Nutrition

When following a weight loss program, most people find that resisting sweet temptations is one of the most difficult things to adjust to and often opt for ‘diet’ products as a low calorie option to satisfy the sweet craving as well as stay on track with their progress.

So how can something that tastes so sweet be so low in energy?  Well the reason is that it is artificially sweetened.

Artificial sweeteners are designed to be sugar substitutes as a low calorie alternative to sugar.  The marketing line being that if you eat less energy these products are less ‘fattening’.  Sugar substitutes are found in diet sodas, yoghurt, sugar free lollies, gum and sweeteners. The additives they contain mimic the flavour of sugar but with virtually no useful energy and as they are many times sweeter than table sugar, smaller amounts are needed to create the same level of sweetness.

There are five main sugar substitutes that are approved for consumer use: saccharin, neotame, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, and sucralose. Of the five, sucralose and aspartame are the most controversial due to their associated health risks.

Sucralose – This relatively new additive is marketed under the name Splenda®. Sucralose is basically denatured sucrose (table sugar). Its preparation involves chlorinating sucrose, chemically changing the structure of the  molecules.

Aspartame – This additive is sold under the names Equal® or NutraSweet® and is present in many food and beverages marketed as low fat or low sugar and is reported as having many associated health risks.

So if you are trying to lose weight and want to avoid the health risks associated with artificial sweeteners then what options do you have?  Thankfully there are now more natural sweeteners available on the market that are easily accessible from either your local supermarket or health food store.

Stevia – Stevia is derived from a herb in the chrysanthemum family which grows wild as a small shrub in parts of Paraguay and Brazil. Steviol glycosides are the compounds in its leaves, that account for its incredible sweetness and whilst sweeter than cane sugar does not affect blood sugar levels so is an ideal choice for someone who is trying to watch their weight.

Natvia – Natvia is a natural sweetener made from Reb A stevia, and Erythritol.  Reb A is the purest and sweetest parts of the stevia plant, and erythritol naturally occurs as nectar in fruits, such as melons and grapes.  Natvia is 100% fructose free, has 95% fewer calories than sugar, contains no aspartame, or saccharin and it’s great for baking and cooking.

Xylitol – Known as a sugar alcohol or polyol, it is a natural carbohydrate found in fibrous fruit and vegetables. Produced in the body during normal metabolism, it is commercially extracted from birch tree bark or corn cobs and can be used to sweeten tea and coffee or used in baking.

Coconut Sugar – Is drawn from the sap of the coconut palm tree buds and is similar in taste and colour to brown sugar, with a slight caramel flavour..  Coconut sugar has a lower glycemic index rating (35) thus helping to stabilize glucose levels. As it is  loaded with minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, and B vitamins it provides more than just sweetness.  Coconut sugar can be used as a substitute for white sugar in baking or dessert recipes or anything else you’d use sugar for!

Agave Nectar – Agave nectar is produced from the Blue Agaves that thrive in the volcanic soils of Southern Mexico. Agaves are large, spikey plants that resemble cactus or yuccas.  With a taste and texture similar to honey Agave syrup is increasing in popularity as a healthy sweet alternative.

The carbohydrate in agave nectar has a low glycemic index, which provides sweetness without the unpleasant “sugar rush” and unhealthful blood sugar spike caused by many other sugars.

As with everything in life, the key is moderation.  You are able to still enjoy sweet foods as an occasional treat and as long as you exercise caution with your portion size then you can be confident to stay on track with your health and fitness goals.

Other top tips include:-

• Check your food labels at home and remove or reduce everything that has aspartame listed
• Use natural sweeteners like agave nectar, xylitol or raw honey
• Avoid products that are labelled “low calorie,” “diet,” “sugar free,” or “no sugar added” since they all likely contain sugar additives.

The weekly grocery bill can take a considerable chunk from your hard earned weekly income, and feeding a family today is a huge expense.  With many of the fast food chains currently advertising family sized meals for $20 it can seem like an easy affordable option for those who are time poor and need something that’s quick and convenient.  Packaged, processed food tends to be made using cheaper ingredients with minimal nutritional value in them as they are mass produced.  We all know the health risks associated with a poor diet – diabetes, obesity and heart disease to name a few so it’s important that we learn healthy eating habits from a young age and learn how to ‘shop right’.

As a kid, the weekly trip to the local supermarket with my Mum seemed like a chore and wasn’t always welcomed, but the lessons I learnt on how to shop right were invaluable.  I have fond memories of being sent off to search for a particular item in a specific aisle and see if I could bring it back faster than my brother and his chosen item – fun, family times certainly helped the learning process.  Then assisting to carry the shopping home ensured the whole family stayed active and spent quality time together.

Here are my top tips to help you shop right:-

• Plan Ahead – make sure you go shopping with a list.  Plan your week ahead; What will you be having for dinner each day? Who else will be eating with you? Do you need extra items?  Create a list, take the list with you and stick to it! 
• Buy in Bulk – when Supermarkets have special offers on like buy one get one free or 20% off this week only, utilise this opportunity to stock up.  Basic everyday household items such as coffee and toilet rolls can all be bought cheaper when you buy bigger.
• Buy Home Brands – Items manufactured by a big brand name are more expensive than lesser priced home brands – usually which have evolved recently to be of similar quality. There is no need to spend so much on fancy packaging the cost for the consumer is reduced.Shop Around – Visit your local green grocer to compare prices on fresh fruit and vegetables.  Generally, as these items are grown and purchased locally, transport costs are kept down which makes them cheaper.
• Compare Prices – If you have a couple of supermarkets next to each other why not visit both and compare prices?  Checkout the special offers they currently have to see if any are suitable for you. Don’t hesitate to bring a major difference in price to the attention of the store either – you will most likely end up the winne
• Buy Wholesale – Currently there are many wholesalers opening up their doors to the individual consumer who wish to buy wholesale products at wholesale prices.  Do your research online and find out where your local wholesalers are and benefit from their cheaper prices.  Items such as meat can be bought in bulk, split into portions and frozen for future use. This is very convenient for when you don’t have time to get to the shops!
• Learn to Cook – treat yourself to a recipe book, pick up a recipe card from the supermarket or utilise the recipes available online and get creative in the kitchen.  When making your evening meal, why not cook up a little extra and take it the next day for lunch?  Another option is to take an hour from your Sunday afternoon and spend it cooking up for the week ahead.

Starting your weight loss journey isn’t easy and let’s face it even with the best intentions but sometimes life just gets in the way and staying on track is not always easy to do.  Weight loss efforts can fail when you are faced with hurdles along the way that derail your progress, commitment and dedication.

Sustaining a healthy lifestyle is the key to success which includes being able to identify these hurdles and learn how to overcome them.  Check out some of my top tips for helping to overcome the most common obstacles I see regularly with clients.

Eating to kill time,

Do you ever get bored or tired so you reach for food? Many times, this urge to eat doesn’t come from the feeling of real hunger, it is actually from boredom. Every time you find yourself snooping through the cupboards or fridge for a snack, ask your self are you really hungry?  There is often a reoccurring pattern with this type of behaviour too so try to identify if for example are you doing this every night at a certain time? Or do you do it when you’re feeling grumpy or stressed?

Tips to overcome this: Drink water to satisfy your cravings, call a friend or go for a walk to keep yourself busy.

 

You Struggle to say no to your friends,

Why is it that when you are trying your hardest to cut out junk food, alcohol and sweets you’re always getting invited out for dinner by friends?!   Because you don’t want to let them down you go along and end up eating something you didn’t want to have and then feel terrible about it. You find yourself saying yes to these scenarios because you want to see your friends and make sure you keep them happy and let’s be honest, sometimes there can be peer pressure to have just one glass or one bite!

Tips to overcome this: Order a healthy option, if no healthy options available settle for a tea or water. Let your family and friends know your health goals, this way they can support your health and fitness journey.

 

You use every meal out as a treat,

If you eat out quite often whether its lunch out of the office or weekly dinner catch ups with friends so sometimes you use opportunities to treat yourself. Treats here and there are fine, but ordering deep fried chips on the side to each meal out of home, will derail your progress. Don’t celebrate your meal out by eating whatever you want.  A good friend of mine once said, “you’re not a dog so why do you need treats?”

Tips to overcome this: Ensure you make the best choices possible on the menu and if need be tell the waiter to remove certain foods like chips and replace with vegetables.

 

You Struggle to say no to office treats,

Why is there often so much temptation around the office?  Be realistic about this, if you know your work place has treats available weekly that you can’t resist, don’t restrict yourself. Our minds are funny things, and sometimes by telling yourself you can’t have something we tend to want it more. Allow yourself one little treats a week, and the rest of the time practice saying ‘no’ firmly.

Tips to overcome this: Having your own healthy snacks at work as back up and ensuring you have enough good fats such as nuts to reduces cravings late in the afternoon

 

You think you have already blown it,

This is one of the most common reasons people self-sabotage!  We have all been there before, eaten something we shouldn’t have and then decided to keep going. If you get the mind set of ‘I can keep eating because i have already blown it for the day, I’ll start again tomorrow’ then you could seriously be destroying your weight loss efforts. This can be a very dangerous habit to get into, making one mistake and following it up with 10 more can get you into a very bad habit. It’s much easier for your body to digest one piece of cake compared to a whole cake.
Tips to overcome this: Accept that you have made 1 poor choice and get back on horse. Allow yourself to have a treat, if you have 5-6 small meals per day that’s 42 meal for the week, if 1 or 2 aren’t perfect this will not affect your long term goal!

Ok so we are getting closer to the day where the big fat man in red is going to fall down the chimney and drop off a sack full of presents in exchange for a mince pie and glass of sherry!  This festive season let’s break some traditions and whilst exchanging gifts make some swops in the kitchen.  Follow these tips to ensure you stay lean and healthy rather than feeling like you resemble Santa!

• Make your stuffing with low GI wholegrain bread or oats instead of white breadcrumbs and swop sausage meat for chopped nuts.
• Why not grill or steam vegies instead of roasting? Break tradition this year and grill asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms and capsicum instead of roasting vegetables that are laden with lard.
• Swop cream and ice cream for Greek yoghurt or crème fresh.
• Swop brie, camembert and blue cheese for goats or cottage cheese on your after dinner cheese plate.
• Swop bubbles for still – instead of celebrating every toast with a glass of champagne, alternate each alcoholic drink for a mineral water with freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice.
• Instead of creating a food mountain on the dinner table, get creative with decorations so there is less room for multiple plates.
• Serve food in smaller bowls that are not piled high – let your guests know there is plenty more in the kitchen. This will encourage everyone not to over eat.
• Swop leftovers for sharing – give your guests a goody bag as they leave to remove all temptation to snack or graze.