Junk Debunked

Friday, January 10th 2003

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By Maria Deveson Crabbe, former CEO Aussie Bodies and Author of Your Body Your Life

With the rise in childhood obesity, parents are taking greater care in preparing kids' school lunches and ensuring they get plenty of physical activity.

For many, the first step is to eliminate junk food. When we think junk food we tend to think of fried and fatty foods, fast food and sugary sweets and soft drinks. Parents and educators commonly malign these foods while continuing to feed their kids what I would classify as junk.

For instance, many health-conscious parents feed their kids breakfast cereals, without taking into account the high levels of sugar and refined flour they contain, and without ensuring the child has some good physical activity lined up to use all that sugar for energy.

Without this activity, and plenty of it, sugar and flour first thing in the morning put the body in weight gain mode and lay the foundation for an overweight and potentially obese child.

For instance, one bowl of rice-crisp cereal with milk may be low in fat and kilojoules but it has a significantly high glycemic index (GI). This means it raises blood glucose levels and overstimulates insulin, forcing the body to convert and store the excess glucose as fat. With insufficient activity and protein during the day, the child's metabolism remains too weak to utilise this fat for fuel as energy, so the child remains locked in fat forming mode.

I would therefore not hesitate to class breakfast cereals, breakfast bars and muesli bars as junk food.

Protein is an important factor in maintaining a healthy weight range but is consistently being overlooked as parents opt for the convenience of crackers, juice cartons and pre-packaged foods and snacks.

Protein lowers the GI of the meal, stabilising blood sugar and building up your metabolism, ensuring efficient use of kilojoules as energy instead of body fat storage. It actually rescues other foods from being stored as fat.

Ensuring your child gets adequate protein in their breakfast can be impractical for most parents, especially when there is more than one child to cater for. A quick way is to whip up a fruit smoothie with plenty of protein powder. There are many exciting fruit combinations to keep the kids' senses buzzing. This makes a perfect GI-lowering accompaniment to breakfast cereals or toast.

Here are some tips when preparing the kids' lunchbox:

If making sandwiches, try to use wholemeal or multi-grain bread; white bread is made with refined flour and elevates blood sugar, increasing chances of weight gain.

Pre-packed slices of chicken and turkey breast are excellent sources of protein and very convenient for sandwich making.

Eggs are not the cholesterol culprits we once thought they were - feel free to incorporate this healthy source of protein, vitamins and omega 3s in sandwiches.

Cheeses, preferably unprocessed, are good, especially cottage cheese which has the highest protein content.

Incorporate plenty of leafy green vegetables and tomatoes for antioxidants and fibre.

Fruit is always preferred to fruit juice because, even though both are rich in vitamins, juice is essentially the sugar content extracted from the fruit (in the form of fructose). The added fibre in fruit lowers the GI.

Peanut butter is fine because it contains predominantly poly- and monounsaturated fats which are not only healthy, they assist weight loss.

Use butter but avoid all types of margarine as these contain damaged, heat-processed fats which upset the metabolism.

Yogurts are great for digestion and normally contain a good balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat, but avoid the low-fat varieties as these tend to be high in sugar.

Minimise muesli bars, fruit bars and breakfast bars as these are too high in sugar, flour and empty kilojoules. Cheese sticks, nuts and fruit make for far more nutritious snacks.

Ask Maria

Q
I'm way too busy to eat the five or six small meals a day recommended for improving my metabolism and weight loss. Can I still get good results by eating three or four? Jacinta, Auckland

A
The philosophy behind eating frequently is sound and very effective in my experience. The idea is that it keeps stoking that inner furnace, being your metabolism, which controls losses and gains in weight. Frequent eating prevents highs and lows in blood sugar, which keeps insulin levels high and maximises risk of weight gain. It allows you to take advantage of the thermic effect of food - the amount of energy your body needs for digestion - after each meal, which helps to burn a few more kilojoules each day. You can certainly get away with eating four, five, or six times per day, assuming you're regularly engaging in physical activity and the same amount of food overall is being consumed.

Each body is different so use the PCF MenuMaker at life.aussiebodies.com.au which will help you plan your daily meals to suit your unique requirements. You don't have to stick to it down to the last morsel, but you will find that just being mindful of what is involved in reaching your daily targets will be a great step forward.

Q
I keep hearing that I need to eat more of the "healthy fats" but I'm too scared to start doing so because I just know that I will wear it. What are your thoughts? Candice, Wellington

A
"Healthy fats" are the essential fatty acids found in salmon, avocados, nuts, butter, flaxseed, olive oil and canola. You should only worry about wearing the fat if one or both of these factors are at play: you are eating the healthy fats in combination with too many refined carbohydrates (white bread, flour, sugar) or your metabolism has ground itself down after years of dieting, overeating or a sedentary lifestyle. Strictly speaking fat does not make you fat, but on a high-carbohydrate, low-protein diet, or a low-kilojoule diet, your chances of wearing the fat are much higher.

Reproduced unabridged from an article originally published in New Idea magazine, with the kind permission of Ebody.

Related health information can be found here:

The following products are all useful for Childrens Health:

Almond Butter - Organic
Cashew Nut Spread
Coromega - Omega 3 fish oil
Efalex Ability
Efalex Ability Oil
Max - Out Chocolate
Max - Out Vanilla
Unhulled Tahini

Related health information can be found here:

Carbohydrate and protein content of foods
Efamarine for healthy skin, hair and nails
How to read a food label
Hyperkinectic syndrome eating advice for hyperactivity
Levels of protein, carbohydrate and fat in Food
Obesity
Protein - a macronutrient so often overlooked
Recommended Calcium Intake for New Zealanders
Tahini
Weight loss naturally

Related articles can be found here:

CLA - Conjugated Linoleic Acid - vital spark for a lean body

Efamarine - help for joint mobility and the maintenance of immunity

Get moving gym-free!

Inhibit that fat!

Omega-3

Not only to fight obesity and depression - Rhodiola - more powerful than Ginseng!

Reduce abdominal fat with CLA

 

If you need help or advice, you are welcome to email our naturopathic team with your health question.

Disclaimer: The health information presented here has been written for the New Zealand health consumer. It is of a general nature and is only intended to provide a summary of the subjects covered. The information is not intended to be comprehensive or to provide medical advice to you. While all care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information, no responsibility or liability is accepted, and no person should act in reliance on any statement contained in the information provided. All health ailments should be treated by a qualified health professional.

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