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caption@P@ 1 74 Photography stephanie rausser/trunkarchive. com/snapper media Just because a food is good for you doesn’t mean it’s waistline-friendly. Karen Fittall investigates a good thing?gm0814toop74 - 74 2014-06-17T12:15:21+10:00

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caption@P@ 1 75 PhotograPhy stephanie rausser/trunkarchive. com/snapper media Y ou’ve put a stop to the takeaways, cut back on the alcohol and waved goodbye to your chocolate habit in an attempt to shed a few kilograms. The problem is, the weight isn’t shifting, which means it could be time to ask whether it’s the healthy things you’re eating and drinking that are to blame. Confused? Dietitian Tara Diversi says it all comes down to kilojoules. “Weight loss relies on consuming fewer kilojoules than your body needs each day, and along with essential vitamins and minerals, healthy foods still contain kilojoules,” she says. “Eat too many of them and no matter how essential they are for your health and wellbeing, it can negatively affect your attempts to lose weight.” Here’s how five food types with genuine health benefits might be sabotaging your weight-loss goals – and how to regain control. You think: “they’re not as ‘fattening’ as the full-fat versions.” the facts: While low-fat varieties of foods like yoghurt and cheese do contain less fat, they don’t necessarily contain fewer kilojoules. “Many processed, low-fat foods have a high sugar content to make up for the loss in taste that the reduction in fat can create, so they are still high in kilojoules,” says Food & Nutrition Australia dietitian, Sharon Natoli. the stats: But the big problem is that, according to US research, people eat as much as 50 per cent more of a food with a low-fat claim, partly because they lull us into a false sense of security. Diversi has another explanation: “Fat helps us feel full, so when it’s removed from a food, you might need more of it to create the same feeling.” Rethink it by:reading nutrition information panels rather than relying solely on a food’s low-fat claim, to learn what constitutes a ‘serve’ and how many kilojoul

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caption@P@ 1 76 You think: “Fresh fruit juice is a healthy choice.” the facts: It can be, but it’s also full of sugar. “Fruit juice is undoubtedly better for you than fizzy drink because it contains vitamin C, potassium, some B vitamins, and if the skins are left on, even fibre,” says Diversi. “But it’s still an energy-dense choice, containing about the same amount of sugar as soft drink.” the stats: Drinking three 250ml glasses of 100 per cent orange juice is the equivalent of eating five medium-sized oranges and contributes 1050kJ. That adds up to at least 13 per cent of your daily energy requirement ‘spent’ on liquid alone. Rethink it by:Swapping juice for water, and meeting your daily fruit requirements with whole fruit instead. and if you do drink juice, choose a small serve and add vegetables like carrot and celery into the mix to create a juice that contains fewer kilojoules. You think: “Surely there’s no such thing as ‘too much’?” the facts: There’s a reason experts recommend sticking to two serves of fruit a day: overdo it and you risk overloading on sugar, and sugar equals kilojoules. “Despite fruit being healthy,” says Diversi, “you can definitely have too much of a good thing. And fruit is quite easy to overeat, which can make losing or managing your weight harder.” the stats: Apples, bananas, oranges and peaches are all packed full of essential vitamins and minerals, but eat one of each in a day and you’ll consume 57g – or 14 teaspoons – of sugar. That’s seven more grams than the recommended daily maximum for the average female, even before you account for the sugar found in other healthy foods like milk and yoghurt. Rethink it by: “Sticking to two serves a day, and paying attention to your portion sizes,” says Diversi. “one cup of diced fruit or a fist-sized piece is a serve.” also remember that some frui

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caption@P@ 1 77 As well as overdoing it on genuinely healthy foods, those that merely have a healthy ring to them might also be jeopardising your weight-loss efforts. Watch out for: ChoLEStERoL-FREE FoodS It’s mainly the saturated fat in food, not the cholesterol, that raises blood cholesterol levels. It’s also possible for a food, like vegetable oil, to be cholesterol-free, but 100 per cent fat and high in kilojoules. FoodS With ‘aLL-natURaL’ ingREdiEntS Fat, oil, sugar and even butter are all natural, but aren’t healthy in large quantities. Read the nutrition information panel to see how a product really stacks up. VitaMin-FoRtiFiEd FoodS Foods fortified with nutrients like vitamin C and calcium can be healthy dietary additions, but don’t use the presence of extra nutrients as an excuse to overindulge. Dr Alan Barclay, spokesperson for the Dietitians Association of Australia, adds: “Unless a food that’s been fortified is healthy in itself, leave it on the shelf.” FoodS With no addEd SUgaR This doesn’t mean the product is low in sugar. For example, a 250ml glass of fresh orange juice naturally contains 4.5 teaspoons of sugar. 93 PER CEnt Fat-FREE FoodS Not only does it still contain seven per cent fat, this label doesn’t convey how the food compares to a product without the fat-free claim. \ You think: “Being pesticide-free means that it’s more nutritious.” the facts: The debate about whether organic food contains more nutrients still rages, but recent research has confirmed that some food – including tomatoes and milk – is ‘healthier’ and has a higher antioxidant content when it’s produced organically. But research also shows how going organic might be a negative when you’re trying to lose weight. the stats: A US study from Cornell University proved that people perceive organic foods as having 40 per cent fewer kilojoules than th