February 10, 2015
Next week is “Australia’s Healthy Weight Week”, and the local Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service is urging South Burnett residents to get on board.
Our health region has obesity rates 18 per cent higher than the rest of Queensland, and Queensland has been labelled as the “heaviest State in Australia”, so there’s plenty of surplus kilos in the local area.
DDHHS Director of Nutrition Welma Joubert said the aim of the week this year was to encourage more people to cook at home as a way to help achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
“If you’re looking to manage your weight, cooking at home more often can make a real difference,” she said.
“Research shows that people who prepare food at home take in fewer kilojoules and less fat, salt and sugar. And in turn, this is more likely to result in a healthy weight.
“The other main difference is portion control. At home we can control the amounts we plate up, meaning smaller portions, while restaurant or fast food meals are often bigger, served on large plates, and we can feel compelled to finish what’s on our plate.”
Other tips for weight management:
- Avoid fad or “quick fix” diets
- Commit to trying a new dinner recipe at home each week
- Pay attention to your portion sizes.
- Stock your freezer with nutritious foods so you can prepare healthy meals fast
- Stock your pantry so you have quick and healthy breakfast options each day
- Plan your meals ahead of time and write a grocery shopping list
- Get moving and be physically active every day of the week
- Be consistent and go at a steady pace; a healthy weight loss is 0.5kg-1kg a week
For more ideas and recipes visit the Healthy Weight Week website
