The evidence for and against food additives is probably the most contentious I have ever assessed, second only to vaccinations. They both are highly emotive.
The official (and this includes government and dieticians) line is that all additives that have been sanctioned for use in this country are safe (within a specified dosage range), though a few individuals have demonstrable allergies – they are the minority.
But some scientific (see clickable guide below) and certainly a lot of anecdotal evidence, seems to suggest otherwise.
Some aspects of the additive saga that have not been adequately investigated include the synergistic and cumulative effects of a wide variety of chemicals added to the diet, overall dosage of these different additives and environmental issues that may be causing us to be more intolerant/allergic individuals.
Additives generally considered safe:
Colours
101 (B2)
160(a) (betacarotene, Vitamin A)
Antioxidants
300-304 (types of Vitamin C)
306-309 (types of Vitamin E)
Emulsifier
322 (lecithin)
Stabilizers
375 (niacin)
40 (pectin)
In an allergic individual (prone to rashes, asthma, eczema, hayfever etc) treat all other additives with suspicion.
If you experience mood changes or suspect your child of having ADHD or learning difficulties – an unrefined diet will have the added benefit of being nutrient rich, regardless if the jury is still out on the role additives play in these conditions.
References
A clickable reference guide to each additive, linking to abstracts from medical databases
Food Intolerance Network - Sue Dengate (mother and author of books on food intolerances). Check out the Nasty Foods awards.
Top 20 additives to avoid and also the handful that are ok to eat.
MBM additive guide
update: check out a further post on additives in infant medicines
Monday, January 29, 2007
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Healthy lunches
I was fortunate to be a guest on Midweek Crisis this week and talk to Renae about strategies for bringing healthy lunches to work or school.
Already in these few weeks of the New Year I have heard a number of clients resolving to bring their own lunches to work more often. While the motivation may be financial, with a little planning the strategy can also stimulate your tastebuds and reap health benefits.
The Earl of Sandwich
The perennial lunch favourite is the classic sandwich, but so much can be done to value add the goodness of this standby. Firstly, think about the bread. While the packaging may allude to high fibre and grainy healthfulness the real test is what I call the “squish factor”. If you put the loaf at the bottom of your shopping basket, would it get bent out of shape? The solidness of the loaf and how heavy it feels is a key to its over all nutrition. A chewy, heavier bread is usually more slowly digested and satisfying, so we don’t get hungry again a few hours later.
Fillings: Try replacing the same old processed, salty or sweet spreads with something that packs a more nutritious punch.
Consider trying: hommos, nut paste (eg: cashew spread), boiled egg, tinned fish (go easy on how often you choose tuna due to the potential mercury content), tahini, and lean roast meat.
Value add with lots of salad, if you are worried about it making your sandwich soggy take the prepared vegetables in a separate container.
For a wheat free alternative, pile your fillings on corn, rye or rice crackers. Alternatively wrap the filling in taco shells, cos lettuce leaves or mountain bread for a change.
Beyond the sandwich
Plan ahead and make more of your evening meal so there are leftovers, or adapt them to make an easy lunch dish.
Try roasting extra vegetables to be the base of your salad the next day.
Leftover brown rice can turn into a simple rice salad.
Take soups and stews in a wide mouth thermos.
Frittatas and savoury slices are delicious the next day on their own, or in a wrap with salad.
When preparing dinner cut up some extra carrots and other vegetables to have raw as snacks.
Hard boil an egg or 2 while having breakfast – these make a great ‘protein pill’ addition lunch to give you extra energy on busy days.
If you don’t have a chiller use a large plastic container with a ziploc bag of ice cubes at the bottom, to keep salad ingredients from getting warm and soggy.
Keeping it healthy
Try to avoid: processed meats (too much salt, fat and nasty additives), fried food, chips and lollies.
Be aware of the added sugars in most muesli bars – try fresh or dried fruit, or fruit leathers for a sweet hit.
Raw nuts and seeds make a good between meal snacks.
Don't forget about the basics of safe food handling:
Try not having leftovers that are more than a day old (though a vegetable based soup that is appropriately stored can last 3). Rice in particular needs to be kept chilled and used no later than 12-24 hours after cooking.
Clean your lunchbox out well each day and if reusing a drink bottle throw it through the dishwasher or give it a hot wash to stop the growth of mould and bacteria.
The art of eating
It’s not just what you eat but how you do it. Avoid sitting at the desk and eating while you work. Multitasking and bad posture hampers your digestion. What’s more you’ve gone to the effort of preparing the food yourself, give yourself a break away from your workspace to enjoy each mouthful – you’ve earnt it!
It’s important to leave the building if possible at lunchtime – move your body, get a little UV and breath some fresh air. Mentally - breaking the day up by getting beyond the confines of your workplace tends to lift the spirits and increase productivity.
If you are easing into the routine of bringing your own lunch - plan to make it every second day initially or arrange it around your shopping and cooking routine at home.
A once a week/fortnight/month communal lunch with workmates can broaden your culinary horizons. It’s even better if there is a courtyard or nearby park to enjoy it in.
More lunch ideas
Check out these sites for some interesting lunchbox inspiration.
Lunchmatters a Melbourne based blog with menu ideas, shopping hints and healthy ideas.
Vegan lunchbox a vegan mother’s intriguing documentation of her son’s lunches. Easily adaptable for non-vegans too.
Laptop lunches although primarily a vehicle to sell their bento-ware, there are great ideas for school lunches that are work for big kids as well.
Already in these few weeks of the New Year I have heard a number of clients resolving to bring their own lunches to work more often. While the motivation may be financial, with a little planning the strategy can also stimulate your tastebuds and reap health benefits.
The Earl of Sandwich
The perennial lunch favourite is the classic sandwich, but so much can be done to value add the goodness of this standby. Firstly, think about the bread. While the packaging may allude to high fibre and grainy healthfulness the real test is what I call the “squish factor”. If you put the loaf at the bottom of your shopping basket, would it get bent out of shape? The solidness of the loaf and how heavy it feels is a key to its over all nutrition. A chewy, heavier bread is usually more slowly digested and satisfying, so we don’t get hungry again a few hours later.
Fillings: Try replacing the same old processed, salty or sweet spreads with something that packs a more nutritious punch.
Consider trying: hommos, nut paste (eg: cashew spread), boiled egg, tinned fish (go easy on how often you choose tuna due to the potential mercury content), tahini, and lean roast meat.
Value add with lots of salad, if you are worried about it making your sandwich soggy take the prepared vegetables in a separate container.
For a wheat free alternative, pile your fillings on corn, rye or rice crackers. Alternatively wrap the filling in taco shells, cos lettuce leaves or mountain bread for a change.
Beyond the sandwich
Plan ahead and make more of your evening meal so there are leftovers, or adapt them to make an easy lunch dish.
Try roasting extra vegetables to be the base of your salad the next day.
Leftover brown rice can turn into a simple rice salad.
Take soups and stews in a wide mouth thermos.
Frittatas and savoury slices are delicious the next day on their own, or in a wrap with salad.
When preparing dinner cut up some extra carrots and other vegetables to have raw as snacks.
Hard boil an egg or 2 while having breakfast – these make a great ‘protein pill’ addition lunch to give you extra energy on busy days.
If you don’t have a chiller use a large plastic container with a ziploc bag of ice cubes at the bottom, to keep salad ingredients from getting warm and soggy.
Keeping it healthy
Try to avoid: processed meats (too much salt, fat and nasty additives), fried food, chips and lollies.
Be aware of the added sugars in most muesli bars – try fresh or dried fruit, or fruit leathers for a sweet hit.
Raw nuts and seeds make a good between meal snacks.
Don't forget about the basics of safe food handling:
Try not having leftovers that are more than a day old (though a vegetable based soup that is appropriately stored can last 3). Rice in particular needs to be kept chilled and used no later than 12-24 hours after cooking.
Clean your lunchbox out well each day and if reusing a drink bottle throw it through the dishwasher or give it a hot wash to stop the growth of mould and bacteria.
The art of eating
It’s not just what you eat but how you do it. Avoid sitting at the desk and eating while you work. Multitasking and bad posture hampers your digestion. What’s more you’ve gone to the effort of preparing the food yourself, give yourself a break away from your workspace to enjoy each mouthful – you’ve earnt it!
It’s important to leave the building if possible at lunchtime – move your body, get a little UV and breath some fresh air. Mentally - breaking the day up by getting beyond the confines of your workplace tends to lift the spirits and increase productivity.
If you are easing into the routine of bringing your own lunch - plan to make it every second day initially or arrange it around your shopping and cooking routine at home.
A once a week/fortnight/month communal lunch with workmates can broaden your culinary horizons. It’s even better if there is a courtyard or nearby park to enjoy it in.
More lunch ideas
Check out these sites for some interesting lunchbox inspiration.
Lunchmatters a Melbourne based blog with menu ideas, shopping hints and healthy ideas.
Vegan lunchbox a vegan mother’s intriguing documentation of her son’s lunches. Easily adaptable for non-vegans too.
Laptop lunches although primarily a vehicle to sell their bento-ware, there are great ideas for school lunches that are work for big kids as well.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Putting healthy resolutions into action
Some people resolve to climb Mt Everest and manage to knock it off, while others can’t seen to make their once a week walk a reality. So what is the key to a happy and healthy New Year? One word – Planning.
Before you set your plan into action take a few moments to work on the why, how and when.
Why do you want to this? What’s your motivation for change? Is this something you deeply want to do or is it something you think you “should”? Be careful with “should’s” they tend to hint at a hidden agenda, so think about what you really want to achieve.
How are you going to make this happen? Try making a pie chart of the way you spend your time. In a healthy week about 1/3 of the pie is taken up with sleeping, fill in the hours that you spend working, studying, watching TV, reading, emailing, blogging, exercising, socialising…and work out how the wedge of your resolution fits the pie.
When are you going to start doing this? What are your natural rhythms? What times of the day are you most mentally alert or physically active – how does the new activity fit into your daily demands?
Here are some tips for the “Big 3” of New Year’s Resolutions:
smoking If you want to give up smoking think about why and when you smoke – boredom, alcohol, as a break from work, when around other smokers, to relax…when you know your triggers you can plan ways to avoid and replace them. Eg: a walk to relax, some non-smoking venues like movies for entertainment, even a little knitting can keep those fingers occupied.
Consider seeing a hypnotherapist if you can’t do it alone. I have found this much more successful, healthier and cheaper overall than patches and gum.
Note for women – don’t start your non-smoking resolution while you are pre-menstrual!
Fitness Go back to the why/when/how and work out when you can schedule your exercise. Keep as much variety in your movement as possible – walks, skipping rope, flying a kite, playing with children in the park, swimming are as valid as signing up at the gym or for yoga or pilates. Try as many activities as you can. Get a pedometer and never slip below 10,000 steps a day. Try a few bursts of energy each day to do something that increases your heart rate.
Weight loss So much of “dieting” is based on lack or a skewed body image. Check out your BMI. Do not aim for weight loss if it is less than 18.5.
Focus on what you are including more of in your diet, rather than on what you need to avoid. Aim for at least 7 different vegetables and 3 fruits EVERY day. Make unrefined plant foods the base of your eating, so there is less room for refined, sugary and fatty foods. Have 2-3 litres of water a day.
Do some meal planning and schedule the time to shop and cook regularly.
If you need help consider a program that focuses on taking responsibility for your own food like Weight Watchers rather than a meal replacement program.
So many resolutions tend to be body centred, but regardless of what you wish for – check in to see if your MIND and SPIRIT are also being nourished. The more balanced you are, the more likely you are to achieve your goals. So remember to spend time in nature, amongst beautiful things, appealing smells, pleasing touch, laughter, mental stimulation, time alone and with community.
Have a great year.
Gill
Before you set your plan into action take a few moments to work on the why, how and when.
Why do you want to this? What’s your motivation for change? Is this something you deeply want to do or is it something you think you “should”? Be careful with “should’s” they tend to hint at a hidden agenda, so think about what you really want to achieve.
How are you going to make this happen? Try making a pie chart of the way you spend your time. In a healthy week about 1/3 of the pie is taken up with sleeping, fill in the hours that you spend working, studying, watching TV, reading, emailing, blogging, exercising, socialising…and work out how the wedge of your resolution fits the pie.
When are you going to start doing this? What are your natural rhythms? What times of the day are you most mentally alert or physically active – how does the new activity fit into your daily demands?
Here are some tips for the “Big 3” of New Year’s Resolutions:
smoking If you want to give up smoking think about why and when you smoke – boredom, alcohol, as a break from work, when around other smokers, to relax…when you know your triggers you can plan ways to avoid and replace them. Eg: a walk to relax, some non-smoking venues like movies for entertainment, even a little knitting can keep those fingers occupied.
Consider seeing a hypnotherapist if you can’t do it alone. I have found this much more successful, healthier and cheaper overall than patches and gum.
Note for women – don’t start your non-smoking resolution while you are pre-menstrual!
Fitness Go back to the why/when/how and work out when you can schedule your exercise. Keep as much variety in your movement as possible – walks, skipping rope, flying a kite, playing with children in the park, swimming are as valid as signing up at the gym or for yoga or pilates. Try as many activities as you can. Get a pedometer and never slip below 10,000 steps a day. Try a few bursts of energy each day to do something that increases your heart rate.
Weight loss So much of “dieting” is based on lack or a skewed body image. Check out your BMI. Do not aim for weight loss if it is less than 18.5.
Focus on what you are including more of in your diet, rather than on what you need to avoid. Aim for at least 7 different vegetables and 3 fruits EVERY day. Make unrefined plant foods the base of your eating, so there is less room for refined, sugary and fatty foods. Have 2-3 litres of water a day.
Do some meal planning and schedule the time to shop and cook regularly.
If you need help consider a program that focuses on taking responsibility for your own food like Weight Watchers rather than a meal replacement program.
So many resolutions tend to be body centred, but regardless of what you wish for – check in to see if your MIND and SPIRIT are also being nourished. The more balanced you are, the more likely you are to achieve your goals. So remember to spend time in nature, amongst beautiful things, appealing smells, pleasing touch, laughter, mental stimulation, time alone and with community.
Have a great year.
Gill
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Hold the milk
Milking tea of its goodness
10jan07
LONDON: That dash of milk in the morning cuppa nullifies all the goodness of the tea.
Studies have shown that drinking green or black tea can be good for you because both types contain an abundance of antioxidants called flavonoids. These improve bloodflow and help to prevent heart disease, and are also thought to protect against some cancers.
But German researchers discovered that adding milk to a cup of black tea counteracts the beneficial effects.
The study, published in the European Heart Journal, found that when black tea is drunk on its own, cardiovascular function improves. But it suggests that certain proteins in milk appear to negate the effect of catechins, the particular flavonoids in tea.
The findings are bad news for manufacturers who have promoted the health properties of the beverage to Australians who add milk as a matter of routine.
The study involved 16 healthy post-menopausal women who were given either 500ml of black tea, black tea with 10 per cent skimmed milk or with extra boiled water as a control. They drank it on three occasions but refrained from drinking tea for four weeks before and after the study. The drink itself was made from 5g of Darjeeling tea leaves brewed for three minutes.
In a healthy artery, blood vessels are able to relax if the bloodflow increases - a process called flow-mediated dilation. The researchers measured FMD levels in the forearm before the tea was drunk and at several intervals afterwards. They wrote: "Black tea significantly improved FMD in humans compared with water, whereas addition of milk completely blunted the effects of tea."
The culprit in milk appears to be a group of proteins called caseins, which interacted with the tea to decrease the concentration of catechins.
The Times
Comment
What is more is that the bioavailability of the calcium in the milk is compromised by the caffeine in the tea.
As much as we are told of the miraculous antioxidants in tea, chocolate and red wine, perhaps due to the lack of marketing from less glamourous sources - keep in mind vegetables like the humble carrot or beetroot are packed full of goodies too.
10jan07
LONDON: That dash of milk in the morning cuppa nullifies all the goodness of the tea.
Studies have shown that drinking green or black tea can be good for you because both types contain an abundance of antioxidants called flavonoids. These improve bloodflow and help to prevent heart disease, and are also thought to protect against some cancers.
But German researchers discovered that adding milk to a cup of black tea counteracts the beneficial effects.
The study, published in the European Heart Journal, found that when black tea is drunk on its own, cardiovascular function improves. But it suggests that certain proteins in milk appear to negate the effect of catechins, the particular flavonoids in tea.
The findings are bad news for manufacturers who have promoted the health properties of the beverage to Australians who add milk as a matter of routine.
The study involved 16 healthy post-menopausal women who were given either 500ml of black tea, black tea with 10 per cent skimmed milk or with extra boiled water as a control. They drank it on three occasions but refrained from drinking tea for four weeks before and after the study. The drink itself was made from 5g of Darjeeling tea leaves brewed for three minutes.
In a healthy artery, blood vessels are able to relax if the bloodflow increases - a process called flow-mediated dilation. The researchers measured FMD levels in the forearm before the tea was drunk and at several intervals afterwards. They wrote: "Black tea significantly improved FMD in humans compared with water, whereas addition of milk completely blunted the effects of tea."
The culprit in milk appears to be a group of proteins called caseins, which interacted with the tea to decrease the concentration of catechins.
The Times
Comment
What is more is that the bioavailability of the calcium in the milk is compromised by the caffeine in the tea.
As much as we are told of the miraculous antioxidants in tea, chocolate and red wine, perhaps due to the lack of marketing from less glamourous sources - keep in mind vegetables like the humble carrot or beetroot are packed full of goodies too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)