At best, (while you stick to it), a ‘diet’ will reduce your kilo joule intake. At its worst, a ‘diet’ will change your body composition for the fatter. This is because many diets employ the technique of reducing your carbohydrate intake to bring about quick weight loss. The weight you lose, however, is mostly water (that was trapped or held with stored carbohydrate) and eventually muscle (as it is broken down to produce glucose). Once you return to your former way of eating, you regain a little bit more fat. With each desperate repetition of a diet you lose more muscle. Over years, the resultant change in body composition to less muscle and more fat makes it increasingly difficult to lose weight.

Take it as read, that the real aim in losing weight is losing body fat. And perhaps it would be better described as ‘releasing’ body fat. After all, to lose something, suggests that we hope to find it again some day!

Research in Australia and overseas has shown that the type of food you give your body determines what it is going to burn and what it is going to store as body fat. It has also revealed that certain foods are more satisfying to the appetite than others.

This is where the G.I. factor plays a leading role. Low G.L foods have two very special advantages for people wanting to lose weight:

• they fill you up and keep you satisfied for longer,

• they help you burn more of your body fat and less of your body muscle.

Eating to lose weight with low G.1. foods is easier because you don’t have to go hungry and what you end up with is true fat release.

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These foods can be eaten without measurement to satisfy the appetite and add taste and variety to the diet.

It is thought some people may develop high blood pressure if they eat too much salt. The addition of salt should be avoided at the table and limited in cooking. Products with a high sodium (salt) content have been marked #.

Vegetables

Try to include as wide a variety as possible. Vegetables are important sources of vitamins, minerals and fibre.

Asparagus         Lettuce

Beans             (French or Runner) Marrows

Broccoli         Mushrooms

Brussels sprouts     Onions

Cabbage Peppers     (Capsicum)

Cauliflower         Peppers (Red/Green)

Celery             Parsley

Chinese         Cabbage Radish

Chokos         Silverbeet

Cucumber         Spinach

Egg Plant         Swede

Endive         Summer Squash

Garlic             Tomato

Kale             Turnip

Kohlrabi         Watercress

        Zucchini

Beverages

Water         Lo-cal/Diet Soft Drinks

Natural Mineral Water     Lo-cal/Low Joule Cordials

Soda Water     Clear Broth

Tea         Bonox

Coffee     Bovril

Flavourings & condiments

Bran – Natural or unprocessed Essences – e.g. Vanilla, lemon etc.

Fish Pastes Gelatin

Herbs – e.g. Mixed herbs, paprika, chives, mint, etc.

Junket tablets

Marmite

Meat Pastes Pepper

Promite

Salt

Soy Sauce

Spices – e.g. Cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.

Tomato paste (Varieties with no added salt are available)

Tomato Puree

Vegemite Vinegar

Worcestershire Sauce

Yeast

Dietary products:

Dietary products low in carbohydrate, protein, fat and energy include:

Low Joule or Low calorie Soft Drinks

Low Joule or Low calorie cordials

Low Joule or Low calorie jelly crystals

Low Joule or Low calorie salad dressing

Low Joule or Low calorie toppings – e.g. Weight Watchers

Low Joule pastilles or jubes – e.g. Skels or Sugrine

Sweeteners – e.g. Sweetex, Sucaryl, Sugarine, Hermesetas

Tomato Sauce – artificially sweetened – e.g. Rosella

Fruit Chutney – artificially sweetened

Pickles – artificially sweetened

Low calorie Jams – e.g. Weight Watchers

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