September 2020 Newsletter – Healthy Weight For Life

September 2020 HWFL Newsletter

Put a spring in your step! This month your HWFL Team want to share some news, tips and recipes to get you excited for the budding leaves, blooming flowers and fresh produce of the Spring season.

Announcements

New Healthy Weight For Life Website

Welcome to the new Healthy Weight For Life website!

The HWFL Team have been working hard over the past few months to design a new, fresh website for you! We wanted to create a cleaner interface for you to easily access information about:

Our full suite of private health insurance funded Healthy Weight for Life programs
KicStart products and serving suggestions
‘Free food’ and HWFL portion planned recipes
Educational resources, and more…

After you have finished reading the newsletter, you can enjoy exploring the new website. Feel free to share the link with your family and friends!

Special update for HCF Member family and friends

Healthy Weight for Life (HWFL) programs are now available to help many more HCF members just like you* prevent or manage a range of health problems.

HWFL programs are available for eligible members living with type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis (knee or hip), cardiovascular disease PLUS there are now two new prevention programs for members who don’t have these issues but with a BMI above 26 who want to eat healthier, be more active and feel happier about their health.

Family and friends who are HCF members can call our team or take an anonymous self-assessment to identify the program most relevant to their personal journey*. Visit healthyweightforlife.com.au/hcf-member-page/

[*Programs are only available to members who haven’t undertaken a HWFL program in the past. Clinical and policy eligibility criteria apply. Waiting periods apply.]

HWFL Graduate E-Store Special

15%* DISCOUNT & FREE POSTAGE on ALL KicStart™ VLCD Shake & Soup Orders

*15% off the RRP of $2.95 = approx. $2.51 per sachet. This offer is valid until 5pm AEDST Friday 16th October 2020 for all graduates of HWFL programs.

No need for log in details, just start shopping:

Simply add your KicStart^TM flavours to the shopping cart.
Enter your special discount coupon code HWFLGRADUATE.
Click on ‘Remit Coupon’ and proceed to checkout and payment.
The rest is in our hands – your HWFL Team will pack and deliver the order to you shortly!

Click here to visit the e-Store

Phone the team on 1800 226 180

The Facts on Fasting

Getting through Coronavirus restrictions and Winter blues hasn’t been easy. Many people have struggled with weight gain and, as a result, are flocking to try new diets and exotic superfoods in hopes of shedding the COVID kilos. One diet trend that has gained popularity is intermittent fasting. Along with weight loss, it has been touted for reducing chronic disease risk, improving sleep and even slowing down aging – so should we all jump on board right now? Not so fast.

More information on intermittent fasting

WHAT IS INTERMITTENT FASTING?

Intermittent fasting sets itself apart from other diets as it focuses more on when rather than what you eat. The basic premise is an eating pattern that rotates between periods of not eating/eating very little (fasting) and ‘normal’ eating.

THE TYPES OF INTERMITTENT FASTING

The three common fasting methods are:
Time-restricted [e.g. 16:8] – eating meals within a designated time frame each day e.g. 8-hour eating window, 16 hours fasting
Whole Day [e.g. 5:2] – eating less than 25% of your daily energy requirements (~500-600cal) for two non-consecutive days and usual eating for the other five days
Alternate Day – eating less than 25% of your daily energy requirements (~500-600cal) every second day

THE BENEFITS

A major reason why people try intermittent fasting is to lose weight and the good news is that it may help with this. Having specific eating/fasting periods may allow some individuals to develop a better understanding of their body’s hunger and satiety cues and assist in reducing mindless snacking e.g. late-night munchies. For some, this eating pattern is more mentally appealing as they don’t have to “diet daily”.

However, it is important to note that current research has shown no significant difference in weight loss achieved through intermittent fasting in comparison to a standard calorie reduction approach. Intermittent fasters will usually lose weight because their overall energy intake is reduced (as with most diets) – not because fasting is some kind of special magic trick!

In some animal studies, fasting has been linked to improvements in gut health and risk factors for chronic disease (e.g. diabetes, heart disease, cancer). Whilst these benefits highlight fasting as an exciting and potentially promising area of nutrition research, the results can’t be generalised to humans.

THE PITFALLS

Ever been hangry (hungry + angry)? If you’re going without food for long intervals of time, it is not surprising you might start to feel irritable, fatigued, headache-y and have difficulty focusing on daily tasks and performing at your peak. Maintaining your usual exercise routine (and not to mention, your social life) may be quite a challenge on your fasting days!

Your overall diet quality may not be improved since intermittent fasting doesn’t focus on what foods you eat or making healthier food choices and it can be a real challenge to get in enough essential nutrients in a shorter time frame/smaller number of meals.

Fasting is not a one-size-fits-all and is not suitable for certain individuals e.g. people with eating disorders, diabetes, pregnant women or those who use medications that need to be taken with food.

THE FINAL WORD

At this stage, no conclusions can be made about whether intermittent fasting is a superior method for weight loss or disease prevention - better and longer-term human studies are needed. If you are thinking of fasting, please chat with your doctor and/or dietitian beforehand. For lasting long-term health benefits, remember that the best diet is the one that is sustainable over time and suits you individually!

Fresh Spring Recipe

Fish Skewers with Tabouleh

This month, we’re excited to introduce you to a vibrant, zingy recipe that will awaken your taste buds after winter and help you celebrate spring – serve it up for lunch or dinner!

Time required: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

600g skinless firm white fish (e.g. ling) – cut into 3cm cubes
1 medium orange – rind finely grated, juiced
2cm piece ginger* – peeled, finely grated
2 tsp olive oil
Olive oil spray
4 small wholemeal pita breads – to serve
200g baby salad leaf mix – to serve

For Tabouleh:

2/3 cup burghul/bulgar wheat*
2 cups fresh flat leaf parsley – chopped
1 cup fresh mint leaves – chopped
3 medium tomatoes, seeds removed, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
Pepper - to season

* See the Meet a New Ingredient section.

METHOD:

To make the tabouleh, place burghul in a bowl. Cover with boiling water. Stand for 15 minutes or until softened. Drain in a sieve, pressing out all the water using the back of a large metal spoon then transfer to a large bowl and cool. Add the remaining ingredients and toss well to combine.
Thread fish pieces onto eight bamboo skewers. Place in a shallow dish in a single layer. Whisk the orange rind, juice, ginger and olive oil in a small jug. Pour over fish skewers. Turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes (if time permits).
Preheat grill/barbecue plate on medium-high heat and lightly spray with oil. Remove the skewers from the marinade. Place on barbecue and cook for about 6 minutes or until fish is cooked, turning skewers halfway during cooking time. Transfer to a plate. Cover with foil to keep warm.
Wrap pita bread in foil and place on the grill/barbecue for 5 minutes, to warm through.
Serve skewers with warm bread, tabouleh and salad leaves.

TIP:

If you don’t have burghul, you can substitute with quinoa, cracked wheat or whole wheat couscous.
If you would like to swap the baby salad leaf mix for something more jazzed up, have a peek at the ‘Salad and Side Dishes’ Recipe Section at the back of your HWFL Guide for some interesting ideas. Alternatively, you could view some 'Salad and Sides' ideas on our website.

[recipe and image from The Heart Foundation]

Meet a New Ingredient

Finding and using a new ingredient (or rediscovering an old favourite) can be an exciting and adventurous experience in the kitchen. Learn about these interesting ingredients, where to find them and how to use them in your weekly menu!

Burghul

Burghul or bulgur wheat, is made from the parboiled, crushed and dried whole grains of durum wheat. The entire wheat kernel – including the germ, endosperm and bran – is eaten, making it a great source of fibre, protein as well as other minerals such as manganese, magnesium and iron. It is a popular and versatile ingredient in many Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes and has a chewy texture and mild, nutty flavour.

Learn more about burghul

Where to find it? Burghul can generally be found in the cereal, health food or international aisle of your local supermarket or Middle Eastern grocer.

How to use it? Burghul requires very little preparation and is quick to cook! It is ready to be used after soaking in boiling water for 15-20mins or until the grains are light and fluffy. It can be tossed in salads and stews, made into pudding or porridge or even mixed with mince and shaped into kibbeh balls.

How to store it? Burghul will keep for up to 12 months in an airtight container or jar. Once soaked, burghul is best served immediately. However, leftovers can be refrigerated for up to two days.

Ginger

Ginger is a tropical flowering plant that belongs to the Zingiberaceae family. The fragrant underground stem (called a rhizome) is the part that is commonly used in cooking – either fresh, powdered, crushed, or pickled. It has a spicy, zesty, slightly sweet and woody flavour which lends beautifully to both sweet and savoury dishes.

Learn more about ginger

Where to find it? Fresh ginger can be found in the produce section of your local supermarket or international grocer. Look for ginger roots that are firm with a smooth, unwrinkled outer layer (make sure to check the ends for signs of mould). Ground/dried ginger can be found in the spice aisle and pickled ginger in the international/Asian food aisle of your local supermarket.

How to use it? Ginger can be used to add extra flavour in marinades for meat/fish, stir-fries, salad dressings, soups/stews, smoothies, tea and baked desserts (see ‘Robyn’s Rhubarb and Raspberry Delight’ Free Food Recipe in your HWFL Guide for a sweet idea using crushed ginger).

How to store it? To make your ginger last longer, store it skin-on in the fridge for up to a month in a zip-lock bag. To keep it almost indefinitely, you can stick it (whole or cut up into pieces) in the freezer and simply grate the frozen ginger when you are ready to use it.

Join the HWFL Graduate Facebook group

This is a private group where you can join and start sharing experiences, questions and conversations with your fellow HWFL graduates. The HWFL team will also be active on the group to assist with anything and to ensure it is a comfortable space for everyone to share and have their say.

To join the HWFL Graduate Facebook group:

Log in or register on Facebook (facebook.com)
Search for “HWFL Graduates” and select the “Groups” filter (underneath the search bar)
Click the blue button “Join Group” to request to join
Answer prompted questions, read the Group Rules
Click “Send to Admins”

You will then receive a notification in the next couple of working days to confirm approval into the HWFL support group. Once you are approved, you can start posting straight away!

On your PC, mobile or tablet:

Go to HealthyWeightForLife.com.au
Scroll down to your specific program:
Osteoarthritis, Heart, Type 2 Diabetes, Essentials or Healthy@Heart
(If you have forgotten which program you completed, please contact the team)
Click on the “Login (already enrolled)” button for your program
Enter your username and password

If you have forgotten your username and/or password, click on “Forgot your password?” and enter the email address you supplied when you registered. Click “Recover Password” and you will receive an email containing your username and password details!

Get in touch with us!

We’re always keen to hear your stories, achievements & ideas. If you have something you’d like to share, learn more about or have any other feedback, updates or suggestions, we’d love to hear from you.

Stay tuned!

We’re planning our next newsletter - a special edition to get you excited for the new year! 2020 has been a tough year for many, so we’d love to share more health news, handy tips and delicious recipes to keep things fun and festive.

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