Hot Cross Buns. Delicious, but are they nutritious?

Last year at Easter time I couldn't keep count of the number of times I was asked about hot cross buns and whether they were 'good' for you.

So I tweeted my fellow dietitian mate, Mel Carmody, who I knew would be able give us the scoop on those buns that we find ourselves eating year after year (some of you may eat them all year round!) So are they healthy? Are they not? Mel answers all your questions below. And she's even gone to the trouble of doing a nutrient comparison of the different brands and has plotted a beautiful table with the fats, calories, you name it. Enjoy the read! 

Melissa Carmody
Melissa is an Accredited Practising Dietitian who has recently had a tree change and is now working in beautiful country NSW as a clinical dietitian. Mel is passionate about local produce and supporting local farmers, and is looking forward to attending a 100 mile dinner for the towns Food Week. She enjoys every opportunity to spread the word on healthy, nutritious and delicious food, and could spend hours talking food and testing out recipes. If she’s not in the kitchen you’ll find Mel pounding the pavement in training for her next half marathon or cycling down to the farmers markets to pick up ingredients for her next food creation.
Follow Mel on Twitter

As the haze of Christmas food lifted and the shopping aisles were cleared of the puddings and chocolate calendars, the next round of festive foods began to invade our supermarkets, yes Easter eggs and hot cross buns. But should we be eating hot cross buns from Christmas to Easter or are they more suited as a special treat?

Not only can you buy the traditional bun, but sourdough, choc chip, fruitless, mocha and gluten free are also on offer, with sizes ranging from mini to jumbo cafe style. With this much choice, how do you know which is the healthiest option, and how do they compare to similar products such as raisin toast?

Some varieties are healthier than others

At this time of year, bakeries and supermarkets have towering tables filled with hot cross buns. Before you throw the nearest packet into your basket, keep in mind that some varieties of buns are a healthier option than others.  Most varieties are relatively low in fat with the exception of choc chip and mocha. Comparing Bakers Delight options, the mocha bun contains almost 3 times as much total fat as the authentic sourdough and 5 times as much saturated fat. The choc chip bun is not too far behind in terms of fat content, making these varieties more of a treat food.

Carb comparison & GI 

Another thing to keep in mind is that most buns contain as much carbohydrate as 2-3 slices of bread, making them quite carbohydrate dense. The fruit varieties have a low to medium glycemic index rating meaning they provide a slower release of energy and a lower spike in your blood sugar levels, while the chocolate varieties have a higher glycemic index so will cause a greater rise and fall in your blood sugar.

Go for the mini-me's  

When choosing your hot cross bun also be aware the effect portion size has on nutrition, with super sized also meaning super sized kilojoule contents. The mini portions have a more appropriate kilojoule content for a snack, while a couple of larger sized buns have similar energy as a small meal. Adding toppings also adds kilojoules, with a low fat spread a better option than the saturated fat hit from lashings of butter.

What about raisin toast? 

So how do hot cross buns compare to raisin toast? The protein and carbohydrate content between them are very similar, but 2 slices of thin raisin toast has less total fat and the second lowest energy content than any variety of an average sized bun in this comparison.* 

The verdict

If you do choose a hot cross bun keep in mind the mini sized options means a lower kilojoule content, fruit options have more fibre, and the choc chip and mocha varieties are best kept as a treat at Easter time due to their high fat content.

Happy Easter!

Link: Mel's nutrient comparison table

*Tip Top Raisin Toast was compared to Bakers Delight, Woolworths and Coles hot cross buns

Editor's note:

Well said Mel. I agree with you that it's important to think beyond just the hot cross bun, and remember that it's often the size of the portion, how many we eat, what we put on them & what we serve them with that matters the most. I love the fruit buns toasted and served with a little marg, some fresh pear and a drizzle of reduced fat yoghurt. It's a deliciously filling snack that ticks all the nutritional boxes! 

Ok now over to you guys. Which buns do you like (please no Brad Pitt jokes, let's keep it family friendly) and do you have any healthy tips on how you like to serve your buns?

Hoppy Easter xx


Ps. Want some tips on dealing with the chocolate that Easter brings? Check out my post here.

Discovery of Vegan Baking – Easy and Healthier!

This year one of my goals was to encourage more dietitians to get involved in writing. Because that way I look at it, the more dietitians that are out there (dispelling the myths and giving out the right dietary advice), the less confusion there will be when it comes to nutrition! Today I'd like to introduce you to Mary, my mentee, who has kindly offered to guest post on all things vegan.

Mary Lin

Mary Lin is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian after successfully completing the Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics at Monash University. Mary is passionate about exploring food possibilities to promote health and wellbeing. She has a special interest in heart health, vegetarianism/veganism, and food intolerance. Mary's hobbies include cooking, baking, and playing music.

Connect with Mary on LinkedIn

Connect with Mary at her blog Food is a Many-Splendoured Thing

I have always loved baking; I especially love sharing my finished products with my friends and loved ones. This all became a pickle when I acquired a vegan mister. I wanted to share baked goods with him but I had never attempted vegan baking before. I was uncertain at first as I didn’t know what crazy substitute ingredients I’d come across. However after some research, not only did I discover that vegan baking can be just as easy as normal baking, it can be healthier, and just as delicious!

What’s vegan?

Being vegan is a lifestyle that does not involve eating or using any animal products. Diet-wise, this means no meats, no dairy products, and no food additives that contain animal products (such as red food dye, which is made from Cochineal – an insect!).

From a nutritional point of view

The vegan diet can be much lower in fat, especially saturated fat (the “bad” fat) as it is mostly found in animal products. In this day and age where fatty foods are oh-so-common, and high saturated fat diets are contributing to some of the major chronic diseases (e.g. heart disease, type 2 diabetes), a vegan diet can be a good for health. However, it is important for vegans to consume adequate amounts of legumes (e.g. pulses, lentils) and soy products (e.g. soy milk, tofu) to substitute meat and dairy so they’re getting all their nutrients. If you are vegan or decide to make the swap, make sure you have your vitamin and mineral levels checked by your doctor as vegans are more at risk of developing a deficiency, particularly vitamins B12 & iron. And an Accredited Practising Dietitian can help you to make the right choices when it comes to your diet.

Non-vegan baking ingredients

The most common ingredients used in baking that are animal products, are milk, buttermilk, eggs, and butter, which can all be substituted for vegan alternatives:

Milk à Soy milk, rice milk, almond milk

Buttermilk à Milk and vinegar

Eggs à Apple sauce, lemon juice

Butter à Margarine, oil

Vegan vs. non-vegan baking

One of my favourite vegan cupcake recipes is the lemon and poppy seed cupcakes. So I found a non-vegan counterpart to compare it to (the links for both recipes can be found at the end of this blog):

Lemon and Poppy Seed Cupcakes (Icing not included) - Makes 12
Vegan	Non-Vegan
Ingredients: ·        1 cup flour ·        1 1/4 teaspoons baking     powder ·        1 teaspoon baking soda ·        1/2 teaspoon salt ·        1/4 cup oil ·        1/2 cup sugar ·        1 tablespoon lemon juice ·        1 lemon, zested ·        1 teaspoon vinegar ·        1 cup soy milk ·        1 tablespoon vanilla ·        1 1/2 tablespoons poppy      seeds	Ingredients: ·        225g self-raising flour ·        175g golden caster sugar ·        Zest 2 lemons ·        1 tbsp poppy seeds,       toasted ·        3 eggs ·        100g natural yoghurt ·        175g butter, melted and       cooled a little

Although there are more ingredients in the vegan cupcakes, most are commonly found in a kitchen and all can be easily purchased from the supermarket (Tip: try using apple cider vinegar). The directions for the vegan cupcake recipe are just as easy, if not even simpler than the non-vegan recipe (refer to links).

I put both cupcake recipes into FoodWorks, a program often used to nutritionally analyse food and diets. From the results, the vegan cupcakes have 50% less fat, 88% less saturated fat, and 20% less sugar (per 100g) compared to the non-vegan cupcakes! And how do the vegan cupcakes taste? You can’t even tell that they’re vegan!

So next time you’re making cupcakes, why not have a go at making vegan cupcakes instead? They taste just as good and are a healthier option! Vegan recipes are easy to find, just have a search on the internet and away you go!

 Other Healthier Baking Tips

·        Use low fat options when available. E.g. for milk and cream cheese

·        Use margarine instead of butter

·        Substitute part or all flour with a wholemeal equivalent to increase
   dietary fibre

·        Cut down sugar. When the recipe says 1 cup, try being not so accurate
   and put in a little less than 1 cup. You’ll find that this doesn’t change the
   finished product

·        Cut down on the icing. I often make half the amount of icing on recipes
    for my cupcakes and I find it’s more than enough

Links

Vegan Cupcake Recipe - (vegweb.com also has all sorts of other vegan recipes)

Non-Vegan Cupcake Recipe
The Vegan Society



Editor's note:


Thanks Mary. What better an introduction to vegan baking than from someone that loves getting their hands dirty in the kitchen themselves! I look forward to more delicious recipes from you, and FYI, I would never say no to some samples of your cooking if you ever happened to bring some in at our next meeting! ;)

Biscuits for Breakfast ???

Today I was invited to meet with the lovely people at Kraft to provide them with my feedback on their new belVita breakfast biscuits. 

Now, as I said to them, my first impression of their new product was probably not the best. I thought to myself, how, on earth, could a biscuit be on par with a healthy breakfast? What ever happened to good old cereal and milk, and where is society headed if we're now eating biscuits for breakfast??!!!

That was my first impression. I admit, quite a negative one. 

But then after talking the biscuits around the office and starting to talk to to my (non dietitian) colleagues about the biscuits, I started to think outside the square and understand how these could be quite a useful product for some people. 

You see, I think as a dietitian I can be a little optimistic sometimes and think that because I enjoy a bowl of natural muesli for breakfast with skim milk and fruit, that so should everyone else. But in reality, the statistics out there are quite alarming and it seems that there are a lot of people that are just not eating breakfast all together. 

Now we know that breakfast is very powerful in terms of its health benefits, it helps with memory, concentration and mood, and we know that eating a healthy breakfast means you're more likely to stick with a healthy eating pattern for the rest of the day. 

So in saying that, what I have come to realise is that for whatever reason, if people aren't eating breakfast, something like this is most certainly better than not having anything all, and in fact there are a number of health benefits that these biscuits have. Some of these include:

• They're made with wholegrains, and a serve (4 biscuits) provides 10-20 grams of wholegrains (48g is the recommended target according to the Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council)
• They're low GI. (Milk & Cereals 45, Fruit & Fibre 47, Crunchy Oats 54)
• They're high in dietary fibre
• They're ratio of good fats to bad fats is 3:1 

Some other characteristics I like are

• They're ready to eat, and the packets are portion controlled, so it's not like opening a packet of Tim Tams, you can't be tempted to eat more than you should because they're all portioned out (4 biscuits per packet)
• They're good for those people that don't like to drink milk, or can't stomach too much in the mornings
• They're good for people that skip breakfast or don't have time. 
• They are non-perishable and have a long shelf life. One of my colleagues said they would be great to keep a packet in her office drawer if she ever ran out of time to have breakfast at home.
• They go just lovely with a cuppa :)
• And on that note, I was even thinking that they could be a good high fibre biscuit for the aged care residents that I work with!

Ok, now on to some constructive criticism.

• My main concern that I voiced to the team at Kraft was that fact that I was worried that consumers may get the wrong message and think it's ok to start eating any old biscuit for breakfast!! 
• I also felt it was disappointing that most retailers are positioning the biscuits in the biscuit isle, as opposed to the breakfast isle. 
• Some colleagues I spoke to said that they wouldn't eat them as breakfast, but as a mid morning snack. Now because the 4 biscuits in the pack are designed for breakfast, they contain around 1000kJ. For a snack I would only recommend around 500kJ, meaning that 2 biscuits would be suitable, as long as you can stop at that and not eat all 4 :)
• Another comment from one of the ladies in the office was that they'd taste nice with a some butter as a snack! So I guess it's not just the biscuits we have to consider, but also what people might put on them or what they may accompany that also needs to be looked at when considering the nutritional value. 
• Some people have also commented that the biscuits taste quite sugary, and are concerned because of the sugar content. The biscuits do have added sugar, ranging between 19.7 - 23.1% (around 2 tsps per serve, or 1/2 tsp per biscuit). So although this isn't ideal, if you're adding this much sugar to your cereal or having a refined cereal for breakfast then the breakfast biscuits are probably no worse. 
• The sodium content of the Milk & Cereals (428mg/100g) and Crunchy Oats (553mg/100g) flavours are a little higher that I would have liked to see in a breakfast product.
• Kraft recommends that belVita biscuits are best enjoyed with a tub of yoghurt, a piece of fruit and a tea or coffee to ensure that you're not missing out on your dairy and fruit components of a breakfast. But I do wonder how many people would actually eat some dairy and/or fruit with these biscuits... would you? 
• Finally, because a wide range of grains are used (wheat, barely, rye oats) they're obviously not going to be suitable for those that require a gluten free diet, or those with allergies (there is a long 'may contain' list on the label).

Fruit & Fibre

Milk & Cereals

Crunchy Oats

All in all, I think the final message I'd like to get across is the fact that no, these aren't perfect, and I'm certainly not one to promote processed foods, or biscuits, for breakfast, for that matter. I don't think you can ever replace a wholegrain breakfast like natural muesli or porridge with skim milk or yoghurt and fruit, which encompasses all the nutrients you need to start off your day well, and I would never recommend breakfast biscuits as a substitute. But I do think there is a place for these biscuits, and that's for people that don't eat breakfast at all. Because the research shows that you're far better having something than nothing.

What do you think? Do you like the idea of these, or do you, like me think that we might be making a mistake by heading down the road of encouraging biscuits for breakfast? Apparently we are just cottoning on here in Australia and in countries like France they've been around for years! Love to hear your thoughts.

What's the crack with crackers?

Have you ever wondered whether the crackers you like to buy are good for you? Check out what I recommend in today's Your Time section of the Herard Sun.

Enjoy :)

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.