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Diet Bytes
November 2005
By WLR Dietitian
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Avian Flu, Chicken and Eggs
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NEWS FLASH!
At the time of publishing this article, the European Food
Safety Authority (EFSA) have reiterated advice to thoroughly
cook poultry and eggs in order to kill any potential bugs and
viruses. Like the FSA, the EFSA is not aware of any reports of
people getting avian flu from eating poultry or eggs and
recognises that the current risk is from people having contact
with live birds that have the disease. Meanwhile, the FSA
stands by its claim that the outbreak of avian flu does not
pose a food safety risk for UK consumers. For regular updates,
log on to the Food Standards Agency website,
www.food.gov.uk and click
on 'Avian Flu'.
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This month, the papers have been full of news about Avian
Flu, a highly contagious disease caused by a specific type of
influenza virus that affects many species of birds. The deadly
strain currently worrying the world was first seen in Hong
Kong in 1997 and is called H5N1. According to the World Health
Organisation, this is the biggest and most severe outbreak on
record, with the virus being found in Southeast Asia, Russia,
Inner Mongolia and more recently in Turkey and Romania. The
disease particularly affects poultry, which includes chicken,
duck, goose, turkey and guinea fowl.
The main concern is that the Avian Flu virus will combine
with a human flu virus, creating a new flu virus that could
easily be passed between humans through coughing and sneezing
– and because no one would have any immunity to this new
virus, the symptoms would be more severe. Fortunately, health
organizations around the world are doing all they can to stop
the spread of Avian Flu. So far, millions of birds have been
killed throughout the world and the EC has banned the import
of birds and poultry from affected areas.
Naturally, all the media coverage has led to concerns that
we could possibly catch Avian Flu from eating poultry and eggs
– a particular concern for slimmers who eat these foods
regularly due to their low-calorie content.
Fortunately
though, the Food Standards Agency has set the record straight.
Based on the opinions of scientific experts around the world
including advisors to the World Health Organisation and the
UK’s Advisory Committee on Microbiological Safety in Food, the FSA say that Avian Flu isn’t a food safety risk for people in
the UK. For humans, the risk of catching the disease comes
from being in close contact with live poultry that have the
disease, and not through eating cooked poultry or eggs.
WLR says
It’s good news that we can keep chicken, turkey and eggs on
our weekly shopping list as these foods are all reasonably low
in fat but packed with important vitamins and minerals, making
them good choices for slimmers. Plus, research shows that
protein-rich foods such as chicken and
eggs can help to keep
us feeling fuller for longer, so that we’re less likely to
overeat.
Nevertheless, it’s still important to follow food
safety advice to prevent food poisoning. Always wash your
hands after handling raw poultry to avoid contamination from
any bugs and make sure you cook food properly to kill any
harmful bacteria. Poultry and eggs should always be cooked
thoroughly to avoid food poisoning – if you’re cooking a whole
chicken, check it is cooked properly by piercing the thickest part of the leg between the
drumstick and thigh with a clean knife or skewer until the
juices run out. The juices shouldn’t have any pink or red in
them.
Could we be immune to eating disorders?
Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia have
until now, been thought of as purely psychiatric illnesses.
But now researchers from Sweden have linked the diseases to
infections that hit the body’s immune system. In a study
carried out at Swedish research centre, the Karolinska
Institute, scientists discovered that sufferers of anorexia
and bulimia have unusually high levels of certain antibodies
in their blood, which attack chemicals in the brain that
control appetite. More research is needed but if these
findings are confirmed, in the future eating disorders could
be classified as an auto-immune disease, like rheumatoid
arthritis.
WLR says
It’s encouraging that research on eating disorders
continues to take place. This will help us understand more
about these conditions, which are thought to affect around 1
million people in the UK. As scientists get a better and
clearer understanding of anorexia and bulimia, treatment is
bound to improve, which can only be a good thing for sufferers
and their friends and families.
Walk this way
New research from Duke University Medical Centre in North
Carolina reveals that you need to up the pace of your workout
when it comes to walking. The researchers studied the effects
of different amounts and intensities of exercise on 133
sedentary, overweight people, aged 40-65 years. One group
undertook the equivalent of jogging for 20 miles a week, one
group jogged or walked up an inclined treadmill for 12 miles
per week and one group walked for 12 miles a week. After seven
months, fitness levels improved in all groups. However, weight
loss was only seen in those groups who undertook higher
intensity exercise such as jogging or walking uphill.
WLR says
While health experts always recommend walking as a way to
burn calories, this study indicates that if you really want to
see weight loss benefits you need to up the intensity. For maximum results you really need to walk very
fast, climb hills or break into a light jog.
Interval training
is a great way to boost your fitness levels and burn fat, so
why not give it a go? For the first week, walk at a rate you
can manage for 30 minutes. Then in week two, start to build in
short bursts of high intensity activity followed by longer,
less intense periods that enable you recover.
For example, if
you’re walking on a treadmill increase the gradient for one
minute until you really feel your heart and lungs working hard
and your breathing increases. Then drop it back down to a more
manageable level for three minutes whilst you recover.
If
you’re walking outside, break into a jog for one minute then
return to fast walking for three minutes to recover. As your
fitness improves, gradually increase the amount of time you
spend doing high intensity bursts and reduce the amount of
time you spend recovering. For example, after a couple of
weeks of walking for three minutes and jogging for one minute,
you should find that you can comfortably increase this to two
minutes of jogging followed by two minutes of walking, and so
on.
What a waist!
It’s well established that having too much fat around your
middle can significantly increase the risk of heart disease
and diabetes. Yet, according to a new survey carried out by
the National Obesity Forum (NOF), less than one GP in five
measures their patient’s waist measurements and a staggering
77% of GPs are unaware that abdominal obesity is a key risk
factor for diabetes and heart disease.
President of the NOF,
Dr Ian Campbell, says, ‘Measuring waist circumference is a
simple way to help identify patients at higher risk of heart
disease and diabetes, yet as the survey shows, waist size gets
overlooked by many of my colleagues.’
This is of considerable
concern, especially as recent studies reveal that more than
half a million people in Britain – most of them women – are
unaware they have diabetes.
WLR says
It looks like we might have to do the job of our GPs and
get the tape measure out ourselves. As a guideline, a waist
circumference over 88cm (35 inches) in women and 102cm (40
inches) in men puts you at the greatest risk of conditions
like heart disease and diabetes. But even a waist measurement
of 80cm (31.5 inches) in women and 94cm (37 inches) in men
increases risk.
The good news is losing just 1kg of fat will
result in a 1cm loss of fat around your middle. This means
even small weight losses can significantly improve your health
– and help you get into your favourite jeans!
School dinners rule OK!
A new study looking at the health of teenagers and
lunchtime eating habits has come up with a controversial
conclusion – that the health of pupils eating school dinners
is no worse, and in some cases may be better, than that of
pupils eating packed lunches.
The study, published online by
the British Medical Journal in October, examined the health of
more than 1,000 children aged 13-16 years in England and
Wales. When compared with those teenagers who ate a school
dinner, packed-lunch eaters had higher levels of blood
cholesterol, blood sugar and insulin – all risk factors for
several chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.
Only levels of folate (a B vitamin) were higher in those who
ate a packed lunch.
The authors suggest that while current
efforts to improve the quality of school dinners are to be
welcomed, it’s important to look beyond meal provision at
school in order to improve the diets of British children and
teenagers.
WLR says
As mums, we often think packed lunches are a healthier
option than school dinners for our children. But this study
highlights just how important it is to ensure we’re packing up
plenty of healthy foods. Healthy eating guidelines to eat less
fat, salt and sugar and boost intakes of fibre, fruit and veg
apply to children from the age of five years, right the way
through the teenage years into adulthood.
For a healthy packed lunch, make sure it contains something
from each of these groups:
- Starches – go for high-fibre choices to keep hunger at
bay and provide long-lasting energy. Good choices include
wholegrain bread, wholemeal pittas, brown rice and
wholewheat pasta
- Protein – protein is important for growth so include
lean beef, ham, chicken, tuna, cheese, egg or peanut butter
in your child’s packed lunch either as part of a sandwich or
salad
- Vegetables – they’re packed with vitamins, minerals and
fibre, so add salad to sandwiches or mix with rice or pasta
and chicken or fish to make a salad. Alternatively, include
vegetable sticks eg peppers, carrots and celery, or a
handful of cherry tomatoes
- Fruit – add a piece of fresh fruit or make a fruit salad
and pack in an individual container. Alternatively, go for a
handful of strawberries, small bunch of grapes or an
individual box of dried fruit.
- Dairy – milk and yoghurt are packed with bone-building
calcium so include a pot of yoghurt, fromage frais or a milk
drink.
- Drink – water or diluted fruit juices are best.
Bone up on vitamin A advice
While most of us know that calcium is important for
building strong bones and reducing the risk of osteoporosis,
this month has seen new advice being issued to help reduce the
risk of this debilitating disease, which currently affects one
woman in two in the UK. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has
provided recommendations on vitamin A intakes following
research in 2003 that indicated high intakes of this nutrient
over many years may increase the risk of osteoporosis in later
life.
The FSA suggests that as a precaution, people who eat liver
or liver products such as pate – major sources of vitamin A –
every week should not increase this amount. They also suggest
that post-menopausal women, men over the age of 65 years and
those who are at risk of osteoporosis should not have more
than 1.5mg of vitamin A each day. This means eating liver or
liver products no more than once a week. Meanwhile, people at
risk of osteoporosis should also avoid taking vitamin A
supplements.
WLR says
Don’t let this new advice put you off eating liver
occasionally. As well as containing vitamin A, liver is an
excellent supply of many other nutrients, especially iron. For
example, a 70g serving of stewed ox liver contains 5.5g iron –
that’s more than a third of a women’s daily requirements for
iron. Plus it’s reasonably low in calories – just 140 calories
per serving – making it a good choice for slimmers.
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