The Savvy Dietitian

The Savvy Dietitian Hi I’m Savina, an Accredited Practising Dietitian from Perth, Western Australia.

Subs and turkish/panini rolls are often selected as a ‘healthier’ take-away option. Is this something you have assumed i...
05/05/2022

Subs and turkish/panini rolls are often selected as a ‘healthier’ take-away option. 

Is this something you have assumed in the past?

I often have people shocked to find out that they can provide 40% or more (some closer to 50%) of the average adult's daily energy intake depending on the filling, spreads and sauces used. Often these condiments aren’t actually included on the nutrition information provided and realistically who goes without some dressing? 

When looking through the various ‘roll’ take-away options available, the Banh Mi (Vietnamese baguette) from Roll’d came out on top.

Portion distortion refers to the growing portion sizes that people call 'normal'. Many foods that come packaged as a sin...
02/05/2022

Portion distortion refers to the growing portion sizes that people call 'normal'.

Many foods that come packaged as a single portion actually contain multiple servings! Take the muffin on the left as an example. ⠀

The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommends limiting our overall consumption of discretionary foods (aka treat foods, soul foods etc). According to the guidelines, a serve of a discretionary food provides about 500-600 kilojoules (119-143 calories). ⠀ ⠀

The muffin on the left is the equivalent of ~ 5 serves of discretionary foods. It is recommended that we limit our intake of discretionary foods to a maximum of one serve per day! (keeping in mind that this recommendation is for a healthy adult (without disease) that exercises for 30 mins most days). ⠀

Just to be clear (if it isn’t already), I’m not saying you can’t have anything or certain things are off limits! It is however important to be aware of ‘portion distortion’ and serving size recommendations for our individual needs DAY to DAY. ⠀

You don’t get much out of being told ‘all foods fit’ without understanding how they fit into a balanced diet. In our super-sized world, having some idea around serving size recommendations isn’t a bad idea or should be frowned upon nor will it create unhealthy relationships with food ⠀

Portion distortion is a HUGE and GROWING issue in our society! If options come in different sizes, like with these muffins, pick the size that suits your needs best! Downsizing is the best way to have your muffin and eat it too 😝😛😋 ⠀

Left
🔸 McCafe Mud muffin (158g) ⠀

Right
🔸 Vanilla Yoghurt
🔸 ½ cup cooked basmati rice
🔸 200g satay chicken
🔸 1 heaped cup of stir-fry veg (carrot, snow peas, red onion and capsicum)
🔸 Woolworths Select Mini Double Choc Muffins (40g)

Improve the QUALITY of your diet A study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association early in 2018 foun...
25/04/2022

Improve the QUALITY of your diet

A study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association early in 2018 found that the key to weight management, especially in the long term, is diet quality.

Australian Heath Survey data indicates that 70% of the carbohydrates consumed by Australian adults are considered to be nutrient poor refined carbohydrates! ⠀

The study found that people who cut back (not out) on lower quality foods such as those with added sugar, refined grains and ultra processed foods, whilst focusing on high quality, unrefined, minimally processed foods such as vegetables and fruits, whole grains, healthy fats and healthy sources of protein, without worrying about calorie counting or even limiting portion sizes, had greater success with weight loss.
⠀
The researchers did not disregard the importance of calories, instead suggesting that simply choosing high quality foods and decreasing the consumption of lower quality foods is an important factor in helping individuals consume fewer calories. ⠀ ⠀

Both of the above diets provide ~2000 calories, however it isn’t hard to see that whilst the calories might be the same, the quality of the foods is different, especially the carbohydrate quality!

Rather than choosing foods based only on caloric value, think instead about selecting high quality foods, and limiting low quality foods.
⠀
Relying on calorie counting alone or excluding food groups is insufficient, and more focus needs to be put on diet QUALITY and creating healthy long lasting habits.

Is sushi your idea of an every day grab and go lunch option? Most people think of sushi as a ‘light’ lunch but don’t ac...
24/03/2022

Is sushi your idea of an every day grab and go lunch option?

Most people think of sushi as a ‘light’ lunch but don’t actually realise it’s composition. Sushi often provides a large amount of simple carbs with a teeny tiny amount of veg, and not much in terms of protein to keep you full and satisfied!


Rice paper rolls however or as calls them ‘soldiers’ provide a generous amount of protein and fibre - it’s like a rolled up salad! They are my pick for a balanced grab and go lunch! I often mix and match the soldiers with their Goi salad.


Each Low Carb Poached Chicken Breast Soldier provides a generous 6g of protein, 2g of fibre for a reasonable 13g of Carbohydrate. Why do I pick the low carb option? Simple - so I can eat more soldiers! I love that there is the option to select soldiers without rice noodles, their low carb option!

Chocolate doesn’t just provide carbohydrate (aka sugar). It is a combination of our 3 macronutrients (carbs, protein and...
10/11/2021

Chocolate doesn’t just provide carbohydrate (aka sugar).

It is a combination of our 3 macronutrients (carbs, protein and fat).

When you cut out chocolate from your diet you aren’t just cutting out carbs.

In fact when you cut out chocolate, using the example above, 51.1% of the calories actually comes from fat!

Yet most people put their weight loss down to the removal of carbs, specifically sugar.

You don’t see 99% fat free chocolate do you? When mathematically it makes more sense to remove fat from chocolate than sugar.


I find visual comparisons insightful and eye opening, what about you? Let’s compare 6 Bliss Balls (1 serving - 69g)to ⠀2...
14/10/2021

I find visual comparisons insightful and eye opening, what about you?

Let’s compare

6 Bliss Balls (1 serving - 69g)

to
⠀
2 slices (74g) Tip Top 9 grain bread
90g poached chicken, skin off
20g full fat cottage cheese + basil pesto
Cucumber, tomato and lettuce

Neither option is good or bad, I am simply highlighting that the VOLUME of the two options is dramatically different for a very similar energy density (calories).

The main difference in the macronutrient composition is from the protein.

The bliss balls are seen as a healthy snack, especially in the context of weight management. Often bread or a sandwich is seen as something ‘forbidden’.

Are you under the assumption that baked pea crisps are are a ‘healthier’ crunchy snack? They are made predominantly wit...
06/10/2021

Are you under the assumption that baked pea crisps are are a ‘healthier’ crunchy snack?

They are made predominantly with whole peas however these whole peas have been ground up with rice flour and vegetable oil and formed into a pea shape….
⠀
Since the peas are ground up into tiny particles, the chips actually melt/dissolve in your mouth….I would say they sit very low on the satiety index even though they provide protein (3.2g) and fibre (1.6g).
⠀
I would still compare these baked pea crisps to “crunchy air” because It would be pretty easy to consume the whole bag without feeling full!
⠀
They are marketed as being “baked not fried” however the second ingredient is vegetable oil...so they might not be fried in oil but they are baked in oil, hence the high fat content which makes them similar to potato chips..
⠀
They are also marketed as having less fat when compared to ‘most’ potato chips. The Red Rock Deli option is very similar. Their saturated fat content however is higher than most chips on the market! The saturated fat is more of a concern in ultra processed foods like these baked pea crisps..
⠀
If you enjoy these baked pea chips... keep buying them. This is a comparison for people who are purchasing them as an alternative to potato chips, under the assumption that they are making a ‘better’ choice. ⠀
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If you are after a crunchy snack that provides protein and fibre....popcorn and roasted chickpeas are your best bet!

The glycaemic index (GI) tells us whether a carbohydrate containing food raises blood glucose levels quickly, moderately...
27/09/2021

The glycaemic index (GI) tells us whether a carbohydrate containing food raises blood glucose levels quickly, moderately or slowly. ⠀

Many factors (fat content, acidity, physical state, types of sugar and starch) affect a food’s GI value. ⠀

Slowly absorbed carbohydrates have a low GI rating. However it is important to note that not ALL low GI foods are nutritious choices or part of our core food groups. ⠀

MOST chocolates for example, have a low GI because of their fat content! ⠀

This chocolate is also advertised as ‘sugar free’ and whilst it might be, it does not mean it is free from carbohydrates. This is important to understand if you have diabetes, since carbohydrates are broken down into glucose (sugar), and therefore these products will still raise your blood sugar levels. ⠀

The GI is only ONE aspect, look at the BIGGER picture and avoid clever marketing!

How often do you isolate ONE nutrient as the problem in your diet? This image should demonstrate that isolating one nutr...
20/09/2021

How often do you isolate ONE nutrient as the problem in your diet?

This image should demonstrate that isolating one nutrient as the problem is not the answer!

Both sides might provide the same amount of carbohydrate but the quality of the carbohydrate provided differs significantly.

Always look at the bigger picture – which is your overall pattern of eating!

Consider the quality of the carbohydrate containing foods in your diet before removing nutrient rich carbohydrate sources like whole grains, fruit, legumes/lentils and dairy.

158g McCafe Mud Muffin

VS

160g yoghurt tub 6.4g carbs
Cape Seed Bread x 1 slice (45g) 11.8g carbs
1 medium banana 21.8g carbs
3 30g carbs
250 mL Milk 12.5g carbs
75g Frozen Mixed Berries 9.4g carbs

Name a good product that caught you by surprise? Cracker chips are more like chips than crackers. Whilst they might not ...
13/09/2021

Name a good product that caught you by surprise?

Cracker chips are more like chips than crackers. Whilst they might not be fried, the ingredients list tells us a lot about the composition of the product. ⠀
A products ingredients are listed in order of most to least by weight. The 2nd ingredient for both options is oil. This tells us without looking at any ‘numbers’ that both options will be high in fat, regardless of the ‘oven roasted, never fried’ statement. The fat content per 100g for the cracker chips is ~19g. Usually the guide for packaged snacks is to select packaged snacks with

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