We might be a food-obsessed nation, but how much do we really know about the foods we eat?
While losing weight may be simple in theory (energy input must be less than energy output), restraining ourselves from over-indulging in a tub of ice cream or block of chocolate, can be a formidable test of self-control.
Over-eating is a major contributing factor to our ever-increasing waistlines. Many of us wait until we’re ravenous to start eating, but then eat quickly and miss cues that we’re full. This problematic pattern can be avoided if we know when we’re moderately full – the point at which our body (though not necessarily our mind) has had enough food to fuel us for the next few hours. We should know we’ve reached this threshold not when we feel totally satisfied, but at the first sign of stomach distension (when we feel our stomachs press against our waistbands).
Another obvious contributing factor to weight gain is high-caloric foods – think chocolate, cheese, creams and fried food. But, what about those other ‘everyday’ foods? I spoke with Melanie McGrice, accredited Practicing Dietitian from Melbourne’s Health Kick Nutrition and Dietetics to find some answers.
Salt
We all know we need to limit our salt consumption but, it’s not due to its high energy content. In fact, salt has no calories. ‘The only way salt could cause weight gain would be through fluid retention,’ says McGrice. ‘However, salty foods are also often processed foods that are generally higher in fat and calories, which obviously contribute to weight-gain.’
Salt increases the stiffness or hardness of arteries. Eating too much of it can cause high blood pressure – a major cause of heart disease and a myriad of other health problems.
Nutritionists suggest we consume not more than 2500 mg of salt (sodium) per day. Most people consume two or three times that amount. One teaspoon salt has 2000mg sodium.
‘Read nutrition labels and try to avoid foods that have more than 1200 mg of salt per 100g,’ advises McGrice. ‘Watch out for sauces and pizza, which often have high levels of sodium. One quarter of a meat-lover’s pizza has approximately 1500 mg of salt. That’s over half of your daily recommended salt intake. Also choose tuna in spring water rather than brine, as brine is saltwater, so is obviously high in salt.’
Tea
Tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world, after water. Tea is a rich source of flavonoid antioxidants. However the amount of these helpful antioxidants found in tea can be influenced by many factors, including where the tea is grown and how it is processed.
Hot brewed tea contains the most flavonoids with less found in tea bags and iced tea. Adding milk or water can lower the flavonoid concentration, but research shows that milk does not interfere with how we absorb flavonoids.
Like coffee, tea itself will not contribute to weight-gain, rather it is the accompanying milk and sugar that will increase our caloric intake.
One common confusion about tea is the amount of caffeine contained in one cup. Kilo for kilo, experts say, tea contains more caffeine than coffee. But a kilo of tea leaves can yield several hundred cups of tea, while the same quantity of ground beans makes fewer than 100 cups of coffee, making coffee the more potent pick-me-up.
Depending on the blend of tea leaves, the brand and the amount of brewing time, a cup of tea usually contain somewhere between 20 to 90 mg of caffeine, while a similar serving of coffee varies from 60 to 180 mg.
We’ve heard all sorts of myths about green tea – the most recent being its ability to aid in weight-loss. ‘The possibility that green tea catechins (a type of antioxidant), help with weight loss has been a recent topic in the media,’ says McGrice. ‘Research in this area is emerging but it is too early to confirm a separate action of green tea catechins in weight control.’
However, many studies have shown that green tea has strong anti-cancer effects on several types of cancers. It has been shown to induce death in cancer cells, as well as inhibiting the development of an independent blood supply that cancers develop so they can grow and spread.
Butter and margarine
It’s an age-old debate that we cease to lose interest in: is butter or margarine better for us? First let’s start with butter. The main problem with butter is that it contains two cholesterol-raising ingredients: dietary cholesterol and saturated fat. Dietary cholesterol is found in animal products (so you won’t find any cholesterol in a plant-based food or food product, such as margarine).
While we are all affected by cholesterol differently, it is generally recommended that healthy persons consume no more than 200 mg cholesterol each day. Butter has approx-imately 33 mg of cholesterol in one tablespoon alone!
Cholesterol aside, butter’s trouble is its saturated fat content. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and are found largely in red meat, high-fat dairy products (such as butter) as well as coconut and palm oils. ‘Saturated fats can increase cholesterol,’ says McGrice. And, while they can also increase ‘good’ cholesterol (HDL), they don’t raise it enough to warrant us eating it. Saturated fat intakes are associated with increases in heart-disease risk. A healthy range of saturated fat is 10-15 g each day. Just one tablespoon of butter contains over 7 g of saturated fat!
Margarine is by no means void of artery clogging fat. The controversy with margarine lies with its level of trans fat. Trans fats are largely a man-made fat, formed when hydrogen is added to vegetable oils, making the oil more solid and less likely to spoil. This process is called hydrogenation or partial hydrogenation and allows margarine to remain firm at room temperature.
Trans fats have been shown to increase the ‘bad’ cholesterol (LDL) in a similar way to saturated fats, and they tend to lower the ‘healthy’ (HDL) cholesterol when eaten in large amounts. What’s more, trans fats make our blood platelets stickier. However, according to McGrice, spreads in Australia these days contain less trans fat than in the past largely because advances in food technology have made it possible for manufacturers to make spreads without rely-ing on hydrogenation. Typically, the more solid a margarine is at room temperature, the more trans fat it contains.
Many of us have also seen some alarming media reports that vegetable oils in spreads can cause blindness and that the only safe spreads to eat are butter or olive oil.
However, there is little evidence to support these claims.
Butter and margarine: in summary*
• For the healthiest choice, look for a spread that is low in saturated and trans fats
• Olive oil spreads contain significantly less actual olive oil than you might think
• Dairy blends (a mix of butter and vegetable oil) might be much easier to spread straight out of the friedge than plain butter. But even the best of them have more saturated fat than most other spreads
* facts taken from Choice ‘Test: Butter and margarine’
Nuts
Despite what many people believe, eating nuts regularly can actually help achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. The fibre and high amount of protein found in most nuts mean they can help manage weight by satisfying hunger for longer. Research shows that when people lose weight, only 14 percent keep weight off in the long term. One of the reasons may be that traditional low fat, high carbohydrate diets often recommended for weight loss are not as appetising as other styles of eating.
A nation of sweet-lovers
Australians consume an average of 40kg of sugar per person, per year! This equals 22 teaspoons of sugar or 1800kJ per day. Most of our sugar intake is hidden in processed foods such as biscuits, cakes, breakfasts, cereals, jam.
Vino
A bottle of wine contains 2400kJ – about half of a woman’s daily kilojoule requirements.
