5 Ways to a Healthy Lifestyle

With good food habits and daily physical activity you will be well on your way to a healthy life.  Easy to say, but sometimes not so easy to do!

Our busy lifestyles can be hard on our family’s health. Rushing to and from school and work can make it hard to find time to be physically active. We can also slip into the habit of choosing unhealthy snacks and take-away foods or spending our free time watching TV or in front of the computer.

However, these choices can be dangerous for our health and our children’s health – both now and in the long-term. That’s why it’s so important to stop, take stock and make a conscious decision to follow a healthy lifestyle.

What can I do?

There are five simple ways for your family to lead a healthy lifestyle and get back on track:

1. Get active each day

Regular physical activity is important for the healthy growth, development and well-being of kids and teens.

They should get at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day, including vigorous activities that make them ‘huff and puff’.

Parents should be good role models and have a positive attitude to being active.

2. Choose water as a drink

Water is the best way to quench your thirst – and it doesn’t come with the added sugar found in soft drinks, fruit juice drinks and other sweetened drinks.

Reduced fat milk for children over two years of age is a nutritious drink and a great source of calcium.

Give kids and teens whole fruit to eat, rather than offering fruit juices which contain less fiber.

3. Eat more fruit and vegetables

Eating fruit and vegetables every day helps kids and teens grow and develop, boosts their vitality and can reduce the risk of many chronic diseases.

Aim to eat two serves of fruit and five serves of vegetables every day. (This varies for boys and girls at different ages.)

Have fresh fruit available as a convenient snack and try to include fruit and veggies in every meal.

4. Switch off the TV or computer and get active

Sedentary or ‘still’ time spent watching TV, surfing online or playing computer games is linked to kids becoming overweight or obese.

Kids and teens should spend no more than 2 hours a day on ‘small screen’ entertainment.

Plan a range of active indoor and outdoor games or activities for your children, as alternatives to watching TV or playing on the computer.

5. Eat fewer snacks and select healthier alternatives

Healthy snacks help kids and teens meet their daily nutritional needs.

Snacks based on fruit and vegetables, reduced fat dairy products and whole grains are the healthiest choices.

Avoid snacks that are high in sugar or saturated fats – such as chips, cakes and chocolate – which can cause children to put on excess weight.

Link  http://www.healthykids.nsw.gov.au/home/fact-sheets/5-ways-to-a-healthy-lifestyle.aspx

Healthy Food Diet: 7 Day Clean Eating Challenge

Do you feel like your diet needs a fresh start? When life happens and you abandon healthy food in favor of whatever is nearby or comes out of a packet or pouch, it's time for a "clean" break. That's why we're bringing you SHAPE's 7-Day Clean Eating Challenge. While a clean eating diet plan may seem challenging, our plan is manageable and the payoffs include skyrocketing energy, weight loss, better control over your appetite, and even better-looking skin.

Just follow these 5 simple rules and try our clean eating meal plan:

1) Eat only whole foods. That means eating oats and blueberries rather than a blueberry muffin. When you eat packaged foods, only buy brands that contain “real food” ingredients--ingredients you easily recognize, can pronounce, and would use to make a “from scratch” version in your own kitchen. If a food contains even one ingredient that makes you think “huh?” skip it, at least during the clean eating challenge.

RELATED: For a super healthy and delicious snack, watch Heidi Klum make homemade hummus and kale chips, then try the recipe yourself.

2) Keep meals simple. Delicious, healthy food doesn’t have to contain a lot of ingredients. Keep your meal ingredients to a minimum—just be sure to include a source of whole grains, lean protein and healthy fat at each meal. For example, veggies and shrimp stir fried in sesame oil over a bed of brown rice seems restaurant quality but can be whipped up faster than takeout.

3) Eat slower. Put your fork or spoon down between every bite, and focus on the flavors and textures of your food.

4) Eat on a regular schedule. Try not to let more than about 4 hours go by between meals or snacks. Steady meal timing helps regulate your digestive system, blood sugar and insulin levels, and appetite.

RELATED: When you do your food shopping for the week, be sure to avoid these grocery store fat traps that can make you gain weight.

5) Listen to your body. Eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full, meaning satisfied, not stuffed. The recipes here intentionally don’t provide amounts. That’s so you get used to relying on your hunger and fullness cues to tell you when to stop and start eating

Each day eat three clean eating meals and one snack.

DAY ONE SAMPLE DIET:

THREE CLEAN EATING MEALS AND ONE SNACK

BREAKFAST

Cook old fashioned quick cooking oats using organic skim or soy milk. Top with a sliced apple and garnish with chopped walnuts.

RELATED: For more morning meal ideas, try these 8 "dinner foods" you should eat for breakfast.

CLEAN EATING LUNCH IDEA

Toss baby spinach with balsamic vinegar and salt-free dried Italian herbs. Top with a scoop of chilled red quinoa and cannellini beans (canned, drained and rinsed beans are OK) and sliced avocado.

CLEAN EATING SNACK IDEA

Drizzle a little honey into a container of nonfat Greek yogurt, fold in a sliced mini banana and garnish with sliced almonds.

DAY ONE CLEAN EATING DINNER IDEA 

Saute onion, halved grape tomatoes and chopped green bell pepper in extra virgin olive oil until slightly tender. Add chicken breast or organic tofu to heat through. Serve over whole wheat penne.

DAY TWO CLEAN EATING DINNER IDEA

Lentils and quinoa with mint and lemon saute chopped red onion, minced garlic, celery and red bell pepper in extra virgin olive oil until tender. Add lentils (vacuum sealed or canned, rinsed and drained are both OK) to heat through. Serve over a small scoop of cooked quinoa and garnish with fresh mint and juice from a fresh lemon wedge.

RELATED: Have a healthy meatless dinner on the table in no time by making one of these 10-minute vegetarian meals.

DAY THREE CLEAN EATING DINNER IDEA

Tuna Lettuce Wraps with Basil Pesto and Couscous

Fill large outer romaine lettuce leaves with a mixture of drained chunk light tuna canned in water tossed with basil pesto, minced sundried tomatoes and whole-wheat couscous.

RELATED: When you don't have time to hit the grocery store, whip up one of these healthy and delicious meals you can pull from your pantry.

DAY FOUR CLEAN EATING DINNER IDEA

Mexican Salad with Corn, Avocado, Beans, and Lime

Mix mashed avocado with minced onion, tomato, fresh lime juice and cilantro. Toss with torn romaine to coat leaves. Top with a small scoop each of frozen, thawed corn and black beans (canned, drained and rinsed are OK).

RELATED: Keep homemade salads low-cal by skipping the bottle and making your owngreen goddess dressing.

DAY FIVE CLEAN EATING DINNER IDEA

Seared Shrimp in Coconut Oil

On the stovetop, sear fresh shrimp in coconut oil and season with fresh grated ginger and scallions. Serve over a bed of mixed field greens and top with fresh pear slices.

DAY SIX CLEAN EATING DINNER IDEA

Spaghetti Squash with Garlic, Mushrooms, Tomato and Feta

Saute chopped onions, minced garlic, sliced mushrooms and a small, diced plum tomato in extra virgin olive oil. Reduce to low heat to keep warm. Slice a small spaghetti squash in half, remove seeds, place face down in a glass dish with a few tablespoons of water. Cover with wax paper and microwave on high for 7 to 8 minutes. Rake out strands, toss with sautéed veggies and garnish with crumbled feta cheese.

DAY SEVEN CLEAN EATING

Pineapple Chicken with a Twist

Stir fry sliced red and green bell peppers and a dash of crushed red pepper in sesame oil. Add diced, cooked chicken breast and pineapple chunks to heat through. Serve over a scoop of cooked wild rice.

Link  http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/cooking-ideas/healthy-food-diet-7-day-clean-eating-challenge/

Heart-Smart Food Tips

Five simple ways to help your heart with your mouth.

Do Your Part

The remarkable heart beats about 100,000 times a day and more than 2.5 billion times over the course of an average lifetime. Making heart-healthy food decisions is one way to help it along. Here are five simple strategies to keep in mind.

Buy Fewer Boxes

Processed food -- usually boxed, wrapped, or in bags -- has fewer phytonutrients, which have been shown in some studies to reduce the risk of heart disease, says Susan Moores, spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association and a Minneapolis-based dietitian.

Be Colorful

The more colors you incorporate into your meals, the greater your exposure to a variety of heart-healthy antioxidants. "Fruits and veggies have the greatest variety of color, and making more colorful meals means you're taking advantage of their heart-friendly properties," Moore says.

• See Garlicky Peppers & Shrimp recipe

Hide the Salt

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends less than 1 teaspoon of sodium per day. If you have high blood pressure, the condition is more difficult to control if you're not keeping salt consumption down. And because sodium balances against potassium in the body, you may want to add more foods with high amounts of potassium, such as bananas, oranges, grapes, nuts, potatoes, and cantaloupe.

Get Fresh with Fish

Studies have shown that the omega-3 fatty acids found in many types of fish may help prevent heart disease by improving the elasticity of arteries and inhibiting plaque formation. Have broiled or baked (not fried) fish once or twice a week.

• See Salmon with Red Cabbage recipe

Have One Drink a Day

A small amount of alcohol can significantly reduce your risk of heart disease, especially when coupled with healthful eating habits, according to a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine. For women, that means one drink a day. More isn't better -- too much alcohol raises the risk of other diseases, such as some forms of cancer.

Link   http://www.bhg.com/health-family/conditions/heart-disease/heart-smart-food-tips/

Low-fat dairy lowers stroke risk

Low-fat dairy lowers stroke risk

Adults who consumed higher amounts of low-fat dairy products also had a somewhat lower long-term risk of stroke, study.

In what the researchers say is the largest study on the issue to date, adults who consumed higher amounts of low-fat dairy products also had a somewhat lower long-term risk of stroke.

The study involved nearly 75 000 Swedish adults who were tracked for an average of 10 years after completing a dietary questionnaire.

Those who consumed low-fat versions of products such as milk, yoghurt or cheese had a 12% lower risk for stroke than those whose diet typically included high/full-fat versions of these dairy staples.

"I think this finding certainly makes sense," said Lona Sandon, a dietician and assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. "When you have more high-fat dairy you have more saturated fat, which we know is one of the types of fats that can affect LDL, or 'bad,' cholesterol levels.

And eating saturated fat leads to clogging up arteries in the heart and the brain. So then you're more likely to have the clots breaking off and causing something like an ischaemic stroke."

However, "when you're looking at stroke risk you'd really want to look at an individual's whole dietary pattern," said Sandon, who was not involved in the new research. "But it is certainly plausible that whole-fat dairy bumps up the risk that is out there."

A research team led by Susanna Larsson, from the division of nutritional epidemiology at the National Institute of Environmental Medicine at Stockholm's Karolinska Institute, reported the findings  in the Journal Stroke.

Third of people have high blood pressure

The study authors noted that in the United States, about one-third of all adult men and women over the age of 18 have high blood pressure, which they describe as a "major controllable risk factor" for stroke. Still, they added, only about half of affected Americans have their blood pressure under control.

With that in mind, experts have long touted the benefits of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH diet), with its emphasis on low-fat dairy consumption.

In 1997, the Swedish team administered food surveys to almost 75 000 men and women between the ages of 45 and 83, none of whom had a prior history of either heart disease or cancer.

From that point forward, the incidence of stroke among study participants was monitored via data collected by the Swedish Hospital Discharge Registry.

Over the course of about a decade, nearly 4,100 strokes occurred, the authors noted. People who stuck to low-fat dairy products appeared to have a somewhat lower risk for stroke. The study was only able to find an association between eating low-fat dairy products and lowered odds for stroke; it could not prove cause-and-effect.

Dairy consumption

The Swedish researchers called for further large studies to examine the apparent association, while at the same time suggesting that, if it holds up upon further scrutiny, the finding could have broad public health implications.

Larsson's team pointed out that when it comes to dairy consumption, the typical North American diet closely mirrors that of northern Europeans, so a snapshot of Swedish diets and stroke risk might be relevant to a US population.

"The bottom line is that if you're consuming more fat in your day -- no matter where it's coming from -- it is going to increase your risk for atherosclerosis [hardening of the arteries], and thereby your risk for stroke," said Sandon.

 "And that's what's behind the USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommends that you get three dairy servings per day, in order to get enough calcium and potassium, but at the same time making sure that those servings are low-fat."

Larsson's study was funded by the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research and the Swedish Research Council.

(Alan Mozes, HealthDay, April 2012) 

Link  http://www.health24.com/Medical/Stroke/News/Low-fat-dairy-lowers-stroke-risk-20120721

Yoghurt and cheese linked to lower diabetes risk

Yoghurt and cheese linked to lower diabetes risk

Eating yoghurt and low-fat cheese can cut the risk of developing diabetes by around a quarter compared with consuming none.

Eating yoghurt and low-fat cheese can cut the risk of developing diabetes by around a quarter compared with consuming none, according to a study of 3 500 Britons.

The evidence comes from a long-term health survey of men and women living in the eastern county of Norfolk, whose eating and drinking habits were detailed at the start of the investigation.

Read: Diabetes and diet – the basics

Fermented dairy products

During the study's 11-year span, 753 people in the group developed adult-onset, also called type 2, diabetes.

Read: Low-fat dairy lowers stroke risk

Those who ate low-fat fermented dairy products a category that includes yoghurts, fromage frais and low-fat cottage cheese were 24% less likely to develop the disease compared to counterparts who ate none of these products.

When examined separately from the other low-fat dairy products, yoghurt by itself was associated with a 28% reduced risk.

People in this category ate on average four and a half standard 125-gram (4.4-ounce) pots of yoghurt each week.

Those who ate yoghurt for a snack, instead of a packet of crisps, had a whopping 47% reduction in the probability of developing diabetes.

Only low-fat, fermented dairy products were associated with the fall in risk. Consumption of high-fat fermented products, and of milk, had no impact.

The research, published in the specialist journal Diabetologia, was not designed to probe why eating low-fat fermented dairy products appears to be so beneficial.

Influencing factors

One future line of inquiry is whether the impact comes from probiotic bacteria and a special form of Vitamin K they contain, according to the paper, headed by Nita Forouhi, an epidemiologist at the University of Cambridge.

Read: Safety of probiotics

"At a time when we have a lot of other evidence that consuming high amounts of certain foods, such as added sugars and sugary drinks, is bad for our health, it is very reassuring to have messages about other foods like yoghurt and low-fat fermented dairy products that could be good for our health," said Forouhi.

The study took into account factors such as obesity and a family history of diabetes that could potentially skew the results.

But, its authors acknowledged, it also had a limitation.

Volunteers' eating habits were recorded in exacting detail at the start of the study but this information was not updated during the ensuing 11 years. So it was unknown if or how they changed their diet over this time.

Link  http://www.health24.com/Medical/Diabetes/News/Yoghurt-and-cheese-linked-to-lower-diabetes-risk-20140206

Foods that may help prevent cancer

Foods that may help prevent cancer

When it comes to making healthy food choices, which foods should you eat, and which should you rather avoid to prevent cancer or help your body fight an existing cancer? DietDoc takes a closer look.

There are a number of dietary habits which have been linked to an increased risk of developing various types of cancer. However, when it comes to making healthy food choices, which foods should you eat, and which should you rather avoid to prevent cancer or help your body fight an existing cancer?

It is important to keep in mind that many different factors may be responsible for thecancers people develop. In addition, it is vital to remember that we do not eat foods in isolation - our whole diet and each nutrient in the diet can play an essential role in maintaining our health and preventing cancer, or conversely triggering cancer.

Avoid foods that fuel obesity

We are aware of the statistic that 70% of women in South Africa are either overweight or obese, and that there has been a global shift in the age of onset of puberty which is possibly determined by high levels of childhood overweight and obesity (Pretoria News, 2013). This early onset of puberty in girls at the average age of eight years is believed to be responsible for breast cancer when these girls grow up. It therefore stands to reason that it is imperative to prevent overweight and obesity in children, teenagers, pregnant women even before they conceive and in all females to lower the risk of developing breast cancer. A low-fat, low-GI diet rich in protective nutrients throughout life may well be the answer.

Dietary factors that play a role

Based on recommendation made by Michael Donaldson in his review article on ‘Nutrition and cancer” (2004), the following foods should be avoided:

Foods to Avoid:
 
 - High-energy, nutrient-poor foods - in other words foods or drinks that contribute mainly empty kilojoules to the diet in excessive amounts. Examples of such foods/drinks are:

Highly processed starches like white or sifted maize meal, white flour, and all types of foods produced from such overrefined starches including cakes, biscuits, pies, tarts, and unfortified sifted maize meal or flour (i.e. without the 8 nutrients that have been added back to maize meal by government decree).
 
 - High-fat, very-high-energy foods, particularly foods rich in saturated fats and trans-fats. The energy content of liquid and solid fats of all types is the highest of all the so-called macronutrients, namely 37 kJ per gram. So for every gram of fat you avoid, you ‘save’ 37 kJ and in many cases avoid exposure to trans-fats which are implicated in cancer genesis. 

Such trans-fats are artificially produced when oils are converted to liquid fats through the process of hydrogenation to produce hard cooking and baking fats or when oils are heated over and over again to cook foods like chips. SA legislation has prohibited the presence of these artificially produced trans-fats in locally manufactured foods, but the labelling of many products imported ‘under the table’ from the East, does not list trans-fat content, so be careful what 

‘bargains’ you buy with foreign labels.

Also beware of those vividly coloured and cheap snack foods that are sold in vast plastic bags with no label at all. If you do purchase take-aways limit them to only once or twice a month, avoid deep-fried foods (choose grilled instead) and beware of dingy shops where the oil in the deep fryer is not changed from one week to another and the entire area is permeated with a rancid odour.

 - High-sugar foods and particularly liquids that have a high sugar content can contribute to obesity especially in children and teenagers. Although sugar like all carbohydrates has a much lower energy content than fat (16 kJ/gram versus 37 kJ/gram), we tend to eat such large quantities of sweets and sugar, and consume such amazing volumes of sweetened cold drinks, squashes, and energy drinks that our energy intake from sugar can in many cases exceed that of fat.

 - It goes without saying that foods and drinks that combine refined starches with sugar and fat such as listed above, are very high in kilojoules and need to be avoided to keep weight down and prevent cancer.
    
 - Alcohol is the second most energy-rich macronutrient contributing 29 kJ/gram. We are all acquainted with ‘beer boeps’ in South Africa, which represent mountains of solid fat deposited in the dangerous abdominal area that owe their origins to copious intakes of alcohol of all types. Overconsumption of alcohol also depletes the body of protective nutrients and may replace healthy foods in the diet thus exacerbating vitamin and mineral deficiencies. 

Adhere to the following SA Food-Based Dietary Guidelines which suggest:
 
 - Use fat sparingly; choose vegetable oils rather than hard fats
 - Use food and drinks containing sugar sparingly

Foods to Include liberally in the diet:
 
 - High-fibre foods which include all unprocessed grains and cereals, fruits and vegetables, as well as legumes (dry cooked or canned beans, peas, lentils and soya and all products made with legumes such as Soya mince, tofu, bean curd, etc). The more dietary fibre a carbohydrate contains, the lower the energy content will be. Eat 6-8 portions of these foods a day. 
 
 - Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as fatty fish, flaxseed, canola, walnut, and soy oils, or salmon oil or flaxseed oil supplements, and foods with added omega-3 fatty acids such as omega-3 eggs, milk, and bread. Eat fish 2 to 3 times a week or take an omega-3 supplement.

 - Foods rich in phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Fruit and vegetables, unprocessed grains, and legumes lead the way when it comes to providing protective nutrients that can keep us healthy, boost our immune systems and potentially protect again cancer. 

There are many examples, but if we select lycopene, a phytonutrient that protects against prostate cancer, then fresh tomatoes and all products made from tomatoes are rich in lycopene. In particular processed tomato products such as tomato sauce, puree and paste, have a higher lycopene content because they are much more concentrated than fresh tomatoes. Eat 5 or more servings of vegetables and fruit a day. Include legume dishes at least once a day.
 
 - Probiotics (“beneficial microorganisms”) which may also help us fight cancer, particularly of the bowel, are found in unprocessed yoghurt and other fermented foods such as maas. Have 3 servings of milk, yoghurt or maas a day.

In other words, honour the SA Food-Based Guidelines which state: 
 
 - Make starchy foods part of most meals
 - Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit every day
 - Eat dry beans, split peas, lentils and soya regularly
 - Fish, chicken, lean meat or eggs can be eaten daily
 - Drink milk, maas or yoghurt every day

If we apply the above dietary changes suggested by Donaldson (2004) and our own Food-Based Dietary Guidelines and combine them with a prudent lifestyle (avoidance of smoking and environmental pollutants) and regular daily exercise, it is entirely possible that we may be able to prevent 30 to 40% of all cancers and also keep existing cancers at bay.

(References: Donaldson MS (2004). Nutrition and cancer: A review of the evidence for an anti-cancer diet. Nutrition Journal, 3:19; Pretoria News (2013). Habitat linked to cancer. Pretoria News, Wednesday, 13 November 2013, page: 9.)

(Photo of woman eating salad from Shutterstock)

Link  http://www.health24.com/Medical/Cancer/Cancer-and-your-diet/Foods-that-may-help-prevent-cancer-20131209

5-a-day for better health

5-a-day for better health

Cansa's 5-a-day campaign refers to five servings of fruit and vegetables a day for better health. DietDoc tells us about the role of nutrition in the fight against cancer.

Cansa's 5-a-day campaign refers to five servings of fruit and vegetables a day for better health. DietDoc tells us about the role of nutrition in the fight against cancer.

We are what we eat

• The food we consume determines our physical and often also our psychological health.
• Eating a balanced diet rich in protective nutrients can determine what kinds of diseases we either avoid or succumb to, the quality of life we enjoy, and also our longevity.
• Research indicates that these facts are particularly relevant to the prevention of cancer.
• It has been estimated that dietary factors play a role in up to 35% of all human cancers.

This means that if we eat a balanced diet rich in protective nutrients, we humans could prevent nearly 40% of the different types of cancer that we suffer from.

A balanced diet consists of:

• A variety of foods
• Plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables
• Plenty of minimally processed grains
• Plenty of legumes and some nuts
• Low-fat or skim milk and dairy products, plus moderate amounts of lean meat, fish, and eggs
• Moderate amounts of mono- or poly-unsaturated fats and oils
• Plenty of clean water
• Moderate quantities of sugar and sweetened foods and drinks
• Very small quantities of salt and alcohol

Combined with: regular physical exercise.

What do our Modern, Western Diets consist of?

• Too much fat
• Too much salt
• Too much alcohol
• Too much processed starch and sugary foods and drinks
• Too little dietary fibre
• Too few protective nutrients

Fruit and vegetables

My personal favourite food category is the Fruit and Vegetable one, which is why I am so delighted that Cansa has launched this ‘5-A-DAY’ Campaign

Exciting research 

Exciting research evidence is accumulating which shows that by increasing our intake of fruit and vegetables we can prevent cancer:

• A meta-analysis of 46 well designed studies (case control and cohort studies) showed that increased consumption of vegetables and fruit conferred the strongest protection of all foods against the non-hormone-dependent cancers, i.e. cancer of the oral cavity, stomach, pancreas and lung.
• In another even bigger review of 206 human epidemiological studies and 22 animal studies consistent evidence was found that greater fruit and vegetable consumption protects against cancers, particularly stomach, oesophagus and lung cancer.

Protective nutrients

Scientists have identified 20 nutrients in fruits and vegetables that may be protective against cancer, e.g. dithiolthiones, isothiocyanates, allium compounds, isoflavones, flavonoids, protease inhibitors, saponins, phytosterols, inositol hexaphosphate, dietary fibre, vitamins C and E, folic acid, beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, selenium, D-limonene, coumarins, and indol-3-carbinol.

What anticarcinogenic effects do these nutrients have?

• Act as antioxidants
• Protect cells against abnormal cell changes
• Increase the activity of enzymes that detoxify carcinogens
• Alter oestrogen metabolism
• Bind and dilute carcinogens in the GI tract
• Change the colonic environment by increasing the ‘good’ bacteria, changing the bile acid composition, the pH, the transit time and faecal bulk
• Preserve intercellular matrix structures
• Promote normal DNA methylation
• Support normal DNA repair
• Promote apoptosis of cancer cells
• Decrease cell proliferation

Why do we require five or more servings of vegetables and fruit a day?

There is a theory that the human body adapted to high intakes of plant foods over millennia and that cancer may be a disease that results from maladaptation to the reduced intake of most people living in western societies. This theory is borne out by the finding that populations with the lowest intake of fruit and vegetables have the highest incidence and mortality of cancers of the oesophagus (Iran and China), stomach (Poland and Hungary) and intestine (Britain and North America).

How many servings do we actually eat?

Research studies have shown that:

• Black rural populations eat green leafy vegetables, wild spinach, pumpkin about twice a day - fruit is only eaten if seasonally available and then mainly by women and children
• Black urban populations eat about one small portion twice a day, and women consume significantly more than men
• In the Cape (which is ironically one of our main fruit producing areas in South Africa), some studies found that black urban dwellers eat hardly any fruit and vegetables at all
• Indian and white populations eat vegetables in small amounts at both main meals

The majority of South Africans therefore do not meet the international/global recommendations of five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

We are not unique in this aspect. In the USA a national survey showed that the average intake of fruits and vegetables is about three to four servings a day and only 23-32% of Americans eat five or more servings a day.

According to many international and national health promotions organisations, five portions/servings (400g) of fruit and vegetables a day, is the most manageable, minimum recommendation.

Previous success stories

The 5-A-Day For Better Health was successful in the USA, and the “2 Fruits ‘n 5 Vegs Every Day” campaign gave good results in Victoria, Australia. These campaigns promoting the increased use of fruit and vegetables in other parts of the world proved successful to increase public awareness of the health benefits of eating more fruit and vegetables.

The 5-A-Day Campaign launched by Cansa deserves the full support of all South Africans, but particularly of the press and organisations and professions linked to health and the prevention of cancer.

Members of the public should put this good advice into practice and start eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day to improve their health.

Dr Ingrid van Heerden (DietDoc)

Link  http://www.health24.com/Lifestyle/Healthy-habits/5-a-day-for-better-health-20120721