Concerned about childhood obesity

Dr Chrys Michaelides says: The medical profession and our society have not provided effective strategies for treating overweight children, so prevention is the best treatment. It is a big challenge, especially when children near adolescence. Whatever you do, you must do it as a family. The children will establish their eating patterns well before they are eight years old, and you will always face the battle of "But, Johnny can have this ..." and "Lisa's mother lets her have this or that..." But don't' give in! The chips, ice creams and pizza are not to be excluded, but should only be treats. They should be be part of the normal eating patterns, just something to have now or then. At the same time, don't give these foods as treats to the kids and have them every day for adults. So what can you do? Establish a healthy lifestyle for the family. If the kids want to have Maccas, then walk them to the outlet, make it at least 2km there and back. That way, they will leave that these high fat treats have a price called exercise - and you will find they don't ask often! But whatever you do, do it as a family.

Source: Slimming Magazine January 2003

Shop Smart

If you're counting every calorie choose your vegetabels carefully

• Green beans instead of peas save 40 calories on a half-cup serving
• Spinach instead of mixed vegetables save 35 calories
• Mashed potatos (if you must) instead of hash browns save 139 calories

Source: Slimming Magazine March 2003

Eat Big

Does your weight loss program leave you feeling hungry and deprived every day? You may simply be picking the wrong foods. According to research in the US our stomachs monitor the volume of food we eat rather than the number of calories, so your stomach will tell you that you're full after eating four hefty cups of air-popped popcorn (that's the "eating big" principle), but not after you down a measly one ounce serving of cheese puffs (also 150 calories). To use this principle to lose weight, be sure to pile your plate with fruit and veggies, beans, grains and low-fat soups to avoid high calorie foods, even in small portions, as they'll leave you feeling hungry.

Source: Slimming Magazine March 2003

You can change your life!

The American Diabetes Association recommends these four steps for systematically making positive, healthy changes to your lifestyle.

• Assessment - This involves looking at areas which need to be changed, such as your diet and exercise routine, finding out why you want to change your life and taking down data such as your height, weight, measurements and Body Mass Index.
• Goat setting - Establish realistic targets and try to make them measurable, such as weight, body fat, blood sugar and cholesterol levels and blood pressure.
• Interventions - It can be hard going it alone. If you need professional help, it is available. This might involve seeing your GP or a specialist for medical problems, talking to a counsellor or involving friends and family in your plans.
• Evaluation - At regular intervals, evaluate your progress. This is an opportunity to identify your strengths and weaknesses and find areas for improvement to suit your lifestyle.

Source: Slimming Magazine March 2003

Making the most of... frozen veg

Frozen veggies are the perfect convenience food. They have a similar nutritional value to fresh veggies, but many of us destroy the goodness through poor handling and incorrect cooking. So here's how to get the most out of your frozen veg:

• Alyways collect your frozen veg last at the supermarket, store in an insulated container on the way home and put them straight in the freezer.
• Never freeze them for longer than six months.
• Steam or microwave them to retain vitamins.
• If you need to cook frozen veg in boiling water, take the veggies direction from the freezer and place in boiling water. Boil them vigorously until ready, and then serve immediately without simmering.
• Do not use saucepans or other utensils made form copper or brass. Cooking utensils made from glass, stainless steel, aluminium or enamel don't effect the nutritional content.

Source: Slimming Magazine June 2003

Did you know?

Half a tablespoon of any oil gives you 10g fat, 1 teaspoon of margarine has 5g, a handful of nuts about 15g, while one-quarter of an avocado has around 7g.

Source: Slimming Magazine June 2003

Top tip

Be wary of any diet that claims special properties of one particular food. No one food, pill, powder or potion has magical properties that will lead to kilos being shed. The same goes for fad diets based on cutting out a whole food group, like dairy, carbohydrates or meat.

Source: Slimming Magazine June 2003

How do I control my sweet tooth?

• Sip on sugar-free hot choc, or have a stick of sugar-free gum to hand. And try frozen red grapes - they're too cold to wolf down, so it's harder to eat loads of them.
• Go "cold turkey" on sugar goodies for two weeks - when you start back on them you'll only want a little before they become too sickly.
• Include small amounts of sugary foods and reduce the amount of fatty foods in your diet - so you'll hit the spot without over-consuming calories. For example try more chutney and less cheese in sandwiches or butter-less toast with jam, or honey.
• When you do feel like a sugar hit, go for something small and sweet, like a few squares of dark bitter chocolate. It's so sweet that you'll satisfy your craving without the risk of overindulging.
• Suss out the usual time of day you crave sugar and have a different kind of sweet snack on hand - try a few nuts and raisins, a couple of large dates or a low-fat yoghurt instead.

Source: Slimming Magazine June 2003

How can I stop binging at night?

• Look at what you're doing in the evening that gives you the chance to overeat, and change it. So if watching TV is your snacking downfall, do something that's not linked with eating instead, like reading a book.
• Put a big, red "Keep out!" sign on the fridge door. This will make you think twice about opening it to see what's inside.
• Write down everything you put in your mouth to make you accountable for what you eat.
• If you can't resist a post-dinner snack, sit down and slowly eat a little of what you fancy. Enjoy eating it with no guilty feelings.
• Keep treats such as cheesecake in the freezer - they'll have to defrost before you can tuck in!
• Occupy your mind - do a crossword puzzle, phone a friend or take a long bath.
• Tell yourself that if you don't eat anything for three hours after dinner you can have a small snack later. With that treat to look forward to, you'll feel in control and less likely to lose control and binge.
• Don't skip meals - it only leads to binging.

Source: Slimming Magazine June 2003

How can I eat more vegetables?

• Buy frozen veg if you find fresh veg goes off before you eat it - It's just as nutritious.
• Find tasty vegetable soup recipes, like leek and potato or carrot and tomato. Great winter warmers too!
• Cook up simple veg-based sauces for rice and pasta dishes. Add some spice with interesting favours such as Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce or chilli powder.
• Have a tomato juice instead of a soft drink.
• Top your vegetables with different sauces or dressings - pop a fresh chilli and some garlic cloves into a bottle of olive oil and drizzle over steam veggies. It's just delicious.
• Smuggle veg into everything. Grate carrot into Bolognese sauce and throw sweetcorn and sliced capsicum onto pre-cooked pizzas.
• Always order vegetables as a side dish in restaurants.
• Get into the habit of having a salad with your lunch - even if it's just a bowl of shredded lettuce and sliced cucumber.
• Eat carrots with low-fat hummus during the day.

Source: Slimming Magazine June 2003

Can you give me a mantra to help me stick to my diet?

• Enjoy healthy, balanced meals.
• Only eat sitting down.
• If you give in, don't give up.
• Life's too short to waste time worrying about your body. Don't worry - just do it!
• Healthy weight, healthy life.
• Make sure you eat delicious, healthy foods or you'll feel derived.
• Your diet reflects your personality - you want to radiate happiness, contentment and health.
• You deserve a fit, healthy body.

Source: Slimming Magazine June 2003

How do I conquer boredom eating?

• Spend more time having active fun than nibbling absent-mindedly.
• Clean your teeth if you feel like snacking.
• Learn to eat when you're physically hungry, not "head" or emotionally hungry.
• Take up a new hobby - go to the gym, swim or walk the dog.
• Make a list of 10 things you want to do - and plan ways to do them.
• Write down exactly what you're going to eat today, and when. Then put a tick through your meal when you've eaten it.

Source: Slimming Magazine June 2003

I think I eat healthily but I'm still overweight - where am I going wrong?

• To lose weight you must burn off more kilojoules than you take in - so if you're not losing weight, get more active, eat smaller portions, or both!
• Olive oil, oily fish, nuts and seeds - they're all healthy foods but are still kilojoule-heavy, so limit your intake.
• Examine your portion sizes. If you've never weighed out portions before, start doing so - you may find you're eating a lot more at mealtimes than you realised. Or dish out meals on a smaller plate, to trick yourself into thinking you're eating more.
• Eat slowly. It can take up to 20 minutes for your brain to register the fact that you're full. Savour meals and chew every mouthful. And put your knife and fork down between mouthfuls to give your brain longer to register that you feel full. This should reduce the amount of food you eat, it may simply be that big portions are the problem.

Source: Slimming Magazine June 2003

How can I stop my diet wrecking my social life?

• Be prepared. If you know you're meeting friends who tend to get drunk and grab takeaway, eat something before you go out and arrange to leave a bit earlier than them.
• Have a salad starter, a grilled main course and skip dessert.
• Share entrees. This is a great money-saver too.
• Eating and drinking aren't a social life - talking to friends, enjoy yourself, dancing, travelling and having fun are.
• Don't tell everyone you're "on a diet". Choose foods that fit in your healthy eating program, so you can spend your time out being sociable.

Source: Slimming Magazine June 2003

How can I stop getting obsessed with dieting, but still lose weight?

• Make your life more active so you'll need to consume a few more kilojoules, but you'll still lose weight.
• Stop thinking you're "on a diet" - tell yourself you're eating healthily to feel better about yourself.
• Change your attitude to food. This is the new, healthy you, it's not an obsession with every morsel of food.
• Make small changes one at a time - even if it's just swapping chocolate bars for low-fat yoghurt or fruit. If you make big changes all at once you can become obsessive and you're usually doomed to failure.

Source: Slimming Magazine June 2003

Thanks Tasha - it must take you forever to type all these out for us

12 ways to a bloat-free belly

• Drink water - When your body doesn't get enough fluid, it hoards what it has, causing bloating. To keep your belly from swelling, you need to drink lots of water steadily through the day. Aim to drink between eight and 10 glasses of water a day (that's just three mouthfuls every half an hour) to keep your fluid levels topped up.
• Watch your fibre - Although your body needs plenty of fibre, eating too much of it can lead to bloating because it makes you retain water. If you've decided to switch to a higher-fibre diet, do so gradually and remember to drink more water, as fibre swells in your intestines and without the additional fluid you could end up getting constipated.
• Steer clear of salt - Your body can only cope with so much salt. The more you take in, the more water your body will hold on to so it can dilute the salt in your body to a healthier lee. By eating less salt and drinking plenty of water, you'll soon notice you're a lot less bloated.
• Watch what you drink - Diuretic drinks such as coffee, alcohol and fizzy drinks encourage your body's cells to suck in water - which can lead to bloating.
• Get on top of IBS - Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is an intestinal disorder that affects an estimated 20% of all Australians over the age of 20. It can result in a painful, bloated stomach due to excess wind becoming trapped in the abdomen. Foods that may trigger symptoms include: spicy foods; fatty foods especially cheese and red meat; citrus fruit; green vegetables, onions and leeks; beans and lentils; chocolate and other high-sugar foods; red meat; alcohol, milk and coffee, and caffeinated drinks. Peppermint tea, capsules and infusions can help relieve symptoms. Also, take time to chew your good as well and avoid rushing or skipping meals.
• Get checked out for candida - This is a yeast that's found naturally in all our bodies but in some people it can grow out of control and lead to symptoms like tiredness, headaches, digestive problems and bloating. Candida overgrowth can be triggered by factors including stress and overuse of antibiotics. An anti-candida diet is based on cutting back on sugar (on which it feeds), plus cutting back on - or cutting out - dairy and wheat products.
• Take your minerals - If your bloating is due to your period, you can bet it by taking 200mg of magnesium a day, according to research published in the Journal of Women's Health.
• Know your cycle - At some point in their menstrual cycle, many women experience bloating due to fluid retention. For most of us this is caused by raised levels of hormone progesterone in the week before our period All high-salt foods trigger the cells to hang onto fluids, so try to avoid them. Instead, make sure you eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, which contain fluid-reducing potassium.
• Don't stress-eat - Eating in a hurry, or when you're angry or tense, can lead to post-meal bloating. If you're really stressed, it's best to put off a meal until things have calmed down, so that your stomach is replaced enough to allow space for food and drink.
• Sweat it out! - A little bit of exercise can help flush out excess fluid, making you less bloated. Try to do three weekly sessions of aerobic exercise (you can do anything from kick boxing class to dancing around your lounge room) as well as stress-relieving workouts, such as yoga, pilates and full body stretching.
• Food intolerance - Can lead to a feeling of discomfort and a bloated belly. The main trigger foods are: wheat and gluten, dairy products, alcohol and citrus fruits. Because we tend to eat too much of certain foods, if the body doesn't' get a break from them it can trigger bloating, although experts are still not clear exactly why this can happen. If you think a carbohydrate such as wheat could be a problem, rather than cutting it out all together (you need some carb in you diet), try cutting back on it by eating one carbohydrate-free meal a day. For example, trade in your morning cereal for some fruit and yoghurt, or cook an extra portion of vegetables to replace rice, pasta or spuds with your evening meal.
• Try herbs - Aqualette from Medic Herb is a natural herbal remedy that combines dandelion - a well-known diuretic - and horsetail extracts to flush out excess water and relieve a swollen belly.

Source: Slimming Magazine June 2003

No problem
Hopefully someone's getting something out of it all like I have.

I really REALLY like this saying! Its so easy to 'give in' to treats and then keep on 'giving in' coz you already 'gave in'.

If you give in, don't give up! One unhealthy meal isn't worth giving up all your hard work!

You know, when I was reading that one in the book and then writing it on here, it really struck a cord with me too.