Bad fats versus good fats

One of our challengers from The Healthy Lifestyle Challenge recently asked a health professional what the reasoning was behind why rice bran oil and canola oil shouldn't be used in cooking and eating.

The response?

The quick answer is that they have been damaged in the processing and refining process, and should be avoided.

For more information about good fats and bad fats visit www.frot.co.nz

Ideas for work lunches

Thinking about what to make for lunch during work can be tough. We've come up with a few suggestions.



Try 2 minute wraps

Get pita bread or Turkish bread, slap on some hummus, rip off some lettuce, grate on a bit of some parmesan or tasty cheese, roll up and wrap in foil or lunch paper.

For variations, cook extra potatoes and kumaras at dinner and mash onto the wrap with black pepper. Or put orange slices with kumara and sunflower seeds.

2 minutes to make, 5 minutes to eat - that's fast food!

Reaching for cakes?

You'll be looking for these because you're hungry. Not because you neeeed a muffin!

Eat an apple on the way to the cafe or have a glass of water. You'll get to the cake section without the hunger pang that drives cravings plus you'll save some fat in your day and about $20 in your week.

Get drowsy in the afternoons?

This is due to 2 major factors. Dehydration and low blood sugar. Sugar gives you a rush of energy but after it's gone you feel drowsy and sleepy. If you have been downing coffee and tea in the morning you'll be dehydrated too which makes you even sleepier.

To combat this;
• For every coffee have a glass of water
• Make your lunches salad and fruit based
• Throw in some mixed grain bread and good protein

Try
• Wholemeal crackers and fruit
• Crackers, humus and salad or
• 5 Grain bread open sandwiches (Bean sprouts, tomatoes, lettuce and tuna piled on top of 1 piece of wholemeal bread)

A meal like this feels lighter in your stomach, is full of water to keep you awake and empties nutrients into your blood stream slowly, so no sugar slump.

This week's shopping list

Here's this weeks shopping list for your work lunches that work for you not against you.

Lettuce
Go fancy, try the different types available, they all have different tastes and textures.

Carrots
Great lunch snacks, full of water, vitamins and better than chewing gum for cleaning teeth.

Tins of tuna
These come in flavours like basil and tomato, lemon and chilli. They are in small tins with peel back lids so you can fork it straight on to a cracker.

Tomatoes
Large, juicy and great for layering on crackers. Eat them as a fruit when they get sweet at Summer.

Bean sprouts
Cheap, full of nutrients and water and come in their own container.

Crackers
Buy big wholemeal crackers. Large enough to carry a decent amount of goodies and low on extra fat. Keep an eye on the salt content.

Wraps
Try Turkish breads, wholemeal pitas or wholemeal bagels

The importance of breakfast

If you're not used to eating breakfast, here's a few tips to help you potentially change a habit.



Why should you eat breakfast?

1. It's been 8 hours since you last ate so your body needs food. If you skip breakfast then at around 9:45am you get very hungry. The result? You head for the cafe and fill up on a muffin (which are actually small cakes), a slice or do a vending machine blitz. A quick snack hit but fat and sugar filled.

2. A good breakfast gives you the energy you need for a great day. It fills up your fuel tank so you can power through your day. You can then top up your tank with fruit, wholemeal breads and great protein like tuna, chicken and baked beans during the day.

3. It reduces stress. Having breakfast gets you to slow down just a bit and helps you ease into your day smoothly. Ever seen Mr. Bean get ready for work when he's late?!

4. If you're not seeing too much of your wife, husband or partner, then having breakfast together gives you some extra time!

If you don't like eating breakfast in the morning, try these simple tips:

- Have fruit like bananas, oranges and apples. Go for the slightly green bananas ones, they are less sweet
- Orange slices and a pot of yoghurt. Get fresh juice, a vitamin C hit and calcium in one go
- Make a smoothie. In a blender put yogurt, banana and any other healthy goodies you want. No blender? Just beat it all with a fork. Put in a thermo mug and drink on your way to work
- Toasted wholemeal bread. Put hummus and sliced tomatoes on top rather than sweet spreads
- Fruit salad, bircher muesli, wholemeal toast with sliced tomato

If you've got a big day ahead and you know you won't have time to eat properly then go for:
- Porridge. Make your own or buy microwave porridge. Done in the microwave in 5 minutes. To really stack the odds in your favour, throw on chopped nuts, linseed and fresh fruit.
- Bircher style Muesli. Very good for your insides!

No time in the morning? Then eat breakfast at work. Keep a supply of microwave porridge or cereal and a bowl of fruit in your office. While your PC is coming to life, heat up your porridge and slice up your banana.

Having breakfast stops you snacking on high fat and high sugar foods later in the day. It's a very simple way to lose weight plus you'll eat more fruit, more fibre and be less stressed - and that's all good!

This info is from the Cancer Society's LiveSmart website