Most of us find it all too easy to gain weight. An increase in body weight only happens when people eat more kilojoules than they burn each day through physical activity. So, to lose any excess body fat they have to eat less kilojoules than they burn.
There are three ways to achieve that:
1. Eat less kilojoules by changing the diet;
2. Burn more kilojoules by being more active; or
3. A mixture of eating less kilojoules and being more active
In reality, a mix of dietary change and becoming more active has the greatest chance of long-term weight loss success.
Surprisingly, we appear to be conditioned to eat the same amount of solid food each day. Think about it – you probably eat the same breakfast most mornings of the week and your dinner plate is probably filled to the same level each night. So, rather than trying to eat fewer kilojoules it is smarter to choose more foods that have less kilojoules per serve. These are called lower energy dense foods.
Energy Density of Example Foods
Food
KJ/100 g
Cals/100 g
Mushroom
103
25
Apple
180
45
Boiled potato
290
70
Milk, regular
280
67
Milk, skim
145
35
Baked beans
395
90
Lean meat
730
175
Bread
925
220
Meat pie
1065
255
Croissant
1340
320
Muesli bar
1680
400
Potato crisps
2100
500
Low energy dense foods are very likely to be low in fat and high in water, as is the case with mushrooms, fruits and vegetables. With mushrooms offering a different range of nutrients than found in vegetables, it is smart to include mushrooms as one of your five vegetable serves each day. As can be seen from the chart, mushrooms are one of the lowest kilojoule dense, and best tasting, foods on the market.
Mushrooms also seem to make you eat less food too. In 2008, Dr Cheskin from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, revealed that substituting meat with button mushrooms increased the satiety (feeling of fullness) of the meal. Although the mushroom meal was about 100 calories (420 kJs) less than the meat meal, consumers actually ate 379 fewer calories (1590 kJs) a day over four days. This suggests that mushrooms have a powerful ability to make a meal more filling.
The mushroom is ideally suited for weight control because it is low in fat, low in kilojoules and low in energy density. That makes mushrooms suitable for everyone, including those who have heart disease or diabetes. A single serve of mushrooms (100g or three button mushrooms) has only 103 kJs (25 Cals).
Mushroom & fish skewers Serves 4
350g button mushrooms, halved 500g firm white fish fillets, cut into 2cm cubes 2 tbs olive oil 2 lemons juiced 2cm piece ginger, peeled, finely grated 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 tsp brown sugar salt & ground black pepper
Place the mushrooms and fish in a shallow dish. Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, brown sugar and salt and pepper in a screw-top jar. Shake until well combined. Pour the marinade over the mushrooms and fish and toss well to coat. Cover and place in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Thread the mushrooms and fish alternately onto pre-soaked bamboo skewers.
Preheat a greased barbecue or char-grill on medium-high. Cook the skewers for 5 minutes, turning frequently, or until fish is cooked through. Serve with tossed salad.
