Baby Food

Introducing babies to the pleasures of healthy eating marks the beginning of an important stage in their development.

A nutritious diet and regular exercise should be a high priority for parents, because they provide so many benefits, both immediate and long term.

Taken from Healthy Food For Life
Info by Dr Susanna Holt (PhD, dietician)

Food Intolerances

An intolerance to wheat can mimic many of the symptoms of coeliac disease, yet if a biopsy of the small bowel shows that the gut is normal, coeliac disease is not present. Many people are able to reduce their symptoms of intolerance by decreasing the amount of wheat and/or gluten in an otherwise balanced and varied diet, without the need for total wheat exclusion.

Food intolerances usually have more than one trigger. Other possible triggers include:

* food additives (preservatives and colours)
* natural food chemicals (salicylates, amines and glutamates)
* lactose or fructose malabsorption

Consult a doctor or dietitian who specialises in food intolerances for investigation.

Taken from Healthy Food For Life
Info by Kim Faulkner-Hogg (BSc, Grad Dip Nutr & Diet)

Foods To Fill Up On

Eating generous portions of vegetable side dishes and salads, and drinking plenty of water will help satisfy your hunger. You will therefore be less tempted to overeat foods such as potatoes, bread and desserts that cause a rise in blood glucose levels.

Adding plenty of vegetables to main meals, such as rice and pasta dishes, is a good way to make them more filling without adding too many kilojoules. Having a generous bowl of salad or clear soup as a first course can fill you up and stop you from overeating.

* Green leafy vegetables: lettuce, rocket (arugula), spinach, bok choy, herbs

* Salad vegetables: capsicums (bell peppers), celery, cucumber, radishes

* Cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, green beans, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, garlic, snowpeas, sprouts, leeks, eggplant (aubergine), squash

* Clear soups, water, mineral or soda water, diet soft drinks, diet flavoured mineral water, black tea, green tea, herbal teas

* Fresh or frozen berries, raw tomatoes and carrots (these contain relatively little carbohydrate, but can still cause a rise in blood glucose level, so don't eat them in large amounts or keep eating them regularly during the day)

Taken from Healthy Food For Life
Info by Dr Susanna Holt (PhD, dietician)

Fibre

As with all diets, if a variety of foods are eaten from each of the food groups, the diet will be nutritionally adequate. Grains supply the body with the B-group vitamins, fibre and carbohydrate.

The B vitamins and carbohydrate are still adequately supplied when eating gluten-free grains, but the fibre levels are reduced. Maize cornflour, white rice flour and potato flour are the most frequently used flours in commercial gluten-free breads, pastas and snacks.

The husk or fibrous skin is not present in the flour, so these products can be very low in fibre compared to the equivalent gluten-containing products.

The foods listed below are good sources of fibre to include in your diet and cooking. As well as containing fibre, many of these foods provide vitamins and minerals that are required for good health.

High-Fibre Products

* brown rice
* brown rice flour
* buckwheat flour
* buckwheat grits
* chickpea flour (besan)
* dried fruit
* fresh fruit - including the skin
* high-fibre supplements - rice bran, amaranth or psyllium husks
* hi-maize flour
* legumes or beans - add to extend casseroles
* lentils or split peas - add to soups and casseroles
* nuts - not recommended for children under five years
* parboiled white rice
* seeds - add to breakfast cereals and baking
* soybeans
* soy flour
* soy grits
* vegetables - including the skin

Taken from Healthy Food For Life
Info by Dr Susanna Holt (PhD, dietician)

Eating For Energy

Regular training and a healthy balanced diet are both needed if you want to perform at your best, both physically and mentally. If you're not eating the right kind of foods to energise and heal your body, you will never be able to reach your full potential.

In order to reap the maximum rewards from training, you need to nourish your body with top-quality fuel and give it sufficient time to rest and recover. Serious athletes know that a healthy diet is equally important as training, physiotherapy and proper equipment.

The quality and quantity of food athletes choose to consume and the timing of their food intake can either enhance or impair performance. Athletes often use different dietary strategies at certain times, such as before and during sporting events, to help them achieve their goals. These strategies have been scientifically proven to boost sporting performance.

If you're not a competitive sportsperson, regular physical activity and a nutritious diet will help protect your long-term health and give you the energy you need to feel good while exercising, which will make it more enjoyable. The more serious you are about your sport, the more serious you need to be about your diet. Consequently, professional athletes work with a team of professionals to get the best therapy, dietary and training advice.

Taken from Healthy Food For Life
Info by Dr Susanna Holt (PhD, dietician)

Managing Diabetes

The main goal is to keep blood glucose within a relatively normal range to prevent problems such as heart disease, kidney failure, and blindness.

Diabetes is a long-term problem, so you will need to make lifestyle changes and learn to monitor your condition by:

* Eating a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight
* Getting regular physical activity and reducing stress levels
* Taking any diabetes-related medication prescribed for you
* Not smoking and only drinking alcohol in moderation, if at all
* Regularly checking your blood sugar
* Consulting your doctor and other relevant health professionals

Taken from Healthy Food For Life
Info by Dr Susanna Holt (PhD, dietician)

Tips for a healthy everyday diet

* The foods and drinks you consume before and during an event can help sustain your performance, but your daily diet has a bigger impact on your sporting ability by influencing how much effort you can put into your training.

The fitness and skill improvements you get from your training are crucial for determining how well you can perform during events.

* There is no one ideal diet that suits all active people. Individual dietary needs vary depending on your age, gender, activity level and the type of sport you're involved in.

Some sportspeople have high energy needs, such as triathletes and males trying to bulk up for power sports, whereas others need less energy to maintain a relatively low body fat level, such as gymnasts and lightweight rowers.

* However, the healthy 'dietary pyramid' approach generally applies to everyone. Most of the foods you eat should be fruit, vegetables, legumes and grain products, coupled with moderate amounts of protein-rich foods, such as lean meat, skinless poultry, eggs, fish, seafood, nuts and seeds, and small amounts of fat.

* Alcohol and less healthy foods (eg. fatty take-away foods, potato chips) should not be a regular part of your diet. Focus on maintaining a healthy diet most of the time.

Taken from Healthy Food For Life
Info by Dr Susanna Holt (PhD, dietician)

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Types of Diabetes

There are three main types of diabetes and a pre-diabetic condition:

1. Type 1 (insulin-dependent or juvenile-onset diabetes) - is the most serious but least common form and mostly occurs in normal weight children and young adults. People with type 1 diabetes cannot make the hormone insulin due to a damaged pancreas and require daily insulin injections to stay alive.

2. Type 2 (non-insulin dependent or adult-onset diabetes) - is the most common form and usually develops in overweight people after the age of 40 due to the body not responding to insulin properly. The risk of developing type 2 diabetes is increased by being overweight and inactive, having a family history of diabetes, and eating too much fat and refined carbohydrates. Treatment revolves around healthy eating, weight control and physical activity.

3. Gestational - is a temporary form of diabetes that develops in some women during pregnancy because certain hormones stop insulin from working properly. It usually disappears once the pregnancy is over, but if left untreated can result in a difficult delivery and health problems in the infant. It is usually detected during a routine blood test at 24-28 weeks, and is generally treated with healthy eating alone. Gestational diabetes increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life, but this can be reduced with a healthy lifestyle.

4. Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) - is a pre-diabetic condition where blood glucose is higher than normal but not in the diabetic range. IGT increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes but this can be prevented with a healthy diet and regular exercise, both of which are more effective than medication. As little as 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity, such as brisk walking, coupled with some weight loss, will improve your health.

Taken from Healthy Food For Life
Info by Dr Susanna Holt (PhD, dietician)

Detox Concept

The detox concept comes from the alternative health area, and refers to practices used to cleanse the body by eliminating habits and foods that introduce toxins, exacerbate allergies or intolerances, or lead to nutrient deficiencies.

The aim of detox diets is to cleanse your body and improve your health, not to lose weight (although this can be a welcome side effect).

Toxic Lifestyle Factors

* Alcohol
* Smoking and passive smoking
* Recreational drugs, some medications
* Antibiotics - particularly if taken over a relatively long period of time
* Exposure to pollutants and other toxic chemicals
* Poor dietary habits
* Regular intake of deep-fried foods and foods rich in saturated fat
* Not enough exercise or time spent outdoors
* Stress
* Regularly drinking 2 or more caffeine-containing drinks a day

What are toxins?

Toxins are chemicals that can harm the body. They can enter the body from the environment by being inhaled, ingested or absorbed through the skin, or they can be produced inside the body by certain bacteria and metabolic processes.

The nose, tongue, skin, liver and kidneys help prevent toxins from entering or remaining in our bodies, and all of our organs contain enzymes that can break down certain toxins.

However, poor dietary habits can impair the body's detoxification processes. Some toxins can be removed from the body through sweat, urine and faeces, but some fat-soluble toxins can accumulate in the body's fat stores. Losing excess weight while eating a low-fat, low-glycemic index (GI) diet can help remove these accumulated toxins by reducing your body fat stores.

Taken from Healthy Food For Life
Info by Dr Susanna Holt (PhD, dietician)

Tips for Low GI Eating

* Choose denser breads containing whole or cracked grains, and those made from stone-ground flours.

* Add barley or lentils to rice to lower the overall GI and reduce the amount of rice you eat.

* Instead of potatoes, use legumes, pasta, low-GI noodles, steamed unpeeled orange sweet potato, basmati rice or Doongara rice (CleverRice™).

* Don't chop or cut foods too finely or puree or mash them (this increases their GI value).

* Add a green salad dressed with vinegar to meals containing starchy foods, such as rice or potatoes (the vinegar helps reduce the meal's GI value).

* Don't cook pasta or rice until it is soft and soggy.

* Serve pasta with lots of salad and a tomato-based sauce, so you can fill up on vegetables and reduce the amount of pasta you eat.

Taken from Healthy Food For Life
Info by Dr Susanna Holt (PhD, dietician)

Healthy Eating Rules

1. Eat low-GI, carbohydrate-rich meals

Eating 4-6 smaller carbohydrate-rich meals and snacks, spread over the day, rather than 2-3 large meals will help control blood glucose. Ask your dietitian for advice about scheduling food intake around medication and activity patterns. Monitoring your blood glucose will also help you find out when and what you should eat, or if you've eaten too much.

2. Limit total fat (particularly saturated fat)

Eating too much saturated fat can cause weight gain, poor blood glucose control and high blood cholesterol, all of which are known to increase the risk of heart disease. Try to use low-fat cooking methods and choose low-fat dairy products, lean meat and poultry, and low-fat spreads.

Limit your intake of fried and fast foods, biscuits, pastries and cakes. Use small amounts of canola or olive oil when cooking and eat oily fish 2-3 times each week to make sure you get enough healthy essential omega-3 fats.

3. Increase fruit and vegetable intake

Aim to eat at least 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegetables each day. They will help you feel full, and in addition they contain many healthy nutrients, including antioxidants that can help protect tissues from being damaged by excess blood glucose.

4. Limit sugar and sugary food intake

Sugar doesn't cause diabetes and people with well-controlled diabetes don't have to avoid sugar completely but it should be treated with caution, especially if you need to lose weight. Adding a little sugar (or, better still, fresh fruit) to a bowl of porridge or bran cereal won't raise blood sugar very much, but having a soft drink or lollies in between meals will send it soaring. Reduced-sugar products are readily available and provide sweetness without too many calories or raising blood sugar.

5. Limit salt intake

Excess salt raises blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart and kidney disease. Avoid adding salt to meals and look for reduced- or no-added salt versions of canned and packaged foods. Use herbs, spices, lemon juice and vinegar for flavour.

6. Limit alcohol intake

Alcohol is high in calories so avoid it if you are trying to lose weight or have poorly controlled diabetes. Health authorities recommend drinking a maximum of 1-2 standard drinks a day, with alcohol-free days each week.

Choosing low-alcohol beer or diluting wine and spirits with soda water or a diet soft drink are better choices. If you take diabetic medication, you must eat some carbohydrate (such as bread or low-fat crackers) whenever you drink alcohol to reduce the risk of hypoglycaemia.

Taken from Healthy Food For Life
Info by Dr Susanna Holt (PhD, dietician)

Gluten-Free Foods

Fresh milk, butter, cheese, fruit, vegetables, legumes, seeds, red meat, chicken and seafood are all gluten free. Tea, coffee and wine can be consumed, but regular beers must be excluded.

Gluten-Free Flours, Grains & Alternatives

* amaranth
* arrowroot
* buckwheat
* carob
* corn (maize) including maize cornflour (cornstarch)
* guar gum
* legume flours including chickpea flour (besan)
* lentil flour
* lupin
* millet
* nut flours including almond and hazelnut meal
* polenta (cornmeal)
* potato flour (starch)
* psyllium
* quinoa
* rapeseed
* rice including rice bran, rice flour
* sago
* seeds including linseeds (flaxseeds), pepitas (pumpkin seeds), poppy seeds, sesame seeds
* sorghum
* soy flour
* tapioca
* xanthan gum

Taken from Healthy Food For Life
Info by Kim Faulkner- Hogg (BSc, Grad Dip Nutr & Diet)

Diabetic Diets

Thanks to scientific research, diabetic diets are no longer as restricted as they used to be. Many people think that as long as people with diabetes avoid sugar, they can eat anything else. However, just like everyone else, people with diabetes need to consider the quality of their whole diet.

If you have a relatively good control over your diabetes, sugar and other indulgences needn't be completely avoided, but they shouldn't be overeaten. Overeating any food can cause the blood glucose level to remain high for hours, causing problems such as tiredness, nausea and blurry vision. A dietitian will be able to give you advice about how to be flexible with holiday meals.

For example, if you've eaten some snacks before sitting down to a large main meal, eat only a small portion of dessert or eat something that contains less carbohydrate and kilojoules, such as fresh fruit. Alternatively, if you want to eat dessert, eat a smaller first course or main meal.

If you overeat one day, do some exercise to compensate and return to your normal diet as soon as possible.

Don't let the holidays become one long buffet, or rely on convenience and processed foods during the Christmas and New Year season.

These foods are often high in fat, sugar, salt and kilojoules. Instead, buy or make healthier versions of your favourite foods so you don't have to compromise your health just to indulge your tastebuds.

Taken from Healthy Food For Life
Info by Dr Susanna Holt (PhD, dietician)

Coeliac Nutrition

If you suffer from coeliac disease, it is not unusual to gain weight when you start a gluten-free diet because the body is beginning to fully absorb its food.

The first priority when starting the diet is to familiarise yourself with the foods you can have. Once you are feeling more comfortable, you can address any weight issues that arise.

Some people welcome the weight gain, but others do not. Some find that being unable to eat gluten-containing snacks means that they snack less, and this helps to maintain their weight.

Others may need to become aware of the amount of fats and oils contained in food, the portion size of the food they eat and the amount of exercise that they are doing.

Taken from Healthy Food For Life
Info by Kim Faulkner- Hogg (BSc, Grad Dip Nutr & Diet)

Wheat Allergy

Wheat allergy is usually seen in young children. It is generally mild and most children grow out of it quite quickly. True food allergy tends to arise in families who have a history of childhood eczema or asthma. It occurs when the body produces an antibody to the wheat protein. Most children eventually stop producing this antibody.

The majority of wheat allergies are mild. The symptoms may include itchy skin, eczema, or cold- or flu-like symptoms. In the rare case of a severe allergy, symptoms such as swelling and itchiness of the tongue and mouth, stomach cramps, vomiting or diarrhoea may occur within minutes of any wheat contacting the mouth.

In extremely rare cases, wheat has been known to cause anaphylaxis, or difficulty in breathing, in children or adults if they have eaten wheat around the same time that they have done intense exercise. In this case, adrenaline needs to be administered immediately.

A simple skin prick test or blood test by a doctor can confirm whether or not an allergy to wheat is present. If a severe allergy is present, wheat must be strictly avoided, but other gluten grains can usually be eaten.

If a very mild allergy is present, some people are able to eat a small amount of wheat, depending on the symptoms experienced. Let your healthcare team guide you on the exclusion of wheat from the diet.

Taken from Healthy Food For Life
Info by Kim Faulkner- Hogg (BSc, Grad Dip Nutr & Diet)

Low GI Food

Carbohydrates And Blood Glucose Level

It's recommended that people with diabetes space their daily carbohydrate intake evenly over the day's meals and snacks to avoid large rises in blood glucose levels after eating. People with type 2 diabetes who control their condition with diet and exercise alone may not need snacks, but may benefit from eating six smaller meals during the day rather than three large ones.

This can be a good strategy to cope with events where food is plentiful throughout the day. Your doctor and dietitian can advise you about an appropriate meal pattern for your condition and medication.

Remember, there is no one type of diabetes. Your dietary needs also depend on your age, physical activity level, the medication you're taking, and other health factors.

Choosing carbohydrate-rich foods with a low GI value instead of high-GI foods can help control your blood glucose level, because low-GI foods don't cause blood glucose levels to rise as high. Scientific studies have shown that a low-fat diet based on low-GI, carbohydrate-rich foods can help improve blood glucose control, blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and weight control.

Therefore, where possible, people with diabetes should choose foods with a low- or medium GI value rather than high-GI foods. However, it is still important to eat sensible amounts of low- and medium-GI foods.

Tips For Low-Gi Eating

Not all carbohydrates cause a blood sugar spike. In fact, the amount of sugar or starch in a food is not a good indication of its blood glucose (glycaemic) effect. There are many different types of sugars and starches, and they are digested at different rates and have different effects on blood glucose.

Preparation and cooking methods will also affect the blood glucose response. The more processed a food is, the easier it is to digest and the higher its glycaemic index (GI) value. Scientists developed the GI method to measure the extent to which different carbohydrate-rich foods increase blood glucose when eaten.

Although they contain the same amounts of carbohydrate, foods with a high GI value (>70) are digested faster and produce a quicker and higher rise in blood glucose than foods with a medium (56-69) or low GI value (<55).

People with diabetes should choose carbohydrate-rich foods with low to medium GI values. Switching from high- to low-GI foods, limiting fat intake and exercising regularly will improve your health.

Taken from Healthy Food For Life
Info by Dr Susanna Holt (PhD, dietician)

Coeliac Disease

Coeliac disease is believed to be one of the most common gastrointestinal diseases found in Caucasians today. It can develop in infancy, childhood or at any time during adulthood. It appears to affect more women than men, and tends to be hereditary.

When gluten is eaten by a person with coeliac disease, a series of reactions occur in the gut that damage and flatten the lining of the small intestine. The lining is usually made up of small finger-like ridges, called villi, which help the body absorb the nutrients from the food eaten. The flattening of the villi is called villous atrophy. When this occurs, less of the food eaten can be absorbed into the body. Coeliac disease is treated by following a lifelong gluten-free diet.

Symptoms

Symptoms can vary depending on age, sensitivity to gluten, and degree of impairment of nutrient absorption. Traditionally the most common symptoms are weight loss or failure to thrive in young babies, diarrhoea, reflux, abdominal cramping, bloating, flatulence, nausea, vomiting, muscle wasting, and malabsorption of virtually all nutrients.

Today many adults and children do not present with these severe signs of coeliac disease, dominated by gastrointestinal complaints. It is quite a challenge for doctors to diagnose, since constipation, headaches, sub-optimal school performance, mild gut upsets, low blood iron, fatigue, multiple miscarriages, osteoporosis, bone fractures or general malaise may be the only clues to suggest the presence of the disease.

Diagnosis

Although there are a number of blood tests to screen for coeliac disease, only a small bowel biopsy can diagnose the condition. If you suspect you have coeliac disease, consult your doctor before making any dietary changes.

Do not experiment with a gluten-free diet as you must be regularly eating foods that contain gluten when the blood tests and small bowel biopsy are carried out.

Associated Conditions

The number of people being diagnosed with coeliac disease has increased in the last five to ten years because the blood tests allow people to be screened more easily. As a result, people with mild symptoms and even some who appear to have no symptoms at all are currently being diagnosed with coeliac disease.

Those with insulin-dependent diabetes, thyroid disease or osteoporosis have been found to be more likely to have coeliac disease than others in the population. It has been noted that in some people insulin and thyroid medications are better absorbed, and often the doses can be reduced after following a gluten-free diet for some time.

Taken from Healthy Food For Life
Info by Kim Faulkner- Hogg (BSc, Grad Dip Nutr & Diet)

Food allergies: what are they?

Food allergies are becoming increasingly common. About 6% of children and 1-2% of adults have some form of true food allergy.

Food allergy is where the immune system reacts to a food, causing symptoms that range from mild to life-threatening. Reactions are usually due to the proteins in certain foods and occur each time the food is eaten, although the symptoms may be more or less severe each time.

Managing food allergies

The most important part of managing a food allergy is to avoid all foods causing the allergy. It is important to read food labels and ingredients lists on all packaged foods.

New food labelling laws mean that any food containing an allergenic food must be clearly marked as such. However, many foods say 'may contain traces of…'. Food manufacturers are not required to put this on their products, but may do so to protect themselves from litigation, despite there being very little risk.

However, many do so to protect 'at risk' people, as there may be contamination of the food with allergen, particularly foods manufactured on the same production line. Always ring the food manufacturer if it's unclear whether a food is allergen-free or not. If there is even only a small risk of allergen being in the food, or if there is any uncertainty, it must be avoided.

When eating out, ask about ingredients and, again, if there is any uncertainty, avoid the food. It may be appropriate to provide food for your child when they are invited to parties, and to have a source of 'safe' food available at kindy or school for special occasions or celebrations.

If a child has an allergic reaction, it depends on the severity of the reaction as to what treatment is required, and your doctor can advise you as to what is needed. If your child is considered to be at risk of having an anaphylactic reaction, they should be prescribed adrenaline (Epipen®) and given an anaphylaxis action plan, which describes what to do in the event of a reaction.

Children with food allergies should live very happy, normal lives. We need to protect them at all times, and ensure that while doing so that we do not allow their nutrition to suffer.

Taken from Healthy Food For Life
Info by Dr Jane Peake (MBBS, FRACP, DTM&H) Paediatric Immunologist and Allergist

Do you have diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition in which the blood sugar (glucose) level is excessively high for one of two reasons: either the body cannot produce enough insulin, or the body cannot use insulin properly.

In both healthy people and diabetics, blood sugar rises after eating as the food's carbohydrates are digested into glucose and absorbed into the blood.

In healthy people, the rise in blood sugar stimulates the pancreas to release a hormone called insulin. Insulin enables body cells to absorb the glucose and fats in the blood, causing the blood sugar level to fall back down to normal.

In people with diabetes, the pancreas doesn't make enough insulin or the cells don't respond to it properly, so glucose and fats cannot get into the body's cells and build up in the blood. The blood sugar rises to a higher level after eating, doesn't fall as quickly, and remains higher than normal, even many hours after eating.

If left untreated, the high blood glucose and fat levels can damage the eyes, nerves and blood vessels, and increase the risk of heart disease, kidney and circulatory problems. Symptoms of undiagnosed diabetes can include frequent urination, excessive thirst, tiredness, infections and leg cramps.

Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are an essential part of minimising the risk of the serious health problems associated with diabetes.

Taken from Healthy Food For Life
Info by Dr Susanna Holt (PhD, dietician)

Gluten-Free Diet

Even those with few or no symptoms are required to follow a lifelong gluten-free diet in order to avoid long-term complications of coeliac disease.

Sufferers of the disease have an increased risk of developing a cancer somewhere in the gastrointestinal tract, but the chance of this decreases after following a gluten-free diet for five years.

The avoidance of gluten will also lead to the regrowth of the villi in the small intestine so any nutrient deficiency can be corrected.

These nutrient deficiencies commonly include low blood iron and folate, which could cause anaemia and fatigue, and diminished calcium absorption, which could cause a weakening of the bones, resulting in bone fractures or osteoporosis.

Taken from Healthy Food For Life
Info by Kim Faulkner- Hogg (BSc, Grad Dip Nutr & Diet)