GI News - April 2015 Page 1

APRIL 2015

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The Tables Of Our Lives “The table is essential to our lives,” says food writer Kate McGhie. “Tables remind us of food that’s been prepared and served on them, people who have eaten there, debates they have hosted, lasting friendships they have fostered and where homework was studiously undertaken. It also reminds us of family rules and rituals: Saying Grace, sitting up straight, elbows off the table, cleaning the plate (think of the starving children in Africa...)”

In recent issues of GI News, we have talked a lot about the importance of food culture and dietary patterns. And our new feature, What I Eat, shows how family meals are an important part of a healthy life for everybody, everywhere. But, all too often people say they have little or no time to cook “real” food and to share meals. Some days this is true, but it is also a question of what we most value in life and to what we choose to give the highest priorities.

“Off the couch and into the kitchen” wrote Michael Pollan in a typically forthright and thought provoking piece in New York Times Magazine.

“Here’s what I don’t get,” he says. “How is it that we are so eager to watch other people browning beef cubes on screen but so much less eager to brown them ourselves? The average American spends a mere 27 minutes a day on food preparation (another four minutes cleaning up); that’s less than half the time that we spent cooking and cleaning up when Julia [Child] arrived on our television screens. It’s also less than half the time it takes to watch a single episode of “Top Chef” or “Chopped” or “The Next Food Network Star.”

THIS MONTH: The tables of our lives and the importance of sharing meals; Australia’s new Health Star Rating system; The nip and tuck of baking packet mixes; Dr Alan Barclay: what 5% and 10% added sugars can look like in a day’s eating plan; Recipes and benefits of red kidney beans; Eating to appetite with Prof Jennie Brand-Miller; Emma Sandall on diversity with exercise choices.

• Food for Thought • News Briefs

- Star ratings

- The ‘nip & tuck’ of baking packet mixes

- Cooking in a class of their own

• Perspectives with Dr Alan Barclay • Putting Fun into Fitness with Emma Sandall • Nicole Senior’s Taste of Health • In the GI News Kitchen This Month

- Anneka Manning’s Family Baking

- What’s for dinner with Dr Joanna

- Johanna Burani’s Italian Kitchen

• Glycemic Index Foundation News • Q&A with Prof Jennie Brand-Miller

Photo: The Low GI Family Cookbook (Hachette Australia)

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The joy of cooking of course is that you have a meal prepared with love to share with family and friends around the table. Brazil’s new Dietary Guidelines are unique in that they highlight the importance of sharing meals for our health and wellbeing. “We humans are social beings. Eating together is ingrained in our history, as is the sharing and division of responsibility for finding, acquiring, preparing, and cooking food. Eating together, with everything that is involved with eating, is part of the evolution and adaptation of humanity and the development of culture and civilisation. Eating together is a natural, simple yet profound way to create and develop relationships between people. Thus, eating is a natural part of social life.

The sharing of meals at home is a precious and important time for family members and others who may share their lives together, to cultivate and strengthen their ties, to like one another more, to catch up, to exchange views on shared issues, to celebrate successes, to sympathise with difficulties, and to plan for the future. For children and adolescents, they are vital opportunities to acquire good habits and to learn to value the importance of sharing, by means of regular meals in appropriate environments. For adults of all ages, shared meals consolidate co-existence, sympathy, and mutual support.”

And that takes us back to the table where it all happens as Kate McGhie reminds us. “From the time when as a tot plonked on the kitchen table to watch Nan’s kitchen alchemy (and sssh... licking the chocolate batter from the bowl), it was pivotal to our family activities. It was the family’s anchor. It meant meal preparation, good things ahead: cakes cooling and being decorated; friends arriving for dinner, conversation, laughter – and dirty dishes, heaps of them. Oh if only it were not for the washing up.”

You can download Brazil’s new dietary guidelines HERE.

NEWS BRIEFS

Star ratingsAustralia’s voluntary Health Star Rating (HSR) system is here. The website is live and “although formal monitoring is yet to start, a quick whip around of the supermarket suggests that there are currently about 400 products already on shelf,” the Front-of-Pack Labelling Secretariat told us. As our regular readers will know, we don’t think stars or traffic lights are ideal (they tend to focus on calories/kJ, sugars and fats and omit vital statistics such as starches, vitamins and minerals or the GI of carbohydrates). But a visual system like this (and traffic lights) can certainly help busy shoppers make better choices of comparable packaged products. However, people with diabetes will still have to check the back of the pack for total (available) carbohydrate.

What are the stars based on? The guidelines say that “the HSR and hence nutrient content values used to determine it should apply to the form of the food as determined in accordance with the following: • the food as sold if the food can be either prepared with other foods or consumed as sold• the food as prepared if the food is required to be prepared and consumed according to directions on the label• the food after it is reconstituted with water and ready for consumption if the food requires reconstituting with

water• the food after it is drained and ready for consumption if the food requires draining before consuming.”

As we were looking at baking packet mix products for lunch boxes this issue, we were curious about how these would be rated. “The HSR must be based on the final product – that is the premix and any additional ingredients specified in the instructions on the label,” the team at HSR told us. Adding that: “In many cases manufacturers are already including NIP information for the food as prepared (in addition to the product as sold) and the HSR will simply mirror the ‘as prepared’ column in the NIP”.

Front-of-Pack Labelling SecretariatFreecall: 1800 099 658

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The “nip and tuck” of baking packet mixesPacket mixes have been around for a long time. Betty Crocker (not a real person) cake mixes were among the first. Famously, all you had to do was add water and an egg. Today, brownies, mud cake, muffins, muesli bars and even protein balls all come in packet mixes, but the overall prep formula hasn’t changed much. You still just add water and/or an egg and/or oil and/or sweetener. To help compare products there’s now a nutrition information panel (NIP), which may not be relevant if you are whipping up a treat or a party cake, but is a good idea if you are baking a muesli bar or muffin for lunchbox or after-school snacks.

The NIP for the packet mixes varies, with some just providing information based on the ingredients included in the packet and not on the final product that will include any additional ingredients that you need to add yourself. If you have just added water, there’s not going to be any change in the NIP; but if you have also added an egg and/or oil, and/or sweetener, what you see on the NIP is not what you are actually eating. We wondered what the difference between the NIP on the packet and the nutritional analysis of the final product might look like, and what their Health Star Rating (HSR) would be, so we picked mixes for snacks like muffins and muesli bars that you might pop into a kid’s lunchbox. At Coles Bondi Junction and IGA Bondi Beach, we found Nature’s Own/I Quit Sugar Muesli Bar Mix, Nature’s Own/I Quit Sugar Protein Ball Mix, Orgran Gluten-free Chocolate Muffin Mix, White Wings 97% Fat-free Banana Muffins and White Wings Blueberry Muffins. • Our nutrition analysis and HSR rating was based on the NIP and ingredients lists on the packs plus the quantities

of ingredients specified in the directions for making the product. • We used the online Health Star Rating Calculator (HSRC) in conjunction with the Guide for Industry to calculate the

HSR.• Our prices are based on Coles online shopping prices for Nature’s Own/I Quit Sugar and White Wings products

and for the additional ingredients required to make the products (egg, vegetable oil, coconut oil, rice syrup); and on IGA Bondi Beach store for the Orgran muffin mix as this product was not on the Coles website at the time of publication. Prices are in Australian dollars.

Nature’s Own/I Quit Sugar Muesli Bar (Coconut & Vanilla) MixAdditional ingredients: ½ cup rice malt syrup*, ¼ cup coconut oil, ¼ cup boiling water

*Rice malt syrup (GI 98) is a malted-grain sweetener made by fermenting brown rice with enzymes that break down the natural starch content. The sugar composition is around 45% maltose, 3% glucose, and 52% maltotriose – a trisaccharide consisting of three glucose molecules joined together.

Packet NIP (per 100g) Final Product(per 100g)

Final Product per serve(approx. 44g)

Energy (kJ) 1880 1822 802Protein (g) 16.3 10.5 4.6Fat (g) 24.3 24.1 10.6— includes Saturated fat (g) 6.4 12.6 5.5Carbohydrate (g) 36.4 42.9 18.9— includes Sugars (g) 1.8 18.8 8.3Fibre (g) 14.6 8.3 3.7

Heath Star Rating final product = 2.0. Cost per batch = $6.99 (mix) + $1.04 (½ cup rice syrup) + 1.33 (¼ cup coconut oil) = AUD$9.36

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Nature’s Own/I Quit Sugar Protein Ball (Cacao & Chia) MixAdditional ingredients: ½ cup rice malt syrup, ¼ cup coconut oil, 1 cup boiling water, 1 cup desiccated coconut.

Packet NIP (per 100 g) Final Product(per 100 g)

Final Product per serve(approx. 77 g)

Energy (kJ) 1945 1415 1092Protein (g) 23.1 8.9 6.9Fat (g) 24.6 22.0 16.9— includes Saturated fat (g) 16.1 17.5 13.5Carbohydrate (g) 33.9 25.5 19.6— includes Sugars (g) 2.6 12.7 9.8Fibre (g) 13.7 6.2 4.8

Heath Star Rating final product = 2.0. Cost per batch = $6.99 (mix) + $1.04 (½ cup rice syrup) + 1.33 (¼ cup coconut oil) + 0.57 (1 cup desiccated coconut) = AUD$9.93

Orgran Gluten-free Chocolate Muffin MixAdditional ingredients: 140ml water, 1 egg, 60ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil

(Orgran also offer a vegan option which just adds 250ml or 1 cup water in which case the nutritional analysis of the final product would be the same as the NIP).

Packet NIP (per 100 g) Final Product(per 100 g)

Final Product per serve(approx. 48 g)

Energy (kJ) 920 1205 579Protein (g) 3.6 4.1 2Fat (g) 2.9 14.8 7.1—includes Saturated fat (g) 0.6 2.2 1.1Carbohydrate (g) 45.4 35.5 17—includes Sugars (g) 22.3 17.5 8.4Fibre (g) 1.4 1.1 0.5

Heath Star Rating final product = 2.5. Cost per batch = $4.19 (mix) + $0.41 (1 egg) + 0.19 (¼ cup canola oil) = AUD$4.79

White Wings 97% Fat-free Banana Muffin MixAdditional ingredients: 330ml (1⅓ cups) water.

Packet NIP (per 100 g) Final Product(per 100 g)

Final Product per serve(approx. 58 g)

Energy (kJ) 1055 1055 612Protein (g) 4.2 4.2 2.4Fat (g) 2.6 2.6 1.5—includes Saturated fat (g) 0.5 0.5 0.3Carbohydrate (g) 52.9 52.9 30.7—includes Sugars (g) 28.9 28.9 16.8Fibre (g) n/a n/a n/a

Heath Star Rating final product = 2.5. Cost per batch = AUD$4.00 (mix)

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White Wings Blueberry Muffin MixAdditional ingredients: 80 mL (⅓ cup) vegetable oil (sunflower, canola or soybean), 1 egg (59g) and 250mL (1 cup) water.

Packet NIP (per 100 g) Final Product(per 100 g)

Final Product per serve(approx. 71 g)

Energy (kJ) 1435 1366 970Protein (g) 4.7 4.1 2.9Fat (g) 2.8 12.0 8.5—includes Saturated fat (g) 0.4 1.7 1.2Carbohydrate (g) 72.5 49.6 35.2—includes Sugars (g) 41.7 28.5 20.2Fibre (g) n/a n/a n/a

Heath Star Rating final product = 2.5. Cost per batch = $4.00 (mix) + $0.25 (canola oil) + 0.41 (1 egg) = AUD$4.66

Cooking in a class of their ownYear 9 and 10 home economics students around Australia taking part in a recipe challenge developed by McCormick Foods and the Home Economics Institute of Australia demonstrated “thinking beyond the square” culinary creativity according to the judges. The 14- to 16-year-olds had to develop and submit four original recipes using ingredients such as chamoy sauce, paneer cheese, guavas, Kashmiri masala and aji amarillos that were part of McCormick’s 2014 flavour forecast. Queensland’s Morayfield State High School was national winner with Recado Rojo, rubbed twice, cooked pork belly with pilonchillo sauce, tomatillo puree, served sashimi style; Chilli and lime panna cotta with candied chilli, chilli cashew crumble, raspberry coulis and honey comb; Lemon ginger tea infusion, coriander and pork dim sum with noodles and Kasmiri spiced lamb back strap, paneer and kachumba salad. Eat your heart out “Masterchef” and “MKR” contestants!

Morayfield’s home economics teacher, Jason McCormick, says: “The McCormick Flavour Forecast Challenge is a great curriculum concept for our students, it is innovative, user friendly, comprehensive, and connecting and it requires and demands rigour, which I believe is what really gives it a competitive edge. Best of all perhaps, is the opportunity for the students to experience new flavours. I really enjoyed watching the challenge unfold within the classroom, from the trial batch ups to the looks of surprise on the students’ faces when they actually enjoyed engaging in flavour combinations they didn’t think they’d like. There were some really fun times.” The 2015 McCormick Flavour Forecast Challenge for year 9 and 10 Australian home economics students kicks off in Term 2. Check out the details online at www.mccormick.com.au from 20 April, or register now with Neredith Comrie: neredith@marketmaker.com.au

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PERSPECTIVES WITH DR ALAN BARCLAY

What 5 percent and 10 percent added sugars look like in an overall healthy diet In its latest guidelines, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults and children reduce their daily intake of free sugars (that means added sugars not the sugars naturally in foods like fruit or milk) – including glucose, fructose, and sucrose (table sugar) – to less than 10 per cent of their total energy intake. (For a typical adult consuming 2,000 calories a day, for example, this is equal to around 12 teaspoons or 200 calories.) A further reduction to below 5 per cent or roughly 25 grams (6 teaspoons) per day may provide some additional health benefits (further reductions in risk of tooth decay) the authors conclude, but note that this is based on low quality evidence. Here’s what 5 percent and 10 percent added sugars look like in an overall healthy diet (2000 calories/8400 kilojoules).

5 percent added sugars looks like this (sources of sugar appear in bold green):

Breakfast

⅔ cup rolled oats 1 cup reduced-fat (1 –2%) milk 2 teaspoons wildflower honey ½ grapefruit

Lunch

2 slices of hearty whole-grain bread 2 teaspoons olive oil margarine 3½ ounces (100 g) canned red salmon ½ cup mixed salad (lettuce, cucumber, and tomato)

One 7-ounce (200 g) container plain yogurt½ banana

Dinner

2 ounces (60 g) beef strips 1½ cups Asian-style stir-fry noodles 2 cups Asian-style stir-fry vegetables 1 tablespoon sesame oil ¼ cup Asian stir-fry sauce

Small glass (100 ml) white wine

½ cup reduced-fat vanilla ice cream ½ cup strawberries

2000 calories; 106g protein; 60g fat (includes15g saturated fat); 228g carbohydrate (includes 82g total sugars of which 27g are added sugars); 25g fibre

10 percent added sugars looks like this (sources of sugar appear in bold green):

Breakfast

⅔ cup rolled oats 1 cup reduced-fat (1 –2%) milk 1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons)wildflower honey ½ grapefruit

Lunch

2 slices of hearty whole-grain bread2 teaspoons olive oil margarine3½ ounces (100 g) canned red salmon½ cup mixed salad (lettuce, cucumber, and tomato)

One 7-ounce (200 g) container plain yogurt½ banana

Dinner

2 ounces (60 g) beef strips 1½ cups Asian-style stir-fry noodles 2 cups Asian-style stir-fry vegetables 1 tablespoon sesame oil ¼ cup Asian stir-fry sauce

½ cup reduced-fat vanilla ice cream ½ cup strawberries

1 piece (8 g) milk chocolate

2040 calories; 105g protein; 62g fat (includes 16 g saturated fat); 250g carbohydrate (which includes 104g sugars of which 50g are added sugars); 25g fibre

Source: The Ultimate Guide to Sugars and Sweeteners (http://www.amazon.com/The-Ultimate-Guide-Sugars-Sweeteners/dp/1615192166).

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Take a tip: When cutting back on added sugars, the food industry and many consumers turn to alternative sweeteners. However, if you are trying to cut calories, it’s important to remember that “sugar-free” isn’t code for “low calorie.” When regular sugar is replaced by alternative sweeteners in energy-dense (high-calorie) starchy or fatty foods, you may not save very many calories at all.

Alan Barclay PhD is a consultant dietitian and Chief Scientific Officer at the Glycemic Index Foundation. He worked for Diabetes Australia (NSW) from 1998-2014 and is a member of the editorial board of Diabetes Australia’s health professional magazine, Diabetes Management Journal. Alan has authored or co-authored over 30 scientific publications, is co-author of The Low GI Diet: Diabetes Handbook, The Low GI Diet: Managing Type 2 Diabetes, and The Ultimate Guide to Sugars and Sweeteners, and presents at conferences around the globe. Contact: alan.barclay@gisymbol.com

PUTTING FUN INTO FITNESS WITH EMMA SANDALL

DiversifyGyms these days are wisely offering people a variety of exercise choices because they understand that people get bored. And quite quickly. Not only do people get bored. But bodies get complacent. Without a personal trainer breathing down your neck, unintentionally, we find easy ways around things. The body quickly becomes accustomed to a pattern so that it no longer has quite the same effect. It is a little like jogging or walking a familiar path. Once it becomes familiar, you find little short cuts. It will never be quite the same effort as the first time you walk or run a course. All this is to say, that that is normal, and a good way to combat both boredom and physical complacency is to mix things up. As much and as often as suits you. Me, I tend to mix things up every few months or so. For about three months I am interested in one training regimen and then I usually need to be inspired by something new. Recently I have gone back into the yoga studio and I am loving it. But I have had a year-long break from the yoga studio. I took myself into regular gyms for a while and Pilates classes. In the summer I was walking and kayaking. And now my body wants a little more of a stretch and focused time in poses, not rushed or pushed. Sometimes the change you need is as much as trying other instructors’ classes, or other studios, just as you would walk a different path. It’s about keeping the mind and body active and alert. There’s always a way to be inspired to move. Perceived laziness is really just a lack of inspiration. So maybe all you need to do is make a shift …

Emma Sandall is an ex-ballerina turned fitness and health guru. She teaches and coaches dance, fitness and Pilates and writes and produces video for all things movement related. Emma runs Body Playground, a space to activate and inspire body and soul.

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NICOLE SENIOR’S TASTE OF HEALTH

Red kidney beans: style and substance Raw (dried) red kidney beans (Phaseolis vulgaris) are beautiful. Their deep dark colour is delightful and their smooth rounded edges are pleasing to touch – they remind me of little river pebbles hewn by perpetual flowing water. And, in a wooden box or plastic container, they make great DIY maracas for your family band. As well as the dark brownish-red variety, there are also a couple of speckled varieties that look gorgeous and remind me of little wild bird’s eggs.They originated in South America and were introduced to Europe by Spanish explorers returning from the New World, who subsequently took them to Africa and Asia. While resembling a human kidney in shape, they offer no special protection for kidney health over and above their impressive nutrient content (which is needed by all organs and tissues), despite what you might read in charming chain emails. They are rich in the trace element molybdenum, high in fibre – including soluble fibre that helps lower bad LDL cholesterol and modulate blood glucose response- and a good source of protein, folate, manganese and copper. They also contain iron, B-vitamins, potassium and magnesium. As well as being rich in nutrients, kidney beans also contain an array of phytochemicals including phenolic compounds with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. And to top it all off, they have a low glycemic index (home cooked = GI 51; canned and drained = GI 36). It is perhaps not surprising that eating legumes regularly is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, probably due to their ability to lower bad LDL cholesterol, but they have also been shown to reduce blood pressure in clinical studies. Like all legumes (pulses) kidney beans walk the line between two food groups, being both vegetables and meat alternatives. A serving of either is half a cup of cooked (or canned) beans.Red kidney beans must be soaked overnight before cooking in simmering water for about an hour and a half, or soaked beans can be cooked in half an hour in a pressure cooker. Soaking and cooking is essential to destroy a natural toxin called phytohemagglutinin (a lectin glycoprotein). Its best to add cooked or canned kidney beans to recipes when using your slow cooker as the lower temperature can be inadequate to destroy the toxin if you use dried and soaked beans. Poisoning from insufficiently cooked kidney beans has occurred. Luckily, they hold their shape well during prolonged cooking.Red kidney beans are great in soups, stews, curries and salads. They feature in many well known dishes around the world such as chilli con carne in Latin America, rajma in India and Pakistan, and red beans and rice in Creole cuisine of Southern USA. They give great texture and colour to salsas and dips, are a frugal filling for wraps, and give starchy satisfaction to salads. They go wonderfully with corn, spices and avocado, and are expert extenders of one-pot meat meals (such as chilli beef) to reduce the amount of meat and add health benefits.Store dried kidney beans in an airtight container in a cool, dark, dry place for up to 12 months. Cooked kidney beans can be stored covered in the fridge for several days, or frozen for later use. Canned kidney beans are also a convenient and nutritious option: simply rinse well – and please recycle the can.

Nicole Senior is an Accredited Nutritionist, author and consultant who strives to make healthy food taste terrific. You can follow her on Twitter, Facebook or checkout her website

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WHAT I EAT

Nicole Senior talks to Ines Astudillo This month’s ‘What I eat’ is a great example of how rising affluence can dilute traditional cuisine and result in new globalised eating habits, and how local specialities can take off and be enjoyed around the world. Thankfully, legumes still feature to add some healthy, low GI goodness to Chilean eating habits. Here, I talk to Ines Astudillo, Accredited Practising Dietitian, Nutrition Professionals Australia, Sydney.What is your cultural background? I was born in Santiago, Chile and came to Australia when I was 3 years old. I have lived in Chile since, the last time being when I was 16 for about 1 year.What does a typical day’s food look like in your culture? A typical breakfast is freshly made white bread from the local bakery (or homemade) with a topping such as margarine, butter, cheese, jam, cold meats, avocado and an instant coffee or tea. Or perhaps some porridge or highly processed sugary cereal.The lunch meal is served at about 2.30pm–3pm and tends to be a cooked meal containing red meat, chicken and/or legumes with some rice, pasta, potato or bread and small amounts of a wide range of cooked vegetables purchased from the local markets. An accompanying salad typically contains tomato and onion, or green beans and onion with lemon juice. Fresh coriander often features along with a side of fresh chillies picked from the chilli plant in the backyard or ‘pebre’ which is a spicy tomato salsa with onion, coriander, olive oil, garlic and chili. Salt is usually generously added to meals and soft drink or sweetened juice drink (made from powder and water) is likely to be served with it.The final meal of the day is called ‘oncé’ which is similar to the breakfast meal with fresh bread with a topping, or cake, and a hot drink such as tea, coffee or herbal tea: camomile, fresh mint and yerba mate (herbal tea) are common.Snacks may include fresh fruit, flavoured yoghurt, nuts or ice cream, nougat, chocolates or lollies. What is your favourite dish? Sopa de Garbanzos, a chickpea and chorizo pumpkin soup made with olive oil, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin spice, red chilli powder, served with rice and a generous sprinkle of freshly chopped coriander, and perhaps a pebré to go with it. I also prefer to portion the chorizo, or only add it occasionally.What are 3 ingredients this cuisine couldn’t do without? Legumes/pulses, spices, saladsCan you suggest a hero ingredient? Red kidney beans!

IN THE GI NEWS KITCHEN THIS MONTHAnneka Manning’s Honey and nut muesli bars • Dr Joanna’s Lamb and red bean cocotte in What’s for Dinner • Johanna Burani shares her Tuna and bean salad in Italian Kitchen.

Anneka Manning’s Family BakingHoney and nut muesli bars This recipe is based on one from Supergrains by Chrissy Freer, published by Murdoch Books – it is a particularly popular recipe that we teach in our Healthy Kids Lunch Boxes BakeClasses. Knowing what is going into your muesli bars is the key – it makes them so much healthier and tastier. For a nut-free version, substitute the almonds with ⅓ cup sunflower seeds or pepitas (pumpkin seeds). Photo: Bree Hutchins

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¾ cup good-quality honey½ cup sunflower oil or light olive oil2½ cups traditional rolled oats (oatmeal)1½ cups puffed millet ½ cup desiccated coconut1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon⅓ cup sweetened dried cranberries½ cup currants ½ cup raw almonds, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 140°C/320°F. Lightly grease a shallow 20 x 30cm (8 x 12in) baking tin and line the base and sides with non-stick baking paper. • Put the honey and oil in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until well combined and heated through. Set aside. • Put the rolled oats, millet, coconut, cinnamon, cranberries, currants and almonds in a large bowl and mix to combine evenly. Add the honey mixture and stir to combine. Using damp hands, press the mixture firmly into the lined tin. Press the mixture with the back of a spoon to make the surface smooth and even. • Bake for 45–55 minutes or until the surface is dark golden brown all over. Cool completely in the tin before cutting into 24 bars. • These muesli bars will keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week. For extra-crisp muesli bars, store in an airtight container in the fridge.Per serve (one piece) 725kJ/ 173 calories; 2g protein; 8.5g fat (includes 2g saturated fat; saturated : unsaturated fat ratio 0.3); 21g available carbs (includes 12.5g sugars and 8.5g starch); 2g fibre

Anneka Manning, founder of BakeClub, shares her delicious better-for-you recipes for snacks, desserts and treats the whole family will love. Through both her writing and cooking school, Anneka teaches home cooks to bake in practical and approachable yet inspiring ways that assure success in the kitchen. In 2015 she is offering a wide range of classes including healthy Kids Lunchboxes, Savoury Baking and Gluten-free Baking. You can find out more about them HERE. www.bakeclub.com.au

What’s for dinner with Dr Joanna

Lamb and red bean cocotteA cocotte is just a casserole but it makes it sound so much more enticing! I’m a sucker for hearty meals on a cooler nights and this one hits the mark – but does so without the calories (kilojoules) of most winter fare. Beans are such a great addition to casserole-style meals; they add slow release carbs, plant protein, stacks of fibre and nutrients such as folate. You can cook this in the oven or on the stovetop. Serves 4.

360g (12oz) diced leg of lamb, fat trimmed2 tbs (40ml) extra virgin olive oil1 onion, finely diced2 cloves garlic, finely chopped2 carrots, scraped and diced2 sticks of celery, diced1 tsp fresh thyme, leaves removed1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped 400g (14oz) can tomatoes, chopped½ cup red wine 1 cup beef stock 400g (14oz) can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsedextra water if needed1 large sweet potato for mashing, peeled and chopped1 head of broccoli, cut into pieces

• Makes: about 24• Preparation time: 15 minutes• Baking time: 45-55 minutes

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Coat lamb in 1 tbs of oil. In a hot casserole, brown meat in 3 batches. Remove from pan. • Add remaining oil to the pan and gently sauté the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, thyme and rosemary until soft. • Return meat to the pan and add tomatoes, wine and stock. Bring to the boil covered and then place in an oven (pre-heated to 180°C/350°F) and cook for 1½ hours or until meat is tender. Add the beans after meat has been cooking for 1 hour and check liquid level. Add a splash of water if it looks a little dry. Alternatively, cook on a low heat on the stovetop for 2 hours covered. Stir occasionally to ensure the casserole does not catch at the bottom. • About 20 minutes before the end of cooking time, steam or boil the sweet potato until tender, then mash until smooth. Add a little salt and pepper to taste if you wish. When almost ready to serve, steam the broccoli for a couple of minutes until al dente. • Serve lamb over mashed sweet potato with the steamed broccoli on the side.

Per serving380 calories/1590kJ; 30g protein; 17g fat (includes 4g saturated fat; saturated : unsaturated fat ratio = 0.31); 26g available carbs; 12g fibre

Joanna McMillan PhD is a qualified dietitian and nutritionist. She is director of nutrition consultancy company Dr Joanna, and founder of Get Lean – the online healthy lifestyle system. She is a popular media spokesperson in Australia with regular TV and radio appearances, writes for several magazines and blogs, and has authored several books including The Low GI Diet (with Prof Jennie Brand-Miller). Joanna is a proud ambassador for Diabetes Australia and The Skin and Cancer Foundation. She is also a former fitness instructor and continuing exercise enthusiast which she juggles with being mum to two very energetic boys. Find out more at her website: Dr Joanna.

Johanna Burani’s Italian Kitchen

Tuna and bean saladWhen the weather starts warming up and windows open to the fresh spring air, Italian homemakers may make a quick Saturday lunch meal of a salad like this, served with crusty semolina bread. They tend to use dry beans that they soak overnight before cooking. I have used canned organic beans that I drained and washed. Makes 3 (1-cup) servings

1½ tbsp (25ml) olive oil2 tsp red wine vinegarpinch kosher or sea salt7oz (200g) can Italian tuna, packed in oil, drained1 cup home-cooked or canned red kidney beans2 oz (60g) red onion, diced1 large clove garlic, minced4–5 sprigs fresh parsley, minced

Prepare the vinaigrette by beating the oil, vinegar and salt into an emulsion with a fork. Set aside. • Combine all the other ingredients in a serving bowl and mix well. Drizzle over the dressing and mix again. Serve chilled.

Per serving (1 cup)180 calories/750kJ; 19g protein; 11g fat (includes 1.5g saturated fat; saturated : unsaturated fat ratio = 0.16); 10g available carbs; 6g fibre

American dietitian and author of the best-selling Good Carbs, Bad Carbs, Johanna Burani, shares her favourite recipes with a low or moderate GI. For more information, check out Johanna’s website. The photographs are by Sergio Burani. His food, travel and wine photography website is photosbysergio.com.

GI News - April 2015 Page 12

GLYCEMIC INDEX FOUNDATION NEWS

One dish dinnersGetting the kids to eat a balanced meal is always a challenge as they have their favourite dishes (or in our case parts of dishes) and want the same things week after week – tuna bake three weeks in a row! The other challenge with young kids is that if you want to have a family meal the recipe also needs to suit the adults. To continuously find dishes that the whole family will sit around the table and happily eat keeps me busy. I am always on the lookout for healthy, balanced meals where everything goes into one dish and into the oven, then onto the table.

So when the team at the Australian Healthy Food Guide magazine approached us to review their 101 Diabetes-friendly Recipes cookbook, I was very keen to see if there was anything in there that I could add to our family’s mealtime repertoire. Absolutely. There is a range of family-friendly recipes that includes a bolognaise bake and a taco beef salad. For those veggie smugglers there are a couple of fritter options including chicken, corn and red capsicum fritters. All the recipes have been reviewed by our GI Foundation team and are either low or medium GI. For those that are low GI you will see our Low GI Recipe logo featured. The cookbook is only available in Australia, but Healthy Food Guide has kindly given me permission to share this delicious one-dish dinner that has already become one of our family favourites. Enjoy! Garlic and rosemary chicken tray bakeCook’s tip: This meal freezes well. Serves 4

Olive-oil spray2 small orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled, sliced 2 medium Carisma potatoes, sliced4 skinless chicken drumsticks4 skinless, boneless chicken thigh filletsZest and juice of 1 orange, plus extra zest, to garnish2 red onions, cut into wedges1 cup roasted red capsicum2 tbsp (40ml) olive oil¼ cup balsamic vinegar4 sprigs rosemary or thyme 1 garlic bulb, broken into cloves 50g (2½oz) gluten-free chorizo, diced50g (1½oz) cups chopped silverbeet (Swiss chard)

Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Spray a large ovenproof baking dish with olive oil. Cook potatoes in boiling water for 5 minutes; drain. • Cut several slits in chicken pieces and toss with orange zest. • Place potatoes, onions and capsicum in a large bowl. Mix orange juice with oil and vinegar in a small bowl; add to vegetables and toss to coat. • Place vegetables in prepared baking dish and top with chicken. Break rosemary (or thyme) into small sprigs; place two-thirds into chicken slits. Add garlic and remaining rosemary to dish. Sprinkle chorizo over; toss well. • Bake for 45 minutes, tossing halfway through. Stir through silverbeet final 10 minutes of cooking time. Season with freshly cracked black pepper; garnish with extra zest and serve.

Per serving581 calories/2429kJ; 49g protein; 27g fat (includes 7g saturated fat; saturated : unsaturated fat ratio = 0.35); 32g available carbs; 7g fibre; 388 mg sodium

You can buy the book HERE. Dianna Crisp is the Communications and Partnership Manager at the Glycemic Index Foundation, a not-for-profit, health promotions charity. Website: www.gisymbol.comFacebookTwitter

GI News - April 2015 Page 13

Q&A WITH JENNIE BRAND-MILLER

You often talk about “eating to appetite”. I would have thought counting calories would be more helpful when you want to lose weight?If your goal is significant weight loss (e.g., 10% of your current weight) over a short period of time (6–8 weeks), then you will need to halve your normal intake of calories (e.g. from 2000 to 1000 calories/day), and yes, in order to achieve this drastic reduction, counting them will be helpful. But weight loss of this kind involves a wilful attempt to ignore normal appetite signals (growling stomach, thoughts of food) and a huge amount of discipline. It’s the sledgehammer effect. But if your goal is maintenance of your hard-earned weight loss (also called prevention of weight re-gain), it is not possible to balance energy intake and energy expenditure by counting calories. Firstly, no one knows how many calories they really use up each day. And even if you were keeping a very careful count, the calories on the food label are not precise enough (there can be up to a 20 per cent discrepancy). In addition, what we know from mathematical modelling is that a small but persistent excess of only 7 calories or 30 kilojoules a day (that’s equivalent to about two bites of an apple) over and above your energy requirements for 10 years underlies the current epidemic of obesity. Appetite is what really matters. Appetite is what drives our energy intake. Here are some practical tips for getting into the habit of eating to appetite and enjoying your food without worrying about counting.• Eat three balanced meals a day.• Make sure you include some protein foods and low GI carbs with each meal as

they are satiating foods (they make you feel fuller for longer).• Plate up meals in the kitchen rather than serving at the table as it cuts down on

picking and seconds.• Don’t feel you have to “clean your plate”. Stop eating and push back from the

table when you feel just pleasantly full. • Avoid eating snacks unless you are really, really hungry.We often suggest people use this plate model when putting together balanced meals. The same principles apply regardless of the size of the plate. However, we are talking inside the inner rim!

Professor Jennie Brand-Miller (AM, PhD, FAIFST, FNSA, MAICD) is an internationally recognised authority on carbohydrates and the glycemic index with over 250 scientific publications. She holds a Personal Chair in Human Nutrition in the Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise and Eating Disorders and Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney. She is the co-author of many books for the consumer on the glycemic index and health.

On the plateProtein-rich foods• How much? ¼ plate• What? Milk, yoghurt, tofu, legumes, eggs, meat,

chicken or fishLow GI carb foods• How much? ¼ plate• What? Carisma potatoes, parsnips, carrots, butternut

pumpkin/winter squash, al dente pasta, noodles, low GI rice, pearl barley, quinoa, legumes (beans chickpeas and lentils), green peas, sweet corn, low GI bread, rolls, corn tortillas, milk or yoghurt

Veggies• How much? ½ plate• What? Salad veggies, cabbage, Brussels sprouts,

spinach, kale, silverbeet, cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, tomatoes, asparagus – whatever takes your fancy and is in season

Outside the plateFruit, milk, beverages and a dessert on occasion

GI News - April 2015 Page 14

Copyright© 2015

Editor: Philippa SandallScience Editor: Alan Barclay, PhDContact: info@gisymbol.comTechnical problems or faults: info@gisymbol.comGI testing: sugirs.manager@sydney.edu.au

For more information on permission to reproduce any of the information pertained in this newsletter please contact info@gisymbol.com