Vitamin D "de'fish'ency" strikes 1/3 of Australians

I see many clients in my practice with vitamin D deficiency. It's not surprising, as nearly 1/3 of adult Australians are vitamin D deficient. With winter coming this week and the (sigh!) subsequent shorter days and less exposure to sunlight, we need to consider where we will get our vitamin D from this winter?

Did you know that some foods contain vitamin D? 

• oily fish
• mushrooms
• smaller amounts in eggs and butter

Tassal Australia is the largest farmer of fresh and frozen salmon. They have released results revealing that one standard portion of Tassal salmon (150g) contains 8 micrograms of vitamin D - more than 1/2 the recommended daily intake for adults.

Tassal has produced the following delicious salmon recipes, using their salmon range. They have fresh portions, smoked salmon and canned salmon. Jump on their website and use their recipe finder to find more ways to include salmon in your diet! I love the look of the smoked salmon and quinoa cakes (recipe at link below).

Smoked Salmon and Quinoa Cakes

Moroccan Grilled Salmon and Cous Cous

 

Vitamin D is not only important for the absorption of calcium for healthy bones. Low vitamin D levels have also been linked to increased risk of Type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers.

So, top up your vitamin D levels and avoid vitamin D "de'fish'ency" by:

• exposing 15% of your body (equivalent of arms and legs) to the sun daily
• including 2 serves of fish a week, particularly oily fish such as salmon
• including eggs, low fat milk and mushrooms in the diet in recommended amount

Learn a little bit more about the life of a dietitian by checking out my profile listing in Dietitian Connection this week at the link below. 

Dietitian Connection Profile - Courtney Dinnerville

What's making news in nutrition?

Food Revolution Day 2013

May 17th was Food Revolution Day, a global day of action raising awareness of the importance of healthy food, by encouraging everyone to "Cook it, Share it, Live it"! Jamie Oliver is the face of Food Revolution Day. I love his everyday passion and food philosophy! I celebrated Food Revolution Day by cooking a beautiful dish using nothing but the freshest ingredients. I wanted to share the recipe with you.

Almond & Cumin Crusted Salmon

Ingredients:
2 salmon fillets
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 tsp cumin
Green beans
1/2 Pumpkin
2 carrots
Juice of fresh lemon
Olive oil






Method:
1. Chop pumpkin and carrots and place on stovetop, bring to boil, cook until soft
2. Squeeze fresh lemon juice on fillets. Meanwhile mix almond meal and cumin in a bowl and coat fillets in mixture
3. Place fillets in hot fry pan with olive oil and cook about 7 minutes either side (depending on thickness)
4. Strain pumpkin and carrots and mash with a fork using tsp olive oil

Don't shop on an empty stomach

You've probably heard this one before... don't go shopping when you're hungry. Well, a study from Cornell University has shown people who were hungrier bought higher calorie food options when shopping. No surprises there!

My tips for a healthy shopping trolley:

• Don't go shopping when you're hungry
• Plan your meals, write a list and stick to it
• Stick to the outer layers of the supermarket (where the fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, eggs, low fat dairy and wholegrain breads are found)

Meatless Monday - why not try mushrooms?

Mushrooms make a great replacement for meat as they are very low in calories, fat and have a meaty flavour. A recent study showed overweight and obese participants lost weight and body fat by switching a serve of red meat for one cup of button mushrooms. Why not try cooking mushrooms this meatless monday?

Risoni and Mushroom Salad
http://www.powerofmushrooms.com.au/mushroom-recipe/risoni-mushroom-hazelnut-salad/

Protein Balls

My recipe is adapted from Teresa Cutter's The Healthy Chef recipe. Protein balls are a great snack to cure 3pm sugar cravings, have post-workout or on-the-go. The great thing about protein balls is that you can experiment with so many different ingredients. Plus, they take only 5-10 minutes to make!

My protein balls are a great source of complete protein (made using whey protein isolate), a good source of Vitamin E from the almond meal and high in iron and magnesium from pepitas (pumpkin seeds).

Ingredients:

60g Whey Protein Isolate (I used Musashi brand) - about 6 scoops
16 dates, pitted
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup pepitas, ground

Method:

If you have a food processor, place protein powder, almond meal and pepitas in and process until the mixture looks crumbly. Then add dates and a splash of water and process again until the mixture is soft. I didn't have a food processor so I used a mortar and pestle to grind the pepitas and chopped the dates finely with a sharp knife. Form the mixture into 12 balls. Store in the fridge and they're ready to go!

Nutrition per ball:

(makes 12)

Energy: 252kJ (60 cal)
Protein: 5.4g  
Carbohydrates: 3.5g
Fat: 2.4g

Autumn Recipe Collections: Chicken & Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients:
Free range chicken mince 500g
Tinned tomatoes 250g (preferably no added salt)
Wholemeal lasagna sheets (San Remo brand)
Extra light ricotta 250g (Perfect Italiano brand)
1 Eggplant
2 Zucchinis
1/3 Pumpkin
125g Frozen Spinach

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Heat oil in a large pan and brown the mince, mixing in 1/3 of the tin of tomatoes.

2. Slice the eggplant and zucchini, spray with olive oil, and place in a pre-heated oven to brown.

3. Cut the pumpkin into cubes and microwave covered in water to soften for 3-4 minutes.

4. Layer the bottom of your lasagna tray with lasagna sheets. Top with half the mince. Spread the roasted zucchini and eggplant. Follow with the defrosted spinach, 1/2 the tub of ricotta and 1/3 of the tin of tomatoes. Spread with remaining chicken, pumpkin cubes and remaining ricotta.

5. Layer with more lasagna sheets and spread remaining tinned tomatoes on top.

6. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Enjoy!!

Diogenes Study: "diet, obesity and genes"

The Diogenes Study aimed to identify the diet which would be most effective in preventing weight gain and weight regain. The study looked at diets with varying glycaemic index (GI) and protein contect.
 
Participants lost 8% of their original weight over 8 weeks, using low calorie formula's. They were then assigned to one of 5 different diets.
 
Group 1: Low Protein, Low glycemic Index.
Group 2: Low Protein, High glycemic Index.
Group 3: High Protein, Low glycemic Index.
Group 4: High Protein, High glycemic Index.
Group 5: Control Diet, medium protein and medium glycemic index.

Results

As you can see in the graph above, those in the low protein-high GI group (Group 2) showed the poorest results, regaining 1.67kg. The best results were seen in those in the high protein-low GI group (Group 3). Those in Group 3 were consuming 22% protein, 43% carbohydrate and 32% fat.

Group 3

Pictures of meals for participants in Group 3 (High Protein, Low gycaemic Index) at the link:

http://www.diogenes-eu.org/weightlossstudy/PicturesDiets_HP-LGI.htm

Examples of meals for participants in Group 3:
Breakfast: Rye bread, egg, skim milk, apple
Lunch: Egg, dried beans, vegetables
Dinner: Turkey, vegetables, wholegrain pasta, avocado, reduced fat feta
Snacks: Vegetables, reduced fat cheese, nuts

What's making news in nutrition?

Protein-rich breakfast prevents hunger

Not only is breakfast the most important meal of the day, but how much protein you have is also important. A small study published in the AJCN showed eating a protein rich breakfast significantly improves appetite control and reduces unhealthy snacking in the evening. In the study, overweight or obese adolescent females either skipped breakfast, consumed a 350 calorie, high protein (35g protein) breakfast or ate a 350 calorie, normal protein breakfast. Not suprisingly, those who ate the high protein breakfast had increased satiety and reduced food cravings, shown through MRI imaging, blood tests and questionnaires.

 

Introducing solids to babies

With lots of friends my age becoming first time mothers, I have become interested in infant and toddler nutrition. Since I have been a dietitian, the debate over when to introduce solids to babies has always been a hot topic. A recent article published in Pediatrics Journal reported that many mums introduce solids to babies before they are 4 months old. There is agreement amongst countries that solids should be introduced no earlier than 4 months. The concern with introducing babies to solids before 4 months is that early introduction may increase the risk of some chronic diseases, allergies and it also means the benefits of breastfeeding are cut short.

The recommendation in Australia still remains to breastfeed/ formula feed exclusively until 6 months old and continue supplemental breastfeeing until at least 12 months.

 

 

Organic doesn't always equal healthy  

Studies have shown foods labelled as 'organic' can lead us to think that a food is healthier, through the 'health halo effect'. In one particular study, shoppers were asked to rate the taste, calorie content and price they'd pay for items labelled 'organic' versus 'regular'. Despite the shoppers knowing, both products were identical; it was just that one was labelled 'organic' and the other 'regular'. The shoppers perceptions were that the 'organic' varieties had fewer calories, were lower in fat, more nutritious, more flavourful and they were willing to pay 23.4% more.

This study found people who regularly read nutrition labels are less susceptible to the organic 'health halo' effect. So, next time you're tempted to buy an 'occasional' food such as chips or biscuits that is labelled 'organic'; read the nutrition information panel to check if you're making the best choice. In addition, the use of the word 'organic' is not regulated in Australia. If you wish to choose organic, always try and choose foods that are 'certified organic'.