susies nutrition tips - march 2007 . . .
nutrition tips from specialist dietition susie burrell
Are you Tired?
How many hours each night do you sleep? Probably not enough . . .
Less than 6 hours sleep each night can disrupt hormonal cycles including those involved in fat metabolism. Not sleeping enough also means we have more hours in the day to eat! So it may be time to check your schedule and see what you need to change to get to bed earlier, aiming for at least 8 hours sleep a night.
It is also a good idea to stop eating by 8pm to give your body a good 10-12 hours without food. Try it and see what a difference it makes to your skin, mood, appetite and energy levels.
And just one more thing . . . For those of you who have already started hoeing into the Hot X buns and Easters eggs, stop immediately. Easter is not for another month and these foods can wait until Good Friday or you will find yourself with an extra couple of kgs in 4 weeks time.
Food Tip of the week
Foods you need to eat everyday. . . Most of us do not do enough physical activity to warrant a large intake of calories so we need to make sure that the foods we choose on a day to day basis are chock full of nutrition.
Here are the Top 10 super foods that should make it into your diet every single day:
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1. Serve of berries: low calorie and packed full of vitamin C and antioxidants |
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2. Apple: eat anywhere fruit, full of soluble fibre and antioxidants |
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3. Oily fish: tuna or salmon, fresh, tinned or in sushi gives us those wonderful food fats |
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4. Olive oil: nature’s own elixir |
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5. Walnuts: tasty treats with the one of the best known fat combos |
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6. Broccoli: always the dietitians favourite vegetable |
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7. Low fat milk: a perfect mix of carbs and protein in with coffee, cereal or flavoured for the kids |
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8. Seed based bread: the more that are in there, the better they are for you |
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9. Green tea: one of the only foods that can increase the metabolic rate |
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10. Tomatoes: pay a little extra and get the rich, red organic varieties for more nutrients |
Product of the week - Kellogg’s All Bran Tropical
A filling, tasty cereal that will keep you nice and full until morning teatime. Top liberally with low fat milk to up your protein intake.
What a great idea. If they are taught to be active young they will be active forever! Good work Sanitarium.
Recipe of the week: Low-Fat Vegetable Bake
A perfect side dish to any meat, chicken or fish
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1 Brown onion, halved, thinly sliced |
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Olive oil cooking spray |
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¼ cup WW Extra Light sour cream |
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1 cup reduced-salt chicken stock |
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¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg |
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1 small butternut pumpkin, sliced |
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1 large zucchini, sliced |
1. Preheat oven to 200C. Lightly grease a 3cm deep, 10ck (base) ovenproof dish.
2. Place onions onto a microwave-safe plate. Spray with oil. Cook, uncovered, on HIGH 100% power for 2 minutes or until soft
3. Whisk together sour cream, stock, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a jug with a fork. Arrange - of the pumpkin, zucchini and onion over base of prepared dish. Pour over - of the stock mixture. Repeat 3 times.
4. Cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes or until vegetables are just tender. Remove foil. Spray lightly with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, for a further 30 minutes or until edges are crisp.
Nutrition question of the week
Why do I get sugar cravings after I eat?
The body’s natural digestive process is to break down carbohydrates to sugars in the mouth, before starting on proteins and fats in the stomach. If you rely on a meal that contains a high relative proportion of carbohydrate alone, you may find that you are left feeling like you need a hit of sugar as the body has not received the complete array of nutrients which helps to regulate the digestive process.
Try increasing the protein content of your meals eg lean meat or added dairy or have a green tea after you eat which seems to control these cravings.
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