Addicted to food?

aI’m pretty sure I used to be addicted to Wrigley’s Extra gum. I would chew through at least a packet of it every workday.  It had to be blue (peppermint) and I would feel a little anxious if I arrived at work without it. When Wrigley’s changed the packet from seven to 14 pieces I didn’t buy half the usual packets per week; I consumed twice as much. In December last year when I decided that my dietary habits needed an overhaul, gum was one of the many things to go. And I’ve not had a piece, nor desired one, since. That’s saved me about $487 (more than the JMC Omniblend I have since purchased.) In fact, my friend Cam says people chewing gum grosses him out and – much like a converted smoker – I can see what he means. I’m all about dental hygiene (and, if I wasn’t a nutritionist then I’d totally be a dental hygenist) – but now I have to say I’m a little repulsed by even the smell of it.Some might say that I can’t have been addicted to just simply be able to give it up that easily however I disagree. And, after attending New Zealand’s First Food addiction symposium in Christchurch on Friday, hosted by University of Otago’s School of Medicine, I am more inclined to feel that way. We live our own reality and listening to people talk about their own dependence made that clear. One woman talked about consuming a block of chocolate over three days, whereas another described eating food covered in ants, such was the strength of her compulsion to eat. Clearly these two situations are vastly different – however for both women they experienced the same emotion about their relationship with food – and who is to tell either of them that it’s not ‘addiction.’Currently food addiction is not considered to be like a drug addiction – and therefore is not recognised in the Diagnosis and Statistical Manual (DSM) V criteria for a diagnosis of an addiction. There is a reluctance to psychiatrise a seemingly ‘every day life behaviour’, however many psychiatrists – such as Professor Doug Sellman – one of the keynote speakers at the symposium, would argue that food addiction is less behavioural and is more chemical. He likened it to alcoholism – which wasn’t formally recognised by the disease model of dependency until the 1930s/40s. When that changed it did much for those people who, up to that point, suffered from the pain and emotion of not having their disease recognised or understood. A study conducted by his research group last year, where a fake enquirer called up concerned about her sister who was compulsively overeating, found that less than 10% of the service providers called (both addiction services and overeaters anonymous) would see her sister for an assessment. That’s problematic when the services who could provide some support dismisses the problem, and arguably doing more harm to the person than if no help was sought.Prof Sellman’s talk was centred around the question “‘how can we have a food addiction if food is essential for life?” which was what he thought 20 years ago before his own weight gain and loss struggle, along with the stories of others, made him think otherwise. How these people described their relationship with food was parallel to that which he counselled those with drug addictions for. Certainly, food in itself is necessary for life, but – like alcohol and cigarettes – the type of foods which people talk about as triggering unhelpful eating patterns don’t typically fall into the ‘must eat for health’ category. Prof Sellman estimated that half of those suffering from obesity had a relationship with food that might fit the description of addiction. The accuracy of that estimate cannot be determined, but is undeniable is that the drive of obesity is often stronger than whatever emotion or pain is felt by the person who is desperately wanting to be a healthy weight.The DSM-V criteria for an addiction is three or more of the following criteria:Consumption is often more than intended (quantity or time)Unsuccessful attempts to cut down or control consumptionMuch time is spent in consumptionOther important activities are given up or reducedThere is continued consumption despite the knowledge of psychological or physical health problemsOur tolerance for the substance increases (so we require more)Withdrawal if you go without for an extended period of time.I’m sure other practitioners would agree that when some clients describe their inability to stop at one serving of a ‘trigger’ food, it doesn’t sound too different from the above. While foods high in sugar certainly make up a large proportion of ‘trigger’ foods, savoury foods (such as potato crisps, corn chips, crackers etc) can be an individual’s food ‘nemesis’ too. Prof Sellman talked about these foods being formulated to deliver a certain mouth feel, and to deliver an experience that can trigger the same neurotransmitters in the brain that drugs do.However while the food industry gets blamed for providing highly palatable, nutrient poor, calorie dense food which leads people to gain weight, that doesn’t explain the overwhelming drive experienced by some people to overconsume these foods.  Kelly Brownell, who lead the first international symposium in Food Addiction just six years ago, in his handbook of Food and Addiction describes nutrients such as sugar as hijacking the brain and overriding will, judgement and personal responsibility.The increasing awareness of food addiction as more than just a behavioural problem is another step closer to understanding the complexities of an individual and their relationship with food. While as practitioners we can guide people to eating foods that will minimise the chemical response in the brain that drives the overconsumption of food, recognising clients that might benefit from services beyond our scope of practice (such as that from a psychiatrist or psychotherapist) is just as important. Lovin’ it (too much)(From Prof Sellman’s talk, a version of which can be found here)

Paleo on primetime

aEither my awareness of paleo-related news has increased, or paleo is just getting more airtime. Last Friday Seven Sharp did a piece on the paleo diet and whether we should get back to eating how our ancestors did. I’m always interested to see how the media portrays paleo, as it’s often rubbished as a fad diet.  Those who watched would have noted the obligatory cut to some 1970s clip of cavemen – a necessity obviously, just so we are all on the same page of what we mean when we say ‘paleo’. It’s all gnawing on bones and sitting around in loin cloths and mammoth skins. Kind of how I spend my Friday nights actually – so a good depiction of how paleo looks in real life. Now where did I put my straighteners?The two case studies presented were quite different. Though the reporter talked about the health benefits of the lifestyle change for Aaron, the link to Cross Fit, the focus on the barbeque, and the reporter’s comments that you can eat ‘as much meat as you like’ perpetuated the notion that paleo is meat, meat, meat. And bacon. This was backed up by the description of the diet of 40% animal products and 60% vegetables (with no mention of fruit). The second case study of Dan and Corrine was more balanced. The clip highlighted the physical and psychological benefits of eating a paleo-approach. Dan, while admitting it sounded contrived, talked about how he feels like a different person, with a lot more mental clarity and energy. Something I have heard time and time again from clients who make similar changes to their diet.Seven sharp then interviewed dietitian Nadia Lim about the nutritional considerations of going paleo. I really like most of what Nadia promotes as good nutrition, and she was really good at talking about the benefits of eating a whole food diet that was nutrient rich. But one aspect that she was confused about was that paleo is low carbohydrate. It’s not. Yes, the carbohydrate load is reduced for a lot of people if they are switching from a standard westernised diet, but this doesn’t mean it is low carbohydrate for everyone. She then described the dangers of going into ketosis on the premise of a low carbohydrate diet.  Hang on – weren’t we talking about paleo? This was like a quantum leap from one approach to diet (paleo) to another (ketogenic). Ketosis (if you’re not familiar with this) is when your body breaks down both fat and protein to produce ketone bodies to be used as fuel in the absence of glucose. Two things to say here:For most people, consuming under 50g of carbohydrate per day is necessary to go into ketosis (and for some, it’s as low as 20g per day). Do you know how hard that is? It takes a fair amount of planning and measuring of your food intake to lower your carbohydrate intake to a level that would enable your body to start burning ketones as fuel. Your protein intake would also need to be carefully monitored, as too high a protein intake will prevent this from occurring. While it’s possible to go ketogenic on a paleo diet, it is by no means inevitable. At all.  Here is an example of what a ketogenic diet might look like (in a non paleo kind of way).Ketosis is not dangerous. Really. It is often confused with ketoacidosis – whch is dangerous for people who are unable to produce insulin – i.e. Type 1 diabetes or more advanced cases of Type 2 diabetes. This is because, without insulin, the ketone bodies produced are unable to be fed back into the energy system to be used as fuel. These build up in the blood stream and can lead to metabolic disregulation and an acidic environment which is a dangerous state to be in.  However that is really different from nutritional ketosis (to borrow Peter Attia’s term). When you are able to produce insulin, then ketone bodies never get to the levels necessary to cause this state of acidosis and are able to be used effectively for fuel in the absence of glucose. I’m being oversimplistic, I know, and Peter Attia succinctly explains ketosis better than many I have read (and the comments are worth a look at also).  Ketogenic diets (inducing ketosis) have long been used to treat neurological disorders, can be useful in weight loss, may have a place in sports performance, and may be necessary for people with metabolic disregulation to reduce hyperinsulinemia – and for most people these are not dangerous. However, again, going paleo does NOT mean going ketogenic (unless you want it to).So while I kind of felt it jumped the shark a bit at the end, it was good to see paleo making primetime TV. Dare I say, more interesting than the series on cats Seven Sharp did a few weeks ago.Also, for anyone interested in the concept of evolutionary health (in any facet, be it diet, exercise, sleep, lifestyle etc) then watch this space as the development of a New Zealand branch of the Ancestral Health Society (AHS) is underway, led by Jamie Scott and Anastasia Boulais of Whole 9 South Pacific. This has the potential for individuals and organisations across New Zealand to come together under one umbrella and have a louder, collective voice in the nutrition, lifestyle and health space. Both Jamie and Anastasia noted in our meeting last week that the concept of ancestral health in NZ is quite different to that in the US (where the AHS has orginiated from). For a lot of people there, ancestral health really does conjure up images of Fred Flinstone. In NZ, as a young country, there isn’t this gulf of thousands of years between us and our ancestors. Indeed, for Maori and Pasifika people there are threads of ancestral life woven into everyday life. It’s not that much of a stretch to imagine that solutions to many health problems of today may be found if we look back to how lives were lived in the past. It is a bonus that the majority of NZers believe in evolution or ‘intelligent design’  - which is almost evolution. (As a side note, while looking up these stats I found that up to 60% of people believe in UFOs. Go figure.) Anyway, if you want to know more about Ancestral Health Society then follow the above link. In addition, seminars by prominent academic and practitioners in the field of evolutionary health can be found on the AHS You Tube channel  – a great way to learn more about the potential to improve our health by looking in the past. And not a loin cloth in sight.Finally, check recipes for a delicious meatloaf I made this week. And I made a great sweet breakfast omelette. Neither of which I will be eating over the next five days though as Caryn and I have challenged our third year Food, Nutrition and Community Health class to take part in the Live below the line challenge, beginning Sunday dinner time. Thus, we feel obliged to do the same. It seemed like a great idea nine weeks ago when we were planning this semester’s course. Living on $2.25 per day and not relying on Homebrand baked beans on toast. Hmm… I’ll update you on how that goes next week.

Jane’s whole food change

aI love sharing stories of friends and clients who have adopted a healthier approach to eating and have seen some real benefits. Jane McClurg, a massage therapist at Balance Massage Clinic (where I consult from) is a good friend of mine who was happy to share her (and her husband’s) story.I always considered myself a foodie with a tendency for healthy food, but perhaps with a little weakness for sweet baked goods, but who doesn’t right? My diet would typically include homemade muesli with low fat yoghurt for breakfast, a trim latte, a wholegrain sandwich or roll with homemade soup for lunch and dinner could be anything from Thai laksa with brown rice, salad and steak, to casserole with mashed potatoes or homemade burgers. I’ve also never actually been on a “diet”; I’ve never needed to. At 5’8’’ (171cm) tall and about 63kg, I have been told I’m one of those annoying people who can eat whatever she likes and doesn’t put on weight….so why did I decide to try this “new” whole food thing?I am a massage therapist but this year is my first year studying to be a naturopath as well, so my level of consciousness around food has been heightened and I seem to be devouring any information on it that I can (excuse the pun). In particular, I have developed an interest in an all too common occurrence in many of our lives: inflammation. I see it in my clients who’s injuries are slow to heal, and a couple of people close to me being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and Lupus, both auto-immune disorders that have high inflammatory markers. The more I read about the relationship between diet and inflammation, the more I was intrigued with the stories of how making changes to the diet can have such a dramatic affect on improving symptoms in people with these conditions. I’m lucky that Mikki is a client of mine and so when she’s on my massage table we discuss food, swap recipes and of course talk paleo.So I asked myself…further down the track (when I am a qualified naturopath) am I going to prescribe an eating plan such as paleo/primal/whole foods if I haven’t tried it? No. So the challenge was set.   Further, a particularly big ‘birthday blowout’ month left me feeling lethargic and (some may say) a little moody, so I sent a desperate email to Mikki asking where to start. She advised me to check out the Whole 30….and the rest (as they say) is history. I bought their book It Starts with Food and couldn’t put it down… July 8th was Day 1 of our 30 days to “go clean”. My husband decided to come along for the ride, so we cleaned out the pantry and fridge of all dairy, grains and sugar and set about making our own beef and chicken stock (how easy when you have a slow cooker!) and prepared a few other essentials.The first week was a bit of a struggle to adjust to how much to eat, especially for hubby who still wanted to train hard at the gym but felt tired and lacking in energy, so ended up only going a few days in the first 2 weeks.  The Whole 30 recommends taking it easy while your body adjusts from burning sugar to burning fat (and this can help heal the gut lining too). But by the end of week two we were away…kumara, scrambled eggs and avocado for breakfast, salads with chicken breast and pumpkin for lunch, nuts and seeds for snacks and fruit with nut butter (yum!), and homemade Rogan Josh curry with cauliflower rice for dinner. Rather than feeling deprived of my usual foods that I couldn’t have, my head was spinning from all the new recipes I wanted to try.Interestingly, by Day 10 hubby had lost what I liked to call the Bloaty Bread Belly and the six pack that was hiding underneath was back! I noticed I wasn’t hungry for morning tea ( I gave up coffee too but hubby changed his latte to black coffee) and my meals were seeing me through to the next meal. The combination of protein, vegetables and good fats were keeping me going (and I have a physical job as a massage therapist), and my craving for sweet things disappeared! Day 1 versus Day 30: Bloaty Bread Belly goneDay 30 came and went and we have continued on with our new “life eating plan”…the more nutrient dense foods we eat in each meal are so much more sustaining and satisfying than the zombie* foods we used to occasionally eat. We’ve reintroduced some dairy, a bit of feta or parmesan and yogurt but the good stuff: full fat and organic if we can get it. A few treats here and there but generally we eat the same as what we did on the Whole 30. My mood is much more even and energy levels are back up too…I’m not gonna say that I spring out of bed at 5am and run a half marathon every day but I don’t get the afternoon crashes I used to have. I also have more energy in the evenings for my study (and for cooking!) And hubby? His training is going well and he’s had a lot of questions from people asking what he’s been doing …he’s spreading the whole food word too.For us it wasn’t about losing a heap of weight, it was about adopting a healthier way to eat, getting the nourishment we need to sustain our energy levels and boost immunity…basically stay healthy. And yes, as a future naturopath I would recommend this style of eating. In fact, I recommend it to everyone now! Well I did lose about 4kg, but who’s counting One of our favourite meals is this slow cooked beef recipe (with some small adaptions) with watercress, avocado and tomato salsa, served in egg burrito wraps.Avocado and tomato salsa: Small chunks of avocados and tomatoes (de-seeded) toss with hot sauce and lime juice, S&PEgg burrito wraps: one egg whisked then poured into a hot pan that contains melted clarified butter…swirl around and wait for it to bubble up, flip and cook on the other side. When done flip onto a plate, keep warm in oven while you make more, then load up your meat, salsa and watercress and wrap! Yum! With meals like this, there’s no looking back.

A round-up of all things nutrition (and food) this week

aOn the back of two seminars I was involved in I had a discussion with a friend about whether ‘low carbohydrate, high fat’ (LCHF) was a fringe concept. The seminars were run by Grant and delved into research on the adverse health effects of high insulin levels in the body. While most people understand the health risks of having high blood glucose levels, this might only tell half the story if insulin levels are chronically high to ensure blood glucose levels are kept in check. The seminars focused on an alternative approach to diet, lowering carbohydrate and increasing fat in those who didn’t have good metabolic function. The food Caryn advocated in the seminars focused on whole food: meat, fish, eggs, full fat dairy, an abundant vegetable intake (of lower carbohydrate variety) and natural sources of fat such as butter, coconut and olive oil instead of industrial seed oils and reduced fat spreads. The diet itself clearly isn’t ‘fringe’, however when you break it down and focus on nutrients (as LCHF does), it potentially removes something critical: the ability for people to understand what is being advocated. Focusing on nutrients leaves a large scope for interpretation – often erroneous – based on what people perceive to be LCHF. Often these diets conjure up images of fried eggs, fried bacon, no vegetables and certainly not nutrient-dense – quite different from what is really on the menu. I wonder if this reductionist approach to nutrition is in part is why people think LCHF is fringe. Obviously the portrayal of the message in the media plays an enormous role in people’s perceptions of nutrition – and this week, there was quite a flurry of activity in the nutrition field, with LCHF-related news hitting mainstream media – here and internationally – and garnering a lot of attention along with it. I thought I would compile the highlights below:In the same week news articles reported that Sweden has adopted an LCHF diet as the national dietary guidelines, a UK cardiologist prints an opinion piece in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) regarding the villanisation of saturated fat to the detriment of our health. Strangely I couldn’t find any information on the Swedish guidelines in the news here – you would think that new dietary guidelines that shun traditional nutrition dogma would make at least page 6 of the North Shore Times. But no. Along the the opinion piece, Dr Aseem Malhorta appeared on a breakfast interview which can be found on the BBC Network. He did a good job of contextualising the inclusion of saturated fat in a whole food diet. It was a less about promoting liberal amounts saturated fat so much as it was a piece for shunning processed food. A few days later the UK Government announced that the food industry had committed to cutting the amount of saturated fat in their products, while the sugar content remains unchanged. A couple of example foods that were targeted included Belvita biscuits. A quick look on Nutritiondata.com backs up the nutrition information given in the article: 1 biscuit (12.5g) contains 0.5g saturated fat and 2.5g sugar. A serving size is four biscuits (and I challenge you to stop at four with these little numbers.) While a proposal like this is clearly months in the making, that there was a media release a couple of days after Dr Malhorta’s opinion piece in the BMJ seemed like a knee jerk reaction. It further perpetuates the idea that saturated fat is the bad guy, and deflects attention away from questioning processed food in general – the main premise of Dr Malhorta’s information that clearly serves to do the food industry no favours at allA post on facebook by Christine Croncau brought to my attention that, in the US, 3.5 million people tuned in to hear Dr Oz do an about-turn on the role of cholesterol in heart disease (compared to the effect of processed carbohydrates).  It was startling. “Dr Oz, a well respected cardiologist, acknowledges the cholesterol myth…” Hang on, what was that?? Dr Oz is a well-respected medical doctor? That in itself was a revelation to me. The same doctor who showcased raspberry ketones as one of the five top fat-burners you could try?  Anyway, while I wouldn’t always hang my hat on what Dr Oz promotes, he definitely has some influence in the public space. And the clip is definitely worth a watch if you have 10 minutes as Dr Oz interviews Dr David Perlmutter, an experienced neurologist in the US and author of the Grain Brain – a book that explains his findings (through his clinic) and those of numerous studies of the effect that CHO can have on brain function and subsequent neurological disorders. The controversial part of that concept isn’t that sugar increases our risk of dementia – in fact alzheimers has been more recently termed ‘type 3 diabetes’ to reflect this relationship. What was more challenging was the idea that all carbohydrate has the potential to increase risk of dementia, and that Dr Perlmutter was advocating for an almost carbohydrate-free diet. Unsurprisingly when his book came out there was an immediate reaction from some of the influential people in the food industry space. This article from the Food Navigator is one example. To shamelessly cherry pick a quote from those opposed to his recommendations: “I mean, he is advocating people eat salmon and avocado for breakfast, is that realistic?”  Hmm… obviously the Whole Grain Council took exception to Dr Perlmutter’s recommendations, but strangely seemed more offended that he wasn’t advocating totally grain free – recommending the gluten-free grains of buckwheat, quinoa, sorgum, and rice (in moderation). They assert there is no scientific evidence to back up his claims that gluten affects the brain.  Irrespective of numerous articles such as this one I found just by doing a cursory search on Google Scholar, I wonder at what point his experience in the field serves as evidence.Closer to home, ABC’s Catalyst show, a science journalism show on primetime TV show released the first in two part series that investigates the saturated fat, cholesterol and heart disease myth which is a good watch, and Grant was the focus of a Sunday Star Time’s piece on LCHF this week too.While I love to see this information hit mainstream media, I often think it’s a double-edged sword. If ever our dietary guidelines did change to reflect an update of knowledge we would have to rely on avenues such as mainstream media to get the message across. And that message gets lost in translation, skewing people’s perceptions of what is being advocated for. Frequently. Take the first sentence on the BBC Network page: “the risk from saturated fat in foods such as butter, cakes and fatty meat is overstated.” Let’s be clear: the risk from saturated fat in processed, refined, sugary cakes is not overstated. If journalists reporting on the story aren’t able to get the facts straight, what hope is there for the general public reading it? Nutrition is confusing; food is not. Perhaps if we focused more on whole foods and less on nutrients the message might be clearer, and might seem less ‘fringe.’ Food for thought.

Thoughts from Ray

aI love a good cooking show. Nutritionists often get into the field because of their love of good food, and we are similar to chefs in that respect. Chefs are food advocates and aim to give pleasure through food. To my mind (as a nutritionist) the enjoyment of food comes from nourishment – from flavours, textures, nutrients and appropriate portion sizes.  Most chefs share similar sentiments. In addition, food goes through fads, really – a lot like diets. And, like many nutritionists and dietitians, some notably high profile chefs seem to be moving away from the gastronomical, fantastical approach to food (the extreme version being Heston Blunderthal) to more of a back-to-basics approach. The focus on a few fresh ingredients with little superfluous additives (unless, of course, they are sponsored by the food industry). And some have always been that way inclined. My massage therapist had recently been in Hamilton to attend an evening which gives the opportunity to learn cooking tips and dishes from (amongst other chef’s) Ray McVinnie – columnist in Sunday Start Times, AUT lecturer in gastronomy and a judge on NZ Masterchef. I’m a big fan of Ray’s – he provides wholesome, realistic recipes and creates meals from traditional kiwi dishes to  contemporary Asian cuisine. He advocates real food and no additives/preservatives (other than that in wine) and Ray appears to glow ‘health’ – and it’s not just his slim build. While it could just be the lighting,  there are other high profile chefs who just do not look healthy, and their food fare is less appealing to me than what is made from someone who seems to exude health.Along with a lot of great cooking and food tips that Ray shared, he also shared his views on children and health and the differences he has seen in the prevalence of children who are overweight in the countries he has spent time. Now these aren’t necessarily based on academic papers or country-specific statistics of child obesity rates, but his perception of spending time immersed in the culture and the food environment of those countries – the experience that isn’t often captured by a scientific trial or population survey. I found it interesting to hear what he thought, and though this may read like a New Weekly magazine article (“a close source revealed…”) wanted to relay them here, as food for thought.Meals eaten outside of home. This isn’t necessarily country specific (and certainly there are regions in Europe where lifestyle dictates people eat more of their meals out than in, but he noted that children were less likely to be overweight in regions where parent’s cooked from scratch. In the last child nutrition survey found that 7 out of 10 children ate fast food in the last week, and 1 in 7 ate at least two meals out. These meals are more often that not higher in processed, refined carbohydrates, cooked in vegetable oils, lower in vegetables and overall nutrients and higher in sugar. All of which contribute to obesity and disease processes in the body. Interestingly, recent research in the US shows that those of lower socioeconomic status (who are more likely to be overweight) tend to cook more in the home than those with a higher household income. This may be viewed as ‘bucking the statistical trend’ but it’s more likely the ingredients used in home cooking (and the level of cooking skill) are not conducive to healthy eating. It would be interesting to see what the state of ‘home cooking’ is like in New Zealand. A recommendation from the US study was to increase cooking skills, and focus on convenient whole foods requiring minimal preparation.Child-specific meals: Another aspect of eating in the home that Ray attributes to poor eating habits in children is the notion of ‘separate kid meals’ where the children eat a meal at 5.30 or 6, then they are put to bed and the adults eat a different dinner later in the evening. Other than when Dad worked late, we ate our meals together growing up and  my parents viewed meal time as ‘family time,’ Sharing meals as a family is important in the overall development of a child, and is an opportunity to not only learn about table manners, but for children to learn how to interact with adults. In Europe, children are given a snack when they get home from school, then eat with their parents later in the evening when dinner is ready. This is because, traditionally, the evening meal is later than the evening meal here.  Logistically speaking it may not be practical for parents and children to eat together as they once did, but along with the child-specific meal times, children are often fed different foods. Allergies aside, is there any reason the food choice should be different? The concept of ‘kid-friendly’ meals and food choices pervades our food environment more now than ever before. I can’t remember our foods being different from our parents when we were growing up. With five children to contend with, we were basically served food and made to sit there until it was eaten.  Many people I see in the clinic talk about having to serve two different meals in the evening: one for the children and a separate ‘adult’ meal. This is becoming a lot more prevalent than it was a few years ago. And it’s obviously not just happening in the home – ‘child-specific’ menus are readily available in not only fast-food restaurants, but your standard cafe – where there is a notion that children require different food choices to adults. Why is it okay to serve children food devoid of nutrients for $8 and not just smaller portions of the same food? Baffling. I had lunch today with my BFF from high school Rebecca, and her and Darren had brought along chicken, cucumber, a banana muffin (grain-free) and ordered a side of mushrooms on the side of their meal. Lots of parents do this, and it would make sense to me that cafes would offer foods like this as part of a kid’s menu. Makes more sense than saveloys, chicken nuggets and hot chips. Have some hydrolysed vegetable oil with that fruit crocodile. Cheers.Children-specific foods. Cereal bars. ‘fruit leather’ as opposed to fruit. Fruit squirts. Snack bars. Parents are often wooed by the idea that these foods will increase the nutrient density of an otherwise nutrient-poor breakfast or lunch box. The  ‘Ironman’ Nutrigrain or the ‘as much fibre as two weetbix and milk’ Up and Go. The goal shouldn’t be to look for the packaged food that contains the most amount of added vitamins. It should be to look for the food that has the least amount of associated plastic.I know, easy for me to say, right? I often wonder when it’s okay to have an opinion given that I don’t have children. But then, I’m not male and confidently advise men on ways to improve their diets. It was great to hear people like Ray McVinnie sharing his views in health, given his career is all about feeding and nourishing people. These things go hand in hand and (perhaps it’s ‘pollyanna’ of me to assume this) this must in some way influence the foods he uses and the dishes he creates.On that note of creating a dish, the summer weather has inspired me to make a cauli-tabbouli salad to go along with dinner, and I’ve popped the recipe I used on the recipe section of the blog.

How has my advice changed?

aI posted a link on Facebook yesterday, an article outlining the findings of research by Paul Laursen from High Performance Sport New Zealand on the impact of dehydration on performance. The research found that when athletes were blinded to their hydration status (believing that they had been rehydrated through an IV after being dehydrated by 0, 2 or 3%) there was no difference in performance.A friend, responded: ‘I call BS on this article’ and that the next article published will support the opposite hypothesis. The sentiment of what CK said holds true (though I don’t agree with his first call). Nutrition is constantly changing – and it’s up to us to keep up with the research. Interestingly this morning on our run Grant started a conversation with ‘Now Mikki, don’t take this the wrong way…’ and preceded to tell me that someone he was talking to had said he’d never trust what I told him when it came to nutrition, as it would be completely different to what I told his fiancé a year ago.While I got the inevitable feeling of dread when someone tells you not to take something the wrong way, I breathed a sigh of relief when Grant relayed the conversation. Is that all?? Whatever. I’d much rather that than be known as stagnant in my dietary advice.It did get me thinking though: how different would my advice be now compared to what it would have been a year ago? Below are two diet plans that outline what I might recommend someone today as compared to a year ago:Breakfast: 2 grainy toast with ¼  avocado + chopped tomato / 2 poached eggs / vegemite with cottage cheeseSpecial K + 3-4 apricot halves + trim milk ½ c light yoghurt + 2 pieces of fruit + small handful natural muesliBreakfast: 3 eggs scrambled in butter with tomato/spinach/ ½ avocadoPiece chopped fruit + natural greek yoghurt + seeds, nuts + coconutGrain free porridgeSweet omelette (apple, coconut, egg)Snack: Piece of fruitQuakers bar/K time Twist/Weight Watchers fruit cereal bar150g pottle diet yoghurt + scoop protein powderCorn thins with light cottage cheese + apricot jamSnack: Small handful of nutsFull fat yoghurt + tablespoon seeds + dried fruitApple + nut butterCarrot sticks + thick slice of cheeseLunch: Wholegrain or basmati rice +handful cooked chicken OR Tegel single serve shredded chicken (found in packets of two in the chiller section near the packaged ham) + steamed vegetable or salad leftoversWholegrain wrap + deli roast beef or sliced leftover red meat+ grated carrot + ¼ avocado + lettuce + 1t relishEnglish muffin split, toasted with ½ can chilli beans and grated cheeseSmall can minestrone soup + medium toasted pita bread spread with hummusLunch: Kumara with tuna and steamed vegetablesChicken and salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing + seedsSardines + chopped egg + saladLettuce/cabbage wrapsFrittata muffin and salad+ fruitDinner: Rice, vegetable and tofu stirfryChicken Thai curry made with light evaporated milk,Rice bran spray oil to coat pan for pan-fried fishSkinless, grilled chicken breast with rice and vegetablesDinner: Fish pan fried in butter with saladSteak pan-fried in coconut oil + roast vegetablesSalmon Asian stir-fry with cauliflower riceBun-less burgers (home made) or meatballs with cauliflower mash and vegetablesChicken Thai curry made with coconut milkGeneral recommendations: Flora / canola margarine as spreadRice bran oil spray for cookingOil-free light dressing for saladsUse packet mixes (i.e. continental) for quick mealsEqual/Splenda as sugar substituteChoose diet soft drinks/light productsFocus on overall energy content of foodMinimal saturated fatsNo more than two eggs per dayReduce fat (especially saturated fat) where possibleReduce salt where possibleGeneral recommendations: Coconut oil, olive oil, butter as fats of choiceOlive Oil-based dressing for saladsOmit sugar, sweetenersStock up on herbs/spices for flavourdon’t worry about saltSparkling water for effervescent fizz fixDon’t buy light productsFocus on ingredients listObviously, actual recommendations vary from person to person – a person in weight maintenance is going to need more carbohydrate and fat than if they were aiming to lose weight, for example. However, from October 2012 to now, I wouldn’t say it has radically changed. The main differences would be:Saturated fat: Where once I shied away from saturated fat (for example), now it’s largely acknowledged that the initial evidence suggesting an association between saturated fat and heart disease was inflated, and subsequent scientific trials testing the hypothesis finding no such relationship. Butter (as a natural fat) is a much better alternative for most people than margarine, which is high in omega 6 fats that are pro-inflammatory in large amounts in the diet. Eggs, as another example, are a great source of the B vitamins, contains vitamins D and E and monounsaturated fat. Containing all of the essential amino acids, they are a super food, IMHO. There is, however, still a stigma around the amount of egg yolks we can include in the diet due to their saturated fat content. At the public health level, the recommendation of lower saturated fat in the context of a typical Western diet makes sense, given that it’s the combination of fat and carbohydrate in refined foods that contributes to fat gain, inflammation and subsequent health problems. However if someone is talking to me about their diet, then they are not going to be following a standard Westernised diet where it would be of concern.Salt: It’s not sodium in the diet that’s the issue per se – it’s the overall nutrient content and particularly the ratio of sodium to potassium (a nutrient found in fruit and vegetables) that requires attention. Of course, if you’re someone who eats substantial amounts of pre-packaged foods and don’t have a good vegetable intake, you are better to reduce overall sodium. And as what I just described is pretty much the diet of many people in the general population, it makes sense that the recommendations of low sodium in the public health sphere are in place. However, if you move to a whole food diet then focusing on reducing salt is not longer an issue – most of the sodium in your diet has been removed with the removal of pre-packaged foods, and the potassium content has been increased exponentially.Artificial sweeteners: do these cause cancer? Who knows? And who knows if we WILL know in our lifetime – however, if the fact that they are  made in a lab doesn’t put you off using them, their ability to trigger signals in the brain that sets off cravings for sweet foods, and potentially have the same metabolic effect in the body as sugar might. It’s much better to remove completely and adjust to the flavour of naturally sweet food that was previously overwhelmed by too much sugar or sweet tasting food in the diet.Cereals, breads, crackers etc: There are far better choices for carbohydrate in the diet than foods that have added gluten to increase protein intake (i.e. Special K) and that leave you hungry about a second after you eat them. The same goes for bread or wraps that can leave you feeling sleepy and lacking in energy soon after eating them. – a function not only of gluten but of other proteins in grains that are being recognised as causing a similar immune reaction as gluten. In addition, while there are few people who are test diagnosed with coelics disease (an allergic reaction to gluten), there are many people who may have non-colieac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) and therefore feel better once they have removed grains from their diet. Note: I’m not recommending switching out gluten-containing products for gluten-free products – but whole food sources of carbohydrate.So rather than my recommendations being turned on their head in the space of the year, I feel they’ve been refined to reflect the increase in my knowledge around food and health. Instead of not trusting me based on this refinement, I hope instead that people feel confident my advice shifts in line with the changing state of the evidence, and is not stalled by long-held beliefs. And on another note entirely, I tried a cronut. Despite that I felt they were largely overrated, I knew people would want a paleo alternative. So I did my best to hunt one down. Enjoy.

National Heart Foundation: new take on the food pyramid

aIt’s been a long time coming but finally the National Heart Foundation (NHF) has released their new version of the Healthy Food Pyramid. And, unsurprisingly, it’s a big improvement on previous models. Unlike our food based guidelines, which haven’t been updated for 10 years and therefore still promote a grain-based diet, the NHF model (based on a healthy heart) has gone some way to recognising the impact a high intake of these foods can have on health outcomes, and has also undergone market research to determine what messages may be best understood by the general population. National Heart Foundation Healthy Heart Visual Dietary ToolWhat I really like about this new model is that it’s colourful, bright and it doesn’t try to dictate portion amounts which most people read as a ‘one-size fits all’ approach. It instead focuses on the proportion of the plate that each food group should contribute – a volumetric-based approach. I like that vegetables and fruit are given priority over everything else (the type of diet that most people promoting whole-food advocate also), where previously breads, cereals and grains featured in the ‘eat most’ category (that’s what you get when the US Department of Agriculture has a hand in developing food guidance systems). I also really like that they’ve removed potatoes and other starchy vegetables from the ‘eat most’ category. They are the type of carbohydrate (CHO) foods that I advocate people eat, and if everyone was metabolically healthy and had no problems in regulating their appetite, their presence with non-starchy vegetables wouldn’t be a problem because people might naturally consume appropriate amounts. However, with two-thirds of New Zealanders overweight or obese, it’s not a good idea to promote these in the same vein as you would, say, broccoli. You could argue the same for fruit but from a practical perspective (and what I see a lot in my clinic) I think we are more inclined to half fill our plate with potatoes (i.e ‘vegetables’). This shift is also in line with the WHO, who have (for a few years) deemed potatoes (and bananas) as ‘starch’ and not vegetables.However, the next food group prioritised is the wholegrain and cereals group – and that’s where I would instead advocate  animal protein sources. These have a higher nutrient content and (in my opinion) more health benefits than breads and cereals with regards to nutrients (when the diet also contains substantive amounts of vegetables and some fruit). The importance of protein was highlighted in mainstream media this week actually, with this study reporting the role that protein has in helping regulate appetite and food consumption. Most of you reading this are probably aware that protein has a satisfying effect on appetite – you only need to have eggs for breakfast one morning and cereal the next to recognise the difference in your subsequent appetite (and mood, concentration, blood sugar, energy levels etc). The review investigated the evidence for the protein leverage theory, a concept which was suggests the changes in the percentage of protein in a diet can dictate our overall energy intake. If you consume a diet that is reduced in protein, you are more likely to increase your energy intake until your protein requirement is met – leading to an overall increase in energy intake and subsequent body weight. The paper reviewed studies looking at this relationship and, on balance, the evidence supported that a low protein intake relative to carbohydrate and fat in the diet promoted appetite and a higher energy intake. When energy intake from protein decreased from 20% to 10%, overall dietary energy intake increased markedly. This dropped off when protein in the diet was reduced to 20% from a greater percentage (i.e. from 30% to 20%). What was interesting here was that, regardless of whether energy from fat or carbohydrate was higher, the body will increase the drive for food to ensure that adequate amounts of protein are consumed. This might mean advocating protein-rich whole foods that by default contain good fats could go someway to reducing overall intake of foods that are high in refined sugar and processed carbohydrates. Something to consider for a population that is predominantly overweight.However, it’s not just protein that’s important in the diet – it’s good quality protein. I’ve banged on about this before, but in New Zealand our main problem is not absolute protein intake – it’s where it comes from and how it’s spread across the day. The way we typically consume food is to be quite light on protein at the start of the day and more heavy come the end of the day. On average, men have an intake of 102g of protein per day, and women around 71g per day. With around 16.4% and 16.5% of our dietary energy coming from protein. With a range of 15-25% being recommended, while it might be deemed adequate, this is definitely on the lower side. The major contributor of protein in our diet comes from the bread group (encompassing all types of breads, rolls, buns, crumpets and bagels) – all foods that could potentially drive an increase in appetite. As protein from animal sources not only contain all essential amino acids (the building blocks in our body) and are a good source of natural fats (contributing to their nutrient density), increasing our dietary protein from these foods is far preferable to relying on plant-based sources. As a side issue (yet related point), as an island nation surrounded by water where one of our major industries is dairy farming, it’s criminal that people in our population don’t have access to the quality protein sources necessary for a nutrient dense diet and overall health. Bagels and crumpets don’t cut it. Hence why I’d move the eggs, animal sources of protein up one level and promote their importance in the diet.I also want to add that a diet high in fruit and vegetables is more beneficial when there is enough fat in the diet to be able to absorb the fat soluble vitamins and important phytochemicals etc that are present. Complete ‘nutrition’ isn’t just about just eating the food – you have to be able to absorb the nutrients it contains. This isn’t promoting a ‘high fat’ diet, but higher fat? Certainly. When the general population has carbohydrate-based diet that, if combined with fat, is the main driver of metabolic disorder and subsequent chronic disease, promoting a high fat diet can be problematic. This is certainly true with a dietary guidance system that lists wholegrain cereals high up in the list of dietary priority, and in a food environment where children’s cereals can claim to be ‘74% wholegrain’ yet in reality deliver little more than rampant hunger by 10am.So what would my pyramid look like?(ok, so I’m limited by the emoticons on my phone, but you get the drift).The good thing with the NHF Healthy Heart (and message) is that, for the most part, it is indicating a minimally processed food diet – which most of us agree is the way to go. It’s definitely better than the Food and Nutrition Guidelines which state we should aim for at least six serves of breads and cereals, and at least one serve of food from ‘meat, poultry or meat alternatives.’ While I’m not on board with all the NHF messages, I definitely think it’s a marked improvement on the last one, and one step further in promoting the adoption of a whole food diet. Hmm.. I know which one I would choose for breakfast.

LCHF on tour….make or break

aAny change in routine from ‘real life’ can bring about its challenges if you’re trying to stick to a way of eating that is different from the ‘standard Westernised diet’.  When you’re not in control of your food choices it can be particularly hard, and can make or break any dietary habits that define what you eat. My good friend Helen shares her experience (and some useful tips) during a recent trip back to visit family and friends in the UK.April 2013 marked a turning point in the way I fuel my body…high fat instead of low fat, low carb instead of high carb, meat instead of no meat. The result….more stable energy levels, reduced bloating, feeling great. Eating low carbohydrate, high fat (LCHF), along with a more efficient approach to training, had quickly become a way of life, but how would a month-long trip to the UK challenge this new way of living? Here’s what I found:The journeyLCHF takes some planning, so while things were in my control, I made the most of it. Bacon and eggs for brunch, and chicken laksa with faux rice before we left for the airport. I also baked some no sugar, no grain muffins for the journey and packed a big bag of almonds.By the time the in-flight meal was served it was nearly midnight but the chicken curry went down a treat (minus the rice). And eight hours later, a cheesy omelette for breakfast was ideal….so far so good.In transit at LAX there was sugar sugar everywhere so my almonds and muffins came in very handy, for all of us. And then we landed in England.FamilyMy Mum had read my “Diary of a LCHF dabbler” but my in-laws  didn’t even know I was eating meat so had bought in Quorn* especially for me. Mum had switched low fat milk and yoghurt for full fat versions, but as a vegetarian herself, going the whole hog (excuse the pun) on LCHF would always be challenging. As an aside, she was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and although her GP advised her to increase her intake of whole grains and cereals, she fortunately did the opposite and is noticing much improved symptoms.There were already nuts and seeds in the house, as well as Greek yoghurt, berries, eggs, olive oil, loads of fish, plenty of vegetables and salad stuff. The only extra thing I needed to buy in the first few days was some cream (and some Pepsi Max!).It was a very different situation at my in-laws. The fridge and cupboards were stocked with all of the foods I used to think were good – pasta, bagels, tomato-based sauces, low-fat yoghurts, low-fat milk and a cereal selection to die for (literally it might now seem).Not wanting to be awkward (or starve) I had a bowl of cereal the first morning. It was nice but I just wasn’t satisfied, even after seconds. By the second morning I’d managed to get some Greek yoghurt and had that with a bit of natural muesli and almonds. It was a bit better but still not enough fat and too much sugar. Better than the small pottle of yoghurt my husband pulled out of the fridge though – zero fat but almost 25 g of sugar!Eating meat again was a big plus and it was lovely to not be the awkward vegetarian for once. They probably thought it was a bit strange that I was avoiding some of the foods I’d previously eaten so much of, but nobody asked why and I was too tired to start to explain.Eating outChoosing LCHF options is made easier when cafes serve breakfast all day, but this is not as common in England as it is in New Zealand. When it was impossible to go LCHF, it was actually nice to prove to myself that I could have an egg sandwich and the world wouldn’t end! Although I advise other people to aim for 18 out of 21 meals to be LCHF, the perfectionist in me had been starting to think that for me, 20 out of 21 meant failure. It’s almost like a fear of carbs had taken over from a fear of fat (not that that is necessarily a bad thing).Getting over this hurdle meant that I could enjoy a beautiful dish of spring pea and mint ravioli at Jamie Oliver’s Italian restaurant in Leeds and one day, when the only thing remotely appealing on a lunch menu was a jacket potato with tuna mayonnaise, I had an unexpectedly nice experience. The jacket potato skin was as it should be, thick and crispy, and with my new found liking for butter (and a realisation that it is far from bad), I enjoyed the unique taste of butter and potato that took me right back to my childhood. OK, so it would have been better if the potato had been a kumara, but I was so full from all the tuna topping and the buttery skin that I couldn’t eat most of the actual potato.Eating out was often easier than eating in and with meat still being a novelty, the new found variety I found on every menu was amazing. And hotel breakfasts were fantastic. I’ve always loved a hotel breakfast (well hotels full stop really) but would always walk out feeling uncomfortably full, only to start getting a bit peckish again mid-morning! Not this time – after a big plate of bacon, eggs, mushrooms and tomatoes I was satisfied but not bloated and wasn’t hungry again until mid-afternoon.ShoppingMy initial impression of UK supermarkets was of variety and low prices, but as the trip wore on, I realised that in terms of “real” food, availability was reduced and prices were probably similar. For example, I had to go to a specialist health food shop to buy a bag of almonds bigger than 100 g, and even then I could only buy raw ones not roasted. I have since found that roasting your own** is an absolute doddle and delicious. One great thing I did find in one supermarket was a huge salad bar. It would have made a great picture to compare what I put in my box this time versus what I would have put in 10 years ago. 2013: two boiled eggs, grated cheese, coleslaw, etc. 2003: pasta salad, rice salad, mixed beans.I started the trip full of good intentions to do lots of baking, partly to make some healthy snacks and partly because Ella enjoys it, but an average batch of muffins and some slightly more successful pancakes were our only creations and my Mum now has a year’s worth of coconut flour to get through!Spreading the messageA few people I met had read my diary and wanted to know more. But some people, like my brother, didn’t want a bar of it! I wished that I’d had some really short, simple statements to quickly and clearly explain but I found I often got tongue-tied trying to explain something that seems so obvious to me and angry at how brainwashed we’ve been for so long. I tried though and several of my friends are now giving it a go and others asked for more information. I’ve created a bit of a hand out that I can send to people and now need to work on those punchy statements!So what did I learn?As well as being fantastic to see family and friends, this trip reinforced to me what a sensible and achievable lifestyle choice LCHF is (with a bit of flexibility). Travelling can be an excuse, or an unfortunate opportunity, to fall off the bandwagon, but whether your lifestyle of choice is Paleo, LCHF vegan or whatever, hopefully some of the lessons learned below might help you stick to it when you’re away from home:Be prepared – pack your own snacks and don’t rely on what will be on the plane or at airportsChoose the hot breakfast rather than the supposedly “healthy”, “light” or “continental” option!Book a Diabetic meal on the plane if the airline will let you (although this may just be low sugar rather than low carb; and it will probably be low fat!)Consider telling the people you’re staying with what you’re doing, whether it be LCHF, Paleo, or any other way of livingTrust in what you’re doing and ignore what others might sayTry to educate people but don’t ram it down their throatsDon’t beat yourself up if things slip a bit – remember the 80/20 ruleKeep a food diary if you need to be more strict – seeing things in black and white is often all you need to get back on trackStay in touch with your support network(s) or someone who ‘gets’ what you doHave a goal to achieve by the end of your trip or when you get homeEnjoy yourself – eating out, picnics, a glass of wine J*Quorn is the leading brand of faux meat mycoprotein in the United Kingdom. The mycoprotein used to produce Quorn is extracted from the fungus Fusarium venenatum**How to dry roast almonds: Heat your oven to 175oC. Spread almonds on an ungreased baking sheet.Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until they are golden brown and fragrant. Delicious!

Snapshot of an athlete’s diet: from high to low(er) carbohydrate

aA friend of mine sent a link to a debate between Alan Aragon and Jeff Volek on the use of a low carbohydrate (CHO) diet for athletic performance. For those who have a spare hour, I recommend watching it. If you have done a bit of reading around this, you will already know the general premise behind recommending a low CHO diet for athletes, but it is interesting nonetheless. When you watch it you’ll note both Aragon and Volek bring in population health data related to CHO intake. If there’s one way to increase confusion in the low CHO debate, it’s mixing general population and athlete-related information. Comparing the two does little else than muddy the waters. I don’t know that there was a ‘winner’ at the end of the debate, however the one thing both parties agreed upon was that athletes could meet their performance goals over a spectrum of CHO intake. This got me thinking about a friend of mine Dave who sought some advice over his diet and whether he would benefit from eating fewer carbohydrates.Generally speaking, a ‘low CHO’ diet is a CHO intake of between 50g-150g per day. To give you an idea of what people generally eat, the median usual intake for CHO in New Zealand adults at the last Nutrition Survey in 2008/09 was 207g for females and 273g for males., with a general recommendation of anywhere between 45-65% total energy coming from CHO. Athletes are recommended to consume between 5-10g per kilogram body weight depending on their level of activity.  Dave weighs 68 kg and with the amount of activity he undertakes, (75 min – 150 min 5 days a week across two sessions a day, with a couple of longer sessions in the weekend), that would equate to 7-8g per kg bodyweight, or 476-544g  per day. The equivalent to 35-40 slices of bread. In the past I’ve only recommended the most active of clients (male) a CHO intake within that range – not only is it really difficult to eat that much CHO, but most athletes I know would also struggle to achieve a lean body composition.Equally though, are those athletes who struggle to maintain their weight under a hefty training schedule, and Dave falls into that category. An avid multisporter who, like many of us ‘enduros’, competes in events fairly often throughout the year, Dave’s training intensity has increased, and the 68kg he’s weighing now is around 3kg lighter than three months ago, despite eating regularly to try and satisfy his ever-present hunger. This would be around race weight – which is great when you are 1-2 weeks out from your goal race – not good when you’ve got around 10 weeks until you toe the start line of the event that matters most. Athletes are in a better position to maintain strength, recover from sessions and be resilient against illness with a 1-2kg buffer of weight that naturally drops off as training gets more race specific. However, Dave has increased the number of group training sessions that (like many guys) end up giving both the body and the ego a workout – being harder and faster than normal. When I was chatting to Dave he said he was heading away for a couple of weeks for work and that he would use the time to train a bit less and ‘relax’ on the healthy eating front to regain some weight. Hmm…. A perfect formula for a bit of extra cushioning around the middle – not quite the weight gain he would like. This could prove more difficult to lose down the line and lead to under-eating in an effort to lean up.  Cue: illness, injury, grumpiness and poor recovery from training – not exactly an optimal training environment. I thought it would be interesting to show you what he was eating, and what I might suggest – (apologies for the ugly table):Outlined below is the different macronutrient profiles of each diet.As you can see, the original diet is a quintessential athlete’s diet that Nancy Clark (and Runner’s World in the 90s) would be proud of. However, it wasn’t doing Dave any favours. While he enjoys vegetables and fruit, his meals are based around CHO choices. You’ll also note that it’s less than the recommended CHO guidelines for  ‘best practice’ sports nutrition. At 357g CHO, he’s consuming 120g less than the minimum recommended for his activity level.Obviously, in order to maintain and potentially gain weight, it would be ideal to increase energy in the diet from good food sources. Going the traditional high CHO route I could tell Dave to include two 750 ml sports drinks during his sessions – that would equate to an additional 110g CHO per day. However that wouldn’t do much to satisfy his hunger and I’m not down with all of that simple sugar; endurance athletes place their body under so much oxidative stress due to the byproducts of training, the additional sugar load does not sit well with me. My advice is to up the dietary energy from fat, and include quality sources of protein – that way he will feel fuller, he won’t be burning muscle mass during his training, and he’ll gain a little bit of weight. The caloric intake isn’t too different between the two plans as for the next two weeks Dave’s training load is reduced. This makes it a perfect time to undergo a dietary change, making adapting to a higher fat diet easier in this instance. As I’ve discussed before, shifting from a high CHO diet to a higher fat diet requires metabolic adaptation that doesn’t happen overnight; the power output takes a hit, therefore it’s best not to do during a heavy training (and higher intensity) phase.The CHO has decreased, but is at the higher end of the CHO intake of a ‘low CHO’ athlete – and is nowhere near the 50g or less required for nutritional ketosis. Most of the CHO is around his training times and, in addition, his protein sources are of higher quality with the addition of eggs and sashimi at lunchtime. These previously there was a high proportion of protein coming from cereal-based products. When Dave resumes a higher training load, increasing the amount of protein and/or fat at lunch and dinner would help support the increased load. These changes will help Dave become more ‘fat adapted’ while maintaining his weight. An athlete who would like to lose weight would have a lower CHO intake.Most importantly, these choices were discussed with Dave and he felt confident that he could make these changes. This is one of a number of ways to change the macronutrient profile of the diet to support the training goals of an athlete and this is just one example, designed to give you an idea of how a lower CHO diet can be achieved.(PS Grain-free, dairy-free, flour-free pumpkin loaf in the recipe section)

Lentils, eggs and crapples: living below the line.

aLiving below the line. It’s just like the 40h famine. Except there are no sleepovers, no sneaking of junk food bought with the intention of feasting post-famine, and no continual supply of Heard’s Barley Sugars and orange juice to keep you on a constant sugar high. The premise is to live on a food budget average of $2.25 per day for 5 days – the NZ equivalent of the extreme poverty line. Caryn and I had an additional challenge of not relying on foods such as bread and pasta to fill us up. Not only was it good to have the camaraderie of a friend to be able to share the experience, the buying power of greater than one could go a long way towards getting a decent food supply. Darren pointed out on the blog last week that his whole flat was able to eat meat, seasonal vegetables and eggs – which sounded luxurious compared to what Caryn and I were able to buy together.So, what could 11.25 buy us? After an hour of scouring four different Asian fruit and vegetable shops (and Pak and Save) we were able to procure the foods below.The food and costWe were stoked to be able to get a decent amount of vegetables as part of our allowance, and while others would have swapped out some of that for another source of carbohydrate, we just love vegetables. It goes without saying that the quality of the vegetables left a lot to be desired. And that it took time (and petrol) to source out vegetables at this price. The apples were…. crapples basically. Anything on the slightly soft side of crisp usually gets dealt to with a grater or baked in the oven. But price overruled all other factors. And lentils. Something I’ve not eaten pretty much all year. But they are a source of protein and pretty cheap. It was funny explaining to people what I was eating that week and the most common response was ‘lentils?! But that’s not paleo.’ Err, no – not paleo but equally, not the evil pulse that staunch paleo zealots consider it to be. If you’ve got metabolic issues (i.e. problems controlling blood glucose or insulin levels), if you’re overweight or you have any kind of digestive issue then lentils are not your friend. More recently proponents in the paleo space are more along the lines of ‘legumes? Well… why would you bother when you could get your protein from animal meat which is far more nutrient dense (in terms of availability of minerals, vitamins D and K, and higher in digestable protein).The meals Breakfast: A poor man’s version of bulletproof coffee: butter in (instant) coffee. I know what you’re thinking – wtf?! It was surprisingly palatable. Or we had low expectations. Regardless, it is basically one step further than cream in coffee (which is certainly palatable), and a lot of people in the paleo-space have jumped on the bulletproof coffee bandwagon. Suffice to say I didn’t really feel bulletproof after drinking it – though many people claim the mental clarity comes through prolonged consumption. I’m happy to take their word for it.Lunches: Lentil soup made with lentils, grated carrot, stock, pepper, cumin and chilli. And a crapple. This was filling enough, but I didn’t feel particularly satisfied.Dinner: Vegetables along with an omelette of some sort, pan-fried in butter. I really looked forward to the omelette, as it’s my favourite egg meal. At the start of the week I also made a pumpkin bake (simplified version to one in the recipe section to the left) and baked one of the apples as a ‘dessert’ after dinner – I definitely looked forward to it. Not much variety in colour, texture, flavoursI chucked the average day’s food into FoodWorks to see what the overall energy (in kJ) and nutrient content was (below).It goes without saying that it is massively deficient in overall kilojoules, being less than half the normal amount of what I would usually consume. The protein content was slashed too. Typically my diet would consist of around 30% protein, but you can see that 23.7 g equated to just over 11% of overall energy intake – the amount of protein you might find in 100g of a grilled steak. Interestingly I didn’t notice that I was lacking in energy throughout the week. Indeed, there were times I felt hungry but my appetite diminished somewhat over the week. The food, largely, satisfied my hunger, but not my appetite for eating and I imagine that had something to do with it. It wasn’t until Friday when I woke up feeling like I had nothing left in the tank (rather than hungry) that I really noticed it. Equally, today (Sunday), a day and a half since going back to a normal diet, I noticed an overall lack of strength on my longer training run – Cam totally kicked my butt on our run this morning. To be fair, that usually happens, but it’s not quite so definitive. (I was quite glad Belinda wasn’t there also). I put some of the lack of strength down to lack of good nutrition during the week, having lost around 800g over five days. Don’t go thinking I would recommend this type of approach for quick weight loss. First, it just took a few good meals to bump that back up 500g. And, if you were to continue on this path then muscle loss, illness and injury (for athletes) would inevitably follow. If you don’t break physically first, the psychological breaking point of eating this food day in and out would certainly drive most people to the closest shop to make up for lost food. It really is no wonder that, when people don’t eat nourishing whole food, the drive to consume junk food is far greater. By the end of the week the smell of Subway located in the bottom of my building at work was almost appealing.What I missedReal coffee in my Katmandhu plunger.Animal protein and dairy – I hadn’t eaten vegetarian for so many meals in a row for as long as I could remember. I missed having my sardines or salmon at lunch, and I’d recently gotten into slow cooking meat to go along with mash and vegetables or salad at night, or a roast chicken. That type of food is just far more satisfyingGood, crisp, fresh applesMy soda stream sparkling water from my soda stream machine.Almond butterVariety: I missed the variety of food I typically eat – and it occurred to me that I didn’t chew as much as I normally did – usually a salad at lunch, and some crunchy vegetables at dinner, with fruit alongside breakfast made for a nice, crisp, colourful diet. I didn’t have that this week. So while I wasn’t hungry – I wasn’t necessarily satisfied.Texture of foodsMore than anything, I missed the freedom to eat what I want. It was a novelty for us but, for some, it’s a reality. So while I missed all of these things, I was safe in the knowledge that it was for a very short period of time. What I gained was a very small insight into what it could be like to live below the line, and a reminder of how lucky I am.Thanks to Trish, Dani, Deb and Glenn, Judith, Hels and Claire for donating too!