COFFEE OR CAKE?
It goes hand in hand doesn't it, coffee and cake (or scone or muffin). It seems like such a small insignificant snack, but what's really lurking underneath that soft velvety texture. 1 standard slice of chocolate cake (51g) according to the NZ food composition tables is close to 147 calories, high in sugar and fat and low in fibre - now that all depends on the type of cake that you're eating of course. Add a bit of cream and icing and now the same piece of cake is 185 calories. A slice of carrot cake of the same size with cream cheese icing is 195 calories. A 51g cheese scone weighs in at 163 calories and a 60g muffin comes in at a whopping 216 calories. Now just look at the portions in cafes...I can tell you that you are NOT getting a 51g slice of cake.  

Now let's add that trim Mocha with our muffin (because we're watching our weight). We're now enjoying a 320 calorie snack. Now there's nothing wrong with a treat now and then, and if you've just done a 2 hour bike ride out to a distant cafe, then it's likely you will burn this off. But this snack will take you either 32 minutes of running or about 45-50 minutes of power walking to burn off.   Here's a breakdown of the calories in coffee. This is not including sugar or syrups which are 20 calories per teaspoon.  
TYPE OF COFFEE CALS FAT CARBS PROTEIN
Latte (glass) - trim 87 0.4g 12g 9g
Latte (glass) - full 159 9g 12g 9g
Latte (bowl) - trim 121 0.6g 17g 12.5g
Latte (bowl) - full 223 12g 16g 12g
Large takeaway latte - trim 104 0.5g 14g 11g
Large takeaway latte - full 190 10g 14g 10g
Flat white - trim 52 0.25g 7g 5g
Flat white - full 95 5g 7g 5g
Small takeaway flat white - trim 69 0.3g 9.5g 7g
Small takeaway flat white - full 127 7g 9g 7g
Cappucino - trim 69 0.3g 9.5g 7g
Cappucino - full 127 7g 9g 7g
Mocha - trim 104 1g 14g 7g
Mocha - full 145 7g 13g 7g
Visit the Starbucks website for a calorie breakdown of their products.  

All calories aside though, it's the composition of this combination which is ticking with a metabolic time bomb. You have all heard of insulin - Insulin clears the blood of excess glucose and sends it off to cells for use as energy. If there is a very large amount of glucose in the blood then some of it is chemically changed into fat and heads off to the fat cells. Sugar and refined carbohydrates (flour) stimulate the release of insulin, and due to the high amounts of these substances in our coffee and cake you can guarantee a lot of it is going to fat storage. Not only that, the butter and oil in our cake (and maybe the fat in our full fat latte) are also heading off for fat storage as well...That's a double fat storage hit right there.  

But wait there's more. We always hear stories that caffeine speeds up the metabolism and helps to burn more fat - this is not necessarily true. Coffee also stimulates an insulin release. So now we've got sugar AND coffee stimulating insulin release, which is releasing large amounts of insulin all at once into the body, if we keep this up, then we overwork the pancreas and eventually it becomes inefficient and ineffective at releasing insulin - and that's when we're looking at weight gain and type-2 diabetes. Again we must remember, all of this is not an issue if you've just done an hour or so of good hard exercise, as the insulin release will suck most of the sugar straight into the muscle cell which has just been depleted.   

On another note, there is also evidence that coffee can raise cholesterol. It also raises blood pressure and stimulates the release of adrenalin and cortisol - both stress hormones which can also add to weight gain and insulin resistance.  

But I won't leave you high and dry without a solution, I used to be a daily jumbo muffin/coffee drinker, it was a daily habit that lasted for years, and not only that I would put 6 sugars into my full fat large latte - recipe for disaster.  

·        
If you find yourself in this daily habit try to cut it back to every second day for a few weeks and then every third day and so on. Or you can try just having a muffin one day and a coffee the next day and then wean this down slowly. If you regularly walk past a cafe on the way to work, change the route that you take to break the habit of ‘stopping in'. Make a point of leaving the office when the bun run comes around so that you miss out.  

·                     If it's calories you're trying to cut but can't quite give up the flavour yet, try having a long black with a splash of milk and biscotti. This will save you around 200 calories off a latte and a piece of cake.  

·                     It's nice to head out with the girls for a bit of morning tea, but is this affecting your health and weight loss? If so, try to focus more on the company and less on the treats. A pot of tea (herbal or otherwise) is a great solution, as you can usually get a few cups out of it, and it takes a long time to drink, so you can still be busying your hands and your taste buds long after they've downed their last mouthful of mocha.  

·                     Share half your cake with a friend. You'll feel great on so many levels!  

·                     Try an alternative food at morning tea - a poached egg on toast or some fruit and yoghurt with your coffee or tea instead of the muffin is a healthy alternative - who said you can't have ‘breakfast' food at morning tea time? So long as it's good food, you can eat it at anytime!  

·                     Try making your own cakes and muffins using alternative ingredients like rice flour or stevia for sweetening. Make them smaller and only take one to work. Here's my high bran, zero sugar, low fat muffin recipe.
 

Stacey 2009




I'm confused about how many eggs I should eat each day as I hear they're high in fat and cholesterol.

EGGCITING NEWS FROM...
The British Nutrition Foundation who released a medical research paper on eggs in February 2009 shining a golden yolk coloured light on the health benefits of eggs. The poor egg was seen to be a fat making, cholesterol raising food group only to be eaten 3 times per week. It seems that the humble egg has been given bad egg status for no apparent reason at all. Here's why eggs should be part of your healthy balanced diet:  

EGGS ARE A GREAT SOURCE OF PROTEIN: 1 medium number 5 egg (49g) contains 5.9g of protein. Eggs are a complete source of all amino acids and don't need to be supplemented with any other protein source.   Just over half the protein of an egg is contained in the white with the remainder in the yolk.    Be wary of eating only raw egg whites though. Raw egg whites also contain a protein called avidin. Excess consumption of raw egg whites (over months or years) can lead to a Biotin deficiency as the avidin binds strongly to biotin preventing its absorption. For most of us, this is something we don't need to worry about.  

THE FAT ISN'T THAT BAD:  Firstly, eggs contain their own built in fat demolition crews. Each egg yolk contains lecithin which is a fat emulsifier.  Of these fats, only 1.7g is saturated fat in our 49g egg example. 150g chicken breast contains approximately 1.1g and 150g beef 2.5g of saturated fat. Egg fat will not make you fat. Cooking eggs in butter and serving them with hollandaise sauce will, as will eating 10 eggs every day. 

Eggs are just the same as any food healthy or otherwise, if you eat more than the body can use, then it will store it.   Depending on what the hens are fed with will determine the exact composition of the fats in an egg. Some feed includes seeds containing Omega-3 Fatty acids which produces eggs with high levels of Omega-3s.   Eggs contain cholesterol, but this has no effect on your blood cholesterol, in fact it may just improve it! Research has found that the higher the dietary intake of cholesterol, the lower the percentage absorbed. Cholesterol isn't made from the cholesterol we eat, it goes through a raft of different chemical processes in the liver before becoming cholesterol.  

YOU EXPERIENCE HIGH SATIETY: With equal amounts of fat and protein, eggs are very satisfying and filling. This is fantastic news for dieters - Just 2 eggs with a big salad for lunch or with some fruit for breakfast will come in at approximately 200-250 calories and keep you satiated until your next meal without voraciously reaching for the nearest processed item of food.  

AND ALL THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF A FULLY FUNCTIONAL FOOD: As a functional food eggs provide great physiological benefit over and above meeting basic nutritional needs, eggs are a whole food with active components.   Eggs are a great source of B-Vitamins (Riboflavin, Niacin, Folate, B12). These nutrients are essential for metabolism of fats, carbohydrates and proteins. Eggs also contain Choline which assists in the synthesis of cell membranes and the transport and metabolism of fats and cholesterol.   Egg yolks contain Vitamins A, D, E and K. These are fat soluble vitamins, which makes the egg yolk the perfect partner to assist in the absorption into the body. Vitamin A contributes to a healthy immune system, bone growth, reproductive system, and eye health. Vitamin E improves the absorption of Vitamin A and is a potent antioxidant. Vitamins D and K are essential for healthy bone growth. Egg yolks are one of the few foods that actually contain Vitamin D. Egg yolk also contains highly bioavailable forms of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin which help in the prevention of macular degeneration.  

AND THEY WON'T SEND YOU BROKE: Find a tray of 30 eggs for $4.99 (yes they do exist). That's just 17c an egg! And if you're into eating 10 egg whites at a time you're looking at only $1.70. Even a dozen eggs for $3.60 is still only 30c an egg. With all its nutritional benefits and the ability to keep you feeling satiated until your next meal, the egg definitely provides more bang for your buck.

Stacey 2009

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