susies nutrition tips - april 2007 . . .

nutrition tips from specialist dietition susie burrell

Susie's Tips for the week ahead

April 20th - 22nd is the Fitness Industry's annual conference and expo held at Darling Harbour. I know that there are lots of fitness instructors out there already going, but there is also a fantastic expo that members of the public can attend to get a hit of inspiration to pursue their health and fitness goals. Pop in and check out the toned bods over the weekend.

Visit the Fitness Network Website

Food Tip of the Week: Choosing the best soups

The end of Easter sees the return of the tinned soup and while soup is a nourishing snack or meal, the tinned varieties can be loaded with carbs and salt, leaving you feeling bloated and unsatiated.

Ideally a soup being used for a meal will contain at least 5 g of protein per serve, < 30g total carbohydrates and no more than 600mg sodium (salt) BUT many tinned soups contain >1000mg sodium per serve (Ideally we will have less than 2000mg for the entire day!) This much salt can make you feel tired, thirsty and bloated.

Some options that are not too bad include:

	Heinz Very Vegetable White Beans and Autumn vegetables/Vegetables & Lentils (but high in salt)
	Campbell's Chunky Roast Chicken & Vegetable (but high in salt) the Sensations varieties or Velish Winter Vegetable

A better option entirely may be to go for the fresh soup varieties, including Fit Kitchen now available in the fridge section of supermarkets. These varieties tend to be much lower in salt and taste great.

View Fit Kitchen Example

Always remember, if you are having soup for lunch to make a complete meal out of it making sure your soup contains at least 5g of protein per serve or by teaming a plain soup with some protein eg cheese or tuna and crackers and drink plenty of water to help flush out some of the salt.

Exercise Tip of the week: Look for the hills

A lot of people walk regularly, but try adding in a few hills to get that heart pumping. Here are some great local hills walks that can be added to your regular walking route:

	Wollongong: Back of uni up Robson's Rd or O'Briens Rd at Figtree
	Shire: Any of the streets down at Lilli Pilli
	Bondi: Birriga Rd near Bellevue Hill
	Coogee: Carrington Rd all the way to Bondi

I know this is a short list so if anyone has others in their local area, let me know and I will put them on the website.

Recipe of the week: Light chicken pie

Who doesn't love a chicken pie? Usually pies are a no go zone due to their high fat content but try this light version which I promise is just as good as the local bakery with about 1/5 of the fat and calories.

	2 sheets reduced fat puff pasty
	500g chicken breast
	2 tablespoons Devondale light butter
	1 cup low fat milk
	1 onion, chopped
	2 tablespoons flour
	Chopped mushrooms, carrots

1. Lightly poach chicken breast until cooked through

2. Stir-fry chopped onion until cooked through with spray olive oil.

3. Create low fat béchamel sauce by melting butter over low heat, add flour and stir through. Then add milk and stir until mixture thickens.

4. Place chopped chicken and vegetables in pie dish. Add sauce and place 2 sheets of puff pasty on top.

5. Bake at 180 ° C until cooked through. Serve with rocket, tomato and balsamic dressing.

Nutrition question of the week:

I don't get home from work until after 8pm each night. Is that too late to eat dinner?

Have you thought about having your main meal at lunchtime and then topping up with a snack at night? Light options include plain meat and vegetable soup, omelets, Mountain bread Wrap or small (~100g piece of meat) with a few vegetables or salad.