By Judy Davie
For further information about food and nutrition, visit Judy Davie’s website at www.thefoodcoach.com.au
**I usually eat very healthy food but struggle with portion size. I don’t need to lose more than two kilos but don’t seem to have the motivation to do anything about it.
Joanna, Randwick**
While two kilos doesn’t sound like much, if you’re not used to carrying it, it can feel like an almighty load. It can also make a significant difference to how you look and feel in your clothes.
It’s easy to eat too much, especially when you can justify it’s healthy. But good food or not, it all equates to energy and calories, and if the intake is not less than the output you won’t lose weight.
Making a conscious effort to only eat standard size meals is half the battle won. If you know how much you should eat and can visualise a serve, you can decide even before you start eating how much you’re going to eat. If served too much, you can leave some on the plate or, if you’re like me and brought up to eat everything on the plate, you’ll just make enough for one meal with no leftovers. Leftovers are usually followed by the familiar words “it’ll only go to waste”, and before you know it you’ve eaten two meals in one sitting!
Here are some standard serves to work around:
Vegies
Green leafy vegies, including broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, asparagus — unlimited amounts.
Pumpkin, sweet potato — ½ cup cooked.
Sweet corn — 1 cob.
Fennel, capsicum, eggplant, zucchini — ½ cup cooked.
Fruit
1 medium-sized apple, orange, kiwi etc.
½ cup berries, pineapple, melon and all other fruits that need cutting up.
Carbohydrates
2 small pieces grain bread, crispbread.
½ cup muesli, cooked rice.
1 cup pasta or beans.
2 small potatoes.
Protein
Lamb, steak, — 65g (about the size of the palm of your hand).
Chicken and turkey ½ 100g.
Fresh fish — 150g.
Canned fish — 50g.
2 eggs.
Low-fat milk ½ 1 cup.
Low-fat yogurt 200g (small carton).
Fats
Oil — 2 tsp.
Butter — 6cm x 1 cm block (approx. 10g).
Cheese — 30g (about the size of a small matchbox).
Nuts — approx. 10 nuts (30 g).
Chocolate — 1 row of a small bar (28g).
For good health it’s essential to eat a combination of all three foods — fats, protein and carbohydrates.
According to The Low GI Diet by Jennie Brand Miller and Kaye Foster Powell, published by Hodder, with only two kilos to lose, you would have to restrict your diet to three serves carbohydrate, three serves of protein and two serves of fat for weight loss.
A typical day therefore might consist of:
Breakfast
½ cup muesli
Small tub yogurt
Piece of fruit
Cup of tea or coffee with a small amount of low-fat milk
Lunch
Tuna salad with ½ cup kidney beans, salad and 1 slice of grain bread and 1 tbs vinaigrette dressing
Afternoon snack
10 almonds
Dinner
Grilled chicken breast with broccoli and mashed sweet potato
Piece of fruit
Herbal tea
**I buy low-fat meals and reheat them but I’d like to learn how to cook healthy meals and if possible, learn techniques to stop me reaching for sugary foods, including over consumption of alcohol.
Barb, Pokolbin**
Whether it’s home-delivered or low-fat meals bought at the supermarket, ultimately, they’re lacking a couple of very critical ingredients: pleasure and satisfaction.
Without both of these it’s unlikely you’ll stick to any diet and most likely you’ll seek pleasure from other foods that are even worse for you, like sugary foods and alcohol.
The French paradox of eating bread, butter and cream with just about everything yet still remain slim is mostly about them enjoying their food so much they wait for meals without snacking in between and are so satisfied after each meal have no need to indulge in sugary foods. Their palate is satisfied and so are they.
By making an effort to plan each meal, shop for the ingredients and make it at home you’ll enjoy the food much more and be far more likely to stick to a healthy diet. In time it will become easier. Healthy food is made from fresh natural ingredients and you’ll find healthy recipes in Woman’s Day, my website www.thefoodcoach.com.au and numerous other magazines. The great thing about most recipes today is they are created with a busy person in mind; with less than 10 ingredients and little time needed.
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