Eat healthier and make small changes for big results

As most of us are well aware, overweight and obesity are affecting the majority of South Africans, especially adult women and preschool children. This is putting South Africans at risk for chronic diseases, such as heart disease and strokes, diabetes and some cancers.

Some of the main reasons why people become overweight or obese are because they are:

• Eating large amounts of food (food portions);
• Eating high-energy foods that are high in sugar, fat and salt;
• Not eating a variety of food from the different food groups.
• Not engaging in regular physical activity

The time to change and act is now! Our mission at the Heart and Stroke Foundation is to halt the rise of premature deaths through cardiovascular disease (CVD) in South Africa and to promote the adoption of healthy lifestyles. Here are some key messages about making the right food choices and making them part of an overall healthy lifestyle:

• Eat a variety of food at each meal, in other words include foods from two or preferably more food groups at each meal:

• Serve the correct portions of food onto individual plates, instead of putting serving dishes on the table.  This will avoid being tempted by second or more helpings.
• Be aware that your body may only experience feeling “full” sometime after eating your meal.  Therefore, eat slowly, chew properly and pay attention to your body’s internal cues to avoid overeating.  Do not eat in front of the TV as this may lead to being distracted and not paying attention to signals of becoming “full”, thereby leading to overeating.
• Stick to regular meal and evenly-spaced snack times and do not skip meals. Vegetable sticks or fruit and low-fat or fat-free yoghurt or milk are good examples of healthy snacks.  Don’t eat too late at night or just before you go to bed.
• Encourage children to take a lunch box and healthy snacks such as fruit and yoghurt to school and to avoid buying meals and snacks that are high in sugar, fat and salt.
• Many restaurants serve more food than is appropriate for one person. Control the amount of food that ends up on your plate by sharing a meal with a friend or asking the waiter to put half the meal in a “doggie bag” or “take away container”.  Alternatively order a small or regular portion size instead of a large portion or have a salad and a starter as your main meal.
• Limit the intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (like fizzy drinks and sweetened juices) and replace with unflavoured water, maas or low-fat or fat-free milk.

• Buy fresh, plain frozen, or canned “no salt added” vegetables, meat, fish or chicken. Rinse canned foods like beans to remove some of the salt (sodium).
• Use fresh and dried herbs, spices, and salt/sodium-free seasoning blends in cooking and at the table instead of salt, canned soups, salad dressings, stock powders/cubes, and remove the salt shaker from the table.
• Choose food products with the Heart Mark as these are lower in fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium (salt), added sugar and are higher in fibre (where applicable).

About the Heart and Stroke Foundation SA

The Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa (HSFSA) plays a leading role in the fight against preventable heart disease and stroke, with the aim of seeing fewer people in South Africa suffer premature deaths and disabilities. The HSFSA, established in 1980 is a non-governmental, non-profit organization which relies on external funding to sustain the work it carries out.

The HSFSA aims to reduce the cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden in South Africa and ultimately on the health care system of South Africa. Our mission is to empower people in South Africa to adopt healthy lifestyles, make healthy choices easier, seek appropriate care and encourage prevention.

For information call our head office on 021-422 1586, visit www.heartfoundation.co.za or follow us on Facebook @HeartStrokeSA and on Twitter @SAHeartStroke.

Contact person

Emmah Siluma

Office Administrator

Fourways, Johannesburg

Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa

emmah.siluma@heartfoundation.co.za

011-875 1403

Life Fourways Hospital is proud to be associated with the Heart and Stroke Foundation, whose offices are situated in the hospital. We host the Heart and Stroke Foundation of South Africa Mended Hearts meetings, please contact Emmah Siluma to be placed on the mailing list for future events.

Life Fourways Hospital Cardiologists

Dr Anthony Dalby                   011 875 1920

Dr Anthony Yip                       011 875

Dr Sunil Bedhesi                     011 875 1790

Life Fourways Hospital Neurologists

Dr Kalpesh Jivan                    011 875 1890

Dr Kaushik Ranchod              011 875 1890

Life Fourways Hospital Physicians

Dr Lebogang Moja                  011 875 1950

Dr Lee-Ann Spoolder              011 875 1830