Sons of the West Session 2: Let’s Talk Food with Andrew Ho-Peng (accredited practising dietitian) Q & A
Is intermittent fasting healthy?
“Evidence shows intermittent fasting is as effective (but not better) than a standard reduced-kilojoule diet for weight loss and may be useful for weight maintenance. Daily dieting is challenging, and for some people, the idea of ‘watching what you eat’ for only a set number of days, or hours in a week is mentally more appealing than other alternatives. The process of doing so may also encourage a more ‘mindful’ approach to eating, with followers being more attuned to hunger and fullness cues.” – DAA (2017)
Intermittent fasting being ‘healthy or not’ or rather a suitable tool for weight and health improvements really depends on the individual, their health goals and diet. If you adopt intermittent fasting, it’s important to ensure you also focus on eating a healthy balanced diet and exercise.
Strategies such as limiting processed and packaged foods and soft drinks and eating more vegetables will contribute to weight loss and health changes.
What vegetarian alternatives are there to oily fish?
For monounsaturated/polyunsaturated fatty acids – avocado, extra virgin olive oil, nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews, peanuts, pistachios), seeds (sunflower, pumpkin), chia seeds and eggs.
Where does grapeseed oil fit in with EV olive oil?
Grapeseed oil is sold as a ‘healthy oil’ however performs the worst when heated which leads to chemical changes, oxidative damage and the production of harmful compounds. Extra virgin olive oil when heated has better oxidative stability due to its fat profile and the high level of antioxidants protect it as it heats. (Preliminary results from the Evaluation of chemical and physical changes in different commercial oils during heating; Authors: De Alzaa, F.; Guillaume, C.; and Ravetti, L.; Modern Olives (2017).
Any diet tips for keeping cholesterol level under control?
- Eat less of foods high in saturated fats such as high fat dairy and animal foods with visible fat/fat on meat.
- Avoid foods with trans-fat such as deep-fried foods, biscuits, cakes and pastries, butter, takeaway and foods with ‘hydrogenated oils’ on the ingredients list.
- Consume foods with a higher monounsaturated/polyunsaturated fatty acid content mentioned above (question on vegetarian alternatives to oily fish).
- Eat foods with more dietary fibre such as oats, lentils/legumes, barley, vegetables, fruit, nuts, Barley+ cereal, chickpeas.
What about paleo diet? Claiming that grains are responsible for a lot of auto immune diseases?
A great resource about Paleo diet can be found by clicking here
Question on diet when in training for a triathlon: how many eggs and serves of dairy should you be having when training?
There is no known amount that athletes ‘should have’ of these foods however these foods typical provide specific nutrients that play a role in pre, during and post nutrition strategies for training and competition. Eggs predominantly for protein so mostly suitable after training and dairy predominantly for protein, carbohydrates, and fluid so suitable anytime.
Do we measure beans before or after cooking them when measuring serves?
It depends however in practice I recommend raw weight (before cooking).
Should I follow online calculators for working out macros and calories?
Nutrition is very personalised and individual, and I’d always encourage seeking professional advice. Calculators can be a useful tool to provide a guide about nutritional requirements however it’s important to ensure the tool you use is Australian Standards and from a credible provider. Try the following the daily nutrient requirements calculator here.
Do mushrooms fit into the vegetable category?
Yes
Where do protein shakes fit into the food groups?
Protein shakes technically don’t fall with the five-food groups as it’s not a whole food but rather a formulated beverage/supplement. As mentioned in the SOTW session, athletes and active individuals use protein shakes as part of their nutritional strategies to increase protein which is certainly OK and the evidence support its use. I would always encourage a food first approach before considering protein shakes and never replace whole foods exclusively with protein shakes. Eating food will provide you much more nourishment that will support health and performance beyond a protein shake.
If we're supposed to have 2-3 serves of meat per day, how come we're told not to have it every day?
It’s important to define this question about meat in the context of men’s health and bowel cancer as it’s one of the most common cancers in men. There is a great article from Cancer Council about meat, defined as red meat. Read more here.
I would encourage men to ensure they don’t eat excess amounts of red meat and mix up your daily serves of meat with a variety of foods within the lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, and legumes/beans food group.
Why is there such a large disparity between fruit and vegetables in recommended daily intake? Is it sugar?
The difference between the two recommended serve size amounts is not due to sugar content but rather what the research suggests for both. Fruits and veggies are studied together, not against each other and both food groups are key for health benefits. The evidence shows us that we need less fruit than vegetables, but both are very important to attain optimal health. There isn't a specific reason associated with sugar as to why we need less fruit, we note that 2 serves seem to be sufficient based on the evidence and 5 serves for veggies.
The evidence for consuming ‘plenty’ of vegetables (including legumes/beans) and evidence for consuming 2 serves of fruit are associated with reduction of weight, risk to certain health conditions.
Can we buy the power plates anywhere?
https://shop.ais.gov.au/Nestle-Portion-Plate and https://www.greatideas.net.au/portion-control-plate
