By Joanne Hart for HelloDoctor.co.za
So, it’s the end of January, and you’ve already broken all your rules: You’ve eaten cakes (plural!), smoked a packet of cigarettes, and drowned your sorrows in alcohol…AGAIN. New Years Resolutions are overrated. Continue reading “How to Feel Fantastic in 2016”
Joanne Hart for HelloDoctor.com
So, what are (or were) your New Year’s resolutions for 2016?Let’s take a chance and guess: like us, you want to go back to gym or get back on your bike – maybe you’re going to cut out junk food and hit the salad bar. More importantly – are you still keeping them?
Too much to do, too little time – does this sound familiar? We live in fast-paced world that just seems to become more overwhelming every day. To cope, we look for convenience wherever we can find it…and fast food is one of these options. But, is the 30 minutes you’re saving really worth your health? Continue reading “Why do we get stuck in an unhealthy food rut?”
Whether you’re a morning person, or need a couple of strong coffees to get you going, everyone hits an energy dip at some point in the day. Here are 6 sure ways to beat the slump! Continue reading “6 Tips for all-day energy!”
Diet trends: how about eating baby food every day or swallowing parasites to help you lose weight? Pretty gross and risky, right? But if you were desperate, would you consider it?
Here are some of the craziest and dangerous diets that people have decided to try. Continue reading “The latest diet trends you should never try!”
It’s no wonder we’re confused! It seems that every day there’s a new “scientifically proven” reason to change what time of the day we should eat. It’s time to set the record straight…and the reality is going to surprise you. Continue reading “Does when you eat, matter?”
Don’t panic when we tell you this: you’re probably going to spend roughly a third of your life at work! We’re not trying to bring you down with that statistic; we just want you to get the best possible value out of time spent at work. C’mon, let’s take back the workplace! Continue reading “Workplace health round up”
Do your kids always turn up their nose when they see those veggies on their plate? These superfoods are packed with vitamins and minerals that are essential for their diet. Are you out of ideas? Well, this is the solution you’ve been looking for! Continue reading “Hooray for puree! Delicious butternut soup”
Chakalaka – we all know that spicy, delicious relish we spoon over everything. Sure, it tastes great, but is chakalaka also good for you? Yes! And it’s all in the ingredients. While everyone has their own special way of making this home-grown relish, there are some basics that go into every pot. Here’s what they do for you: Continue reading “Unlocking chakalaka’s health secrets!”
Adverts tell us we can’t live without them. Pharmacies stock hundreds of different brands, each claiming to be the best…but, are multivitamins as effective as they are claimed to be? Does it matter at which time of the day you wash one down? Continue reading “Should you be taking multivitamin supplements?”
A high salt diet is linked to a number of serious health conditions, most commonly hypertension (aka high blood pressure). If left undetected and untreated, this can put you at risk for even more serious health conditions, such as stroke and heart disease. This is why it’s so important to limit your salt intake to no more than 5g (1 teaspoon) of salt a day – this includes any salt you add to your food when cooking and before eating.
Managing your salt intake also means cutting down on processed foods, most of which are high in salt, even if they don’t taste salty. Some of the top culprits of hidden salts in processed foods include bread, breakfast cereals, hard margarine, stock cubes, gravy and soup powders, seasoning salts, chips, instant noodles and other convenience foods, tinned, processed and cured meats, take-away foods, hard cheeses, salted nuts and pickles.
Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (aka DASH) is an eating plan that emphasises foods which are predominantly unprocessed and naturally low in salt, while limiting salt, unhealthy fats and sugar. The eating plan is rich in fruit and vegetables, whole grains, fish, poultry, lean meats, nuts, legumes and low-fat dairy. These foods are high in key nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, calcium and fibre, which are known to reduce blood pressure.
Remember, your diet isn’t the only thing you can use to manage your blood pressure. It’s also important to:
|
Foods which are lower in salt Eat these more often |
Foods where some brands are higher in salt Eat sometimes  |
Foods which are very high in salt Eat seldom |
| Fruit and vegetables (fresh, frozen, dried, tinned with no added salt)Unsalted nuts and seeds
Legumes (beans, lentils, peas) Mealie meal Pasta and rice Plain popcorn Oats Fresh fish Fresh poultry and meat Eggs Yoghurt, maas Plain cottage cheese Vinegar, spices and herbs (dried and fresh) |
Baked beansPeanut butter
Salted nuts Breakfast cereals Bread and bread products Cakes, pastries, biscuits Table sauces (tomato sauce, mustard) Salad dressings Mayonnaise Convenience meals, burgers, pies Tinned fish Soft tub margarine Paté, hummus |
Olives, pickles, Atchaar & gherkinsAll types of salt and seasoning salts, stock cubes, gravy powders, soup powders
Instant noodles, crisps Yeast extracts (Marmite, Bovril), Soya sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, Barbeque sauce Processed or tinned meats (polony, Vienna’s, salami, ham, sausages, boerewors) Smoked & cured meat and fish (bacon, biltong, bokoms, anchovies, corned beef, pickled tongue and smoked pork) Take-away foods, pizza, crumbed meat or chicken Cheese Butter, hard margarine |
It seems like such an easy answer to weight-control: whatever you put in, you just throw out. But it isn’t how your body works – at all. We’re not sure where our connection between food and health broke down, but conditions like bulimia show how broken it can get. Continue reading “Bulimia: The food monster”
