Hi <<First Name>>,
Welcome to Spring everyone! In this issue your dietitians at the Nutrition and Wellbeing Clinic:
- Look at the importance of sleep for your waistline
- Re-visit advice on drinking alcohol
- Discuss plant-based eating and what this could mean for you
- Review a new prebiotic soy milk product, and
- Share Dr Sue Radd’s delicious recipe for Carrot, Rosemary & Zucchini Muffins
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Can You Sleep Away the Extra Kilos?
Many of us would agree that lack of sleep contributes to irritability and fatigue during the day. However - believe it or not - the amount and quality of sleep you get can also affect your waistline! A 2008 systematic review of 36 studies found that “short sleepers are heavier”. This US research including 9588 participants showed that if you sleep less than five hours each night, you are twice as likely to become obese after nine years than if you sleep for seven hours!
How does sleep influence your weight?
Research shows that the less you sleep, the more insulin resistant your body becomes, putting you at increased risk of weight gain and chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes.
What is insulin resistance?
Simply put, insulin resistance is when your body doesn’t burn fuel as efficiently as it should. Excess body fat clogs up various organs, stopping insulin from doing its job properly.
The hormone insulin works to keep your blood glucose (blood sugar) levels stable and under control, on a day-to-day basis. However, when insulin resistance sets in, your blood glucose levels remain higher than normal and for longer periods of time. This puts more pressure on your body to produce more and more insulin to try and get glucose into your body cells so it can be used as fuel.
Since insulin is also a fat storing hormone, the more you produce and the longer it hangs around in your bloodstream, the more difficult it is for your body to shed excess fat and for you to lose weight. You may have noticed that body fat around your mid-section is more difficulty to shift if you already have insulin resistance.
Other sleep factors linked to weight gain
Your hunger hormones change with lack of sleep too. Ghrelin (the ‘hungry’ hormone) increases and leptin (the ‘fullness’ hormone) decreases when you get less sleep. This can result in more cravings and munchies resulting in an increased calorie intake throughout the day.
Also, the less you sleep, the less energetic you feel. Lethargy and tiredness may stop you from heading to the gym before or after work. Harvard researchers conducting the Nurses’ Health Study I and II showed that people tended to drop their physical activity when their length of sleep was shortened.
Finally, sleep deprivation can also lower your core body temperature, which can result in a reduced metabolism, meaning the rate at which you burn calories is slowed. Enough sleep on the otherhand can help you burn energy more efficiently and keep your metabolism revving at a higher gear!
Start improving your sleep hygiene today
The best thing you can do is to get enough sleep each night. Sleep experts advise you should get at least 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Here are a few ways to build good sleep habits:
- Create a relaxing environment – play some calming music, dim the lights, use some aromatherapy.
- Avoid TV close to bedtime and avoid having any screens in your bedroom. This extra stimulation from bright lights and screens impairs your brains ability to wind down and rest. The light emitted disrupts your pineal gland’s production of melatonin – an important sleep hormone.
- The quality of your dietary choices and the timing of meals is also crucial to promoting a good night’s sleep. Your dietitian can help you choose the right types and portions of carbohydrate, fat and protein foods to also significantly improve your insulin resistance.
- Avoid stimulants close to bedtime e.g. caffeinated drinks like black tea and coffee.
- Establish a regular bed time and stick to it!
- Keep active during the day – a good exercise routine that includes aerobic exercise and some light resistance training is also beneficial.
Sweet dreams….
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Quote
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
-Will Durant
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What’s Cooking – Cookshop Announcement
Due to the COVID-19 government regulations we must postpone our upcoming cookshops to ensure the safety of our community.
All upcoming cookshops will be placed on hold until further notice. Those who have booked a place at these cookshops have been notified via email.
Please note we hope to bring back our inspiring and award-winning cookshops ASAP and our planned schedule can still be viewed on our webpage here!
We are not currently taking bookings until restrictions are lifted. In the meantime, we continue to bring you content via our website, social media and monthly E-Newsletters.
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Food Matters – Alcohol Advice Revisited
Have you found yourself reaching for a glass of wine more often in these unprecedented times? While it may bring some emotional comfort, the concern about increased cancer risk is very real. Read the summary of reasearch evidence here:
http://nwbc.com.au/featured/12%20Alcohol%20Advice%20Revisited.pdf
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Recipe – Carrot, Rosemary & Zucchini Muffins
These savoury muffins have a lovely fragrance or rosemary, which has strong antioxidant properties. If you find the fragrance too strong, try using fresh chopped chives instead.
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Food InFocus –Trendy Plant-based Eating: What is it & How to Adopt it?
Do you need to go vegan to benefit from a plant-based diet? What are some practical tips to go more plant-based? See what Dr Sue Radd says in this short and inspiring video that could help you eat a healthier diet.
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Nutrition Detective – Vitasoy Prebiotic Soy Milk vs Vitasoy Original Soy Milk
A new range of prebiotic plant based ‘milks’ have recently hit the shelves. You might be scratching your head wondering, for example, “is prebiotic soy milk” better than regular soy milk or is it yet another marketing gimmick?
What are prebiotics?
Prebiotics are types of fibres and starches from plant foods that pass through your upper intestines undigested and end up as the food source for “good” bacteria, which live in your lower gut. Prebiotics are really important as they specifically promote the growth and activity of good bacteria, which improve your gut microbiome. Your gut microbiome is the ‘universe within’ of microbes and the substances they produce that communicate with your immune system and multiple sites within your body to reduce harmful inflammation and keep your healthy.
Ingredients comparison
Prebiotic Soy Milk: Filtered water, organic whole soybeans (min. 14%), prebiotic fibre (chicory root fibre), mineral (calcium phosphate), natural flavour, sea salt.
Original Soy Milk: Filtered water, organic whole soybeans (min. 15%), barley malt, barley flour, raw sugar, sunflower oil, mineral (calcium phosphate), natural flavour, sea salt, kombu (kelp), vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin B2).
Nutrition comparison
Per 100 ml Vitasoy
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Prebiotic Soy Milk |
Original Soy Milk |
| Energy |
246 kJ (59 Cal) |
257 kJ (61 Cal) |
| Protein |
3 g |
3.3 g |
| Fat total |
2.1 g |
3.3 g |
| Saturated |
0.4 g |
0.5 g |
| Polyunsaturated |
1.1 g |
1.3 g |
| Monounsaturated |
0.6 g |
1.3 g |
| Carbohydrates |
1.8 g |
5 g |
| Sugar |
0.7 g |
2.6 g |
| Dietary fibre |
2.4 g |
0.6 g |
Prebiotic fibre
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1.8 g |
N/A |
| Sodium |
30 mg |
60 mg |
| Calcium |
120 mg |
120 mg |
Cost comparison
Prebiotic Soy Milk: $2.50 per 1L
Original Soy Milk: $3.00 per 1L
(prices as of June 2020)
Our Rating
5 out of 5 stars
If you’re looking to gain gut health benefits, a switch to this soy milk will help increase your intake of helpful prebiotic fibre. This one ticks all our boxes:
- Additional prebiotic fibre added in the form of chicory root
- Similar protein, fat and calcium content
- Same creamy taste
- Cheaper cost
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