Better Call Saf (Registered Dietitian)

What is it? Similar to Quinoa or couscous it's a cereal made from groat of durum wheat usually (and this wheat is commonly used for some varieties of fresh pasta like tagliatelle) Not to be confused with cracked wheat (we are going to discuss the nutritional value in the next chapter)  Commonly used in the Middle East and Mediterranean countries it offers a great varieties of recipes you can choose from  Is usually parboiled so very quick to prepare Nutritional value:   Per 100 gr: Calories: 83 Fat 0.24 gr Carbs: 18.6 gr which Sugars: 0.1 gr which Fibres: 4.5 gr Protein: 3.1 gr Benefits: Fat and cholesterol free High in Fibre and low in sugar Good source of Manganese and Magnesium Good alternative to Quinoa or Wholemeal rice, so you can use this as a good alternative 

Let's start the new year in the best way possible: with freedom!  The freedom to choose in this case   Sometimes it's easy to get bored of the same meals during the week over and over That's when craving for something else start to increase and often this could be a takeaway or just something high in calories to break the routine  So here some trustable websites that offer healthy recipes and you can select quick and easy options or a more complex one depending on your time and skills Could be a good idea to pick one option for each meal of the day to be introduced every week and keep the change for the following week if you liked or change again in the second week and so on The whole point of doing this is to help you staying on track with good alternatives and have more varieties as well 1)  https://foodnetwork.co.uk/ healthy-family-dinners/ 2)  https://www.epicurious.com/ search?special-consideration= healthy 3)  http://www.eatingwell.com/ recipes...

Aldo called "sea vegetables"    and is quite self explenatory They are basically algae of different colours from the sea They are nutritious and filling. As you can notice it is a very light snack So another good snack alternative to add in your variety Also easy to use in lot of recipes as ingredient, so really a flexible product. Here is the nutritional value for 100gr : Could change depending on the brand and on the variety of algae which are made of so always double check the label Calories: 50 kcal Carbs 10 gr Protein 2gr Fat 1 gr High in: Magnesium   Iodine  Folate FIber  WHERE TO FIND IT: You can find that in the main groceries and even easier in  ethnic Asian shops as well. BENEFITS: - The iodine can help to boost the metabolism thanks to a better functioning of your thyroid  - The high amount of fibres help to control hunger and keep satiety for longer - It helps with your gut health to promote ...

In this last year we discussed a lot of alternatives to manage comfort eating and emotional eating  related to stress and depression and how to be more mindful  ( links at the bottom if you want to have a look) But what if it's not enough, as a Dietitian I can tell that sometimes is not about food. Mental health and the mood are important  to guarantee that you are able to have a good quality of life included following a healthy lifestyle. But what if low mood, depression and anxiety are "devouring" you and need to constantly fight with all of this. Sometimes food is not the solution, and focusing on what is creating all those emotions is not an easy process but something that could help permanently instead of a temporary fix like comfort eating. So this time I am going to list you some professional support, free to use that could be used to avoid the long waiting from your local medical centre and to keep all your confidentiality, because som...

Here is a quick comparison between different kind of oils and what to check on the labels before buying  What to check on the labels: Mainly are two things: - The nutritional values Trying to prefer oils rich in Polyunsaturated fats and at the same time Avoid or r educing the amount of saturated and trans fats   To note that any fat/oil from a plant is naturally without cholesterol Which means that is present in any animal fat including butter or ghee for example - Checking the ingredients is important too! Sometimes there are more ingredients than expected and often could reduce the quality For example when buying Extra Virgin Olive oil: Often there is a percentage of different kind of qualities  of olives to obtain a cheaper version so to not get tricked is important to check the percentages and in this case " you get what you pay for" applies almost always. Just consider that you may pay a little bit more to get a bet...

Let's start with a question: How do you think a  Queen Bee is made ? Would you say she was born already like this or something else made her become the Queen ? The answer is: She was born exactly as the other bees,  nothing different at all But because of the a different diet, her whole structure would grow differently and that's how she becomes a Queen with all the specific characteristics To give more details, the Queen Bee is receiving  a different kind of nutrient compared to any other, which is  Royal Jelly ,  and this is one of the  biggest example I came across on  how much the diet could impact overall Just to make one example: The Queen Bee can live almost 5 years   while the "regular bee" has a life cycle between 45 and 90 days, and all the credits goes to the different nutrients they have  Now, as you have probably seen this product in your local supermarket, let's have a look to the nutrients and  let's ...

How to alleviate all the symptoms during and before the menopause ? Here some practical tips: - Hormones are the first thing changing and you can notice that by the irregular periods before the menopause when after that is going to stop and not have periods anymore The oestrogens are reason for lot of these changes and side effects that you may experience during this time so how can we replace them? There are plant oestrogens which even mildly they can have a similar effect as replacement to the hormones and reduce all the symptoms especially hot flushes and in case you would like to try this alternative before any supplement  Some of this are: - Soya  - Edamame (link below with more information) https://www.safdietitian.com/2019/12/healthy-snack-alternative-edamame.html - Flax or sesame seeds (more information and other seeds properties below) https://www.safdietitian.com/2019/08/are-seeds-helpful-with-weight-loss.html - Peaches and Berries...

Let's start by saying that is not always to be just black OR white In this case is not about switching completely to these options instead of your favourite protein intake It's more about  having varieties and alternatives  during the month and sometimes trying new things that you don't know yet if you will love it or hate it,  but let's give a chance at least! So here some alternatives with detailed nutritional values per  100 gr : Tofu  What is it ? Similar procedure as cheesemaking it's made from condensed soy milk, also called bean curd. Nutritional Value: Calories  76  Protein  8 gr Carbs 2 gr Fat  5 gr Where to find it and How to use it? This product now it's very famous and easy to find in any groceries There are different types: - Silken: perfect to be blended like in smoothies or in recipes instead of eggs, so even scrambled on your toast - Firm:  more as a meat substitute, has to be se...

I was in a local bar in Naples when I made a compliment on how good was the coffee and the barista kindly explained to me that the secret was the water! Was the first time hearing something like that so I was curious about this answer, and the reason it's because the tap water from Naples it's usually very pure and low in minerals Thinking about this, actually makes sense that all the waters don't taste the same and just considering  the varieties of minerals you can have in the water really changes a lot from places to places or from different brands, and each mineral changes the taste of it, therefore since this is basically the other half as ingredient for any kind of coffee or tea, it means that changes the taste too! As a personal experience, I can say that the taste of the coffee of the same brand was different in Naples compared to the one I usually had in Rome (where I grew up) So what did change ? Immediately I can recall that the tap wate...

WHAT IS IT ? Simple and tasty, Originally from Western Africa. It is similar to sourdough dumplings and could be served with soup, stew or grilled fish. The only thing to consider is the preparation that requires few days for the fermentation process HOW TO MAKE IT: You can find lot of recipes and videos online if you want something more elaborate. This is a simplified version: Ingredients: - 2 cups of cornmeal  - 1 table spoon of corn starch  - dry corn husks  put the cornmeal and starch in a bowl  add warm water (same amount like the cornmeal so 2 cups in this case) stir for a smooth dough cover the bowl and leave it for 2 days in a warm place (fermentation) Now that the dough is ready, scrap any mould formed  Separately in a container Boil 2 cups of water and add salt inland after that  put half of the dough in the water and mix it for 10 min (medium heat) after 10 min. remove it from heat but continue to mix/stir ...

One of the first snack alternative I usually discuss with patients is this one: The low sugar Jelly WHY? Suitable for vegetarian ,  which means is suitable for lot of different dietary choices that could be due to religion or ethic reasons, but I would recommend to always double check the label to confirm this. Flexible to mix with other products like yogurt or even ice cream , to still have something that you like but with a considerable reduced amount of sugars and calories Easy to transport as a snack when you are out to avoid a high in calories snacks from the shop  Doesn't require any preparation at all WHICH ONE TO CHOOSE: There are different brands let's see the differences: Hartley's 10 cal jelly: Calories: between 5 and 10 calories depending on the flavour Sugar: 0.1 gr Fat:  0.1 gr Protein: 0.1 gr Flavours:  - Lime - Mango - Orange - Blueberry - Cranberry - Raspberry - Strawberry -...

Fructose could be found in a variety of products in an elevated amount as a syrup or simple sugar for example WHY COULD BE UNHEALTHY? Keeping in my mind that the dose is making the difference, we are not talking about fruits and veggies which the amount could be included in a healthy diet. A high amount of this can increase extra fat disposition and insulin resistance. Another important note is the level of satiety which is low, it basically means that you need more of these kind of product to fill full and satisfied which also means a bigger portion/calories FOOD HIGH IN FRUCTOSE: LOW FAT YOGURT   (always check the label because some brands are claiming a low fat product without mentioning a higher amount of sugars/fructose) DRESSING ( like Ketchup and Mayonneise ) FLAVOURED OR SWEETENED MILK CANNED FRUIT FIZZY DRINKS  JUICE As you can notice once again reading label is important to be aware about the content and the ...

Prevention it's always better than any future treatment Working in the NHS Diabetes prevention programme   made me realise how important it is to always look in a long term perspective to avoid any further complications Doesn't matter if you are feeling young and invincible right now or have you just been diagnosed with Diabetes (even borderline) The point is that an "investment" made on yourself to get healthier will be paid off with many interests in the future and the only person to benefit from this is yourself  You might have heard already about: Diabetes type 1: It happens when the body can't produce enough insulin  Diabetes type 2 : The body develops insulin resistence or is not produced enough  But maybe you didn't hear about: Diabetes type 3 : An insulin resistance that could trigger Alzheimer's disease , because of the complications from the chemical imbalances (to not be confused with type 3c) PRACTICAL ADVICE: ...