Better Call Saf (Registered Dietitian)

  GI stands for Glicemin Index  This is used to measure how a specific food intake is going to rise your blood sugar levels The point is that having a low GI or slow release carbs will help to keep this level low and avoid having peaks with your glucose and therefore the hormones produced by the body during a peak of sugar in your blood The benefits is not a simple weight loss, this plan has a wide range of positve aspects including: - Lower the cholseterol levels  - Reducing the risks of heart diseases - More energy during the day thanks to the slow release of it  - Reducing the risk of developing Diabetes, or keep that under control if already diagnosed Anything that has a GI level can be classified in: LOW GI - under 55 MEDIUM GI -  56-69 HIGH GI - over 70 I will provide a list of food for each of these levels, to have an idea of what to reduce and what to prefer, for any particular ingredient you can also check this trustable source: https://glycemicindex.com/ Things to consider: -

 Let's start by explaining the reason why this mineral is important: - Is considered one of the "brain food" due to its role in the daily brain activities especially oxygen consumption and transport - Supports our immune system and metabolism again in the daily activities that our body has to maintain  - It helps to maintain healthy skin tissues and collagen production  - Antioxidant action so it reduces the free radicals production  Is not produced by the body so we have to introduce that with our food intake When the storage in our body is not enough, we might experience some deficiency symptoms  Deficiency symptoms: - Fatigue caused by a reduced energy production which copper is directly involved - Weak immune system with more frequent sicknesses and to be more sensitive to cold temperatures   - Learning and memory difficulties, this mineral is involved in the energy production in the whole body, included the brain  - Premature grey hair and pale skin as a consequence

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/ 4)  https://www.allr

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 the healthy bacteria -

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

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 seasoned and usually fried,

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 divide the dough in 3 portions an

These are challenging times to make dietetic changes, because of the Covid-19 outbreak people started to panic buying , leaving the shelves empties so some patients shared their feelings with me on how hard is now to find the product they are looking for and to make a healthy choice when actually there are no choices left on the shelves of the groceries. So let's find some practical solution in this kind of situation, and I really hope that this post will be used just for this time during the Coronavirus outbreak and will not be necessary again in the future, because the situation as we can all agree is not the best. FIRST SOLUTION: Convenient store/ ethnic shops Majority of people prefer to do their groceries in traditional supermarkets chains because they can find more products and branded products too, but that's why during this time the convenient store or the ethnic shop could be still full of products because is not the first choice when we think on where to do

WHAT IS IT ? Fermented raw cabbage with a unique sour flavour   The name is German where is very famous  but originally comes from Asia  similar to Kimchi (Korea) or Brovada (North Italy) BENEFITS: Fermentation makes more available the minerals and vitamins, especially Vitamin C and K  The unpasteurised version keeps the alive probiotics lactobacilli and fibres which help to promote a healthy bowel  The enzymes contained help to breakdown food easily and make it more digestible  NUTRITIONAL VALUE per 100 gr: - Kcal 19 - Carbs  4.3 gr which  2.9 gr are Fibers 1.8 gr are Sugars - Fat 0.1 gr - Protein 0.9 gr -  Vitamins:  C and K (relevant amounts) and B6 (small amounts) - Minerals: Calcium, Iron and Magnesium (small amounts) No Cholesterol or Saturated fats  DISADVANTAGES: High in sodium so not recommend if you are trying to reduce the intake of this mineral. So this is another option to intr