NUTRITION & FITNESS • Allium Sulphur Compounds: leeks, onions and garlic • Anthocyanins: eggplant, grapes and berries • Beta-Carotene: pumpkin, mangoes, apricots, carrots, spinach and parsley • Catechins: red wine and tea • Copper: seafood, lean meat, milk and nuts • Cryptoxanthins: red capsicum, pumpkin and mangoes • Flavonoids: tea, green tea, citrus fruits, red wine, onion and apples • Indoles: cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower • Isoflavonoids: soybeans, tofu, lentils, peas and milk • Lignans: sesame seeds, bran, whole grains and vegetables • Lutein: green, leafy vegetables like spinach, and corn • Lycopene: tomatoes, pink grapefruit and watermelon • Manganese: seafood, lean meat, milk and nuts • Polyphenols: thyme and oregano • Selenium: seafood, offal, lean meat and whole grains • Vitamin A: liver, sweet potatoes, carrots, milk, and egg yolks • Vitamin C: oranges, blackcurrants, kiwifruit, mangoes, broccoli, spinach, capsicum and strawberries • Vitamin E: vegetable oils (such as wheatgerm oil), avocados, nuts, seeds and whole grains • Zinc: seafood, lean meat, milk and nuts • Zoochemicals: red meat, offal and fish. Also derived from the plants that animals eat. It is important to remember to consume a variety of coloured fruits and vegetables daily, as each colour will contain different combination of vitamins and minerals. While we are able to get these vitamins and minerals from a supplement, antioxidants are more effective when consumed from whole foods in a balanced diet. The new Australian Dietary Guidelines have been released this year and they continue to recommend the consumption of two serves of fruit per day and five serves of vegetables for adult women and up to six serves of vegetables per day for men7. I find many people are unable to meet these recommendations due to a number of reasons. If cost is a barrier for you, try to buy fruits and vegetables that are in season, as they are often cheaper and taste better. If fruits are getting too ripe before you are able to eat them store them in the freezer and use them with low fat milk and yoghurt for smoothies or instead of high sugar ice blocks in the summer. Frozen grapes, berries, bananas and mangoes work especially well. If finding the time to eat all this food is the issue, try adding fruit to your cereal at breakfast, making a low fat smoothie, adding extra salad to your sandwich at lunch or using leftover vegetables in a salad the next day. Make sure you use plenty of “free” vegetables like carrots, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and zucchini on your plate at lunch and dinner to help fill you up without too many additional calories. Other ways to get extra serves of vegetables into your diet include grating vegetables into pasta sauce, lasagne, stews and casseroles. Beans and legumes including kidney beans, borlotti beans and cannellini beans, as well as chickpeas, can be added into a wide variety of foods. They are great for getting in extra vegetables but are also very cost effective and make the meal go further; a great alternative when you are entertaining on a budget. Canned varieties of these beans and legumes are also a great option. Try and keep those unwanted kilos at bay during summer - Australians gain an average of 0.8 - 1.5kg during the festive season. While this may not sound like a lot, research suggests this weight gain is rarely lost8. The barbeques, days at the beach and entertaining friends and family can mean high calorie snacks, unhealthy meal options and excessive alcohol, often in conjunction with high sugar soft drinks and mixers. For some people this is the time to forget about healthy eating and the exercise program while over indulging. But this doesn’t need to be the case! With a little bit of preparation you can enjoy the wonderful produce Australia has to offer without the extra kilos. Be prepared, have a plan and practise good portion control. Dietary sources of antioxidants include4 Antioxidants are important in the body for their ability to repair and prevent the stress that comes from when cells are damaged by free radicals. Pindara Magazine 72 Summer - Autumn | 2014
Pindara Private Hospital Magazine - Issue One
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