27 Nov 2006 - Christmas fare… How to cut back a 3000 calorie meal

This morning I did the food preparation for Casey Conrad's appearance on Channel 9's Mornings with Kerri-Anne. Casey is Founder of Healthy Inspirations women's-only weight loss centres and author of the new book, Winning the Struggle to be Thin.

Even I was shocked at just how easily the calories can add up when you overindulge over the holiday period. The traditional Christmas meal on the left hand side of the picture below-right contains a whopping 12500 kJ (3000 Cal), which equals twice the calories found in a whole day on a typical popular diet (6000 kJ).

So, how many calories can you save by changing your Christmas fare? The meal on the right hand side, which is not small at all, contains just over 3000 kJ (750 Cal), which is one quarter of the traditional option.

Sure, you may not want to watch what you eat on Christmas Day! As a rule, I suggest people plan to have some lower-calorie, healthy options available and then just eat what you feel like on the day. It's not worth it to wreck a special day by feeling bad about breaking your diet.

However, after Christmas Day and for the remaining holidays some wise choices will be warranted to stay in shape. If you continue eating the pattern of food intake on the left hand side of the picture you could end up consuming 2 weeks worth of food in only 4 days. Now, that's hard to burn off!

Here's a breakdown of the meals:

Traditional Christmas Dinner

Numbers appear as Kilojoules / Calories / Fat (g)

Pre-Dinner Nibbles
100g Cashews - 2671 / 636 / 52
35g - 10 Crackers - 756 / 180 / 10
40g 2 Tbsp French Onion dip - 370 / 88 / 7
30g Smoked cheddar - 2050 / 488 / 40

Main Meal
250g Roast turkey drumstick - 1100 / 263 / 4
50g Stuffing - 420 / 100 / 4
100ml Gravy - 134 / 32 / 2
200g Roast potato in oil - 1163 / 277 / 0.5
200g Roast pumpkin in oil - 504 / 120 / 7
100g Green peas - 281 / 67 / 0

Dessert
200g Christmas pudding - 1142 / 272 / 9
100ml Thicken cream - 840 / 200 / 21

Drinks
300ml Regular soft drink - 530 / 126 / No fat
200ml White wine - 588 / 140 / 0

Total = 12553 kJ / 2989 Cal / 157 g Fat

Lower-calorie Christmas Dinner

Numbers appear as Kilojoules / Calories / Fat (g)

Pre-Dinner Nibbles
20 x 7g Vegetable sticks - 155 / 37 / 0
16g 10 Low-fat crackers - 286 / 68 / 0.5
40g Low-fat dip - 160 / 38 / 2

Main Meal
80g Lean turkey slices - 349 / 83 / 1.5
100g Lean ham cuts - 454 / 108 / 3.5
50ml Low-fat mayonnaise - 235 / 56 / 1
2 cups Mixed salad - 285 / 68 / 1
20ml Balsalmic vinegar - 59 / 14 / 0

Dessert
250g Fruit salad - 580 / 138 / 0
25g Whipped cream - 290 / 69 / 7

Drinks
300ml Mineral water - 0 / 0 / 0
200 ml white wine / water - 294 / 70 / 0

Total = 3154 kJ / 751 Cal / 16.5g Fat

24 Nov 2006 - Nutrition labeling - Can you trust the numbers?

I am often asked if you can trust the accuracy of the figures food companies show in their Nutrition Information Panels (NIPs). My answer up until today was I'm sure you can. This was based on my past experience working at Choice Magazine , where in the late 1990's we stopped routinely sending food products to the lab for nutrient testing (i.e. grams of fat, protein, etc). This was because we routinely found that the lab results were within 10% of the numbers stated on the package.

Now, a survey by the NSW Food Authority has revealed that only 16% of 70 foods tested would fully comply with a 20% margin for error placed on all nutrients. The picture was a little better, if you only considered the major nutrients like fat, carbohydrate and protein.

In the accompanying Media Release Ian Macdonald, the NSW Minister for Primary Industries did note, “It is important to note that this does not mean that food manufacturers are misleading consumers. The nutritional composition of food can deteriorate naturally over time and that's one reason manufactures use averages when measuring and reporting nutrients on NIPs.”

Even so, this is a clear wake-up call for food companies to make sure what they say is in their packets, is actual there (or not there if it's not meant to be). There is currently no set allowable margin for error in Australian food law and the study has suggested establishing appropriate limits. This is a great idea and with regular government testing it would boost consumer confidence in food label accuracy.

This story also appeared on Channel Seven's Today Tonight program, on which I appeared showing just how little fruit is in some packaged foods that claim a fruit content. Read the story here

12 Nov 2006 - What do top chefs teach their kids about food?

Here are a few noteworthy quotes from top Australian chefs in this weekend's Sun-Herald Magazine:

"Teaching my kids to appreciate good food and look after themselves is one of the most important things I can do for them." … "I praise my kids for trying new things - even if they don't like them. Just don't stop serving new foods."

Bill Granger
Owner, Bill's Restaurant

“If you open children's eyes to alternatives, they'll hopefully go on to be adventurous down the track.”

Stephanie Alexander
Founder of the Kitchen Garden and author of The Cooks Companion

"We explain the benefits of eating greens and lead by example by eating vast quantities of greens in front of him."

Mark Best
Co-owner Marque Resturant, Surry Hills

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