Australian_Healthy_Food_Guide_February_2017

38 healthyfoodguide.co

The raw food diet has proved to be one of 2016’s
biggest health trends. But while there’s a lot to be
said for a diet based on whole fruits, vegies, nuts
and seeds, don’t assume all ‘raw’ foods, especially
raw desserts, are low in kilojoules and sugar.
Many raw snack bars or balls and raw desserts,
such as vegan cheesecake, contain a lot of dried
fruit, nuts, seeds and coconut oil, which hikes up
the kilojoule count. In addition, sweeteners like rice
malt syrup, maple syrup and raw honey are used
in many raw treats, often in large amounts, so they
certainly aren’t sugar-free or low in kilojoules.
So, if you’re buying a packaged ‘raw’ snack,
it’s just as important to check out the nutrition
information as it is with non-raw treats. And at
cafés, you still need to exercise some restraint
around that ‘raw’ cake, just as you would with
a regular chocolate cake or caramel slice.

Get back on tr
Go easy on raw food
Use the raw food conc
encouragement to eat
fresh fruit and veg, who
nuts and seeds. But be
selective when choosin
‘raw’ desserts and eat
them in moderation,
just like any other treat

It’s easy to get caught up in the

hype of the latest ‘celebrity diet’

that promises good health, as

well as weight loss. You follow

the rules, avoid certain foods

and restrict your overall food

intake, so it’s no surprise that

the kilojoules start to fall off ...

But then it all gets tedious

and you resent the fact that so

many foods are ‘forbidden’. It’s

common to then gorge on all of

the foods you’ve been denied

for so long. And then you fi nd

yourself right back to where you

started — or possibly worse off.

Research suggests that cutting

out or severely restricting a

food group ultimately leads to

cravings and over-consumption,

and therefore weight gain.

By their very defi nition, diets

have a start and end point, after

which we are likely to slip back

into our old eating habits.

Get back on track

There’s no one-size-fi ts-all

approach to losing weight ...

The success of a weight-loss

plan differs from one person to

another. Being overly restrictive

may work in the short term, but

it can have negative effects on

your long-term wellbeing.

It’s much healthier to make

small, yet sustainable changes.

For example, if you tend to be

a brekkie-skipper, perhaps start

with a more nutritious breakfast

choice and then make it a habit.

Go back to

basics by

eating more

raw fruit

& vegies

WRONG

TURN 6

Following

food fads

Raw desserts can have more

kilojoules than other desserts

WRONG TURN 5

Thinking ‘raw’

means healthy

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