Total Wellness Diet

Lamb rump steak

Posted by Gary

Dear Reader,

Today, Thursday, 20230126, is a gazetted public holiday in Australia. I’m on-call and doing some work, but I have time to post something here.

I didn’t post last weekend because I was in Brisbane to see my daughters and parents.

I ate well while in Brisbane and managed to bear in mind the principles of the CSIRO Total Wellness Diet.

Before I get to what I have cooked today, let’s run through what I enjoyed last weekend.

Qantas 1710

On the flight to Brisbane, Qantas served zucchini and corn fritters. These morsels were tasty.

    On Saturday morning, I went with eggs Benedict. On the menu, it looked like bacon was an optional extra. I didn’t ask for it and didn’t pay for it. I did receive bacon, and I did eat it. I didn’t eat the bread.

    The Gunshop Cafe Eggs Benedict

    I took my family to Sandgate for lunch at the Sandgate Fishmonger. While some asked for battered cod and others asked for crumbed cod, a few of us enjoyed grilled cod.

    Two pieces of grilled cod and a bottle of ginger beer from the Sandgate Fishmonger

    Dinner was a lovely event. Rather than a gift for Christmas, I asked my daughters to take me to dinner somewhere in January. They know their father, so they chose an “all-you-can-eat” joint. When I was morbidly obese, my favourite four words were “all you can eat”.

    We went to Shabu House, which specialises in Japanese hotpot, sushi, and Japanese-style fried chicken.

    While I was mindful of the principles of the CSIRO TWD, I did enjoy lots of vegetables plus lots of meat and fish. I think the octopus was the best element. The pork and beef were okay, and the white fish (whatever it was) was good, but the baby octopus was the best element for flavour and mouthfeel.

    It was difficult to resist the fried chicken, and I succumbed to the temptation. Regarding the sushi, I ate a little raw fish but didn’t eat the rice.

    Shabu House Fish Pork Beef Tom yum broth
    Shabu house Prawns Octopus Pork Beef Wood ear fungus
    Shabu House Fish balls Prawn balls Sushi
    Shabu House Fried Chicken Chicken Karaage
    Sorry about the white balance. The incandescent bulbs above the table were very warm.

    After the meal, we walked south across the Brisbane River and enjoyed gelato at Messina on Melbourne Street.

    Sunday breakfast was poached eggs, a little hollandaise sauce, plus wilted spinach leaves. I didn’t eat the bread.

    Poached eggs Hollandaise sauce Wilted spinach

    By the time I weighed myself on Monday morning, I’d not gained weight when I had compared the number to what I had measured on Friday morning.

    This week has gone well in terms of how I feel physically. The initial hunger associated with changing the ratios of carbohydrates, protein, and fat seems to have diminished. I’m in a steady rhythm of measuring and tracking the food I consume and the steps I walk.

    The CSIRO TWD app works seamlessly across my smartphone, tablet, and desktop. It synchronises with my app for blood pressure, steps, and weight. The positive feedback from seeing the energy balance plus the values of various parameters at the end of each day provides psychological assurance, which is a significant part of this process.

    Recipe

    The recipes here will be simple and plain for the foreseeable future. They may not be that interesting. If you want to see large joints of meat and other recipes, scroll to earlier posts and find all manner of recipes.

    Equipment

    No special equipment is necessary

    Ingredients

    • Lamb rump steak. I saw these small fillets of lamb rump in the supermarket, which are about the right portion size.
    • Mixed lettuce leaves
    • Cherry tomatoes
    • Baby cucumbers
    • Lemon juice
    • Lemon zest
    • Olive oil

    Instructions

    1. The night before cooking, I recommend dry brining the meat. Dry brining means drying the surface of the flesh and seasoning it with salt. Place it on a rack and refrigerate it uncovered overnight. It can remain like this for one or two days. As the meat dries, the salt penetrates. The flesh doesn’t dehydrate, but the surface remains dry to assist with searing on a hot pan.
    2. When it’s time to cook dinner, remove the meat from the refrigerator.
    3. Heat a pan until it’s hot.
    4. Add some neutral, high-vapour point oil. I like to use rice bran oil or peanut oil.
    5. Quickly cook the lamb rump steak.
    6. Set the meat aside to rest.
    7. Place some lettuce leaves, halved tomatoes and sliced cucumber in a bowl and dress with a mixture of lemon juice and olive oil.
    8. Put the salad on a dinner plate and garnish with lemon zest.
    9. Put the lamb next to the salad.
    10. Say thanks to the Lord.
    11. Eat with a fork.

    Final thoughts

    The lamb was rare to medium rare and perfect, in my opinion. I know some people don’t like the flavour of lamb, but I love it. This meal was an ideal light lunch for a public holiday.

    Photographs

      Chicken tenderloin and kale slaw

      Posted by Gary

      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

      1. Place the chicken tenderloin pieces into a bowl and add the hoisin sauce. Coat the chicken with the sauce.
      2. Put the chicken into a vacuum bag and seal it.
      3. Cook the chicken for 2 hours at 60 °C to pasteurise it.
      4. Allow the chicken to cool in the refrigerator.
      5. Add the kale slaw and tomato to a bowl and mix through the light mayonnaise.
      6. Pull the chicken meat with forks and add it to the salad bowl.
      7. Give thanks to the Lord.
      8. 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

      1. Have you heard of the CSIRO Total Wellness Diet? Have you tried it?
      2. Do you like structured meal planning or prefer a more free-wheeling approach?
      3. What do you plan to eat this week?

      Photographs

      This is a gallery of photographs of the meal.

      Chicken tenderloin pieces with hoisin sauce in a vacuum bag.
      Chicken tenderloin with kale slaw
      Chicken tenderloin with kale slaw

      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.

      A photo of me as I begin the CSIRO Total Wellness Diet
      This is me as I begin the CSIRO Total Wellness Diet.
      Last night’s indulgence
      I made sure I finished off the last of the ice cream last night
      Today’s lunch

      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.