Fast Food = Fast Weight Gain

Most of the fast food companies operating in Australia are aware of society’s increased interest in nutrition over the past decade, and therefore provide Nutrition Information Panels on their products for consumers. Other chains have printed information or forms that you can request. Having these Nutrition Information Panels on their packaging can appeal to the health conscious individual, but what do these numbers really mean? Ask yourself; if you have read one of these labels before, have you been able to interpret the impact on your nutritional needs?

An average Australian male requires 2000 - 2200 calories per day, to maintain a healthy weight. The average McDonald’s takeaway meal provides approximately 1200 calories (60% of an average male’s energy requirement). For an overweight female trying to lose 0.5kg per week, these 1200 calories are equivalent to her daily suggested calorie intake.

The table below outlines the number of calories that are contained within four typical fast food meals compared with the calorie count of  four comparable home made meals. 

As a guide, no more than approximately a third of your fat intake should be coming from saturated fat (6). For an average male, this equates to approximately 20 - 25g of saturated fat per day. For a female, following a 1200 calorie meal plan, this is approximately 12g saturated fat per day – with each of the below takeaway meals providing significantly greater amounts.

The table below highlights the saturated fat content contained within the same four fast food meals compared with the home made variations.

Not only are takeaway foods calorie and fat dense, they also distort our concept of meal portions from an early age. Promoting larger meals at cheaper prices, it encourages people to consume far beyond our nutritional limits.

References

1. Calculated per ‘McDonalds: Nutrition - Know Your Food’ available at http://mcdonalds.com.au/our-food/nutrition
2. Calculated per ‘Calorie Count’ available at http://caloriecount.about.com/
3. Calculated per ‘KFC Nutrition Information’ available at http://www.kfc.com.au/nutrition/index.aspx
4. Calculated per ‘Hungry Jacks Menu available at http://www.hungryjacks.com.au/menu.php
5. Calculated per ‘Subway’ Nutrition Information available at http://www.subway.com.au/info/our_menu/nutritional_information/
6. The Heart Foundation. Where to find Healthier Fats. 15th October 2011 available at http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/sites/HealthyEating/understandingfatsandcholesterol/Pages/Wheretofindhealthierfats.aspx

Low Fat Makeovers: How to Modify your Favourite Recipes

Low fat cooking doesn’t have to mean bland, boring food. Even though removing fat removes some flavour, there are plenty of delicious options to replace it with! In this article we’ll show you three easy ways to modify your favourite recipes: substitute high fat for low fat ingredients, reduce the levels of high fat ingredients and eliminate high fat ingredients:

1. Substitute

The following low fat options can be substituted for their high fat counterparts:

Butter and margarine (1 Tbsp = 16g fat)
- Cottage cheese, mustards, chutneys, fruit spreads or honey
(If you use butter use mono or polyunsaturated margarine and spread it thinly.)

Oil (1 Tbsp = 20g fat)
- Experiment using soy sauce, lemon juice, wine or stocks to stir fry or sauté
- Use non-stick pans and no oil at all
(If you use oil choose vegetable oils such as canola, olive and sunflower. Use small amounts and brush or spray rather than pour.)

Cream (1 Tbsp = 7g fat)
- For soups and casseroles stir in non-fat natural yoghurt
- For desserts use low fat ice cream, yoghurt, ricotta cheese or low fat custard. Add a little icing sugar, honey, fruit or liqueur for sweetness

Sour cream (1 Tbsp = 7.5g fat)
- Use low fat natural yoghurt, buttermilk or evaporated skim milk mixed with a little lemon juice

Coconut cream/milk
- Use evaporated skim milk with a little coconut essence.

Cheese (variable fat content)
- Use smaller amounts of lower fat varieties such as mozzarella, bocconcini, ricotta or cottage cheese
- Mix cheese with oats, breadcrumbs or wheat germ for toppings on casseroles and baked dishes

Mayonnaise/dressing (1 Tbsp = 6.5g)
- Use low fat yoghurt, ricotta or buttermilk with added garlic, lemon, mustard, tomato paste, vinegars, fruit juices, pepper or herbs

Pastry (1 sheet puff pastry = 18g fat)
- Use filo pastry and moisten between the layers with egg white, water, stock or low fat yoghurt
- Make low fat pastry by mixing two cups of self raising flour, 250g ricotta cheese and 4 Tbsp low fat milk. Mix and knead.

Meat and Poultry
- Choose lean cuts of meat and keep your portions small
- Make your own mince or ask your butcher to mince lean cuts of meat for you
- For a bit of variety and to add bulk to mince dishes, add grated vegetables such as carrot and zucchini
- Remove visible fat before cooking
- Use marinades, herbs and garlic to add flavour

Cakes and Biscuits
- Choose recipes with less fat and use poly/monounsaturated margarine
- Experiment with using buttermilk or low fat milk to replace some of the fat, using egg whites instead of whole eggs and adding fruits and vegetables such as banana or carrot.

If you find it difficult to modify your own recipes there are a range of low fat cookbooks available from supermarkets, newsagents and bookstores. You can also try online recipe collections from Taste and the National Heart Foundation.

2. Reduce

If a high fat or high energy ingredient can’t be substituted, try using a little less of it. When baking you should be able to reduce the amount of fat or sugar by a quarter to a third without changing the final product too drastically.

Remember that if you remove moisture you need to replace it. So to make up for less oil, add a little more water or low fat milk.

3. Eliminate

If a high fat or high energy ingredient isn't strictly necessary (i.e. it is used for presentation or extra flavour) you can remove it. For example you can omit bacon from pasta sauce.

With these ideas you should be ready to experiment with new low fat dishes at home. But if you need further inspiration, speak to a Dietitian.

How to Make Healthy Choices at the Supermarket

To lose weight you need to reduce your calorie intake, which means selecting foods that are low in fat and sugar. Here’s a quick guide to making healthy choices at the supermarket to save you time sifting through the shelves.

The trick is to locate the product’s food label, find its nutrition information panel and look for the ‘per 100g’ column. Good choices are foods that contain the following amounts of fat and sugar:

Fat Content

Less than:
Cereals – 8g/100g
Biscuits – 5g/100g
Cheese – 15g/100g
Milk and yoghurt – 2g/100g
Mayonnaise and sauces – 3g/100g
Spreads such as cream cheese – 10g/100g
Meat products – 8g/100g
Frozen/packaged foods – 5g/100g

Sugar Content

Less than:
Cereals and biscuits – 5g/100g

For more detailed information see our article How to Read a Food Label.