'Snack must have protein, high fibre, low GI carbohydrates and fats'
Is your weight loss New Year's resolution being sabotaged by the insatiable appetite to snack? Askies!
Snacking before and after a meal is a signal from our bodies that we are not getting enough food for normal functioning, according to nutritionist Mpho Tshukudu.
“We snack after dinner as a sign that we are not eating enough throughout the day,” she says.
“Some of my clients have a tiny breakfast they eat in between meetings, while others live on coffee. They are hungry, but because we are focused on work and distracted, we are not attentive to our hunger. And by the time you have dinner, the body gets food. But you then realise that it's not enough to give you the energy and nutrients the body needs.”
Tshukudu is a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Association for Dietetics in SA.
She is also the co-author of the cookbook Eat Ting, Lose Weight, Gain Health, Find Yourself.
She suggests people adopt a two-hour lunch, a custom that is practised in smaller towns around the world. Alternatively, make lunch the biggest meal and shrink your dinner plate portions.
“Society has it all wrong”, she says.
“When I began practising, I would visit a practice in Zeerust and have clients from Gaborone, Botswana. They would tell me that at lunchtime, they would leave the office and go home and have their meal. In the evenings, they would eat a small bowl of soft porridge.
“Dinner is supposed to be our smallest meal because, in the evening, our bodies slow down; hence, digestion also slows down. Eating lunch as our bigger meal is ideal as we are still active and it's easier to digest. The way society is right now, we nibble on our sandwich, then we sit down, it's not good for us.”
Tshukudu says our demanding lifestyles contribute to our cravings to continually snack to lift our energies.
Nutritionist Mpho Tshukudu Image:SUPPLIED
“Our lifestyles have evolved faster than our genetics and our body’s functioning has not caught up. When we are tired, we unintentionally want to eat more, thinking that it will increase our energy levels,” she says.
We are not so conscious about what we are doing, so we tend to eat more foods high in sugar and refined fats. This is how people often gain weight around the abdomen, which can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.”
Tshukudu admits that squeezing a two-hour lunch into our busy lifestyles is impossible for many 9-5 individuals. She suggests that if we snack, we should do it right.
“I always think of a snack like a mini meal. It must have protein, high fibre, low GI carbohydrates and fats. So don’t do fruit on its own – pair fruit with yoghurt and nuts and in this way, sugar is released slowly giving you sustained energy,” she says.
“If the only time you get to eat dinner is late evening, eat a snack at least three hours before the meal. Should you still be feeling hungry after dinner, first drink water and wait 20 minutes. If you are still hungry, eat a smaller version of your dinner, but chew your food thoroughly.”
Maas curd with granola by Anna Trapido and Mpho Tshukudu
Ingredients
1L of amasi
100g raw pecan nuts
100g sunflower seeds
100g almond flakes
3 Tbsp coconut oil
2 Tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp honey
zest of 1 naartjie
Method
Maas Curd
Pour the maas into a clean muslin cloth and tie it at the top to make a bag.
Suspend the bag (hanging it from a wire hanger works well) with a dish underneath it to catch the liquid whey that will run out.
Refrigerate for 2-3 days.
Remove from the fridge, untie the cloth and there will be a thick, delicious curd cheese inside.
Nut Granola
Preheat the oven to 160°C
Mix all the nuts and seeds.
Melt the coconut oil over low heat and then add in the cinnamon.
Cook over low heat for 1 minute (until you can smell the cinnamon) and drizzle over the nuts.
Drizzle over the honey and toss to mix.
Spread it on an oven tray and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
Cool, then add the naartjie zest and store it in an airtight container.
Serve with maas curd or plain yoghurt.
Tip: Variations of this cheese can be made by adding a tablespoon of salt to create a thicker, more crumbly consistency and by stirring nuts or dried herbs into the maas at the start of the process to create many different and delicious flavours.
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