Fact or Flaw: Breastfeeding the preferred feeding choice? PART 2

As part of breastfeeding week, registered dietitian Jannike Vlok informs us about infant feeding Facts vs Flaws. We continue where we left off last week with the second 5 Breastfeeding Facts

Up next for breastfeeding week, registered dietitian Jannike Vlok gives us Practical Breastfeeding tips. Whether you are a mom, a mother to be, or know someone who wants to breastfeed, read the Good Life Blog for these handy tips!

Fact or Flaw: Breastfeeding the preferred feeding choice?

As part of breastfeeding week, registered dietitian Jannike Vlok informs us about infant feeding Facts vs Flaws.

It is a FACT that breastfeeding is the preferred method of feeding your baby. Read part 1 of section 1, giving us the first 5 benefits of breastfeeding, and keep your eye on the blog to get the next 5 benefits

Read about 5 more benefits all next week, as part of our breastfeeding celebration!

Jannike Vlok. RD (SA) for Good Life Dietitians

References:

1.   Mahan L.K and Escott Stump S. Krause’s Food and Nutrition Therapy. 12^th Ed. Saunders Elsevier: Canada; 2008

2.   World Health Organization (WHO) [homepage on the internet]. Breastfeeding. [updated July 2009; cited July 2011] Available from: http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/breastfeeding/facts/en/index.html

3.   World Health Orginization. Horta B.L, Bahl R, Martines J.C, Victora C.G.  Evidence of long term effects of breastfeeding. 2007.

4.   Department of Health, South Africa. Mother, child health and nutrition booklet. 2008

Moms on Breastfeeding: Part I

Zodwa with baby Siphiwe

In honour of Breastfeeding Week, we bring you breastfeeding experiences from two of our followers. In the first post, Zodwa Nzima, an executive service specialist at Discovery, tells about her breastfeeding experience with baby Siphiwe.

Breastfeeding for me was a complete nightmare in the beginning. I had a C-Section as my son was 3.76kg and breastfeeding is the best option to heal faster. I didn’t partake in the old wives tales, pulling my nipples whilst I was pregnant and struggled a lot getting my son to latch onto my nipple on my first day. 

I hated breastfeeding because it was the most painful part of my pregnancy! I was running a tap of milk, changing my breast pads every 5 hours but my son would cry a lot. I went back to the hospital to query if I was breastfeeding correctly, alternative options  to breastfeed only to be told I have perfect nipples and just a new technique to hold my son whilst breastfeeding. The nurse advised me to relax, have a snack, read a book, get comfortable basically when breastfeeding. The pain whilst breastfeeding and my operation that was very difficult to relax and be comfortable. 

I slowly though got the hang of things, became a “whip it out in public”, LOL!!! (I was always against woman pulling out their boobs in public referred to them as the “whip it out in public” and told myself I would never breastfeed in public) Guess what I claimed the title too, in the parking bays, restaurants, malls, pulling on the side of the highway to breastfeed. It’s the best bonding session ever, the feeling…..priceless!

Wow I miss that! It got so enjoyable adjusting to breastfeeding and giving him the bottle as well (my son loves food!) that it became my favourite part of the day. Just when I had mastered breastfeeding, my son stopped and wanted the bottle more. I think it was because of the way my milk came out. I had lots of milk but he struggled pulling or getting full from my breasts and the bottle was easier. I started breastfeeding only at night after work till he refused that process as well. He is now 8months tomorrow and has 2 bottom teeth, is starting to walk and driving me insane moving around the furniture as he holds on to everything trying to walk!

Thanks for your story Zodwa! Your perseverence to breastfeed despite the difficulties is a lesson for all mom's starting out breastfeeding.

Getting you in the mood for Breastfeeding week 2011!

Keep your eyes on the blog for more posts dedicated to breastfeeding week!

Follow the Good Life Dietitians on Twitter

Follow the Good Life Dietitians on Twitter for on-the-go health info and tips!

look for us and be sure to follow:  GoodLife_Diet

Bore Yourself Slim

 

 

 

The Good Life Dietitians are very proud to announce collaboration with Shape magazine. In the first of many Shape features, we comment on the new belief that eating the same thing every day may actually help you lose weight.

 

Find out if Boring Yourself Slim is a good idea.

 

 

Breastfeeding Statistics: SA and Globally

We thank registered dietitian, Jannike Vlok, for this insightful introduction to Breastfeeding as part of Breastfeeding week. Keep reading for more blog posts from this author

THE ULTIMATE YOGHURT RESULTS

WE HAVE FOUND A WINNER!

After considering 5 Low Fat Strawberry Yoghurt Brands, we have made the decision.

There were 6 categories and these were the category winners:

Texture: Woolworths low fat Strawberry yoghurt

Taste: Nutriday low fat Strawberry yoghurt

Price: Pick n Pay Strawberry low fat yoghurt

Consistency: Parmalat Strawberry low fat yoghurt

Lowest calories:  Woolworths low fat Strawberry yoghurt

Reader’s Choice: Woolworths low fat Strawberry yoghurt

1.   PnP Strawberry Low Fat Yoghurt:

Even though this product is lowest in price, it scored the lowest overall total

2.   Nutriday Strawberry Low Fat Yoghurt:

This product scored high in most categories but is also the highest in calories. About 110 kJ more than the average

3.   Parmalat Strawberry Low Fat Yoghurt

This product scored high in all categories

4.   Woolworths Strawberry Low Fat  Yoghurt

A high scoring product in all categories but the highest in price

5.   Dairy bell fruits of the forest Strawberry Low Fat yoghurt

Average product, not scoring the best in any of the categories

GOOD LIFE DIETITIANS RECOMMENDED BEST PRODUCT:

1.    Woolworths Strawberry low fat

2.    Parmalat Strawberry low fat

3.    Nutriday Strawberry low fat

If the price doesn’t bother you, go for the Woolworths Strawberry low fat. If shopping at another supermarket, choose Parmalat Strawberry low fat. And on the day that you feel like splurging on calories, try the delicious Nutriday Strawberry low fat yoghurt.

We hope that your life is made easier!

Many more products will be put up to the test. Let us know what products you need some advice on!

Good Life Dietitians



Looking for something to do around Jozi?

All Foodies: TAKE NOTE

From 28 to 30 July, young and old can tuck into a variety of comfort food, hot drinks and sweet delights at Bryanston Shopping Centre’s Fab Food Fair.

The feast, accompanied by lively music, will start at 11 am and carry on until 4 pm for the whole weekend.

There will be something to satisfy every food lover – from stews, soups and fresh breads to nuts, popcorn and steak rolls.

Live cooking demonstrations by local chefs will take place daily and are sure to inspire and delight the audience.

There will also be a wide range of cheeses and wines on offer while Toni’s Café is hosting a wine tasting evening on 28 July from 4 until 7 pm.


YUMMY PRIZES TO BE WON

Three lucky winners will be able to enjoy more fabulous food after the fair has come to an end.

• The first prize includes a dinner for six at Adega Restaurant, plus signed copies of Zoosh, Faking It by Jeremy and Jacqui Mansfield and Cooked in Africa by Justin Bonello.
   
• The second prize takes the winner and three friends to lunch at Living Café and includes signed copies of Zoosh, Faking It and Cooked in Africa.
   
• The third prize is a breakfast for four at Toni’s Café, plus a signed copy of Zoosh, Faking It.

Entry forms will be available at the Fab Food Fair. You can also enter the Bryanston Shopping Centre's online competition by visiting their website.
Entries close 30 July.
The Fab Food Fair welcomes the whole family and promises to deliver a feast for the eyes and taste buds!

For more information, please contact Lenita Camacho on (011) 884 6838.

also see the Taste Magazine Website

Enjoy this outing!

Good Life Dietitians

Good Life Dietitians on LEEF Website!

To all our readers

LEEF magazine will feature a Good Life Dietitians post every Thursday on their website. It is our first venture with a mainly Afrikaans target market and we are loving the growth of this blog.

Please view the full first article and leave your comment on their site: LEEF article by Good Life Dietitians

Good Life Dieetkundiges op LEEF web-tuiste

Aan al ons lesers

LEEF tydskrif sal van nou af elke Donderdag 'n artikel deur Good Life Dietitians publiseer op hul web-tuiste. Dit is Good Life Dieetkundiges se eerste stel artikels in Afrikaans en ons geniet die nuwe fase en groei.

Besoek LEEF se web-tuiste en lewer commentaar op die volle artikel by: LEEF artikel deur Good Life Dieetkundiges

Ons sien uit om van die Afrikaanse lesers te hoor

4 Simple Steps to Start the Exercise Habit

This Fitness Thursday we introduce the Good Life readers to Leo Babauta, author Zen Habits, one of the world’s most popular blogs. With over 200 000 followers, all of Zen Habits posts are uncopyrighted allowing us to share with you some of the pearls of wisdom from this avid runner and vegan.

I have to admit that I have my ups and downs with the exercise habit. So I know that it’s not the easiest habit for most people, and most people’s experiences consist of starting and stopping and starting again. Which is fine- don’t beat yourself up about it. The important thing is starting again. I’ve written before about how to build the exercise habit (and even have a guest post on it), but today I thought I’d revisit the topic for those who still have trouble.

So why do most people have trouble making exercise a regular habit? Well, there are probably a number of factors, but here are the main ones as I see it:

Too difficult. People set out with a lot of ambition and enthusiasm, and start out with a big goal. “I’m going to go to the gym for an hour a day!” or “I’m going to run 30 minutes every day!” The problem is that the goal is too difficult to sustain for very long. You can do it for a few days, but you soon run out of energy, and it becomes a drag to do it.

Too many goals. Often we set out to do too much. We want to run, and lift weights, and eat healthy and quit sweets, and stop drinking soda. Well, those are multiple goals, and you cannot focus on the exercise habit if you’re trying to do all the others at the same time. Or we might start with one goal, but then get caught up in another goal (to stop procrastinating, for example), and lose our focus on the first one.

Not enough motivation. It’s not a lack of discipline; it’s a lack of motivation. The most powerful motivators, in my experience, are logging your habit and public pressure. There are many others that help as well.

So how do we solve those problems? Keep it simple. Here are the 4 simple steps to start the exercise habit (and keep it going). I should note that you can use these 4 steps to start any habit.

1.       Set one easy, specific, measurable goal

  There are several keys to setting this crucial goal:

Written: Write this down. Post it up. If you don’t write it down, it’s not important.

Easy: Don’t — DO NOT — set a difficult goal. Set one that is super, super easy. Five minutes of exercise a day. You can do that. Work your way to 10 minutes after a month. Then go to 15 after 2 months. You can see what I mean: make it easy to start with, so you can build your habit, and then gradually increase.

Specific: By specific, I mean what activities are you going to do, at what time of day, and where? Don’t just say “exercise” or “I’m going to walk”. You have to set a time and place. Make it an appointment you can’t miss.

Trigger: I recommend that you have a “trigger” right before you do your habit. For example, you might always brush your teeth right after you shower. The shower is the trigger for brushing your teeth, and because of that, you never forget to brush your teeth. Well, what will you do right before you exercise? Is it right after you wake up? Right after your coffee? Right when you get home? As soon as you take off for lunch? A trigger that you do every single day is important.

Measurable: By measurable, I mean that you should be able to say, definitely, whether you hit or miss your goal today. Examples: run for 10 minutes. Walk 1/2 a mile. Do 3 sets of 5 pushups. Each of those has a number that you can shoot for.

One goal: Stick to this one goal for at least a month. Two months if you can bear it. Don’t start up a second goal during that 30-day period. If you do, you are scrapping this goal.

2.       Log it daily

 This is the key habit. If you can log your workout, you will start to see your progress, and it will motivate you to keep going. And you have to make it a habit to log it right away. Don’t put it off, and say you’ll do it before you go to bed. As soon as you’re done working out, log it. No exceptions. And don’t make the log complicated — that will only make you resist doing the log. Just the date, time, and what you did.

3.       Report to others

 I think this is key. You can do it on your blog, on an online forum, with your spouse, or friends or family, or a workout partner, or a coach, or a group, or a class. However you set it up, make it part of the process that you have to report your daily workout to other people. It could be using an online log, or on a forum, or through email, or the phone, or just by telling your co-workers what you did this morning. But be sure that they know your goal, and that you are going to report to them, and be sure that they are expecting it every day.

4.       Add motivation as needed

 The first three steps might be enough for you to get the habit going. But if not, don’t just give up. If you miss two consecutive workouts, you need to look at why, and add a new motivation. Rewards, more public pressure, inspiration, whatever it takes. You can add one additional motivator, and then see if it works. If you miss two more consecutive workouts at any time, add another motivator. And so on, until the exercise habit sticks.

Functional Foods in Cancer

Functional Foods in Cancer

As it is Cancer Awareness week at the end of this month, we would like to introduce you to foods that may have beneficial effects in reducing your cancer risk.

Today, food can be seen as a route to optimal wellness. The American Dietetics Association (ADA) states that all foods are functional at some level as they ensure energy, maintenance, growth and repair within the body. It can then be added that functional foods, by definition, move beyond essential requirements to provide additional health benefits that promote optimal health, nutritional status and reduce disease risks.

All functional foods contain a bio-active component, the part of the food that is actively involved in the reduction of disease risk. These components work in different ways to combat cancer:

·        Antioxidant protection of DNA which may be damaged by free radicals and may increase the risk of cancer.

·         Killing of cancer cells in the body

·         Increasing DNA repair with the help of folic acid

·         Decreasing time for transit of intestinal bulk, avoiding cancer cell formation (fibre)

·         Killing of tumour cells and slowing down the growth of tumour cells

It is important to note that these foods are not just important for those who have or are at risk of getting cancer, but for all individuals as part of a healthy lifestyle

The table below suggests foods that have been studied and shown to aid in possible reduction of the risk of cancer

BIOACTIVE COMPONENT	BENEFITS	FOOD PRODUCT
Insoluble fiber	↓ risk of colon and breast cancer	Wheat bran, Fruit and vegetables.
Catechins	↓ risk of cancer	Green tea
Lycopene	↓ risk of prostate cancer	Tomatoes and tomato products
Cacao polyphenols	Inhibit carcinogen-binding to DNA	Cacao, cacao butter and chocolate
Curcuminoids	Inhibit cancer cells binding to DNA, and helps in DNA repair	Turmeric
Tannic acid	Inhibit carcinogenesis through iron-chelating activities	Plants
Calcium	Decreased risk of cancer;	Milk and milk products
Zoochemicals ; conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)	Decreased body fat and cancer protection properties	Red meat, dairy products
Lignans	Decreased Cancer Risks	Flax oil, rye products, vegetables

References:

1.     Position of the American Dietetic Association: Functional foods. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2009 April. 109: 4.

2.      Ferrari CKB. Functional foods, herbs and nutraceuticals: towards biochemical mechanisms of healthy aging. 2004

Managing Morning Sickness: Part II

Today we continue where we left off last Mommy Monday with more tips on managing morning sickness.

Many pregnant women also find sour foods and salt and/or vinegar very helpful in managing nausea.

-       Salt and vinegar crisps, salticrax, salted peanuts, vinaigrette dressing over salads

-       Sour  foods e.g. gums, sour worms, sour balls, lemonade, hot water and lemon juice

A well-known remedy is ginger, known to be particularly effective in relieving nausea.

Try ginger tea, ginger ale, or cook using ginger in your meals.

Purity Mama Ginger Lollipops contain ginger as well as folic acid, an essential vitamin in pregnancy for foetal growth and development. Sucking on one of these lollies will also help boost energy levels when you feel sluggish.

Purity Mama Organic Rooibos and Ginger Tea is a caffeine free organic tea low in tannins, and contains ginger to alleviate nausea. Allow to cool in the fridge for a refreshing summer’s drink, or drink warm with a slice of lemon on a cold day.

(Note: discontinue the use of ginger when taking blood thinners or preparing for surgery.)

Avoid the kitchen when someone is cooking.

The smell of the food may make you feel nauseous, so eat in well-ventilated areas that free from odours

Avoid taking medicine on an empty stomach.

Multivitamin supplements may trigger nausea. Prenatal supplements can be taken at a  time in the day when vomiting is least likely.

Iron supplements often contribute to nausea. Bedtime is a good time to take an iron supplement.

Drink fluids in between meals and not with meals.

Although it is important to drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration when vomiting, some women find it more comfortable to consume most of their fluids between meals and limit mealtime beverages. Wait about 30 minutes after eating to have a drink. 

If vomiting is severe that it impairs normal daily activities, consult with your doctor.

Drugs used to control nausea and vomiting may include ondansetron, cyclizine, buclizine, metoclopramide, meclizine, prochlorperazine or promethazine.

 Be sure to rehydrate well throughout the day. 

Sports drinks such as Powerade, Energade and Game are good examples of fluids for hydration.

Other elements that may add to nausea include motion, excessive noise, bright lights, and adverse climates.

Let us know of your tried and tested tips in managing morning sickness by leaving a comment or posting on our facebook page.