February 14, 2014
The Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service says next week is the perfect time for South Burnett residents to think about developing healthy eating habits and maintaining a healthy weight.
Australia’s Healthy Weight Week will be held from February 17–24 across the country.
DDHHS director of nutrition and dietetics Welma Joubert said AHWW was about raising awareness of the importance of achieving and maintaining a healthy weight and healthy lifestyle in order to lessen the impact of overweight and obesity on Australians.
“Overweight and obesity affects almost 63 per cent of Australian adults and 25 per cent of Australian kids,” Ms Joubert said.
“The latest statistics show 37 per cent of 25 to 50-year-old women and men are overweight and 27 per cent are obese.
“Gaining weight can increase your risk of health problems, like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
“People with most of their body fat around their waist, are at an increased risk.”
Ms Joubert said the focus of the AHWW 2014 campaign was to encourage Australian adults aged 25–50 years old to achieve and maintain a healthy weight through healthy home cooking and choosing the right portions.
“Losing weight is about so much more than just looking better. When you get your weight down, you also lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.
“We want to encourage people to develop healthy diet-free habits that last a lifetime,” Ms Joubert said.
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Tips For Weight Management
Plan – Plan your menu for the week, make a shopping list and stick to it. Encourage the family to get involved and remember that it’s harder to eat junk food if it’s not in the house. Extra tip … don’t shop on an empty stomach.
Swap – Choose low-fat, salt-reduced, high-fibre versions of the foods you love. For example, swap full-fat yoghurt and choose a reduced-fat variety. Buy salt-reduced sauces, stocks, soups and tinned tomatoes. Choose whole grain varieties of breads and breakfast cereals.
Simplify – Healthy cooking is not hard. Focus on fresh, seasonal produce and the quarter, quarter, half rule. One quarter of a plate of low GI carbohydrates, another quarter of lean protein and half a plate of vegetables in a rainbow of colours.
Stay active – Move more. Aim for being active for at least 30-60 minutes every day, enjoying a wide variety of physical activities included throughout the day – like walking to work or school, taking the stairs instead of the lift, spending less time sitting, for example, watching television or at the computer.
- For more ideas visit the Healthy Weight Week website
