During the month of love most individuals go the extra mile to show their affection for that special someone in their lives. But how about showing your heart some love? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The country\u2019s leading provider of cardiovascular medicine, Pharma Dynamics, is challenging the public to make heart health a priority, starting this February, which also coincides with Healthy Lifestyle Awareness Month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nicole Jennings, spokesperson for Pharma Dynamics, says the month has been specifically set aside on the national health calendar to highlight the importance of healthy living through nutrition and regular exercise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe all know a healthy, balanced diet is key to a healthier mind and body, yet the message seems to fall on deaf ears.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), South Africa is the unhealthiest population in the world, with those between the ages of 30 and 70 facing a 26% probability of suffering and dying from heart disease, diabetes and other lifestyle disorders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jennings also cites a report by Unilever, titled, the Foods Refreshment Report (2020), which revealed that most South Africans eat mainly starch and meat, with very little in the form of vegetables. On average, meat is eaten four times a week, but many eat it almost every day. A diet high in red meat significantly increases the risk of cancer and heart disease. When categorising what is eaten every day into percentages, the national plate consists of 41% starch, 26% meat, 13% vegetables, 9% oils, 8% dairy and 3% legumes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Snacking on soft drinks and other processed food that often contain sugar and trans fat, is another bad habit South Africans indulge in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have veered far off the recommended nutritional plate, which is shortening the lives of many South Africans,\u201d she warns. \u201cWe really are in a nutrition crisis, but there\u2019s still time to turn things around.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
She says we need to view fruit and vegetables, not only for sustenance, but since they are absolutely essential to our bodies\u2019 need for healthy functioning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs a nation we need to be more aware of what we put into our bodies. It can either harm or benefit us.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thankfully, there is a growing movement to integrate food and nutrition into healthcare to help prevent and manage diet-related disease. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One such diet, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (Dash) nutrition plan, is considered by health-care providers the world over as the golden standard in maintaining a healthy blood pressure and staving off a host of other debilitating disorders, including heart disease. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It consists mainly of a Mediterranean diet, in which the intake of fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains are encouraged, while processed foods that are higher in sodium (salt) and added sugars are discouraged. Moderate portions of lean meats, such as poultry and fish can be eaten four to five times a week, but red meat should only be enjoyed on occasion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jennings says Pharma Dynamics has simplified the Dash diet for locals in its most recently launched Cooking from the Heart 5<\/i> cookbook, which is available to the public free of charge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe cookbook serves as a valuable resource for people to learn more about the kinds of food to avoid, what to include, and how to prepare tasty meals that are easy to follow and budget-friendly. The Dash diet is not only for those suffering from hypertension, but is a healthy eating plan that everyone should follow to help keep blood pressure in check.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Cooking from the Heart Dash<\/i> cookbook not only carries the SA Heart and Stroke Foundation\u2019s seal of approval, but was named among the \u201cBest Free Publications\u201d in the Corporate Brands category in the prestigious Gourmand Awards listing. The overall winner will be announced in March this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cChanging your mindset on nutrition can radically transform your health outlook,\u201d says Jennings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe way you think about nutrition will influence how successful you\u2019ll be at achieving your health goals. There are no quick fixes. Long-term, sustainable change comes only from making the right food choices every day. The Dash diet shouldn\u2019t be viewed as a temporary eating plan, but a diet to be maintained throughout your life. Slow and steady wins the race. Making small, but consistent changes to your diet will help you reach your goal.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
During the month of love most individuals go the extra mile to show their affection for that special someone in their lives. But how about showing your heart some love?.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":62225,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"afbddbbc-f8ad-406b-911e-3e56c25d68f7","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-88062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n