By: CSIRO, Dr Manny Noakes (Introduction by)

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Book Description

On New Year's Eve 2006 we made a pact to follow the principles of the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet and let it guide the way we ate. People at work say, 'Are you still on the CSIRO diet?' and I say, 'This is just how we eat now. The CSIRO diet is an education program on how to eat properly. Now that I know how good I can feel, why would I change?' CARLA, SA

The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet Recipe Book extends Australia's most popular diet into everyday life. With 130 brand-new recipes, this collection aims to inspire the thousands of Australians who have used the diet to continue doing so, and introduces newcomers to an eating plan that promotes long-term weight management and overall good health. Find out how to:

- cook with different protein options, including fish, legumes, chicken and meat
- entertain with ease for all sorts of occasions, from formal dinners to casual barbecues
- put together a fast weeknight dinner the whole family will enjoy
- create healthy, tasty meals on a shoestring budget
- cook a meal in advance and freeze to ensure healthy eating during busy periods.

Lose weight and boost your vitality while enjoying the pleasures of good food.

All (the recipes) are simple to create and tweaked with ingredients you'd be hard-pressed to call 'diet' options. Sydney Morning Herald

About The Author

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia's national science agency, has been dedicated to the practical application of knowledge and science for society and industry since 1928. Today the CSIRO ranks in the top one per cent of world scientific institutions in 12 out of 22 research fields. CSIRO Food and Nutritional Sciences conducts research into human health, including disease prevention, diagnosis and innovative treatment.

Introduction

by Associate Professor Manny Noakes

The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet (or TWD, as we like to call it) continues to be one of Australia's most popular approaches to weight loss and achieving a healthy lifestyle. Over one million CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet books have been sold in Australia. The books have been translated into 17 different languages and are also available in audio format.

Here at the CSIRO, we continue to respond to readers' queries and comments and have been overwhelmed with positive feedback regarding our previous books. If we had to describe the reason for the TWD's popularity, most would say simply, 'It's because it works'. But that would not adequately acknowledge the combination of scientific and consumer research that forms the basis of the diet.

So what is it about the TWD that makes it 'work'? In a nutshell, the science supports the value of:

• an eating pattern higher in protein for improved control of hunger and to prevent excess muscle loss while losing weight
  
• portion control and balanced nutrition through a representation of all food groups in an eating pattern
  
• structure in an eating pattern, involving regular meals and planned snacks, the use of meal plans, shopping lists and recipes that all assist in achieving controlled eating
  
• 'self monitoring' – that is, keeping track of what we eat and drink and how much exercise we do.
  

But even with all of these scientific ingredients in a weight-loss program, if the food and meals didn't fit with what we are familiar with and what we enjoy, it's unlikely that Australians would have been so enthusiastic about the TWD.

Just prior to the launch of The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet Book 2, we commissioned a survey of a nationally representative sample of over 5000 Australians to understand more about what impact the TWD had in our community. The results were reassuring and enlightening.

Based on the population figures for Australians aged between 15 and 64 years,1 The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet Book 1 has been used by 889,200 Australians since its release.

According to the survey, the four most highly regarded features of the TWD were: the recipes (86%); the flexibility with food and lifestyle (78%); the CSIRO brand (73%); and information about weight maintenance (76%). Interestingly, only 13% commented that they disliked the cost of the food.

There were surprisingly few differences in the types of people that used the TWD, although women and couples with no children were more likely to have used it.

Here are some other interesting facts gleaned from the survey:

• The TWD is being used in a number of different ways, with the majority of users gaining recipes and meal ideas, or adapting the basic principles to their lifestyle.
  
• The average amount of weight lost when following the TWD is 6.1 kg per user.
  
• 65% of Australians (or 8.9 million aged 15–65 years) have heard about the TWD, predominately through traditional media channels.
  
• 10% of Australians (approximately 1.3 million aged 15–65 years) live in a household that has used the TWD in some way.
  
• Since following the TWD, users have noticed improvements in the following areas of their lives:
  

-attitude to health and wellbeing (71%)

-weight (64%)

-overall health (63%)

-energy levels (61%)

-level of concern they have about their health (57%)

-overall fitness (57%)

-personal body image (50%)

-overall mood (46%)

• Approximately 547,200 Australians have lost weight on the TWD to date.
  
• The majority of Australians who have lost weight on the TWD were overweight or obese prior to starting the TWD.
  
• Younger age groups (18–24 year olds) are more likely to be looking for general information and advice about nutrition, while older age groups (60+ year olds) are more likely to be concerned about overall health issues. The TWD appealed to both of these categories and is a flexible, easy and convenient long-term eating plan.
  
• The main barrier to the uptake of the TWD for those Australians who have bought or seen the book but have not used it seems to be procrastination – they have the intention to use it but have not yet taken the action to do so.
  

Despite the popularity of the TWD it has not been without its critics. The most vocal of complaints have related to the amount of red meat in the eating plan and concerns that this may increase risks of colorectal cancer. The CSIRO response has consistently been that the diet as a whole is designed to reduce overall risk of many diseases, including cancer, diabetes and heart disease. The CSIRO continues to contribute research on nutrition in health and disease and monitor the scientific literature relevant to this area.

Since the release of the TWD series, a major report from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has been released. The report recommends that for those people who eat red meat, red meat intake should be limited to 700–750 g (raw weight) per week as very high intakes of red meat, particularly processed meats, were ruled to be convincing or probable causes of colorectal cancer. The evidence appears stronger for processed meats and so the recommendation is that very little of our meat intake should be processed meat. The WCRF report emphasises that red meat is a valuable source of nutrients, particularly iron and zinc, which are two of the most prevalent nutrient deficiencies, and that it is not advocating avoiding meat or animal based foods. The report also emphasises the importance of weight control, being physically active, limiting alcohol, 'fast foods' and sugary drinks, and eating a variety of non-starchy vegetables each day – all important features of the TWD.

The TWD recommends protein from red meat four times per week. If this is eaten as one lunch meal (up to 100 g) and at three evening meals (200 g per meal) per week, this will be within the WCRF recommendations.

Although much of the TWD criticism has been about red meat, the eating plan is in fact highest in vegetables, fruit and dairy foods. It is a balanced lifestyle program that recommends all the necessary nutrition and exercise to achieve a healthy weight.

Our consumer survey showed that impressions of the diet book were that it was mostly about an eating plan for overall wellbeing (85%), a healthy way of eating (86%), and a long-term lifestyle pattern (80%). Only 36% of the sample reported that they felt the TWD was a meat-based diet, with

29% stating the contrary – that is, that TWD was not a meat-based diet.

Everyone has different preferences and styles of eating and there are many ways to achieve healthy eating. The CSIRO has developed healthy-eating advice to suit many of these differences. The CSIRO Healthy Heart Program includes flexibility for people who prefer more starchy foods like pasta and rice as well as vegetarian eating styles. The CSIRO Wellbeing Plan for Kids provides more general healthy-eating and lifestyle advice aimed at families with children. Finally, The CSIRO Home Energy Saving Handbook embraces a healthy and sustainable approach to growing and choosing our food.

This recipe book has been developed in response to high demand for more recipes that follow the TWD guidelines. We hope that it will help to inspire people to take up or maintain a healthy lifestyle.

1 An independently conducted survey sampling 5026 Australian men and women between 18 and 64 years of age, Inside Story, 'THE CSIRO TOTAL WELLBEING DIET IMPACT STUDY', December 2006.The sample used for this study was representative of the general Australian population aged 15–64 years, as determined by comparison to 2005 ABS statistics. Where the sample differed from the population at large, weighting was used so that the sample accurately reflected the population and socio-demographic breakdown. As such, the results obtained from the present impact study can be extrapolated to the general Australian community.

At Buzzard Point, near the foot of 1st Street, Yamamoto boarded an eighteen-foot motorboat powered by a two-horse Pierce 'Noiseless.' The pilot steered into the current and down the Potomac River. A shroud of surface mist finally closed around the boat, and Yamamoto exhaled a sigh of relief.

Huddling from the cold in the cubby under the bow, he reflected upon his close call and concluded that his mission had suffered no damage. The garden path where the night watchman had almost caught him was at least a half mile from the Gun Factory. Nor did it matter that the old man had seen his face. Americans were contemptuous of Asians. Few could distinguish between Japanese and Chinese features. Since immigrants from China were far more numerous than those from Japan, the watchman would report an intrusion by a despised Chinese—an opium fiend, he thought with a relieved smile. Or, he chuckled silently, a nefarious white slaver lurking to prey on the commandant's daughters.

Five miles downriver, he disembarked in Alexandria, Virginia.

He waited for the boat to depart the wooden pier. Then he hurried along the waterfront and entered a dark warehouse that was crammed with obsolete naval gear deep in dust and spiderwebs.

A younger man whom Yamamoto had labelled, scornfully, 'The Spy' was waiting for him in a dimly lit back room that served as an office. He was twenty years Yamamoto's junior and ordinary-looking to the point of being nondescript. His office, too, held the outdated paraphernalia of earlier wars: crossed cutlasses on the walls; a Civil War–era Dahlgren cast-iron, muzzle-loading cannon, which was causing the floor to sag; and an old 24-inch-diameter carbon arc battleship searchlight propped behind his desk. Yamamoto saw his own face mirrored in its dusty eye.

He reported that he had accomplished his mission. Then, while the spy took notes, he related in precise detail everything that he had seen at the Gun Factory. 'Much of it,' he said in conclusion, 'looks worn out.'

'Hardly a surprise.'

Overworked and underfunded, the Gun Factory had produced everything from ammunition hoists to torpedo tubes to send the Great White Fleet to sea. After the warships sailed, it forwarded trainloads of replacement parts, sights, firing locks, breech plugs, and gun mounts to San Francisco. In another month the fleet would recuperate there from its fourteen-thousand-mile voyage around South America's Cape Horn and refit at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard to cross the Pacific.

'I would not underestimate them,' Yamamoto retorted gloomily. 'Worn-out machines are replaceable.'

'If they have the nerve.'

 'From what I saw, they have the nerve. And the imagination. They are merely catching their breath.'

The man behind the desk felt that Yamamoto Kenta was possessed—if not unhinged—by his fear of the American Navy. He had heard this rant before and knew how to change the subject by derailing the Jap with lavish praise.

'I have never doubted your acute powers of observation. But I am awed by the range and breadth of your skills: chemistry, engineering, forgery. In one fell swoop you have impeded the development of American gunnery and sent their Congress a message that the Navy is corrupt.'

He watched Yamamoto preen. Even the most capable operative had his Achilles' heel. Yamamoto's was a self-blinding vanity.

'I've played this game a long time,' Yamamoto agreed with false modesty.

In fact, thought the man behind the desk, the chemistry for the nitrogen iodide detonator was a simple formula found in The Young Folks Cyclopaedia of Games and Sports. Which was not to take away from Yamamoto's other skills, nor his broad and deep knowledge of naval warfare.

Having softened him up, he prepared to put the Jap to the test. 'Last week aboard the Lusitania,' he said, 'I bumped into a British attaché. You know the sort. Thinks of himself as a 'gentleman spy.''

He had an astonishing gift for accents, and he mimicked, faultlessly, an English aristocratic drawl. ''The Japanese,' this Englishman proclaimed to all in the smoking room, 'display a natural aptitude for espionage, and a cunning and self-control not found in the West.''

Yamamoto laughed. 'That sounds like Commander Abbington-Westlake of the Admiralty's Naval Intelligence Department, Foreign Division, who was spotted last summer painting a watercolour of the Long Island Sound that just happened to contain America's latest

Viper Class submarine. Do you suppose the windbag meant it as a compliment?'

'The French Navy he penetrated so successfully last month would hardly call Abbington-Westlake a windbag. Did you keep the money?'

'I beg your pardon?'

'The money you were supposed to put in Arthur Langner's desk. Did you keep it for yourself?'

The Jap stiffened. 'Of course not. I put it in his desk.'

'The Navy's enemies in Congress must believe that their star designer, their so-called Gunner, was guilty of taking a bribe. That money was vital to our message to the Congress to make them wonder what else is rotten in the Navy. Did you keep the money?'

'I should not be surprised that you would ask such a degrading question of a loyal associate. With the heart of a thief you assume that everyone is a thief.'

'Did you keep the money?' the spy repeated. A physical habit of maintaining utter stillness masked the steely power of his compact frame.

'For the last time, I did not keep the money. Would you feel more secure if I swore on the memory of my old friend—your father?'

'Do it!'

Yamamoto looked him full in the face with undisguised hatred. 'I swear on the memory of my old friend, your father.'

'I think I believe you.'

'Your father was a patriot,' Yamamoto replied coldly. 'You are a mercenary.'

'You're on my payroll,' came the even colder retort. 'And when you report to your government the valuable information you picked up in the Washington Navy Yard's Gun Factory—while working for me—your government will pay you again.'

 'I do not spy for the money. I spy for the Empire of Japan.'

'And for me.'

***

'Good Sunday morning to all who prefer their music minus the sermon,' Arthur Langner greeted his friends at the Gun Factory.

Rumpled in a baggy sack suit, his thick hair tousled and bright eyes inquisitive, the Naval Ordnance Bureau's star designer grinned like a man who found interest in all he saw and liked the strange bits most of all. The Gunner was a vegetarian, an outspoken agnostic, and devoted to the theories of the unconscious mind put forth by the Viennese neurologist Sigmund Freud.

He held patents for an invention he named the Electrical Vacuum Cleaning Machine, having hitched his fertile imagination to a heartfelt notion that science-based domestic engineering could free women from the isolation of housework. He also believed that women should have the right to vote, work outside the home, and even practice birth control. Gossips smirked that his beautiful daughter, who ran with the fast set in Washington and New York, would be a prime beneficiary.

'A one-man lunatic fringe,' complained the commandant of the navy yard.

But the chief of Naval Ordnance, having observed Langner's latest 12-inch/.50 calibre gun shoot up his Sandy Hook Atlantic Test Range, retorted, 'Thank God he works for us instead of the enemy.'

His Sunday-morning chamber musicians, a ragtag mix of Gun Factory employees, laughed appreciatively when Langner joked, 'Just to assure any eavesdropping blue noses that we're not complete heathens, let's start with 'Amazing Grace.' In G.'

He sat at his grand piano.

 'May we please have an A first, sir?' asked the cellist, an expert in armour-piercing warheads.

Langner lightly tapped middle A, to which note the strings could tune their instruments. He rolled his eyes in mock impatience as they fiddled with their tuning pegs. 'Are you gentlemen cooking up one of those new atonal scales?'

'One more A, if you can spare it, Arthur. A little louder?'

Langner tapped middle A harder, again and again. At last the strings were satisfied.

The cellist began the opening notes of 'Amazing Grace.'

At the tenth measure, the violins—a torpedo-propulsion man and a burly steamfitter—took up 'once was lost.' They played through and began to repeat.

Langner raised his big hands over the keys, stepped on the sustain pedal, and lofted 'a wretch like me' on a soaring G chord.

Inside the piano, Yamamoto Kenta's paste of nitrogen iodide had hardened to a volatile dry crust. When Langner fingered the keys, felt hammers descended on G, B, and D strings, causing them to vibrate. Up and down the scale, six more octaves of G, B, and D strings vibrated sympathetically, jolting the nitrogen iodide.

It exploded with a sharp crack that sent a purple cloud pouring from the case and detonated the sack of Cordite. The Cordite blew the piano into a thousand slivers of wood and wire and ivory that riddled Arthur Langner's head and chest, killing him instantly.

ISBN: 9780143203452
ISBN-10: 0143203452
Audience: General
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Number Of Pages: 208
Published: 27th April 2010
Dimensions (cm): 24.300 x 21.0  x 1.400
Weight (kg): 24.4