KEEP YOUR DAD HEALTHY THIS FATHER’S DAY

As Father’s Day approaches, we struggle with deciding what to get our fathers.  This is a time when we would normally give our dad ties, cards, expensive whiskey or cologne in recognition of everything that they’ve done for us.  Do things a little differently this Father’s Day – give your dad the gift of a healthy heart and body.  Our dads play special roles in our lives; let’s add some value to theirs by showing them that we care about their health.  Why not try some of these ideas:

Healthy Breakfast:  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it provides the body with the energy that’s needed for the day’s activities. 


Fun Activities:
 
You can organise a soccer day for your dad and his friends, go hiking, cycling, play volleyball at the beach or go canoeing.  Being physically active assists in:  reducing the risks of chronic diseases, strengthening of the muscles and bones as well as maintaining a healthy weight and brain which all contribute towards giving your dad a chance to live a healthier and longer life. 

Gym:  Signing your dad up for the gym ensures that he gets involved in regular physical activity.  This is something which he won’t just do for Father’s Day but on a weekly or daily basis.

Healthy Dinner:  Treat your dad to a healthy dinner with a healthy twist.  Choose salmon or lean cuts of meat such as beef tenderloin, chicken breast.  You can serve these with a salad or skewered veggies and corn.

Game Night:  Organise a game night with your family and your friends.  You can play board games such as:  30 seconds, Monopoly or Scrabble and serve healthy snacks such as biltong, mixed nuts, whole wheat biscuits, vegetable sticks with a healthy dip and crackers.

Gert Coetzee, Gert Coetzee, Pharmacist and Diet pioneer who founded The Diet Everyone Talks About shares a delicious recipe from The Diet Everyone Talks About “Eat Slim/Eet Slim” recipe book to make tasty “Pan-baked Fritter with Mushroom Sauce”.  You can use this as a breakfast recipe.

Portions:     4
Prep time:   15 min
CHD:            3.2 g per portion
kJ:               1740 kJ

Ingredients

500 g Minced meat
3 Eggs, separated
30 ml Onion, grated
30 ml Celery, thinly chopped
30 ml Green / red pepper, finely chopped
To taste Salt, freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder

5 ml Mustard powder
5 ml Baking powder
For baking Canola oil / olive oil

Mushroom sauce:

50 ml  Butter
200 g  Mushrooms, chopped
1 Onion, chopped
125 ml  Thick cream
20 ml Lemon juice
60 ml Water

Method:

  1. Mix all the ingredients, except the egg whites and oil together.
  2. Whisk the egg whites stiff and fold into the other mixture.
  3. Bake until golden brown on both sides.
  4. Serve with mushroom sauce.

Mushroom sauce:

  1. Heat butter and sauté mushrooms and onion till soft and most of the water has evaporated.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.