Healthy Eating Self-Assessment

Are carbohydrates fattening?

Answer:

Carbohydrate-containing foods are an important part of a healthy diet as they provide fuel for the brain. There is no scientific evidence to recommend cutting out carbohydrates. Choose a variety of carbohydrate containing foods, preferably wholegrain and lower glycaemic index (GI) options. Low GI foods include wholegrain breads and cereals, pasta, oats, low fat yoghurt and milk and dried beans and lentils. Eating low GI foods may help to keep hunger at bay for longer after eating and provide gradual, continuous supply of energy from one meal to the next.

Healthy Weight

The keys to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight are to enjoy healthy eating and regular physical activity.

Why does weight matter?

People come in all shapes and sizes and what might be a healthy weight for one person isn’t necessarily healthy for another. It’s not healthy to be too thin or to carry too much body fat – you need to find the weight that’s best for you by checking with your doctor, and then trying to achieve and maintain it.

The problem with carrying too much body fat (medically referred to as being overweight) is that it can increase your risk of a number of health problems.
These include:

* coronary heart disease

* diabetes

* high blood pressure

* high blood cholesterol

* gall bladder disease

* joint problems e.g. gout, arthritis and joint pain

* sleep problems e.g. sleep apnoea

* certain types of cancer.

Your risk of developing these health conditions depends not just on your weight, but also on other risk factors that you may have. You can find out more about other risk factors for heart disease in our How to have a healthy heart brochure.

In addition to the health problems listed here, overweight people can suffer from a range of psychosocial problems such as discrimination, social isolation and poor self-esteem.

Remember that body weight is just one factor that can impact on your health and needs to be considered along with your overall health and wellbeing.

Why do we put on weight?

Body weight is affected by a number of factors. The two key factors are:
1. The amount of energy (kilojoules) that we put into our bodies from food and drinks.
2. The amount of energy (kilojoules) that we use up through physical activity and other daily activities.

Put simply, it’s all about what goes in and what gets used up. People often get confused by energy and kilojoules – energy and kilojoules are the same thing. Kilojoules are just a measure of energy, in the same way as centimetres or inches are a measure of length. Energy is like fuel in a car – it’s what keeps us moving and able to go about our daily activities.

If the amount of energy (kilojoules) you take into your body through food and drinks is more than you are using up through physical activity and daily activities then you will gain weight.

If you take in the same amount of energy (kilojoules) through food and drinks that you are using up through physical activity and daily activities, then your weight will stay the same.

If the amount of energy (kilojoules) you take in through food and drinks is less than you are using up through physical activity and daily activities, then you will lose weight

You will gain weight if:
1. You eat and drink more than your body needs – you take in too much energy (kilojoules).
2. You aren’t active enough – you don’t use up enough energy (kilojoules).
3. If you do both – you eat and drink too much and are not active enough.

Is my weight a health risk?

Some people think they are overweight when they aren’t; others think their weight is fine, when it isn’t. While you can generally tell if you’ve put on weight by your clothes being tighter or having to loosen your belt a notch or two, this won’t tell you if you are overweight.

The best way to find out if your weight is a health risk is to check with your doctor. There are a few very simple, and importantly, pain free measurements that your doctor can do to check your weight. Your doctor can then consider your weight and your overall health and advise if you need to do something about your weight.

Excess weight around your middle is a greater health risk

Your health can be affected by how much you weigh as well as by your body shape. Men often carry their excess weight around their middle, while women often carry their excess weight on their hips and thighs.

Carrying excess weight around your middle (being ‘apple shaped’) is more of a health risk than if your excess weight is on your hips and thighs (being ‘pear shaped’). The so-called ‘pear shape’ is actually a healthier body shape than being ‘apple shaped’.

If you are carrying your excess weight around your middle then the Heart Foundation encourages you to visit your doctor to discuss your weight.

Did you know your risk of developing health problems increases with the more excess weight you carry? If you are already overweight, it is important to try and stop gaining more weight. This will help to reduce your level of risk.

If you can manage to lose some of the extra kilos then that will be even better for your health. However, even if you don’t manage to lose any weight, what’s important is being physically active, eating healthily and looking after yourself so that you can achieve the best health.

Key points for healthy weight loss

* Your overall health and well-being is the most important issue. Your weight is just one factor that can impact upon this.

* Healthy weight loss takes time – so give yourself time. Fast weight loss is not healthy and is often the result of unsustainable changes.

* Identify changes you can make to improve your eating patterns and increase your physical activity levels.

* It’s about you – make changes that suit you, not what suits someone else.

* Changes need to be for the long term – make changes to your eating patterns and physical activity levels that you can live with for the rest of your life.

* Take small steps – don’t try and do everything at once. It’s more important to make a change and stick with it rather than make five changes that you can’t maintain.

* Don’t be put off by slow progress. You may lose weight one week, then go for a few weeks without losing any. So long as you aren’t putting on more weight, don’t worry. Keep up with your changes and you’ll soon notice results.

* Losing weight the healthy way is not about short-term diets or running marathons – healthy eating and regular physical activity are what count. Reducing the amount of time you spend sitting will also help.

* Forget the scales – your weight can go up and down from day to day. If you want to weigh yourself, try not to do it more than once a week.

* Measure your achievements in other ways rather than by how much you weigh – for example, how you feel, whether your clothes are looser, whether you’ve been able to stick with a change in your eating patterns or increase your physical activity levels, whether you’ve cut down on the amount of TV you watch and whether you can do things without getting tired.

* Small amounts of weight loss, or stopping weight gain, will have a big impact on your overall health.

* Forget fad/crash diets – they may give results in the short term, but they generally don’t help you keep weight off in the longer term. Some may even be harmful to your health.

* Seek advice and guidance – speak with your doctor, Accredited Practising Dietitian or a physical activity health professional about your weight.

http://www.daa.asn.au/smart_eating/quiz/index.asp?pageID=2145836841