dinner recipes I post here: there is a new recipe every day.

Snacks: choose from fresh fruit, nuts and seeds.

And drink plenty of fluids (preferably water). All that extra fibre needs lots of water to digest.

5 tips to make weight management easier

Whether you are overweight or just trying to manage your weight, you can benefit from today's five tips.

1. Eat more fibre - with every meal. I know I'm always on about fibre but it really is important. Firstly, it keeps you regular, and secondly it keeps you fuller for longer so you won't feel deprived or 'starving' until the next scheduled meal. Fibre comes from fruit, vegetables, and wholegrains. Try to get 3 servings of whole grains, 3 servings of fruit and 5 servings of vegetables every day. Minimum.
2. Watch your portion sizes. When you start a weight management program - or if you are trying tro eat more healthily - it really helps to monitor your portion sizes. Get into the habit of consistently measuring your food when eating at home. This gives you a much better idea of how much you need to eat when you are out to dinner.
3. No second helpings. Oh, okay, if you are really still hungry, have some more vegetables, a salad or a piece of fruit. But did you give yourself time to realise you've had enough? Eat slowly and chew your food well.
4. Eating out? Eat only half of what you are served in the protein and starch food groups. Consider ordering from the starters menu only, or stick with a salad (dressing on the side) for your main course. And leave those hot white rolls alone! If others at your table are ordering starters as well as entrees, and you intended to order only a main course, have a plain salad (dressing on the side) or broth-based soup to keep you occupied while you wait.
5. Eat regularly - breakfast, lunch and dinner, or five to six smaller meals, spread throughout the day. Don't skip a meal, you'll just get extra hungry and eat too much (or the wrong thing!) as soon as the opportunity arises. Always, always eat breakfast.

Food is good

Another question from Natalie:

Mart and I are trying not to eat that many carbs at night so what we have been doing is making things like stuffed gem-squash (boiling them, adding a little creamed sweetcorn, then frying in a tiny bit of olive oil: some onions, mushrooms, and lean bacon, then adding a tiny bit of cheese and grilling). Can you let me know whether this is bad or not? we tried filling the gems with mince but that wasn’t so nice...

First of all, I want to say that all fresh food is good, so there is nothing 'bad' about your meal of stuffed gem squash. What you have described doesn't sound very sustaining, though. Try mixing some cooked rice - or better still, quinoa - into your filling, and I think you will find the meal more satisfying, and no less healthy. You can try stuffing butternut (more robust than gem squash), aubergine or bell peppers, or even large tomatoes as a variation.

When you talk about 'carbs', I think you mean 'starches'. Yes, starches are carbs too, but so are gem squash, onions and mushrooms! The majority of your food should consist of carbs, and if what you are eating is not meat and not fat, then it is carbohydrate.

The best nutritional value comes from foods that are as natural as possible, so as long as you are avoiding processed foods you are doing really well. The next best thing to fresh is frozen or canned. These products are usually free of colourants and preservatives, and they provide foods that are quick and easy to prepare plus giving you year-round availablity. If you buy canned vegetables, just check for added salt, and only buy fruits canned in fruit juice - the fruit canned in syrup is overloaded with added sugar.

I know you and Mart are both physically active, and you do need starch for optimum performance. What time of day do you go to gym? You should have between 6 and 9 servings from the grains (starches) food group every day. Remember that the grains group includes: potatoes, sweet potatoes, whole wheat pasta, brown and wild rice, bulghar wheat, couscous, cereals and breads, etc. You shouldn't cut out starches (do control portion sizes), rather reduce saturated fats and added sugars, for health and weight control.

I welcome questions, from all my readers, provided they are relevant to the past and present content of this blog. Please leave your question in a comment, and I will do my best to answer you promptly.

Basic needs

We all have basic needs.

Abraham Maslow (April 1st 1908 - June 8th 1970) was an influential and inspirational figure in the field of human psychology. In 1943 his hierarchy of needs was published in his paper entitled 'A theory of human motivation'. The hierarchy of needs forms a pyramid - much like the old style food pyramid - with the most basic needs forming the foundation of the pyramid.

Maslow says that we need each layer of the pyramid, in order, and that we will not progress to worrying about building the next layer before we have laid a solid foundation of the preceeding layer.

Maslow's hierarchy builds as follows:
Our first and most basic needs are physiological : water, food, sleep, etc
The second level is concerned with safety : shelter, personal and family security, health, employment,etc
The third need is for love and a sense of belonging : family, friends
The fourth level is for esteem : respect for and of others, achievement, confidence
And the fifth level is self actualisation : morality, creativity, acceptance, altruism.

Now, if we could look at the food pyramid, and only help ourselves to the next food group once we have established a strong foundation of the preceeding group on our plate, we would all be slimmer and healthier!
The layers in the food pyramid, in case you have forgotten, build in this order:
Grains and starches : Fruit and vegetables : Meats, beans, eggs and nuts : Dairy : Fats and sugars

Portions for the under 5's

Okay, Sally (and any other mums out there), are you ready?

Sarah Avridge is 9 months old. She is an active baby, just starting to crawl.
Once she turns 1, Sarah's portion sizes are:
Meat/fish/chicken/beans: 1/2 to 1 Tblsp finely chopped with gravy or sauce or 1 egg: 2-4 x per day.
Fruits: 1/2 a small apple or pear or a small plum (peeled please): 2-4 x per day.
Veg: 1 Tblsp soft or mashed carrot, courgette, pumpkin, broccoli etc: 3-5 x per day.
Grains/cereals: 1/2 - 1 slice of bread, or 1 Tblsp mashed potato/rice/porridge: 4-6 x per day.
Dairy: 2 Tblsp yoghurt or custard or 3 dices of cheese: 2-4 x per day.
Fat and sugar: avoid at this age.
Milk: 500ml full fat milk or formula per day.
Until she turns 1, Sally should keep Sarah's portion sizes small, increasing them gradually to the 1 year old level.

Toby is an adventurous little boy of 2yrs 9mo. He loves climbing and riding his tricycle. Until he turns 3, Toby needs:
Meat/fish/chicken/beans: 1 1/2 Tblsp chopped meat, 1 fish finger, sausage or egg: 2-4 x per day.
Fruits: 1 small apple or pear, or slice melon, or 4 strawberries: 2-4 x per day.
Veg: 1-2 Tblsp carrot, courgette, pumpkin, broccoli, a small chopped salad etc: 3-5 x per day.
Grains/cereals: 1 large slice of bread, or 1-2 Tblsp mashed potato/rice/porridge: 4-6 x per day.
Dairy: 3 Tblsp yoghurt or custard or 4 dices of cheese: 2-4 x per day.
Fat and sugar: 1 plain biscuit or 1 small slice of plain cake: 1-2 x per day.
Milk: 750ml full fat or low fat milk per day.
Sally can start increasing Toby's portion sizes now, gradually.

Once Toby is 3, he will need:
Meat/fish/chicken/beans: 2-3 Tblsp chopped meat, or 1-2 fish fingers or sausages, or 1 egg: 2-4 x per day.
Fruits: 1 small apple, banana,pear, slice melon, or 6 grapes: 2-4 x per day.
Veg: 2-3 Tblsp carrot, courgette, pumpkin, broccoli, a small chopped salad etc: 3-5 x per day.
Grains/cereals: 1-2 large slices of bread, or 2-3 Tblsp mashed potato/rice/porridge: 4-6 x per day.
Dairy: 4 Tblsp yoghurt or custard or 1 small matchbox of cheese: 2-4 x per day.
Fat and sugar: 1 plain biscuit or 1 small slice of plain cake: 1-2 x per day.
Milk: 750ml full fat or low fat milk per day.

Feeding children

We need to focus on nutritious foods in healthy quantities, for ourselves and our family.

Eating habits and food preferences are formed from a very young age. They are affected by race, religion, culture, ethics, economics, health and climate. They should also be influenced by a little knowledge of what is sound nutritional value and what the body requires.

Body requirements are pretty much covered by portion control. I covered recommended portion sizes and healthy nutrition when I discussed the different food groups. What I didn't cover was the number of portions and portion sizes for children.

So, for the under-5s, the number of daily portions required are:
Meat/fish/chickens/beans: 2-4 portions
Fruits:                              2-4 portions
Vegetables:                       3-5 portions
Grains/cereals/potatoes:    4-6 portions
Dairy:                               2-4 portions (excluding milk for drinking)
Food containing fat/sugar:  1-2 portions
Milk:                            500 - 750ml depending on age
but the portion size varies with age.

Sally Avridge has been asking me for some guidelines for feeding her two little ones, so tomorrow 1'll talk about portion sizes for the under-1s, the 2-3s and 3-5s.

Sugar substitutes

Sugar substitutes have been in use for years, and more recently they have been introduced into commercially packaged foods and beverages. There has always been, and continues to be, controversy as to whether sugar substitutes pose risks to health. Doubtless the scientific research and experiments will continue - without necessarily coming up with a definitive answer.

Most sugar substitutes, unlike sugar, do not contain glucose, and therefore do not require insulin for digestion. They mimic the taste of sugar, but supply less or no energy. Some are natural and some are synthetic.

Here are some of the better known sweeteners in use commercially, and available as granules or pills or powder for home use:

Saccharine (E954) was the first sugar substitute produced way back in 1878. It became very popular during World War II, when there were shortages of real sugar. It is kcal/kj free, 300x sweeter than sugar, and suitable for cooking and baking. It does have a slightly bitter aftertaste, so these days it is usually blended. It is used commercially in toothpaste!

Aspartame (E951) was first synthesized in 1965. It is 200x sweeter than sugar, and has only 4kcal/16kj per teaspoon. It is not suitable for cooking or baking because heat tends to break it down and it loses its sweetness - though I have made custard and stewed fruit quite successfully using aspartame. One big warning here - aspartame cannot be used by people who have the (admittedly rare) genetic condition phenylketonuria. This is an inability to break down the amino acid phenylalanine. It's perfectly safe for anyone else to use.

Sucralose (E955) - discovered in 1976 - is a zero calorie/kilojoule sugar substitute. It is about 600x as sweet as sugar. It is stable when heated, so it's suitable for baking and cooking. Because of its intense sweetness, it is usually 'bulked' with dextrose and maltodextrin to give it a granular appearance and a similar sweetness to sugar by volume.

Sorbitol is referred to as a nutritive sweetner as it supplies about half the kcal/kj you would get from an equal quantity of carbohydrates. It occurs naturally in stone fruits and some berries. Even if you don't take sorbitol orally, the cells in the body produce sorbitol naturally. Sorbitol is used commercially in cough syrups and sugar free chewing gum. It is also used in mouthwash, toothpastes (especially gels) and cosmetics, and - wait for it - as a humectant in cigarettes!

Xylitol and Stevia  are naturally occurring sugar substitutes, which are growing in popularity. Both have negligible effect on blood glucose levels, so they are probably the safest choice if you have diabetes or hyperglycemia.

Sugar substitutes can safely be included as part of a well balanced eating plan - always remembering that sugar (sucrose) is not the enemy; it, and its substitutes, should just be used in moderation. Personally, I have found that using sugar substitutes increases my appetite and perpetuates a sweet tooth!