Eating Well on Travel

Ok, picture this.

You've been up since a time that you've never had to get up for before, and what made it worse was the fact that you checked your phone 4 times during the night thinking you'd slept through the alarm.

You drive like crazy to make the airport on time, and by the time you arrive interstate after your long flight it feels like you've already worked a whole day. Then you've got meetings, meeting and more meetings, and no one else seems to care that you've been up since god knows when that morning.

By 5pm you are absolutely shattered. You arrive at your hotel room, starving, hungry, exhausted. You throw off your shoes, spend 10 minutes trying to work out how to change the channel on the TV, and have a staring contest with the mini bar. You think, no, it's not going to defeat me! But you are so damn hungry, and those salted nuts are glowing like angels.. and that vodka doesn't look too shabby either. What to do?

Check out my video blog on Eating Well on Travel. I've got 4 simple tips for you.

 

Eating Out

So a couple of you have been sneaky enough to spot me in this month's Cleo magazine. Who knew so many people read Cleo? I must admit though I do like these sorts of magazines to take a quick look at the lastest fashions and (shamefully) a bit of celeb gossip as well.

I was interviewed for the Cleo article some months ago. Of course, all my comments were never going to make the magazine, but that's what I've got a blog for, right? So here's the transcript of my interview with journalist Kathleen Lee-Joe, where I talk about what foods and cuisines are the best choices and how to end the night without having to adjust the buckle on your belt.

When it comes to dieting, is eating out really that bad?

I recommend that people aim to eat out once a fortnight. Eating out can be detrimental to your health if you have it too often and/or make poor choices. The problem with eating out is that you don’t have control over the nutritional value of the meal, or the portion size served. Studies have shown that people tend to finish what’s on their plate, regardless of the portion size. So if you’re served a large portion, even if you don’t finish it all, chances are you’ve eaten a lot more than what you would at home. Even the types of plates that meals are served on in restaurants are deceiving. Larger plates used means that the meal itself looks smaller, so you don’t think you’re eating that much when you really are.

What do you think about when ordering?

Whenever I order I look for a dish that contains lean meat (like chicken, beef or fish), some low GI carbs (like basmati rice, grainy bread or quinoa) and plenty of vegetables. My trick when ordering a main in a restaurant is to always order a side of vegetables or salad. Some restaurants tend to give you only a small amount of vegetables, and ordering a side will help you to feel more satisfied after your meal, without the added calories.

What types of things should you ask your waiter?

Don’t be afraid to ask what certain ingredients are if you’ve never heard of them before. Often high fat items like cheeses or creams are given fancy names, and you may not realise what they are. Also ask how the meat is cooked if the menu doesn’t specify. There’s been occasions when I’ve ordered the fish expecting it to be grilled and it arrives deep fried. Deep frying adds a ton of fat that your body doesn’t need, and these extra calories can easily lead to weight gain. My other tip is that if you’re ordering a salad, always ask for the dressing to be on the side. That way you have the control over how much dressing you’d like. Some creamy dressings are very high in saturated fat and chefs can often be very heavy handed when it comes to dressing salads.

What cuisines do you opt for? What options do they offer?

Asian cuisines like Japanese, Chinese and Thai often provide a number of healthier choices, but there will also be the not-so-healthy choices available. For example, sushi is a healthy, low GI meal choice, but avoid the sushi that contains deep fried meat like the crispy chicken sushi. With sushi often comes soy sauce, which is high in sodium and when consumed regularly may increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. So avoid the sauces where possible, and stick to the basics. The traditional Mediterranean diet is also a healthy cuisine to be aware of. Mediterranean meals often contain lean meats, nuts, legumes, olive oil, dairy and plenty of vegetables.

Why is drinking alcohol with your meal bad?

Drinking alcohol with your meal is not bad, as food will help to slow the effects of alcohol. It’s more about how many standard drinks you have a day. It’s recommended that adults have no more than 2 standard drinks a day and 2 alcohol free days a week. This doesn’t mean you can save them all up for a big night on the weekend though. Health benefits with of alcohol consumption have only been shown when alcohol has been consumed in small amounts and in moderation.

How about when you’re eating takeaway? What should we veer towards and what should we steer clear of?

When eating takeaway, the same rules apply. Choose lean meats, avoid deep fried foods, and make sure you ask for plenty of vegetables. Often takeaway places will pile on far too much rice or pasta or noodles, and give you very few vegetables. To avoid this choose a dish that contains plenty of vegetables to begin with. For example, if ordering Thai, instead of ordering a pad thai, order a stir fry instead instead. If you’re not sure, ask for a small serve of steamed vegetables just in case.

So that's it. What's the key message? Apart from vegetables, vegetables and more vegetables, remember that eating at home and cooking from scratch is the best option, as you have the control over what goes into your meals. For those that do eat out every now and then, do you have any healthy tips for us?

Potatoes - good or evil?

On Excess Baggage this week, one of the contestants asked whether they should be eating potatoes at dinner time. So I thought I'd put together a video blog for you, to bust some myths and explain how potatoes can form part of a balanced diet.

My dad loves his kipflers

It's crucial to look at how you're cooking your potatoes, but the portion size you're eating is also important. In this video blog, I run through how you should plate up your meals and how to get your portions right.



Any questions on potatoes please shoot them through. Love to also hear if you've tried the Carisma potato and how you like to cook them.

Supplements or veggies.. what's better?

As each day passes (and each time I do my grocery shopping) there seems to be more and more supplements available for people to purchase.

Now, before I get on my soapbox, I should say that some vitamin and mineral supplements may be very beneficial for some people.

But it's when I see ads such as this one, that I think we as a society are sending out the wrong message. In this ad, a young girl named Belinda, 8 years of age, states that sometimes she doesn't eat all of her vegetables, so her mum chooses Swisse Ultivite to help keep her healthy. She then goes on to say that it also helps her to do these things (insinuating that the supplement helps her to be active).

My key message is this: A supplement may be useful for some people, but it should never be used as an insurance policy (aka, supplements are never a replacement for a balanced diet).

So mums out there, don't give up on trying kids with veggies. Studies show that some foods may need to be offered 10 times before they are accepted by children. Be creative and try different ways of cooking and serving vegetables. It could be just the way you present the food on the plate, or by adding a smily face with a little squirt of tomato sauce that will make all the difference.

Here's my video

FoodSwitch iPhone App Review

Hi guys,

Well I did say that one of my new years resolutions this year was to start some you tube blogs. So here's my first!

Last year I blogged about the Traffic Light Food Tracker App, brought out by the Obesity Policy Coalition. And today I've video blogged on the new FoodSwitch iPhone App. You can also tweet about it using the hash tag #FoodSwitch.

Enjoy!

Yummy sauce without the salt

Ever wondered how healthy your tomato sauce really is? Check out my tips in today's Herald Sun.

Check out my recipe below for this amazingly healthy tomato sauce

 

 

  

Got a new years resolution? Here's how to make it HAPPEN

What was your new years resolution this year?

Mine was to start blogging via you tube. That's right, I'm going to give my video camera a work out and try some cooking demos, product reviews and all sorts of other fun things. If you have any suggestions on what you'd like to see, I'd love to hear from you.

Speaking of new years resolutions, a couple of my thoughts were published in yesterday's Herald Sun. 

Here's the full scoop, where I've listed 5 tips to get you on your way to good health and nutrition in 2012.  

1. Have a plan

As the saying goes, failing to plan means planning to fail. If you’re serious about keeping your new years resolutions, you need to start off on the right track by writing your goals down. Yes, physically writing it down is important. Once it’s written it’s set on paper, whereas if you have your goals in your head it’s easy to forget them. I would recommend sticking your goals up on the fridge so that you have to see them every day. It will help you maintain your focus and will also remind your support network of your goals so that they can help you achieve them too.

2. Be realistic

Make sure your goals are realistic. This is probably the most definitive factor when it comes to sticking to your new years resolutions. If you’re goals aren’t realistic then you won’t be able to achieve them. Simple as that. So instead of setting a goal such as “I want to lose 10kg in a month”, set a more realistic goal like “I want to feel comfortable in my clothes and drop a notch on my belt”. The key difference is that by setting smaller, more realistic goals, you’ll feel good about yourself and be even more motivated to achieve the next one. Setting goals that are too out of reach can only lead to failure, and chances are you’ll go back to your old habits and be less motivated to try again.

3. Take it easy

New year is the time to reflect and decide how you’d like to tackle the next 12 months, but don’t go too hard too quickly. I can give you the example of my father (a go or no type of person), who one year decided that his new years resolution was to join the gym. Now that sounded all well and good, until I heard that he was hitting the gym every single day, for 3 hours each session. Going from nothing to such a full on training program, can you guess what happened? He injured his leg after about 2 weeks, and so that was the end of that new years resolution. So the moral of the story is, if you’re planning on starting an exercise regime, ease your way into it. Slow and steady wins the race.

4. Say NO to diets

One of the sad things about the new year is that many people decide to go on a diet. Detox diets are common with people trying to get rid of the toxins out of their system. But just like having unrealistic goals, these diets can only set you up for failure. Not only that, they can end up doing more harm than good. Would you go on a detox diet if you knew it was wasting away your lean muscle mass and reducing your metabolism? Remember that you’ve got your detoxing organs sitting in your body already. That’s your liver and kidneys, and they are perfectly equipped to do the job. My advice is to save your pennies and put them towards a visit to an Accredited Practising Dietitian. A dietitian can help you kick start your metabolism, maintain your muscle mass and help you lose those unwanted wobbly bits.

5. Get the right advice

An Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) is your diet coach, just like a personal trainer is your fitness coach. APDs are the university qualified experts in food and nutrition and provide up to date advice based on scientific evidence. APDs don’t tell you to restrict food groups. They will help you understand what foods are good for you and what portions you should be having. They know you’re busy and they know you have a life, and that restrictive diets just don’t work. But they know you want results, and are there to help you achieve them. To find out more, visit me on my facebook page facebook.com/DietitianNutritionist