Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

• Kitchen tips: Three mini tips from Mark Bittman – foods he keeps in the kitchen, to make meal preparation easier. I’ve used parmesan rind in soups and it’s wonderful – but never thought to freeze the stuff. * Quinoa breakfast: I’ve previously linked to some of Ricki’s wonderfully imaginative quinoa recipes, now Heidi at 101 Cookbooks has posted a nutty, cinnamon breakfast quinoa. This looks glorious and a great way to start the day. * *The difficulties of …

Read more 09 May, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

• Quinoa tagine: Over at Diet, Dessert & Dogs Ricki has been running a series on using quinoa. She’s surpassed herself with this beautiful tagine of chickpeas, olives and prunes. I cooked this during the week and it was wonderful. * Wild rice salad: I’m new to Syrup & Tang but this week Duncan posted a gorgeous looking wild rice, apricot and almond salad. * Veggie burgers: Another blog I’ve only discovered recently is Food Stories from the UK. ...

Read more 18 April, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

• Cooking at home: Mark Bittman talks about why he cooks at home and how to start cooking more. * Food at work: The Shifting Times blog has an excellent list of foods to have at work – to make it easier to eat well during the day. Lots of US brands, but a good guide. Thanks to CookinPanda for pointing it out. * Peanut noodle salad: Another great recipe from Heidi at 101 Cookbooks – a “quick and …

Read more 04 April, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

• Chickpea soup: Pinch My Salt has turned a hummous accident into a beautiful chickpea, ginger and coriander soup. It’s an excellent kitchen recovery and a delicious looking recipe. * Spot the difference: Just Bento has posted pictures of two bento boxes. One of them has twice the kilojoules of the other – can you spot the difference? * Beautiful coleslaw: I woke up this morning to find a winter coleslaw recipe on Mostly Eating. Crunchy vegetables, bound together …

Read more 15 February, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

• Delicious soup: Poucan has a recipe for lemon and chickpea soup. It takes a bit of time to cook, but is super-easy and looks delicious. * Watercress soup: I blame it on the rain we’ve had this week, but I can’t go past soup recipes. And Wendy has a doozy – watercress soup. Look at that vibrant green and just think of all the antioxidants. * Food for fussy kids: Annabel Karmel’s website is all about food and …

Read more 08 February, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

• More summer drinks: Last week I linked to green apple tea and this week A Life (Time) of Cooking has posted some more gorgeous summer drink recipes. * The chicken you eat: There’s been some interesting debate in the UK about chicken – the ethics and cost of what we eat. Sophie from Mostly Eating has written an excellent post on this subject. * Muffin recipe: I’m hoping to make a batch of Wendy’s moist bran muffins this …

Read more 18 January, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

• Stocking the freezer: Cassie from Veggie Meal Plans has been preparing for a busy year ahead by stocking her freezer – which makes it easier to cook healthy meals when you’re busy. Cassie’s post includes cooking and freezing instructions, as well as ideas on how to use the foods you’ve frozen. * Green soup: Lisa has made caldo verde. This is an easy potato and kale soup, common in Portugal. Hearty and full of nutrients. * Super smoothie: ...

Read more 11 January, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

• Food labelling: I’ve blogged about being wary of food marketers using the word natural before. This week Refrigerator Raid posted about discussions in the US of what is natural?. There’s also some good advice on choosing the best foods for you. * Mediterranean lamb pizza recipe: Should You Eat That posted a simple Mediterranean lamb pizza recipe. Pitta bread bases, covered with pesto, lamb mince and a reasonable veg component. It’s then topped off with ricotta, a healthier …

Read more 16 November, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

• Breakfast on the run: Did you know you can cook porridge oats in a thermos flask? This is one for the people who “don’t have time” for breakfast. According to Cassie from Veggie Meal Plans make it up in the evening, add your flavourings and then just grab the thermos as you run out the door in the morning. * Cauliflower mash: one of the strategies for switching to low GI foods is to make your mash potato with …

Read more 09 November, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

• I originally saw the link to Shape of a Mother on Cranky Fitness. This is a wonderful site, giving a refreshing dose of reality about womens’ bodies after pregnancy. * After discussing the Australian proposal to offer people money to lose weight, over at Dietriffic Melanie has brought up the topic of workplace better health incentives. Do they work and are they a good idea? * Veggie Chic has posted about calling a truce with your vegetable enemies. ...

Read more 28 September, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

Concern over levels of obesity has led the Australian General Practice Network to propose a $170 subsidy be given to overweight people, to encourage them to take part in an accredited weight loss programme. Individuals would be required to take part in a 12 week programme, with specific goals set for weight loss over that time. As reported on the ABC Dr Tony Hobbs from the AGPN says: bq. the proposal would help address Australia’s obesity problem by making it …

Read more 24 September, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

During a previous Q & A Thursday, Andrew asked about the causes of obesity. While the core of maintaining a healthy weight is about your personal habits, on a broader scale obesity is a complex condition. In my previous post I looked at some of the ways stress impacts obesity and today’s post is on how society can affect an individual’s health and weight. This is not a comprehensive study, instead I’m going to dip into two areas – city …

Read more 28 August, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

• For all of you having problems with those afternoon munchies, Chew On This has some good advice on taming food cravings. Paula quotes research from the Journal of Applied Psychology which found “rather than actively trying not to think about the food you crave, it’s better to focus on an image of something completely different”. * Despite it’s salt content, I’m a big, big fan of haloumi – which means this dish from Figs, Olives and Wine is going …

Read more 10 August, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

A follow up from last week’s Q & A Thursday post about fructose. A reader notified me of an excellent transcript on the ABC’s website. It’s from Norman Swan’s Health Report and is an interview with Dr Robert Lustig, Professor of Pediatric Endocrinology at the University of California. They’re talking about obesity and the changes to our diet and lifestyle that have occurred in the last 30 years. As part of this they discuss the problems with fructose in detail. ...

Read more 16 July, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

Half of me posts about the “adventures of a woman who once weighed 372 pounds but amazingly enough had not eaten every food on the planet. She’s going to change that, and she’s starting in the produce section.” Read more in her Lick the Produce section. The truth about women, hormones and weight gain: as Paula Goodyer writes “while hormones can sometimes be a factor in weight gain, for the overwhelming majority of us they’re not usually the primary cause.” ...

Read more 06 July, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

Kicking off Q & A Thursday this week is a question from Mallika of Quick Indian Cooking: is avoiding carbohydrates at dinner a sensible strategy for weight loss? I’m finding it interesting how many Q&A Thursday questions are centred around carbohydrates. In the past weeks the carbohydrate focussed topics I’ve covered include the GI of different foods, winter carb-loading, whether rice is a bad food to eat and brown rice vs white rice. h3. Carbohydrate containing foods There are a …

Read more 05 July, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

Results of a new study show that eating foods which fill you up, but provide fewer kilojoules, make it easier to lose weight . Sounds obvious doesn’t it? However it’s still something a lot of people who want to lose weight are not doing. The research from Pennsylvania State University split women into two groups. One group simply reduced their total kilojoule intake. While the other group reduced their kilojoule intake, but also increased the amount of fruits, vegetables and …

Read more 25 June, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

• Family Nutritionist has a recipe for green and orange ribbons with fettucine, a lovely way to balance out the vegetable to starchy carbohydrate ratio. If you can’t get mustard greens you could use silverbeet. * I wouldn’t recommend this approach to anyone, but here’s what happens when a meat addict goes hard core vegan for one month. * I love the sound of these Turkish Red Lentil Balls – I think I’ll be cooking them this weekend. * Chew …

Read more 22 June, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

• Diet blog reports on a study which found overweight adults who were instructed to focus on lower-calorie foods lost more weight than those who were simply told to cut their overall calories. It’s about focussing on what you can eat, rather than what you can’t. * Vanesscipes posts a gorgeous apple walnut salad with rhubarb compote dressing, inspired by Barbara Kingsolver’s new book – Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. * There’s been a wonderfully vibrant, impassioned and smart debate over at …

Read more 01 June, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

With this week seeing the celebration (?) of International No Diet Day, there’s a nice post over at Diet-Blog about what exactly a diet is . The word “diet” has become infused with emotion, as Diet-Blog says: bq. The word can be used to bludgeon the guilty: “Diets don’t work – you should learn how to eat healthy instead.” The word can also be used to impart positivity and even superiority: ” My children have a wonderfully nutritious and wholesome …

Read more 08 May, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

I saw this article, _ food facts and fiction _ , in the Sydney Morning Herald last week and it’s finally up on their website. Paula Goodyer answers some of those basic questions about diet and nutrition, for example is spinach a good source of iron, does broccoli prevent cancer and does sugar cause diabetes? As Paula writes: bq. Healthy eating should be simple to do but many of us still take our information from our friends, mothers and …

Read more 20 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

Over the last 150 years life expectancy has constantly been on the rise. For most people it’s a given – we eat better, are wealthier, have better health care, science has brought us more drugs and medical procedures, meaning we’ll have a longer life span than our parents and grandparents. Surely? Well not necessarily. According to Professor Ilona Kickbusch , the rise in childhood obesity is putting this at risk. The World Health Organisation estimates there are over one billion …

Read more 19 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

I’ve been asked recently about the drug Xenical (also known as orlistat) and whether I’d recommend it for weight loss. I’ve been concerned, because the questions have been from people who, while they may need to lose a few kilograms, are in no way obese. Xenical is a pharmaceutical drug manufactured by Roche. It was originally supplied in Australia as an S4 medication, ie it had to be prescribed by a doctor. However, in 2003 it was re-scheduled as an …

Read more 24 February, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

Great little post from Dietgirl about the munchies. Are you a person that walks in the door from work, opens the fridge straight away and starts pilfering around for food? It’s been hours since lunch, you’re not sure what you’re looking for, you just want something . Those cubes of cheese, few olives, spoonfuls of dip and handfuls of crackers can really add up kilojoule-wise and if you’re trying to lose weight, it’s these habits you need to question. If …

Read more 23 February, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

Quite startling news yesterday about a specific type of interval training that may encourage a higher degree of fat burning. A study conducted by the University of NSW and the Garvan Institute over 15 weeks, split 45 overweight women into two groups. One group cycled at a steady pace for 40 minutes, while the other group did a 20 minute regime including eight seconds of sprinting, followed by 12 seconds of cycling lightly. Neither group made any changes to their …

Read more 23 January, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

I can’t say I was thrilled this week to read that Enviga will be on sale in Australia from July this year. Enviga is a carbonated green tea soft drink, manufactured by Coca-Cola and Nestle, which they say has “negative calories”. They claim that drinking three cans of Enviga will slightly raise your metabolism, making the average person burn between 60 – 100 calories. Very little is known about how it works and this claim has not been independently tested. ...

Read more 12 January, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

The NSW government has recently launched an initiative called Live Life Well, which includes a new website containing, information, quizes and tools encouraging us all to be healthier. While, here in Australia, we’re living longer , many people are spending a lot of those extra years suffering from chronic diseases, on mulitiple medications and unable to fully enjoy and take part in all of life’s riches. The Live Life Well campaign is all about equipping you with the information and …

Read more 29 December, 2006

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

Over half the adult population and a quarter of children in Australia are overweight and obese. We’re heading towards serious long-term health issues if solutions are not found to this problem. An easy way to fix obesity is one of science’s hot topics – here take this pill, or eat this food and suddenly you’ll be able to eat everything you want and you won’t get fat. On the front page of today’s SMH there’s a report entitled “At last …

Read more 02 August, 2006

Posted by kathryn in Weight loss

Potato chips are a better snack than biscuits I saw the report of this misconception in the weekend herald – because they’re made from a vegetable, potato chips are a better snack. While biscuits are in now way an ideal snack, potato chips are worse. They’re chock-a-block full of fat, with a 50g packet containing about 15g of fat and just over 1,000 kJ. Most plain biscuits are lower than this, a fat free yoghurt is about 400kJ, while …

Read more 18 July, 2006