A healthy diet is not just about what you eat, but how you eat as well, writes Gary Dawkins, of Creative Conditioning at River Ridge Retreat.
Life can be hectic, eating into the time we have to spend preparing meals.
Just as difficult can be making sure the foods we graze on during the day are the ones that will do us the most good. Ideally we are eating six-plus times per day, and on all those occasions on low-energy dense foods.
But it's so much easier, and often cheaper, to graze on high glycemic index (GI) foods, such as biscuits for a morning snack. The question is: how do we put into practice some smart eating habits?The key is to keep it simple. Put away the complex nutrition plans and instead go for a daily eating plan that is simple, fast, easy, weight-friendly and energy-sustaining.
In many ways the trends of previous generations are coming back. Remember our grandparents' approach to eating? Most followed a regimen of three meals a day, in which lunch was the bigger meal. This is ideal for weight management because it leaves us half the day to burn off the higher calories in the larger lunch meal.
It is also ideal for supplying a high level of sustained energy for the rest of the afternoon.
Because the foods consist of low GI carbohydrates and protein foods, it sustains high energy levels through the day. There are no sudden spikes in energy levels of the sort caused by convenience snacks such as biscuits, chocolate bars and coffee.
The only slight drawback of this daily food plan is that for many, lunch will need to be cooked in advance because there is no time to do this during the working week. The answer is to prepare lunch meals in the weekends. The benefits will by far outweigh any slight inconveniences.
See the graph (right) for a comparison between sustaining a constant, relatively high daily energy level (blue straight line), and an energy level that has multiple daily spikes and troughs (black line). It is best to avoid the multiple daily spikes and troughs to manage weight and maintain a stable relatively high energy level.
In practice, continuously grazing on healthy low-GI foods throughout the day is hard to achieve. Snacks often end up being high-GI foods that provide a sharp and short-lived peak in energy. This rapid rise in blood glucose quickly adds to the waistline and makes us feel completely drained of energy once the blood glucose levels drop back down.
Low-GI carbohydrates, vegetables and protein is the recipe to prevent weight gain and provide long-lasting and sustained daily energy levels.
We can prepare meals based on these ingredients in just 15 minutes.
All we then need to do is have some low-GI fruits and/or nuts for morning and afternoon snacks. These simple foods will prevent short-lived energy spikes, yet still provide us with the nutrients we need.
Here is an example of a daily meal plan that is quick and easy to prepare, energy-sustaining and weight-friendly.
Tipping the scales
Fast-food meals are on the rise
When you are out of your normal routine, finding a fast-food meal without a side order of guilt and excess fat can be hard, but there are ways to make healthier choices.
1. Less is more: You can always make meals healthier by finding ways to reduce their energy and fat content. Whether it's sushi or fish and chips, scrap the high-calorie sauces, always choose grilled or seared meat options, skip the cheese and choose plenty of veges.
2. Look up at the board: Larger fast-food chains now display the energy content of their food on their boards. Stick to 1500kJ or less.
Two fast-food choices under 1500kJ:
Subway: six-inch ham sub, 1070kJ per serve.
McDonald's: seared chicken tandoori wrap, 1340kJ per serve.
3. Watch portion sizes. Don't be tempted to overindulge. Half a large wrap or half a doner kebab is usually enough.
Keep in mind that the typical ''serve'' of fast food is up to five times larger than it was 20 years ago.
Fast energy-boosters for the hectic day ahead
These days we all want more get up and go. Make these tiny health tweaks and enjoy surprising benefits.
1. For breakfast have foods rich in B vitamins. When our lives become busy and stressful we use up B vitamins quickly and we need to replenish them. B vitamins also help us make the fuel we need for energy from the proteins, carbohydrates and fats we eat. Get B vitamins from having a poached egg with spinach and tomato on multigrain bread. Or have a high-fibre cereal with milk and 8-10 almonds.
2. Green vegetables for breakfast. A green smoothie before breakfast can help maintain energy levels throughout the day by increasing the level of nutrients the body takes in without increasing calories. For example, make the smoothie with a few slices of cucumber, a bunch of spinach, a banana, and a small handful each of raspberries and blueberries.
Meal plan
BREAKFAST
Bircher muesli cup oats soaked in cup Calci-trim milk, topped with 2 chopped brazil nuts, grated apple and cup low-fat yoghurt
SNACK
2 plums
LUNCH
Lasagne: (see recipe)
SNACK
1 banana, 15 almonds, 2 brazil nuts
DINNER
Thai beef salad: (see recipe)
SNACK
Small handful of grapes
LUNCH: Lasagne
Serves 8
250g packet of lasagne sheets
400g premium beef mince
2 capsicums, chopped
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1 jar tomato pasta sauce
2 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs
500g cottage cheese
3 Tbsp pesto
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ cup grated edam cheese
1. Preheat oven to 180degC. Fry onion and garlic over medium heat until soft. Add capsicums and cook for a few minutes. Add mince and brown. Add pasta sauce, heat through. Add herbs, simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Cheese sauce: blend cottage cheese with stick blender until smooth. Add half parmesan and pesto. Blend until smooth.
3. In a deep oven dish, place one third of the meat mixture, followed by a layer of pasta, and a layer of cheese and repeat, finishing with the cheese. Sprinkle remaining parmesan and edam on top and place in oven. Cook for 45 minutes, then let stand for five minutes before serving.
Green salad
400g baby spinach
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
cucumber, diced
1. Combine spinach, tomatoes and cucumber into salad. Serve with lasagne.
DINNER: Thai beef salad
Serves 4
500g beef sirloin steak
1 fresh small red Thai chilli
1 lime
2 Tbsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp grated palm sugar
2 Tbsp sesame oil
1 telegraph cucumber
2 medium tomatoes
1 medium red onion
1 medium grapefruit
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
¼ cup flaked coconut
1. Heat oiled medium frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook beef for about four minutes each side. Remove from heat, cover and stand five minutes.
2. Meanwhile, finely slice chilli lengthways. Finely grate lime (you need 1 tsp rind) and squeeze juice (you need 2 Tbsp juice). Whisk chilli, rind, juice, sugar, sauce and oil in small bowl until combined. Transfer half the dressing to medium bowl.
3. Slice beef thinly, add to dressing in medium bowl and toss.
4. Thinly slice cucumber, tomato and onion. Segment grapefruit. Combine cucumber, tomato, onion, grapefruit, herbs, beef and remaining dressing in large bowl and season to taste.
Serve sprinkled with coconut.