Get creative with veggies
 
Having a green salad every day or the same steamed broccoli every night can get very boring. Fortunately, there are many interesting ways one can prepare vegetables to create a whole new taste experience: 
 

• Mushroom burger. Try using a large grilled mushroom as a burger patty. Just be sure to use a low GI seed roll rather than a normal white burger bun.
• Grilled vegetable kebabs. Brush a “lite” Italian dressing over baby tomatoes, mushrooms, sliced baby marrow and red peppers. Push the pieces of vegetables onto skewers and grill until the vegetables are tender (i.e. about 6 to 8 minutes).
  

“Eating FAT will make you fat”, “FAT is bad”, “cut out bad FAT to live longer”.  These statements have been said and heard more than enough times, resulting in much confusion.
Kezia helps us to debunk the myths and clarify the effect different fats have on our health.

Good fat, bad fat, why do we even need fat?

First of all the right kind of fat plays an essential role in the body. Namely, fat is vital for vitamin absorption, energy development as well as adequate brain functionality.  There are even some fats which lowers the risk of developing heart disease. So which are good and which are bad?

Fats are divided into 4 main classes

o        Saturated fats

o        Monounsaturated fats

o        Polyunsaturated fats (omega 3 and 6)

o        Essential fatty acids

Different fats have different effects on the body:

In conclusion, we can see that FAT isn’t ‘bad’ and that they’re not the enemy, we simply need to understand them correctly. If we place more emphasis on limiting the ‘bad’ fats while making sure that we eat enough of the ‘good’ fats, we’ll be one step closer to living a healthier life.

With February being the month of Love, isn't a good time to look after your heart?

You can love your heart by:

• Going for annual cholesterol checks
• Avoiding saturated fat (e.g. butter, red meat) and trans fats (commercial biscuits, pies and crisps)
• Eating more unsaturated fats (e.g. avo, nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, fatty fish)
• Exercising at least 30 minutes on most days of the week
• Keeping your weight in check
• Keeping your blood pressure healthy
• Avoiding excess salt and pre-packaged foods
• Eating more fresh fruits and veggies
• Choosing fat-free dairy products

Have a great month!

With February being the month of love, hearts and flowers, what better time is there to look after your own heart by considering your cholesterol levels...

Raised cholesterol levels are one of the leading risk factors for heart disease. However, many individuals are unsure as to how to manage their cholesterol levels.

Cholesterol – friend or foe?

Cholesterol is a waxy substance, which is naturally produced in the body by the liver and transported by the blood. It has an important physiological role in supporting the body’s organs. However, an excess of cholesterol in the blood can accumulate in blood vessels and increase risk of heart disease and strokes.

Deciphering the riddle

There are various cholesterol-related terms:

• Total cholesterol: measure of different components of cholesterol within body – including HDL and LDL levels
• HDL: considered “good” cholesterol, as it transports cholesterol from blood to liver where it can be broken down and inactivated
• LDL: considered “bad” cholesterol, as it carries cholesterol from liver to blood where it can exert its harmful effects.  

Therefore one wants to ensure that one’s HDL is not too low and one’s LDL is not too high, which in turn would have a more favourable outcome. 

Treatment Action Plan

Cholesterol-lowering medication is often used to treat high cholesterol, which acts by reducing the amount of cholesterol the body produces. There are various ways other than medication to increase HDL, reduce LDL, reduce total cholesterol, and thus improve one’s cholesterol profile:
 

• Regular exercise (at least 30 minutes three times a week) helps increase HDL levels
• Choosing the right fats: There are two main kinds of fats – saturated fats and unsaturated fats. Saturated fats are mainly found in animal-derived foods (e.g. red meat, butter, full-cream dairy products). Unsaturated fats are mainly found in plant-derived foods (e.g. nuts, seeds, olives, olive oil, avocadoes). Saturated fats increase total cholesterol levels and therefore these foods should be limited. Unsaturated fats have many health benefits (e.g. anti-inflammatory and total cholesterol-lowering properties) and therefore these fats should replace saturated fats in the diet as much as possible.
• Increase fibre: Fibre binds cholesterol and helps remove it from the body, and thus naturally lowers total cholesterol and LDL levels.
  
  Thus through sustained lifestyle modifications and a healthy, balanced diet, one can significantly improve and manage one's cholesterol levels.