Bad diets: News not good for saintly eaters who blow out on weekend treats

QUEENSLAND is blessed with plenty of public holidays but new research shows those lazy long weekends can have a huge affect on our health.

QUEENSLANDERS who eat perfectly during the week and blow out with junk food on the weekend are putting their health at risk just as much as those who eat badly every day.

The dangers of yo-yoing from saintly eating Monday to Friday to bingeing on unhealthy treats Saturday and Sunday have been exposed in new University of NSW research, published in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research.

The weekend splurge is equally as bad for the digestive system as a seven-day junk food fest.

The study also found even intermittent exposure to junk food three days a week is enough to shift the gut bacteria in rats to match that of obese rats consuming the diet continuously.

“I have treated patients who do exactly that,” said Kate Di Prima, a spokeswoman for the Dietitians ­Association of Australia.

“They eat a good balanced diet each weekday and try really hard, but then on a Saturday and Sunday night they sit and eat a family tub of ice cream at over 3000 calories.

Claudia Cavallo and Pip Taylor say they tend to eat healthily during the week and then enjoy junk food on the weekends. Picture: Tara Croser.

“If you are overloading your system with highly processed foods solidly for a couple of days with no fibre and no vitamins or nutrients, of course your gut is going to suffer. Never mind the fact that any weight you may have lost during the week with a solid healthy diet is just reversed in one sitting.

“If you are being so stringent during the week that you simply feel you have to blow out, then try a small treat on a weekday. It is all about finding balance.”

The Brisbane nutritionist said that with so many long weekends in Queensland, days off were often stretching into three or four, making the binge period even more damaging.

“People have a right to treat themselves at a weekend if they are following a healthy diet of lean protein, vegetables and fruit, and lots of fibre during the week,” she said.

“But sadly, they often get carried away.”

Claudia Cavallo, from Ascot, and Pip Taylor, from St Lucia, admit they are guilty of eating a lot more junk food when they catch up with friends on the weekend.

“I really try to be healthy during the week but then feel like I deserve a treat when I’m relaxing, but I don’t think I binge,” Ms Taylor said.