Subject: Nutrition Tips from Your Dietitian - October 2011
From: Sue Radd\'s Nutrition and Wellbeing Clinic <[email-masked]>;
To: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:40:25 +1000

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Issue 23, October 2011

Hello Valued Reader,

Wow!  It’s already October!  This month you’ll learn how getting a good night's sleep can help you look and feel your best for summer.  And discover important new health information to spring clean your diet and kitchen equipment at our upcoming Detox cookshop.  We hope you enjoy the last month of Spring!

What’s in the News – Early Bird or Night Owl?

Are you an early bird or night owl?  Your sleeping patterns could be placing you at risk of weight gain.

According to a recent study of 52 people from the US published in the International Journal of Obesity, people who went to bed late consumed an extra 248 calories (1036 kJ) each day.  This is equivalent to a small meal – enough to fuel weight gain in almost everyone, unless you are an athlete!  On average, night owls had a higher Body Mass Index of 26 (which falls in the overweight category) compared to 23.7 (within the healthy weight range).  It was estimated the excess calorie consumption from pushing out sleep time to later at night could lead to a gain of 1 kilo per month!

Overall, late sleepers were found to eat twice as much fast food, half as many fruits and vegetables and down more soft drinks.  But an increase in their calorie intake was probably not the only cause for their weight gain.  According to one of the researchers involved in this study, timing of meals is also important.  The human circadian rhythm (our own body clock) is linked to cellular metabolism.  Eating when you’re meant to be sleeping can wreak havoc for your metabolism, and potentially lead to weight gain on its own accord.

Another study hot off the press in 2011 from The New England Journal of Medicine reveals that total duration of sleep is, likewise, important.  The bottom line: people who sleep less than six hours each night or those who slumber for more than eight hours, are also at greater risk of gaining weight.

How many hours do you get each night?

Today there is a ubiquitous intrusion of personal, social and cultural activity on the time, which would have been previously used for sleep.  Yet getting a good night’s sleep should be a priority area for our health and wellbeing.  Not only can adequate quantity and quality of sleep help keep your weight in check, it’ll also improve your judgement, creativity, initiative, decision making as well as boost your mood  Not to mention that when we have less sleep, we get irritated with those closest to us!

So, “learn from cats – rest and take naps”, according to Professor Hosen Kiat from the Cardiac Health Institute in Eastwood, Australia.  “They sleep and stretch a lot and always look refreshed later in the day”.  Anyway, they must know something to end up with nine lives he reckons.

Health Tip

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” - Anne Frank

What’s Cooking in October – DETOX Your Body Cookshop: Spring Clean Your Diet & Kitchen Equipment!

Summer’s just around the corner and it may be time to take stock of your eating habits before you hit the beach!

In case you’re wondering, this is not like the lemon detox or carrot juice diet where you only get to consume water and juice!

No deprivation here, simply a healthy way to live – for good.  We’ll show you evidenced based ideas to detox your food choices, cooking methods and cookware so you can feel great – inside and out!

Emerging science shows it’s not only what you eat, but how you store and cook your food that counts!  Toxic chemicals lurking in certain foodstuffs, pans and plastic containers could be placing you at greater risk of infertility, thyroid disease, cancer and other chronic conditions.  This is important new information you will not want to miss!

You may have heard about BPA in babies bottles on 60 Minutes.  We'll also be talking about PFOA, HCA and PAH's - to name just a few of the nasties that you will want to avoid or, at least, minimise your exposure to.

What 3 people said about our Go Vego cookshop last month:

"It was great.  Eleven out of ten."

"Very organised and professional and fun!"

"Loved everything.  I could not believe how tasty it all was.  Cheesecake was delicious!"

Join us on 25th October 6:30 – 8:30 pm to discover the safest cookware and taste delicious wholefoods.  Minimise your exposure to toxic chemicals and live well.

Learn more about this cookshop.

Call NOW on (02) 9899 5208 to book your place.  Bring a friend!

What’s Fresh – Dates

Did you know this little oval shaped fruit not only tastes great, but is packed full of healthy nutrients?  Dates are an excellent source of fibre – both soluble and insoluble – which helps keep your cholesterol down, sustains you for longer and can aid your bowel habit.  If you suffer from constipation, enjoy a few dates each day to help you become more regular.

This fruit is also an excellent source of potassium - important to help control your blood pressure.  Further, dates are a good source of iron, which is needed to carry oxygen around your body.  And they are simply loaded with antioxidants, which can help boost your immune system.

Traditionally, dates come from Asia and the Middle East and have been loved for centuries.  Dates are now grown in Australia and it’s pleasing to know you can get fresh dates all year round.  Store your dates in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three weeks.

While dried dates have some of the same health benefits as fresh ones, they do contain up to twice the amount of sugar and calories due to their lower moisture content – so, as the saying goes, fresh is best if you’re going to tuck in!

The easiest way for you to have a few dates is to nibble on them in between meals in place of other sweet morsels.  You can also stuff fresh dates with soft cheese, almonds and other fillings, or add dates when baking muffins or fruit salad.

3 ways with dates

Chop up some dried dates and add to your cereal or porridge.

Enjoy a few fresh dates as a sweet snack between meals.

Try these pear and fresh date muffins.

In the Kitchen – Magnetic Knife Rack

Where do you store your kitchen knives?  In a drawer, where it’s easy to accidentally jab yourself when retrieving these tools?  Perhaps a wooden knife block – making it tricky to guess the position of the knife you are after, often requiring you to make several attempts?

How about trying a magnetic knife rack?

Magnetic knife racks are a super convenient way to store your full range of kitchen knives – chefs use them - rather than rummaging through drawers or playing a guessing game with a knife holder.  They can be fitted on a convenient wall or the side of a kitchen cabinet, and therefore don’t take up any drawer or bench space.  Perfect if you live in an apartment.  Knife racks also help keep your knives sparkling clean and sharp.  Normally, the constant rubbing of knives in a drawer or holder blunts the blades.

If you have young kids, simply fit your knife rack beyond their reach!  If you have lots of knives, buy two strips and stick them side by side or one directly beneath the other, allowing for the maximum knife height.

You can purchase magnetic knife racks from all major department stores.  Prices start from $20 AUS.

Clinic News – ‘Like’ us on Facebook

Are you on Facebook?  We are!  We’re sure you’ll ‘like’ our Culinary Medicine Cookshop page. Keep up to date with additional cookshop info, including exclusive information and photos from behind the scenes, as well as interesting nutrition tips from our dietitians.  Have you tried a new recipe or dined at a new restaurant lately?  Tell us what you like and what works for you.

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Published by the Nutrition & Wellbeing Clinic, Copyright 2011.

Suite 10, 80 Cecil Avenue, Castle Hill NSW 2154 Ph: 61 2 9899 5208 Fx: 61 2 9899 2848 www.sueradd.com

We are a boutique Dietitians clinic in Sydney, Australia, offering one-on-one consultations, culinary medicine cooking workshops, motivational health seminars and nutrition advisory services to businesses in the local and global area.

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