I attended last month’s Calories on the Menu course organised by Nutrition & Wellbeing. We met at a convenient location in London and were an intimate group of about 12 people. We had access to a laptop and were coached through the up to date regulations on health claims, front-of-pack labelling, calculating fruit and veg portions in composite foods, and more. We had hands-on training on calculating calories using Saffron software and the delegate handouts were comprehensive and professional. My 10 top tips…

10 take-outs from the day:

1. The calories in simple meals, such as sandwiches, can be calculated with accuracy by a caterer, but more complicated recipes need the specialist knowledge of a dietitian or nutritionist
2. Restaurants are a commercial enterprise so any terms like ‘low fat’, ‘healthy’ or images (like a heart) must comply with the regulations.
3. Fibre is now included in energy calculations. Fibre is not calorie-free; each gram gives you 2 kcals.
4. There are two methods of fibre analysis – Englyst which analyses non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) and AOAC. Most manufactured foods now use AOAC, with a GDA for fibre as 24g.
5. Healthcare professionals can recommend a branded product that is also making a health claim so long as the information is compliant with the EFSA Regulations and is not represented in a misleading way.
6. Each recipe needs a complete list of ingredients with precise quantities and preparation information. Cooking losses and cooked weight also need to be recorded.
7. Suppliers data can be used – make sure you have the appropriate paperwork to verify it.
8. Nutrition Data has to be per 100g or per 100ml. Per serving data is voluntary.
9. Traffic light sign-posting criteria are different for drinks. If total sugars in a drink are high, but the sugar comes from fruit or milk, you may not necessarily get a red light.
10.  Later in 2013 traffic light labelling will change and the next course will be based on the changed traffic lights.

Want to know more? Check out my tweets below from the course and visit Nutrition & Wellbeing. Also see the EFSA Health Claims.

As we walked in, the atmosphere was buzzing. It seemed to me that customers had taken in the aroma of the freshly roasted spices and had been lured into the restaurant even before it was officially opened. We were directed to our seats and then offered a taster menu of various delights. I was particularly interested in the healthier items, so here’s a sample of those dishes that won’t go straight to your waistline.

I had a platter of goodies including some spicy roasted aubergine, grilled chicken tikka, charred tandoori lamb, spicy potato cakes and grilled paneer with roasted tomato. All accompanied by a fresh mint chutney and home-baked naan bread (no butter or ghee on top). I didn’t have much room for more but was persuaded to try the Urad Dhal – it was so creamy yet light and was served with a swirl of low fat natural yogurt, naan bread and steamed rice with peas.

If you want to go out for a tasty Indian meal but would like to keep an eye on the waistline, I suggest you be aware of the high fat fried foods and heavy, butter-based sauces.

My 3 top tips:

1. Go for tandoori chicken or chicken tikka as they are usually roasted in a tandoor, which means they are cooked quickly without added fat. Go for plain boiled rice and cucumber and mint raita, and ask for your poppadums to be grilled not fried.
2. For the main course, go for a dahl dish, which is made from lentils. There are usually many different types to choose from. The more whole the lentils, the lower will be the glycaemic index (which means they are more slowly digested), so you could ask the waiter which dahls are less pureed and choose those.
3. Opt for chicken, prawn or vegetable dishes rather than richer lamb or beef curries, which are usually higher in fat. You might see a thin layer of oil on the top – scoop your serving from underneath.

Hungry? Check out Moti Mahal Delux.

Speakers included Dr Carrie Ruxton, Claire Nuttall, Dr Janice Harland, David Jago from Mintel and the eminent Professor Rob Pickard. The short and sharp lectures were interspersed with team exercises and networking opportunities.

10 take-outs from the day:

1. The consumer needs to “feel the benefit” if you’re making a nutrition claim. However, adding nutrients doesn’t often translate to benefit for a number of years.
2. If the shopper buys something that doesn’t taste good, they’re unlikely to buy it again.
3. Let’s get health on the shopping list! Manufacturers need to help people interpret labels and health info (cue the registered dietitian…).
4. There are a number of issues consumers are concerned about – bone and health issues are amongst the big ones.
5. The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition is reviewing vitamin D and carbohydrate evidence, so there may be more public health campaigns that could work to the benefit of food manufacturers.
6. Brands can start the education process by using credible experts to help communicate issues such as bone density in teenagers. This type of responsible advice can help create long-term loyalty to a brand.
7. Asian dishes seem to be penetrating much of Europe. There’s a lot of focus on nutrient claims regarding eyesight improvement in countries like Japan and China. New ingredients from Asia will gradually filter through to the UK – we may see more “Beauty Food”.
8. Food-based advice is important for brands – how much of a food you need to eat to get a benefit and derive recommended nutrient intakes.
9. We can’t get complex science across on a pack, and we need to use consumer-friendly info to help the brain to analyse messages. The brain depends on repeated messages, so brands need to repeat key statements on all communications. Alliteration is an incredibly powerful means of communication.
10. You don’t necessarily need to talk about the benefit – other things like graphics on-pack can convey a clear message.

If you want more snippets, check out my tweets below. And you can download the presentations here.

I love ordering this type of dish in restaurants and wanted to create my own healthier (cream-free) version at home in about 15 minutes – so I cheated!

I added one tsp. each of crushed garlic and ginger to a skinless baby chicken, which I asked the butcher to cut into small pieces (you could use boneless chicken thighs or breast, or turkey for this instead). I then coated this in flour and added a little seasoning.

I heated a couple of teaspoons of rapeseed oil and threw in the chicken, stirring it from time to time. Meanwhile, I chopped a green pepper and an onion. Once it was browned (which took just a few minutes), I added the chopped peppers and onions with some semi-skimmed milk (about a mugful), covered the pan and let the chicken cook happily on its own for about 10-15 minutes, stirring now and then, and adding more milk if the sauce was too thick.

This lower fat yet creamy velvety dish was then brought to life with some chopped flat leaf parsley, and I devoured it with some mustard mashed potato and green beans. Want some?

Time and confidence are the main barriers that mums report when it comes to preparing meals for their families:

• Over half (51%) of those surveyed said the reason they don’t cook more often is because it is too time consuming;
• Almost a quarter of mums (24%) said they don’t cook from scratch more because they don’t know how to; and
• Almost three quarters (71%) said they eat convenience foods instead of cooking from scratch because they are quicker to prepare. 

The survey was commissioned for Change4Life’s Be Food Smart healthy eating campaign, which aims to lift the lid on the hidden nasties – salt, sugar and saturated fat – found in many popular foods, particularly convenience meals.

It’s understandable that over time eating habits change and that the time-pushed mums of today aren’t necessarily going to approach cooking family dinners in the way their own mothers once did. However, many take-aways and processed foods can contain high levels of salt, sugar and saturated fat, so shoppers needed to be encouraged to buy healthier options whist still taking short-cuts to fit in with demands on their time. 

Although there are many modern trends that make life easier, we could all benefit from remembering how our own mothers cooked and prepared meals from scratch, which would help us all eat a little healthier. Making quick meals yourself using easy-to-hand ingredients helps you to be more aware of what’s going into your food and helps ensure you and your family avoid any hidden nasties.

For ideas from Be Food Smart for quick and healthier meals to cook at home, visit Change4Life and sign up to receive a free Meal Mixer tool. You’ll get ideas on simple family meals for under a fiver.

Print off your Food & Mood Diary by right clicking the table below, and saving it.

This is one of my easy short-cut recipes that always goes down a treat. Simply mix together a tablespoon (tbsp.) of olive oil, 2tbsp honey, 2tbsp light soy sauce, 2 teaspoons (tsp.) coarse grain mustard, 1 tsp. crushed garlic and a huge handful of freshly chopped coriander leaves.

Coat about half a dozen skinless chicken wings with this sticky mixture and place them in a baking dish. Sprinkle red chilli powder on top. Bake in a hot oven till the juices run clear (15 minutes or so).

You can play around with this recipe every time you make them so you mix it up a little – try lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, or fresh mint. Message me on Facebook if you have any surprising twists.

I put some pasta on the boil and just added some dried roasted garlic and olive oil to it. It worked beautifully and we had clean plates all round!

Here’s what I did:

1. Coat 6 small skinless chicken pieces on the bone with a teaspoon of mixed crushed garlic & ginger.
2. Toss them in seasoned flour and pan-fry in olive oil – they go a gorgeous golden brown in minutes.
3. Lower the heat; add a few tablespoons of boiling water and cover. While the chicken’s cooking, chop some onions and green peppers and throw them in. Add a few jalapeno slices (you can buy them in a jar and they’re great for livening up meals).
4. While all that’s cooking, make a little stock using powdered bouillon or a stock cube – you only need about half a mugful. You can always add more water later if the sauce is too thick.
5. Add chopped orange peppers and tomato wedges near the end of cooking (the chicken juices should run clear), warm through till softened.

Two thousand adults took the newly launched ‘Food IQ’ quiz, designed to highlight levels of salt, sugar and saturated fat in popular foods. The results show that the majority of people are largely unaware of what is in their food – with over three quarters (77%) of respondents’ Food IQs rating as low (scoring 50% or under).

I’m not surprised that people have low awareness. I wouldn’t expect the average person to know that a cheese and ham sandwich has more salt than a packet of crisps. We’re bombarded with different nutritional messages from websites, magazines, even celebrities; often this can be confusing.

And you need to be really label savvy to make healthier choices. Food labels need to be simpler. We don’t often realize that there’s hidden salt in bread or that a fruity cereal bar could be packed with sugar. Cakes & biscuits have hidden fat and sugar, and cured meats, cheese, & breakfast cereals can be high in salt.

Most people probably know that eating too much fat can make you put on weight, but they may not know which fats are bad and which are better, or that sat fats can raise their blood cholesterol.

When you’re on a tight budget it’s very tempting to reach for “Buy one Get one Free” promotions – and often these promos are on unhealthy items. Most people (84%) surveyed by Change4Life report they would like to be healthier, but taste and price are bigger drivers than nutrition. With today’s hectic lifestyle, people don’t have the time to cook a meal from scratch on a busy weekday, so a ready meal or takeaway is a quick-fix solution.

We need simple messages on front of pack – a red traffic light clearly showing that a food is high in salt, for example, makes it easy to shop for healthier foods in a hurry.

My top tips:

1. Take a list with you to the supermarket, and shop on a full stomach – that way you’ll be less tempted by the freshly baked goodies or hot roast chicken!
2. We need simple strategies that fit within our hectic lifestyle and budgetary constraints. Maybe we need to campaign that healthier food needs to be cheaper, tastier and more accessible. The government and manufacturers could make it more compelling for shoppers to buy whole grains, fruit, veg, and fish.
3. A good idea is to look at nutritional info per 100grams – pick up two brands and choose the one which is lower in sat fats or salt /100g.
4. Perhaps we need to think about how to make a ready meal healthier; team it up with some steamed frozen peas while your meal is cooking in the microwave, or open a can of sweet corn.
5. You don’t need to spend lots of time or money:

- Try a bowl of porridge in the morning. You get calcium and protein from semi-skimmed milk, and oats help reduce blood cholesterol.

- Have a whole grain tuna and sweet corn sandwich with an apple for a balanced lunch.

- And for dinner whip up a quick chicken and veg stir-fry with noodles. It takes about 10-15 minutes and at least you know what’s in it!

Watch the full interview (only available till 9 Jan, go to 12 minutes).

(Thanks to those of you who sent me messages of positive feedback on Twitter about my TV interview).

I’m a believer in the slow and steady approach to weight loss, and the more success I have in helping people avoid yoyo dieting, the more I am convinced that the trick is to find ways to make a healthier lifestyle fit around you, not the other way around.

There’s good published research to suggest that if you tackle your weight issues with good behaviour-change tools, you’re more likely to lose weight and most importantly, keep it off. Having practised behaviour-change strategies for years, I believe the Counterweight method is an effective way to lose weight. Here’s why, and what it could mean for you…

Why count on Counterweight?

This programme fits me like a glove because all my working life I’ve ensured my advice is based on good published evidence that encourages realistic weight loss. This philosophy promotes simple ways to change your eating behaviour, your activity levels and crucially, the thought processes that led you to becoming overweight in the first place! This is exactly the type of thinking that I practise and believe in; there’s no point in learning about fat and calories if we’re still holding on to those old habits that make us overeat.

The 5-10% Factor – how to get results

With this approach, I can help you lose 5-10% of your body weight and keep it off (many people lose more, but this is a realistic amount with great benefits). There is a body of proven medical evidence to show that when you set realistic goals as part of the programme, 7 out of 10 people will lose weight and keep it off. Here’s what 5-10% weight loss can do:

• Lower your blood pressure
• Improve blood cholesterol
• Reduce your risk of getting Type 2 diabetes
• Reduce breathlessness
• Reduce damage to your joints
• Help you feel less tired and stressed

So, are you ready to lose weight?

You might think “I’m always ready!” but this is a really important question if you want to avoid the pitfalls of a short-term fad. Is it time for you NOW to make lifestyle changes for good?

The Programme suggests you fill in a chart like this: jot down the pros and cons of losing weight:

Assessing what might get in the way helps you find solutions that can prevent you falling into old habits again, and it will keep you focussed on your bigger goal: getting to your target weight and staying there. For example, you may snack on ice-cream or chocolate at night in front of the TV because it gives you pleasure or it’s comforting; there’s a pay-off for every habit. It’s important to check if you’re willing to examine and improve on these habits before you go on a weight loss programme – there’s no point committing to something if you’re not ready to make changes that fit your new healthier lifestyle. Noticing our habits helps us find alternatives that give us a similar benefit (such as having healthier snacks accessible, or deciding that TV snacks are ok on weekends).

If you’ve tried diets in the past and failed, come and join me to find positive and empowering options that prevent you from falling into the same traps you did last time. With traditional dieting, research shows around 80% of people regain weight within a 2-year period (Dieting Does Not Work UCLA Report, American Psychologist April 2007).

How do you lose weight for good?

This is a structured adult lifestyle programme, which involves six tailored one-to-one consultations over a period of three months. We agree goals that are right for you: we address your barriers, problems you’ve had in the past, your lifestyle habits, food preferences, and so on. A session lasts about half an hour (the first one will be about 45 minutes) and you can do this on Skype or on the phone. Each time you’ll be given more tips and we’ll review how you got on since the last session and what might need to change. You’ll get simple handouts at each consultation and there are fun quizzes and exercises that help keep you on track.

In the end this is about what works for you; it’s not a standard diet that is mass-produced. Once you get to the 3-month review, we can agree how you’d like me to support you further. You may be well equipped by then to have taken on simple achievable changes for good, or you might like to have a booster session every couple of months.

If you want to know more about how to sign up and fees, contact me here. Note the programme is initially open to UK residents only.

Find out more about Counterweight