Better Call Saf (Registered Dietitian)

  Becuase of work or leisure or any other reason, changes in your routine might happen and is normal at first to find difficulties to adapt, so here some tips to deal better with it  THINGS TO AVOID: - Overeating at night even during a long shift can increase the amount of calories stored in fat and increase the insulin resistance or chronic gut issues and eventrually affect your sleep during the day in a negative way, keep always in mind that calories at night still count   - If it's a new timetable, it doesn't make sense to try to keep all your old meal times, instead could be better to find a  whole new structure that could be at the same time easier to adapt and more functional, This could be one of the first steps to plan meals ahead - Consumption of caffeine can affect your sleep later on , so depending on your tollerance make sure to not drink it to later in the night, 5 or 6 hours before bed time  and make sure to have any drink that is not decaf  - For the reason abov

  Time to time I will provide some quick and easy snack alternatives to have more varieties in your diet and at the same time having a healthy option to use, at the bottom of this post you will find more links with other snack ideas in case you are interested  Snack alternative: Rough Oatcakes  Nutrional Value per 1 Oatcake   Calories : around 50 depending on the brand Fat : around 2gr but saturated fat are less than 1gr Protein : 1.2 gr Carbohydrate : 5.8 gr Fibers : around 1gr Benefits: High in Fiber Easy to consume with a varieties of other ingredients  No artificial flavours or hydrogenated fats  Very low in sugar and fat Things to note: - Originally from Scotland, Since there are  many variations and brands it's a good idea to check the ingredients to make sure is 90% or over wholegrain - Extremely versatile you can find the right combination with the other ingredients you are using and choose a different texture: Rough  Fine Crunchy  -  Vitamins and Minerals are very low in t

COPD Symptoms, nutritional advice to improve the condition and things to avoid This post is available in English, Italian, Bengali, Spanish and Russian (continue to scroll down until the desired language and if not available you can use the box on the left to use the automatic translator)  COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)  includes a group of lung conditions that cause  Breathing difficulties Many people don't realise they have it, here some of the most common symptoms: - Breathlessness , especially when doing intense activities, and you can notice getting out of breath way earlier than you used to in the past - Persistent chesty cough and wheezing  These symptoms might appear in a very mild form (stage 1) at the beginning but they are usually persistent and that could be a red flag to talk with your Doctor to check and prevent to  avoid  getting worse (Stage 4: very severe) The cause is usually related to smoking or harmful dust/fumes that damaged the lungs  An im

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 better quality of

In the first part we discussed about Speed and Perception while you are eating Here is the link in case you want to have a look: https://bettercallsaf.blogspot.com/2020/03/how-do-you-eat-your-meal-part-1-speed.html Now in this second part we will discuss about other two main points included in the MINDFULNESS : - PLACE:  It does matter, just take a moment to think about a meal consumed at home and the same exact meal and portion consumed at work, the perception we have is different and also how much was satisfying and filling could be perceived differently. So try to plan ahead where you can have your meal in peace without getting distracted and being able to focus and enjoy more your food Now even at home the place could make the difference, sitting on a table with a right posture it does help to be more mindful, applying a simple rule: When you eat JUST eat. Sounds too simple but getting distracted by something in some other places, like the TV in another r