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Energy density vs nutrient density
When assessing whether a particular food is beneficial for you or not, energy density vs nutrient density is an important consideration to make. In general, you should seek out nutrient density for health. Energy density Density is a physical property of matter that describes the relationship between mass and volume (density = mass / volume). However, when talking about energy density, we refer to energy (kilocalories or kilojoules) / volume. Therefore, energy dense foods are those that pack a lot of energy in a small volume. Energy dense foods are often high in fat (because fat is the macronutrient with the most energy per gram: 9 kilocalories or 37 kilojoules)…
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Sugar-containing ingredients
Now that you know that there is little difference between brown sugar vs white sugar, that added sugar consumption in Australia is higher than it should be and how to read food labels, it is time to put it all together by looking at sugar-containing ingredients. What is sugar? The term sugar “refers to all carbohydrates of the general formula Cn(H2O)n” (1). Single sugars such as glucose and fructose are known as monosaccharides. Two monosaccharides linked together (e.g. sucrose = glucose + fructose, lactose = glucose + galactose) are known as disaccharides. Many sugars linked together are known as polysaccharides. Added and free sugars As a reminder, added sugars are…
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How to read food labels
The most common advice I give to people is to read labels before buying packaged foods. There is a lot on information printed on packages, so keep reading for some advice on how to read food labels. What is a food label? Food label is the term that encapsulates all the information printed on a food package. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) regulates what goes in the label of foods sold in this part of the world. Parts of a food label The information below can be found in FSANZ’s website (see references below). Food identification This includes the name of the food, the name and business address of…
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Book review: The Food Lab (J Kenji Lopez-Alt)
The Food Lab is J Kenji Lopez-Alt’s fantastic book that documents the results of his culinary experiments. If you like to cook and are science-minded, this is a must-read. The author J Kenji Lopez-Alt is the Chief Culinary Advisor for Serious Eats and the chef and co-owner of the restaurant Wursthall in San Mateo, California. He has science in his genes (both his father and maternal grandfather are scientists) and studied Architecture at no less than the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). I first ran across his work through Serious Eats several years ago and have been a follower ever since. Kenji makes frequent guest appearances in food podcasts such…
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What to do with canned fish and seafood
Canned fish can be a great source of nutrition, especially when cost and shelf life are a concern. Find out what to do with canned fish and seafood to make it taste great. Types of canned fish and seafood Without a doubt, the most common fish in a can is tuna, but there is a decent variety of fish and seafood available in canned form: Fish: tuna, sardines, salmon (red, pink), anchovies, mackerel, herrings, kipper, trout Seafood: oysters, mussels, crabmeat Nutrient composition In general, canned fish and seafood are great source of protein and long chain omega-3 fatty acids. Some varieties also contain high amounts of zinc (e.g. oysters), calcium…
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Product review: Dinnerly meal kits
Dinnerly meal kits were launched by Marley Spoon in 2007. As the self-proclaimed “most affordable meal kit in Australia”, Dinnerly offers convenience and quality ingredients at a cheaper price. Dinnerly meal kits Plans Dinnerly offers two plans: 2-person and 4-person box. For each of them you can choose from 3, 4 or 5 meals per week. Price per meal The price per meal, including shipping, is in the graph below. Meal tags The following tags will help you identify which meals to choose: Dairy free Healthy Kid friendly Low carb Meat No added gluten One pot meal Poultry Spicy Under 30 minutes Vegetarian Preferences You can set up your taste…
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Product review: Marley Spoon meal kits
Marley Spoon is one of the biggest meal kit vendors in Australia. Their focus on sustainability includes the use of local ingredients and reusable/recyclable packaging. Marley Spoon Google tells us the company hails from Berlin, Germany and was founded in 2014. They are currently present in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden and the USA. Marley Spoon meal kits Plans Marley Spoon offers two plans: 2-person and 4-person box. For each of them you can choose from 2, 3 or 4 meals per week. Price per meal The price per meal, including shipping, is in the graph below. Meal tags The following tags will help you identify which meals…
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Product review: HelloFresh meal kits
HelloFresh meal kits were the first available in Australia. They continue to be quite popular among people looking for easy delicious recipes to make at home. HelloFresh This German was founded in 2011 and hit the Australian market back in 2012. They are also present in the US, the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, France, New Zealand and Canada. HelloFresh meal kits Plans HelloFresh offers three base plans: classic, veggie and family. The classic and veggie plans can be set up for 2 or 4 people, the family plan is for 4 people. For each of them you can choose from 3, 4 or 5 meals…
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5 easy vegan swaps
Last week we spoke about red meat, eggs and dairy, but what if you choose not to eat any animal products? The following 5 easy vegan swaps can help you navigate this style of eating. 1. Yoghurt These days there is a wide variety of dairy free yoghurt in supermarkets. These are generally made with coconut or almond milk. However, note that the flavour, texture and, most importantly, nutrient content are not the same as real yoghurt. 2. Parmesan cheese Probably the most popular hippie health food is nutritional yeast. This is because it has an umami flavour that helps fill the void left by the absence of cheese, especially…
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Which rice is better?
Following the discussion on carbohydrate-rich foods, today’s discussion is all about rice. In particular, we aim to answer the question: which rice is better? What is rice? Rice is “the starchy seeds of an annual southeast Asian cereal grass (Oryza sativa) that are cooked and used for food” (1). Rice belongs to the grains and cereals, alongside bread, pasta, oats, etc. This are also commonly known as “carbs” or “carbohydrates”, even though fruits, vegetables and legumes are also rich sources of carbohydrates. Although rice originated in Asia, it has spread throughout history to other parts in the world. Many countries, such as Spain and its colonies, Italy and the US…
