Insights from the DAA 30th National Conference

Food supply challenges | The National Food Plan | Health claims on packaging

Over 500 dietitians converged on the National Convention Centre in Canberra for the Dietitians Association of Australia’s 30th National Conference. We have put togethre a summary of three intersting session which outlined current challenges affecting the food supply as well as future opportunities and the important role dietitians ca play in educating Australians.
 

Healthier food products myths and misconceptions

Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW) held a fascinating breakfast seminar on the first morning of the conference. Nilani Sritharan explained how reducing sugar or increasing fibre content can affect the nutrient content and taste as well as increase the cost of breakfast cereals. Attendees taste tested a cereal which had had the sugar reduced by half by either just removing the sugar, or replacing it with a sweetener or a natural flavour. While there were noticeable changes to the taste, interestingly the energy content changed by only a single kilojoule.

Dr Tony Bird went on to explain that GI testing of a set of cereals found that a four-fold reduction in sugar to the level required for a green traffic light label had no effect on the GI of the cereal. In considering these findings Manny Noakes commented that, “consumers want to be liberated from certain things like sugar, wheat or gluten.....however looking at single nutrients and changing them does not mean you will end up with a more nutritious product.”

National Food Plan and the challenges for tomorrow

The National Food Plan was launched the same week of the National Conference, and so Professor Peter Williams provided a timely discussion on the potential role health professionals and health organisations can play to support the Plan. The aim of the National Food Plan is for government, businesses and individuals to work together towards “a sustainable, globally competitive, food supply which supports access to nutritious and affordable food”. Prof Williams recommended that health professionals can play an important role advocating for disadvantaged groups and educating consumers to make healthier food choices.

With environmental sustainability being a focus of the Plan as well as a hot topic within the dietetics profession, it was no surprise this was also discussed. Professor Williams outlined the complexities of measuring the environmental impact of consumption patterns, while also highlighting the significant amount of food wasted each year by Australians. Professor Williams explained that health professionals and all Australians can make a significant impact on sustainability by reducing waste and discouraging over consumption.

Food laws helping consumers

When Australians go to the supermarket they are often confronted with lots of messages on foods labels, for example nutrition claims like “low in fat” or health claims such as “reduces cholesterol absorption”. While manufacturers do choose what claims they make on their food and beverages there is a clear set of rules which govern what claims can be made and which products are eligible.

FSANZ (Food Standards Australia and New Zealand) have recently introduced new regulation which aims to encourage innovation by food manufacturers to make healthier food products. The new system introduces the Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion (NPSC) which can be used to assess the eligibility of foods to make health claims. NPSC takes into account the type of food or beverage, energy content, saturated fat, total sugars and sodium levels as well as the content of fruit, vegetable, nuts, legumes, protein and fibre to produce a score. The goal of the NPSC is to identify healthier food options, so only foods and beverages which meet specified NPSC scores can make an appropriate health claim.  

A final word on food labels…Beware of “puffery”: there may be cases where a claim is not a nutrition content claim or a health claim and so is not regulated by FSANZ or the code. Where these claims are false or misleading it’s recommended that consumers contact the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission).

Whole grains 'alive' with nutrition

Exploring the health promoting components of whole grains

Eating more whole grains helps to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, bowel cancer and inflammation; yet many Australian’s may not be getting enough. One of the key hurdles to convince Australians to eat more whole grains is demonstrating exactly how whole grains reduce the risk of so many diseases. It has long been thought that fibre was the key component in whole grains responsible for disease prevention, however Australian researchers now suggest that components other than fibre which are found in whole grains may be more powerful at promoting health.1
 
Higher intake of bran (the fibre rich outer layer of whole grains) has been shown to result in many of the same health benefits as eating whole grains themselves. Emerging evidence indicates that when we eat whole grains and bran in particular we are not only eating fibre but we are also eating some highly specialised cells known as the aleurone. The aleurone is unique to whole grains, and is not found in other plant foods like fruit and vegetables. It is nutrient rich, containing a range of vitamins, mineral and antioxidants. In fact thanks to the antioxidant levels found in the aleurone, whole grains antioxidant capacity is equal to that of fruit and vegetables, which seems to be a well kept secret.1,2

Interestingly, whereas most of the grain cells are dead, these aleurone cells remain ‘alive’ and metabolically active even after being dried and prepared to be eaten as food. It has been suggested that these cells and the nutrients they contain contribute to the health benefits of whole grains.1

Researchers have highlighted magnesium, zinc and ferulic acid (an antioxidant) as key health promoting components of the aleurone. Each of these is found in rich supply within the aleurone and each has been observed to have positive effects on and blood glucose control, blood pressure and/or protecting the blood vessels of the body. In the case of whole grains, these three key nutrients are consumed together along with many other nutrients and fibre. This means that any positive effects they have are summed together, which is a likely explanation for the significant health benefits associated with eating whole grains.

Given the years and years it takes to develop chronic disease it is suggested that the combined effects of magnesium, zinc, antioxidants, fibres and the range of other nutrients found in whole grains is the reason why they have been shown to significantly reduce risk of chronic disease.

This recent evidence reinforces that whole grains are just as important as fruits and vegetables in protecting the body against chronic disease. The Grains & Legumes Nutrition CouncilTM recommends that Australians aim to eat at least 48g of whole grains each day for disease prevention.3,4 This is equal to around 3 serves of whole grain foods, with 1 serve being equal to a slice of whole grain bread. The great news is that increasing whole grain intake isn’t difficult since whole grains and whole grain foods are cheap, easily stored and readily available.


References:

1. Lillioja S, et al. Whole grains, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and hypertension: Links to the aleurone preferred over digestible fibre. BioFactors, 2012. Published early online.
2. Fardet A. New hypotheses for the health protective mechanisms of whole-grain cereals: what is beyond fibre? Nutr Res Rev. 2010 23(1):65-134
3. Griffiths T and Nestel P. Developing a target for daily wholegrain intake for Australians. Food Australia. 2006;58(9):431-433.
4. Griffiths T. Towards an Australian ‘daily target intake’ for whole grains. Food Australia. 2007;59(12):600-601.

Making the headlines

Carbohydrate Intakes – high, low, or irrelevant?

Did you see the recent headlines surrounding the health risks of low carbohydrate diets? These were the result of a symposium hosted by ILSI SEAR Australasia in conjunction with the Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council™ held on Tuesday 19th March 2013. This event brought together a panel of highly accomplished experts to discuss the topic of carbohydrates and health. Here’s a summary of the three lead presentations as well as an outline of each of the topics discussed at the event.

Professor Peter Williams, of the University of Canberra, set the scene for the day by outlining trends in carbohydrate intake and providing an overview of the health effects of various levels of carbohydrates intake. Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) suggests Australians should eat between 45-65% energy from carbohydrates. The most recent data suggests Australians are consuming 46% energy from carbohydrate, compared to countries around the world where intakes range between 38-79%.

Prof Williams cautioned that percentage energy intake is only part of the story and that the total amount of carbohydrate and total energy consumed from carbohydrate are important considerations for health. Prof Williams outlined that higher intakes of dietary fibre and whole grains appear to have health benefits, however low carbohydrate diets which may restrict whole grains and fibre rich foods are often promoted in the general public for short term weight loss.
 
Notably, a recent meta-analysis found that long term exposure to low carbohydrate diets was associated with a higher risk of death, indicating that low carbohydrate diets in the long term may pose health risks. With the popularity of ‘low carb’ diets, it was not surprising this research received media attention. Here is a link to an interview Prof Williams provided on the day of the symposium. Prof Williams concluded that not all carbohydrates are the same and that food based evidence is best to guide dietary recommendations.

Professor Manny Noakes, of the CSIRO, elaborated on the potential risks and benefits of low carbohydrate diets. Based on the current evidence, Prof Noakes suggested that while low carbohydrate intake (less than 100g) appears to be effective for weight management, these diets are often associated with high saturated fat composition, which may have a negative impact on heart health.

Interestingly, Prof Noakes suggested that some components of whole grains may in fact promote fat loss, as there is a body of scientific evidence which suggests that higher grain intakes (particularly whole grains) is associated with reduced body weight. Prof Noakes concluded that the inclusion of moderate amounts of carbohydrate in the form of high fibre whole grains, low glycemic index (GI) grain foods, dairy and fruit is optimal for weight loss and nutrient intakes.

Dr Alan Barclay, of the GI Foundation and Australian Diabetes Council, addressed the risks and benefits of high carbohydrate intakes. Dr Barclay summarised a recent review which found that high fibre intake is associated with lower risk for obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer.

Reflecting the current debate around sugar intake, Dr Barclay discussed the latest research on dietary sugars and body weight conducted for the World Health Organization (WHO), which found that while sugar-sweetened beverages (like soft drinks and cordial) were linked to weight gain, changes appeared to be related to energy intakes and exchanging sugars for other carbohydrates (i.e. starches) was not associated with weight change.

Dr Barclay went on to present evidence which suggests that GI and glycemic load (GL) are stronger predictors of disease risk including obesity, diabetes and heart disease. In conclusion Dr Barclay stated that rather than focusing on sugar or starch content of foods the evidence suggests that Australians need to lower the GI of their diet.

Dr Jane Muir, Monash University, spoke about the risks and benefits of fermentable carbohydrates (FODMAPs).

Dr Anthony Bird, CSIRO, spoke about the emerging area of research around prebiotic carbohydrates.

Mr Bill Shrapnel, Shrapnel Nutrition Consulting, and Dr Alan Barclay evaluated the current measures of carbohydrate quality.

Dr Louise Burke, of the Australian Institute of Sport, outlined the evolution of carbohydrate guidelines for sports performance.

Ms Nilani Sritharan, Cereal Partners Worldwide, described the challenges of translating the nutritional science into real foods that consumer will eat.

Ms Sarah Hyland, Colmar Brunton, spoke about consumer attitudes to carbohydrate intake.

Prof Amanda Lee, Queensland University of Technology, outlined the current consumer guidance on carbohydrate intake as outlined in the Australian Dietary Guidelines.
 
If you would like to read further on one or more of the topics discussed on the day each of the presentations are available via the GLNC website.

Grains and legumes on the plate

The new Dietary Guidelines: know your serve sizes

The new Australian Dietary Guidelines were launched this week by the National Health and Medical Research Council.  It is good to see that the Guidelines continue to encourage Australians to eat a variety of grain foods and legumes as part of a healthy diet. But serve sizes and the number of serves recommended per day have changed which may create confusion. With people already choosing core grain foods less often, it’s vital health care professionals and others understand the changes.

The Dietary Guidelines summarise the best available scientific evidence to provide a guide to what makes a ‘healthy diet’. That is, they recommend food choices that provide the nutrients needed for optimal well being today and protect against chronic disease in the future.

The launch of the new Guidelines, which were last reviewed in 2003, have been keenly anticipated by many people who use them in range different settings such as health care professionals in giving advice to patients, Government agencies in developing healthy eating initiatives and the food industry in developing a healthier food supply.

The 300 page document is distilled down to five guidelines. The first Guideline encourages Australians to eat a wide variety of foods from five food groups.

Guideline 2

• Enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods from these five groups every day
• Plenty of vegetables, including different types and colours, and legumes/bean
• Fruit
• Grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain and/or high cereal fibre varieties, such as breads, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles, polenta, couscous, oats, quinoa and barley
• Lean meat and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, and legumes/bean
• milk, yoghurt, cheese and/or their alternatives, mostly reduced fat (reduced fat milks are not suitable for children under the age of 2 years).

And drink water.

One significant change from the previous Guidelines is the change in recommendation for grain foods from ‘preferably wholegrain’ to ‘mostly wholegrain and/or high cereal fibre varieties’. This is based on the evidence that eating both whole grain and grain foods high in cereal fibre is linked to reduced risk of chronic disease and weight gain (2). Surveys conducted for GLNC indicate that Australians are not eating ‘mostly’ whole grain and high fibre grain foods but only choosing these foods a third of the time. To help get the message across, public health campaigns are needed to encourage these foods as well as work by the food industry to provide tasty options.  

Whole grain foods vary in the amount of whole grain they contain. To choose foods higher in whole grain check the ingredient list and choose foods with the higher whole grain percentage. GLNC is working towards a whole grain claim on pack that will make it easier to choose foods with more whole grain. We hope to launch this by mid 2013 so look out for it on food labels early in 2014.

It was good to see that legumes were encouraged as ‘valuable inclusions in the diet’ and ‘a cost efficient source of protein, iron, some essential fatty acids, soluble and insoluble fibre’.  The value of legumes as a nutritious food is reflected in their inclusion in both the ‘meat and alternatives’ food group as well as the vegetables food group.

However, it was disappointing that the Guidelines didn’t provide a recommended number of serves of legumes per week as was provided for other foods in the meat and alternatives group. A recommendation of serves per week would help encourage people to enjoy legumes more often, particularly as only one in every five Australians eats legumes regularly. GLNC recommends eating legumes 2 – 3 times a week to reduce risk of heart disease and help manage diabetes (3).

Australian Guide to Healthy Eating

The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating is what most people would think of as ‘the plate’ (or in some countries, the pyramid).  It translates the Dietary Guidelines into a simple how-to guide with recommendations for the number of serves of each food group the ‘average’ person should eat depending on their age and gender.

One concern with the new Australian Guide to Healthy Eating is the changes to serve size and the number of serves of grain foods. The serve sizes have decreased to levels that don’t reflect a realistic portion, such as one quarter of a cup of muesli (Table 1). With the reduction in serve size there has been an increase in the recommended number of serves to six per day.

Six serves of grain foods may seem a lot to people who take this to mean eating grain foods six times a day. This is likely to make it difficult for people to understand how much grain food to eat each day, particularly as many Australians are actively avoiding core grain foods believing that it will help with weight loss (4).

To help avoid the confusion, it is important that health care professionals and others using the Guide have a good understanding of the serve sizes. Looking at the serve sizes listed in the table below you can see that most people would eat at least two serves of grain foods in one meal. For example, two slices of bread as a sandwich is two serves.

Six serves in one day might include a bowl of high fibre cereal for breakfast, a wholemeal sandwich at lunch, a whole grain crispbread snack and cup of rice with your dinner.

Recommended serve sizes for grains and legumes

• 1 slice of bread, ½ medium roll or flatbread
• ½ cup cooked rice, pasta or noodles
• ½ cup cooked porridge, polenta, 2/3 cup wheat flake cereal, ¼ cup muesli
• 3 crispbreads
• 1 crumpet, English muffin or scone
• ½ cup cooked barley, buckwheat, semolina or quinoa
• ¼ cup flour
• 
  
• ½ cup cooked or canned legumes, when eating as a side dish with other vegetables
• 1 cup (150g) cooked or canned legumes, when eating as an alternative to meat
• 170g of tofu

To make the message a little easier GLNC recommends Australians enjoy grain foods 3 – 4 times a day and legumes 2 – 3 times a week.

The Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council has a number of resources to help people understand how to follow the new Dietary Guidelines and the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. For information and recipes visit www.glnc.org.au. 

References

1. Australian Dietary Guidelines and Australian Guide to Healthy Eating 2012.
2. National Health and Medical Research Council. A review of the evidence to address targeted questions to inform the revision of the Australian Dietary Guidelines. 2011, Commonwealth of Australia: Canberra
3. Grains and Legumes Nutrition Council. Lifting the Lid on Legumes: a guide to the benefits of legumes
4. Project Go Grain, Colmar Brunton 2011 (Unpublished, data available on request)

Grain of the Gods

The International Year of Quinoa

The International Year of Quinoa is here and the popularity of this unique ‘Pseudo-grain’ continues to soar. Increasing demand for quiona has been driven by its status as a nutritious health food, in Australia and developed countries around the world. Quinoa is also a remarkably adaptive crop with the potential to be grown in many regions around the world, and so from a global perspective quinoa has great potential to assist in addressing food security and malnutrition in the future.

Quinoa has been grown since 3,000BC in the Andes region of South America, where it has a demonstrated an ability to adapt to a range of growing conditions. With climate change and increasing populations many countries are faced with increasing difficulty in providing adequate and nutritious foods to their population. The declaration of The International Year of Quinoa is the first of many steps by the United Nations to highlight quinoa’s global potential and research is underway within Australia and internationally to find out which specific types of quinoa will be suited to various regions around the world.

This ancient grain has established a formidable reputation among the indigenous peoples of the Andes region, where it is traditionally referred to as “The mother grain”, “The grain of the gods” and “The golden grain”. More recently quinoa was labelled as, “One of humanity´s most promising crops” by the United Nations and it appears Australia's peak health and research body, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) agrees as the 2011 Draft Australian Dietary Guidelines include quinoa in the list of recommended grains.

“Eat a wide variety of nutritious foods from these five groups every day including grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain, such as breads, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles, polenta, couscous, oats, quinoa and barley” 2011 Draft Australian Dietary Guidelines1

Quinoa, along with amaranth and buckwheat are technically ‘pseudo-cereals’ as they belong to a different plant species to ‘true cereals’ like oats, wheat, rye, barley and others. Nutritionally pseudo cereals and true cereals are similar; however quiona has some unique features which have contributed to its recent success as a health food, including being:

• One of the few plants foods that are a complete protein, meaning it contains significant amounts of all of the essential amino acids necessary for health 2
• Higher in protein compared with other true cereals, yet not as high as legumes2
• Source of low glycemic index carbohydrates3
• Higher in fibre and unsaturated fats compared with other true and pseudo cereals4
• Containing a range vitamins and minerals including folate, potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc4
• Containing a range of antioxidants5
• Most common varieties are gluten free

Extensive studies on the health benefits of quinoa have not yet been conducted, however the diverse range of nutrients found in this unique grain make it a great candidate to provide health benefits. As interest grows and people eat more qunioa we may soon see scientific evidence of quiona’s effects on the risk of chronic conditions such as such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and inflammation.

Not only is quinoa packed with nutrition it also tastes great with a subtle nutty taste that marries well with all kinds of ingredients. It is versatile and just like cooking rice the grain cooks quickly to create a light, fluffy side dish and it can also be added to soups, salads and baked goods.

Cooking Guide:

• To cook, add 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water, bring to a boil then simmer for 12 – 15 minutes until the water is absorbed.
• Like couscous, quinoa benefits from a quick fluff with a fork just before serving.

Tip: Rinse quinoa well before cooking as it has a bitter residue of saponins, a naturally occurring plant defence.

Quinoa has enormous potential in the food industry as Australians are looking for healthier options, so keep an eye out in your supermarket! Food companies are catching on, so as well as whole quinoa receiving more shelve space watch out for new and innovative products which include quinoa as an ingredient such as breads, readymade meals, side dishes, soups and even snack foods.

References:

1. Jancurova M, Minarovicova L and Dandar A. Quinoa - a review. Czech J. Food Sci. 2009, 27: 71-79.
2. NHMRC. Draft Australian Dietary Guidelines for public consultation. 2011.
3. The University of Sydney. Glycemic Index Database. www.glycemicindex.com
4. Hager, A.-S., et al., Nutritional properties and ultra-structure of commercial gluten free flours from different botanical sources compared to wheat flours, Journal of Cereal Science (2012), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcs.2012.06.005
5. Vega-Gálvez A, et al. Nutrition facts and functional potential of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa willd.), an ancient Andean grain: a review. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 2010 Dec;90(15):2541-7. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.4158.

Legumes and chronic disease

Evidence of the health benefits of legumes builds

The science supporting the health benefits of legumes is stacking up with two large intervention studies indicating the importance of eating legumes regularly for older people and people with diabetes. Only one in five Australians eat legumes regularly and so with rising rates of chronic disease, Australian’s stand to benefit more than ever from the health benefits associated with increasing legume intake.

Legumes and Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease is one of Australia's largest health problems and is the term used for heart, stroke and any disease of the blood vessel. The Heart Foundation estimates that this disease accounts for approximately 33% of deaths each year, “killing one Australian every 11 minutes”.1 A recent study compared risk factors for cardiovascular disease for individuals aged 50 years and older following their regular diet versus a legume based diet. The legume based diet included 150g dry weight (250g wet weight) per day of foods prepared with lentils, chickpeas, beans and peas. The authors concluded that a legume based diet reduced total and LDL-cholesterol in individuals aged 50 years and older, an age at which the risk of cardiovascular disease is elevated. These observations were estimated to reduce coronary heart disease by 17-25%.2

Legumes provide a range of essential nutrients including protein, carbohydrates, dietary fibre, minerals and vitamins. The component in legumes which may account for their cholesterol-lowering effects may be dietary fibre, through its action of binding bile acids in the intestine and preventing their reabsorption. This recent study found that participants ate approximately 36% more fibre during the pulse based diet compared with the regular diet.2

Legumes and Diabetes

Nearly one million Australians have diabetes, surprisingly it is estimated that about half of those are not aware that they have the condition. As poorly controlled diabetes is a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease it is no surprise that around 75% of Australian’s with diabetes die from cardiovascular disease.3

Legumes are among the lowest glycemic index (GI) foods. Low GI foods are digested slowly and they have been shown to improve blood glucose control in people with diabetes. A recent Canadian study compared a low GI diet which encouraged individuals to eat at least one cup (around 190g) of cooked pulses per day with a high wheat fibre diet were whole wheat cereals, breads and brown rice were emphasised. The authors concluded that eating legumes as part of a low GI diet improved blood glucose control and reduced risk of coronary heart disease in individuals with diabetes.4

These findings support current recommendations for individuals with diabetes to include legumes to decrease the overall GI of their diet. The mechanism behind improved blood glucose with higher legume intake may not only be accounted for by the low GI of legumes. Legumes contain soluble fibre and vegetable proteins which may contribute to improved blood glucose control observed with higher intake of legumes.

How much should we eat?

In the studies discussed the participants were encouraged to eat around 250g & 190g of cooked legumes daily, respectively. On average Australians only eat 18.5 grams of legumes per week.5 This average is deceptive because actually most Australian’s are not eating any legumes regularly. Aiming for at least two serves of legumes a week is a good start, but keep in mind the health benefits associated with higher intakes of legumes.

One serve = 75g or ½ cup cooked beans, peas or lentils.

For more information on legumes visit our website to download copy of ‘Lifting the Lid on Legumes’ and ‘Tips and Tricks to enjoying legumes more often’ as well as our recently developed fact sheet “Heart Health with grains and legumes”. While you’re there pick up some ideas from our legume recipe pages. www.glnc.org.au

References:

1. The Heart Foundation. Accessed online 13th November 2012. www.heartfoundation.org.au
2. Abeysekara, S et al. A pulse based diet is effective for reducing total and LDL cholesterol in older adults. British Journal of Nutrition 2012, 108, pp S103- S110
3. Diabetes Australia. Accessed online 13th November 2012. www.diabetesaustralia.com.au
4. Jenkins, D et al. Effect of legumes as part of a low glycemic index diet on glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: a randomized controlled trial. Archives of Internal Medicine 2012. Published online.
5. Project Go Grain, Colmar Brunton 2011

Surviving the festive season

Healthy tips and tasty ideas

With the festive season approaching we are all looking forward to celebrating good food among good company. With all of the celebration and excitement around this time of year it can often become all too easy to depart from your usual healthy eating habits and so it’s no wonder they call it silly season. Our team of dietitians have therefore put together some simple tips and tasty ideas to you get through the festive season.

Balance it out

Tis the season, so be sure to enjoy your favourite treats in moderation. While enjoying the celebrations don’t forget to balance out your food choices and aim to include a variety of core grains foods and legumes as well as lean protein, low fat dairy, fruit, salads and vegetables to get all of the nutrients you need.

Keep your eating routine

This time of year often means changes in your daily routine, it is important to maintain a regular eating pattern to get the most out of time away from work or study. By eating regularly you can maintain your energy levels and prevent yourself from overeating at the next meal and feeling as stuffed as the Christmas turkey. Check out these quick and easy meal & snack ideas:

• Crispy Chickpea Snack

• Tuna Delight

• Rye Bread Crostinis

Plan to perform in the Christmas crowds

Plan a nutritious meal before heading out to do your Christmas shopping. If you are planning a big day of bargains why not bring some healthy snacks with you. Base your pre shopping meal or snacks on core grain foods or legumes to provide you with lasting energy to get through the Christmas crowds.

• Whole grain (wholemeal or mixed grain) toast, crumpets or English muffins

• High fibre or whole grain breakfast cereal or natural muesli

• Porridge or bircher muesli

• Sandwiches, rolls or wraps made with high fibre bread and your favourite filling

• Salads made with grains like brown rice and cracked wheat (bulgur), or legumes like four bean mix, kidney beans and chickpeas

Be innovative

Experiment with some not so familiar grains and legumes. Why not try some of these easy to make snacks and side dish ideas:

• Beetroot hummus

• Mung bean dip

• French style lentil and quinoa salad

• Wheat berry and quinoa tabouleh

• Greenwheat FreekehTM kibbeh skewers

• Faba bean salad

Keep the fibre up

Avoid putting on the Christmas kilo’s by eating adequate fibre. Research shows that high fibre diets can help manage hunger levels and decrease the desire to eat soon after a meal. Studies show the average effect of increasing dietary fibre intakes may achieve a decreased kilojoule intake which is a vital part of weight control. To increase your fibre intake choose high fibre grains foods and legumes as well as other sources of fibre which include fruit, vegetable and nuts so aim to include a variety of these foods in your diet. To learn more about the additional benefits of dietary fibre check out our fact sheet here.

References:

1. Slavin JL and Green H. Dietary fibre and satiety. Nutrition Bulletin. 2007; 32 (suppl 1), 32–42.
2. Howarth NC, Saltzman E, Roberts SB. Dietary fiber and weight regulation. Nutr Rev. 2001; 59:129-139.