Sugar what you need to know …
It is Sugar awareness week 18th – 24th January 2021 so I thought I would take a look at this in more detail for you as it is one of the biggest concerns my patients have when I see them at my clinics. What is sugar? The term ‘sugar’ usually refers to what we know as table or granulated sugar – the type of sugar that we add to our tea or coffee. We also are familiar to the different variations which include caster sugar, icing sugar, brown sugar, demerara sugar, these are types mostly used in baking.These, you may already know, are not the only sugars around. Sugar occurs naturally in all foods that contain carbohydrates, such as fruits and vegetables, grains, and dairy.All ‘sugars’ are carbohydrates and along with starch they one of our body’s main source of energy. Carbohydrates are required for our brains, bodies and nervous system. In fact it has been part of our diets for thousands of years. Sugar is found naturally in most foods like fruits, vegetables and milk as well as being an ingredient used in a wide range of foods and drinks. Great, so what is all the fuss about? Consuming whole foods that contain natural sugar is acceptable as part of a healthy intake when you have a healthy metabolism. Plant foods have high amounts of fibre, essential minerals, and antioxidants alongside smaller amounts of carbs, and dairy foods contain protein, fats and calcium which are important for the body.Because of these extra components your body digests these foods slowly allowing the sugar in them to provide a steady supply of energy to your cells. A sufficient intake of fruits, vegetables, and fibre rich foods have been shown to reduce the risk of many chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. So what’s the problem? Increasing technology has brought many changes to our food production. More and more convenience foods are available that taste good, are very addictive and can be eaten 24/7.Problems occur when regularly eating these processed foods leads you to consume too much “added sugar”. The food manufacturers add this to enhance the flavour or extend shelf life and this can often be hidden in foods you would never imagine.In the modern diet, the top sources of sugar are soft drinks, fruit drinks, flavoured yogurts, cereals, biscuits, cakes, sweets and most processed foods. But added sugar is also present in items that you may not think of as sweetened, like soups, bread, processed meats, and condiments like ketchup. How much sugar are we allowed? Our recommended dietary intake of sugar per day: Adults should have no more than 30g of free sugars a day, (roughly equivalent to 7 tsps/sugar cubes). Children aged 7 to 10 should have no more than 24g of free sugars a day (6 tsps/sugar cubes). Children aged 4 to 6 should have no more than 19g of free sugars a day (5 tsps/sugar cubes). What sugar we consume Adults in the UK take in 3 times the recommended amount at an average of 22 teaspoons/cubes of added sugar per day, according to the NHS website.Four to 10-year-olds are eating more than twice as much sugar as they should per day, equivalent to 13 tsps/sugar cubes (PHE 2018). “Excess sugar’s impact on obesity, Blood pressure, inflammation, weight gain, fatty liver and diabetes and this is well documented, but one area that may surprise many is how their taste for sugar can have a serious impact on their heart health and increase risk of stroke,” says Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Impact of sugar on your heart In a study published in 2014 in JAMA Internal Medicine, Dr. Hu and his colleagues found an association between a high-sugar diet and a greater risk of dying from heart disease. Over the course of the 15-year study, people who are 17% to 21% of their calories from added sugar had a 38% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared with those who consumed 8% of their calories as added sugar. “Basically, the higher the intake of added sugar, the higher the risk for heart disease,” says Dr. Hu. Sugar has several indirect connections to affecting heart health: 1) high amounts of sugar overload the liver. “Your liver metabolizes sugar the same way as alcohol, and converts dietary carbohydrates to fat,” says Dr. Hu. Over time, this can lead to a greater accumulation of fat, which may turn into fatty liver disease, a contributor to diabetes, which raises your risk for heart disease.2) Consuming too much added sugar can raise blood pressure and increase chronic inflammation, both of which are pathological pathways to heart disease.3) Excess consumption of sugar, especially sugary drinks, also contributes to weight gain by tricking your body into turning off its appetite-control system because liquid calories are not as satisfying as calories from solid foods. This is why it is easier for people to add more calories to their regular diet when consuming sugary drinks. How you can reduce your sugar intake? Reading food labels is one of the best ways to monitor your intake of added sugar. Look for the following names for added sugar and try to either avoid, or cut back on the amount or frequency of the foods where they are found: • brown sugar• corn sweetener• corn syrup• fruit juice concentrates• high-fructose corn syrup• honey• invert sugar• malt sugar• molasses Also syrup sugar molecules ending in “ose” (dextrose, fructose, glucose, lactose, maltose, sucrose). Check the total sugar of the product, which includes added sugar, this is usually listed in grams.If it says 5 grams of sugar per serving, but the normal amount you would eat is three or four servings, you will easily consume 20 grams of sugar which is way too much.Also, watch the amount of sugar or syrups you add to your food or drinks. About half of added sugar comes from
Healthy Snacks For Kids and Teens going back to school…
The kids are back to school. Now the headaches is what to feed them each day. Having 3 kids I know how challenging feeding them Healthy Snacks can be! ?Your child is going to need nutrients for brain power and the additional exercise they may not have been availing of for the last few months. ? Don’t fall for the high-fat, nutrient-poor snacks that are lining our supermarket shelves. Here is a list of a few healthy snacks with a twist: Healthy Snacks for all the family ? Peel a banana and dip it in yogurt. Roll in crushed pecans and freeze? Spread celery sticks with peanut butter or cream cheese. Top with raisins. Stuff a whole-grain pita pocket with cream cheese and apple slices. Add a dash of cinnamon. Take 2 oat cakes top with Greek yoghurt add some raspberries and enjoy. Put cubes of cheddar cheese and grapes on pretzel sticks. Spread peanut or almond butter on apple slices.? Take semi skimmed milk, frozen strawberries or raspberries or blueberries add some oats and seeds blend for thirty seconds for a delicious smoothie. Use wholemeal thins to make tasty sandwiches fill with colourful salad and home cooked meats like gammon, chicken or prawns, egg, houmous…??? Sprinkle grated cheese over a wholemeal tortilla; fold in half and microwave for twenty seconds. Top with homemade avocado guacamole, cucumber, peppers, tomato salsa.?️ Heat homemade soup: mushroom, tomato or chicken, bean and vegetable soup and enjoy with oat cakes and pate. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese and smoked paprika on hot popcorn. Banana pancakes – mash 1 ripe banana, add 1 egg and some wholemeal flour and mix – cook on pan in a little butter. No need to add anything as sweet enough. Spread mayo on a wholemeal tortilla. Top with a slice of turkey or ham, cheese, tomato and lettuce. Flavour with herbs and spices. Then roll it up ? Mini Pizza: Toast the bottom of an English muffin, add some passata on the top and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and vegetables and grill. Fruit kebabs. Make fruit exciting by threading melon, grapes and pineapple chunks on a wooden skewer. Dark chocolate- 2 squares place in a cup add boiling water and top with milk.☕ Snacks to say “no” to: Chocolate type biscuit bars are not filling and high in sugar and saturated fat. Soft drinks. Eight to 10 teaspoons of sugar are found in the average can of soft drink. All sugar and no nutrients is not healthy and can lead to health problems like diabetes and weight gain. Read more about Sugar in our recent blog here. Sweets. Even when disguised with the word “fruit” included- avoid. A healthy snack provides good quality nutrients and protein —- something that sweets do not provide. Snack pots eg: ham, cheese, and biscuits – these are all highly processed in plastic packaging. Make your own with home made ingredients – much fresher and again less waste using a Tupperware box. Crisps are high in salt and saturated fat. Keep to a minimum. Top Healthy Snack tips: ✔️Buy some Tupperware boxes to reuse in small and large sizes tocarry food to school (reduces single use plastic waste). ✔️Use refillable water bottles for water. Try the glass ones that don’t break. ✔️Having the food at home means you are eating out lesswhich will save you money too! These are just a few of our random Healthy Snack suggestions to get you thinking. If you have any Healthy Snacks please let us know. If you are unsure of how to change your eating habits, or need help optimising the foods you eat please do contact us. We would love to help you or your family and friends with any nutrition related queries big or small. In the meantime do please check out our 121Dietitian Shop If you have enjoyed this blog we would love you to share this with your family and friends on your social media channels. Why not visit our YouTube Channel for more on keeping your health optimal. How can a Dietitian help Book a consultation via our Online Portal About Gillian Killiner Check out our tailored dietary programmes Gillian x [instagram-feed]
Make October The Month Of Your New Year Resolution
When it comes to diet and lifestyle changes, there is now better time than right NOW to put your well intended plans in place. If you still haven’t made progress with your New Year Resolution, you’re not alone. A client came to me for help with her New Year resolution IN AUGUST! She was disappointed she had not yet achieved her personal goal of “being as healthy as possible.” Despite her good intentions, she had made disappointing progress and it was 8 months into the “new year”! Her weight was going up, not down. Many of us can relate to this. We have expectations for great changes and we feel motivated at the start, but events and responsibilities seem to work against us. We are left feeling frustrated and sometimes discouraged that the changes we want to see will never be accomplished. With this client, and many others, I’ve found a few simple strategies help to make significant changes in order to promote health, fitness, and control without the stress. I advised this client that October would be the perfect time to make her changes. The kids are back in school, the home routine is in place, and it is a long time until the Christmas rush. My client is now focused for October – she is prepared to make the time and energy to commit to her new plan. The following are a few of the goals we decided to focus on: Step 1: Start small In the case of my client, instead of her usual pattern of becoming a slave to the gym with no rewards, she has already started with two 30-minute walks per week. Over the past three weeks, these have lengthened and she now looks forward to her evening walks most nights of the week. This simple change should add years to her life and assist her food focus. Step 2: Be ‘SMART’ Identify specific, measurable goals. They must be realistic and linked to a period of time so you can assess your achievements. These goals are “SMART” goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely.) My client’s goals were, I think, what we would all like to achieve; ‘eat better and be more active’, but how do we measure success with a goal like this? As a starting point, we broke down her goals into some straightforward, but significant, changes: Below are 2 examples: 1) Begin to eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking, five out of seven days per week. 2) Keep records of your food intake and exercise for five days to promote self-awareness of your eating and activity patterns. Step 3: Get support Do ask for support from a friend, spouse or family member. In this case of this client, her husband has been a great supporter. He reminds her to sit down and eat breakfast with him instead of running around after the kids and he provides the motivation for her to be fit by walking with her in the evenings. He and the kids are enjoying the health changes too. They are eating better and their mum is happier and healthier. The walk also has the added benefit of keeping away from tempting snacks. In addition to her family support, my client has benefited from professional support. In working with a dietitian it has helped her make appropriate goals, identify obstacles and help overcome challenges. My client laughs now when she recalls her fears of attending to see me. She expected I would stop her eating normal foods and she would be miserable, but instead she admits she enjoys the one-to-one online consultations when she can’t get to my clinic and the programme she is following. She is already feeling much healthier and fitter (see our google reviews). Step 4: Get accurate information As a Dietitian, I spend a lot of time correcting people’s myths. Most of my clients come in expecting they will be told to only eat salads and slave away on a treadmill seven days a week. We know from countless studies, that healthy eating does not mean dieting. While there are specific dietary requirements for many conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and IBS, most people do not have to cut anything out – they just need assistance in finding the right balance. Obtaining professional guidance ensures you learn which strategies are appropriate for you. Accurate nutrition information is easier and more accessible than you may think… If you are unsure of how to change your eating habits, or need help optimising the foods you eat please do contact us. We would love to help you or your family and friends with any nutrition related queries big or small. In the meantime do please check out our 121Dietitian Shop this has been specially created for you. If you have enjoyed this blog we would love you to share this with your family and friends on your social media channels. Why not visit our YouTube Channel for more on keeping your health optimal. How can a Dietitian help Book a consultation via our Online Portal About Gillian Killiner Check out our tailored dietary programmes Gillian x [instagram-feed]
Confused by food labels? Let’s get clear!
Food labels which can leave you confused. Here, we share our top tips on understanding what they really mean. Food labels – You’re ready to make some health changes and like many others, your new year resolution may have you rethinking your shopping trolley contents. The internet bombards us with recipes and healthy eating advice multiple times a day. So surely it must be easy to eat healthily? Wrong! With more advice and food labels it has become more confusing to eat healthy. We see this in clinic every day, and it affects a wide range of people. Whether it’s acute or chronic health issues, sports nutritional needs, weight loss, weight gain or allergies, everyone struggles to not only find the right foods for their needs, but how to integrate them into their day, suit their budget and time constraints for shopping and cooking. As Dietitians, we work with individuals to ensure they select the correct foods and nutrients optimal for their particular health issue or request. We also work with families to ensure they get value for money when they shop and that their kids will enjoy eating the same meals. A win-win in reducing the shopping bill and stopping the need to cook separate meals. How can you be sure you are picking foods that are correct for you? We know from The Institute of Grocery Distribution’s research since 2015 that many people are confused about how to use the information displayed on nutritional labels correctly. The main areas of confusion, in particular, are portion size information, reference intakes and colour coding. As a general guide the front of label’s nutritional information can be helpful. Taking a particular food – like bread as an example – there can be numerous options to choose from. Some are low fat, some high fibre… What therefore do you need to consider when looking at labels of foods in general? Using front of label information 1. Start with the colour background All green and it should be a good choice in relation to the nutritional guidelines – HOWEVER… My advice in addition to this is to always turn to the ingredients to check it is not loaded with artificial sweeteners and fat substitutes as this is a great way manufacturers can achieve all green. Some foods that fall into this amazing green light category can actually be chemical junk. The goal: Choose foods that are unprocessed. 2. Know your portions This detail can be very telling and misleading. A small cake may have the nutritional information available for a portion and doesn’t look too bad! Think: supermarket coffee and walnut cake (400g). The portion info is for 1/6 of the cake or 68g. If you manage to keep to 1/6 of a slice then that’s fine but most people cut bigger portions and so the nutritional information then becomes meaningless. Don’t just rely on portion measurements but take a look also at 100g measures. If your sugar value is below 5g per 100g then you are on the right track (unless your portion is over 500g!). For fibre push for 20g per 100g. 3. Checking the carbohydrates content is useful It’s worth remembering that too high carbohydrates intake is converted to fat if over-eaten. My advice is to check the total sugar and fibre content which makes this carbohydrate figure more meaningful. High fibre 20g/per 100g, low sugar 5g/100g is what you want to see. 4. Fat is very much in vogue The media are all about fats at the minute. After being banished for three decades, fat is now back on the menu. Fat is found in various healthy and not so healthy forms. Watch out for the saturated fat content in processed foods and keep to below 5g per 100g or 5%. Palm oil, refined oils and processed vegetable oils are linked to inflammation, due to the chemicals used for extraction and production. Many more factors are involved in selecting foods and using front of packet labels are helpful and a good starting point. Using common sense and checking the ingredients are also top priority. Remember the first ingredient on the list has the largest amount in the product and so on with the smallest amount of the ingredient last. If you are unsure of how to change your eating habits, or need help optimising the foods you eat please do contact us. We would love to help you or your family and friends with any nutrition related queries big or small. In the meantime do please check out our 121Dietitian Shop If you have enjoyed this blog we would love you to share this with your family and friends on your social media channels. Why not visit our YouTube Channel for more on keeping your health optimal. How can a Dietitian help Book a consultation via our Online Portal About Gillian Killiner Check out our tailored dietary programmes Gillian x [instagram-feed] Information checked & correct on 16th May 2018.
Butternut Squash super salad recipe
Think salads are just for summer? Think again! This easy to prepare super salad recipe includes butternut squash, one of autumn’s sensational foods. For a little bit more variety, the tempeh can be swapped for feta cheese or why not use half of each. If you try out it, make sure to tell us about it in the comments below. Butternut Squash salad recipe – Ingredients 1 small butternut squash, chopped into small chunks 1 tbsp olive oil 150g quinoa 1 vegan stock cube 1 lemon juiced and zested 1 handful of flat leaf parsley chopped 1 handful of mint or basil chopped 150g tempeh or feta cheese cut into small cubes 12 cherry tomatoes, halved 1 pomegranate, seeds only How to make Butternut Squash salad recipe Preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan/gas 6. Place the butternut squash cubes on a baking sheet, drizzle with 1-2 tbs olive oil or coconut oil and season with salt and pepper, roast for 30 minutes or more until soft in the middle and crispy at the edges. If you are in a rush you don’t need to peel the squash before cooking. The skin adds great texture and fibre! Butternut squash is packed full of nutrients, high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, folate, magnesium and potassium to name a few. Meanwhile cook the quinoa for 20 minutes in a large pan, with 800ml of vegetable stock cube, mixed in hot water. Cook until tender. Drain in sieve and rinse. Quinoa is a grain that contains all your required amino acids the building blocks for muscle repair. It is also high in magnesium, vitamin E, iron, potassium and fibre. Turn into a large bowl with butternut squash and toss with lemon juice, zest, remaining olive oil, the chopped herbs, tempeh or feta and tomatoes. Scatter with pomegranate seeds. Voila! A tasty autumn/winter salad that will provide you not only with plenty of taste but an excellent range of nutrients for multiple health benefits. If you are unsure of how to change your eating habits, or need help optimising the foods you eat please do contact us. We would love to help you or your family and friends with any nutrition related queries big or small. In the meantime do please check out our 121Dietitian Shop If you have enjoyed this blog we would love you to share this with your family and friends on your social media channels. Why not visit our YouTube Channel for more on keeping your health optimal. How can a Dietitian help Book a consultation via our Online Portal About Gillian Killiner Check out our tailored dietary programmes Gillian x [instagram-feed] Information checked & correct on 16th May 2018.
10 seasonal foods – autumn foods to fall for
It’s no surprise that at different times of the year, certain seasonal foods are at their best. As we leave the days of summer and its sumptuous foods behind us, it’s time to look towards a new season, and thankfully, autumn’s glorious food offering is every bit as tantalizing. Autumn boasts a wealth of fruit and vegetables which are rich in disease-fighting phytochemicals and so here, we take a look at 10 foods to fall for this autumn. Parsnips While these root veggies might look similar to carrots, they offer a delicately sweet flavour, and so perfect for those with sweet tooth cravings (and great for kids too!). Although they contain less vitamin A than carrots, they make up for this in their wealth of fibre, vitamin C, calcium and iron. Their versatility means they can be steamed, boiled, roasted or sautéed and in most recipes, they can replace carrots, potatoes or sweet potatoes. Autumn is the perfect time for making pots of soup and parsnips will add a lovely sweetness, pairing perfectly with other vegetables. Sweet potatoes Sweet potatoes are having a real moment in the foodie world and it isn’t surprising why. You will be forgiven for thinking they’re part of the potato family, when in fact they are a storage root, rather than tubers. Rich in beta-carotene, (vitamin A), each serving contains four times the recommended daily allowance. In fact, they’re so rich that in comparison, you’d have to eat 23 portions of broccoli to consume the same quantity of vitamin A! As a low glycemic food, sweet potatoes are highly recommended for diabetics as they slowly release carbohydrates which helps maintain steady blood sugar levels. Again, they can easily be baked, grilled or steamed and can easily replace potatoes in recipes. Pumpkins More than simply just a Halloween decoration, pumpkins are mighty in their antioxidant properties, as well as beta-carotene, vitamin C and folate. Pumpkins are delicious chopped and oven baked as the perfect side dish or serve as a delicious ingredient in a warming soup. Don’t forget to use their seeds too! These are a fantastic source of protein, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids. Roast in a hot oven for approximately 45 minutes and keep them handy as a perfect snack throughout the day. Cranberries A ripe autumnal berry, cranberries are low in fat and play a key role in reducing the risk of urinary tract infections, gum disease, ulcers, heart disease and cancer. They also boast anthocyanins, a healthy heart antioxidant. A small percentage of their crop is sold fresh each autumn, with the rest produced as juice, dried or as cranberry sauce. A little tart, they complement other fruits such as apples and pears perfectly, and make a welcome addition to baked delicacies, such muffins. Butternut squash Butternut squash is loaded with vitamin A and is recognized for its sweet, creamy flavour. With a dry flesh, it is best steamed or baked, while its firm texture makes it ideal for a curry. Peeling squash can be a bit of a chore, so we say… don’t do it! Simply leave the skin on, chop and bake it in the over to enjoy its delicious goodness. Turnips Turnips, or swedes, as commonly known in Ireland and Scotland, are cruciferous vegetables, shown to protect against cancer. They have a white flesh and tough outer skin that ranges from yellow to purple and are more bitter than potatoes. Turnips work particularly well boiled, mashed or roasted and can be easily incorporated into recipes where you’d normally use potatoes. They’re a great source of vitamin C and fibre. Apples Although enjoyed all year round, apples are at at their best during the autumn months. Rich in flavonoids, a potent antioxidant, studies have shown that enjoying a diet rich in these can lower the risk of heart disease, heart attacks and some cancers. Their versatility means they can be eaten both uncooked and baked, serving as a featured ingredient in many recipes. Pears High in fibre, and just as versatile as apples, pears can be enjoyed baked, poached or raw and eaten as part of a healthy diet, helping to reduce blood cholesterol levels. Why not try them served in low-fat pancakes, as a guilt-free treat?! Clementines Clementines or mandarin oranges are bitter orange hybrids. Rich in vitamin C, they’re great for keeping skin healthy, particularly during the colder months when it can become dry. Seedless and with loose skin, clementines are a great snack for those on-the-go days. They also make for a great addition to chicken dishes for a tropical twist! Figs Don’t neglect the fig! With more fibre content than any other dried or fresh fruit and an excellent non-dairy source of calcium, figs are a welcome addition to any diet. When pureed, they can be used as both a sweetener and fat substitute in a wealth of baked goods. If you are unsure of how to change your eating habits, or need help optimising the foods you eat please do contact us. We would love to help you or your family and friends with any nutrition related queries big or small. In the meantime do please check out our 121Dietitian Shop If you have enjoyed this blog we would love you to share this with your family and friends on your social media channels. Why not visit our YouTube Channel for more on keeping your health optimal. How can a Dietitian help Book a consultation via our Online Portal About Gillian Killiner Check out our tailored dietary programmes Gillian x [instagram-feed] Information checked & correct on 16th May 2018.
