HEART HEALTHY TIP

Translating Trans Fats

On August 17^th 2011 the South African government imposed tough new restrictions on the use of trans fats in our foods. This new legislation requires that all foods and food products contain less than 2g of trans fats per 100g of food or food product. The Good Life Dietitians welcome this new legislation which, as most dietitians will agree, is well overdue.

What are trans fats?

Hydrogenation is a process used in the food industry where hydrogen is bubbled through vegetable oil to produce a more stable and solid fat. The result is a trans fat (or trans fatty acid). This chemical alteration causes the oil to harden to a solid and more stable fat, giving the product a longer shelf life. Trans fats are relatively inexpensive to produce, making it ideal for use in the good industry.

Which foods and food products are sources of trans fats?

Trans fats occur naturally in human milk, dairy products, and beef. Naturally occurring trans fats are considered to be less of a health risk then artificially-made trans fats. Sources of trans fats include hard (brick) margarine, shortening (fat used in baking), baked goods such as biscuits, cakes, pastries, and doughnuts, microwave popcorn, and potatoes chips. Trans fats are also found in deep-fried foods like fried chips, fried fish, and fried chicken. 

Trans fats and health

Because these fats are artificially made, the long term side effects were never questioned when first introduced into the food industry. It has since been discovered that the addition of hydrogen makes trans fats behave more like a saturated fat, and it is now well accepted that trans fats increase the risk for heart disease. Trans fats remarkably reduce the levels of good HDL cholesterol levels and increase bad LDL cholesterol levels. Trans fats are also linked to cancer (particularly prostate and breast cancers) and diabetes.

What does this new legislation mean for the consumer?

As of August 17^th 2011, consumers can be assured that foods purchased at supermarkets, restaurants, and catering companies will not contain more than 2g of trans fat per 100f of product. The new legislation prohibits the sale, manufacture and import of fats and oils containing partially hydrogenated fats and oils (trans fats) in processed food.

It is expected that the food industry will responded to the trans fats restrictions in varying degrees. Some manufacturers may chose to reduce or even remove trans fats completely, while others strove to work on ways to find a substitute for trans fats.

References
Bowman C. High noon for bad trans fats. 3 August 2011. Accessed from http://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/high-noon-for-bad-trans-fats-1.1111162
Health24, SA declares war on trans fats. 22 August 2011. Accessed from http://www.health24.com/mobile/article.aspx?contentid=64472
Majavu A. Trans-fat restrictions loom. 27 June, 2011. Accessed from http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2011/06/27/trans-fat-restrictions-loom
Woolworths Press Release. October 30^th 2007. Woolworths to become first south African retailer to remove hydrogenated vegetable oils from its foods. Accessed from http://www.woolworthsholdings.co.za/media/news/news_display.asp?Id2=243

Day-to-Gym

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We are all human who always have an excuse to put things off. Have you used the effort of getting dressed for gym as an excuse? Minimize the effort and maximize the motivation by wearing your gym-wear as day-wear. Does this sound crazy? Read more to find out how.

1.       Start by putting on exercise friendly undies.

 A good sport-bra and comfy briefs will do the trick. An added bonus is no bra-strap sliding off your shoulder all day long!

2.       Add the first layer of your look. Layering properly is vital and will ensure a lovely end result. Remember that first the layer is what you will actually be getting active in later during the day.Make sure it is comfortable and of a breathable material.

Choose leggings of a thick material, one colour and with an elastic band at the waist. This will ensure a good fit and no see-through undies. Make sure that there is no visible branding, as some active-wear has prints and branding on the legs.

Add a tank top in a breathable material, which will also not cause any friction near the armpits.  

3.       Because the days are still chilly, you will probably need the next layer to be a long-sleeved, well fitted t-shirt. Stock up these T’s in a variety of colours to change your look daily.

                                                 

4.       What you add next is totally up to you. If you have built a good foundation, looking good from here on is easy as pie. Some ideas are tunics, dresses, waterfall-cardigans or even shirt-dresses.

5.       The fun part starts now. Finish off your look with fun accessories such as a skinny belt to accentuate the waist,

Add a scarf to add some colour and even jewelry to go with your look.

When choosing your shoes, there are no limits. In winter anything from boots to pumps will work. In summer, add fun sandals to the mix.

A cropped jacket will add the final touch.

Would you have guessed that there are gym clothes underneath it all? When hitting the gym, simply peel the layers to the leggings and T-shirt and add those trainers. Ready to sweat, as easy as that!

National Heart Month Reader Interview: "I had high cholesterol at 26."

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This National Heart Month we interview Cristian Brandt, a 26 year old with high cholesterol. Cristian tells us about how with a drastic change in his diet and lifestyle he dropped his cholesterol from 11.2 to 5.4 mmol/L in just three months.

High cholesterol is often referred as a silent disease as you have no way of seeing that you have it. How did you find out you have high cholesterol?

At the end of April I went on a family holiday. As we all do on family holidays I relaxed my diet and enjoyed eating crisps, prawns and drinking alcohol. When I came back from our holiday I was feeling sick so I went to visit my doctor. While there I did annual blood tests for my medical aid.  A few days later the results came back: I had a cholesterol level of 11.2!

I was so shocked! I thought to myself I am only 26 years old and nowhere near overweight at a healthy 72kg, yet have this incredibly high cholesterol? The doctor put me on medication for the first month.

Do you have a family history of heart disease?

My dad passed away a year ago from a heart attack. My dad used to smoke which we all know is one of the worst things you can do for your heart. My older brother has a cholesterol level of 7mmol/L, and has been on medication for 6 months to lower it. Clearly high cholesterol runs in the family.

Tell us about the changes you made in your life to help lower your cholesterol.

Since the day I got the first results I promised myself to bring down my cholesterol and change my lifestyle and diet.  It was not easy! I would go out to friend’s houses on weekends and they would be ordering take-aways or having drinks and smoking.

What was the most difficult change you made, and how did you overcome these difficulties?

The hardest for me was cutting out the take-aways and fried foods.  But now when the cravings come and I want take-aways, I now chose grilled chicken breasts with plain rice, or a chicken sandwich.  Or I look for alternatives to make the take-away I want at home, only much healthier. For example, I grill chicken and make my own burger with a whole-wheat roll and oven-baked chips.

What is your advice to others with high cholesterol?

I believe that no one can tell you what to do and expect you to do it- you must want to change for yourself. If you change for yourself, it becomes way easier. It becomes a routine and you start to feel better when you wake up and feel better throughout the day.

Will you continue with your new lifestyle?

After one month the cholesterol mediation was finished and I did not want to go on chronic medication. I decided to try one more month without any medication, just healthy eating and exercise.  On August 4th I redid blood tests and the results were huge- 11.2 to 5.4 total cholesterol! My bad cholesterol was at 4.4 and good cholesterol was at 0.9.

But I understand that even though my cholesterol levels have dropped a lot, it is still high and I must carry on with this lifestyle.  My next goal is to bring down my bad cholesterol and bring up my good cholesterol in the next few months.

The Good Life Dietitians congratulate Cristian on his amazing lifestyle change. You are proof that a good lifestyle and healthy diet can do wonders for treating disease, and maybe even prevent it in the long run. 

In upcoming Good Life posts, we help Cristian and others like him in quest of all you need to know about nutrition in heart disease.

Foodie Events in Your City

All foodies or those who love a good culinary experience! Do you know what food and events are happening in and around YOUR city? We bring you a few Food and Wine Festivals happening THIS SEPTEMBER!

Cape Town:

8-9 September: RMB Winex, CT

RMB WineX is a great way to relax with friends and enjoy an evening tasting some of the more than 1500 wines available from the 250 Cape producers who exhibit at South Africa's premier wine event. Given the vast choice of what is on offer, you may prefer to arrange to be driven to and from the Cape Town International Convention Centre. WineX promotes responsible drinking and its organisers have teamed up this year with Corporate Cabs.

Visit the Winex website for more

30 September: Hermanus Whale Festival

Combine whales and wine at this fun, family-friendly event. Hermanus is known for being a great land-based whale watching destination and the festival is a celebration of all the region offers.

Vist their Whale Festival Site for more

Pretoria:

2-4 September: Celebrate Food & Wine

2011’s Celebrate Food & Wine has lots of promise as we are taking hands with Sarie Magazine.Don’t miss out on a weekend of Celebration.

The weekend has a full program including Breakfast with SARIE’s food editors Barbara Joubert and Herman Lensing. Experience and taste (indulge) in a variety of food, cheese and wine! There will also be discussions with winemakers and cooking demonstrations throughout the weekend.

For full program and more info, click here

Johannesburg:

22-25 September 2011, Coca Cola Dome

This years Good Food and Wine show promises to be bigger and better than ever. Not only will world famous chef Gordon Ramsay share is extraordinary and sheer talent, but you can also be entertained by the Lindt Chocolate Appreciation Theatre (make a note not to miss this), Huletts Baking Theatre, BBC Lifestyle hands-on workshops and so much more tasting, swooning and raving about food. Enough to taste, nibble and sip, fun for you and your family.

Find out more about the show and tickets from their site

Exercise or Illness?

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This Fitness Thursday biokineticist Nicole Picas  talks about how to include exercise in your daily routine. And it is much easier than you think.

One of the most common excuses I hear from people who don’t exercise is that they don’t have time to exercise. I realise that it is hard to dedicate an hour a day to formal exercise; however, it is essential to keep active on a daily basis in order to maintain a healthy body and mind, especially if you are stuck behind a desk all day.

It is recommended that you do at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week, or about 30 minutes per day. This does not necessarily have to be spent sweating it out at the gym, but rather, it can be accumulated throughout the day. It is important to remember that the benefits of exercise are cumulative. This means that whether you do three 10-minute bouts of exercise throughout the day, or one 30-minute bout of exercise, the benefits are the same. But, in order to benefit from the exercise bout, your heart rate does need to increase, which means that a concerted effort does need to be made. Ideally, you want to exercise at least 3-5 times per week, for a minimum of 45-60 minutes. This does, however, depend on what your exercise goals are.

 

Having said that, a little bit is better than nothing. So, on the really hectic days when you simply cannot get to the gym to do an hour of formal exercise, here are some suggestions to get you active at work:

·         Go for a walk around the building as many times as possible during your lunch break- take a colleague to keep you company.

·         Always take the stairs instead of the lift.

·         Make sure you get up from your desk every hour and walk around a bit.

·         Fetch your own glass of water from the kitchen every hour; don’t have it brought to you.

·         Design your office so that you are forced to get up every now and then, for example, put your printer where you can’t reach it.

·         Walk to your colleagues offices instead of phoning them.

·         Choose simple exercises that you can do in your office, for example, stand up and sit down 10 times each hour.

At the practice where I work, we have a saying: “He who has no time for exercise must create time for illness!” I hope that you will think about this carefully and change now before it’s too late. Exercise is the best form of preventative medicine and it’s freely available to everyone! But, if you have not been active on a regular basis, please get medical clearance from your doctor before starting an exercise programme and consider starting under the supervision of a biokineticist.

Good luck and remember to keep moving! 

For more by Nicole Picas, log on to her blog: http://nicolepicasbiokineticist.blogspot.com/