10 things I didn’t know about health

heathy eating plate This weekend I went to a really interesting seminar on “Fundamentals of fat loss” by Nutrition Plus and here are 10 things that I didn’t know.

Our weight depends not only on our environment but also our genes. Genes have an enormous impact. There’s a great quote from Professor Boyd Swinburn that sums it up “Genes load the gun, environment pulls the trigger.”
If you are deficient in Vitamin D you are much likelier to carry excess weight and can develop other medical conditions (Dr Mercola on Vitamin D and weight management).
Coca Cola was the number one selling food item in Australia last year taking in $4.4 billion. How much sugar would that be? Diet coke was number two (Nielsen top 100 brands report).

70% of Australians aged over 15 years are sedentary (National Nutrition Survey, 2006). The recommended amount of planned exercise is 45 minutes a day, 7 days a week and this doesn’t include the incidental exercise you should get each day. Are you getting your 10,000 steps a day?
You’ve only got so many fat cells, but when they’re full you grow new fat cells. When you lose weight these cells shrink, but never disappear and they want to fill up again. That’s one of the challenges for keeping weight loss permanent.
One in three Australians eat food prepared outside the home each day. Cooking and eating at home is becoming almost a lost art form and 90% of our population do not eat 5 veggie serves a day (Burns, 2002, The National Nutrition Survey ABS, 2006)
The top reason why someone will keep the weight off is their motivation; their reason for losing weight must be strong. The goal has the biggest impact, it shouldn’t be about a number, it should be about an outcome.
Adequate sleep at night is crucial for weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight (Hu & Patel, 2008).
It takes 30mins for you to register that you’re full. When eating remember that your stomach is a holding cell and it’s approximately the size of your two fists put together.
A survey last year showed that Aussies crave chocolate over sex and health professionals were the number one profession that ate the most chocolate! (National Chocolate Report, 2011)

Note: The above is provided for information purposes only. Please consult your GP if you are thinking of losing weight or have questions about your health and well being.