Go Nuts!

A lot of people over the years have asked me what are the best snack choices to make. I personally snack once or twice a day if I am having a very busy and physical day, and I usually go for nuts first! I love walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds and pine nuts and mixed with a little dried fruit and seeds they make a tasty, healthy and nutritious snack. However, my clients usually question the nuts option due to impression that they are full of nasty fat.

In order to answer some of those nutty questions, I found this really interesting article about nuts in my 'Australian Fitness Network' magazine. It's written by Lisa Yates who is a dietician for Nuts for Life (www.nutsforlife.com.au) and I am sure it will convince you that nuts are the healthy way to go.

Myth 1: Nuts are high in fat and should be avoided

The Truth: Typically, tree nuts (almond, Brazil nut, cashew, chestnut, hazelnut, macadamia, pecan, pine nut, pistachio and walnut) contain between 50 and 74 per cent fat, with the majority being the healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats like those in olive oil, avocados and fish. These fats can help lower blood cholesterol levels. Like grains, vegetables, fruit, olive oil and avocados, nuts are an integral part of the traditional Mediterranean diet, considered to be one of the healthiest in the world.

Myth 2: You can't eat nuts on a weight management diet

The Truth: Studies show that regularly eating nuts can actually help to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. The protein content (typically 9 to 20g per 100g) and fibre content (typically 5 to 10g per 100g) of nuts helps satisfy hunger for longer, reducing appetite. Eating a handful of nuts (30g) can reduce appetite and result in less food being eaten later in the day, helping reduce overall daily kilojoule or energy intake. In addition, the fat in nuts helps release satiety hormones in the gut which also helps control appetite.

Myth 3: Salted nuts - good or bad for you?

The Truth: Nuts in their raw unsalted form are most commonly recommended for healthy eating. Most Australians consume too much salt in their diets, however for some active individuals who have significant sodium and electrolytes losses, eating a handful of salted, dry or oil roasted nuts may help replace electrolytes such as sodium, potassium and magnesium, as well as being a tasty way to refuel after training or competition. Raw nuts typically contain 1 to 11mg per 100g of sodium, whereas the salt content of salted, roasted nuts can vary depending on what manufacturers add. If you tire of the sweet flavour of sports drinks, a handful of salted nuts could be a good substitute. And if you can't face another tin of tuna this week, it's worth bearing in mind that the high protein content of nuts may also help repair and build muscle following resistance or weight training.

What does a handful of nuts (30g) look like?

30g of nuts equals:

• 20 almonds
• 10 Brazil nuts
• 15 cashews
• 4 chestnuts
• 20 hazelnuts
• 15 macadamias
• 15 pecans
• 2tb pine nuts
• 60 pistachios in shells for 30g of kernels
• 10 whole walnuts or 20 walnut halves
• a small handful of mixed nuts

In addition to the healthy fats, protein and fibre:

• A handful of mixed nuts provides 20 per cent of the recommended daily requirement for Vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps protect the body from free radical damage.
• A handful of almonds, Brazil nuts or cashews provides more than 75 per cent of the recommended daily requirement for magnesium, an essential mineral for nerve and muscle function and for strong bones.
• A handful of almonds, cashews or pecans provides more than 15 per cent of the recommended daily requirement for zinc, an essential mineral to support a strong immune system and assist in skin healing.
• Almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts and pistachios contain the amino acid arginine, which helps keep blood vessels healthy.
• Almonds, cashews, pistachios and pecans contain natural plant sterols, substances found in plants that reduce cholesterol absorption from the intestine.
• Studies show that eating a handful of nuts 5 to 7 times a week can halve your risk of developing heart disease. The National Heart Foundation (Australia) recommends snacking on plain, unsalted nuts as one way to help lower blood cholesterol levels and maintain a healthy heart.

After training, or throughout your working day, you will often be tempted to snack. In itself, snacking is not a problem, but the food often chosen - highly processed products purchased from vending machines - can be far from ideal. Therefore, try to keep a small tub of nuts on your desk, in your training bag or in your car.

A handful of nuts can also be used when cooking to add taste and crunchy texture to a number of dishes. For example,

• Munching on pistachios as a pre-dinner appetiser.
• Sprinkling almonds or cashews through a stir fry.
• Roasting chestnuts or pine nuts and tossing them through a salad.
• Crumbling pecans or walnuts into yoghurt to serve with fruit.
• Crumbling macadamias or pistachios onto grilled fish.
• Making a great pesto by blending pistachios, pine nuts or macadamias with fresh herbs, parmesan and a little olive oil.
• Bring back the Waldorf Salad - lettuce, apple, walnuts and dressing.

So what are you waiting for, GO NUTS!

How to Boost Daily Energy Expenditure and Metabolism to Aid Fat Loss

Energy. It's what your body uses to live. I can be neither created nor destroyed - it can only change its form. All energy comes from the sun as solar energy and is converted into chemical, mechanical or electrical energy for various uses by the body.

The process is:

Plants covert solar energy to chemical energy -> we get hungry and eat plants and animals -> we obtain chemical energy stored in the form of carbohydrates, fats, protein and even alcohol.

Our body's use of energy can be equated to that of putting petrol in a car. The more you drive your car (move your body), the more fuel (energy) you will use. However, in today's society where the remote control is king, we are putting more energy into our car (body) than we require and we end up storing lots of fat!

Metabolism is the process by which carbohydrates, fats, proteins and alcohol are broken down by our bodies to provide energy. You can think of your body as a fire, which constantly burns fuel. Our fuel burns in the following ways:

• Carbohydrates e.g. fruit, vegetables, soft drinks, pasta, rice, bread, cereals. Burns like paper and is the body's preferred fuel source.
• Fats e.g. butter, cream, cheese cakes, pastries, chocolate, oils and avocado. Burns slowly like logs on our fire and produces lots of sustained energy.
• Protein e.g. meats, dairy, poultry, nuts, breads. Burns like a brick on a fire. It's our last resort for energy production, but is very important for building and repairing tissue such as muscle, hair, nail and skin.
• Alcohol Burns like petrol - wow! If it's present in your body, the body will use it first primarily because it wants to get rid of it!

Now we have the facts, lets burn some fuel! How do we ensure we burn more fuel than we consume? Here are some tips:

Increase your Incidental Exercise

In the developed world the majority of the population are becoming more and more overweight. This is due to our reliance on labour saving devices such as remote controls, washing machines, cars, escalators etc. As an expat living in Asia, we have the added problem of having domestic help which reduces the workload even more. We can greatly increase our everyday energy expenditure, by simply moving more in our everyday lives. For example, a busy business executive may find it difficuel to find time to get to the gym for a workout, but there are many things she could do to boost her daily energy expenditure, e.g. walk to work, use the stairs instead of lifts, get off the bus or train one stop early, go get her own tea or coffee! I remember moving from Jakarta, where I had a driver to Kuala Lumpur where I drove myself. I lost 4kgs in 2 months because I was now parking the car and walking to wherever I was going instead of being dropped off at the door. 4kgs!!! Can you think of any ways that you could boost your energy consumption today? Maybe you could walk the dog (instead of having the helper do it) or walk to get your groceries or play ball with your kids. Look at these activities as an opportunity to burn energy rather than an inconvenience.

Increase or Start Your Planned Exercise

This is the exercise we plan into our lives with the specific purpose of improving our health and fitness. These activities can by undertaken in a gym, swimming pool, outdoors, on a golf course and include walking, running, swimming, cycling, tennis, rowing, dancing etc. It is recommended that a minimum of 100 minutes per week is set aside for cardiovascular (huffy puffy) exercise to maintain a general level of fitness and to keep our heart and lungs healthy. This can be broken down into a variety of time periods e.g. 5 x 10 mins, 2 x 50 mins, 10 x 10 mins. The health benefits will be the same.

Did you know that a person with good cardiovascular fitness will burn more fat than an unfit person even when they are sitting watching TV!

Start a Weight Training Program

Muscle requires fuel to survive. Every pound of muscle you can gain or put on, burns up an extra 70 to 120 calories per day, therefore increasing your metabolic rate. Heavy strength training programs can increase your metabolic rate by up to 2% in as little as 10 weeks of training. Ladies, don't be afraid to gain a little muscle. Where do you think the tone in your arms and legs come from? It's your muscles increasing in size! You don't have to look like a body builder to get the benefits.

Did you know that the more muscle mass you have on your body, the more fat and glucose is used at rest, during exercise and even when you sleep!

Maintain a Healthy Diet

It's a very simple concept. If the energy we put into our bodies is higher than the energy we use, then we will store energy in the form of fat and our body weight will increase. However, it would be unwise to go on a crash diet or fast as this would decrease our metabolism. This is why it is very important to maintain a healthy diet where we eat regular meals, especially breakfast.

In summary:

• Cut down on sitting, internet surfing and remote control worship
• 2-3 times every week do strength training - aim to get stronger.
• 3-6 times every week do some huffy, puffy exercise - aim to get fitter.
• Everyday - walk the dog, take the stairs, play with the kids, walk to the shops, MOVE YOUR BODY!