Something I re-discovered

Well, it's been ages since my last post. It's not that I havent had much to say, but rather I have been feeling too overwhelmed with things to do to find the time.

I guess it's not that I don't have time, I haven't made time to do the things I should be doing, and also what I would like to be doing... e.g. exercising more, doing all those things on that ever-growing list and blogging too!

Well, since daylight savings made us wind our clocks forward one hour, it means my daughter has been waking up at 6am and not 7am! With an extra hour of waking time, it seems like by noon, it should be about 2 or 3 pm.. almost time to wind up the day and get ready for dinners, baths and bed. Alas, the day has only gotten going and I suddenly find myself with 6 extra hours to play with! What value!

So today I have been able to cross off a few of those things on the list which have collected dust and were in the "too hard" basket... and I feel GREAT for it!

So perhaps the early bird does catch that worm....

Next worm .... exercise.

Maybe tomorrow.

Chewing gum and weight loss?

The Univerisity of Rhode Island has found that when subjects chewed gum in the morning, their calorie intake was decreased by 68 cals per day (equivalent to 10 mins of stairmaster).

• Subjects reported feeling less hungry when compared to when they did not chew gum, particularly in males.


• Gum chewers burned 5% more energy than non gum chewers.


• Gum chewers also reported reduced weariness and less percieved effort to do things, as compared to when they did not chew gum.

So to chew or not to chew?

• CHEW! It's good for your teeth and your butt!


• Chew gum while your working and working out!!


• AND if you chewed gum while doing it, you wouldn't even find it an effort at all!

Eat Smart

As part of my research last year, I looked into satiety- or rather, what makes you feel full and satisfied. Several studies have found that eating soup as a starter actually decreases hunger, increases fullness and decreases the energy intake at you next meal!

Studies have shown that eating soup ~30 minutes before your main meal will result in a 20% decrease in the amount of kilojoules consumed at the meal. Soup worked better than drinking the same amount in water alone!

My novel study looked into eating a garden salad before eating the main meal, and guess what? It also had lasting satiety effects on the subsequent meal. Those who ate the garden salad prior to eating the main meal, consumed less calories than those who ate bread, cookies and even potatoes.

So next time you look at a menu, order the soup or salad first, it will help you to reduce the amount of energy consumed and help you to achieve your weightloss goal..... just go easy on the cream, people!

Stuck for a recipe? See below.

Vichyssoise - Creamy potato and leek soup

I rediscovered this soup last night, when all I had in the fridge was.....well.... leek and potatoes!

It's such a lucious, thick and velvety soup which is as nourishing and comforting in the winter as well as refreshing and light for the summer, when served cold.

This recipe only has 10% of the fat of the traditional French recipe, but I promise you won't taste the difference! It's simply beautiful.

Ingredients

6 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into small peices (2cm x 1cm)

3 leeks, washed and chopped into rings

1 Tb canola margarine (you can use low fat, or butter for those living on the edge)

1.5 L boiling water (or vegetable stock)

1 vegetable stock cube (no msg)

1 250ml can skimmed evaporated milk

salt, to taste

freshly ground pepper

Method

1. In a medium sized pot, sautee the leek in margarine over medium heat, until soft.

2. Add the potatoes and pour over hot water/stock. Bring to a boil.

3. Simmer vegetables in stock for 20mins, until potatoes are just soft. Remove from heat.

4. Using a stick blender, blend soup until velvety and smooth.

5. Add the evaporated milk and salt to taste. Blitz with blender once, to blend seasoning and milk through.

6. Serve hot or cold, with a drizzle of your best cold pressed extra virgin olive oil and cracked pepper. Serves 4- 6. Enjoy!

Notes:

- I pour in just enough boiling water to cover the potatoes, which ensures a thick and velvety soup.

- If you cut the potatoes up in small cubes, you reduce the cooking time as well as preserving the potato flavour.

Skim Evaporated milk can be found in the supermarkets, and I substitute it for cream in all recipes. Evaporated milk still gives that rich creaminess with less than 1% fat (Vs 43% fat).

It can also be substituted for coconut cream by adding coconut powder to the evaporated milk or in Oz coconut flavoured evaporated skim milk is available in the supermarkets.

Nutrition Information



Per serve (~ 1.5 cups)

641 kJ/153 cal
2.6 g Fat
(0.4 g Saturated fat)
7.4 g Protein
22.8 g Carbohydrates
880 mg Salt

Salad recipe: Tonno e fagioli (Tuna and cannelini bean salad)

With summer pretty much here in Sydney, I thought some tasty salad recipes were in order.

Salads are not just the lettuce tomato cucumber boringness that one would normally conjure up in one's mind. There are so many salads that are not only tasty, but healthy, refreshing and nourishing- not to mention they "hit the spot" in hungry bellies.

Try this one, with more to come.

Preparation time: 10 minutes.

Tonno e fagioli salad

1 x 400g can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed.

1 x 200g can of tuna (in spring water). Drained.

1/2 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped

1/2 cup flat leaf parsely, roughly chopped.

1/2 red capsicum, sliced finely

1 x punnet grape or cherry tomatoes, halved.

2 spring onions, shredded

1/2 red onion, sliced finely

1 tb mini capers

Optional: finely chopped red chilli, for some heat.

Salt

Black pepper

Extra-virgin oil.

Optional: 1 tb whole egg mayonnaise, for extra creaminess.

Method

1. In a large mixing bowl, add the beans, tuna and onion and toss through.


2. Add the chopped vegetables, salt to taste and toss lightly.


3. Dress with the olive oil, (and mayo) with plenty of freshly cracked pepper and a sprinkling of capers.


4. Serve with crusty wholemeal sourdough and good olive oil.

• Makes ~3 small serves, or 2 just hearty serves in my household!

This is a great hearty lunch, full of protien, vegetables and low GI carbohydrates, with virtually no saturated fats.

This salad transports well, so its a great picnic salad or lunch at work/school.

Can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Enjoy! It's one of our faves.

A Moment on the Lips, A Lifetime on the Hips

Most of my clients are busy working professionals, juggling work, commuting and a healthy social life at the same time. Although I always try to encourage good old home cooking, sometimes takeaway is just the easiest solution to getting timely food which fills your belly and satisfies that ravenous hunger.

Unfortunately, take-away foods are packed with FAT, SALT and other nasties, that we are all trying to get away from. Why so? Cos they are fast and they taste good. The human body is programmed to like fat, sugar and salt. In the cave-man days, these nutrients were scarce, so we sought them and prized them like diamonds and pearls. These days, they are abundant, cheap and easily available- contributing to the weight issues of today.

What's your favourite? Thai, Chinese, Indian, Pizza? Read this before you make up your mind.

A serve of thai chicken green curry = 5 teaspoons of fat, 530 calories, and 2/3 tsp of salt.

For an average man, it would take ~ 107 minutes of hard cycling to burn it off.
An average woman would need to cycle, - hard, for ~134 minutes (2 hr 14 mins) to stop that from reaching your hips.

How's that yummy salad with vinegarette looking now?

Low GI Foods: Don't be fooled

It's true: Low GI (Glycaemic Index) carbs give you sustained energy release, keep you fuller for longer and keep the diabetes monster at bay.
Why??

Well, it's due to the way the carbohydrate molecule is structured and its fibre content. Our bodies take longer to digest some types of carbs rather than others. But be also aware that the glycaemic index of a food is also affected by the fat content of that food. High fat foods can also claim to be low GI too, but they are obviously not a healthy choice. Not all low GI foods are made equal.

For eg. Nutella claims to be a low GI food, but is it healthy?



Not exactly.

Although this product may be low GI, it contributes this sensational statement to its high fat content (>30% fat) and NOT due to its wonderful fibre content or carbohydrate structure.

In actual fact, 1 serve of nutella has the same amount of fat as 2 tsp of margarine,
.........but it has twice the calories!!

So next time you read low GI at the supermarket, check to see if you are actually reaping the health rewards by choosing high fibre, low GI carb sources, and not getting a secret serve of fat instead!

Just some food for thought.