nosh magazine
FOUR ALTERNATIVES
TO CALORIE TRACKING
When it comes to weight management, calorie counting may not be as effective as
you think. Doralise Halepis and Wholefood Dietitian Larina Robinson explain.
he theory behind calorie counting seems to make sense:
record the energy content of a food and aim for a certain
number each day. Simple? Yes. Effective? No.
T
Aside from the fact that you’re more likely to have a mental
breakdown from all number crunching before you start to see
results, have you considered where you’ve pulled the number from,
which you’re aiming for, in the first place? An online calculator
certainly won’t be taking into account your individual nutrition
needs. Similarly, a friend mentioning some new “1,200 calorie
weight loss rule” is equally ridiculous and could even place your
health in serious harm if it results in your body not receiving
sufficient nutrition.
If you find that adhering to guidelines is the best way for you to
keep your health in check, then try following one of these more
sensible approaches.
1. Include two serves of veg in each meal
By adding some spinach or mushrooms to your morning eggs, an
extra helping of salad at lunchtime, or some zucchini and pumpkin
into your mid-week pasta meal, you’ll not only find that there is less
room for everything else, but you can be assured that your body is
receiving a healthy intake of essential vitamins and minerals.
2. Think about your macronutrients
Macronutrients are the essential nutrients that our body
LARINA ROBINSON, WHOLEFOOD DIETITIAN
Learn more about Larina at: website | profile
With a Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics (Hons) from
the University of Newcastle, Larina is the founder of The
Body Dietetics. Larina is a wholefood dietitian who
strongly believes in individualised healthy eating.
synthesises for energy. They include protein, fats and
carbohydrates. For our body to function appropriately, a mix of
these nutrients is needed every day, so take it back to basics. An
average meal should include:
• a serve of protein, such as chicken breast, a couple of eggs or a
serving of lentils
• a good fat source like avocado or a handful of nuts
• a wholegrain carb such as a wholewheat wrap, quinoa or
brown rice.
3. Give your kitchen an opening and closing
time
If you couldn’t access your kitchen after dinner, imagine how many
unnecessary pre and post-bedtime fridge raids could be avoided!
Make a note on the fridge of when the kitchen is to be used for
cooking and eating, and encourage all family members to stick to
it. You may just find that a mealtime routine is enough to satisfy
any hunger cravings.
4. Give yourself a break
Whether it’s that mid-week birthday cake in the office or those
social beverages on a Saturday night, it is perfectly fine to indulge
now and then. Allow yourself two days a week to treat yourself
without thinking twice. As for the other five days, try and stay on
track to keep it as nutritious as possible so you can satisfy your
DORALISE HALEPIS
Learn more about Doralise at: profile
Doralise is a food and nutrition student at Deakin
University. She holds special interest in food
intolerances and health promotion.
www.n4foodandhealth.com
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