Better Call Saf (Registered Dietitian)

What is and why Edamame ?  Is a soybean which means is suitable in vegan diet Naturally Gluten Free and Cholesterol free  Excellent source of protein Iron and Calcium considering is not an animal product  How? They are usually sold in their pods that are not meant to be eaten  The beans can be boiled, steamed or microwaved before eating them, so th ey could a very quick and easy snack alternatives Nutritional info for half cup (80gr): Calories: 90  Protein: 9 gr Carbs: 8 gr which more than half are Fibres (4gr)  Fat: 4 gr  Minerals: Magnesium, Iron and Calcium  Via Pixabay

Another quick and easy snack alternative could be crab sticks Per 100 gr of products: 95 calories, usually less than 20 calories per stick so a serving of 4 or 5  sticks is under 100 calories  Less than 1 gr of fat, depending on the brand but usually is always zero point something which is a very low amount  15 gr of Carbs, but less than half of this quantity is actually sugars so is relatively low in carbs too Things to consider: Could be high in Sodium so not recommended if you are trying to cut down on your salt intake. Again depends on the brand, so that's why is always important to check the label, to compare and choose the lowest in salt content  Important note:  This is just an alternative to use once in a while to have more varieties, certainly is not a nutritious food, so not to be used everyday

Why to choose it ? First of all is not counting as a carb but could be used as a replacement to the traditional rice and other carbs like pasta, once in a while to have more variety and reduce the caloric intake at the end of the month. Per 100 gr of product: 30-40 calories, which compared to any other carb alternatives is 3 or 4 time less in calories (for instance the same portion of rice would have been around 150 calories or more)   4 gr of Carbs which is almost nothing and that's why is countable as a 5 a day  0 gr of fat There are different ways to cook it: in the microwave: the easiest and quickest way, also consider that no oil is used for this Roasting is preferred than stir-frying because won't be soggy but instead will be even closer in taste and texture like proper rice  Always add a nice rich sauce to that to enjoy this product like a chilly or a curry for instance  Extra tip: You can find it ready m...

Quinoa know as the mother of all grains from the ancient population in America has different reasons to be chosen in your diet: Slow carbs release and naturally gluten free Essential Vitamins and Mineral such as In good amounts:  Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus  In relevant amounts:  Folate, Copper, Iron, Zinc and Potassium Vitamin B1, B3, B6 and E Now for 100gr of cooked Quinoa contains: 120 Calories 21 gr of Carbs which 2.8 gr are fibres 4.4 gr of Protein 1.9 gr of Fat Some additional facts: As explained before is a low glycemic index product with slow carbs release (GI score 53) which good compared to other traditional carbs like white rice and pasta Higher amount of Fibres than brown rice Has complete proteins which is not to easy to find in non-animal products Contains QUERCETIN and SQUALENE, both of them antioxidants So all of these means that can be helpful to control and improve blood sugar levels and weight l...

I discussed in few articles about different minerals and vitamins because they are important to make your body work and function correctly. Especially talking about metabolism and how your body burn the food when you are trying to loose weight. Why is essential? To keep a proper working immune system  Help to increase satiety  Help to improve metabolism Enzyme function in triggering the process to create body protein and DNA  You can have plenty through your diet but you need to be careful and keep the limit of recommend dose by your Doctor If you are already taking supplements Food High in Zinc:  Lean meat especially beef or lamb, Turkey and shrimps. Seeds (see the article already published https://bettercallsaf.blogspot.com/2019/08/are-seeds-helpful-with-weight-loss.html) Eggs contain moderate amounts  Beans and Legumes especially for vegan diets

First of all: what is Metabolism exactly? To simplify that, is the process where your body use the actual food to get energy and "burn" that. Age and genetics can slow down this process and unfortunately we can't change that But some vitamins and minerals can help to  boost this process and increase your metabolism, and we can definitely work on this! Here is a list of nutrients that can help to reach and maintain the full potential of your metabolism (included a list of food high in each of this vitamins and minerals) B vitamins  There are many (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12) Where? - Whole foods can maintain better and keep a higher doses of this vitamins (whole grains or brown rice for instance) - Veggies and fruits (especially spinach, squash, apples and watermelons) - Eggs and lean meats note: vitamin B12 is only from animal products but if you are vegan or vegetarian that doesn't consume eggs you can find it in fortified foods (...

Managing comfort eating is never easy, especially at the very beginning.  But how to stop this vicious circle ? Usually f ood high in white simple sugar s   are a common choice to satisfy this craving. But the problem is that makes you crave even more sugars later on, because this ingredient is strongly addictive , and   your brain will always ask for more and more white sugar. To overcome this, having something similar in taste which is actually lower in simple sugars and higher in  fibre   will help you to  reduce  and stop the craving in the  long term , y ou will not even think about comfort eating.  Step by step guide: First of all avoiding temptations make things easier , not having high sugar and high calories products at home will help you to maintain your will power, so just try to avoid buying those products when doing groceries or if you are living with someone just have a talk with other members of your house t...

First of all they are quite good in taste which is helpful to have an alternative during the week to have more optionse instead of regular bread, pasta, rice or potatoes. Here some pros: High in FIbre Low saturated fat Vitamin B complex especially B1 and B6 Minerals including: Iron, Magnesium and Zinc Now let's the see the nutritional facts for each of their products: Multigrain crispbread per slice: - Calories: 37 kcal  - Protein: 1.1 gr - Carbs 6.7 gr - Fibre: 1.8 gr - Fat 0.6 gr Cruncy rye breads per slice: - Calories: 37 kcal - Protein: 1.3 gr - Carbs 5.8 gr - Fibre: 1.8 gr - Fat 0.5 gr - There are different version you can choose, with similar nutritional values Rye cakes per piece: - Calories: 23 kcal - Protein: 0.6 gr - Carbs 4.3 gr - Fibre: 0.9  gr - Fat 0.2 gr - There are different version you can choose, with similar nutritional values Original Cracke...

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.