Better Call Saf (Registered Dietitian)

 In the next few month we are going to discuss some of the most useful mushrooms which are known to have different benefits and used for centuries in many cultures and you can find them easily online or in your local store Today we are going to discuss:  Chaga Mushroom (Latin name: Inononutus obliquus) Commonly used in cold climates such as Siberia and some part of Asia where it grows easily Benefits - Lowers blood sugar - Very high in fibre and antioxidants (one of the highest concentration)  - Reduces long term inflammation and fights harmful bacteria and fungi  - Good amount of Calcium, Iron and Rubidium - Supporting the immune system  Taste Available as a tea or powder or even pills, the taste range goes from Chinese herbal tea to regular coffee , that's why can be used as a substitute since has similar effects exactly like caffeine or even better The aftertaste reminds of vanilla since it has similar compounds that are exactly the one you can find in the va...

  FOOD TO EXPLORE ✈ In this section I will discuss about food purely as enjoyment from an hedonistic point of view.  With specific dishes for each country/city visited personally.  T his page will be  updated regularly  so stay tuned :) And for more content follow me on instagram as well by clicking on this link if you want:  Safkit                 More details and list of all the cities here:  Travelling Dietitian✈ 🇮🇹   Burano (Venice) - Italy:   ☆ Overall Vote: 9/10 ★ Location: Restaurant Fritto Misto Burano  (one hour from Venice city Centre) North Italy ☆ Food: 9/10  ★ It's interesting that even the "plate is edible" made by wheat, which is very light in taste but the oil coming from the fritto misto (literally means mixed fried and in this case we are talking about seafood and potatoes) it's giving the specific taste to the plate as well, the result is that the taste is ne...

  Sometimes could be confusing to understand what food to choose to lower your cholesterol level so here a detailed list that can help you with plus practical tips for the long term. - Food with added sterols and stanols This plant based compound has the effect of blocking the cholesterol and this will directly lower the levels  Don't think about this chemical as something not natural because is actually contained in some fruits and vegetables but sometimes is just not enough Nowadays there are different brands that offer this in their products like:  yogurt, milk and butter to mention a few, usually it's clearly stated on the package if there is any of this compound added in their products Just make sure to read the labels to make sure that has stanols/sterols  Note: not recommended for pregnant women or if you are taking Ezetimide because this medication works in a similar way - Unsaturated fats Because saturated fats are one of the first thing to reduce on the ot...

  FOOD TO EXPLORE ✈ In this section I will discuss about food purely as enjoyment from an hedonistic point of view.  With specific dishes for each country/city visited personally.  T his page will be  updated regularly  so stay tuned :) And for more content follow me on instagram as well by clicking on this link if you want:  Safkit                 More details and list of all the cities here:  Travelling Dietitian✈ 🇬🇧     London - UK: ☆Overall Vote:   7.5/10 ★ Location: Bao Fitzrovia  W1T 2JN London, UK ☆ Food: 9 /10  ★ Inspired by the street food markets in Taiwan  It offers a lot of choices in the menu included different Baos: Like the classic one in the picture with Pork and Peanuts or the fried chicken or Lamb shoulder alternatives, plus the interesting crumbled Daikon one  ☆ Vibe: 6/10  ★ The location is nothing special, to not end up in the downstairs floor is...

  First of all, what are the triglycerides ? - They are the most common fats in our body. - They are not just introduced by fatty food as you can imagine but also from: - Extra calories even if they are from carbohydrates like sugar or alcohol for example (because they will be converted and stored in fat cells). What's the difference with cholesterol? - Cholesterol can be used to build cell and hormones - Triglycerides instead are stored in cells, so they are both lipids but with different functions. Why is important to keep this under control? - To avoid risks of heart diseases is the main reason, especially stroke - To avoid the risk of the metabolic syndrome  The diagnosis: Usually when the levels are above 150 mg/dl they are considered high. It means that improvements are necessary in the lifestyle, so let's discuss them now in this post. "Grocery list" here some of the best ingredients to use in your daily intake to improve the triglycerides: - No added sugar be...

 We will discuss both general and nutrional advice to improve the quality and the quantity of your sleep including the "deep sleep" to actually feel rested when you wake up Poor sleep is linked to affect your: - Exercise performance - Brain function - Hormones  and leading on the other side to: - Comfort eating  - Stress related snacking  So part of a healthy lifestyle is to make sure to have a good amount of deep sleep, so here some nutritional and general advice to do so Nutritional advice: -Turkey : especially for dinner is a good lean source of protein and most importantly tryptophan, which increases the production of melatonin linked to a better quality of sleep  - Sea bream : this is another good lean protein source rich in tryptophan and also omega 3 - Improve your magnesium intake which improves the relaxation and quality of your sleep, some food high in magnesium are: Nuts, Legumes, Tofu,  Seeds, Fish, Pistachios - Wholemeal carbs : Pasta and ric...

 Recovering after covid is often a slow process so here some practical tips from a nutritional point of view on how to recover faster and useful advice on how to deal with common side effects after the infection Once again is not about the quantity but the quality of food used, so when thinking about increasing your energetic intake through food is important to prefer good quality protein without increasing eccessevily the carbohydrates and fats that can be contained in the product Some examples of nourishing meals are: - Cottage cheese - Low fat and low sugar nordic style yogurt (high in protein)  - No added sugar baked beans  - Lentil soups/ Dhal  - Stew made with meat or Tofu/quorn as a alternative  - Handful of nuts  - Some other high quality protein includes: lean meat, non-fatty fish and pulses  - Green leafy vegetables  Another side effect is getting tired easily so how to deal with fatigue: - Considering to introduce Vitamin and suppleme...

 Here are some practical tips on how to improve and control better your blood pressure and specific food that can help with that  If you were ever prescribed any blood pressure medication you might have heard from your Doctor that the very first step is to make changes in your lifestyle to even have a chance to avoid these medications Instead if you are lucky enough to not take any blood pressure medication then the best thing is to prevent any risk with simple healthier choices  Food that can help to improve your blood pressure thanks to their content of specific vitamins and minerals: - Pisatchios, Chia seeds, Carrots, Celery, Broccoli, Nectarine, Oranges and Lemons  - Food high in Potassium (like Banana, Pumpkin seeds) - Food with a good amount of Fibre (like Legumes) - Food High in antioxidants (like Berries - Fish high in Omega 3 (like Salmon) - Spices like: Saffron, Lemongrass, Ginseng, Cardamom, Ginger Lifestyle changes to consider:  - Think and Check w...

Disclaimer: This is scritcly a Dietetic point of view on how to improve or even better prevent symptoms related to myocarditis in the short and long term This means that anything related to medication has to be discussed with your Doctor obviously  We are going to discuss food to prefer and avoid on a daily basis to have good impact and improvement on your symptoms or to avoid any symptoms to occur if possible  Causes of Myocardtis: The inflammation of the muscular layer of the heart  (myocardium) Can be caused by: - Viruses ( including covid 19 and Herpes ) - Bacteria   - Fungi and Parasites  - Autoimmune diseases   Often the cause cannot be found which makes thing more complicated but the treament including the nutritional side can follow a similar path to recover from this, alongside the correct medication prescribed  Why this is caused and symptoms: The first 3 points in the above list are all going to trigger your immune system and the inf...

 Why this product review: - The nutritional content are exceptional and we are going to discuss this in details below, this also means that you don't have to stick with this brand , if you find something with similar values on the label for the main nutritional values, then is totally fine to choose that, in some countries this brand may not be available so it's one more reason to check the labels to find something similar if interested, for example in the US this brand can be found under the name of "silk" milk which is owened by Danone and is the same one that sells Alpro in Europe  - The Barista version i n terms of taste and flavours is better than the regular soya drink, so a good way to improve the diet withouth having to compromise too much the enjoyment  - The frequency: milk can be one ingredient used almost everyday for a lot of people so having an alternative with better nutritional values than cow's milk is a huge impact at the end of the month in te...

This post is divided in two section The first one to discuss how to prevent this and the second part on how to alleviate and reduce symptoms in the long term if you’re already suffering of this But before we start with the dietetic side of it, let's mention few things about the sleeping pattern: - Which side you prefer to sleep is actually important , considering that is everyday and almost 1/3 as an average of a day, that means is one of the position we are going to be keeping the most during our life - Sleeping on the LEFT side is better! simply because how our organs are NOT symmetrically placed in our body so with the help of gravity this is the best position to keep your organs while you are sleeping, all of this can prevent or reduce heartburn because gravity will help the waste to move easier in your colon  - A last point to make about sleeping is not just how many hours you sleep but also WHAT time do you go to sleep , making a routine when possible helps your body to reg...