Special K® News
Everything you need to know about Special K® cereals and snacks.
Special K® uncovers the mysterious world of women's handbags
26/07/2012
Every day we pack our handbags with a mountain of stuff “just in case” – but what are we actually prepared for? The Special K® Handbag Exposé sought to uncover exactly what women stash in their handbags and how many are actually prepared for the afternoon snack attack.
For many of us, our handbags are our shoulder slung survival kits, preparing us for that make-up touch up, the day-to-night hairdo and even the “my shoes are uncomfortable” emergency.
At our Special K® Handbag Exposé, we took to the streets and asked 450 women to reveal the contents of their bags. The results were fascinating.
• The average woman carries 2.4kg^ with her every day.
• The heaviest bag weighed in at a whopping 8.4kgs and the lightest at a tiny 120gms.
• Some of the common items found in the handbags included; multiple phones, books, make-up bags, bottles of water and even spare outfits.
• Some of the more bizarre items included; kids’ teeth, headlamps, staplers and cat food.
• There were even some funny stories involving remote controls, dogs and a meat thermometer.
Whilst it seems we are prepared for almost every eventuality, nearly half of us are empty handed come snack time. By planning ahead, we can beat sudden cravings. Special K® Bars are tasty, handbag-sized snacks that are less than 100 calories*, so pop one in your handbag and you’ll have a smart choice handy when sweet cravings strike.
*Bar weight and calories per bar are average values over a production run.
^SOURCE: The Special K® Handbag Exposé event held in Sydney 26-27 April 2012.
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The low down on low GI
24/11/2011
The Glycemic Index (GI) ranks carbohydrates based on how quickly or slowly they are absorbed into our bloodstream. Foods with a high GI are digested and absorbed quickly, while low GI foods, such as Special K® Original and New Special K® Fruit & Nut Medley, are digested and absorbed more slowly.
Best of all, research now suggests that a low GI diet is helpful for weight management and may be easier to stick to than other diets.
Tips for going low GI
Instead of trying to cut out carbs, all you really need to do is be smart about the carbs you eat by choosing low GI. Here are some tips:
• For the carbohydrate foods you eat most commonly, like bread, pasta, rice, and cereal, choose those with low GI on pack.
• Don’t stress about the GI of fruits and veggies (with the exception of potatoes). We should be filling up on these and most only have a relatively small amount of carbohydrate in them anyway.
• At breakfast:
Switch: Wheat-based cereal biscuits
For: 3/4 cup Special K® Fruit & Nut Medley with skim milk
Switch: White toast or crumpets with jam
For: 2 slices low GI toast with 1 tablespoon peanut butter
Switch: Toasted white English muffin with tomato
For: Mushroom and tomato omelette cooked with 1 tablespoon olive oil
Switch: Puffed wheat cereal
For: 3/4 cup Special K® Original with skim milk
Switch: Packet-mix pancakes with maple syrup
For: Canned baked beans with low GI sourdough bread
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Special K® - Fact Sheet
24/11/2011
Why Special K®?
Staying in shape and managing your weight is a long term goal for most of us and for good reason
• Feeling good on the inside
• Boosting confidence
• Maintaining a healthy body and mind
• Keeping up with the kids; and
• Overall wellbeing
So, when it comes to breakfast you want to know you’re making a nutritious choice, one that’s quick and easy to prepare and of course tastes great too.
With Kellogg’s Special K® Original you can feel good about your start to the day. With its light, crisp flakes of rice and wheat, Special K® Original is.... Low GI
Foods with a low GI value contain slowly digested carbohydrate, which produces a gradual, relatively low rise in blood sugar levels.
Special K® Original has been tested by The University of Sydney and found to have a GI value of 53, meaning it is low GI.
Protein
Protein plays an important role in our diet, especially when it comes to our muscles, as it supplies the building blocks needed to help build them and stay toned. On top of that, diets high in protein can help you feel fuller for longer.
Special K® Original is one of the highest protein cereals available. A 30g serve of Special K® Original provides almost 6g of protein and that’s even before you add the milk.
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Low GI - What's it all about?
24/11/2011
Sure, you've probably heard about GI and seen low GI claims on food packaging. Maybe you've even heard your friends talking about it. But what does it really mean? And is it something you should be looking out for in the supermarket?
What does GI mean?
GI, otherwise known as Glycaemic Index, is a ranking of foods (from 0-100) that tell us how quickly or slowly the carbohydrate in the foods we eat is digested and absorbed. It's important to also keep in mind that GI is only really relevant to foods that are high in or contain carbohydrate.
Low, Medium or High - which is best?
When you can, choose low GI. These foods will be digested more slowly and help you feel fuller for longer between meals. Choosing low GI foods is a good habit to get into. However, remember that GI is.... 70 or above
How to make your diet low GI
Eating a low GI diet still means eating a variety of foods, maybe even a wider variety than you are now. But a simple way to get started is to try and include at least one low GI food with each meal. Combining a low GI food with a high GI food in the same meal helps reduce the overall GI. For example mixing sweet potato (low GI) with potato (high GI) lowers the GI of the combination, or serving low GI baked beans with high GI white bread.
Other ways to help you reduce the GI of your diet is to make some simple swaps to the foods you choose regularly, i.e. switch from high GI to low GI versions of the carbohydrate foods in your diet.
Heare are some examples:
Instead of... Jasmine rice
Try... Doongara rice
Instead of... Potato
Try... Sweet Potato
Instead of... Wheat biscuits
Try... Kellogg's Special K® Original cereal
Instead of... Watermelon
Try... Kiwi Fruit
Instead of... Broad beans
Try... Chickpeas
Instead of... Dates
Try... Sultanas
Instead of... Couscous
Try... Pasta
If you want to find the GI of a specific food go to the GI database at www.glycemicindex.com
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Diogenes Fact Sheet
23/11/2011
The World's Largest Diet Study
Overview
While we know there are no magic potions or silver bullets when it comes to weight management, ensuring your eating and exercise habits are in line with the advice of experts can be key.
The world’s largest diet study, conducted across eight countries, called ‘Diogenes’ (Diet, Obesity and Genes), investigated the optimum diet for weight maintenance after weight loss1. Participants who had lost more than 8% of their body weight prior to the study were accepted into the program and randomly prescribed one of five weight maintenance diets to follow for six months.
The five diets were as follows:
1. A low protein, high GI diet
2. A low protein, low GI diet
3. A high protein, high GI diet
4. A high protein, low GI diet
5. A control diet which followed current dietary guidelines
High Protein, Low GI Works Best
The 773 participants had their weight tracked over the six-month period to determine which diet worked best for weight maintenance. During this period they were provided with recipes, together with cooking tips and some dietary advice.
When simply comparing the high and low protein diets and the high and low GI diets, the results revealed that those assigned to a low protein diet put on almost 1kg more than those on a high protein diet. Similarly those following a high GI diet put on almost 1kg more than those on a low GI diet.
When looking at the diets as a whole, the people on the low protein, high GI diet put on significantly more weight. Interestingly, the group following the control diet also gained weight. The participants following the high protein, low GI diet however, continued to lose weight during the weight maintenance phase of the study.
Staying With It
The study also found that the participants following the high protein, low GI diet were less likely to drop out, suggesting this was the easiest diet to stick to, an important factor in managing your weight.
What Does This All Mean
If maintaining your weight and staying in shape is high on your list of weight management goals, then choosing a diet that is high in protein and low GI could help you reach your goals.
So, on top of a balanced diet and regular exercise choosing high protein and low GI foods could be just the helping hand you need to succeed.
References
1. 1. Larsen TM, Dalskov SM, van Baak M, Jebb SA, Papadaki A, Pfeiffer AF, et al. Diets with high or low protein content and glycemic index for weight-loss maintenance. New England Journal of Medicine 2010;363(22):2102-13.
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