Smart Snacks for People on the Go!“0 Comments”
admin | 3:54 pm | August 10, 2011 | Uncategorized
The corporate lifestyle can pose a real challenge to the attainment of a healthy, balanced diet. Skipping meals, bad meal planning, eating on the run and relying on quick shops and vending machines for snacks are just some of the challenges we face as we juggle work and life. Ideally, busy people, and especially those of us that also remain fairly active throughout the day, should plan to eat three balanced meals a day and include two to three healthy snacks in between meals.
Regular snaking is particularly important in the context of a high stress environment. Our brain and pituitary gland respond to stress by releasing adrenocorticotropic hormone. This stimulates our adrenals to increase production of the hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine, which essentially increase the metabolic rate, preparing the body for stress. Our energy reserves are burned up faster, which means we need to eat more regularly in order to keep blood sugar levels, and energy more sustained. Stress also means that our bodies’ nutrients get used up more rapidly to meet the increased biochemical needs of metabolism. So the more nutritious snacks we eat, the more essential nutrients we get in to replace those lost during stress.
The secret to healthy snacking lies in eating the right foods, in the right amounts at the right times.
The right foods
Choose snack foods that are as close to nature as possible. The following make ideal choices:
Fruit
Fruit is a source of carbohydrate energy and is packed with fiber, vitamin C and minerals. Fresh, raw fruit contains its own enzymes and is digested easily and naturally on its own. During times of stress, when blood is diverted from the digestive system to other organs, fruit is a perfect snack. Fruit can also form the basis of a meal, like a breakfast smoothie or fruit salad.
Dried fruit is also an option, and will provide similar nutrition to fresh fruit. The problem with dried fruit is portion control. It is very easy to eat 10 dried peaches but it would take you much effort to eat 10 fresh peaches. So as long as you control for portion size, dried fruit is a suitable alternative to fresh fruit.
Fruit generally also has a very favourable low glycemic index (GI), which means that it delivers its carbohydrate slowly into the body resulting in a sustained release of energy. Deciduous fruits (like apples, pears and plums), citrus fruits and berries have a lower GI than tropical fruits (like bananas, papino and mangos).
Vegetables
Vegetables provide the lowest kilojoule snack with the highest fiber and antioxidant content. Vegetables also have a naturally low GI. Raw veggies, like carrot sticks, sugar snaps; broccoli and cauliflower florets and baby tomatoes for example make an excellent snack. In winter, you could make a pot of thick vegetable soup and take to work in a flask for a warming snack.
Nuts and seeds
Nuts and seeds are powerhouses of energy in the form of essential fats and are mostly comprised of mono-unsaturated fats, which help replace saturated animal fats in the diet to improve lipid profiles and prevent heart disease. Nuts also contain a good amount of protein and are rich in B vitamins and many essential minerals, like magnesium. Any nuts or seeds are acceptable to eat as all have a similar fat content. Almonds are often referred to as “the king of nuts” as they are the most nutritionally balanced. Brazil nuts contain large amounts of the antioxidant mineral selenium and flaxseeds and walnuts are particularly high in omega-3 fatty acids.
Throw some nuts and seeds over your breakfast cereal, add them to a smoothie, smear nut butter on wholegrain toast or crackers or simply chew on a handful for a satisfying snack.
Yogurt
Yogurt is a good source of calcium and the B vitamin, riboflavin. Yogurt is also a complete protein source, which means it contains all 8 essential amino acids. The fat in yogurt is saturated fat and excess consumption has been linked to chronic diseases of lifestyle, like heart disease and cancer. However, compared to cheese, even full cream yogurt has a relatively low fat content of about 5g per 100g (cheese contains about 20-40g fat per 100g). Low fat and fat-free yogurts contain less than 3g fat per 100g and less than 0.5g fat per 100g respectively. Yogurt also has a very favourable GI, which means that it delivers it carbohydrate slowly into the body resulting in a sustained release of energy.
Crackers
Smear some peanut butter, cottage cheese, fruit jam or mashed avocado on a wholegrain cracker or rice cake. Choose varieties that are relatively lower in fat and salt and that contain wholegrain wheat, rice or rye rather than white flour.
Health bars
Certain commercial products like cereal bars, protein bars and dried fruit bars can provide for a good snack. When making a choice, it’s always a good idea to read labels for fat and carbohydrate content, as some bars tend to be too high in one or both of these. A cereal bar should contain no more than 25g carbohydrate per bar and no more than 5g of fat (unless it is a seed or nut bar, in which case the fat content will be higher). Protein bars generally contain as much fat and kilojoules as a chocolate and are more designed for meal replacement or for after heavy sports activity then as a regular snack.
Biltong
Provided you choose a low fat variety of biltong (either fat-trimmed beef, ostrich or game biltong), it is a good high protein low fat snack. Avoid visible fatty bits and choose biltong over wors, which is much higher in fat.
The right amount
Vegetables should be eaten in abundance but limit the more starchy vegetables like sugar snaps to 1 cup at a time. Too much fruit is not a good thing because of its high sugar content (in the form of fructose), so stick to 2-4 portions per day. Nuts are high in fats and kilojoules so should be limited. A portion of nuts or seeds at one snack should be 15-30g, so plowing through a 100g bag of nuts is over-doing it. A daily recommendation for dairy products including yogurt is 1-3 portions per day and a portion of yogurt is 125ml. One starch serving is 1 slice bread, which is equal to 4 small crackers or 2 larger crackers. Cereal bars should be kept to a minimum, rather focusing on whole foods as snacks. About 3 bars per week is a good reference limit. Biltong is dehydrated, which means it would typically weight about three times more if it were fresh. About 25g dried biltong would be a suitable amount as a snack.
The right time
Eating your snacks at the right time is also of the utmost importance. It doesn’t help to skip breakfast and lunch, then eat a few snacks and dinner towards the end of the day. As a general rule, to balance blood sugar and keep the metabolism and digestion fuelled, eat something small every three hours, starting with breakfast, which should ideally be eaten within 3 hours of waking up.
Treats and Cheats
If you are someone who has become accustomed to high fat and high sugar snack foods like sweets, chips and chocolate for example, start to reduce your intake and substitute with healthier options. If you don’t really eat them much at all- don’t start now! It is important not to totally deprive yourself. Allow yourself a very small treat each day if you must, otherwise limit treats to 2 or 3 a week. 60g chewy or gum sweets, a 30g packet crisps or 40g chocolate would equal 1 treat.
Author:
The “Real Food” Movement“0 Comments”
admin | 10:15 am | June 22, 2011 | Uncategorized
Human beings have lost the ability to appreciate real food. When last did you appreciate broccoli without over-cooking it and adding store-bought cheese sauce; when last did you make your own salad dressing instead of buying the creamy ranch dressing in a bottle or when last did you enjoy a wholegrain cooked breakfast instead of reaching for the box of processed cereal flakes? Just take a walk through your local supermarket isles and read through some of the labels on the food you buy. High fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, hydrogenated fat and a range of artificial colourants and flavourants will meet your eye. Farm fruits and vegetables, meats, eggs, fresh dairy, nuts, wholegrains and legumes- these are the real foods we should be basing our daily diets on.
“Real Food” evangelist, Robyn O’Brien shares her journey on TED with food and nutrition after a dangerous allergic reaction of one of her children to a “typical” breakfast. Her investigations revealed a lot more about the food industry then she had bargained for, and her shocking disoveries prompted this video.
For more about Robyn O’Brien see:
Click Here To View The Video on YouTube
http://twitter.com/unhealthytruth
Vegetable Green Curry (Serves 4)“0 Comments”
admin | 12:26 pm | May 11, 2011 | Recipes, Uncategorized
1 Tbs olive oil
3 Tbs green curry paste
2 kaffir lime leaves OR 1 bay leaf
1 tin coconut milk
2 cups firm tofu, cut into cubes
1 small sweet potato, cubed
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup snow peas
Add a Tbs of coconut milk and mix with the curry paste. Heat the oil in a large wok or saucepan and lightly fry the curry paste. Add the rest of the coconut milk. Add tofu and stir. Add kaffir leaves, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer. Add the sweet potato and cook for 7 minutes, covered. Finally add bell peppers, mushrooms and snow peas and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Add some fish sauce to taste of desired. Serve hot over brown basmati rice.
Lamb and Chickpea Soup (Serves 4)“0 Comments”
admin | 12:22 pm | | Recipes, Uncategorized
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 Tbs olive oil
500g lean lamb, cut into cubes
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp saffron threads
½ cup celery, chopped
½ cup onion, chopped
2 cups tomatoes, chopped
½ cup dried lentils
Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat and add the lamb. Cook for a few minutes. Add the turmeric, cinnamon and saffron and stir to blend well. Add celery and onion, stir and cook for about 5 minutes. Add
the tomatoes and stir. Cook for 15 another minutes. Rinse the lentils and add to the mix. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 1 hour. Add the chickpeas and simmer for a further 30 minutes.
Dhal (Indian Lentil Stew)- Serves 4“0 Comments”
admin | 11:44 am | | Recipes, Uncategorized
For the Bean Pot: 
2 cups dry lentils, rinsed and sorted
(Cook lentils in enough vegetable stock to cover them plus 5 centimetres. Bring to boil until the foam rises. Remove from top and discard. Cook for 45 minutes)
For the curry paste, in a pan sauté the following in order:
1 Tbs. Ghee or olive oil
1 tsp. Mustard seeds
Let mustard seeds pop then add:
½ tsp. Fenugreek seeds
10 cardamom pods, shells removed and crushed or 1 tsp. Ground cardamom
½ tsp red chilli flakes
2 sticks cinnamon or 1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup leeks or onions, chopped
2 inches fresh ginger, finely chopped or 1 tsp ground ginger
1 cup vegetable stock or water
Add vegetable stock if mixture gets dry, sauté for 5 minutes then add dry spices in order:
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp asafoetida
- 1 tsp coriander
Add more broth if necessary, then add:
- Tomato paste
- 1 tsp salt
Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add cooked lentils with the curry paste. To finish off add:
½ cup chopped coriander, 1 cup low fat coconut milk (optional) and 2 Tbs. Lemon juice
Packing a Healthy School Lunchbox for Kids“2 Comments”
admin | 12:46 pm | January 25, 2011 | Uncategorized
The process of packing a nutritionally balanced and healthy school lunchbox for kids can be challenging as it is, and when confounded with rushed mornings getting yourself and the kids ready for the day, it can become an overwhelming chore. Kids also tend to ask for the wrong things, and would often rather take crisps, a cold drink and a chocolate bar to school instead of a wholesome meal. However, with a little thought and creativity, its possible to pack lunches that are nutritious and don’t come home uneaten. Here are some tips for a healthy day, including a health school lunchbox:
Start with a good breakfast
It’s still the most important meal of the day. Breakfast gives your child the fuel to kick-start the brain into motion and to provide a sustained release of energy during the day. Ideal breakfast choices include:
- Wholegrain porridge, with milk or yogurt and fresh fruit
- Wholegrain toast with low fat cheese, peanut butter or scrambled eggs
- Fruit smoothie made with low fat yogurt, fresh fruit and oats or muesli
Always try making time for breakfast, even if it means waking up a little earlier. If it’s still a struggle, try one of these breakfasts on the go:
- A fruit or cereal bar (try TruFruit or Safari fruit bars, slim slabs, Special-K or All-Bran bars) and a yogurt
- Bokomo Up-And-Go
- A yogurt and a piece of fresh fruit
- A wholegrain sandwich with peanut butter
Check out the tuck shop
Find out what kinds of foods the school tuck shop is offering. Are there some healthy choices, or is your child buying sweets, chips and fried foods? Lobby for healthy tuck shop options that include nutritious sandwich fillings, salads and healthy snack foods like yogurts, nuts and fruit. Encourage the tuck shop to serve sweets only after the first break instead of offering them early in the morning. If you feel your child is still going to buy unhealthy foods at school, then limit the amount of tuck money you give them. Or better still, discourage tuck and pack a healthy, nutritious lunch box.
The healthy lunchbox
The next step is ensuring healthy choices accompany your child to school each day. Kids get bored- so offer a variety of wholesome foods each day. The following are some suggestions for a healthy lunchbox:
- Make healthy sandwiches. Offer and encourage whole-wheat or brown bread or rolls. Low GI (glycemic index) white breads are also available. To this add a nutritious filling like low fat cottage cheese and cucumber, tinned tuna, pilchards, marmite, avocado pear with lemon juice, peanut butter and banana, mashed egg with low fat mayonnaise, lean chicken or meat slices or fish paste with tomato.
- Try adding veggies. Not all kids will cooperate but it’s worth a try. Pack tuna, chicken or cheese salads or add raw crudité veggies, like carrot sticks, celery, baby tomatoes, sugar snap peas and baby corn to the mix. Offer some peanut butter, smooth cottage cheese or tomato salsa for dipping. Try potato pr pasta salads with chopped veggies. In winter offer veggie soups in a flask.
- Up the fluid. Make sure your child receives adequate hydration throughout the day. Pack at least a 500ml bottle of water; more of your child is active. Plain bottled water, diluted fruit juice and iced teas are all acceptable additions. Avoid squashes, as these tend to be high in sugar and additives.
- Pack healthy snacks. Kids should eat small regular snacks during the day for more sustained energy and concentration. Fresh or dried fruit, fruit salads and fruit kebabs, crackers with with peanut butter or avocado pear, dried fruit and nuts, low fat yogurt with a container of muesli to add, fruit or muesli bars, homemade oatcakes or oat crunchies, digestive biscuits and homemade popcorn all go down well and provide good nutrition. Add some protein snacks like lean meat roll-ups, fish cakes, a couple of sushi rolls, a boiled egg, low fat cheese wedges, minced legumes, a mini burger patty or some low fat biltong.
- Pack in some nutrients. Make sure your child is getting some of the more important nutrients for learning. Try carrots, butternut, peaches, mangos or any other yellow/orange fruit and vegetable for added vitamin A which helps strengthen the immune system. Fish is an excellent source of both iodine and omega-3 fatty acids- the essential fats that help boost concentration. Ensure that your child gets adequate protein from meats, chicken, fish, dairy and legumes; calcium from dairy, fish tinned with bones and green vegetables and iron from dried fruit, green vegetables, red meat, chicken, fish and legumes.
When it comes to planning a healthy school lunchbox that helps nurture a child’s growth and development, moderation and balance are key. It’s never a good idea to deprive children of sweets and junk foods, but it’s imperative that you set limits and boundaries. Offering a variety of healthy, nutritious foods for school and at home is one of the best things you can do to help fuel active body’s and minds and help children to reach their full potential.
Besides fruit and treats, try the following lunchbox ideas
- 3/4 cup cold wholewheat fussilli pasta, chopped peppers, baby tomato, 5 olives and 60g mozzarella cheese
- 60g woolies pre-made chicken fillets added to a chopped salad with a low fat yogurt dressing and 2 ryevita biscuits
- Bulgur wheat (3/4 cup) with grilled vegetables and 50g mozzarella cheese to make a salad
- Salmon fishcake with a yogurt and cucumber dressing
- 60g smoked salmon on a brown bagel with lettuce and capers
- 2 chicken kebabs, 4 provita with cottage cheese and marmite
- Crudité vegetables with an avocado and smooth cottage cheese dip, 20g mixed nuts and 4 fincrisps
- Tuna salad with 2 rice cakes, 1 fruit, 20g nuts and a yogurt
- Sandwich on seed bread with 6 slices low fat chicken, mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato
- ¾ cup quinoa, ½ cup lentils, chopped peppers, cucumber carrots and baby tomatoes to make a salad
5 Steps to a Healthy 2011“0 Comments”
admin | 7:54 am | January 4, 2011 | Uncategorized
So many of us use the New Year as a motivation factor for starting new things, like a healthy eating or lifestyle plan. In reality a healthy eating plan should be something you follow all year, year in and year out so that it becomes a lifestyle change that you build over time, rather than just a resolution. However, all changes have to start with a resolution or intention to change, and if the New Year inspires you to do this, then now is a good time to start the process towards a healthy 2011.
Use these 5 steps to help implement and sustain the changes you need for a healthier 2011:
Step 1: Assess You Health
Before you can decide what changes need to be implemented, it is useful to see where in your life you need to change. A good pace to start is to have a medical health assessment and check your cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glucose values. The company you work for or your medical aid often offers these tests free of charge. Routine diagnostic tests, like pap smears, bone density scans and mammograms as well as gastroscopies and colonoscopies, where necessary, can also give you a better picture of your overall health status.
Next you should look at your negative lifestyle habits, like smoking status, alcohol consumption, junk food, caffeine and sugar consumption for example. Also look at whether you are consuming enough water, fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, lean proteins and essential fats in your diet. Assess your exercise habits and the frequency of your visits to the gym or other fitness clubs.
The manner in which you handle and process stress, your emotional state and your work-life balance are also important factors in determining your overall health status.
Step 2: Out with the Bad
This is where you start to remove the potentially harmful foods and practices from your lifestyle. Negative lifestyle practices that you may want to consider cutting down on or taking out of your lifestyle completely include sedentary behaviours, smoking, drinking too much alcohol, eating junk food, eating sugary foods, eating chocolate, drinking too much coffee, tea or cold drink, eating processed flour based foods (like biscuits, pastries and white bread) and eating too many fatty foods (like fried foods, fatty red meats, full cream dairy and cheese, chicken with skin).
Step 3: In with the Good
This is when you can start to introduce good lifestyle practices as well as wholesome foods into your diet. The groups that you want to focus on, include:
Fruits and Vegetables. The recommended minimum daily intake of fruits and vegetables is 5 servings per day. A serving is 1 medium fruit, 200ml fruit or veggie juice, 1-cup raw vegetables or salad or ½ cup cooked vegetables. A good start is to include 2 fruits and 3 vegetables per day.
Wholegrains. Wholegrains are carbohydrate foods that have been prepared with minimal processing and are eaten in their more natural state. Wholegrains contain more fiber and more vitamins and minerals than their refined counterparts. Wholegrains, in general, also have a lower glycemic index, which means more sustained energy for your day. Examples of wholegrains include wholewheat cereals and breads, wholegrain rye, wholewheat pasta, barley, buckwheat, bulgar wheat and legumes.
Essential fats. These are fatty acids that are essential to health and that you must include in your diet. The 2 most important ones are:
Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fats help us produce special chemicals, which help the body resist illness by reducing inflammation. Getting your daily dose of omega-3’s helps support the healthy functioning of your immune, reproductive, nervous systems and heart and goes a long way to preventing diseases of lifestyle and even boosting your memory, concentration and intelligence. They also act as medicinal foods, helping to fight heart disease, arthritis and brain disorders. Best sources are fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, herring, pilchards and sardines. Vegetable sources of omega 3’s include walnuts, flaxseed oil, pumpkin seeds and hemp oil. Dark green vegetables like seaweed, broccoli, spinach and kale are a reasonable source of omega-3 essential fatty acids if eaten in large amounts
Omega-9 fatty acids. Also known as monounsaturated fats, these fatty acids are the reason behind the health benefits of the Mediterranean Diet. They are particularly beneficial in keeping the heart healthy by reducing the amount of harmful fats in the blood. They may also help offset certain cancers and are rich in the antioxidant vitamin, Vitamin E. Best sources of omega 9’s are olive oil, olives, avocado, canola oil as well as most nuts and seeds.
Lean Protein. Protein provides the building blocks (called amino acids), which help maintain the structural integrity of your body and also provide the basis for hormones, immune cells and enzymes.
Good sources of protein to include at meals and snacks include leans red meats, skinless chicken, fish, eggs, legumes and low fat dairy products.
Step 4: Move
Aerobic exercise increases your heart rate, works your muscles, and raises your breathing rate. For most people, it’s best to aim for a total of about 30 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week. If you haven’t been very active recently, you can start out with 5 or 10 minutes a day and work up to more time each week. Or split up your activity for the day — try a brisk 10-minute walk after each meal. If you’re trying to lose weight, you may want to exercise more than 30 minutes a day.
Strength training, done several times a week, helps build strong bones and muscles and makes everyday chores like carrying groceries easier for you. With more muscle, you burn more calories, even at rest.
Flexibility exercises, also called stretching, help keep your joints flexible and reduce your chances of injury during other activities. Gentle stretching for 5 to 10 minutes helps your body warm up and get ready for aerobic activities such as walking or swimming. You could also try yoga or pilates.
One does not need to rely on a gym in getting active. Being active helps burns calories. The more you move around, the more energy you’ll have. These strategies can help you increase your activity level:
- Walk instead of drive whenever possible
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator
- Work in the garden, rake leaves, or do some housecleaning every day
- Park at the far end of the shopping center lot and walk to the store
Step 5: Relax
Relaxation and stress management as important to your health as anything else. Find time every day to do something that relaxes you- and never feel guilty about it. Make whatever it is that relaxes you more and more a part of your daily life.
Gazpacho Soup Recipe“0 Comments”
admin | 8:57 am | November 12, 2010 | Recipes, Uncategorized
Gazpacho is like a traditional French-style salad, but in soup form. Its traditionally largely tomato- based, which means its packed full of vitamin C and the antioxidant lycopene. Celery, cucumber, green pepper and spring onion all have diuretic properties, so this soup can help with water retention and high blood pressure. Garlic and onion have immune boosting properties. This soup is very low in fat (for a fat-free version, omit the olive oil), low in calories but high in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Ingredients
- 600ml tomato juice
- 225g peeled, seeded, finely chopped tomatoes
- 110g finely chopped celery
- 110g finely chopped cucumber
- 110g finely chopped green pepper
- 100g finely chopped spring onion
- 3 Tbs white wine vinegar
- 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp finely ground black pepper
Serves 4
Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl and refrigerate over night
Diet and Depression: Meals That Heal The Blues“0 Comments”
admin | 1:21 pm | November 2, 2010 | Uncategorized
Depression is one of the most common ailments inflicting modern man. Too many resort to anti-depressive medication, without first considering the strong link between diet and depression. Diet and depression are linked because our moods are controlled by chemicals called neurotransmitters, protein substances that need certain dietary factors for their production.
Diet and Depression: The Recipe
Salmon and sweet potato kebabs on a bed of brown rice (Serves 2)
You’ll need:
2x 200g salmon steaks
300g sweet potato
Juice of ½ lime
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
100g brown rice
Preparation
Remove the skin of the sweet potato and cut into 12 chunks. Parboil until cooked but still firm. Remove the skin and bones from the salmon steaks and cut into each into 6 large chunks. Alternatively thread the fish and sweet potato onto skewers. Mix the lime juice, olive oil and black pepper and pour evenly over the kebabs. Leave aside for cooking. Cook the rice as directed on the package. Place the kebabs under a hot grill for 3 minutes on each side until just cooked through. Serve with brown rice.
Diet and Depression: The Healing Ingredients
Salmon. Fatty fish, like salmon are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids. A special type of omega 3 fatty acid, only found in fish called EPA seems to be a potent ant-depressant. Many studies have show that people who consume fish oils suffer less depression. This may be because omega 3s help to build the brain’s neural connections as well as the receptor sites for neurotransmitters. So, the more omega-3s in the blood, the more responsive we become to the effects of our anti-depressant brain chemicals. Fish is also a source of tryptophan, the pre-cursor amino acid to serotonin- the “feel-good” neurotransmitter.
Sweet potato. Sweet potato is a good source of vitamin B6, which helps convert tryptophan to serotonin. There is also some evidence that beta-carotene found in orange vegetables helps prevent oxidative brain damage which can lead to depression and memory loss.
Brown rice. The low GI carbohydrate found in wholegrains, like brown rice helps feed our brains with a more constant supply of glucose preventing sugar lows and mood swings. Brown rice is also a good source of folate, another B vitamin needed in the production of serotonin.
The Danger’s Of Soya: Can Soya Cause Cancer?“3 Comments”
admin | 4:45 pm | September 29, 2010 | Uncategorized
Is it time to spill the beans on soya?
The soya bean and its culinary derivatives are probably one of the most contested health foods around. Is soy good or is soy bad? At the start soya emerged as a super food and the darling of the health food industry only to be reduced later on to a toxic substance to be avoided. Are the warnings justified or are the anti-soy activists simply taking the Joy out of Soy? For year’s soya has been touted as a health food that can help, amongst other things, to boost protein intake, prevent cancer, lower cholesterol and tame menopause. However, the anti-soy contingency is still large. One such activist is U.S Dr. Joseph Mercola whose website (www.mercola.com) is host to many anti-soy articles. Another New Zealand website (www.soyonlineservice.co.nz) passionately attempts to disprove any health claims attached to soya.
By far the most controversy generated around soya stems from its role in cancer. But can soya actually cause cancer? All the claims around cancer (and particularly hormone sensitive ones, like breast cancer) are based around the fact that soya contains phyto-oestrogens. Some researchers suggest phyto-eostrogens may act as anti-estrogens and reduce cancer growth, while others suggest their estrogenic activity could cause cancers to grow faster. This is a concern for women during the change of life who may be using soya products to help counteract the symptoms of menopause. One study, which appeared in Maturatus in November 2007, showed that soy isoflavones can help reduce hot flushes in post-menopausal women and another appearing in Menopuse in January 2009 showed that soy isoflavones help reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety and fatigue during menopause. So, while soya products may play a role in reducing menopausal symptoms, women using soya in the diet or in supplement form need to take heed regarding hormone sensitive cancers as the jury, it seems, is not yet out as to whether soya prevents or promotes cancer.
A study conducted at John Hopkins school of medicine in 2005, pooled the results of 12 case-control studies on soya and breast cancer and found a small reduction in breast cancer risk due to soya product consumption but concluded that the results were too varied between studies (with some showing increased risk) to make any recommendations.
The verdict. There is simply not enough information at this stage to make recommendations either way. It seems when it comes to something as complex and multi-factorial as cancer, we need to follow an approach of moderation and balance- not too much or too little of anything, and follow a healthy lifestyle.
Soya is a good protein source and an excellent source of many other nutrients, which may mean that the benefits out-weight the dangers of soya. It has also been shown that fermented soya products, like soya sauce and tempeh are not as harmful to health. Choose soya products that are as unprocessed as possible and also choose products that are free of genetically modified organisms.
Wordpress Themes | sheepdip by mahud © 2007 | Scoreboards