Want the health benefits of strength training but not keen on the gym? Try ‘exercise snacking’

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/justin-keogh-129041">Justin Keogh</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jackson-fyfe-134774">Jackson Fyfe</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a></em></p> <p>The science is clear: <a href="https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/full/10.1139/apnm-2020-0245">resistance training</a> is crucial to ageing well. Lifting weights (or doing bodyweight exercises like lunges, squats or push-ups) can help you live independently for longer, make your bones stronger, reduce your risk of diseases such as diabetes, and may even improve your <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28919335/">sleep and mental health</a>.</p> <p>But not everyone loves the gym. Perhaps you feel you’re not a “gym person” and never will be, or you’re too old to start. Being a gym-goer can be expensive and time-consuming, and some people report feeling <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/StartingStrength/comments/j3hq32/unwelcome_feeling_at_the_gym/">unwelcome</a> or <a href="https://www.quora.com/I-feel-awkward-and-I-want-to-start-a-gym-but-could-not-What-should-I-do">awkward</a> at the gym.</p> <p>The good news is you don’t need the gym, or lots of free time, to get the health benefits resistance training can offer.</p> <p>You can try “exercise snacking” instead.</p> <h2>What is exercise snacking?</h2> <p>Exercise snacking involves doing multiple shorter bouts (as little as 20 seconds) of exercise throughout the day – often with minimal or no equipment. It’s OK to have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01605-8">several hours of rest</a> between.</p> <p>You could do simple bodyweight exercises such as:</p> <ul> <li> <p>chair sit-to-stand (squats)</p> </li> <li> <p>lunges</p> </li> <li> <p>box step-ups</p> </li> <li> <p>calf raises</p> </li> <li> <p>push-ups.</p> </li> </ul> <p>Exercise snacking like this can help improve muscle mass, strength and physical function.</p> <p>It’s OK to hold onto a nearby object for balance, if you need. And doing these exercises regularly will also improve your balance. That, in turn, reduces your risk of falls and fractures.</p> <h2>OK I have done all those, now what?</h2> <p>Great! You can also try using resistance bands or dumbbells to do the previously mentioned five exercises as well as some of the following exercises:</p> <ul> <li> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/IP4wM2JpDdQ?si=1B1GyV_FY5rcArW8&amp;t=6">seated rows</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/G6GIffCaJCQ?si=RxXZtzMqQ0DGxF3k&amp;t=48">chest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUnnz5i4Mnw&amp;t=5s">shoulder presses</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/z0omicIkYu4?si=8WffT3ij12SNTqEs">bicep curls</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wXVnxBgLHo">knee extensions</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtTcXXgeRYo">leg curls</a>.</p> </li> </ul> <p>When using resistance bands, make sure you hold them tightly and that they’re securely attached to an immovable object.</p> <p>Exercise snacking works well when you pair it with an activity you do often throughout the day. Perhaps you could:</p> <ul> <li> <p>do a few extra squats every time you get up from a bed or chair</p> </li> <li> <p>do some lunges during a TV ad break</p> </li> <li> <p>chuck in a few half squats while you’re waiting for your kettle to boil</p> </li> <li> <p>do a couple of elevated push-ups (where you support your body with your hands on a chair or a bench while doing the push-up) before tucking into lunch</p> </li> <li> <p>sneak in a couple of calf raises while you’re brushing your teeth.</p> </li> </ul> <h2>What does the evidence say about exercise snacking?</h2> <p>One <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31687210/">study</a> had older adults without a history of resistance training do exercise snacks at home twice per day for four weeks.</p> <p>Each session involved five simple bodyweight exercises (chair sit-to-stand, seated knee extension, standing knee bends, marching on the spot, and standing calf raises). The participants did each exercise continuously for one minute, with a one-minute break between exercises.</p> <p>These short and simple exercise sessions, which lasted just nine minutes, were enough to improve a person’s ability to stand up from a chair by 31% after four weeks (compared to a control group who didn’t exercise). Leg power and thigh muscle size improved, too.</p> <p>Research involving one of us (Jackson Fyfe) has also <a href="https://bmcgeriatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12877-022-03207-z">shown</a> older adults found “exercise snacking” feasible and enjoyable when done at home either once, twice, or three times per day for four weeks.</p> <p>Exercise snacking may be a more sustainable approach to improve muscle health in those who don’t want to – or can’t – lift heavier weights in a gym.</p> <h2>A little can yield a lot</h2> <p>We know from other research that the more you exercise, the more likely it is you will <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167268119302586">keep exercising in future</a>.</p> <p>Very brief resistance training, albeit with heavier weights, may be more <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29975122/">enjoyable</a> than traditional approaches where people aim to do many, many sets.</p> <p>We also know brief-and-frequent exercise sessions can break up <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26378942/">periods</a> of sedentary behaviour (which usually means sitting too much). Too much sitting increases your risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, whereas exercise snacking can help keep your <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36921112/">blood sugar levels steady</a>.</p> <p>Of course, longer-term studies are needed. But the evidence we do have suggests exercise snacking really helps.</p> <h2>Why does any of this matter?</h2> <p>As you age, you lose strength and mass in the muscles you use to walk, or stand up. Everyday tasks can become a struggle.</p> <p>All this <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36907247/">contributes</a> to disability, hospitalisation, chronic disease, and reliance on community and residential aged care support.</p> <p>By preserving your muscle mass and strength, you can:</p> <ul> <li> <p>reduce joint pain</p> </li> <li> <p>get on with activities you enjoy</p> </li> <li> <p>live independently in your own home</p> </li> <li> <p>delay or even eliminate the need for expensive health care or residential aged care.</p> </li> </ul> <h2>What if I walk a lot – is that enough?</h2> <p>Walking may maintain some level of lower body muscle mass, but it won’t preserve your <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38190393/">upper body muscles</a>.</p> <p>If you find it difficult to get out of a chair, or can only walk short distances without getting out of breath, resistance training is the best way to regain some of the independence and function you’ve lost.</p> <p>It’s even more important for women, as muscle mass and strength are typically lower in older women than men. And if you’ve been diagnosed with osteoporosis, which is more common in older women than men, resistance exercise snacking at home can improve your balance, strength, and bone mineral density. All of this reduces the risk of falls and fractures.</p> <p>You don’t need <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37171517/">heavy weights</a> or fancy equipment to benefit from resistance training.</p> <p>So, will you start exercise snacking today?<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/232374/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/justin-keogh-129041">Justin Keogh</a>, Associate Dean of Research, Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jackson-fyfe-134774">Jackson Fyfe</a>, Senior Lecturer, Strength and Conditioning Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/want-the-health-benefits-of-strength-training-but-not-keen-on-the-gym-try-exercise-snacking-232374">original article</a>.</em></p>

Body

Mum slammed for being "stingy" after refusing to buy $2 snack for daughter's playdate

<p>A mum has come under fire for being "selfish" and "stingy" after refusing to buy a $2 snack for her 11-year-old daughter’s best friend.</p> <p>The woman, believed to be from the US, and her daughter Ellie were invited for a playdate at an indoor playground with 12-year-old Sophie and her mum.</p> <p>Sophie's mum offered to put them on her membership card so that Ellie and her mum could go to the indoor playground for free. </p> <p>“Sophie’s mum called me... and Sophie wanted to know if Ellie could come and play," she began in a Reddit thread called <em>Am I the a****** .</em></p> <p>"She offered to put me on her membership card so it would be free for me so I got Ellie in the car and we met them at the playground.” </p> <p>Trouble started when the girls got hungry after an hour of playing, and Ellie's mum only packed a snack for her daughter. </p> <p>“Sophie’s mum didn’t have any snacks on her,” she said.</p> <p>“I told her they sell snacks in the front but she claimed that she didn’t have any money on her and asked me to buy Sophie some Goldfish."</p> <p>Ellie's mum agreed to grab the crackers on one condition - Sophie's mum had to transfer the money to her. </p> <p>“She says she paid for my kid to get in so I could cover the $2 for the Goldfish. I said no, I took care of my kid and it’s not my job to take care of hers too.</p> <p>“I told her if she wanted me to bring snacks she should’ve told me when she invited me but I won’t be wasting $2 for a 50 cent bag of Goldfish because she was unprepared.”</p> <p>She added that Sophie's mum eventually managed to get snacks for her own daughter, and wondered "if she lied about not having money".</p> <p>She then accused Sophie's mum of being "petty" for asking her to pay back for “all the times” she's used her membership to get a guest pass at the indoor playground, adding that "they regularly pay for us to join them on outings.”</p> <p>Her post was met with over 2500 comments slamming her for being “selfish”, “stingy” and “ungrateful”.</p> <p>“You were invited to a place for free that you would otherwise have had to pay for. You only packed snacks for your child? Why didn’t you also take snacks for the other child?" one wrote. </p> <p>“Yes, you did not have to do so, and that child is not your responsibility, but if I was meeting someone for a playdate for my child, not paying to get in, knowing, at some point both girls were going to be hungry, I would have packed snacks for both, as a thank you for the invitation and just because," the commenter continued. </p> <p>“If someone asked me to transfer them $2, I’m rolling my eyes big time. It’s petty, especially when someone gave you something likely far more valuable," another added. </p> <p>“Seriously. I don’t even think I could tell a stranger no when it comes to feeding their hungry child, much less a person I know and spend time with," a third commented. </p> <p>Others called the mum a "fool", for potentially causing Ellie to lose her best friend.</p> <p>“Don’t be an idiot. Apologise. You might care about 50 cents. But your daughter will lose her best friend. And that is worth a lot more. Your daughter might never get a friend like that... And the fact that universe gift wrapped a friend for your daughter. And you choose to throw it in the trash. Wow, you are truly a fool," they said. </p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Family & Pets

“They snack-shamed my three year old”: Mum fires up on school note

<p>An American mother has taken to social media to share her Pringle problem with the world. </p> <p>As Megan Peavey explained in her TikTok video, she’d sent her three-year-old son to school with some chips in his lunchbox to enjoy when snacktime rolled around. </p> <p>However, the staff at the school weren’t exactly of the opinion that Pringles were the right choice, going so far as to suggest Megan had purposefully done the wrong thing and given her child something ‘unhealthy’. </p> <p>“Look at what happened to me today,” she said in the now-private clip. “I sent my son to school with Pringles, which is a very age appropriate snack for a three year old.” </p> <p>She went on to explain that the school had responded by sending the boy home with his empty chip container, the line “please help us make healthy choices at school” written across it in bold black marker. </p> <p>“They wrote that on his Pringles cup,” she said, “they snack shamed my three year old, they snack shamed me, by writing that passive-aggressively on his trash.</p> <p>After asking viewers what they might do in that situation, she described how she got in touch with the school, calling them out on what they’d done, and they “did not label things as healthy and unhealthy” in their house “because that starts eating disorders”.</p> <p>“Do you think that’s ridiculous?” came her final question. “Because I f***ing do.” </p> <p>Megan later shared an update on the entire situation, outlining how she had spoken to the school’s director, and was told “it was passive-aggressive of me to keep sending Pringles after the note”. </p> <p>But, as she pointed out, she didn’t believe Pringles to be an ‘unhealthy’ snack like they did.</p> <p>“I consider things like Doritos, Cheetos, and Milky Way bars to be unhealthy,” she noted, before adding that she regularly sends her son to school with the likes of granola bars with his other snacks, and that she just would have appreciated the school speaking to her directly without leaping to the note. </p> <p>Megan stood her ground and didn’t apologise to the educators, before she “walked downstairs and I just checked my son out - we’re done there.”</p> <p>Her comments were flooded by fellow parents who were more than eager to back her up, with many noting that they may not have handled it so well themselves - one even wrote that she’d have sent her child with an entire tub and a handwritten “no thank you” the next day. </p> <p>“I cannot even explain how out of line and wild this seems to me - on the school's part," another said.</p> <p>“On his birthday…send pringles for EVERY kid in the class,” someone suggested.</p> <p>And one pre-k teacher even came forward to share her take, noting “never would I ever tell a family to 'make healthy choices'. My girls get a bag of chips with their sandwiches, along with fresh fruit."</p> <p><em>Images: TikTok</em></p>

Family & Pets

Caught in the act: supermassive black hole 8.5 billion light years away enjoys violent stellar snack

<p>A supermassive black hole at the centre of a galaxy some 8.5 billion years way has ripped apart a nearby star, producing some of the most luminous jets ever seen.</p> <p>When stars and other objects stray too close to a <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/how-big-is-a-black-hole-watch-how-it-eats/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">supermassive black hole</a> they are destroyed by the black hole’s immense gravity.</p> <p>These occurrences, known as <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/a-star-is-torn/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tidal-disruption events (TDEs)</a>, result in a <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/the-sleeping-giant-black-hole-that-awoke-to-destroy-a-star/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">circling disk of material</a> that is slowly pulled into the black hole and very occasionally, as in the case of supermassive black hole AT2022cmc, ejecting bright beams of material travelling close to the speed of light.</p> <p>Luminous jets are produced in an estimated 1% of cases and are known as a type of astronomical occurrence known as a transient, because they are short-lived.</p> <p>Bright flashes from the jets were spotted in data from the <a href="https://www.ztf.caltech.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF)</a> in <a href="https://astronomerstelegram.org/?read=15232" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">February this year</a> using a special new technique which can comb through the equivalent of a million pages of information every night.</p> <p>Due to the rapid results produced by the novel data analysis method, a research team in the US was able to swiftly follow up on the transient event with multiwavelength observations of the system from different observatory facilities.</p> <p>The jets were visible across many wavelengths, from X-rays to radio, and follow-up observations enabled the European Southern Observatory’s <a href="https://www.eso.org/public/australia/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/vlt/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Very Large Telescope</a> to place AT2022cmc at a whopping distance of 8.5 billion light years away, while optical and infrared observation from NASA’s <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hubble telescope</a> were able to precisely pinpoint AT2022cmc’s location.</p> <p>“The last time scientists discovered one of these jets was well over a decade ago,” said Michael Coughlin, an assistant professor of astronomy at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and co-lead on the paper <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05465-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">published in <em>Nature</em></a>. “From the data we have, we can estimate that relativistic jets are launched in only 1% of these destructive events, making AT2022cmc an extremely rare occurrence.”</p> <p>Exactly why this behaviour is so rare remains an enigma, however, the research team believe that AT2022cmc’s rapid spin powers the jets, adding to the current understanding of the physics of these behemoth dead stars at the centres of galaxies.</p> <p>This detection – and the method used to discover it – are valuable as a future models for astronomers as they scour the skies for more events. “Scientists can use AT2022cmc as a model for what to look for and find more disruptive events from distant black holes,” says lead author Igor Andreoni, from the Department of Astronomy at UMD and NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre.</p> <p>This includes using ground-based optical surveys, as opposed to gamma-ray observatories in space – how previous jets were primarily discovered.</p> <p>“Our new search technique helps us to quickly identify rare cosmic events in the ZTF survey data,” says Andreoni.</p> <p>“And since ZTF and upcoming larger surveys such as <a href="https://www.lsst.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vera Rubin’s Large Synoptic Survey Telescope</a> scan the sky so frequently, we can now expect to uncover a wealth of rare, or previously undiscovered cosmic events and study them in detail. More than ever, big data mining is an important tool to advance our knowledge of the universe”.</p> <p><img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=226753&amp;title=Caught+in+the+act%3A+supermassive+black+hole+8.5+billion+light+years+away+enjoys+violent+stellar+snack" width="1" height="1" data-spai-target="src" data-spai-orig="" data-spai-exclude="nocdn" /></p> <div id="contributors"> <p><em><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/supermassive-black-hole-stellar-snack/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on Cosmos Magazine and was written by Clare Kenyon. </em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p> </div>

Technology

Doctors say cheese could be as addictive as drugs

<p>Look, we’ve all be there: you’re enjoying a tasty cheese platter, perhaps with a glass of red, and before you know it, you’ve devoured the entire wheel of camembert. You’re not even sure how it happened; all you know is the cheese was too delicious to stop.</p> <p>But before you berate yourself for your lack of willpower, stop – because it may not be your willpower but that the cheese is simply too addictive.</p> <p>According to Thrillist, Dr Neal Barnard, founder and president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, has called cheese “dairy crack” because your brain reacts to a particular protein in it the way it would any other addictive substance.</p> <p>“These protein fragments can attach to the opiate receptors in your brain,” Dr Barnard says. “As the name implies, casomorphins are casein-derived morphine-like compounds.”</p> <p>Cheese also has high fat and salt content – two other things that our brains enjoy.</p> <p>However, lucky for all the cheese lovers out there, even though our brains may react to cheese similarly to morphine, it doesn’t have any brain-destroying compounds as the drug.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Body

Homemade snack eaten by the Queen every day for over nine decades

<p dir="ltr">A former royal chef has revealed that Queen Elizabeth II has been eating one particular snack ever since she was first served it as a child in the royal nursery.</p> <p dir="ltr">Darren McGrady worked for the royal family for almost two decades according to <em>The Sun</em>, and has since revealed some of the Queen’s favourite dishes and frequent requests, including one known as Jam Pennies.</p> <p dir="ltr">McGrady described Jam Pennies as a simple sandwich of “bread and jam with a little butter - usually strawberry jam”, and said the Queen has been eating them every day for 91 years.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We’d make the jam at Balmoral Castle with the gorgeous Scottish strawberries from the gardens,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Meanwhile, another former royal chef has said the Queen is partial to a tuna and mayonnaise sandwich, a popular combination among Brits, but with her own twist.</p> <p dir="ltr">Owen Hodgson told the <em>Telegraph </em>that the monarch prefers hers well-buttered with cucumbers and pepper.</p> <p dir="ltr">Aside from sandwiches, McGrady has shared more insights into Her Majesty’s dining habits, including her insistence on having afternoon tea no matter where in the world she happens to be.</p> <p dir="ltr">The chef recalled one particular instance when he flew to Australia and settled aboard a royal yacht at 5am local time, which was five in the afternoon for the Queen - meaning his first task was to make scones.</p> <p dir="ltr">“In terms of scones - one day plain and one day with raisins folded through,” he said of the Queen’s usual afternoon tea spread.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Also, tiny pastries like raspberry tartlets and a cut cake, honey and cream sponge, fruit cake, banana bread, or her favourite chocolate biscuit cake.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-173e3f25-7fff-7124-bfda-aae4a4b6d2c9"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“It would all be washed down with a delightful steaming hot cup of Earl Grey tea.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Food & Wine

9 reasons you need popcorn in your diet

<div class="slide-image" style="border: 0px;font-family: Raleway, sans-serif, Arial;font-size: 16px;font-style: normal;font-weight: 400;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #444444;letter-spacing: normal;text-align: start;text-indent: 0px;text-transform: none"> </div><h2 class="slide-title" style="border: 0px;font-size: 24px;font-style: normal;font-weight: bold;margin: 0px 0px 15px;padding-top: 15px;padding-right: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px;vertical-align: baseline;clear: both;line-height: 1.3;color: #444444;letter-spacing: normal;text-align: start;text-indent: 0px;text-transform: none">Popcorn could be the perfect healthy snack</h2><p style="border: 0px;font-size: 16px;margin: 0px 0px 20px;padding: 0px;vertical-align: baseline;line-height: 26px;color: #444444;background-color: #ffffff">When you wonder “Is popcorn healthy?” you have to narrow down the type of popcorn you’re munching on. If it’s air-popped popcorn – not the fatty, butter-drenched stuff you get at the movies – then you’ll be happy about the answer.</p><div class="slide-image" style="border: 0px;font-family: Raleway, sans-serif, Arial;font-size: 16px;font-style: normal;font-weight: 400;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #444444;letter-spacing: normal;text-align: start;text-indent: 0px;text-transform: none"> </div><h2 class="slide-title" style="border: 0px;font-size: 24px;font-style: normal;font-weight: bold;margin: 0px 0px 15px;padding-top: 15px;padding-right: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px;vertical-align: baseline;clear: both;line-height: 1.3;color: #444444;letter-spacing: normal;text-align: start;text-indent: 0px;text-transform: none">It has few kilojoules – if you pop it the right way</h2><p><span style="color: #444444;font-size: 16px;background-color: #ffffff">The healthiest type of popcorn is air-popped, which only has 125 kilojoules per cup.</span></p><div class="slide-image" style="border: 0px;font-family: Raleway, sans-serif, Arial;font-size: 16px;font-style: normal;font-weight: 400;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #444444;letter-spacing: normal;text-align: start;text-indent: 0px;text-transform: none"> </div><h2 class="slide-title" style="border: 0px;font-size: 24px;font-style: normal;font-weight: bold;margin: 0px 0px 15px;padding-top: 15px;padding-right: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px;vertical-align: baseline;clear: both;line-height: 1.3;color: #444444;letter-spacing: normal;text-align: start;text-indent: 0px;text-transform: none">Popcorn could be healthier than fruits and vegetables</h2><p><span style="color: #444444;font-size: 16px;background-color: #ffffff">Yep, you read that right. According to a 2019 analysis in the journal </span><em style="border: 0px;font-size: 16px;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #444444;background-color: #ffffff">Antioxidants</em><span style="color: #444444;font-size: 16px;background-color: #ffffff">, popcorn is loaded with polyphenols, compounds found in plants that act as antioxidants and reduce inflammation. Polyphenols are heavily diluted in fruits and vegetables, which are 90 per cent water. Yet popcorn is made up of about 4 per cent water, so the polyphenols are more highly concentrated, especially in the hulls (the hard shells that get stuck in your teeth). One serving of popcorn can contain up to 300 mg of polyphenols, according to a prior study from the University of Scranton, which would account for 13 per cent of the average daily intake. Fruit accounts for 255 mg of polyphenols per day, and vegetables bring in about 218 mg per day. That said, popcorn doesn’t have many other vitamins and nutrients, so it can’t completely replace fruits and veggies in your diet.</span></p><div class="slide-image" style="border: 0px;font-family: Raleway, sans-serif, Arial;font-size: 16px;font-style: normal;font-weight: 400;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #444444;letter-spacing: normal;text-align: start;text-indent: 0px;text-transform: none"> </div><h2 class="slide-title" style="border: 0px;font-size: 24px;font-style: normal;font-weight: bold;margin: 0px 0px 15px;padding-top: 15px;padding-right: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px;vertical-align: baseline;clear: both;line-height: 1.3;color: #444444;letter-spacing: normal;text-align: start;text-indent: 0px;text-transform: none">Popcorn may help fight cancer</h2><p><span style="color: #444444;font-size: 16px;background-color: #ffffff">One of the many powers of polyphenols, like those found in popcorn, is their ability to block enzymes that cancers need to grow and, in doing so, regulate the spread of cancerous cells, notes the American Institute for Cancer Research. The traditional way to reap these health benefits is by eating fruits and vegetables, but the high concentration of polyphenols makes eating popcorn a healthy alternative. Since they can also prevent inflammation and plaque buildup, foods rich in polyphenols may help prevent cardiovascular disease.</span></p><div class="slide-image" style="border: 0px;font-family: Raleway, sans-serif, Arial;font-size: 16px;font-style: normal;font-weight: 400;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #444444;letter-spacing: normal;text-align: start;text-indent: 0px;text-transform: none"> </div><h2 class="slide-title" style="border: 0px;font-size: 24px;font-style: normal;font-weight: bold;margin: 0px 0px 15px;padding-top: 15px;padding-right: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px;vertical-align: baseline;clear: both;line-height: 1.3;color: #444444;letter-spacing: normal;text-align: start;text-indent: 0px;text-transform: none">Popcorn gives you your fill of whole grain</h2><h2 class="slide-title" style="border: 0px;font-size: 24px;font-style: normal;font-weight: bold;margin: 0px 0px 15px;padding-top: 15px;padding-right: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px;vertical-align: baseline;clear: both;line-height: 1.3;color: #444444;letter-spacing: normal;text-align: start;text-indent: 0px;text-transform: none"><span style="font-size: 16px;font-weight: 400;background-color: #ffffff">Popcorn is one snack that is 100 per cent unprocessed whole grain. Just one serving of popcorn contains more than 70 per cent of the recommended daily whole grain intake.</span></h2><div class="slide-image" style="border: 0px;font-family: Raleway, sans-serif, Arial;font-size: 16px;font-style: normal;font-weight: 400;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #444444;letter-spacing: normal;text-align: start;text-indent: 0px;text-transform: none"> </div><h2 class="slide-title" style="border: 0px;font-size: 24px;font-style: normal;font-weight: bold;margin: 0px 0px 15px;padding-top: 15px;padding-right: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px;vertical-align: baseline;clear: both;line-height: 1.3;color: #444444;letter-spacing: normal;text-align: start;text-indent: 0px;text-transform: none">Popcorn may help relieve constipation</h2><p><span style="color: #444444;font-size: 16px;background-color: #ffffff">Since popcorn is all whole grain, its insoluble fibre helps keep your digestive tract in check and prevents constipation. A 3-cup serving contains 3.5 grams of fibre, and a high-fibre diet can help promote intestinal regularity.</span></p><div class="slide-image" style="border: 0px;font-family: Raleway, sans-serif, Arial;font-size: 16px;font-style: normal;font-weight: 400;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #444444;letter-spacing: normal;text-align: start;text-indent: 0px;text-transform: none"> </div><h2 class="slide-title" style="border: 0px;font-size: 24px;font-style: normal;font-weight: bold;margin: 0px 0px 15px;padding-top: 15px;padding-right: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px;vertical-align: baseline;clear: both;line-height: 1.3;color: #444444;letter-spacing: normal;text-align: start;text-indent: 0px;text-transform: none">It’s the perfect dieting snack</h2><p style="border: 0px;font-size: 16px;margin: 0px 0px 20px;padding: 0px;vertical-align: baseline;line-height: 26px;color: #444444;background-color: #ffffff">High-fibre foods take more time to digest than non-fibrous foods, so they can keep you fuller longer. Snacking on air-popped popcorn in between meals can make you less tempted by sweets and fatty foods. Just don’t load up on butter and salt.</p><div class="slide-image" style="border: 0px;font-family: Raleway, sans-serif, Arial;font-size: 16px;font-style: normal;font-weight: 400;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #444444;letter-spacing: normal;text-align: start;text-indent: 0px;text-transform: none"> </div><h2 class="slide-title" style="border: 0px;font-size: 24px;font-style: normal;font-weight: bold;margin: 0px 0px 15px;padding-top: 15px;padding-right: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px;vertical-align: baseline;clear: both;line-height: 1.3;color: #444444;letter-spacing: normal;text-align: start;text-indent: 0px;text-transform: none">Popcorn is diabetic friendly</h2><p><span style="color: #444444;font-size: 16px;background-color: #ffffff">Even though fibre is listed on food labels under total carbohydrates, it doesn’t have the same effect on blood sugar as refined carbs like white bread. High-fibre foods don’t contain as much digestible carbohydrate, so it slows the rate of digestion and causes a more gradual and lower rise in blood sugar, according to 2015 research in the journal </span><em style="border: 0px;font-size: 16px;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #444444;background-color: #ffffff">Circulation</em><span style="color: #444444;font-size: 16px;background-color: #ffffff">.</span></p><h2 class="slide-title" style="border: 0px;font-size: 24px;margin: 0px 0px 15px;padding-top: 15px;padding-right: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px;vertical-align: baseline;clear: both;line-height: 1.3;color: #444444">There are endless options for popcorn toppings</h2><p><span style="color: #444444;font-size: 16px;background-color: #ffffff">You can put way more on popcorn than just butter and salt. Add cinnamon or apple pie spice for a sweet treat, or go spicy with hot sauce, wasabi, or curry. You can also give your snack an Italian flair with grated Parmesan and a dash of olive oil. Basically, anything in your spice rack can add more flavour without very many kilojoules when you’re eating popcorn.</span></p><div class="slide-image" style="border: 0px;font-family: Raleway, sans-serif, Arial;font-size: 16px;font-style: normal;font-weight: 400;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #444444;letter-spacing: normal;text-align: start;text-indent: 0px;text-transform: none"> </div><h2 class="slide-title" style="border: 0px;font-size: 24px;font-style: normal;font-weight: bold;margin: 0px 0px 15px;padding-top: 15px;padding-right: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px;vertical-align: baseline;clear: both;line-height: 1.3;color: #444444;letter-spacing: normal;text-align: start;text-indent: 0px;text-transform: none">Popcorn has more iron than spinach</h2><p><span style="color: #444444;font-size: 16px;background-color: #ffffff">Not by much, but it’s true: 28 grams of popcorn contains 0.9 mg of iron, while 1 cup of raw spinach has 0.8 mg. These numbers seem small, but adult men only need 8 mg of iron in their diet each day. Adult women, on the other hand, need 18 mg per day (because of the blood they lose during menstruation). Up to 18 per cent of women are low in iron, according to a new research paper by the University of Western Australia.  So get your fill of iron however you can.</span></p><p><em><span style="color: #444444;font-size: 16px;background-color: #ffffff">Image: Getty</span></em></p><p> </p><div class="slide-image" style="border: 0px;font-family: Raleway, sans-serif, Arial;font-size: 16px;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #444444"> </div>

Petition to change "offensive and outdated" name of popular party snack

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>A petition has been started to change the name of the "offensive and outdated" children's birthday party staple of fairy bread.</p> <p>Fairy bread is buttered bread with 100's and 1000's sprinkles on top and is a popular children's snack.</p> <p>However, the petition has been started by an Australian man who believes that the use of the word "fairy" as the word "has been used to belittle and oppress others".</p> <p>"The fact that Australians in 2021 are still using this word in the name of a children's food is reprehensible," the campaign creator wrote.</p> <p>The campaign has gathered 1,000 signatures.</p> <p>"I never personally ate fairy-bread (sic) while growing up, and am proud to say that I still have not. However, I would like to think that if I had a child I would not be using a term as crude as the term 'fairy' to describe it."</p> <p>The creator proposed changing the name to "Party Bread", "for the sake of countless marginalised Australians.</p> <p>"And until then we boycott 'Fairy Bread' entirely," she wrote.</p> <p>"Bigotry is un-Australian, and so is Fairy bread."</p> <p>Others aren't a fan of the petition.</p> <p>"I have hundreds and thousands of reasons for signing this petition!" joked one.</p> </div> </div> </div>

Food & Wine

Why snacking could be damaging your health

<p>Only until relatively <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1365-2796.2003.01170.x">recently in human evolution</a> have we eaten three meals plus snacks every day.</p> <p>Breakfast simply didn’t exist for large parts of history. The Romans, for example, didn’t eat it – usually consuming only one meal around midday – <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20243692">breakfast was actively frowned upon</a>. Regular working hours following the industrial revolution brought <a href="https://academic.oup.com/past/article/239/1/71/4794719">structure to mealtimes to sustain labourers</a>. And by the late 18th century the pattern of eating three meals a day in towns and cities emerged.</p> <p>But these days, people are eating more frequently than they ever have before – and often outside of meal times. New smartphone app <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/pdf/S1550-4131(15)00462-3.pdf">data</a> shows that we now have erratic eating patterns. Many of us are continually snacking rather than eating at defined times – which means we spend <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4635036/">up to 16 hours a day in a “fed” state</a>.</p> <p><strong>The issue with inflammation</strong></p> <p>Your body has two metabolically different states: fasted (without food) and post-fed. The absorptive post-fed state is a metabolically active time for your body. But is also a time of immune system activity. When we eat, we do not just take in nutrients – we also trigger our immune system to produce a <a href="https://www.unibas.ch/en/News-Events/News/Uni-Research/Every-Meal-Triggers-Inflammation.html">transient inflammatory response</a>.</p> <p>Inflammation is a normal response of the body to infection and injury, which provides protection against stressors. This means that just the act of eating each meal imparts a degree of physiological stress on the immune system. And so for people snacking around the clock, their bodies can often end up in a near constant inflammatory state.</p> <p>For around four hours after each meal, gut microbes and their components leak into our bloodstream – silently triggering inflammation by the immune system. This process is driven largely by the activation of a critical immune sensor of nutrients called the “inflammasome”, which releases an <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ni.3659">inflammatory molecule known as “interleukin-1β”</a>.</p> <p>Inflammation is only ever meant to be a short-term protective assault by our immune system. But inflammation after eating – known as “postprandial inflammation” can be exacerbated by our modern lifestyles. This includes calorie dense meals, frequent eating, excessive <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22525431?dopt=Abstract">fructose</a> and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17991637">fatty foods</a> – particularly saturated fat.</p> <p>Persistent postprandial inflammation <a href="http://www.eurekaselect.com/93095/article">is a problem because it</a> inflicts recurrent collateral damage on our body that is extremely detrimental to our health over time. Chronic low-grade inflammation has emerged as an important link to many noninfectious lifestyle-related diseases including heart disease and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261561418301286?via%3Dihub#bib13">type 2 diabetes</a>.</p> <p><strong>Stop the snacking</strong></p> <p>We still don’t know the cumulative impact on disease risk of healthy adults who spend longer periods of time in a post-fed inflammatory state. But what is clear, is that low-grade inflammation is the most important driver of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4634197/">unhealthy ageing</a>.</p> <p>Reduced frequency of eating through <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23244540">intermittent fasting</a> or <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5388543/">time-restricted eating</a> also highlights the broadly beneficial effects that eating less has on human health. This includes aiding weight loss and lowering the risk of metabolic diseases, such as diabetes. On the basis of available data, the fact that such a fundamental aspect of our dietary habits – the number of meals we eat every day – has not yet been subject to rigorous scientific investigation is remarkable.</p> <p>But what we do know is that not only does snacking increase your likelihood of elevated <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4549297/">inflammatory markers</a>, but eating excessive calories also leads to weight gain. Eating late has also been linked to elevated cholesterol and glucose and can <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29486170">make you more insulin resistant</a>. This leave you feeling more hungry the following day.</p> <p>So it might be worth consolidating your food into fewer, more satisfying meals. You might also want to reduce your eating window to ten hours day or less, and aim to eat your last meal earlier in the day – your body will thank you for it.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/100978/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: http://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em>Written by <span>Jenna Macciochi, Lecturer in Immunology, University of Sussex</span>. Republished with permission of </em><a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/why-snacking-could-be-damaging-your-health-100978" target="_blank"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>. </em></p>

Food & Wine

10 great hassle free low-glycaemic snacks

<p>Low-glycaemic foods are often rich in fibre, protein, or fat, though it’s not smart to eat fatty foods just for the sake of your blood sugar unless those fats are “good” (unsaturated) fats.</p> <div class="view view-article-slider view-id-article_slider view-display-id-article_slider_block view-dom-id-2e7e0062442c66bec3267caebbb427d9"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><strong>1. An apple</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-image-credit field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even">Make sure you eat it with the skin to get the full benefits.</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"></div> <div class="field-item even"></div> <div class="field-item even"><strong>2. Whole wheat crackers</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-image-credit field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even">Spread a few with peanut butter and enjoy.</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"></div> <div class="field-item even"></div> <div class="field-item even"><strong>3. Baby carrots</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-image-credit field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even">Dip them in a little low-fat sour cream for a healthy, low-glycaemic snack.</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"></div> <div class="field-item even"></div> <div class="field-item even"><strong>4. Walnuts or almonds</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-image-credit field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"></div> <div class="field-item even">Snack on either or both in a small handful.</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"></div> <div class="field-item even"></div> <div class="field-item even"><strong>5. Low-fat yoghurt</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"></div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-image-credit field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even">Sprinkle a portion with fresh fruit or bran cereal for extra fibre.</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"></div> <div class="field-item even"></div> <div class="field-item even"><strong>6. A toasted whole-wheat pita</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"></div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-image-credit field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even">You can snack on it with a scoop of a protein-rich bean dip.</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"></div> <div class="field-item even"></div> <div class="field-item even"><strong>7. Soybeans</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"></div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-image-credit field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even">Pop out of the pods, and sprinkle with a little salt.</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"></div> <div class="field-item even"></div> <div class="field-item even"><strong>8. Popcorn</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"></div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-image-credit field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even">But make this snack in an air popper versus from the microwave, or with additional toppings.</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"></div> <div class="field-item even"></div> <div class="field-item even"><strong>9. Dried apricots</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"></div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even">Make a snack-sized serving of no more than 1/3 cup.</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"></div> <div class="field-item even"></div> <div class="field-item even"><strong>10. Eggs</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"></div> <div class="field-item even">Great for on the go, a hard-boiled egg makes a satisfying low-glycaemic snack.</div> <div class="field-item even"> <p><em>Written by <span>Diane Dragan</span>. This article first appeared in </em><span><a href="http://www.readersdigest.com.au/healthsmart/diet/10-great-hassle-free-low-glycaemic-snacks"><em>Reader’s Digest</em></a><em>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, </em><a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.co.nz/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_medium=articles&amp;utm_campaign=RDSUB&amp;keycode=WRN93V"><em>here’s our best subscription offer.</em></a></span></p> <p><img style="width: 100px !important; height: 100px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820640/1.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f30947086c8e47b89cb076eb5bb9b3e2" /></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

Caring

5 yummy snacks with 150 calories or under – that’s almost guilt-free

<p>If you’re looking to watch your calorie intake, but can’t resist the allure of a mid-afternoon or post-dinner snack, here are some you can consume without feeling guilt from that calorie hangover – each of these has less than 150 calories per serving. Don’t go overboard, though, remember to be on the lookout for sugar content as well as calories.</p> <p><strong>Cobs Popcorn</strong></p> <p>This popcorn is a revelation. It’s kind of sweet, and a little bit salty, and 100 per cent delicious. It’s perfect for when you go to the movies and your stomach growls when you smell the warm popcorn of your neighbour. You won’t envy them for long once you’ve had a few pieces of this.</p> <p><em>Calorie count: 97</em></p> <p><strong>Grapes</strong></p> <p>One cup of grapes is a delicious snack that will give you energy to get on with your day.</p> <p><em>Calorie count - 110</em></p> <p><strong>Mars Bar Ice Creams</strong></p> <p>Yep, you definitely read that correctly. A Mars Ice Cream bar has less calories than a regular Mars Bar, but extra deliciousness because there’s ice cream involved. Just right for when you feel like a sweet treat after dinner.</p> <p><em>Calorie count: 145</em></p> <p><strong>Corn Thins</strong></p> <p>These addictive snacks are crunchy and pack a surprising flavour punch. Eat them on their own, or top them with something healthy for a filling snack.</p> <p><em>Calorie count: 91</em></p> <p><strong>Vegetable Chips</strong></p> <p>Forget those artificially-flavoured corn chips – go for these naturally colourful, delightfully crunch veggie chips. With a mix of sweet potato, carrot, beetroot and parsnip in the bag, it’s a snack you won’t be sick of in a hurry.</p> <p><em>Calorie Count: 120</em></p>

Body

The Queen refuses to travel without surprising snack

<p>In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, former royal chef Darren McGrady has revealed that Queen Elizabeth II refuses to travel without bringing a surprising snack.</p> <p>McGrady, who cooked for the Royal Family for 15 years, claims Her Majesty always keeps her favourite chocolate biscuit cake close as hand. It’s regularly served as dessert Buckingham Palace, but the Queen is reportedly so fond of the treat that senior chefs are required to bring a supply of the cake on her travels.</p> <p>McGrady said, “Now the chocolate biscuit cake is the only cake that goes back again and again and again every day until it's all gone.</p> <p>“She'll take a small slice every day until eventually there is only one tiny piece, but you have to send that up, she wants to finish the whole of that cake.”</p> <p>And it’s not just Her Majesty who’s a fan. The magazine claims that both Prince William and Prince Harry are said to enjoy the cake as a snack from time to time.</p> <p>Princess Diana’s former chef Carolyn Robb claims “It was a firm favourite in the royal nursery; so much so that, many years later, Prince William chose to have chocolate biscuit cake at his wedding for the groom’s cake.</p> <p>“It was designed, made and gifted to Prince William by McVitie’s biscuit manufacturers and is said to have been made from 1,700 biscuits and 17kg of chocolate.”</p> <p>Who knew Her Majesty had a sweet tooth? Well, with all the hard work she does we reckon she’s entitled to a treat from time to time. </p>

News

6 best snacks for weight loss

<p>If you’ve ever tried a fad diet, you’ll know just how bland and uninspiring the restrictive lists of “acceptable” food can be. Thankfully, you don’t have to sacrifice flavour in order to shed a few kilos. These tasty, filling and healthy foods will satisfy your cravings without damaging your waistline.</p> <p><strong>1. Chickpeas</strong> – These delicious, bite-sized morsels are perfect for when you’re yearning for something crunchy and satisfying – they’re packed with fibre and protein. Instead of reaching for the potato chips, drizzle some chickpeas with olive oil, season as desired and roast at 180°C for 30 to 60 minutes for an easy snack.</p> <p><strong>2. Popcorn</strong> – Everyone’s favourite cinema snack is low on calories and high in fibre. Just stay away from sugary varieties (like caramel and chocolate) and those cooked in oil or butter. Either make it yourself or go for an air-popped product at the supermarket.</p> <p><strong>3. Cottage cheese with cinnamon</strong> – Cottage cheese isn’t the most flavoursome food in the world, so spruce it up with some cinnamon to make a calcium- and protein-rich snack that won’t make a huge dent in your daily caloric intake.</p> <p><strong>4. Greek yogurt-dipped berries</strong> – A healthy take on chocolate-dipped berries, you can jazz up strawberries, raspberries and blueberries simply by dipping them into plain Greek yogurt and freezing them for 2-3 hours before eating. This snack is a great source of protein, calcium, amino acids and antioxidants.</p> <p><strong>5. Dark chocolate</strong> – Because it has a much more intense flavour than milk chocolate, dark chocolate helps satisfy that craving without making you want to finish the whole block. Simply choose one with at least 70 per cent cocoa and aim to only have two squares a day.</p> <p><strong>6. Apple and peanut butter</strong> – Sweet and salty, the combination of fibre-rich apple slices with healthy protein- and fat-filled peanut butter makes for a filling and delicious afternoon treat. If peanut butter isn’t your thing, switch it for one of its relatives like almond or cashew butter.</p> <p>Tell us in the comments below, what’s your go-to healthy snack?</p>

Body

6 healthy snacks you can actually take on a plane

<p>Snacks at the Airport cafe or newsstand are often expensive, limited and not all that good for you. So, unless a crusty chicken wrap and a packet of Mentos delight your taste buds, try bringing some snacks from home.</p> <p>Many people are under the assumption that we are stripped of all food, liquids and pride when we are ushered through the security screening. This is actually incorrect; you can take through certain kinds of food. Then, you can leave whatever you don’t eat on the plane so you don’t have to declare them on the other side.</p> <p>Here are six plane-friendly snacks that are airport, border patrol and airline approved.</p> <p><strong>1. Avocados</strong></p> <p>You can take unpeeled avocados on a flight with you as long as you eat it on the plane and don’t try to take it though foreign customs. (As if you wouldn’t finish it).</p> <p><strong>2. Dark chocolate</strong></p> <p>Airplane meal “desserts” leave much to the imagination, so, after you’ve finished your child-sized fruit cup, satiate you sweet tooth with some dark chocolate.  </p> <p><strong>3. Nuts</strong></p> <p>Peanut, cashews, almonds or any other kind of nut are perfect to munch on between meals because they are crunchy. Foods that require more chewing let your stomach know that it is full.</p> <p><strong>4. Tea</strong></p> <p>Have you always found that airlines never seem to stock your favourite herbal tea infusion? You can easily bring this from home and simply ask for some hot water. The perfect way to soothe your nerves and try to get some sleep.</p> <p><strong>4. A healthy salad</strong></p> <p>Yes, you can ever get this through. Even main dishes on an airline’s menu are not all that nutritious, so you’ll need a pick-me-up to ward off the lurking travel germs.</p> <p><strong>6. Tinned tuna</strong></p> <p>Technically, you can take this through no problems as long its small enough. Although, because it has fluids in it, you'll want to put it in a ziplock bag. Just be sure that you have no qualms risking how the scent will go down with your cabin neighbours.</p> <p>Remember to ensure that whatever you take is unpeeled, sealed and packaged well.</p> <p>What’s the best meal you’ve ever eaten on a plane, and with what airline? Let us know in the comments below.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/travel-tips/2016/08/can-you-spot-the-error-in-this-world-map/">Can you spot the error in this world map</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/travel-tips/2016/08/why-you-should-never-throw-out-boarding-passes/">Why you must never throw out your boarding pass</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/travel-tips/2016/08/the-thing-you-must-check-when-using-a-hotel-safe/">The one thing you must check when using a hotel safe</a></em></strong></span></p>

Travel Tips

Almost half of snacks labelled “natural” are unhealthy

<p>More than 60 per cent of Australians are more likely to buy food or drinks described as “natural”, despite the fact almost half of supermarket snack food products labelled as “natural” are considered to be unhealthy.</p> <p>In an analysis of 331 supermarket foods marked with the words “nature” or “natural”, public health group LiveLighter​ found 47 per cent did not fall into one of the five core food groups, as recommended by the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating.</p> <p>Lollies by The Natural Confectionery Co, chips by the Natural Chip Company, muesli bars made by Nice &amp; Natural and tomato ketchup from Heinz were among the products highlighted for displaying the words “natural, nature or nature’s” on their packaging.<br /> <br /> “‘Natural’ is used over such a broad range of products, it is not a helpful way of determining the value of a product,” said Alison McAleese​, LiveLighter Victoria campaign manager and an accredited practicing dietitian.</p> <p>Consumers and manufacturers have a wide range of views on what ‘natural’ means.</p> <p>“Just because something says it’s ‘natural’, doesn’t mean it’s good for you.”</p> <p>Founder of Natvia sweetener Sam Tew said the brands use of ‘natural’ is valid because it is made from 100 per cent natural sweeteners.</p> <p>McAleese said the biggest difficulty is that both consumers and manufacturers have a wide range of views on what “natural” means.</p> <p>“‘Natural’ is not regulated as a word used on packaging. It might mean fewer ingredients in some products, for others it might mean less-processed or made locally ... but many of these products are high in saturated fat, sugar and salt,” she said.</p> <p>LiveLighter found nine out of 10 products that used the word “natural” in the snack food aisle were considered unhealthy.</p> <p>Of the 97 ‘natural’ foods found in the snack food aisles, almost 9 in 10 were found to be unhealthy.</p> <p>These included muesli bars, snack bars, biscuits, crackers, chips and lollies.</p> <p>Other products named in the report were Ajita’s Vege Chips, Natvia the 100% Natural Sweetener and Altimate Natural Ice Cream Wafers.</p> <p>In the case of Ajita’s Vege Chips, a spokesman said the word “natural” was used to describe Vege Chip products in general, and also as a flavour in their range of products.</p> <p>Experts argue that the word ‘natural’ is used over such a broad range of products, it is not a helpful way of determining nutritional value.</p> <p>“The Vege Chip company does not use any additives like MSG or flavour enhancers derived from MSG.”<br /> <br /> The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s food and beverage industry Food Descriptors Guideline says “natural” claims “imply that the product is made up of ... ingredients nature has produced, not man-made or interfered with by man”.</p> <p>The Vege Chip spokesman said it was in this sense that they described their products as being “natural”.</p> <p>But McAleese said consumers should look only to the ingredients and nutritional panel, and ignore words like “natural”.</p> <p>“Using the ‘per 100 grams’ figure on the panel is the best way of comparing products. On the Vege Chips they are saying the serving size is 20 grams, but many consumers would eat more than a serving size,” she said.<br /> <br /> “Most consumers would be unaware that there are five servings in a packet.”</p> <p>McAleese said consumers should also remember that ingredients on packaging are listed in order of amount.</p> <p>“If you see sugar, fat or salt in the first few ingredients, you know it could be unhealthy.”</p> <p>Heart Foundation Victoria Healthy Living manager Roni Beauchamp said consumers seeking snacks should stick to the outer aisles of their supermarket.<br /> <br /> “You will find an abundance of nutritious foods to snack on, like seasonal fruit, vegetables like celery and carrots which you can cut up and enjoy.</p> <p>Sam Tew, the co-founder of Natvia the 100% Natural Sweetener, said there needed to be a debate about what the word “natural” really means.<br /> <br /> “A lot of people think ‘natural’ means healthy, that’s the good old trick,” he said.<br /> <br /> “The reason we are so adamant with the word is that other sweeteners on the shelf are synthetically made. Natvia is the natural alternative.”</p> <p>Heinz, The Natural Confectionery Co, the Natural Chip Company, Nice &amp; Natural and Altimate were contacted for comment.</p> <p><strong>Supermarket foods and drinks claiming to be natural</strong></p> <ul> <li>47 per cent of “natural” claims were found on discretionary foods (snack bars and muesli bars, chips, crackers, biscuits and lollies).</li> <li>21 per cent on dairy products – including yoghurt, milk and cheese.</li> <li>16 per cent on meat and alternatives – including fish, eggs, nuts and legumes.</li> <li>10 per cent on grain foods – including breakfast cereals, quinoa and bread.</li> <li>5 per cent on fruit.</li> <li>2 per cent on water.</li> <li>1 per cent on vegetables – including legumes and beans.</li> </ul> <p><em>First appeared on <a href="http://Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span>.</strong></a></em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/08/common-ingredient-more-dangerous-than-sugar/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">This common ingredient is more dangerous than sugar</span></em></strong></a></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/07/is-cockroach-milk-new-superfood/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>This new “superfood” may be the most ridiculous yet</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/07/why-snack-bars-are-not-a-healthy-choice-finds-choice/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Why snack bars aren’t a healthy choice</strong></em></span></a></p>

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