By Judy Davie
For further information about food and nutrition, visit Judy Davie’s website at www.thefoodcoach.com.au
My husband has been advised by his doctor to lose weight for his health. He won’t take my advice so I thought I would get him a diet book to follow. The problem is there are so many diets out there offering conflicting advice. What do you suggest?
Any diet that reduces his energy intake to below his energy expenditure will work, but the healthiest diet is one that reduces weight and the risk of disease — like diabetes and heart disease.
A new paper released by Joanna McMillan-Price, on a study at the University of Sydney, trialed four different diets. Each of the diets was calculated on reduced energy consumption (consuming fewer calories than the energy expenditure) The first diet consisted on 55 percent high-GI carbohydrates, the second 55 percent low-GI carbohydrates, the third diet had a higher intake of protein (25 percent total intake) with high-GI carbs and the fourth diet, the same protein as diet three with low-GI carbohydrates. The conclusion was that, while the weight loss was similar with each diet, there were significant improvements in reducing the risk of heart disease. I would buy your husband a copy of the Peak Performance Pocket Guide (by Prof. Jennie Brand-Miller, Kaye Foster-Powell, Prof. Stephen Colagiuri and Dr Helen O’Connor) book to carry around and buy yourself a copy of The Low GI Diet Cookbook (by Prof. Jennie Brand-Miller, Kaye Foster-Powell, Prof. Joanna McMillan-Price) for delicious recipes you can both enjoy.
What’s better?
Just because a food is higher in calories doesn’t mean you should always replace it with a lower energy alternative. In each of the examples below, the lower calorie option is not the best choice. Each has less fibre, protein and will raise your blood sugar levels faster than the higher energy alternative*. The result, you’ll feel much hungrier after eating the lower-calorie alternative, much sooner than if you chose the higher-energy food.
