World Fitness Blog : Leading Global Bloggers

New Year brings with it some old circumstances: working from home, self-isolating again, and having close access to food almost all of the time.

Some of us may enjoy more home-cooked meals and not having to walk too far for a snack, but working close to the refrigerator poses a challenge to maintaining healthy eating habits.

Rest assured, there are ways to minimise mindless snacking and filling up on empty calories, even when you can’t socially distance from your kitchen cabinet.

READ MORE: Backlash after politician shares photo of wife

After years of nutrition counselling, I see that that my clients’ judgement about their eating is a big predictor of future behaviors. If you berate yourself for overeating, it can cause you to go down a spiral of feeling bad, which can lead to more emotional eating. On the flip side, being gentle with yourself can help you establish a healthier mindset when it comes to indulgences, and this can allow for a more balanced lifestyle.

I have found that incorporating mindful strategies around eating — which aren’t about judgement — can be very helpful for those struggling with “unconscious” eating. Below are some practical tips that can help you minimise unnecessary snacking and get the most enjoyment from food.

Stop, think, eat

Before grabbing that cookie or bag of chips, stop and ask yourself, “Do I really want this now?” or “Am I craving this food because I’m hungry or because I’m bored or stressed?” Think it through — if you do want a snack, go for it. But if your answer is no, you’ve stopped yourself from excessive nibbling. The idea is to make the choice to eat a conscious decision.

12 healthy snacks you can stash in your desk drawer

The hunger meter is a tool that incorporates the “stop, think, eat” strategy, as it allows you to pause and gauge your level of hunger before eating. If you are reaching for a snack but realise that you are not really hungry, you may be craving something else, according to Wendy Sterling, a registered dietitian and coauthor of How to Nourish Your Child Through an Eating Disorder. Try going for a walk, taking a shower, calling a friend, or taking a nap.

Fill your kitchen with fibre-rich foods

It’s pretty difficult to mindlessly munch on high-fibre foods like vegetables, salads and fruits. That’s because fibre contributes “bulk” and fills you up quickly. Fibre-rich foods also help to keep your blood sugar levels steady, which can help prevent impulsive snacking and overeating at meals.

READ MORE: Love-child princess in tears after first meeting with Belgium’s king

Don’t bring it home

The decisions you make at the point of purchase greatly predict your ability to stay on track. Simply put, if you bring it home, you will eat it. If you don’t want to derail your diet goals, leave snacks that will sabotage your efforts in the grocery aisle.

Practice portion control

When choosing snacks, avoid bulk-size bags that easily enable mindless nibbling. Go for pre-portioned snacks, or if you wish to buy larger bags, portion the snacks at home in small bags or containers.

Schedule meal and snack times. It’s important, especially when working from home, to stop and take a break to eat. Even better, plan ahead what it is you will eat for lunch or for a snack. Honouring your food breaks will help you avoid cravings and will give more structure to the day. It will also help you avoid nervous nibbling during stressful work.

Plan for intentional indulgences

Similar to planning for meals, you can plan for a splurge. I most often think of these indulgences in relation to birthday parties or dinners out (think a piece of decadent chocolate cake), but even during everyday situations, planning for treats can help to minimise preoccupation with sweets and prevent overeating. If you are craving chocolate, set aside a few Hershey’s kisses to eat after lunch. If you love pizza, enjoy it once a week for lunch or dinner. This can help to minimise obsessive thoughts about these foods, too, because you have given yourself permission to enjoy them.

15 healthy snack alternatives to curb your sugar cravings

READ MORE: Vicar of Dibley star Gary Waldhorn dies at 78

Get rid of distractions

Scrolling through social media or watching Netflix while eating takes the focus away from your food and prevents you from registering when you are full. In fact, people who played a game of solitaire on a computer while eating ate faster, ate nearly twice as much and felt less full than people who were not distracted while eating, according to a study that registered dietitian Lisa Young cites in her book Finally Full, Finally Slim. Put away all screens, phones and anything that will prevent you from being present while eating.

Close the kitchen

Decide when the kitchen will be “closed for the day,” and shut off the lights and close any doors. This can be very helpful in avoiding nighttime nibbling.

Other tips worth trying

Here are some other tips that can help you with mindless snacking:

Take a tea break

Sipping tea can also help to keep cravings at bay.

“Drinking herbal tea with a little honey provides a speed bump; it makes you think for a minute about having a snack or meal that may be unnecessary,” registered dietitian Bonnie Taub-Dix previously told CNN.

Keep a food and mood journal

Writing down what you eat and how you feel at the time can help you identify triggers and minimise impulsive snacking. Additionally, writing down your daily diet at the start of each day can give you more structure and keep you on track.

Get enough sleep

Not getting enough sleep can cause us to consume up to 800 extra calories, according to a recent study. It’s thought that sleep deprivation may cause our hormones to stimulate hunger, and/or suppress hormone signals associated with fullness. Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep each night.

You can gradually take on these 12 tips by working in one or two strategies into your routine every week. This approach will help you ease into eating more mindfully.

Lisa Dryer, an award-winning nutrionist and journalist, is a health and nutrition contributor for CNN.

For a daily dose of 9Honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.

The best snacks to eat when you are working from home

Source

With more than half a million Aussies currently dealing with COVID-19, chances are you know someone battling the virus.

While some of us are lucky enough to experience only minor symptoms, plenty more are left feeling extremely tired, with chronic headaches, respiratory distress and even digestive discomfort thanks to the ghastly virus.

One of the defining characteristics of COVID-19 is the inflammatory effect it has on the body’s systems, especially the lungs, and from a dietary perspective there are a number of ways to support a reduction in inflammation in the body. So, whether you are feeling fine, or quite under the weather with COVID-19, here are the foods to reach for, and the ones to avoid.

READ MORE: Lily Collins’ ‘naughty’ moment while meeting Princess Diana as a baby

The best foods for COVID-19

Fresh fruit

Not only does fruit have a high water content to support hydration, but fruit is a rich source of a number of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that plays a key role in supporting immune function and including a vitamin C-rich food at each meal and snack is an easy way to support your recovery from COVID-19.

Some of the best fruit options are kiwi fruit, berries, stone fruit, mangoes and oranges, but any fruit is a nutritious choice. If you find yourself struggling to eat solid food, fruit smoothies are an easy to drink, nutrient-rich alternative.

Vegetable juice

While we tend to reach for fruit juice, it is an extremely concentrated source of sugars. Vegetable-based juices, on the other hand, mean you can combine plenty of vitamin- and nutrient-rich vegetables in a light, refreshing drink.

As a general rule of thumb, the brighter the colour of the veges, the richer the nutrient content, so think beetroot, spinach, kale, carrot and capsicum for a delicious vitamin hit. If you find plain vegetable juices a little harsh on the palate, try blending three to four different vegetables with one piece of fruit and loads of ice for a refreshing drink. My personal favourite is beetroot, celery, carrot and orange.

READ MORE: Anthony Callea details ‘excruciating’ battle with COVID-19

Seafood

If you are able to tolerate solid food, while you may be tempted to order in and indulge in comfort food, nutritionally you will be much better to enjoy more seafood. Whether you prefer Omega-3-rich salmon, delicious Aussie prawns, some fresh oysters or mussels, not only is seafood rich in protein and key nutrients, it also contains loads of zinc. Zinc plays an integral role in immune function and is a nutrient many Aussies do not get enough of.

Fermented foods

When you think of foods that benefit immune function, kefir or sauerkraut may not be at the top of your list, but the more we learn about immune system, the more we come to understand that much of our immune function is determined by our digestive health.

Foods that are a source of probiotics, the live cultures that nourish a healthy gut, are a must-add into your diet when the goal is to support immunity. Plain yoghurts with cultures, kefir, miso and fermented vegetables are some of the natural sources of probiotics, while you can also find a range of supplements at pharmacies and health food stores.

GALLERY: The world’s most gratuitously expensive food items

Foods to avoid

Fast food

Days on end spent at home can mean we reach for a little more home-delivered comfort food, but when you have COVID-19, it is not the time to indulge in high-fat, fast food meals. Fried in processed vegetable oils and high in saturated fats, refined carbs and sugars, processed fast food is one of the worst foods to indulge in when you are trying to reduce inflammation in the body.

Snack food

Whether you tend to reach for biscuits snack bars, chips or chocolate, processed snacks are sources of processed vegetable oils and sugars, both of which increase inflammation in the body. Fresh, natural unprocessed snacks to opt for instead include fruit, hummus, popcorn, nuts and seeds.

Sweet drinks

There is a big difference between a home-made smoothie or juice and soft drinks, vitamin and coconut waters, slushies and jumbo blends of fruit, syrups and sugary-flavoured milks, which can add 60 to 80g of sugars per serve.

Concentrated sugars are one of the worst things we can consume if the goal is to reduce inflammation in the body.

For a daily dose of 9Honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.

Want to start eating healthier? Follow these 10 simple steps

Source

With research suggesting that the average person gains a couple of kilos at Christmas time — and rarely loses it — you could be forgiven for starting 2022 with a little extra weight on board.

While new year dieting campaigns heavily target consumers throughout the first few weeks of January, with many of us still enjoying holidays, it’s rarely the best time to begin an aggressive new diet and exercise campaign. Rather, waiting until the Christmas dust has settled and taking time to choose the right diet for you is a far more powerful strategy to rid yourself of any extra Christmas kilos for good.

So if one of your goals for 2022 is to get your diet and lifestyle on track, here are some easy steps towards sustainable weight loss.

READ MORE: How many minutes of exercise it takes to work off Christmas foods

1. Pick your time

Weight loss is the most common New Year’s resolution, yet it’s the worst time to commit to a new diet. If losing weight is on your list for 2022, simply waiting until mid-to-late January, or even February, is one of the smartest things you can do.

Here, you have time to enjoy your holidays, gradually get back into training and get organised enough to be able to focus fully on calorie-controlled eating to help you get the results you are wanting long-term. This approach is far more effective than the most commonly adopted alternative, in which we diet strictly for a day or two after New Year’s Eve before promptly falling off the wagon — which really is a big waste of time.

2. Pick your plan

Any diet — paleo, keto, low-carb, Atkins, 5:2, 16:6, to name a few — will work when followed, but the issue with most diets is that while they may work initially, they are rarely followed long enough to give you the results you are looking for. So as the new year rolls around, take some time to really consider what plan will be right for you, long-term.

Do you need the support of a dietitian to touch base regularly and support you? Do you know that strict diets do not work for you and are better with a more moderate approach? Or with your lifestyle, will you find it easier to be strict a few days each week rather than every single day? Matching the right diet to the right person is crucial if you want any weight loss success maintained.

READ MORE: The forgotten reason why diets rarely work long term

3. Focus on what you should be eating, even now

Diets often focus on what foods we should eat less of and avoid, and naturally the more we are told not to do something… well, you know the rest. In the case of calorie-controlled eating, this means that the easiest thing we can all do immediately to lower calorie intake is to focus on low-calorie foods for building the foundation of the diet.

Here, the simple act of adding extra veggies to each meal — for example, a veggie juice at breakfast, salad at lunch and cooked veggies at dinner — will instantly lower the overall calorie load of the diet, while actually eating more and supporting weight loss. And best of all there is no need to wait until mid-to-late January to start doing this.

4. Become reacquainted with hunger

Human beings rarely eat because they are hungry, rather we eat because it is meal time, because others are eating or because tempting foods are on offer.

Not only does non-hungry eating fuel calorie overconsumption, but it also means that we are less likely to buffer our calorie intake when we have overeaten. When there are plenty of extra calories around, and mindless munching on snacks, treats, alcoholic drinks and party food is highly likely, it’s a great time to get in touch with your hunger. All you need to do is ask yourself if you are really, really hungry before food enters your mouth, and when you have overeaten, make a concerted effort to only eat again when you are actually feeling hungry. It is an incredibly simple strategy but a very effective one.

5. Get a buddy

We are social creatures and are often spending many hours of our lives with the same people, whether this translates into family, friends or workmates. While it is possible to develop laser-beam focus when you are adopting a new diet and exercise regime, things become a whole lot easier when the people around you are too committed to these same goals. This means that getting your partner, bestie or work wife on board with any major change to your daily diet or exercise will not only make it much easier to keep focused but you can then naturally play the part of each other’s cheerleader when times are tough. This is just one of the reasons that online community weight loss programs work so well — you are all talking the same language and working through the same challenges. Finding your own community will make long-term weight loss in 2022 a whole lot easier.

Author Susie Burrell is a leading Australian dietitian and nutritionist, founder of Shape Me, and prominent media spokesperson, with regular appearances in both print and television media commenting on all areas of diet, weight loss and nutrition.

Empty calories: Foods low on nutrients but high on weight gain

Source

Ate too much over Christmas? A dietitian offers health and nutrition tips to get your weight under control in the New Year.

With hectic end-of-year work deadlines and non-stop socialising, healthy eating can easily fall by the wayside as we adopt an eat-on-the-run December policy.

Shame then that by the time you arrive at your summer beach holiday, a pesky little bulge or disgruntled belly might be making itself known.

Dietitian Rebecca Gawthorne explains how to cope with the post-Christmas food fall-out.

READ MORE: What you should do when you’ve eaten too much on Christmas Day

Get over it

A little bit of self-love can go a long way when recovering from a binge.

“Don’t beat yourself up if you feel you ate more than you should have or gained a few kilos over Christmas,” Gawthorne says. “This will create stress within your body and can lead to emotional eating.”

You can’t change the past, so Gawthorne suggests focusing on the fun memories you created.

“Think of it as a time you enjoyed food and fun times with family and friends,” she says. “Now it’s time to re-focus your mindset and form new healthy habits.”

Ditch empty calories

Consider the nutritional value of everything you’re putting in your mouth, and as accredited practising dietitian Kate Di Prima told 9Coach, find two good reasons to eat it.

“Even if it’s a bit of chocolate, you might say, ‘It’s going to give me some endorphins’ and ‘It’s going to taste absolutely beautiful’,” Di Prima says.

“Or if you are having a coffee, you might say, ‘It’s a calcium-rich dairy food so it’s good for my bones, and it’s got protein, which will sustain me, and the caffeine will get me through my meeting this morning.'”

Gawthorne says ultimately you want to reduce your consumption of empty calories as much as possible.

“‘Empty calories’ refers to foods that are high in calories but are low in essential nutrients and have little or no nutritional value,” Gawthorne explains.

“These foods are often heavily processed with many additives that we don’t require in our diets.”

We’re looking at you: soft drink, alcohol, cordial, energy drinks, biscuits, sweets, pastries, processed meats and deep-fried takeaway foods.

READ MORE: The ultimate hangover survival guide: What to eat and drink to feel better ASAP

Go the long haul

Make 2022 the year that you forget about fads and fasts and make healthy eating a simple, non-negotiable part of your life.

“Instead of going on another juice cleanse or fad diet, make simple, healthy changes that you will be able to sustain,” Gawthorne says.

“That might mean something like reducing your portion sizes at dinner.”

Get moving

A beach walk, bush hike or surfboard paddle on your Christmas holiday will not just help shift excess weight but will also clear your head to help you make better food choices.

“Exercise is essential for weight loss and health,” Gawthorne says.

“For weight loss, you should be exercising daily.”

Share your leftovers

If your kitchen cupboards are brimming with leftover chocolate and shortbread, then re-gift them or send them home with your visitors.

“There is no point keeping foods that are going to provide no nutritional benefit to you and will simply make your weight loss efforts more difficult,” Gawthorne says.

“If you were gifted soft drink, alcohol, chocolate or biscuits that are too tempting to keep in the house, give them away or throw them out.”

For a daily dose of 9Honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.

How many minutes of exercise it takes to work off Christmas foods

Source

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine estimated the average adult puts on about 300 grams at Christmas — accounting for half the weight gained in a single year — and only loses half of it.

In the long term, those (extremely conservative) numbers add up to big fat gains. Christmas foods are high-calorie and we eat a lot of them — so some hard work is needed to burn them off. Keep reading to find out just how much work.

FYI, these stats are pulled from Harvard Medical School data about the amount of calories burned by exercise, and based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data on the weight of the average Australian woman. 

For a daily dose of 9Honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.

Source

Chances are you have been eating a lot more than you usually would during the festive season, and indeed Christmas Day itself is likely to translate into a complete calorie overload.

To put things into perspective, the average Christmas Day feast of a roast dinner along with wine, canapé, cheese, dessert and a few Christmas chocolates is equivalent to at least 3000 calories, or up to double that required by a small female each day.

This is the simple reason we feel so sick by early evening after a big day of eating. So here are some easy ways to help buffer the impact of overeating to help you minimise feelings of digestive discomfort over the festive season.

READ MORE: Simple Christmas swaps for a healthier and tastier Christmas feast

In preparation

One of the easiest ways you can prepare for a couple of days of eating is to eat lightly the day or two before Christmas, and schedule in plenty of exercise.

Start the day with a walk, and seek out lighter meals of salads, fruit and seafood. Not only will this help you to rid any fluid you have been carrying, but the extra calorie burn will help to give your metabolism a hit.

Another dietary strategy that can work well at this time is to include an extended 14 to 16 hour fast as part of your daily food routine. Here there is no need to restrict calories, rather limit the number of meals you enjoy each day which gives the body time to digest everything you have consumed in between larger meals.

Immediately after eating

With an hour or two of eating a larger meal, you are likely to feel slightly short of breath as your full stomach — remember your stomach is only a little larger than a fist — pushes up into your diaphragm, limiting your lung capacity. It is for this reason that sitting down after a big meal is the worst thing you can do, rather moving around, keeping on your feet or even going for a walk will be the best thing you can do to reduce abdominal discomfort.

READ MORE: The forgotten reason why diets rarely work long term

Before bed

Once the initial stages of digestion are completed, next you are likely to be greeted with some abdominal discomfort, gas and bloating. While you may not feel like eating, drinking plenty of water or herbal tea like peppermint or green tea will help to move food and fluid through the digestive tract.

Light foods with a high-water content including celery, cucumber, berries, stone fruit and watermelon will too, help to rid the body of extra fluid and are smart, light options to enjoy later on Christmas Day.

The morning after

One of the most common mistakes we make after eating too much is to continue to eat meals and snacks even though we are not overly hungry. On the other hand, starting the day after Christmas with a short 20- to 30-minute high-intensity workout will go a long way in easing digestive comfort, while a light breakfast of coffee and fruit is all you need to give the metabolism a boost with minimal calories.

The day after

If your Christmas Day feasting continues over several days, limiting the number of meals you enjoy each day will be the best way to avoid the experience of gross overconsumption. This means a heavy lunch or dinner meal will easily be buffered with a 12 to 16 hour fast, meaning that you can still enjoy the more indulgent meals but with minimal digestive discomfort over the holidays.

For a daily dose of 9Honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.

Author Susie Burrell is a leading Australian dietitian and nutritionist, founder of Shape Me, co-host of The Nutrition Couch podcast and prominent media spokesperson, with regular appearances in both print and television media commenting on all areas of diet, weight loss and nutrition.

How many minutes of exercise it takes to work off Christmas foods

Source

It will come as no surprise to hear that diets, restrictive diets in particular, are rarely effective long term. One reason for this is that strict eating plans that require you to measure portions and count calories are not easy to follow.

Surprisingly, one variable less frequently mentioned in discussions about why so many diets fail, is the ‘addictive’ aspect of certain foods. Specifically, ‘ultra-processed foods’ including chocolate, flavoured chips, ice-cream, cakes, biscuits, fried and fast foods with their mix of colours, flavours and preservatives appear to prime the brain to seek out more and more of these tasty treats, which makes sticking to a diet especially challenging.

Read more: The ultimate hangover survival guide: What to eat and drink to feel better ASAP

The idea that certain foods can be addictive is not without controversy. Unlike illicit substances — like alcohol and tobacco which are not necessary for survival — human beings need to eat and as such labelling food as ‘addictive’ is not without the need for clear disclaimers. Rather, it is only foods termed ‘ultra-processed’, or foods that bear little to no resemblance to whole natural foods that are associated with overeating.

In one study, participants were given diets that were matched in calories and macronutrients, but one diet included only ultra-processed foods (for example: a breakfast of a bagel with cream cheese and bacon) compared to the other diet that was wholefood based or a breakfast of oats, nuts, banana and milk. In just two weeks, participants in the ultra-processed group consumed an average of 500 more calories a day confirming the research hypothesis that more processed foods are associated with eating more and ultimately weight gain.

In an attempt to quantify the additive aspects of processed foods, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai compared popular foods like pizza and cookies with the experience of eating them, using the Yale Food Addiction Scale. Based on participants responses, the individual foods were able to be rated from most addictive to least additive. No surprises to find that ultra-processed foods topped the list of foods rated as most additive.

The take home message is simple, if your goal is to control or lose weight, one of the easiest ways to make your dieting experience easier is to minimise your intake of ultra-processed foods.

The most addictive foods

Pizza

Rich in processed carbs, fat and salt, the mix of flavour, processed starches used to make the base, and fatty toppings give the brain a stimulation overload. If you love pizza, help to control your intake by choosing thin, baked bases with minimal toppings.

Chocolate

We are not taking about 85% cocoa chocolate here, rather the sickly-sweet milk variety many of us cannot stop eating once we start eating a block. The addition of extra confectionery will make it worse. If chocolate is your vice, stick to small serving sizes — the plainest, darkest varieties are your best option.

Potato chips

Potato chips are another carb and fat overloaded snack packed with appealing flavours, which may explain why an entire bag disappears in no time. Again, purchase smaller packets if you must indulge and plain is much better than flavoured options.

Cookies

Less popular in Australia, the mix of white flour, sugar and fat gives the brain a stimulation overload. Make your own with natural ingredients if you enjoy a cookie or biscuit every now and again.

Ice-cream

With so many flavours to choose from, along with confectionery, syrups, nuts and chocolate often added, is it any wonder we cannot stop at a single scoop. Seek out lower calorie sorbets or gelato in a single scoop.

The least addictive

Cucumber

Mostly water, adding a cucumber a day to your diet will help reduce bloating and boost up your fibre and potassium intake for very few calories.

Carrots

Another nutrient-rich salad vegetable that will boost your beta carotene and fibre intake with minimal calories.

Beans

Legumes are a protein and nutrient-rich option that can benefit all of us, not just the vegetarians — add to salads, mince dishes and soups to boost your nutrition.

Apples

Need a sweet hit? Look no further than a humble apple, which can serve as a perfect sugar hit mid-afternoon especially if enjoyed with a little cheese or nut spread.

Brown rice

While relatively high in carbs, for active people a small portion of carbs with your lunch or dinner may even help to prevent sugar cravings later in the evening.

For a daily dose of 9Honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.

Author Susie Burrell is a leading Australian dietitian and nutritionist, founder of Shape Me, co-host of The Nutrition Couch podcast and prominent media spokesperson, with regular appearances in both print and television media commenting on all areas of diet, weight loss and nutrition.

Popular Christmas party foods ranked in calories, from lowest to highest

Source

Party season naturally means delicious party treats but a number of our favourite party foods are sneaky when it comes to their calorie content.

If your goal is to watch your calorie intake this silly season, try and avoid anything fried instead look for fresh ingredients including vegetables, salad and fruit. And, if you must indulge (don’t we all?) look for small, portioned-controlled options of your favourite party foods.

Here are some of the most common party foods ranked from lowest to the highest calorie indulgences.

Consider this your handy guide to making thoughtful choices as you enjoy your summer parties.

For a daily dose of 9Honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.

Source

If they have not already started, chances are you have a few parties already scheduled for the next few weeks.

Now, Christmas should never be about diets and deprivation, but when it comes to party food, there are definitely some festive favourites that pack a big punch when it comes to calories.

Read more: The ultimate hangover survival guide: What to eat and drink to feel better ASAP

Canapes

They may seem tiny, but even the smallest party snacks can be packed full of fat and calories. Any food with a pastry case including pies, sausage rolls and quiches as well as sweet treats like fruit mince tarts will offer a hearty dose of saturated, and often trans-fat, which can still be found in many commercially baked goods. In addition, pastry is a food that rates very low on satiety indexes, which means it is incredibly easy to overeat. As such, a blanket rule of skipping the pastry this Christmas will go a long way in keeping both your fat and calorie intake under control.

Processed meats

The party season means plenty of entertaining platters and platters which tends to be filled with cheese, dips and a range of processed meats like salami, prosciutto and mortadella. Whilst deli meats are generally served in thin slices, they can contain up to 30 per cent fat and more than half your upper daily recommended intake of sodium.

Fried snacks

Arancini balls, chicken wings, spring rolls and salt and pepper squid are popular on party menus but with a single piece of a fried snack offering between 100-150 calories and 5-10g of fat it is easy to see how a few pieces off a platter can quickly equate to more calories than a meal. The good news is that you can find plenty of low-calorie canapes, including grilled meat skewers, sushi and seafood, so steer towards these options and avoid as much deep-fried food as you can.

Read more: Is wine o’clock really that bad? A dietitian’s take

Choc-coated treats

‘Tis the season for choc-dipped treats — biscuits, fruit and nuts which can fill bowls and platters in many an office or home. While a handful of choc-dipped goodness may seem harmless enough, the numbers tell a different story.

For example: just 10 chocolate covered almonds has almost as many calories as a meal, while a handful of choc-coated sultanas contains 120 calories, 16g of sugars and more than 6g of fat.

The best way to manage these cheeky treats that slip into our days is to avoid grabbing handfuls of anything, and if you feel like a biscuit or chocolate, enjoy a set portion that you sit down and enjoy rather than mindlessly munching on extra calories throughout the day.

Read more: The best and worst alcoholic drinks for your waistline

Dips

Entertaining platters are extremely popular — visual feasts of meats, cheese, crackers and dips which appear pretty healthy thanks to their bright colours and pretty arrangements. One thing to keep in mind when arranging your favourite platter is that in general dips are anything but healthy. Usually made with high-fat cream cheese, oil or nuts as a base, a single tablespoon of dip can equate to as much as 5g of fat and 80-100 calories. If you consider that we usually enjoy dips with chips or crackers, you can literally down an entire meal of dip and crackers in a very short period of time.

Avoid a complete calorie overload on your platters by specifically seeking out low-calorie options such as beetroot or tzatziki dips, enjoy dips with chopped vegetables rather than crackers and portion out your serves so you are not tempted to keep dipping.

Shortbread

If you hail from the UK or Scotland, a giant tin of shortbread is sure to be on your family’s coffee table throughout December. The buttery, sugary biscuits are a rich tasty treat with a warm drink and even better now you can find chocolate varieties in supermarkets. The downside is that with 5g of fat and more than 100 calories in a single shortbread finger they can easily add hundreds of calories to your daily intake if you are munching on them through the day. A healthier option is a biscotti with just 20-30 calories and 1g of fat per serve or if you must have your shortbread, limit yourself to one biscuit each day.

If you hail from the UK or Scotland, a giant tin of shortbread is sure to be on your family’s coffee table throughout December.

The buttery, sugary biscuits are a rich treat with a warm drink, and even better now you can find chocolate varieties in supermarkets. The downside is that with 5g of fat and more than 100 calories in a single shortbread finger, they can easily add hundreds of calories to your daily intake if you are munching on them through the day.

A healthier option is a biscotti, with just 20-30 calories and 1g of fat per serve or if you must have your shortbread, limit yourself to one biscuit each day.

For a daily dose of 9Honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.

Author Susie Burrell is a leading Australian dietitian and nutritionist, founder of Shape Me, co-host of The Nutrition Couch podcast and prominent media spokesperson, with regular appearances in both print and television media commenting on all areas of diet, weight loss and nutrition.

Source

Forget anxiety about your health mission come Christmas. This year you can eat whatever you want without an iota of food guilt. You’re welcome. 

If you’re on a health kick, the advice is often to clear your fridge and pantry of treat foods so you’ve only got healthy choices on hand.

It’s sound advice — but come Christmas, all bets are off with grazing platters, buffets, puddings and chocolates everywhere you cast your eyes.

And let’s be honest, what kind of (super)human could say “I’ll just have salad, thanks”? Not us here at 9Honey Coach.

For a daily dose of 9Honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.

So to save ourselves (and our delightful readers) the stress on December 25, we called one of our faithful accredited practising dietitians, Tim McMaster, to beg for forgiveness for all of the food sins we are about to commit. And the good news is, he completely let us — and you — off the hook.

“I always get people saying they’re worried about Christmas Day and the bucketloads of food available,” says McMaster who is a spokesperson for the Dietitians Association of Australia. 

“I always say, ‘How often do we celebrate Christmas?’ It’s a once-a-year thing. If Christmas Day was every day, we’d have a problem but [on this one day] I want you to indulge and have fun. But try to have a couple of barriers in place so it’s not stressful.”

Come at us crackling.

READ MORE: When to stop drinking caffeine to get a good night’s sleep

Definitely eat breakfast 

Knowing that you’ve got a big lunch and dinner on the cards may tempt you to skip breakfast, but McMaster reckons that’s a rookie mistake.

“Breakfast is good for your health in general — it’s important to set your body up for the day and have something that’s nourishing,” he says.

“It will probably delay that [desire] to snack on treat foods earlier in the day.”

High fibre and a good dose of protein are your goals for Christmas — or any — breakfast. 

“A breakfast option that has lots of dietary fibre means it will digest slower so you’ll keep fuller for longer and it will help your blood sugar levels remain stable in the morning,” he says.

“Traditional rolled oats or muesli, wholegrain toast with nut butter or fruit and high-protein yoghurt are all good options. Adding some pepitas or chia seeds can help creep up the protein a bit more.”

Do some exercise

Start your day with some form of movement and you’ll be in a great headspace for the day ahead. (Particularly important if you’re going to be facing some frustrating relatives.)

“It can burn up a few calories before the day gets going,” McMaster says.

“Or you could do something after lunch or later in the afternoon — take a walk with the family or play some backyard cricket.”

Strategise your buffet selections

“If you can’t decide what to have, then I’d recommend focusing on the traditional Christmas foods that you rarely have over the rest of the year,” McMaster says.

“Another good tip is to start with vegetables because they’re not going to make you feel gross. If you have them on the plate first then you’ve got less space for some of the heavier meat options.”

Have a solid catch-up

The more you’re chatting to your relatives, the less you’re shovelling food into your mouth.

“Strike up the conversation because that will slow your speed of eating,” McMaster points out.

“You might actually notice yourself feeling fuller [and stopping before you feel sluggish].”

Lighten up later

If you had a heavy lunch and are feeling a tad sluggish, then McMaster says you might just choose salad or vegetables at dinner.

“You can also wait until you physically need to eat something,” he says.

“You might think, ‘It’s 6pm now and I’m not hungry but by 7.30pm or 8pm I might have some then’.”

Drink smart

Alcohol calories can add up, and a few too many bevvies can easily escalate any stress or family tension, so McMaster says it’s always a good idea to alternate alcoholic drinks. 

“Having soda water with some fresh lime instead of alcohol is a good idea too,” he says.

“At the end of the day, be mindful of how much alcohol you have.”

The health benefits of your Christmas Day binge

Source