October 2008

October 10, 2008 23:32 - Lifestyles of the worker and not-so-famous

The availability of biscuits is my pet hate. In most offices that you go to, there will be a biscuit tin. The problem is not the biscuit per se, it's our will power not to eat them, and the fact that they are always there - a seemingly never-ending supply.

Well in response to this I've decided to put myself out on a limb and suggest a healthier, more weight-control friendly option. What about replacing the good old biscuits with fruit. Why not have a fruit bowl instead. Granted I won't get that sugar fix, but there is so much more benefit in eating an apple or an orange.

I think part of the obesity problem is that a large majority of us are involved in sedentary occupations. It really doesn't help when we then eat food that is heavily laden with fat and sugar (e.g. biscuits).

We slouch over our desks all day. Chest muscles get stressed, upper back muscles get stretched and we end up with forward shoulder rolls. We eagerly consume biscuits in order to keep ourselves awake with the sugar fix or plaster ourselves with coffee.

I was just reading a brief issued by the California Nutrition Network for Healthy, Active Families which made a great point. If you don't have access to fruit & vegetables while you're at work then you'd have to eat 1 - 2 cups of fruit and vegetables every waking hour after work in order to meet your daily requirements.

Do you do that, because I sure don't.

You'd also have to spend most of your evening doing something active, because you've spent your entire day sitting down. WOW. So while you're busy eating all those fruits and vegetables, you need to be walking on the treadmill as well ! That's why its so hard to be motivated because at the end of the day, you've given your body nothing but empty calories to fuel it and the most activity you have gotten, is getting up to collect the printing from the printer.

It's an interesting document, I'm not sure that all of it's recommendations are do-able in every workplace, as some employers can be real !0*! But one suggestion is that you can get together with a couple of your work mates and chip in to buy the fruit for the fruit bowl.

It's food for thought. Go and have a look, and let me know what you think. Here's the link.

October 11, 2008 17:21 - Your Say

October 16, 2008 21:21 - Little Known Super Grain Revealed

Think of a healthy grain / cereal.

Got it ? If you thought of maybe brown rice, whole wheat, or barley, you wouldn't be alone. It's no secret that the less processed forms of these grains are healthier and higher in fiber than their more processed counterparts.

Photo: Wholegrain Freekeh, courtesy of Greenwheat Freekeh Pty Ltd.

Having gotten that out of the way, I'd like to tell you about an ancient form of wheat. It's called Freekeh, a form of wheat that is harvested when the grain is still young and then roasted. I'd never heard of Freekeh before, have been devouring information about this extraordinary grain ever since stumbling upon it in a book called Star Foods by Dr. Joanna McMillan Price and Judy Davie.¹

I went into my local health food store and asked for Freekeh. The attendant said, 'Oh I've heard of it but I don't think we've got that.' That may change in a couple of years when the word gets out about Freekeh.

The reason that I think this, is because slowly but surely the low-carb mantra is weakening and there is growing evidence that diets high in wholegrain cereals and legumes are linked with lower body mass index, and decreased risk of being overweight.⁴

A study published in 2004 reviewing 556 studies into weight loss and consumption of wholegrain cereals and legumes, found that calorie controlled diets high in wholegrain cereals and legumes such as brown rice, chick peas or kidney beans significantly increases the chances of losing weight.³

Freekeh is reported to deliver up to four times the amount of fibre of brown rice. Greenwheat Freekeh in Australia claim that it can have up to 16.5 % m/m of fibre when compared to brown rice's 3.9 % m/m² - that's pretty awesome. It's also rich in iron, zinc, potassium and calcium.¹

The starch in Freekeh also cannot be absorbed in the small intestine which means that the carbohydrate load of Freekeh is less than that of rice or pasta.¹

Photo: Cooked Wholegrain Freekeh, courtesy of Greenwheat Freekeh Pty Ltd.

If you can find it, Freekeh offers your body bang for the calories consumed, and if I were looking for a food that would help to curb my appetite, fill me up and provide all sorts of benefits such as promoting good bowel health - this would be what I'd be looking for in the supermarket.

If you'd like to try some Freekeh - ask for it at Trader Joes Supermarkets which are apparently carrying it in the U.S. If you live in Australia, Coles are currently stocking it in their health food section but it may be hard to find. I went into two Coles stores and was not able to purchase it. They will however order it if you ask them. So for all those Australian readers, make sure you put an order in with coles for this fabulous food item.

For recipes using Freekeh have a look at Greenwheat Freekeh's site and be sure to try the breakfast cereal recipe which can be kept in the fridge for 10 days.

1. MacMillan Price, J. & Davie J. (2008) Star Foods ABC p. 70

2. Greenwheat Freekeh

3. Williams, PG, Gafenauer, SJ and O’Shea, JE, Cereal grains, legumes, and weight management: a comprehensive review of the scientific evidence, Nutrition Reviews, 66(4), 2004, 171-182.

4. Go Grains

Many thanks to Tony Lufti, Managing Director at Greenwheat Freekeh for his cooperation in researching Freekeh.

September 2008 «

Diet & Fitness Tips

If you found this useful, get great diet recipes, fat burning exercises and other articles like this article in the weekly diet & fitness newsletter. Sign up now so that you don't forget.

Home
Newsletter
Sutherland Shire Res.'s Call 9501 0848