HOW you cook is as important as WHAT you’re cooking

Yes, it’s true. They’re equally important.

I’ll keep this short and to the point. Just another food truth to help you

Let’s take a very versatile food as an example…how about potatoes?
Everyone loves potatoes, the options are endless! (Slight exaggeration)

But not all potatoes are equal…

You can compare 100g of potatoes cooked in various ways and see that the calorie/kilojoule content differs A LOT!

Mashed potato, made with low fat milk and margarine

403kJ

Roasted in oil


628kJ


Boiled with skin
365kJ
Baked in jacket

456kJ

Chips heated in the oven

930kJ

Chips, deep fried

1292kJ

And we all know the list continues.

Point is, depending on what you do with your potatoes, you could quadruple the kilojoule content. And this applies to everything you cook. So cooking methods are very important!

These truths would mean nothing without some advice, so here I go…

The methods which involve the least oil are usually the best. Like baking, boiling, steaming, etc. Cooking with water may mean that sometimes you’ll lose some of the nutrients, for example boiling vegetables, but on the plus side, you’re not adding any calories either.

Limit frying, and try to avoid deep-fat frying altogether. Foods that already contain fat, like meat, should rather be grilled instead of fried. And allow the fat and oil to drip off! You and your heart are way better off without it!

Stir-frying is a good option especially with a non-stick pan! (less or no oil). Microwaving can also serve as a low-fat or no-fat cooking method, but it’s not that popular. If you have a pressure cooker, use it! Cooks food quickly so less nutrients are lost AND most of the flavour stays in the food, so you won’t need to add any oil for richness etc.

As always, I hope that helps. Maybe it just serves as a reminder to be mindful of your cooking methods, and maybe try something new, something healthier as you can see, it makes a huge difference!

Questions are always welcome

Health and happiness
Robyn

Do it right the first time and you won’t have to do it again

Because of the journey I’m on personally and because of what I see at work on a daily basis, I thought it was necessary to once gain express my….what can I call it….annoyance (?) towards weight-loss quick-fixes.

I (try to) go to the gym most days, some days I go to the gym in the morning and jog in the evening or vice versa. I eat healthily most of the time. And I am getting healthier, fitter and slimmer. It feels like it’s going a bit slower than I would like it to, but the point is, it’s going. I’m sure a few of you can relate?

Then…a friend/family member, or in my case, a colleague comes and tells you about how they’ve lost 12kg in the last 2 months. Urgh. And that conversation is enough to make you feel like WHY are you putting in so much effort for a much smaller reward. Well that’s how I felt at least. Until I realized, wait… I don’t want to inject myself every day to help me lose weight (which is what my colleague is doing). Yeah she lost a lot of weight, but her husband has to inject her every day, and she’s on a very strict diet. A quick-fix.

Another colleague of mine has had her jaw wired shut in a desperate attempt to lose weight. True story. This is the second time she’s doing it as she has regained all the weight since the last time her jaw was wired shut. It’s 36+ degrees here most days, and she has to have soup for lunch. Another quick-fix.

Seeing what people go through to lose weight has made me realise that I’d much rather do it the right way, which is and always will be what I encourage my patients to do as well. Do yourself a favour, start working towards a healthy lifestyle. Form good, healthy habits.

What both my colleagues are lacking is physical activity! Get active, make it part of your daily routine.

If you’ve inherited poor eating habits from your family, change them! And then get your kids to inherit healthy eating habits from you.

Don’t put a time frame on being healthy, get healthy and then stay healthy.

I read a tweet the other day that said something along the lines of “You didn’t need a pill to put all the weight on, so you don’t need a pill to get all the weight off”. It’s soooo true.

If you’re making a lifestyle change, be encouraged, be proud of what you’re doing
You’ll feel so much better knowing you didn’t take any pills or injections or wires in your jaw to achieve your goal weight! And yes, it may take a little longer, but it will last so much longer. If you change your lifestyle, there’s no stopping and starting again. If you do it right the first time, you won’t have to do it again

I’m feeling encouraged again, hope you are too:)

As always, wishing you health and happiness
Robyn

World Diabetes Day

Today is World Diabetes Day

According to the WHO, it is estimated that 346 million people worldwide have Diabetes, and by 2030, without intervention, this number will more than double!

What is Diabetes?
There are different types, the most common one’s being Type 1 and Type 2.

Type 1:

Insulin-dependent Diabetes/ Childhood onset Diabetes. Characterized by a lack of insulin production.

Type 2:

Insulin-independent Diabetes/ Adult onset Diabetes. Caused by the inability of the body to use insulin effectively. Mostly caused by excess body weight and physical inactivity!

Type 2 Diabetes is a disease of lifestyle. Poor eating habits and a lack of physical activity over a number if years will catch up with you, and it may be in the form of Diabetes. If you’re thinking Type 2 Diabetes is only for “old people” and you don’t have to worry about it right now, I’d advise you to stop thinking that….A 22 year old girl was referred to me last week with Type 2 Diabetes! I was so freaked out I had my own sugar tested as soon as she left.

I think it’s a good idea for everyone to get their blood sugar tested but especially if you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms
- excessive excretion of urine
- thirst
- unexplained weight loss
- constant hunger
- vision changes
- fatigue
Unfortunately with Type 2 Diabetes the symptoms are often less obvious than in Type 1, leading to late diagnosis and complications. So it may be worth having your sugar tested anyway

To prevent Diabetes, the WHO recommends that you:

- achieve and maintain a healthy body weight;
- be physically active – at least 30 minutes of regular, moderate-intensity activity on most days;
- eat a healthy diet of between three and five servings of fruit and vegetables a day and reduce sugar and saturated fats intake

I could write a book on Diabetes, there’s so much information out there, but if you do have any questions please ask that’s what I’m here for!

Let’s prove the WHO and not join the 346 million

Health and happiness

Robyn

Low fat milk – Is it necessary?

I was having lunch the other day and someone at the table made a comment about full cream milk. He said that he recently discovered that full cream milk contained 3% fat and he wanted to know why people say 2% is healthy if there’s only a 1% difference in the fat content. Naturally, being the dietitian at the table, everyone’s heads turned towards me in anticipation of my opinion, and this is it…

Yes it is true.

Full cream milk contains 3.4% fat, compared to 2% fat milk and fat free milk (containing 0.2% fat). So it makes for a valid question – is low fat milk necessary?

I believe so, yes.

Depending on how much milk you consume a day, switching from full cream milk to 2% or, even better, fat free milk, could make a big difference on your daily calorie, fat and cholesterol intake.

I use fat free milk and I have no problem with it. Some people struggle to make the big switch from full cream to fat free milk, but you really do get used to it. You can take it in stages though

Switching from full cream milk to 2% low fat milk

A cup of full cream milk contains 650kj, while a cup of 2% low fat milk contains 525kj. So if you usually have 2 cups of milk a day, maybe 1 cup with your cereal and the rest in tea, coffee or food, you would be saving 250kj per day and 7 grams of fat…just by changing your milk. Sounds good to me

Switching from 2% low fat milk to fat free milk

You save a further 200kj and 9 grams of fat

Milk is something that most people have every day, so yes, it is worth making the switch if you already have made the switch, well done now you know why and hopefully you can explain to others when they as you why you do it

Health and happiness
Robyn

The truth about “healthy” foods

What are healthy foods exactly?

I don’t have an answer for you I’m afraid, but I would love to hear your thoughts?

I’ve seen  numerous tweets etc. where certain foods are labelled as “healthy” or “the healthiest foods”, maybe I’ve even been guilty of doing that myself! But how do you classify food as healthy? What is the criteria? Which properties should a food have to be classified as healthy?

Some foods are labelled as healthy because of their low calorie content, others are labelled as healthy because of their vitamin or mineral content and others because they’re high in fibre…the list goes on.

What am I getting at?

I’m not trying to say these foods are not healthy, they definitely do have health benefits. What I am saying is that you should find out why they’re healthy before you start eating them in copious amounts.

With 99% of foods, if someone tells me they LOVE eating it, I’ll say there’s no need to cut it out completely. That’s just my opinion, I think life would be boring if we never ever got to eat the things we love, and being healthy doesn’t have to make life boring. What is really important with these foods we love is that we have it in the correct Portion sizes. If we know how often and how much of these foods to have, they can still be part of our diets.

What most people don’t realize is that correct portion sizes apply to “healthy foods” as well.

Yes, dark chocolate has health benefits, according to research. It’s thought to help prevent heart disease and contains antioxidants which help prevent cancer. Which is great, really. But it’s still chocolate. It usually contains more calories than milk chocolate. So as great as it is, eating bucket loads of it may give you some other problems you hadn’t anticipated.

A lot of foods that you’re constantly told are healthy are high in calories or fat and sugar, and this doesn’t mean you should avoid them, not at all. But always remember the most important word when it comes to dieting or just eating in general, Moderation.

I hope you really get what I’m trying to say. Sometimes I see these tweets like “These are the healthiest foods this summer: dark chocolate, cashews and berries” and I worry that people may read it and think that if they eat it, they’ll be healthy and if they eat lots of it they’ll be very healthy! Maybe I should give you a little more credit?

I just think it’s important to know what you’re eating and why you’re eating it. These days information is so readily available and it’s so easy to get a professional’s opinion. You can look up scientific articles and see the studies that prove or disprove health claims. And I think it’s so great that there are so many registered dietitians with blogs and twitter accounts that are so willing to give great advice and answer your questions

Make informed food choices

Be healthy and happy
Robyn

Calories/Kilojoules – answering some of your questions

Thanks for all your questions, keep them coming

I’m going  to attempt answering some of them as best I can…

What is the relationship between calories and kilojoules? 

I have mentioned that they measure the same thing, however they are not equal. I also said that in SA you usually see kilojoules on food labels, but on American and other foreign labels you’ll probably see calories. You’ll also hear them speak about calories on American TV programs. So here’s the relationship…

1 Calorie = 4.2 kilojoules 

(so for example, 20 calories = 84 kJ)

How do you know how many calories/kilojoules you’re using? 

I’m no expert when it comes to the fitness side of things. I know that on the machines at the gym they usually tell you how many calories you’ve used. I can’t say exactly how accurate those are though. I’ve seen a few websites that do some calculations which show you how many calories you burn doing different activities. I will have to do some research to see which of those websites are good. I think you get some apps that you can download as well which calculate how many calories you use. Sorry I wasn’t much help with this one! If someone could help me with this that would be GREAT! Thanks!

How many calories are you allowed in a day? 

Unfortunately there is no simple answer to this question. Your energy requirement (how many calories you need in a day) is based on your age, weight,height, gender and the amount of physical activity you do in a day. If you want to lose weight then you need to consume fewer calories than you use. The best advice I can give you is to see a dietitian if you’d like to know how many calories you should be having. We use a number of formulas to calculate this. This is why it’s very important to follow a diet or eating plan that has been designed for YOU. Using someone else’s diet will probably not give you the results you should be getting.

What is a calorie deficit diet and is it healthy?

Short answer: A calorie deficit diet is a weight loss diet. It is healthy if you do it correctly.

Long answer: A calorie deficit is when your body burns more calories than you take in. It is based on the principle that calories in< calories used = weight loss. When you provide the body with fewer calories than it needs, the body starts using its stores, and this is how you achieve weight loss.

It has to be done correctly. Starving yourself to achieve a calorie deficit is not healthy, not sustainable and not safe! There is no quick-fix. Find the right balance between what you’re eating and the exercise you do. The two have to go together for the best, healthiest results

I hope this answers some of your questions, if there are more, please do ask!

Health and happiness

Robyn

 

Correction – Real definition of calories :P

Calories/Kilojoules – learn the lingo

I’ve realised that in previous posts and tweets, I’ve used the terms calories and kilojoules (or kJ) expecting everyone to know what it means. If you haven’t learnt about or studied the terms this probably would not be the case. It can get a bit confusing but if you know the basics you’ll be just fine, and that’s what I’m here for anyway

Calories and kilojoules basically mean the same thing, they are both units of energy, i.e. energy is measured in calories and kilojoules (like a kilogram measures weight). The proteins, carbohydrates and fats in a food item will contribute collectively to the total calories or kilojoules in the food item.

While calories are units of energy, the term “calories” is usually used more generally. You’ll often hear people say they want to cut down on calories or they’re counting calories or they’re off to gym to burn some calories. You don’t often find calories on food labels (in South Africa), but you will find the universally accepted unit, kilojoules (kJ).

The amount of kilojoules in a food item depends on the type and ratio of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Proteins and carbohydrates contribute the same amount of energy per gram, while fat contributes more than double the amount of energy than protein and carbs per gram.

We get energy/kilojoules from our diet or the things we eat and drink and our bodies use energy/kilojoules. Finding the balance between the energy we consume and the energy we use is crucial for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Weight gain occurs when we consume more energy than our bodies use.

Sometimes reading the amount of kilojoules in a food item means nothing to us, but reading these amounts helps you to compare similar products and make the healthiest choice.

I hope that has cleared up some confusion (reading through it gives me the impression I may have caused more confusion :/) But I’m available for questions

Health and happiness

Robyn

Brown Sugar vs White Sugar. Whats the major difference?

When it comes to food, brown is always better…right?

Are you sure this is true for sugar? I’ll tell you

The major difference between brown sugar and white sugar is…the colour! Okay okay, it’s a little more than that. In the refining process, the molasses can either be left in the sugar to give it the brown colour and different texture, or removed, yielding white sugar (Sometimes the molasses is re-added at the end of the refining process to make brown sugar)

But I’m sure you aren’t too interesting in the refining process of sugar…so let’s talk calories!

White sugar/castor sugar/icing sugar has 165.3kJ per 10g
Brown sugar has 164.0kJ per 10g
So as you can see, when it comes to kilojoule content, not much difference!

A few of my diabetic clients have asked if it’s okay if they use brown sugar in place of white sugar. There’s a simple answer. No. It has the same amount of carbohydrates and almost the same amount of calories! (PS : If you have Diabetes, you shouldn’t be using sugar.)

Lesson / Tip / Piece of advice for the day:

Try to use less sugar. Cut down on sugar in tea / cereal etc. If you prefer brown sugar, by all means, use it BUT don’t switch from white sugar to brown sugar if you’re trying to cut down on calories. Get used to using less sugar, or no sugar. Remember to read the food label

Health and happiness
Robyn

Breastfeeding – The Role of the Dad

Yesterday I mentioned briefly how important breastfeeding is, and how we all ultimately benefit from it. It’s so important that, as capable as mothers are, I don’t feel it’s fair to put all the responsibility on them.

As I mentioned, breastfeeding doesn’t only involve the mother and her child, and this is especially true at home. Fathers can play such a big part in making breastfeeding successful and pleasant for the mom and her baby.

Research has shown the benefits of skin to skin contact between mothers and babies from birth, especially in premature infants. It helps regulate the baby’s heart rate and temperature. It helps babies feel secure and establishes a bond between the mother and her child. The best part about skin to skin contact is that it’s not exclusive to mothers Fathers can do it too! And it will still have all those benefits for the child. So dads, get the baby on your chest and start building that special bond from birth How beautiful is that? This also helps breastfeeding by alerting the dad or mom when the baby is ready for a feed. When the baby is that close to you it’s easy to pick up on the ‘feeding cues’ babies give which tell you it’s time to fill up!

If you’re a dad and your baby is being breastfed, ask your wife how you can make breastfeeding more pleasant for her. Moms need to be comfortable during a feed and also well hydrated. This is a great opportunity for dads to step in, if you’re around during a feed, make sure the mom has a comfortable place to sit or lie, make her something to drink, I don’t know…get creative, show you support her Dads can also do some of the night feeds if the mom expresses her milk. There are many ways a dad can help!

Moms will love this! Back rubs and back massages can help with the “let down” of the milk. So moms who are struggling with milk production, get the dad to rub your back!

I have a feeling some women may want to print this and show their husbands

Lastly, if you’re a dad and your child is being breastfed, the least you can do is say THANK YOU! It’s a huge responsibility and mom should be praised for it! So thank, praise and encourage moms regularly to keep going, and show support especially during the tough times.

Like I said, ZERO experience in neither babies nor marriage! But try it, I promise only good can come of it

Happy Breastfeeding Week!
Health and happiness
Robyn