Salt – Sea salt & rock salt -healthier options?
What is salt? Have you ever considered certain salt e.g Sea Salt or Rock Salt, may be better for you than others? At 121 dietitian we have been asked this very question. So you can see why we came to our conclusion we have provided some background info first. What is salt made from? Salt is made up of two minerals (sodium & chlorine). Sodium naturally occurs in many plant and animal foods but for most of us it is the salt in our diets which is our main source of sodium. 1g of sodium is the equivalent to 2.55g of salt. If you see sodium on a food table the easiest way to decide how much salt the food contains is to multiply the sodium by 2.5. Sodium x 2.5 = Salt in grams Why do we use salt? Salt is used in cooking to add flavour to foods, boost the flavour of other ingredients and to act as a preservative. Most of the salt we eat comes from pre-prepared foods (75%) rather than the salt we add at the table. Sea salt, rock salt or table salt is there a difference & which is better? Sea salt, rock salt and table salt all contain around 100% sodium chloride which means that too much of any of them will have a negative effect on your health. However rock salt & sea salt are often marketed as being a healthier or tastier option than table salt. Both are considerably more expensive than table salt. Sea salt is produced by the evaporation of sea water. It is argued that sea salt contains more minerals than table salt so is better for your health. However, just because it may contain extra minerals does not mean it is good for you. It would better to get these minerals from a balanced diet containing lots of fruit and vegetables than to consider sea salt as a healthy food. Rock salt is also known as halite. It is different to sea salt because it is already found in a solid form and then mined. Table salt (refined salt) can also be produced from solid salt which is found underground and then refined to remove any impurities. When the salt is being refined minerals such as calcium and potassium are often considered as impurities and so are removed in the refining process. Since 75% of the salt we eat is already in the foods we buy and no salt is a “healthy” option, we here @ 121 Dietitian suggest the cheapest and best decision you can make is to not add any extra salt at all. Instead try experimenting with other flavours such as herbs, spices, garlic, chillies, lemon & ginger. Which foods contain high levels of salt? We mentioned that 75% of the salt we consume is already in the foods we buy. Foods which often have a high salt level include bacon, cheeses, ready-made stocks, soy sauce, tomato ketchup, mustard, ham and ready-made sauces. Try to limit how often you use these products and where possible choose the reduced salt options. You can also use nutrition labels to compare salt content when no reduced salt options are available. What are the health effects of salt? In the body sodium is actually essential, it is required to maintain fluid balance and for nerve signalling. Despite this, as a nation we needn’t worry about deficiency. It is recommended that adults have no more than 6g salt per day. But the average intake shown in the last national diet & nutrition survey was 8.6g per day (with many people consuming more than this). Really all we need to maintain our health is only around 1g of salt (a pinch). Getting too much salt can be bad for our health. High intakes of salt are linked to increased blood pressure, which in turn can increase the risk of stroke and heart disease. Salt has also been linked to other conditions including osteoporosis, stomach cancer, kidney disease, kidney stones and obesity. It may also exacerbate the symptoms of asthma, Alzheimer’s and Diabetes. How much salt is too much? Recommended maximum salt intakes Age Maximum Salt Intake 0-6 months Less than 1g / day 6-12 months 1g / day 1-3 years 2g / day 4-6 years 3g / day 7-10 years 5g / day 11 years and above 6g / day If you found this article interesting you can find more information on the Action Salt website www.actionsalt.org.uk or chat to us @ 121 Dietitian: info@121dietitian.com Make sure you have the correct nutritious foods to get you off to a great start. Check out the 121Dietitian Shop Please visit my YouTube Channel. If you have enjoyed this blog we would love you to share this with your family and friends on your social media channels. Instagram Facebook Youtube X-twitter Linkedin
Workplace Nutrition
Answer the following to identify your workplace nutrition: Do you buy your food at work? Do you struggle to eat healthy choices at work? Do you find there is a lack of healthy options provided? Do you find healthier choices to be more expensive? Do you fail to drink enough fluids? Do you eat at your desk? If you answer yes to more than 3 of these questions then you need to read on to improve your workplace nutrition………. With over 29 million people working in the U.K and spending up to 60% of their waking hours in work it seems obvious that the eating decisions and habits we form at work could have a significant impact on our health. In 2006, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommend that workplaces have policies which encourage healthy eating and promote healthy choices. If you have answered mainly yes to the questions above you are not alone, despite the guidelines many people still feel it is difficult to make healthy choices in the workplace. The verdict by the Royal College of Physicians in 2011 that little action has been taken to promote healthy eating would come as no surprise then. Well 2 years on, has there been any improvement? A study on motivations and barriers to healthy eating in public sector workplaces was recently published in the Journal of Human Nutrition & Dietetics. It identified some important views from public sector workers. The article ‘A qualitative study to investigate the drivers and barriers to healthy eating in two public sector workplaces’ A Pridgeon & K Whitehead (2013) JHum Nutr Diet, 26, 85-95 can be accessed online using this link http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-277X.2012.01281.x/full . So should employers be doing more to improve workplace nutrition? Or should it be our own responsibility to tackle the obstacles in the way of making healthy choices in the workplace? Certainly here at 121 Dietitian we are of the opinion that employers should be doing more to promote healthy workplace nutrition choices, if they aren’t already. As a specialist nutritional team we are passionate about providing staff nutritional assessments and menu improvement, workshops etc. Our workplace nutrition programmes reduce absenteeism, improve moral and improve company finances. We also encourage staff to take responsibility, driving new ideas forward and to remain healthy outside the workplace. If you struggle to make healthy choices at work, find there is a lack of healthy options available at your work or feel that healthy options are too expensive, then preparation is the key. Boring you may yell, No, is our reply as with 121 Dietitian = Clever, quick and tasty. Just to wet your appetite!! Here are just a few popular tips on Workplace Nutrition to get you started…. If you’re always short on time why not cook an extra portion of dinner in the evening? The leftovers can be eaten for the next day’s lunch. Alternatively use the time while you’re in the kitchen anyway to prepare a tasty meal for the next evening. Stock up on lots of healthy ingredients such as salad vegetables and fruit, cooked fish, lean cooked unprocessed meats, wholegrain breads & pastas and dips. Having plenty of options will prevent you getting bored and help you resist the temptation of the canteen or vending machine. Fruit, vegetable sticks, yogurts, seeds & nuts are nutritious and great for snacking; keep these handy at your desk for when you are feeling peckish to tide you over until the next meal. If you are on a budget fresh fruit can be bought cheaper in bulk. You could buy a bag of fruit especially to keep in the workplace for snacking, remember to wash it well. How to improve Workplace Nutrition at your desk It is good to get away from the desk during your breaks for your body to relax, if you are eating at your desk; are you working through your break? This is not good for long term health or productive for your job. Bringing your own lunch can save you time rather than queuing in the canteen so push away when you can. It is important you maintain your energy to keep focused on your work. healthy snacks at your desk are recommended. Exercise is as important as eating right when wishing to maintain our health. We should be trying to get around 30 minutes exercise most days, so break the bad habits and start with manageable targets. 121 Dietitian’s are experts in diet and health and are leading the way in making positive changes in companies across Northern Ireland and saving their hard earned cash along the way. Why not find out how we can help you by getting in touch. We have a range of programmes to suit all requirements and budgets. Usage of KPI’s allowing success to be charted. If you are unsure of how to change your eating habits, or need help optimising the foods you eat please do contact us. We would love to help you or your family and friends with any nutrition related queries big or small. In the meantime do please check out our 121Dietitian Shop If you have enjoyed this blog we would love you to share this with your family and friends on your social media channels. Why not visit our YouTube Channel for more on keeping your health optimal. How can a Dietitian help Book a consultation via our Online Portal About Gillian Killiner Check out our tailored dietary programmes Gillian x [instagram-feed] Information checked & correct on 16th May 2018.
Have you heard about our mini assessment sessions?
We all know everyone likes to receive helpful advice, especially in terms of improving our diet, health and lifestyle. Check out 121Deititian mini sassessment sessions. Here at 121 Dietitian we provide this at various levels daily; to many clients who maybe in need of a little dietary direction, to business’ wishing to improve productivity and health in the workplace, to patients who have debilitating medical conditions, or to our media associates, food companies, nursing homes…. We realise however that even when interested, not everyone knows what they may need or has the time, money or medical condition to feel they require a visit to a Dietitian. We are now able to help with this dilemma … 121 Dietitian have set up a service just for this reason and we have been delighted with its success. Our specialist assessment sessions have gone from strength to strength, and it couldn’t be simpler. STEPS TO TAKE for a Mini Assessment: Download and complete the food diary and questionnaire found on the contact us page. Use the contact us page and request a mini Clinic appointment. When your appointment date and time is confirmed bring your food diary and questionnaire with you to the appointment. A Dietitian will assess your details, take some body composition measurements and then identify key positive changes that you may require. The clinic chat takes 20 minutes with a follow up email bringing the total time spent to 1 hour. The changes for you to consider making will be life long. If during the consultation you are suspected to have a undiagnosed medical condition or require blood tests we will direct you to your GP for these and review you. The cost of this consultation will be deducted from further appointments if required to attend for further personalised advice. Information checked & correct on 16th May 2018.
This valentine’s day take care of your heart!
Its national heart month and Valentine’s day so what can you do to help your heart? You may be taking a medication to lower your cholesterol or perhaps wishing to avoid the risk. By following some key advice it might be possible to manage your cholesterol reducing the need for medication. If you have high cholesterol, it is of concern, because over time plaque build up can lead to a blockage resulting in a heart attack or stroke. Test results should be broken down as follows: • HDL – “good” cholesterol. Aim to have a good level as HDL works to clean up your blood vessels. • LDL – “bad” cholesterol. Should be low. High levels can cause arterial plaque build up. • Triglycerides – You want this number to be low. Research has shown the following dietary changes to be effective in improving cholesterol levels . . . If your HDL cholesterol is too low you need to: • Exercise regularly, Eat monounsaturated fats and Omega-3’s: olive oil, almonds, walnuts, fatty fish, avocado, and flaxseed, Maintain a healthy body weight, Incorporate colourful fruits and vegetables such as beets, plums, red cabbage, and red grapes, Quit smoking, Limit simple carbohydrates such as white flour, sugar, and fizzy drinks, choose wholegrain foods, fruits and vegetable, pulses. If your LDL cholesterol is too high: • Limit your intake of saturated fats, Avoid hydrogenated oils (trans fat), Get adequate fibre from whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables, Incorporate food high in antioxidants: rich colourful diet, Incorporate more healthy fats listed above. If your Triglycerides are too high: • Limit simple carbohydrates as above, Eat oily fish, Limit alcohol. Unsure what to eat? A Dietitian can create a personalised plan to assist you further. Pancake Day Of course at 121 Dietitian it hasn’t skipped our notice that today also happens to be pancake day. In honour of the occasion we’d also like to share with you an alternative pancake recipe! Apple & Cinnamon Batter Puddings. 55g plain wholemeal flour 25g light soft brown sugar 11/2tsp ground cinnamon 1 large egg 125ml semi skimmed milk 2 small apples 2 tsp sunflower oil Prep time 15 mins Baking time 20 mins Serves 4 Set oven to 220◦C and allow to preheat. Mix the flour, cinnamon & sugar in a bowl. Make a well in the centre of the flour. Add the egg to the well with a little milk & whisk together with the flour. Gradually whisk in the remaining milk. Make sure to draw the flour in from the sides of the bowl to mix into a smooth batter. Pour batter into a jug & set aside. Peel core & cut the apples into 8 wedges. Add 1/2tsp into each well of a Yorkshire oudding tin. Heat the tin in the oven for 2-3 mins. Remove the tin from the oven & place 4 apple wedges into each well ( be careful of hot oil splashes!) Stir the batter again before pouring it evenly into the wells over the apple wedges. Bake in the oven for around 20 mins or until the puddings are cooked, have risen and are nicely browned. Remove puddings & serve immediately. Information checked & correct on 16th May 2018.
Never eat a polar bears liver!
Cute they maybe, but deadly to eat! Last night, The Polar Bear Family & Me was on BBC Two and since it also happens to be Liver Awareness month I thought I would share this top tip with you: Never Eat a Polar Bears Liver. Now okay, not likely to happen down the high street, but should you find yourself in this unusual circumstance be warned! So why is a Polar Bear’s Liver so lethal? Arctic predators such as polar bears have a greater capacity to store vitamin A in their liver than most other animals. It is thought to be because of the effect of naturally occurring vitamin A in marine algae being passed up the food chain to the polar bear. So great is the polar bears ability to store this vitamin that if you were to consume the liver, you would more than likely succumb to the effects of Hypervitaminosis A. Put simply it would be too much vitamin A for your body to handle & and you would suffer from vitamin A poisoning. Symptoms of this include liver & bone damage, hair loss, double vision, vomiting and headaches. However don’t panic and avoid Vitamin A altogether as it is essential for growth & normal development. In particular it is important for our eyes and fight infections. If we don’t get enough it can lead to night blindness. The estimated average requirement for vitamin A in adult females is 400µg per day & 500 µg per day in males. In doses over 100mg in children or 300mg for adults it can become toxic. Good Sources of Vitamin A Foods rich in vitamin A to eat regularly include: – Oily fish, eggs, fortified low fat spreads, milk, yoghurt, liver and cheese -in small amounts. For most people an overdose of the vitamin from their diet would be unlikely however as a precaution pregnant women should take care to avoid vitamin A supplements (unless advised otherwise by a doctor), liver & liver products since they contain high levels of Vitamin A. Too much of which can have a negative effect on the developing baby. Why you should love your liver The liver is the largest organ in the body. A healthy liver is kept busy performing various jobs, over 500 to be precise! The liver acts like a factory in the body. It performs tasks such as creating proteins, blood clotting factors and other products which aid with digestion and energy release. It also acts a storage facility for vitamins, iron & energy. The liver helps to control blood sugar levels, it cleanses infections from the blood & helps to neutralise drugs & toxins that enter the body. How to love your liver If you want to show your liver you love it. Then you should familiarise yourself with some of its friends and foes. Friends of the liver Exercise We all know that exercise is a great way to get fit and lose weight. Carrying around excess weight and especially visceral (body fat) is a risk factor for liver damage. Therefore maintaining a healthy weight is a great way to reduce your risk. By exercising and moderating your diet you are likely to lose more fat than with just diet or exercise alone. As well as slimming down you may also be helping to remove fat from around the liver. In doing exercise you are helping to optimise the functions of the liver. Which means you’re helping to keep the factory running efficiently. Nutrient Rich Diet Reducing saturated fats, sugars and processed foods will reduce extra stress on the liver. Eating a diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables and complex carbohydrates: brown rice and pasta, wholemeal bread, beans, pulses, nuts and seeds and lean proteins. This will boost the function of the liver to improve it from working like it was riding a toy bike with wooden wheels to a Olympian Velodrome cyclist! Fluids as per recommended (1.5 to 2 litres) helps keep the body toxins flushed through the system. Foes of the liver Alcohol Each time your liver filters alcohol some of the liver cells die. Despite this the liver is very resilient and providing it has no lasting damage it can repair itself very quickly. It can take as little as 24 hrs to go back to normal. However, over time prolonged alcohol misuse can cause serious damage. You can help your liver by not binge drinking and giving yourself 2-3 days in a row off from drinking alcohol. This will keep your total intake down and gives your liver time to recover. Drugs can have detrimental effects too, so follow the advice from your GP or pharmacist. For more information on vitamin A If you wish to have a liver check-up do get in touch with us: email: info@121dietitian.com If you are unsure of how to change your eating habits for the best or need help optimising the foods you eat. 121 Dietitian are happy to help with any nutrition related query big or small. 121Dietitian Make sure you have the correct nutritious foods. Check out the 121Dietitian Shop Please visit my YouTube Channel. If you have enjoyed this blog we would love you to share this with your family and friends on your social media channels. Gillian x Information checked & correct on 27th December 2022
Christmas Diet Dilemmas
The Christmas Diet Dilemmas. Many of us will gain unwanted extra weight this Christmas. Whether it is due to decreased exercise, attending more social occasions or an increased craving for comfort foods during the long, cold nights, weight gain is not inevitable. Here at 121 Dietitian we would like to share with you some tips for the festive season and hopefully save you making “must lose weight” resolutions as we enter the New Year. Christmas diet – Why do we gain weight during the festive period? Christmas is a time of celebration which can span from the 2 -3 weeks prior to the big day with Christmas parties followed by New Year celebrations and then continue into January with finishing the leftovers. This amounts to nearly a month of celebrating and for some of us who might normally resist temptation telling ourselves ‘it’s alright it’s a special occasion.’ These special occasions can easily mount up. Even something you consider to be a little treat can have a larger effect than you would realise. If you consume over 200 – 300 kcal ( mince pie or some buffet sausages, large glass of wine) or more each day over the course of 1 month you can expect to gain 4-8lb minimum if you are not actively exercising over and above your normal activity or having days where you keep control. Weight gain over the festive period is easy but it is not inevitable. You can be very clever with your food/kcal intake and still have fun. The right state of mind is often the major hurdle to compliance. A pre-party tip People live busy lives and are on the go the whole time. However take a little extra time to have a pre party planning stage for what you are going to wear, how you will travel and what you will eat during the day, and then at the party. This will see you through with a big smile and smaller bum, tum or hips!! Some good advice If going to a buffet eat well during the day. High fibre regular meals are good. Have a snack before you go out e.g. banana and wholemeal toast if in a rush, or some lean meat /fish and pasta/potato and vegetables. At the buffet try and fill most of your plate with raw vegetable sticks and fruit. What not to do instead of what not to eat! Avoidance is never the best long term plan. Usually it makes you want something more! It is better to teach ourselves to moderate rather than avoid. Often avoided foods will creep back into the diet and if you can’t control this then a yo-yo weight gain can occur. When out celebrating here are some don’ts. Don’t go hungry. Don’t stand near the food table as you will be tempted. Don’t get too tipsy early as this will reduce your willpower and the results could be bad! Watch the dips, go for the salad options, then you can add a few of the other items like goujons and crisps, enough variety to see you through. The worst high fat offenders are the sausage roll, vol au vents and depending on the quality deep fried chicken in breadcrumbs can be processed and fatty. Christmas diet – Being clever can save you calories! Your choice at the buffet table can mean you can make a difference of a clever 350 kcal intake for the night (not including alcohol) instead of 1200 kcal, almost a full extra days intake of junk and saturated fat. One last more sobering thought: Think ahead: how you are going to feel come January with a substantial food and drinks bill, clothes that are too tight and potential blood pressure, cholesterol, health problems. Do these treats seem so appealing? Enjoy, but have pride in resisting some temptation too! Happy Healthy Christmas, we look forward to hearing your success stories…. If you are unsure of how to change your eating habits, or need help optimising the foods you eat please do contact us. We would love to help you or your family and friends with any nutrition related queries big or small. In the meantime do please check out our 121Dietitian Shop If you have enjoyed this blog we would love you to share this with your family and friends on your social media channels. Why not visit our YouTube Channel for more on keeping your health optimal. How can a Dietitian help Book a consultation via our Online Portal About Gillian Killiner Check out our tailored dietary programmes Gillian x [instagram-feed] Information checked & correct on 16th May 2018.
