Special Nutrition > Nutrition

Protein

Is one of the most important elements for the maintenance of good health and vitality and is of primary importance in the growth and development of all body components. As a rough guide, the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for dietary protein is 0.75 gram per kilogram of bodyweight for young healthy adults and 1gram per kilogram for older adults. Good sources of protein include; red meat, chicken, fish, dairy products, soy products and other legumes. Paramount tuna, salmon and sardines provide approximately 50% of your daily protein requirements in each 125g serve. The protein found in fish is of the highest quality, providing all your daily essential amino acid requirements.

Carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are an important source of energy for the body. All sugars and starches are carbohydrates. Carbohydrate from whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat milk should be included in a healthy diet. Sources of Low GI carbohydrates are recommended as these break down slowly in the body and often also provide necessary vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre.

Sugar

The main sugars in food are sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose and lactose. Natural sugars are found in fruits, vegetables and grains. Refined sugars are often added to food to provide sweetness. They are relatively empty of nutrients and high in calories. Natural sugars have similar calories to refined sugars, the major difference being the valuable nutrients and fibre found in fruit, vegetables and whole grain foods. Freedom Nutritional Products provide a range of brands that contain no added sugar.

Glycemic Index (GI)

GI is a measure of the rate of blood glucose response to intake of a carbohydrate containing food. Carbohydrates that break down quickly during digestion have a high GI factor. Carbohydrates that break down slowly, release glucose gradually into the blood and have a low GI. Dr David Jenkins, from the University of Toronto, first developed the GI concept in 1981. The GI is a ranking of foods from 0 to 100 that indicates to what extent the food will raise blood glucose levels (pure glucose solution is rated as 100). So Natural, Freedom Foods and Thorpedo have a range of Low GI products that have been tested using the approved in vivo method.
For thousands of generations our ancestors consumed foods in which the carbohydrate components were slowly digested and absorbed (low GI). In recent times humans have developed processes to grind and refine carbohydrate foods and remove fibre, to an extent that makes the starches very easily digested. Blood glucose levels after a meal can now be quite high and prolonged, stimulating greater insulin release by the pancreas.

It is now believed that high insulin levels initiate a range of metabolic changes, which increase the risk of diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and a number of other negative health conditions. Some health professionals refer to this situation as "Syndrome X" or "Metabolic Syndrome". One well-documented effect of high insulin levels is the increase in fat deposition and decrease in fat burning.

FOOD LABELING
Low GI: < 55
Medium GI: 56 - 69
High GI: > 70

Fibre

Eating more fibre rich foods helps to keep the digestive system healthy, maintain proper bowel function and lower blood cholesterol. Good sources of fibre include: grain based foods such as bread, pasta, cereals; pulses (legumes); and vegetables and fruit. There are different types of fibre, each of which plays a significant role in keeping the digestive system healthy.

Soluble fibre (eg. inulin) slows the time it takes for food to pass through the stomach and small intestine resulting in slower absorption of nutrients and lower cholesterol levels.

Insoluble fibre (eg. psyllium) exerts its greatest influence on the large bowel where it helps to keep you regular.

Resistance starch (eg. Hi-maize) is a starch that passes through the gastro-intestinal tract undigested. In the large bowel it encourages the growth of beneficial bacteria to keep a healthy adult diet should include at least four serves of fibre-rich foods each day to provide about 30g of fibre. Eating more wholegrain and wholemeal foods will help achieve this goal.

FOOD LABELING
Very high in fibre or excellent source - must contain at least 6g of fibre in a serve
High fibre - must contain 3g or more of dietary fibre per serving of food.

Fat

Fat Facts: There are three types of fats - saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.

1. 1.Saturated fats are fats found in animal products such as butter, cream, cheese, fat on meat and skin of chicken. The exceptions are coconut and palm oil, which are saturated fat sources that are quite inexpensive and are often used in the preparation of biscuits, cakes, snack food and takeaway food. Saturated fat tends to be a health problem because it can increase LDL cholesterol (harmful cholesterol) and increase the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
2. Mono-unsaturated fats are found in all oils and spreads, very lean red meat, pork, chicken, eggs, fish, avocado and nuts. These fats are stable to heat, less prone to become rancid and lower LDL cholesterol.
3. Polyunsaturated fats are essential fatty acids (EFA). They must be included in the diet because the human body cannot make EFAs from saturated or mono-unsaturated fats. The EFAs have another, probably more recognizable name - omega fats. There are two types (we need both) omega-3 and omega-6. There is a vast quantity of omega-6 in the Australian diet, so this needs to be limited to avoid swamping the omega-3, which is why Canola oils and spreads are recommended.

The media has created public attitudes about fat mainly. Many people eat a lot of fat and the nutrition message was to reduce fat intake. It is now obvious that we all need fat, remember the EFAs? Nutritionists consider that 1/3 of our energy needs to come from fat. The rate of obesity is increasing, probably as much as sitting (not exercising) is increasing. Healthy food choices including some of the good fats and physical activity seem to be a good way to prevent obesity. Evidence for not consuming saturated fat is quite convincing for the prevention of heart disease.

FOOD LABELING
Low Fat - must not contain more than 3g per total fat per 100g of food.