Ostrich Stew with Gremolata

Leave a comment September 30, 2016 nutritionadsa

A great choice for health-conscious red meat lovers and a wonderful in-between seasons recipe – Ostrich Stew with Gremolata, created by chef Vanessa Marx.

Our dietitians say: Ostrich is a great tasting lean read meat. It is low in fat (only 1.4 g fat per 100 g meat), rich in protein (22 protein per 100 g meat), lower in cholesterol than other red meats (only 60 mg per 100 g meat), and a good source of biologically available iron  (3.2 mg iron per 100 g serving of meat)

INGREDIENTS

500 g ostrich fillet cubes

1 tablespoon (15 ml) canola oil

2 cans (400 g each) chopped tomato

1 cup (250 ml) red wine

1 carrot

1 onion

100 g mushrooms

100 g green beans

10 g thyme, fresh

10 g rosemary, fresh

1 can (400 g net, 244 g drained) beans e.g. kidney, butter beans or cooked sugar beans, drained and rinsed

salt & pepper

1 tablespoon (15 ml) xylitol

2 cloves garlic

10 g Italian parsley

1 lemon

METHOD

1. Peel and chop the onion and carrot, and slice the mushrooms and green beans.
2. Place a large pot on a high heat and add the oil. Once hot, add the onion, mushroom and carrot and sauté for 2 minutes.
3. Add the ostrich cubes, chopped tomato, wine and chopped herbs and reduce the heat to low.
4. Allow the pot to simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally, the sauce will reduce and thicken and the ostrich will soften. Once this happens, add the green beans and season with salt and pepper, add the xylitol and the can of beans & stir.
5. Simmer the stew for another 5 minutes to cook the green beans.
6. To make the gremolata, chop the fresh garlic finely, chop the parsley and zest the lemon. Mix the parsley garlic & lemon zest together.
7. Serve the stew hot and sprinkle with the fresh gremolata.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING

(recipe serves 4)

Energy: 1400 kJ Protein: 35.6 g Carbohydrate: 23.8 g Of which, total sugars: 9.1 g Fat: 6.7 g Fibre: 17.2 g Sodium: 180 mg

 

 

Time To Make Lifestyle Your Medicine

Chat Leave a comment September 28, 2016 nutritionadsa

103041_262 — GOOD MORNING AMERICA — DR. DAVID KATZ GM05 (CREDIT: ABC/ Ida Mae Astute )

“We could, as a culture, eliminate 80 percent of all chronic disease,” says Dr David Katz, one of the world’s leading proponents of lifestyle as medicine, during a recent visit to South Africa. “But my family and yours cannot afford to keep on waiting on the world to change. By taking matters into our own hands, we can lose weight and find health right now. We can reduce our personal risk of chronic disease, and that of the people we love, by that very same 80 percent. We can make our lives not just longer, but better.”

As current President of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the premise of Dr Katz’s work is based on the evidence of a litany of studies published since 1993 that show that around 80% of all chronic disease can be attributed to a particular short list of lifestyle behaviours. This is why cancers, cardiovascular disease, strokes, diabetes, dementia and other common killers are now commonly known as ‘lifestyle diseases’. Researchers have argued that they are not, in fact, ‘causes’ of death, but rather the tragic effects of disease-causing behaviours embedded in our lifestyles. As Dr Katz points out, the good news for us is that it means that 80% of chronic diseases are preventable if we make the necessary lifestyle changes.

“If you consider,” he says, “that a wealth of research has shown that people who eat well, exercise routinely, avoid tobacco, and control their weight have an 80% lower probability across their entire life spans of developing any major chronic disease, then we realize that this combination of not smoking, eating healthily, being physically active and managing weight is perhaps the greatest advance in the history of medicine.”

Internationally, Dr Katz is renowned for drawing our attention to what we are doing with our ‘fingers, forks and feet’. What we most need to reduce our risk of the most common diseases is to make sure our fingers are free of cigarettes, our forks are full of healthful food and that our feet carry us a fair distance each day. Stopping smoking may be hard, but it is a clear and possible goal. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a rougher measure, but it still serves to give us a fair enough indication of what our healthy weight should be. We know that at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day will go a long way to both managing weight and staying physically strong and limber.

However, with one fad diet after another capturing media attention and shifting us wilfully from low-fat to low-carb, from high-fat to high-protein, from vegan to carnivorous, there is unnecessary confusion and complexity about what really constitutes healthy eating.

Dr Katz cuts through the clamour of ‘the latest, greatest diet’ phenomenon by championing the simple, common sense advice of writer, Michael Pollan: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” (In his book ‘In Defence of Food: Eater’s Manifesto’, Pollan expanded on what he means by ‘Eat food’ to assert that we should ‘avoid eating anything your grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food’.)

What most countries’ most recent dietary guidelines have in common is the recommendation of eating patterns that are higher in vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, whole-grains and seafood; and lower in red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, as well as refined starches. As Dr Katz pointed out: “Additional strong evidence shows that it is not necessary to eliminate food groups or conform to a single dietary pattern to achieve healthy dietary patterns. Rather, individuals can combine foods in a variety of flexible ways to achieve healthy dietary patterns, and these strategies should be tailored to meet the individual’s health needs, dietary preferences and cultural traditions.”

“It was wonderful to experience a leading international authority supporting a message that is at the very core of the work of South African dietitians,” says Association for Dietetics in South Africa (ADSA) spokesperson, Cath Day, “Just because it can be such a profitable industry, there’s always going to be a ‘new’ idea for the next ‘right’ diet, which is usually based on some or other distortion of scientific evidence. But what Dr Katz emphasises is that, as nutrition professionals we already know exactly what balanced healthy eating is, and it is never going to be one single eating regime for everyone to follow. What we eat is rooted in our diverse cultures, affected by availability and influenced by our individual tastes. It is always possible for a person to transform to a healthy diet while fully taking into account their unique circumstances around food; and this is exactly what our dietitians work with clients to achieve.”

Dr Katz pointed out to the South African nutrition community that what conspires mightily against a culture of healthy eating in Western societies is far less about the distracting ‘noise’ of the latest fad diet. Instead he urged that the focus should remain steady on the proliferation and accessibility of a vast array of highly processed, fast and convenient foods which have invaded our eating regimes and are overwhelming our habits of sourcing fresh, natural foods and preparing healthful home meals from scratch.

“If lifestyle is the medicine, it is culture that is the spoon that makes the medicine do down,” concludes Katz. The trouble is that we currently have a culture that largely values convenience over health, and we make lifestyle choices, including what we do with our fingers, forks and feet accordingly.

Dr David Katz was in South Africa to speak at the 2016 South African Nutrition Congress hosted by the Nutrition Society of South Africa (NSSA) and ADSA. He invited the South African Nutrition community to join http://www.truehealthinitiative.org/ an international coalition uniting nutrition experts in the global consensus on lifestyle a medicine.
To find a dietitian in your area who can assist you with a healthy eating lifestyle plan, visit www.adsa.org.za

Get ready for National Braai Day!

Chat Leave a comment September 22, 2016 nutritionadsa

In celebration of one of South Africa’s favourite past times (braaing) and the day dedicated to it (National Braai Day) our dietitians, Monique Piderit and Brigitte Leclercq, have put together some practical tips for a healthier braai:

• A braai is a great excuse to get your greens in. Be creative when doing this, such as making interesting salads.
• Try alternate your protein sources instead of only eating red meat, which may become boring after a while- try something like stuffed fish (stuff with nectarines for something different)- always make sure you are making a sustainable choice such as choosing fish from the green SASSI-approved list.
• Grilled chicken and vegetable kebabs are an easy way to get your vegetable intake, without anyone noticing.
• Have a healthy snack before you go out for a braai. This will prevent you from being overly hungry when you arrive and less tempted to over-eat on snacks. If you are hosting the braai, be sure to start your fire early enough to eat at a reasonable hour. The later the lunch, the longer you may sit mindlessly nibbling away on unhealthy snacks.
• To keep your guests cool in the summer sun, serve cold water. Add colour and flavour using mint, lemon slices or strawberries, and top with lots of ice.
• Choose chicken or fish over red meat. Select barbeque basting to still ensure flavour. Flavour your food with fresh herbs and spices, and limit the use of salt.
• Leave condiments and toppings off starters, salads and side dishes. Substitute for flavour with lower fat condiments such as lemon juice, pepper, mustard, salsa and Tabasco. Make a potato salad with low-fat mayonnaise, or mix half mayo with low-fat yoghurt for a creamy alternative.
• Surprisingly, even salads at a braai can be laden with unnecessary calories by the addition of croutons, bacon bits, cheeses and salad dressings. Look for garden salads with more vegetables than high fat ingredients. Fill up half of your plate with healthy salad and veggies.
• Request that the host not dress the salad or ask for a portion before doing so. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar and olive oil and some black pepper instead of a pre-prepared salad dressing. Alternatively, offer to bring a salad to ensure you have a healthy option of veggies at the braai.

The weather promises to be amazing, so join friends and family to celebrate our heritage and braai!

 

Celebrating Heritage Day with Food!

Chat Leave a comment September 20, 2016 nutritionadsa

In celebration on Heritage Day (24 September), ADSA member Mpho Tshukudu and food writer Anna Trapido, authors of the wonderful cookbook EAT TING, share one of their many ‘traditional recipes with a modern twist’ with us!

EAT TING will make you fall in love with timeless African flavours – while also improving your health and well-being. Lets celebrate our heritage and get cooking:

Modernised Dikgobe Salad of Red & White Sorghum, Fennel & Radish

Ingredients

(Serves 8)

2 cups wholegrain sorghum (red, white or a mix), rinsed

salt

1/2 cup cowpeas or letlhodi (mung beans)

1 large fennel bulb, cut lengthwise into thin slices

2 tbps olive oil

freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup orange juice

1/4 cup lime juice

1 shallot or small onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp chopped fresh dill

1 tsp finely grated orange zest

1/2 cup olive oil

5 large radishes, thinly sliced

1/4 cup olives, pitted and halved

2 tbsp finely chopped fennel fronds

1/2 cup fresh dill sprigs

Method

Place sorghum in a pot, add water to cover by about 3cm and season with salt. Place cowpeas in a separate pot and add water to cover. Bring both pots to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until tender and water is absorbed (about 45 minutes to 1 hour). Add additional water to the cowpeas if needed. Preheat the oven to 200˚C. Toss fennel slices and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium bowl to coat. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Spread fennel slices out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast until fennel is crisp-tender and beginning to brown in spots, about 18 minutes. Cool on baking sheet.

Whisk orange juice, lime juice, chopped shallot, dill and orange zest in a medium bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set vinaigrette aside.

Mix cooked sorghum and cowpeas in a salad bowl; add fennel and juices on baking sheet. Add radishes, olives, fennel fronds and dill sprigs. Drizzle vinaigrette over and toss to coat.

GI is lowered by the ascorbic acid in the fruit juices.

Nutritional values per serving

Energy: 834,6 kJ

Carbohydrate: 25,6 g

Protein: 6,3 g

Fat: 9,9 g

Unsaturated fat: 8,5 g

Saturated fat: 1,3 g

Fibre: 2,6 g

 

“I’m fascinated about the effect of food on our health”

Chat Leave a comment September 16, 2016 nutritionadsa

We chatted to Registered Dietitian, Kelly Schreuder who also has professional culinary experience, to find out why she became a dietitian, what she loves about her work and what the challenges are:

Why did you become a Registered Dietitian?

I was very interested in health and the prevention of disease – always reading about nutrition and fascinated about the effect of food on our health.

What do you enjoy most about the work you do? What are the most satisfying moments?

I love supporting individuals through healthy lifestyle change. Everyone is totally unique and it’s very satisfying to work out what inspires and motivates each person. Everyone also has a point of readiness they need to reach before lifestyle change starts to feel easier and I love getting people to that point.

What has been your career highlight?

Running a sustainable business – making a living doing what I love and working on things that inspire me.

What are the most challenging aspects of your career?

Running my own business! Even when you love what you do, there will always be admin, chores, and those days when you’d rather not show up.

How do you cope after a day of nutrition disaster and bad eating choices?

Get over it and start again – always going back to what I know works for me.

What are the three things that you think people should stop saying when they meet a dietitian?

• “Oooh…Don’t look at what I’m eating!” (We trust that you are able to make your own decisions and we are not always perfect either)
• “Is this fattening?” (The answer will always be “it depends”)
• “What do you think of [insert latest diet trend]?” (unless you want a long answer that will also end up being something along the lines of “it depends”!)

Generally though, we are quite used to answering these questions, so bring it on!

What should clients look out for when deciding which dietitian to work with?

Good rapport with the person. Our training is the same, and you should always feel that you can trust a dietitian, and get good advice, but when you have to work with someone long-term, it really helps to enjoy the time you spend with them.

What is your favourite dish and your favourite treat food?

At the end of the week I like to chop up all the leftover vegetables in my fridge and make a kind of fried rice (with brown rice, ideally) with spring onions, garlic and ginger. Favourite treat: Chocolate with nuts – any kind will do. I have a couple of squares almost every single day after dinner, with a cup of plain rooibos or green tea.

To find a dietitian in your area visit the ‘Find A Dietitian’ section on the ADSA website.

 

 

Big hearts can protect little hearts this Heart Month

Chat Leave a comment September 15, 2016 nutritionadsa

Our Friends at the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa (HSFSA) are doing their bit during Heart Month to raise funds for upgrading of paediatric cardiac care units. They teamed up with the Paediatric Cardiac Society of South Africa (PCSSA) to shine a spotlight on congenital heart disease and the fact that many parents are unaware of their child having a heart condition.

Heart disease affects children too

“There is something wrong with your baby’s heart” – these are the words no parent wants to hear. Yet one in 100 babies are born with congenital heart disease (CHD). It is the most common birth defect worldwide and sadly, 10% of these babies do not reach their first birthday.

“The real tragedy is that many parents don’t know that their baby might have a heart defect,” says Professor Pamela Naidoo, the new CEO of the HSFSA. She says inherited heart conditions affect around 1% of the population. “It has happened that a family only realises that there is an inherited heart condition when a child or family member collapses on the rugby field or while engaged in an activity.”

Wanting to prevent such tragedies, the HSFSA is launching a new campaign this September during Heart Month – the Smart Little Hearts campaign. In a joint initiative with the PCSSA, the campaign sets out to increase awareness about CHD and arm parents with the knowledge they need to get their children screened at birth, as well as to raise funds to support children affected by the condition.

Heart disease in children can be treated

Although there is nothing that can be done to prevent congenital heart disease, there is a lot that can be done for new born babies, if it is detected early. Special care and treatment can prevent it being fatal and can reduce the impact of disability later in life.

Paediatric cardiologist and president of the PCSSA, Dr Liesl Zuhlke says, “Often congenital heart disease is missed or diagnosed too late. Some babies born with a heart defect can appear healthy at first and can be sent home with their families before their heart defect is detected. Babies with undiagnosed critical CHD are discharged and then deteriorate rapidly or die. About 20% of deaths thought to be Sudden Infant Syndrome (SIDS) are actually CHD.”

Dr Zuhlke believes every child should be tested for CHD before they leave the hospital. And a breakthrough in the detection of the condition in the form of a simple test, called pulse oximetry screening, means that this is not an idle wish – even in under-resourced South African hospitals.

Pulse oximetry screening is a simple, non-invasive test that determines the amount of oxygen in a baby’s blood and the baby’s pulse rate. Low levels of oxygen in the blood can be a sign of a CHD. The test is endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which advocates that it should be in every health facility worldwide – but it is not widely used in South Africa.

“Unfortunately, the test is not carried out routinely in this country,” says Professor Naidoo. “It’s not part of routine care and the technology is not available in all maternity units and health facilities.

“In fact, maternity units and paediatric cardiac units in hospitals around the country are poorly equipped and under resourced,” continues Naidoo. “They need more equipment and healthcare personnel to screen every new born baby. But there is also much that can be done to brighten up these areas in hospitals to make them more child-friendly.”

A room with a heart

About 11 000 babies are born each year in South Africa with congenital heart disease. The majority of these will need on-going medical care. As many of the paediatric cardiac care units in South Africa are cold, unfriendly places, the HSFSA wants to raise funds to refurbish these health facilities and improve the quality of the lives of children with heart disease.

Seven paediatric cardiac care units in the South African public healthcare system have been identified as being in urgent need of upgrades to be more child-friendly. And the HSFSA has opened an SMS donate line (SMS “SMART” to 38502 to donate R10) to help raise funds to achieve this.

“Help us turn scary hospitals into warm and loving environments for our Smart Little Hearts. Just R10 can help to put a smile on the face of a child suffering from heart disease,” says Professor Naidoo.

Hearts big and small at risk from heart disease in SA

The Smart Little Hearts campaign forms part of a bigger awareness drive that the HSFSA will be running in September for Heart Awareness Month. “Heart diseases and strokes are the second biggest killer in South Africa after HIV/AIDS,” says Professor Naidoo.

She says people in South Africa are becoming less active and eat more unhealthily resulting in obesity, diabetes and hypertension all being on the rise. These are big risk factors for heart disease. “If we continue leading these unhealthy lives, the impact of heart diseases will get worse,” warns Professor Naidoo.

The good news is that up to 80% of heart disease can be prevented by living a healthy and balanced lifestyle – getting enough exercise, eating a balanced diet, not smoking and drinking little alcohol. It is also vital that people get themselves tested to find out if they are at risk for heart disease so that they can manage their risk factors.

This September, the HSFSA is partnering with Dis-Chem Pharmacies nationwide to provide free testing for blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose, risk factors that contribute to heart disease.

By getting tested, people will help themselves – but they can also help raise funds for the HSFSA Smart Little Hearts campaign. Local healthcare organisations MNI Lifestyle and Patient Focus will make a donation towards the campaign for every person tested this Heart Month.

“This is just another way that big hearts can help protect themselves and little ones this Heart Month,” says Professor Naidoo.

Want to help?

SMS the word “Smart” to 38502 to donate R10 to improve the lives of children in paediatric cardiac care units in South Africa as part of the Smart Little Hearts campaign.

Visit www.heartfoundation.co.za for more information.