How healthy is a healthy extra?
- Thread starter Brightonrosie
- Start date
Oh definitely not free, I would go mad with it
just a tbsp everyday on EE would do me!! xx
-Tally-
Silver Member
Aye, you're right, could be for a family. Thing with mine is we all eat different things, so it's 3 different meals a night, the other two don't/won't follow SW, although my daughter often has my meals.
Jennyonaplate
Gold Member
This is a great thread, with some really interesting points made.
One thing that got me thinking though is that i'm not sure SW do push the mug-shots, pasta & sauce or savoury rice particularly. My consultants (both current and previous ones) have introduced foods when they're syn free, but never really pushes them particularly, and the magazine only tends to have them listed on the new products pages, and doesn't seem to promote them within the 7-day eating plans (not that i've noticed anyway). To be honest I think it's more people on here that i've noticed talking about them, as they're not something that get discussed in class really. On this forum lots of people suggest having mug shots or pasta & sauce, but I don't think i've ever heard a consultant suggest it to someone in class, instead they'd make other suggestions more relevant to the plan (eg preparing food in advance, making more filling meals etc).
I hate them - all processed rubbish, and the mug-shots aren't even filling, what a waste of calories - but that's just me! I do however understand that it's things like these that help people stick to plan and make things a bit easier, it's just getting too reliant on them which maybe means you're not optimising the rest of the foods available, but each to their own!
As for the 'un-healthy' healthy extra's, I've never got it either! I feel so much better if I have some cereal as a healthy extra instead of a cereal bar, yes they're tasty, but for me I'd rather get used to healthy eating habits so I can maintain them in the future, not grabbing snack bars to fill a hole (as once off the plan, these snack bars can become chocolate bars!). Again that's just my personal view on it.
A very thought provoking thread!
One thing that got me thinking though is that i'm not sure SW do push the mug-shots, pasta & sauce or savoury rice particularly. My consultants (both current and previous ones) have introduced foods when they're syn free, but never really pushes them particularly, and the magazine only tends to have them listed on the new products pages, and doesn't seem to promote them within the 7-day eating plans (not that i've noticed anyway). To be honest I think it's more people on here that i've noticed talking about them, as they're not something that get discussed in class really. On this forum lots of people suggest having mug shots or pasta & sauce, but I don't think i've ever heard a consultant suggest it to someone in class, instead they'd make other suggestions more relevant to the plan (eg preparing food in advance, making more filling meals etc).
I hate them - all processed rubbish, and the mug-shots aren't even filling, what a waste of calories - but that's just me! I do however understand that it's things like these that help people stick to plan and make things a bit easier, it's just getting too reliant on them which maybe means you're not optimising the rest of the foods available, but each to their own!
As for the 'un-healthy' healthy extra's, I've never got it either! I feel so much better if I have some cereal as a healthy extra instead of a cereal bar, yes they're tasty, but for me I'd rather get used to healthy eating habits so I can maintain them in the future, not grabbing snack bars to fill a hole (as once off the plan, these snack bars can become chocolate bars!). Again that's just my personal view on it.
A very thought provoking thread!
this thread is brilliant and makes me think about what i do and dont eat - there was a thread about getting in a food rut recently, and i think i was in one - and i have tried different foods this week to shake my eating up a little.
My personal bugbear is the mullerlights!!!! i think they are huge yoghurts and i hear of people having many of them EACH DAY just because they are a syn free food.
They still have calories in them................. by the time someone has had 4 mullers they have had about 400 calories....a 49g of Dairy Milk bar is only 255 calories....so its something to think about!!!
x
My personal bugbear is the mullerlights!!!! i think they are huge yoghurts and i hear of people having many of them EACH DAY just because they are a syn free food.
They still have calories in them................. by the time someone has had 4 mullers they have had about 400 calories....a 49g of Dairy Milk bar is only 255 calories....so its something to think about!!!
x
rumbletummy
Silver Member
I think I fell foul last week of the 'too many Mullerlights and fruit just because it was free' it's easy to get carried away if you're not very good at portion control or a comfort eater like me.
BritMumInCanada
Gold Member
yoghurts are one thing I can't eat too much of. 1 a day at the most if that, as too much gives me stomach ache for some reason. Even if I have just plain ole fat free greek yoghurt.
Amber_Baby
I'm a raver baby!
I used to ask all kinds of questions like these but I think with the healthy extras it comes down to the combination of calories, fibre, fat, saturated fat and sugar in each item. In regards to pasta n sauce, mugshots, etc... I believe they are included because it needs to be a workable, liveable plan. If you're on a red day you can always grab some cold cuts or some pre-cooked chicken in a rush... without pasta n sauces and the like it would be very difficult on a green day if you were away from home or very short of time. And another thing, I know I couldn't eat more than one pasta n sauce and as a busy Mum, I occasionally have one for lunch, never as a snack, so I don't think it's that bad when you consider calories, etc.
hazysummer
Full Member
I think it would be helpful to know EXACTLY what the rules are for a healthy extra, as I live outside of the UK, so have access to different brands (and there are so many varieties of everything as it is in UK)
I know that 20 cals=1 syn for non-free foods
it would be good to have a rule of thumb that items which are less than x calories per 100g, with more than x g fibre per 100g could be considered a HEB
and the same goes for dairy items what is the % fat / calcium that I have to look for?
but I guess that's part of SW's proprietary information....
I know that 20 cals=1 syn for non-free foods
it would be good to have a rule of thumb that items which are less than x calories per 100g, with more than x g fibre per 100g could be considered a HEB
and the same goes for dairy items what is the % fat / calcium that I have to look for?
but I guess that's part of SW's proprietary information....
BritMumInCanada
Gold Member
I contacted SW about the possibility of developing a Healthy Extra calculator, as it would really be useful for overseas members.
But they won't be making one
, as they said they have several factors which are taken into consideration when working out healthy extras. To be honest I think that is a lame excuse, as there are several factors when working out the syns for foods WITH a free food allowance. So I am quite sure one could be developed.
I really love the plan, but don't think they do anything to really promote themselves well enough overseas. The overseas lists online are very basic. I only managed to find out about additional healthy extras etc here by contacting someone from the Texas group meetings. Information which they have had for months now, but STILL hasnt been added to the website.
indiebabe
Full Member
I think this is a really interesting thread and I agree with a lot of what's been said about HEx's etc.
I also wondered about mugshots, pasta n sauce etc as I have never touched anything like that - however I guess my thoughts on it are that some people who are very overweight have probably had years of not cooking from scratch; we have a real culture in the uk of convenience foods or ready meals and I think if going onto sw meant that you suddenly had to cook everything from scratch it would be too big a leap for many. If, like me, you're overweight more because of lack of portion control and an o/h who likes making delicious puddings then following the plan just makes you stop and think and be a little more sensible! I know sw say we don't need to weigh our pasta etc but I do now, just so I know I'm having a sensible amount, by filling up fruit and veg between meals I am then exercising more sensible portion control - it's about making the plan work for you!
I do have a huge problem with the not mashing/pureeing fruit though. I understand the principle of how easy it would be to eat more, I just wish that they would be honest about this rather than saying the syns in a banana change when you mash it - I'm sorry, but that's just rubbish! Then at least you could make an informed choice about it rather than being made to feel you are having something 'naughty'.
I also agree about muller lights, I'm know it may make the plan too restrictive and annoy people but there should be a maximum number a day of foods like that!
Also the alpen bars - I do understand people not liking these and saying they're not a healthy choice, however I think for someone like me who often works shifts or has early morning visits to patients they're a godsend. I do not have the time or the inclination to make breakfast on my very early starts and would often leave the house eating nothing or grabbing a kit kat and a tracker bar for a mid morning snack. Now I take two alpen bars, a banana and an apple and although still not the healthiest breakfast it's way better than what I had before. If you don't need them, don't use them but for me they make the plan much more flexible! x x
I also wondered about mugshots, pasta n sauce etc as I have never touched anything like that - however I guess my thoughts on it are that some people who are very overweight have probably had years of not cooking from scratch; we have a real culture in the uk of convenience foods or ready meals and I think if going onto sw meant that you suddenly had to cook everything from scratch it would be too big a leap for many. If, like me, you're overweight more because of lack of portion control and an o/h who likes making delicious puddings then following the plan just makes you stop and think and be a little more sensible! I know sw say we don't need to weigh our pasta etc but I do now, just so I know I'm having a sensible amount, by filling up fruit and veg between meals I am then exercising more sensible portion control - it's about making the plan work for you!
I do have a huge problem with the not mashing/pureeing fruit though. I understand the principle of how easy it would be to eat more, I just wish that they would be honest about this rather than saying the syns in a banana change when you mash it - I'm sorry, but that's just rubbish! Then at least you could make an informed choice about it rather than being made to feel you are having something 'naughty'.
I also agree about muller lights, I'm know it may make the plan too restrictive and annoy people but there should be a maximum number a day of foods like that!
Also the alpen bars - I do understand people not liking these and saying they're not a healthy choice, however I think for someone like me who often works shifts or has early morning visits to patients they're a godsend. I do not have the time or the inclination to make breakfast on my very early starts and would often leave the house eating nothing or grabbing a kit kat and a tracker bar for a mid morning snack. Now I take two alpen bars, a banana and an apple and although still not the healthiest breakfast it's way better than what I had before. If you don't need them, don't use them but for me they make the plan much more flexible! x x
Wicca303
Full Member
Loving this thread.
The convenience type foods that have been mentioned such as pasta'n'sauce, savoury rice, etc. I would only ever have as part of a main meal, usually served with a big pile of veggies, and maybe a quorn fillet of some sort. I also only have them occasionally, I would much rather make something from scratch, but we all have those days where we come in from work late and just cannot be bothered, they are the perfect solution for those days, especially as they stop you calling a takeaway.
Onto the Healthy extras part. I do mostly green days, with the odd EE or red day thrown in, i do sometimes use one of my HeBs for olive oil or nuts/seeds but would use them as an addition to my meal, a tbsp of EV olive oil drizzled over just cooked pasta in heaven. nuts/seeds rough chopped and sprinkled over a salad, or pasta, or curry.
I would love to be able to have half as small avocado as a HeB, as sometimes I'm not using all my healthy extras, and for me that would be an ideal way to use them.
The convenience type foods that have been mentioned such as pasta'n'sauce, savoury rice, etc. I would only ever have as part of a main meal, usually served with a big pile of veggies, and maybe a quorn fillet of some sort. I also only have them occasionally, I would much rather make something from scratch, but we all have those days where we come in from work late and just cannot be bothered, they are the perfect solution for those days, especially as they stop you calling a takeaway.
Onto the Healthy extras part. I do mostly green days, with the odd EE or red day thrown in, i do sometimes use one of my HeBs for olive oil or nuts/seeds but would use them as an addition to my meal, a tbsp of EV olive oil drizzled over just cooked pasta in heaven. nuts/seeds rough chopped and sprinkled over a salad, or pasta, or curry.
I would love to be able to have half as small avocado as a HeB, as sometimes I'm not using all my healthy extras, and for me that would be an ideal way to use them.
unfortunately in my meetings (which have had an array of consultants) they do push them. i think it's because there are only so many easy "go-to" items. when someone asks for ideas, it tends to be muller lights, alpen lights, mug shots...repeat.
i'm american and am a weight watchers veteran. i really love slimming world - mostly because of the volume of food you can eat! i tell my husband that if we ever move home it would be VERY hard to not have SW available to me (except online). but the one thing that i miss about WW is the capacity that it had, as such a big company, to have really complete info.
for example, i'm just really not convinced that what we have listed as HEXA and HEXB are the only options which would fit the SW HEX requirements. my assumption is that SW just doesn't have the resources to test more products in a timely fashion. but it's frustrating because i'm SURE there are other things which should qualify.
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kernowfilia
Member
I could write an essay on this subject but I won't - I will merely say that I have asked the same questions. Which is why I "tinker" with the plan a little (not a lot, though!)
Ultimately, there's no rocket science behind SW - it's a program for reducing calorific intake and learning healthier eating habits in a structured, easy-to-follow way, eliminating a lot of the hassle that puts a lot of people off sticking to the "old" methods like pure calorie-counting. And as such it seems pretty successful.
The only "scientific" rationale I can offer to some of the above is on the smoothies question. Any processing such as pureeing or cooking fruit, grinding rice or other grains etc makes the food more easily and quickly ingested and digested, which in turn causes a more dramatic rise in blood sugar then a rapid rise in insulin (the fat storage hormone) production to remove the blood sugars and transport them to the liver where they are turned into glycogens and sent to the muscles etc for energy or sent for storage as body fat if that energy is not used. The sudden and rapid removal of the blood sugars then triggers a blood sugar 'trough' which "tells" the brain you're hungry again, even though it's not been long since you've eaten. Blood sugar peaks and troughs are also not good for insulin stability and the general efficiency of the organ that produces it (the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas which can effectively "wear out" if this pattern of behaviour is extreme or prolonged, leading to diabetic disorders). Hence the emphasis these days on eating slow-release carbohydrates. (The occasional smoothie would not be considered extreme, and certainly not as part of an overall healthy-eating regime LOL)
Secondly, mashed or pureed foodstuffs usually look less voluminous than whole ones (vis. a boiled potato before and after mashing) so you're more likely to eat more of it.
And finally, I hate to be cynical (actually I don't hate it, it's what I do best!) but SW is, after all, a commercial venture. It's in their interests to preserve some mystery to protect their club and on-line income. :sigh:
Have a nice day and don't eat too many Easter eggs (I'm having a treat hot cross bun!)
Ultimately, there's no rocket science behind SW - it's a program for reducing calorific intake and learning healthier eating habits in a structured, easy-to-follow way, eliminating a lot of the hassle that puts a lot of people off sticking to the "old" methods like pure calorie-counting. And as such it seems pretty successful.
The only "scientific" rationale I can offer to some of the above is on the smoothies question. Any processing such as pureeing or cooking fruit, grinding rice or other grains etc makes the food more easily and quickly ingested and digested, which in turn causes a more dramatic rise in blood sugar then a rapid rise in insulin (the fat storage hormone) production to remove the blood sugars and transport them to the liver where they are turned into glycogens and sent to the muscles etc for energy or sent for storage as body fat if that energy is not used. The sudden and rapid removal of the blood sugars then triggers a blood sugar 'trough' which "tells" the brain you're hungry again, even though it's not been long since you've eaten. Blood sugar peaks and troughs are also not good for insulin stability and the general efficiency of the organ that produces it (the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas which can effectively "wear out" if this pattern of behaviour is extreme or prolonged, leading to diabetic disorders). Hence the emphasis these days on eating slow-release carbohydrates. (The occasional smoothie would not be considered extreme, and certainly not as part of an overall healthy-eating regime LOL)
Secondly, mashed or pureed foodstuffs usually look less voluminous than whole ones (vis. a boiled potato before and after mashing) so you're more likely to eat more of it.
And finally, I hate to be cynical (actually I don't hate it, it's what I do best!) but SW is, after all, a commercial venture. It's in their interests to preserve some mystery to protect their club and on-line income. :sigh:
Have a nice day and don't eat too many Easter eggs (I'm having a treat hot cross bun!)
Woodland girl
Gold Member
Hi kerno, this is very interesting thanks! My blood sugar had tested as normal but I am not convinced I can eat a huge evening meal and 'feel' starving an hour later. Is this a similar effect? X
I can eat a huge evening meal and 'feel' starving an hour later. Is this a similar effect? Xkernowfilia
Member
Hi Woodland!
Depends on what that "huge" evening meal consists of, really. If there is a large proportion of high-carbohydrate foods (pasta, noodles, rice, bread etc) then very possibly.
Brown rice, wholemeal pasta and bread, baked products made from wholewheat flour are better than the white versions because they have not been refined as much and release their energy more slowly into the bloodstream (which is why SW focuses on whole grain products in the healthy extras, as well as for the additional fibre that is lost in the refining process). Potatoes, though starchy, are not as bad. Not only are they not as carbohydrate-dense they are not refined in any way. Other relatively high-carb vegetables are low enough not to have a significant impact (though note that parsnips, peas and other beans/legumes are synned on the Original plan - it's because they are high compared to other veg).
But it's not just the proportion of carbohydrate in the actual food items that counts, it's also the proportion of the whole meal that those items take up. So for instance a plate of spaghetti bolognese done the Italian way where the sauce is just enough to coat the pasta is going to have a much greater effect than a moderate portion of pasta with a more generous portion of sauce (and even better with a side salad). The carbs are then more "diluted" during digestion so released more slowly.
And finally it depends on how sensitive to carbohydrates you are. Some people are fine, they don't have a problem. Others (like me) have to be careful. Even though I now follow SW, I still use the low-carb pasta I stocked up on when I was doing Atkins, because I know what will happen if I have the ordinary stuff - ravenous again inside an hour! And I pad out all rice and pasta dishes and sandwiches with loads of salad and veg. If I don't the weight gain is unbelievably mahoosive!! (9lbs in one week once and a stone in the 10 days over Christmas and New Year - and I didn't even have a mince pie, a chocolate or any pud!) :cry:
Oh and there have been several studies in the last few years that have shown that some people are even affected by artificial sweeteners - their bodies somehow "trick" their brains into thinking they're digesting sugar instead of sweetener and their insulin production goes up accordingly. Now that's just downright unfair! :sigh:
Depends on what that "huge" evening meal consists of, really. If there is a large proportion of high-carbohydrate foods (pasta, noodles, rice, bread etc) then very possibly.
Brown rice, wholemeal pasta and bread, baked products made from wholewheat flour are better than the white versions because they have not been refined as much and release their energy more slowly into the bloodstream (which is why SW focuses on whole grain products in the healthy extras, as well as for the additional fibre that is lost in the refining process). Potatoes, though starchy, are not as bad. Not only are they not as carbohydrate-dense they are not refined in any way. Other relatively high-carb vegetables are low enough not to have a significant impact (though note that parsnips, peas and other beans/legumes are synned on the Original plan - it's because they are high compared to other veg).
But it's not just the proportion of carbohydrate in the actual food items that counts, it's also the proportion of the whole meal that those items take up. So for instance a plate of spaghetti bolognese done the Italian way where the sauce is just enough to coat the pasta is going to have a much greater effect than a moderate portion of pasta with a more generous portion of sauce (and even better with a side salad). The carbs are then more "diluted" during digestion so released more slowly.
And finally it depends on how sensitive to carbohydrates you are. Some people are fine, they don't have a problem. Others (like me) have to be careful. Even though I now follow SW, I still use the low-carb pasta I stocked up on when I was doing Atkins, because I know what will happen if I have the ordinary stuff - ravenous again inside an hour! And I pad out all rice and pasta dishes and sandwiches with loads of salad and veg. If I don't the weight gain is unbelievably mahoosive!! (9lbs in one week once and a stone in the 10 days over Christmas and New Year - and I didn't even have a mince pie, a chocolate or any pud!) :cry:
Oh and there have been several studies in the last few years that have shown that some people are even affected by artificial sweeteners - their bodies somehow "trick" their brains into thinking they're digesting sugar instead of sweetener and their insulin production goes up accordingly. Now that's just downright unfair! :sigh:
Woodland girl
Gold Member
Thanks! Interesting to read about. I can't eat wheat so bread is made of rice and so is pasta. Well, they are made of rice, millet and potato starch - all brands vary but I try to eat the brown ones. I try to have one third at least of each meal as superfree food - veg/ so hopefully that helps.
I think that in the west our hungry button can get a bit broken too as we respond so quickly to hunger feelings which can be thirst!
I shall experiment and see what happens
Thanks!
Tracy
I think that in the west our hungry button can get a bit broken too as we respond so quickly to hunger feelings which can be thirst!
I shall experiment and see what happens
Thanks!
Tracy
