Taking the 'Sometimes Carb' challenge - are you game

Sometimes Carbohydrates

One of the biggest factors affecting our success in maintaining a healthy 'food intake' balance is a proper understanding of just how far out of balance our food intake actually is.

I thought I was eating reasonably well.  I was avoiding fruit (because it was sugar) and dairy (because it was fat) and unknowingly focusing a lot of my meal plan on high carb vegetables, grains, pasta cereals etc.

What I hadn't understood was that these carbohydrates break down to what is essentially sugar, and sugar if not burnt for energy, is converted for storage as fat (my simple understanding). Not only that, but the pancreas works hard to process those 'sugars' and if consistently overloaded it can eventually fail (Type 2 Diabetes).

This group which I affectionately call my 'sometimes carbs' is the group that previously featured so heavily in my eating plan and was, without a doubt, the food group that led to my obesity and also to my borderline Type 2 Diabetic diagnosis.  That is why I have developed this 'sometimes carb' challenge.

'Sometimes Carbohydrates'

I'm guessing I'm not alone in my confusion with regard to this group of foods. Firstly my confusion over just how 'healthy' they were, and then after input from the dietitian, the period during which I thought of them as 'bad carbs'.

Neither label really did this group justice. Good choices from this group can indeed be 'healthy'. Too many choices from this group can be quite definitely 'bad'.

This is why I began calling this group my 'sometimes carb' group. The 'bad' label was unfair to the many health benefits available from food in this group. But the benefits offered needed to be consumed in moderation (sometimes) to balance the positive and negative aspects of this group.

So my overindulgence in what should be 'sometimes carbs' … high carb vegetables, bread, grains, pastas, cereals etc along with cakes and biscuits… was essentially my dietary undoing. Something I was only able to fix once I understood how far off balance my food intake actually was.

I sincerely believe that a better understanding of just how this 'sometimes carbohydrate' group is dominating your food intake will be a key element to your success in transitioning to a healthy balanced eating plan.

Part 1 of the 'sometimes carb' challenge (suggested 1 week)

I have created the chart below for you to put on your fridge and track your 'sometimes carb' intake as Part 1 of the 'sometimes carb' challenge.  The chart is not comprehensive (feel free to add) but it should be enough to give you a general idea. Pencil and ruler can replicate it fairly simply if printing is not an option for you.

If printing this chart is not an option for you
pencil, paper and ruler is a quick fix

On this chart (for Part 1 of the challenge) we are more interested in tracking your general 'sometimes carb' intake rather than measuring or controlling it. So just eat as you normally would for the week but put a single stroke in the appropriate box every time one of these items features in your daily eating.

The main thing is to be as accurate as possible. There is no point in cheating. No one else will be judging you on this chart. The entire purpose of this exercise is for you to begin to get a picture of how heavily this group features in your current eating plan.

We are not worried about portion size for the purpose of this chart at this time, we will worry about that later.

After tracking 'sometimes carbs' for the week 

If you exercise regularly, eat well with a healthy variety of fruit and vegetables, and if you are not carrying an excess of unhealthy weight, particularly around your middle, then maybe your body is managing your intake well.

However if you are following this blog in an effort to bring some healthy balance into your eating plan either because you have weight issues, or just to improve your general health, then read on.

• Our aim is to limit foods from this group (as a general rule) to a maximum of three 'portion controlled' serves per day.
• We also aim to choose (as a general rule) healthy energy and repairs and maintenance foods from this group, which means limiting items such as pastry, cakes, biscuits, potato chips etc.
• Our portion control measure is 15 grams of carbohydrate per serve, and three serves per day.

If, in Stage 1, you found you came in at the optimum number of three serves per day, be very encouraged, but do read on with us in regard portion control. It was very illuminating for me.

If, in Stage 1, you found you came in above (or even well above) the optimum number of serves per day (like I did), don't be discouraged, you are where I was…. and I'm not there anymore. Remember back to (or revisit) my story in Making the change to healthier living - is it worth it? - see June 2014.

It was worth it, so please stay with me as I walk you through 'portion control' which is an important part of Stage 2 of the 'sometimes carb' challenge. 

An illuminating indication of appropriate serve sizes for the 'sometimes carb' group

Each of these portions listed below equals approximately one portion (15gram carbohydrate)
This list is not comprehensive by any means.

• ½ cup Weeties or Cornflakes 
• ⅓ cup Sustain, Fibre Plus or Just Right 
• 1½ Weetbix or Vita Brits 
• ¼ cup raw oats 

• 1 small potato or ½ cup mashed potato 
• ½ cup polenta 
• ½ cup green peas or sweet corn
• ½ cup cooked rice, or pasta, or cous cows, or lentils

• 1 normal slice of bread 
• ½ English Muffin (breakfast style) 

and last but not least, coming in at not one, but three portions

• 1 bread roll 

Now I don't know about you, but when I was freely eating these foods thinking they were part of my healthy eating plan, these portions where not what I was having.

I'm sure I was having at least 1½ cups of rice when I had rice (3 portions). I probably had at least 2 cups of pasta (4 portions). There is no way I was only having a ½ or ⅓ cup of cereal and I rarely ate less than 2 slices of toast, or had less than a sandwich (2 slices of bread) or a bread roll (3 portions).

So you see how easy it is for this 'sometimes carb' group to get completely out of balance in our eating plan.

Controlling your serving size

I'm not a big fan of the 'weigh and/or measure' and I can tell you weighing and measuring doesn't need to control your life. I rarely weigh and measure these days so please, please, please don't let this small step put you off continuing with the 'sometimes carb' challenge.

Most of the foods in this group are measurable by the cup or portion of a cup. A set of measuring cups are helpful, but simply using a 'cup' (not the biggest mug you can find in your kitchen) and judging for your self - full, half, third etc is sufficient guide.

You will soon get an idea of what ½ cup mashed potato or rice looks like on your plate. Once you have the general idea you can largely dispense with the measuring cup except maybe to check here and there that you are on track.

This familiarity of serve size is also true of those foods that require a weight measure. A compact set of kitchen scales that measure grams rather than kilograms is best. If cost is an issue borrowing a set off a friend for a couple of weeks should be sufficient to get you familiar with the look of your serve sizes.

Crackers, potato chips, and other foods for which I haven't listed serving sizes, will (in Australia) have 'serving size' listed on the pack (a legal requirement for packaged food and drink in Australia), along with 'total carbohydrate per serve'. This will vary from item to item. Remember that you are looking for 15 grams of carbohydrate per serve, so if their serve size has 32grams of carbohydrate modify your portion accordingly.

Yes, some effort is required, but in the scheme of things I'm telling you it's worth it.

Stage 2 of the 'sometimes carb' challenge (suggested 1 week)

So now that you understand a little more how this group of foods is impacting your food intake and a little more understanding of appropriate portions. I encourage you to try a further exercise using the same chart we used for Stage 1 of the challenge.

For stage 2 of the challenge I want you to try replacing your Part 1 challenge  'serves' with 'portion controlled' serves (i.e. your 15 gram carbohydrate serves).

Our aim is to reduce your portion sizes rather than reduce your number of serves.

Example. If you consumed around 6 serves per day in Stage 1, try to manage on 6 portion controlled serves per day in Stage 2. If you consumed around 11 serves per day in Stage 1, try to manage on 11 portion controlled serves per day in Stage 2.

Three helpful tips to encourage you along your way.

• if you are hungry and feel you need to eat more try adding fruit (up to three pieces per day) or unlimited salad and vegetables from our 'anytime food' group ( see - starting an 'anytime food' revolution in your life - June 2014) 
• try eating extra portions between meals rather than doubling up at meal times. It helps to have breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, tea/dinner, and supper even if its not a full portion (½ portions are recordable)
• if you still feel the need for a larger serve of our 'sometimes carbs' then eat what you need, but record it as extra 'portion controlled' serves. This way you are improving your understanding of what your body feels it needs which is largely what this challenge is about. We can work with that information.

See if you can manage not to exceed your Stage 1 serves for your Stage 2 week. If not, simply record your extra 'portion controlled' serves. Either way, at the end of the week proceed to Stage 3. Do not be discouraged.

Stage 3 of the 'sometimes carb' challenge (1 week if needed - less if it works for you)

In stage 3 of the 'sometimes carb' challenge try to reduce one more 'portion controlled' daily serve over the week.

Again, if you struggle, try the 'helpful tips' from Stage 2 and just make sure you record your portions for your future reference.

As a guide (for your encouragement) this may mean, for stage 1 you had 11 serves, for Stage 2 you tried 11 portion controlled serves but recorded 17 portion controlled serves, so for Stage 3 you would be aiming to come in at 16 portion controlled serves.

Final Stage of the 'sometimes carb' challenge (either weekly or as appropriate for you)

This stage is simply a progression of the previous stage. The aim being to eliminate one more daily portion from our 'sometimes carbs' group till you attain the recommended three serves per day.

This should get easier each week as you get familiar with portion sizes and become more aware each week of your eating habits. You can continue to use the chart for as long as you feel you need the encouragement.

I say 'should get easier' but I also know we are all different in how we process these issues, so if this exercise hasn't been a magic formulae to solve all your overeating problems, again, don't be discouraged. Read on.

An appropriate measure of your 'sometimes carb' challenge success

If the 'sometimes carb' challenge helps you to conquer (or largely conquer) your over dependence of 'sometimes carbs' whether it takes you days, weeks or months then I will be so very pleased for you. So very pleased indeed.

If you only get to Stage 1 and record a weeks 'serves of sometimes carbs' you will have gained a better understanding of just how this 'sometimes carb' group is dominating your food intake. You will also have become more familiar with the foods included in this group and have some idea what your weaknesses in this area actually are.

If you only get to Stage 2 and actually record a weeks worth of portioned serves from the 'sometimes carbs' groups then not only will you have an excellent baseline for further progress, but you will have gained an excellent introductory understanding of what is included in the 'sometimes carbs' group and portion control, as well as a fuller understanding of your weaknesses in this area.

So you can see that the success of this exercise is not only in the completion of its ultimate aim, but can be measured in lots of important milestones along the way.

If all you achieve from taking the 'sometimes carb' challenge is a better understanding of just how this 'sometimes carbohydrate' group is dominating your food intake then that is also a very important milestone in transitioning to a healthy balanced eating plan.

You can always come back to our 'sometimes carb' challenge another time when you feel you might be ready for more.

A little encouragement to brighten your day.

I hope you have found this exercise useful in gaining a better understanding of the significance 'sometimes carbs' play in your current eating plan. Please don't be discouraged if the dominance of 'sometimes carbs' in your lifestyle is considerable.

Instead, be encouraged. Now that you understand better where your weakness are you have achieved a very important milestone along your health and fitness journey.

What is important now is not where you have been, but where you are going, and if for now you are coming along with me then that's a pretty good place to start.

News Flash: the 'sometimes carb' challenge will appear in weekly 'bite sized' stages starting Friday 5th September for those who like the idea but found this a bit much to take in all at once.

Choosing your walk - Hillarys Boat Harbour

There are lots of lovely places to walk around the city of Perth. One of these lovely places is along the coast near Hillarys Boat Harbour. I had a lovely walk along there recently and made a point of paying attention to landmarks and times so I could share some ideas with you.

We all have our own level of enthusiasm and fitness, our own health issues, and our own time constraints so I have included a range of options so you can choose your walk…. from as short as you like to up to an hour.

Late afternoon looking back to Hillarys Boat Harbour
from our start point car park

And remember, you don't need to be limited by my suggestions. There are plenty of places around Perth, or elsewhere in Western Australia, and even in other parts of the world that I have yet to discover but would work just as well.

The Walk Heading South
0 minutes 
I prefer to park immediately south of Hillarys Boat Harbour between Hillarys and Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club (opposite Sacred Heart College). I park as far north in that car park as I can. This is where I have taken my 'walk times' from but if you park at Hillary's Boat Harbour (south carpark) just add a few minutes to your times.

I'd just like to say at this point that there are public toilets at Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club.

I started my walk by walking south (away from Hillarys Boat Harbour) on the beach side of Sorrento Life Saving Club (ocean to my right) and I walked at what I call a 'purposeful' walking pace…. not brisk, but definitely not a stroll.  You can choose your own pace, but just remember that the time frames will vary accordingly.

7 minutes
At 7 minutes I was walking past Voyage Cafe http://voyagekitchen.com.au which you will notice on the left side of the coast road just before the BP service station. Voyage does a nice breakfast, lunch or coffee and is in a lovely spot.

Voyage Cafe

If you are looking for a shorter walk Voyage is a good place to stop. It's also about 10 minutes walk from Hillarys Boat Harbour (south carpark) if you prefer.

If your fitness level, your health or your walking pleasure dictates a slower pace, or if you prefer to 'stroll', this walk might take you 20 minutes. Either way it is still a good walk and all on good quality pathway.

10 minutes
At 10 minutes I walked past a rest point with chairs and shade (identifiable by a little parking bubble for about 10 cars). This is a good spot to stop and enjoy the view before heading back if you are wanting a good 20 minute 'purposeful' walk.

This is also a good spot to park and walk. I've walked from here before and at a purposeful pace it takes about 15 minutes north to the nearest coffee option at Hillarys Boat Harbour or about 15 minutes south to Cafe 33.

15 minutes
At 15 minutes I passed the Marmion Angling and Aquatic Club (MAAC) on my right. This is a members only venue so unless you are a member (or with a member) this is not a good spot to stop for refreshments. There is, however, a public toilet block immediately south of the club (set down from the road and path) which can be useful.

'kick the rock' post just past Marmion
Angling and Aquatic Club
(shaded shelter with seat in sight)

The club is a useful landmark. If you are wanting a half hour walk you can turn around here and head back. If you like a coffee, Voyage is only 8 minutes back towards Hillarys, and by the time you get back to your car you will have done a good half hour walk.

I prefer to push just a little further for my half hour walk, just past the club to where the path temporarily diverges from West Coast Highway (on the coast side). There is a post set into the path here. For those of you who like to 'kick the rock' you can touch or walk around this post before heading back.

Alternately, there is a shelter just past this post with a lovely view up and down the coast, which chairs and shade where you can pause and catch your breath whilst enjoying the outlook. There is probably only a minute between the club and this shelter.

If you are out for a 'stroll' this might take and hour including the return journey, but as it's all on good path and with such a lovely outlook it certainly is a really worthwhile walk.

25 minutes
At 25 minutes I was walking past Bay 33 Cafe http://www.bay33.com.au on the corner of Elsie Street and the coast road. You will see it on the left side of the coast road.  If you like to stop mid walk this is a handy location. I've never stopped there myself so I don't know what it's like. They do have a nice out door area which looks popular and they have a lovely coastal outlook.

Bay 33 Cafe 

On the beach side of the path there is a rest area with chairs (though no shade currently) for those looking for a rest point without the coffee. Under this rest area is a toilet block if needed (the rest area is actually the roof of the toilet block).

You can walk down to the beach here and cool your feet in the water before heading back towards Hillarys if you have had enough. You will have done 50 minutes purposeful walking by the time you return to your car which is a very good walk.

If your walk is more of a stroll this is quite a long walk. Probably more than most would enjoy.

30 minutes
30 minutes brings us to the turning point of our full hour of 'purposeful' walking. If you follow the road side path you will notice a parking area on your right between you and the beach. Walk on past the entrance to this parking area but keep your eyes out for a path on your right leading down to the beach. Margaret Street is on your left.

This path is quite narrow and easily missed which is why I mention Margaret Street. The path leads you down to the southern end of the car park. To the left a board walk leads you down to the beach if you wish to cool off in the water or wet your feet. To the right the path leads you back past the car park to a playground area.

beach path from Margaret Street car park
- typical of this stretch of coast line

This is a great mid spot for our walk. This playground area has lawn, shade and seats. Extra shade sails are put up over summer. You can have a break and enjoy the view before heading back towards Hillarys Boat Harbour. There isn't a toilet block here though. The closest is 5 minutes away near Bay 33 Cafe.

If you have started your walk in the carpark near Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club, by the time you get back to your car you will have had a good hour of 'purposeful' walking along a beautiful stretch of our coastline.

This car park is also a good starting point for a walk. You could park here and walk north rather than parking near Hillarys and walking south.

The Walk heading North (or the return journey)
0 minutes (30 minutes)
If you are choosing this spot as your starting point, the car park entrance is just north of Margaret Street. I'm not sure that you can really see the playground area from the road as it's set down quite a bit from the road (as is the car park) which makes it a lovely secluded spot.

Walk North along the path towards Hillarys Boat Harbour keeping the ocean to your left hand side.

5 minutes (35 minutes)
5 minutes brings you back to Bay 33 Cafe and/or the rest area over the public toilets which are pretty much opposite, but just south of, the cafe. (Elsie Street). This makes a very nice ten minute walk if you are just beginning and your fitness level means you struggle to cope with much more than that.

convenient rest area near Bay 33 Cafe
with public toilets underneath

It might also be a lovely walk if your health issues don't allow anything more than that. It is a good level path with a lovely view and if five minutes is your maximum a friend could walk the five minutes back for the car while you sit and enjoy the view awaiting pick up.

15 minutes (45 minutes)
15 minutes brings you back to the Marmion Angling and Aquatic Club (MAAC) which if you remember was members only. A few minutes short of the club the path deviates away from the coast road (on the coastal side) and there are three lovely shaded rest areas along this section all with seats and a magnificent view which you can avail yourself of.

The last of these (mentioned earlier) will bring you within view of the MAAC. If you started from the Margaret Street car park and are only wanting a half hour walk I suggest you walk to the club where you can avail yourself of the public toilets should you need them (just south of the club and set down from the path) before walking back to this rest area for a break.

rest area with shade and seating
near 10 car parking bubble

20 minutes (50 minutes)
20 minutes brings you to another one of these rest areas with shade and seating (similar style) identifiable by the small 10 car park bubble attached (mentioned earlier as another good spot to park and walk). There is no toilet block here, but the view is magnificent.

23 minutes (53 minutes)
23 Minutes brings you back to the Voyage Cafe. If you choose this as the mid point of your walk from Margaret Street car park you will have well and truly had your 45 minutes of purposeful walk by the time you get back to your car. If you began at Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club you are only 7 minutes from finishing.

30 minutes (1 hour)
30 minutes brings you back to the car park just north of Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club (public toilets) and plenty of shade and seating options. Here you are only a few minutes away from the nearest coffee/refreshment options at Hillary's Boat harbour. You are either at the end of your hour of purposeful walk, or if you started at the Margaret Street car park, you are half way through your hour of exercise.

A little extra information
So there you have it. A lovely walk for those wanting an hour of 'purposeful' walking. But plenty of options for those who require a shorter walk or for when a gentler walk is desired. Also options for those wanting to combine their walk with coffee and/or a social catch up.

This walk is delightful on a sunny winters day or a not so sunny winters day. In summer, it is delightful early or late in the day, but can be a bit intense during the main heat of a summers day. Do remember sunscreen, a hat, and water if the day is a bit warm and you are planning to be out for an hour.

Happy walking.

To choose or not to choose cake…. that is the question

In my experience, when my body sees a slice of yummy looking chocolate cake and says strongly "this is what I want, this is what I need, if you eat that I'll be satisfied and stop bugging you for food" …. if I go ahead and eat it, funnily enough my body still asks for more…. yes, it lies….

So if my body sees that slice of yummy looking chocolate cake and says that to me now, I respond quite firmly with something along these lines "Listen Body… I know you think that yummy looking chocolate cake is what you need, but because I love you, I'm going to give you a piece of fruit as a treat instead. It's a nice little package full of quality energy and repairs and maintenance which will make you feel a lot better and be a lot healthier for you than that horrible piece of chocolate cake."

Random yummy looking Chocolate Cake
Picture from taste.com.au
(my favourite online recipe source)

or I might say

"look, I know you think that yummy looking chocolate cake is what you need, but because I love you, I'm going to give you a nice healthy anytime food treat instead. It's a nice little package of repairs and maintenance food which will be much healthier for you than that horrible piece of chocolate cake." 

I figure if my body is going to be not entirely satisfied with the yummy looking chocolate cake (pretty much all short term energy and not much of anything else good for your body), it might as well be not entirely satisfied by a healthy piece of fruit (some good healthy energy and a whole lot of repairs and maintenance stuff) or an 'anytime food' snack (lots of healthy repairs and maintenance stuff).

Cakes, biscuits and desserts are often very sweet and sugary energy fuel without enough repairs and maintenance fuel to make them worth eating, and the energy they supply may not be the energy that is sustained over a longer period of time. This is because not all energy foods are equal.

Some energy foods give a quick burst of energy that doesn't last without much else of value, where as others give you a sustainable energy supply that lasts over a longer period of time. This is why fruit, rice, pasta and bread are more appropriate inclusions in the 'sometimes carbs' options. They provide energy fuel that provides a more sustainable energy supply along with some good repairs and maintenance fuel.

If you supply your body with sustainable energy fuel it is less likely to cry out for more food than if you feed it the quick burst of energy fuel that doesn't last. Choosing the right food options can mean the difference between feeling washed out, listless and lethargic (at which point I'm on the couch reaching for the easy food option) or alternately, feeling healthy and energetic (up to embracing the effort required for healthy eating and active living).

I know when I first started on this program, I found it hard to comprehend how I could eat so much less 'sugar/carbohydrate' (or energy food) and yet expend so much more energy without feeling completely washed out. And of course the answer was that the energy food I was eating was of much better quality providing a more sustainable release of energy to cover my activity and my day.

In fact, there was more too it than that. My body had been so bogged down with trying to process all those carbohydrates I was drowning it in and my blood sugar levels were too high. That also apparently can make one feel sluggish. I didn't realise that at the time, but when I read it later I was not at all surprised.

I knew it wasn't all the 'anytime food' that was providing me all this energy to sustain my massive increase in physical activity. It had to be the fruit, the bread, and the dairy, because at that stage that was pretty much all I was eating apart from anytime food and the protein (meat).

And these three serves of dairy, three serves of 'sometimes carbs' (bread) and three serves of fruit were supplying all my energy needs to keep me active and alert. Where as before I had been eating high carbohydrate but rarely dairy and rarely fruit, and had been always tired, always lethargic.

My only explanation when I studied the foods in the groupings my dietician had given me was that the fruit, dairy and 'listed sometimes carbs' where sufficient for my energy needs. And given how much less I was eating and how much more energetic I was feeling despite the massive increase in my output, it wasn't rocket science to work out that the energy foods I was now eating had to be providing a far better quality of energy than the food choices that had made up my previous eating plan.

If fact, I marvelled at how little of that energy food I must need if I wasn't doing all that extra activity per day. I marvelled at how I had managed to consume what I had been consuming before without feeling bloated and unwell. And it struck me. I had indeed been feeling bloated and unwell. I just hadn't realised at the time.

each serve of this yummy 
looking chocolate cake
97g of carbohydrate

I realised just how detrimental all the cakes and slice, biscuits, chocolate bars and deserts had been to my health, and just how unnecessary those items had been in terms of providing energy for my day let alone anything worthwhile for my health. Thats why, I'm sure you've noticed, that those items really don't fit particularly well into the 'modified food intake plan'.

Flour comes under the same group as the bread, pasta, rice and potato in the 'sometimes carb' group, but because cake, biscuits and dessert tend to come with a lot of added sugar as well, the grams of carbohydrate per serve usually prohibit their inclusion when you are talking no more than 25 to 30 grams of carbohydrate in one sitting.

And when you add to that the fact that there are only three 15gram of carbohydrate serves per day in the 'sometimes carb' group that doesn't leave much room to manoeuvre.

Just as a guide I had a browse of my favourite online recipe treasure trove, taste.com.au. You'll find I refer to it often. One of the things I like about it is that it often (not always) lists the nutrition content of its recipes.
For example ...
Chocolate Cake per serve from 50g to 100g of carbohydrate
Lemon Meringue Pie per serve from 50g to 80g of carbohydrate
Apple Pie per serve from 35g to 50g of carbohydrate
Banana Cake (plain) per serve from 30g to 40g of carbohydrate
Cheese Cake (plain) per serve from 30g to 40g of carbohydrate
Pavlova/Meringue per serve from 40g to 60g of carbohydrate

Obviously the level of carbohydrate will vary depending on the actual recipe and the serving size, but you get the general idea.

So you see how your 15g of carbohydrate snack stacks up.
For example ...

Fruit Medley
Total Carbohydrate 98g
6 full 15g serves
plus a kiwi fruit (½ Serve)
Turned into a yummy bowl
of fresh fruit salad

an apple
a pear
a banana
a kiwi fruit and a mandarin
90grams grapes
20 cherries
a peach
an orange
a couple of apricots
¼ small rockmellon
150g strawberries
(or your own little fruit salad)
three Sao crackers with a bit of smoked salmon, cottage cheese, rocket and tomato on top
our nut bar between 10 and 20g carbohydrate
or some other 15g alternative of your choice.
or
that yummy looking slice of chocolate cake at
97grams of carbohydrate.

For comparison, this bowl of fruit salad, made from the pictured assortment of fruit is about 98grams of carbohydrate. I know which one looks appealing to me.

Now, at this point I have to say, I'm not an advocate of never eating cake. I just figure if 120grams of Carbohydrate is all I need for the day, I don't want to regularly waste ¼ or ⅓ or ½ or or more of that 120g on sweet sugary stuff that isn't really bringing anything healthy to my body.

So I save these items for those occasions where it seems appropriate, and when I want to eat it. If it doesn't look like I want to eat it I don't. If I don't feel like I want to eat it I don't. If it doesn't taste good when I get it I don't eat it.  It has to look good, I have to feel like it, when I get it it has to taste good and I have to consider it an appropriate occasion to indulge.

For instance, this afternoon I am meeting with a wonderful group of friends that I have 30 years history with. We don't all get to meet up so regularly these days as many of us have moved further afield and both work and distance can keep us apart. In fact today we are meeting to wish one of our friends all the best as she moves home to a place a couple of hours away.

I call that an occasion to share a piece of cake. But only if it looks good and I feel like eating it. Otherwise I will decline and just enjoy the company, the friendship and the conversation, and lets face it, when we get together for 'coffee' it's the friendship, company and conversation that we are really there for.

So my cake eating advice such as it is….

Deliberately choose your occasion.
Deliberately choose your cake.

But if in any doubt….

Very deliberately choose your good health.

Snack Time

If you want to follow the 'modified food intake plan' you might have noticed that it includes regular eating times. Breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, tea/dinner, and supper.

This is part of gently spreading the load of carbohydrates more evenly across the day to give your body (pancreas) a better chance of processing without putting it under so much stress.

Fruit snacks - many (but not all)
perfectly packaged for a day
out in the handbag

This wasn't my original approach to eating…. I ate when I felt hungry. If I was bored, this was more regular. If I was busy, I often didn't think about food for hours. I could get up in the morning and head into the day with no breakfast and often not think of food till 2pm. Or have a late breaky and not stop till tea/dinner time.

The problem with these long breaks with out food, is that when you do finally eat, you tend to feel like you are 'starving'. So you are more likely to over eat, taking in way too many carbohydrates, and putting a heavy load on your body (pancreas) to process all that food.

Since following my new eating plan (the modified food intake plan), I have noticed a couple of important changes to my approach to eating. I have noticed that if I eat regularly (have my 'appropriate snacks') I am less likely to feel ravenous when it comes time to eat, and I can tell you, it's much easier to manage food choices and portions if you aren't feeling desperate for food.

I've also noticed that if it's time for a snack, or a meal, and there's a big slice of Chocolate Cake looking extra moist and extra edible …..  hard though it may be, if I can muster the self control to turn away and choose the snack or meal that fits my eating plan, I am usually satisfied enough to walk away from that cake.

This is why I think it's so important to have those mid morning and mid afternoon snacks, and supper (or dessert). It just keeps at bay that more overwhelming 'give me food and give it right now' feeling which is often behind making inappropriate food choices.

I also think its important to have a plan in place for these snacks. Either at home or when you're out , if it's time for a snack it helps if you are not scrambling to find something appropriate. Otherwise you end up settling for the poor choice simply because its easier. So have a plan. Lets face it… if you have a plan you are way more likely to stick to it.

My favourite brand of nut bar-
This one has 10 g carb per bar

My snack plan when I'm out is to always carry a few nut bars (10 to 20g carb) in my hand bag (or bike back pack) and if I'm going to be out a bit during the day where healthy snacks may be hard to come by, I throw in a piece of fruit or two (fruit that will keep okay rolling around in the bottom of the handbag).

Some fruit is all I need for a healthy alternative to keep me going till I have access to other options. But if I find myself having coffee (or a pot of tea) with friends somewhere, then lets face it, a piece of fruit just isn't going to cut it. Hence the nut bars for a better option than anything the coffee shop has to offer both for health, and for grams of carb.

If my nut bar supply has run out, or if it's a special occasion (sometimes just catching up with friends is a special enough occasion!) my back up plan is to share with someone. My mantra is that sharing halves the guilt and doubles the pleasure. Half the guilt cause I've only eaten half. Double the pleasure cause usually a whole portion can leave you feeling bloated whereas a half portion is usually enough to enjoy without being left with that over full feeling.

For snacks at home I also find fruit handy. Sometimes I add some yoghurt. But as you already know with my 'cup of tea and a nibble' fettish, my crackers are an invaluable part of my 'snack' plan. I have two types of crackers that I prefer. Sao's which give me three crackers for a 15g carb serve. And Multigrain Corn Thins which give me four crackers for a 15g carb serve.

Multigrain Corn Thins -
one cracker = 4g carb 

These crackers are basically a platform for as much carb free and 'anytime' food as I fancy loading on them. Sometimes a Sao cracker on its own is enough. I never eat a Corn Thin on its own… just doesn't do it for me at all. But usually I load up my crackers with cold meat, leafy greens, cottage cheese and tomato with a little salt and pepper.

Apart from the carbs in the crackers this is pretty much a no carb snack. If I have three Saos or four Corn Thins that is my 15gram carb snack (and one of my three anytime carb serves for the day). But often one cracker will often do me…. in which case I can spread that serve of sometimes carbs across three snack times if I want a nibble at each cup of tea (morning tea, avo tea, supper).

If Saos or Corn Thins don't rock your boat, check out the labelling on other alternatives till you find something that works for you. If you find the crackers a bit bland, a little horse radish sauce or mustard can add a little kick, and I do love a little smoked salmon or anchovy on a cracker. It doesn't take much to add a little flavour punch.

Sao Cracker
 one cracker = 5g carb

Smoothing a little cream cheese or avocado on a cracker is also a nice base for a little tomato and rocket. Pretty much whatever you find that comes in under your 15gram of carb guideline for your snacks and that works for you.

Other no carb (anytime) snack ideas I find good for grazing are sliced mushroom, a nice sweet fresh carrot (good for a satisfying crunch), cherry tomatoes (though watch as they pop in your mouth… it can be messy if your mouth is open!), a boiled egg (though I usually have my egg for breaky these days), and rollmops (pickled herring) and sardines I also love  - though these are more of a sometimes treat for me based on cost (rollmops) and social acceptability (sardines).

When I first started this plan I found I liked something sweet after tea/dinner, so I would have a low carb dinner (under 15g carb), then leave some time between dinner and desert, and have fruit and yogurt (fruit carb and dairy serves)  or another sweet alternative (around 25g carb) such as one or two 15gram carb biscuits as my supper (sometimes carbs serves).

Taste.com is really useful here (try typing in low carb snack in the 'search' window) as in the Nutrition tab for each recipe it often tells you how many grams of carbohydrate. Normally we would look for 15grams carb as our snack, but if you've had a low carb evening meal, you can use a little more for your supper (try to limit to 25grams carb) depending of course on what other sometimes carbs you have had during the day.

There are also low carb sweet snacks available on the shelf in the supermarket. Usually they come with a lot of artificial flavour and sweetener which I'm not a big fan of myself but that's easy for me to say when I don't have the sweetest tooth around. But making this eating plan work for you is more important than my qualms about artificial sweetener, and if it gets you over the hump then I say go for it.

A variation of one of my
regular snacks - Multigrain
Corn Thins with a pile on top

These sweet items usually come under your serves of sometimes carbs but are not the healthiest option or the most sustainable source of energy so best to try and keep them in some kind of balance in your eating plan, well behind all our healthier options for energy and repairs and maintenance. They should very much be sometimes foods or transitional support rather than too regular a feature.

The bottom line is that your Snack Times are an important link in the chain for the success of your 'modified food intake plan' so whether the crisp apple, the bunch of grapes, the yoghurt, the crackers, the sardines, the banana, the cherry tomato, the low carb chocolate biscuit, or the nut bar, don't forget to top up mid morning or mid afternoon, and end the day with a little something before bed.

I do hope you have found something in here that helps you bridge that 'between meals' gap in a healthy and sustainable way. Food for thought anyway.

Happy snacking.