Better Call Saf (Registered Dietitian)

The name says  "sweet" but this doesn't mean that is high in sugar. Here is a comparison with the regular Potatoes SWEET POTATOES (100 gr baked with skin) - 90 kcal  - Carbs 20 gr - Fibers 3.3 gr - Fat 0.2 gr - Protein 2 gr Contain high amount of Vitamin A but also Vitamin B1, B2, B3. B5. B6, C And minerals like Iron, Manganese, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper and Phosphorus YAMS (100 gr boiled or baked) - 115 kcal - Carbs 27 gr - Fibers 3.9 gr - Fat 0.1 gr - Protein 1.5 gr Same kind of vitamins and minerals like in the sweet potatoes but the amount is defintely lower excepts Potassium and manganese  Now let's compare these two with the common Potatoes per 100 gr boiled with skin - 90 kcal - Carbs  20.1 gr - Sugar 0.9 gr - Fibers 1.8 gr - Fat 0.1 gr - Protein 1.9 gr The amount of calories seem the same but they are completely different: The amount of sugars in po...

Vitamin D helps the absorption of calcium to maintain bones density giving thems strength and hardness.  Without supplements or enough sunlight especially between October to April could be hard to get enough of this Vitamin So here is a list of food you can find in any groceries and contains a high amount of vitamin D: Grilled herring 1 portion of 120gr contains 19.2 mg of vitamin D Pink Salmon 1 drained portion of 100gr contains 13.6 mg of vitamin D Grilled Kipper 1 portion of  130 gr contains 13.1 mg of vitamin D Mackerel 1 portion of 150gr contains 12.3 mg of vitamin D 2 Scrambled or boiled Eggs contains 3.3 mg of vitamin D As you can see fish is rich in this Vitamin but consider that nowadays is easy to find fortified foods that are not supposed to have any vitamin but has been added, which is completely fine you can check this kind of products on my previous article or just checking on the label.

Time to time I will recommend some drastic advice in case you need to reach a target quicker, but this doesn't mean that has to be unhealthy. If you are really determined and you are ok to compromise a little bit with the taste, these two brands  can help you: Better than pasta Slim pasta or rice or noodles Cutting carbs could be very hard, but to help you with the portion control this variety of products can give you the easiest way to cut down to over 100 kcal for each meal you are having. So if you are ok with the flavour you can switch from your normal pasta or rice and slowly cut down on the portions but you are already cutting down with the calories only for the switch itself. Instead, if you really don't like the taste even having this just a few times during the week will be a huge cut down on the calories at the end of the month, so in this way, you can still have your favourite food. For instance, a serving of 100 gr of this pasta contains:...

It's always a good idea to make sure to try new things possibly every week to never get bored of the diet plan you are currently trying to maintain, sometimes varieties is the key for a long term success. So here some good alternatives to choose from:  Not very famous in the UK but commonly used in Italy, is actually really easy to find in any grocery.in the ham section To make it simple is like ham but made with beef. This alternative is recommended because: Is very low in fat. No carbs at all. A very good source of protein and iron   which can help you to make you feel fuller for longer Plus is quick to eat and doesn't require any sort of cooking or preparation For one serving around 30 gr: 0 gr of Carbs only 1 gr of Fat 9gr of Protein  Less than 70 calories (which come all from protein and none from carbs) This product can be used plain as a snack or even in your sandwich to make that a quick lunch alternative with some salad or veggies and ...

Some countries decided to fortify everyday food with vitamins or minerals which the population is lacking, for instance in the UK, Vitamin D. There is usually no side effect on this and this kind of products because they are completely safe, to make it simple they just added Vitamins or Minerals in the product and that makes them called: Fortified  You can be prescribed with supplements in case of really low level, but the best solution is to prevent this lack introducing more of this nutrients in your diet , especially when is not easy to get sunlight which unfortunately could be the majority of the time during the year Here a list of fortified foods: CEREALS : the majority of breakfast cereal are fortified,  not only with Vitamin D, bus also Iron, Calcium and Vitamin A , to check the label to find out which brand is adding more of these nutrients. FLOUR : if you are buying that from almost any groceries this should be fortified in Calcium, Iron, Vitam...

Here some alternatives to help you stop smoking if you need a little help Consider first that is completely fine to get some support and is good to have some specialized help when is possible. Also, this can be used especially when you feel you want to restart smoking. Because half of the process is to quit smoking but the other half is actually maintaining this huge improvement. Champix : usually prescribed by your GP, a 12 week tablets treatment where at the beginning you  can still smoke and take tablets contemporary but usually in 2 weeks patients quit smoking  Here is a useful link about the medication that includes any possible contraindication https://www.pfizerpro.co.uk/sites/default/files/patient_booklet_flat_pp-gip-gbr-1766_reformatted.pdf NHS stop smoking programme is free , with qualified specialist they can help to stop without medication if you are already on the good path  Here is a useful link that helps you find the nearest place for t...

Icelandic style yogurt is famous because of:  - The high amount of protein  - The low amount of fat but this doesn't mean that is low in calories  - Also high in Calcium, Phosphorus and Vitamin B12 A portion of 150 gr (one third of the big 450gr pot)  Contains 95 kcal which are more than some other low fat yoghurt, so why is that? Simply because proteins contain calories too and having an excessive amount gives you too many calories exactly like carbs or fat. Discussed this I am not saying to avoid this yogurt. What I am saying is  that this alternative could be used as a replacement of one major meal like a quick Breakfast or Lunch but should not be used just as a snack because could be easily a high caloric snack especially after dinner We will discuss more yogurt alternatives in the next posts.

D iary products What kind of cheese and yogurt to choose,  by comparing different alternatives  Diary products are one of the most common ingredient is a lot of different products, so it's not easy to complete avoid them, so let's compare and discuss the best alternatives in this huge range of alternatives, starting from cheese. To all the cheese lovers is not easy to cut down on the fat intake without cutting down on cheese and sometimes low fat or light alternatives are not exactly the same in terms of taste plus another thing to consider is the amount of salt and cholesterol . Portions and frequency are important to achieve a balance with any kind of food but with the right choices,  we can stil l enjo y  one of the most delicious product. so let's find some good alternatives. Cheeses comparison QUARK : only 30 Kcal per 50 gr and almost fat and salt free (0.2-0.1 gr) usually you can get 250 gr for only 1.25£ MOZZARELLA : 1 Oz contains 85 Kcal e...

If you are having one or more coffee per day that could be a relevant amount of calories at the end of the month, but I definitely understand the importance of caffeine in your daily routine. So let's discuss alternatives to still have it but reducing the calories and hidden sugars as much as possible with homemade drinks or the one from the coffee shop: LOW CALORIC ALTERNATIVES IN THE COFFEE SHOPS: - Cold Brew Coffee:  3 calories - Nitro Cold Brew : 4 calories - Classic Americano 11 calories - Nitro Cold Brew with caramel foam 28 calories - Cold Foam Iced Cappuccino 57 calories - Cappuccino 93 calories Keep in mind that all these recommendations unfortunately, will be worthless if you put sugar or honey in each drink. But don't worry here the link on my previous post about alternatives to make your drink sweet without adding any sugar: https://bettercallsaf.blogspot.com/2019/07/alternatives-to-sugar-and-stevia.html Also if you are used to putt...

The varieties of seeds we can find in the standard groceries are amazing but that means that we need to pay extra attention to check and choose the right one . Here is a list of the ones to prefer and why: - Flax seeds :  55 kcal per tablespoon  4gr of fat, and 3 gr of Fibers  High in Fiber and Omega 3 but low in calories  - Pumpkin seeds:   less than 100 kcal per tablespoon 2 gr of fat and 6 gr of Carbs but one-third of that are Fibers High in Zinc and more minerals that can help to maintain a regular bowel against constipation - Chia seeds: 60 kcal per tablespoon 3 gr of fat and 5 gr of Carbs  but almost all of them are fibres (4gr) High in Iron, Magnesium, Calcium and Vitamin E Two more good reasons: Taste is good in many ways from a snack to a sprinkle on your main dish and they are very filling.  How much to eat? To make things easier, One full tablespoon (10 grams) should ...

Vegan alternatives low in carbs that can be used in any diet One of the few things that usually is never reduced but always increased when starting a diet is the amount of vegetables to have, obviously there are many reasons for that from the low caloric intake to the vitamins and minerals provided, but having more choices from vegetables and derivates will help you to enjoy more the changes you are making.  Doesn't matter if you are vegan or not you can always introduce these ingredients that we are going to discuss now Low caloric alternatives: Tofu, Seitan and Legumes The  aim   is  to  get  enough healthy proteins without increasing excessively the  number  of  carbs  and  fat For a wight loss target ,  you   can   count  your daily intake of  carbs  and  try   to  stay  in a range between:   60  grams   in  case   you   are  sedentary ...

Getting bored of the same low-calorie snacks or  meal  every  day  could  be   the  major  obstacle for the  long term  success in your lifestyle changes, so  time  to  time  I will  provide you   alternatives  to  have  more  varieties  in your  diet . This  is  the second  alternative  after the  Belvita  Biscuits here  is  the  link  for the  article  in  case  you  missed : https ://bettercallsaf. blogspot . com/2019/06/belvita-breakfast . html Now as a second alternative I would like to recommend low-fat Hummus/Houmus  (a chickpea-based dip)  that can be used as a snack or even as a quick meal for Lunch or Dinner.   Why Low-fat Houmous? Is high in  fibre  and  protein , low in  carbs  and fat, plus is quick and easy to  use  with man...

W e   discussed   in the previous post about overnight oats that   require   to be   prepared   the   night   before, but what if you   want   something similar without any   preparation ? Instant  porridge  could  be  an  alternative  to  have  a different and definitely quick breakfast, but since the  porridge  is readymade we  need  to pay attention to the  ingredients  to  find  the lowest in calories and  sugar  to  choose . Here some  alternatives : -  Tesco Free  Orginal  or Syrup:  180  kcal  per  pot -   Asda  by  you Apple &  Blueberry /Red   Fruits /Syrup :  around 200  kcal  per  pot -  Quacker oat  so  simple Original:  190  kcal  per  pot  -Oomf!   skinny  oats  Berry /Ori...

Cereals   are  a  good  and quick alternative for breakfast, and oats  can   make  you fill fuller and energetic for longer which  can   help  avoid snacking or just to  reduce  calories on your next meal at lunch time. As the name suggests Overnight oats are not cooked, they are left to soak in liquid maintaining all the nutrients and fibre, with slow-release carbs. This  could   be  a quick and easy  alternative  for your  breakfast , it's all about planning the  night  before so will be ready to  eat  in the morning.  How to make overnight oats: First  of all we  need   to  choose  the  right   oats   some   brands   add   sugars  or are  too  high in calories ,  but in this  case   we  just   need   some  old fashioned  plain   oats  an...

Fluid intake doesn't mean just water intake, there are different ways to increase the overall amount. First of all we have to find out how much fluid we need in our body, we often hear about 2 Liters per day but  that is calculated on a medium adult of 75kg and 1.7m, so 2L liters is not a trustable number . A  very simplified way to calculate your needs of fluid  is to multiply your weight per 0.03 (If you didn't receive any fluid restriction by your Doctor or any specialist) and the result is the amount in Liters,  don't get scared if the amount is very high ,  just consider that our body is made up to 60% of water! Now let's discuss how to reach your daily intake: Having two glass ( one glass is around 250ml so one quarter of a Litre )  as a first thing in the morning can help to boost your metabolism and increase your water intake, just think that even if you are not feeling thirsty your body is asking water after a whole night witho...