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 found in mushrooms, fruits
and vegetables.
Energy density is a term you will hear much more in the
future. Although the term 'energy' implies vitality, in
food terms, it refers to the kilojoules in food. As can
be seen from the chart, mushrooms are one of the lowest
energy dense, and best tasting, foods on the market.
In 2007, Dr Cheskin from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School
of Public Health, revealed that substituting meat with button
mushrooms increased the satiety 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
(110g or three button mushrooms) has only 103 kJs (25 Cals).
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.
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.

Protein |
34g |
| Fat |
14g |
| Sat Fat |
2.5g |
| Carb |
4g |
| kJ |
1160 |
|