HEART HEALTH FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

As the saying goes, you are what you eat, so taking the time to create some heart healthy habits is beneficial for everyone.  Having an unhealthy diet that is high in saturated fats, sodium and trans fats, significantly increase your chances of developing cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.  You need to take good care of your heart as it is constantly working hard to pump blood throughout the body, supplying oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and removing waste from your body.  “Eating a diet filled with nutrient-rich foods and exercising will help keep your heart healthy and benefit your overall health,” says Gert Coetzee, pharmacist and diet pioneer who founded The Diet Everyone Talks About.  Below he lists some heart- healthy hints and tips:

Eliminate processed foods:  Stay away from processed foods such as cookies, chips, processed cheese and cold meats which are often loaded with sugar, sodium and other unhealthy ingredients.  Fresh is always better so rather go for whole grains, fruits and vegetables.  Unlike processed foods, these provide an abundance of properties that reduce the risks of heart disease.

Pick your fats wisely:  Saturated fats are bad for your heart as they can raise your cholesterol.  Trans fats are also not good as they can increase harmful cholesterol levels which increases your risk of heart disease and stroke.  Focus on consuming polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats as they are healthier.  These are found in vegetable oils such as olive oil, canola oil, avocados as well as in nuts and seeds.

Get active:  Being active helps lower your blood pressure which is good for your health.  You can take walks together as a family, play a sport, jog or do yoga.  Being physically active also burns calories which helps prevent weight gain.

It is also important for parents to take care of their children’s health.  Heart problems are seen as an adult condition, but heart disease can occur in children as well.  One thing that parents can do to make sure that their children lead healthy lives is to prepare nutritious lunch boxes for them.  Lunch is a vital part of any child’s school day as getting the correct balance of nutrients is essential for learning and development.  A lunch box filled with fatty and sugary foods does not provide the necessary vitamins and minerals for long lasting energy.  This can also be a major contributor to a child being overweight.  As with adults, when children eat healthy food and maintain healthy bodies, they decrease the risks of developing health problems such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Gert is committed to promoting heart health as well as helping parents make sure that they provide healthy lunch boxes for their children.

Here are a few hints & tips for preparing and packing healthy lunch boxes for your children:

Sandwiches: Try using different types of healthy bread options such as whole-wheat slim slice bread as this is packed with nutrients and vitamins that the body needs.  You can also get creative and use whole-wheat pita bread and wraps.  For fillings, it’s better to go for lean cuts such as sliced cold chicken as well as tuna, peanut butter and cheese.  Swap mayonnaise with hummus or avocado.  You can also use cookie cutters to make fun shaped sandwiches.

Snacks: Include healthy snacks to your child’s lunchbox.  The best options would be fresh, exciting fruit such as peaches, plums, apples, bananas, melons, pears and grapes.  These can also be made into fruit skewers.  Cream cheese wedges, seeds, nuts, biltong, rice cakes and whole-wheat crackers are also good options for your child to snack on.  You can also include vegetable sticks with a healthy dip or a yoghurt.

Drinks: Encourage your child to drink water.  Avoid giving your child fizzy and sugary drinks.

For more information or if you’d like to join  The Diet Everyone Talks About – Tel: (016) 362 4890