Dear Reader,
For the next three months, I’m trying something new. Kathleen suggested I try CSIRO’s Total Wellness Diet (TWD). When I looked at it, it centres on meal planning and portion control using higher protein and lower glycæmic index foods. The program also has guides on exercise and other aspects of human wellness.
The initial programs span twelve weeks. Some programs are tailored to people with out-of-range lipids and out-of-range blood pressure. It also offers options for people who prefer a plant-based lifestyle. The basic plan is a kick start into tracking and monitoring food intake and mindful consideration of meal preparation.
When I looked at it, I was taken aback by the quantities of foods in the meal plans and shopping lists. My biggest surprise, however, was in the goal setting. Body mass index guides the user, and ethnicity is considered. If I enter that I am Asian, the recommendation is to lose 12 kilograms. If I enter Polynesian, I’m at an acceptable weight. Rather than accept the advice, I’ve modified the goal for a realistic outcome.
As I read through the meal plans, I’m reassured by the relatively simple building blocks and the emphasis on quantification and measurement.
Most of the meats are cooked by grilling. Because of my work schedule and personal preferences, I will cook my meals differently. It won’t alter the nutritional status of the food, and the method I use is safe. The TWD is flexible, so making these changes won’t detract from the basic core approach.
Recipe
Equipment
- Water bath
- Water heater and circulator
Ingredients
- Chicken tenderloin meat (150 g per serving)
- Premixed kale slaw (75 g per serving)
- Medium tomato (150 g)
- Commercially made hoisin sauce (20 g)
- Light mayonnaise (20 g)
Instructions
- Place the chicken tenderloin pieces into a bowl and add the hoisin sauce. Coat the chicken with the sauce.
- Put the chicken into a vacuum bag and seal it.
- Cook the chicken for 2 hours at 60 °C to pasteurise it.
- Allow the chicken to cool in the refrigerator.
- Add the kale slaw and tomato to a bowl and mix through the light mayonnaise.
- Pull the chicken meat with forks and add it to the salad bowl.
- Give thanks to the Lord.
- Eat with a fork.
1.7 Meat and Protein, 0.1 Bread and Cereals, 0.6 Vegetables, 0.1 Dairy, 0.2 Healthy Fats and Oils, 0.1 Indulgences, 1293 kilojoules, 38 g protein, 6 g fibre, 13 g carbohydrates
Meat planning
The general guidance is to purchase lean cuts of meat and fish. The average serving size is about 150 grams.
To achieve this without needing to visit a butcher or undertake complicated meat preparation at home, I selected minute steaks and chicken tenderloin pieces.
Each steak is about 100 g, and each tenderloin piece is about 80 g. For each meal, I’ll go with one piece of beef or two tenderloin pieces.
To add a bit of flavour, I prepared the meat by coating the pieces with a thin film of hoisin sauce which seems to be popular in the TWD recipes.
I did the meat preparation in bulk by using vacuum bags. One piece of steak in a bag and two tenderloin pieces in a bag.
For chicken tenderloin, the cooking formula for pasteurisation is 60 °C for two hours.
For the fillet steak, the cooking formula for pasteurisation is 55 °C for two hours.
For salmon, the cooking formula for pasteurisation is 50 °C for 45 minutes.
Thoughts on the meal
The meal was modest, and I expect to feel hungry later tonight.
That said, the chicken was tasty and tender. I like kale slaw, so that worked well.
Tomorrow night I’ll cook beef.
Final thoughts
- Have you heard of the CSIRO Total Wellness Diet? Have you tried it?
- Do you like structured meal planning or prefer a more free-wheeling approach?
- What do you plan to eat this week?
Photographs
This is a gallery of photographs of the meal.
This is a photograph of me as I begin the program. The smartphone application includes self-photographs plus weight and girth measurements for comparison purposes.
Endnotes
CSIRO
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is now better known as CSIRO and is often pronounced as “sigh-row”. CSIRO calls itself Australia’s national science organisation and regards itself as the interface between science and industry.
The organisation’s best-known invention is wireless local area networks or Wi-Fi.
CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet
The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet has been hailed as one of CSIRO’s best achievements from its base in Adelaide, South Australia.
Yum sounds so good!
Good luck Gary! I had to chuckle looking at your cheese and bacon garlic bread followed by this 🙂 I’ve tried the Fast 800 diet before which is similar, and the main thing I would suggest re portions and fullness is way more veg – the Fast 800 has no limits on green veg at all (ie you don’t count in the kJ count).
Hi Beck,
Thanks. That’s good to know. I’ll look to add more vegetables.
That’s very exciting Gary!! Please keep us up to date with your progress and the very best of luck! 😀
Hi Lorraine,
Thanks. I’ll be updating regularly here.
That meal looks tasty and colorful! I love to have lots of colors on my plate. I’ve never heard of the CSIRO diet before–it sounds interesting. Nate and Alex love meat, so I make sure to make meals that have meat in them. I like meat too, but I mostly love bread and vegetables–so I cook meals that allow for us to pick out of the pan/pot what we love the most–while still only cooking one meal and not three different ones. Cheers!
The diet is strong on protein so meat features well but in relatively small amounts. Measuring all my food has been interesting
Best of luck with your new eating plan! I think portion control is a big one, so I’m right there with you on that.
Hi Jeff,
Thanks. Yes, I think taking the time and trouble to measure the food will make the difference.
I like the picture of the condemned man’s feet and last (naughty) supper! Unless you are sucking in your gut something amazing Gary, I would agree that 12kg seems a lot for you to lose.
Hi Katharine,
Thanks. No, no gut-sucking. A loose T-shirt, definitely. I think the program needs some refinement regarding its ethnic assumptions.
Hi Gaz, I haven’t heard of that diet… 12kg weight loss sounds (and looks, judging by the photo) like far too much, though it is interesting that the plan takes ethnicity into account. Your meal looked delicious (I’m a big fan of mayonnaise). I’ve noticed that Australians tend to use kilojoules, rather than kilocalories and that always makes me do a double take at the nutritional profile for recipes! Hope it helps you feel better. Regards, Emma
Hi Emma
Thanks. I think it’s because in school chemistry we worked in joules rather than calories.
The meal suggestions are all similar and repetitive but that’s okay for me given the benefit of easy preparation for each meal
Yes, I read the CSIRO diet on email and IG every day tho’ I do not make personal use of it. Looking at your photo I cannot see you needing the weight loss you state but wish you hugely well in your endeavours. With your medical knowledge and understanding you should easily be able to make your programme far more varied and exciting than what ‘they’ suggest ! Forget about the oh-so-fashionable kale – I never bother with all the exciting greens available but 150 gm of the chicken is far too large a helping – I’d choose roughly 100-120 gm and I have never ever been hungry !!! And, for goodness sake – throw rubbish like mayo out of the window . . . Korean, Japanese, coastal Vietnamese et al are the best logical substitutions if you do not want to die of food boredom during the months ahead . . . . make this fun ! Good luck ! And grilling is a fab way to prep marinated meat !!!!!
Hi Eha
Thanks for sharing how you would approach this meal.