What to feed the kids

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Small children can be notoriously picky about what they will eat. It takes patience and perseverance to get them to accept new foods in their diet. A good example set by Mum and Dad can go a long way towards helping. Provided you can get them to eat anything even remotely resembling healthy food, here are some guidelines.

For 1 – 2 year olds
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 plus 500ml full fat milk or formula per day.
Added fat and sugar: avoid at this age.

Increase these quantities gradually until by 2 years of age your child is eating:

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 plus 750ml full fat or low fat milk per day.
Fat and sugar: 1 plain biscuit or 1 small slice of plain cake: 1-2 x per day.

Once your toddler 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 plus 750ml full fat or low fat milk per day.
Fat and sugar: 1 plain biscuit or 1 small slice of plain cake: 1-2 x per day.

And, 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) plus 500 - 750ml depending on age
Food containing fat/sugar: 1-2 portions

Portion size gradually increases with age.

Don’t be surprised if your pre-schooler eats all the broccoli in sight one day and flat out refuses it for weeks afterwards. Some children are picky about texture, others flavour, and some are even fussy about colour! Just keep offering small quantities of new or rejected foods – and be seen to eat these foods yourself. Coercion and bribery are counter-productive.
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How to eat for health

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If you have been with me since the start of this year (or longer) you will have learned a bit about the different food groups, portion sizes and GI values. But this doesn't necessarily guide you to making healthier food choices.

Weight management is difficult enough - especially as we get older - and putting yourself on a restricted regimen only leads to depression, dissatisfaction and disillusionment. So dump the doomed diet discipline. Eating for health still comes down to having controlled portions of a wide variety of foods from all the different food groups - with the emphasis on vegetables and fruit. Eliminating foods you normally enjoy is not the way to go - a little of what you fancy does you good, and stops you feeling deprived.

To eat for health, 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 influenced 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. I’ll go into that on Monday.

For a quick review of the food groups / portion sizes, go here.

Enjoy your weekend.
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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.

Fats

We tend to think of oils and fats as being our enemies when we are trying to lose weight, but in fact, they are not. Without ingested fats we would be unable to absorb and utilize the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.

Some fatty acids (Omega-3 from oily fish and Omega-6 found in vegetable oils such as sunflower oil) are known as essential fatty acids. Our bodies cannot produce these fatty acids, and so they need to be sourced from the foods we eat. Without fats and oils in our systems, our hair and skin become dry; the protective myelin sheath around each nerve becomes thin; and the individual cells in all the body systems cannot absorb nutrients effectively.

Most food products carry a label showing nutritional information - energy, protein, fibre, fats, carbohydrates, etc - and some of these labels break down the types of fat so that you can see exactly what you are eating. If the label only gives one figure for fats, then as a rule-of-thumb you can halve that figure to find out the saturated fat content. This is not always accurate, but it gives you a starting point.

Saturated fats come from products derived from animals - meats, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy - as well as palm oil and coconut oil (these are the only vegetable oils that contain saturated fats). Excessive saturated fats, and trans-fatty acids, are believed to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. For this reason alone, we should restrict how much of them we consume. Skinless turkey breast has the lowest level of saturated fat (2%), minced beef and lamb have far higher levels (27%), lean pork is somewhere in the middle at 10%. But there is nothing wrong with having the occasional piece of steak (lean beef has 13% saturated fat).

Mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fatty acids are said to reduce the 'bad' cholesterol. Oils high in mono-unsaturated fats are good for cooking because they develop fewer free radicals when they are heated. Olive and rapeseed oils are highest in mono-unsaturated fats, so use them for cooking – but not at very high temperatures.

Poly-unsaturated fats (the Omegas) are involved in regulating blood pressure, blood clotting and immune responses. Try to eat cold water fish at least twice a week (tuna, herring, sardines, salmon).
Poly-unsaturated fats - specifically Omega-6 - are essential for growth, cell structure and a healthy immune system. Omega-6 fatty acids are present in sunflower oil and corn oil.

Friendly oils and fats are found in fish, nuts and avocados. Soft margarines, as well as the obvious butter, cream, cream cheese, mayo, salad dressings, pastries, cakes and biscuits all contain a lot of fats - most of them the saturated variety to be limited or avoided altogether.

The recommended daily intake for fats and oils is a maximum of 6 teaspoons per day.

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.

Keeping an eye on portion sizes

Now you know what constitutes a portion in each of the food groups, use the kitchen scales and/or measuring cup to better see what a portion really is. My digital scale sits out on my counter top all the time, ready for weighing recipe ingredients AND my food servings. Portion size control is vital – and your portions can increase very rapidly if you don’t keep a close watch. If you've been visually controlling portion size for a while, get the scale out and measure again, you may well find you have become over generous.

The portions I have suggested in my posts this week provide a daily intake of ±2000kcals/8400kjoules, which is adequate for a moderately active female. Men obviously need more – they have bigger bodies to maintain and generally they metabolize food faster (so unfair!). If you find that you do not lose weight, then reduce your daily portions of oils and grains slightly. If you lose a lot of weight fast, then increase the number of grains and meat portions. Vegetables are low in kilojoules/kcals and a good tummy filler – you can healthily increase the number of portions at any time. Weight loss of more than ½ - 1 kilo per week is unhealthy, over an extended period, unless you are VERY overweight to begin with. Losing more slowly means the weight will stay off.

Don’t weigh yourself more than once a week – same time, same clothes (or lack of!). Your weight fluctuates from day to day, even throughout the day. Do measure yourself: chest, waist, hips, thigh. You’ll be pleasantly surprised after a few weeks.

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.

13 reasons to eat at home

I’m sure I must drive my poor, long suffering husband crazy! He often invites me out for dinner, and my answer is almost invariably no, thank you. Eating in is just so much easier.

1. I plan my meals, so I know how much I can eat come dinner time. I don’t want to pay for an expensive meal – in money and kilojoules – if I need to only eat a light dinner.
2. I know what and how I’m cooking, so no kilojoules / calories are ‘wasted’ or ‘hidden’. Those restaurant sauces are made with cream and butter, and the veg are also likely to be buttered and sweetened.
3. If we eat at home I don’t have to get ‘dressed up’ to go out. Going out involves at least a change of shoes, jacket, handbag etc, plus I’d have to do my hair.
4. We eat healthy sized portions. Restaurant protein portions, as I’ve mentioned before, are more than double what your body needs.
5. We get our recommended fruit and veg intake for the day. Last time we ate out I ordered a steak with vegetables. The vegetables consisted of one very small rocket leaf and chips! And the (lady’s) steak weighed 200gms
6. My meals are freshly prepared. My veg have not been precooked and left sitting in a bain marie for hours.
7. I get to eat dinner before 7:00PM. Much kinder to the digestion and the waist line. Going to bed on a full stomach is likely to cause discomfort and heartburn.
8. We don’t have to wait ages for a waiter to take our order. Admittedly, I’ve chosen our meal beforehand and my husband doesn’t have much of a say… but I gave up asking him what he would like to eat when he kept answering ‘food, please’.
9. Then wait another age while the kitchen prepares the food. There is still a wait while I cook, but I am only cooking one meal and not tending a dozen different orders.
10. I don’t see other plates being delivered that look more interesting than mine. I think all menus should show photographs, so you know what to expect. I have ordered ‘fancy’ – i.e. expensive - salads at several different restaurants and been very disappointed with the actual content, some of them didn’t even contain the ingredients listed on the menu.
11. There is no bill to pay – the food has already been paid for.
12. The wine at home is less than half the restaurant price for the same bottle.
13. There are no parking problems.

 

So I will continue to happily devise new recipes and eat at home.