Are you ready? with Leigh Elder

Imagine the chaos on the roads if there was no Road Code to follow. Well, there certainly is no nutritional Road Code to follow and there really is chaos.

We have spent the last decade or so working out a method, like a Road Code, which will help people gain a clear focus and learn basic food and life skills without all the conflicting messages that have confused them in the past.

It still amazes me how effective this approach is, and once people have the knowledge and skills, they will become far more relaxed around food and drink issues and know how to make the right food choices in all the different situations they encounter.

We are just completing a free wellness challenge with 15 patients from Bethlehem Family Doctors who have weight, diabetes and metabolic issues. This is funded by our charity NZ Blood Sugar Foundation. You can help more patients have free programmes by donating to NZ Blood Sugar Foundation on the Give A Little website.

It is great to see how well most of these patients have done with weight loss and improved fitness. The bonuses are that some of their spouses have also lost significant amounts of weight, and in our experience these new food and life skills will become a permanent part of their lives.

Based on national averages, more than half of you reading this column will have weight, diabetes or metabolic issues, and will have widely varying nutritional and lifestyle needs. These numbers are increasing, and our view clearly, is that a major step in the right direction would be to help more kiwis have better clarity about how to make the right food choices.

So, here is your chance to test out how much you know. This simple test is 35 multi-choice questions, and you will need about 10-15 minutes to complete.

To make it easier, as you go make a note of the number and the answer you choose. For example 1a, and check against the answers at the bottom. We have thrown in a few health and physiology questions.

We would love to know how you got on and what you think of this, so please make a comment or share on social media.

Eat For Keep's nutrition test

1. Which of these is a primary source of glucose?
a. Fat
b. Protein
c. Eggs
d. Carbohydrate

2. What is a key indicator that you have type 2 diabetes?
a. Having high stress levels
b. Having too much glucose in the blood over long periods
c. Being unfit
d. High cholesterol

3. What is insulin's main function - to regulate…….?
a. Blood-sugar levels
b. Blood-pressure
c. Digestion
d. Kidney function

4. How does Insulin do its job?
a. It breaks down glucose into a gas
b. It moves glucose to the bowel to be excreted
c. It moves glucose around the body to where it is needed for energy
d. It stores the glucose in the pancreas

5. What are the 3 main food categories
a. Protein, oils and sugar
b. Protein, sugar and carbohydrate
c. Protein, fat and carbohydrate
d. Fat, sugar and seafood

6. What happens when you over-eat carbohydrate?
a. Excess glucose is stored as fat
b. You have excellent energy levels
c. You lose weight
d. You have stable blood-sugar levels

7. Natural fruit mainly consists of….?
a. Water and fibre
b. Vitamins and minerals
c. Carbohydrate and water
d. Sugar

8. What is the main by-product of fruit after digestion?
a. Fibre
b. Water
c. Glucose
d. Vitamins and minerals

9. All sugars are carbohydrates. Which sugar has the biggest effect on blood-sugar levels?
a. Lactose
b. Glucose
c. Sucrose
d. Fructose

10. Why should you check out both the carbohydrate and the sugar levels on a food label?
a. Because the carbohydrate digests quickly
b. Because the carbohydrate has the same number of calories as sugar
c. Because the carbohydrate also turns to glucose (sugar) when digested
d. Because it is part of the overall mix

11. Watermelon and white bread have the same glycaemic index (GI). Why does the bread have ten times the effect on blood-sugar levels as the same weight of watermelon?
a. Bread contains 10 times more carbohydrate
b. Watermelon contains more water
c. Bread is more processed
d. Bread is more dense

12. Why do protein and fat have no effect on blood-sugar levels?
a. They are more dense than carbohydrate
b. They do not contain carbohydrate
c. They are naturally occurring
d. They are more sustaining than carbohydrate

13. Why is eating 2 or more sushi rolls likely to raise your blood-sugar levels?
a. High levels of added sugar
b. They are wrapped in nori
c. Are very dense
d. Contain high levels of sticky rice

14. Which cereal is likely to be the slowest-digesting?
a. Rolled Oats
b. Weetbix
c. Toasted muesli
d. Coco Pops

15. Which of these is not a simple carbohydrate type food?
a. Beans
b. Muffins
c. White bread
d. Sugar

16. Which of these is not a complex-carbohydrate type food?
a. Green vegetables
b. Rolled oats
c. Chick peas
d. Chicken

17. Which of these is not a food high in fats?
a. Nuts
b. Rice
c. Seeds
d. Cheese

18. What is the main reason rolled oats is called the ‘king' of cereals?
a. For its low fat-levels
b. Low-sugar levels
c. High levels of complex carbohydrate
d. It has low salt-levels

19. What is the best choice for a sustaining snack biscuit?
a. Rice cracker
b. Oatcake
c. Cruskit
d. Water Cracker

20. Nuts and seeds contain high levels of?
a. Protein and carbohydrate
b. Fats and carbohydrate
c. Healthy fats and protein
d. Salt and fat

21. What is the glycaemic index (GI) of most nuts and seeds?
a. 0
b. 25
c. 40
d. 60

22. What is the best description of a heavy, sustaining, multigrain bread?
a. Low fat and salt levels
b. Firm texture with some whole-grains
c. High fibre and low fat and salt levels
d. Densely packed with whole-grains

23. What makes fettuccine pasta slower-digesting than regular pasta?
a. It has different grains
b. Contains egg
c. Is less processed
d. Has less added sugar

24. Which of these is a lower-fat cheese?
a. Brie
b. Feta
c. Tasty
d. Edam

25. Why are nut bars a good sustaining option?
a. Firm texture, good protein and fat levels
b. Firm texture and low in sugar and salt
c. Firm texture and high complex carbohydrate levels
d. High complex carbohydrate, salt and sugar levels

26. Which of these rice varieties is likely to be the slowest digesting?
a. Basmati rice
b. White rice
c. Jasmine rice
d. Sushi rice

27. Why would we choose small portions of rice, kumara, parsnip and potato?
a. Low fibre and protein levels
b. They can cause indigestion
c. Low fat, protein and fibre levels
d. Starchy and raise blood-sugar levels

28. What is the key reason why baked goods like muffins, cakes, slices and white bread digest quickly and raise blood-sugar levels?
a. Low in protein
b. Low in fibre
c. High levels of white, wheaten flour
d. Processed and low in protein, fat and fibre

29. Why would we choose a thin crust pizza in preference to a standard base pizza?
a. Less expensive
b. It has far less white flour
c. It will be more crunchy
d. Easier to digest

30. Which of these is not a sustaining, low GI café food option?
a. Bran muffin
b. Chai Latte with a mini muffin
. Egg and ham Vogel's toastie
. Bacon and eggs

31. Why would we recommend adding, smoked salmon or chicken pieces or a small pot of nuts to 2 rolls of sushi rather than just eating 4-5 sushi rolls?
a. To make the meal more diverse and tasty
b. To make the meal less expensive
c. To add more protein and fat to balance up the sticky rice
d. To reduce the amount of salt and sugar and to add more fibre

32. You are ordering butter chicken and have been offered a generous portion of rice and Naan bread. What is your best option to enjoy a sustaining, balanced meal?
a. Just eat as much as you like of all 3
b. Eat the butter chicken and small portions of rice and Naan bread
c. Leave some of the butter chicken and eat generous amounts of rice and Naan bread to cut down on the fat levels
d. Leave some of the butter chicken and eat all the rice

33. The thyroid gland's main function is to?
a. Regulate your body's metabolism
b. Maintain body temperature
c. Regulate blood-sugar levels
d. Make stress hormones

34. Regularly having high levels of the stress hormone cortisol will result in?
a. Being able to perform superhuman feats of strength
b. Increased metabolic rate
c. Higher blood-sugar levels
d. Lower blood-sugar levels

35. Which of these is not a sex hormone?
a. Adrenaline
b. Progesterone
c. Estrogen
d. Testosterone

ANSWERS

1. d, 2. b, 3. a, 4. c, 5. c, 6. a, 7. c, 8. c, 9. b, 10. c, 11. a, 12. b, 13. d, 14. a, 15. a, 16. d, 17. b, 18. c, 19. b, 20. c, 21. a, 22. d, 23. b, 24. d, 25. a, 26. a, 27. d, 28. c, 29. b, 30. b, 31. c, 32. b, 33. a, 34. c,
35. a.

How did you go?

35-30 - Excellent
29-25 – Quite good
24-15 – Need some work in this area
Less than 14 – Lots of work needed to understand the basics better.

Don't forget to let us know how you got on!

Contact: 027 294 1980. leigh@eatforkeeps.com