Better Call Saf (Registered Dietitian)

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 (more i

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 amount of

We discussed about this application in a previous post, almost a year ago (link at the bottom) But it might be something new if you started to follow this page just recently To summarise:  It's a totally free app that gives you reward for walking! (with no other implications) I wanted to make this post because there are some update and improvements and this could be a very good reason to increase your steps and activity everyday. Main improvements: - It counts ALL the steps, included the one indoor, so no excuses if you can't leave home, as far you are keeping your phone in your pocket or using a connected smart watch, it will count every single step. - More rewards , as discussed previously sometimes is not easy to keep the motivation, especially in the long run, but as simple as it sounds, getting rewards for your efforts and having targets (like your daily amount of steps to reach) it really can make the difference in the long term. - It is now a " po

We already discussed about the amount of calories in each spoon of sugar or honey and we already discussed the natural alterantives to reduce the intake of artificial sweetener If you would like to read these two articles here the links: https://www.safdietitian.com/2019/07/white-sugar-honey-and-fake-brown-sugar.html https://www.safdietitian.com/2019/07/alternatives-to-sugar-and-stevia.html Now if all of the above is not working because of the taste, as a last resort you could try this syrup To be honest having the natural sweetener like stevia would be the best solution but if you can't get use to the taste, having a zero sugar and zero calories alternatives is still better than having white sugar, especially if you are Diabetic, pre-diabetic or Obese. Jordan's skinny syrup has: Zero Calories Zero Sugars Comes in different flavours: Vanilla  Salted Caramel Toffee Brown sugar  Where to find it: in TKMAXX or easier to find online in

Here some alternatives to help you stop smoking if you need a little help Consider first that is completely fine to get some support and is good to have some specialized help when is possible. Also, this can be used especially when you feel you want to restart smoking. Because half of the process is to quit smoking but the other half is actually maintaining this huge improvement. Champix : usually prescribed by your GP, a 12 week tablets treatment where at the beginning you  can still smoke and take tablets contemporary but usually in 2 weeks patients quit smoking  Here is a useful link about the medication that includes any possible contraindication https://www.pfizerpro.co.uk/sites/default/files/patient_booklet_flat_pp-gip-gbr-1766_reformatted.pdf NHS stop smoking programme is free , with qualified specialist they can help to stop without medication if you are already on the good path  Here is a useful link that helps you find the nearest place for this service h

Fluid intake doesn't mean just water intake, there are different ways to increase the overall amount. First of all we have to find out how much fluid we need in our body, we often hear about 2 Liters per day but  that is calculated on a medium adult of 75kg and 1.7m, so 2L liters is not a trustable number . A  very simplified way to calculate your needs of fluid  is to multiply your weight per 0.03 (If you didn't receive any fluid restriction by your Doctor or any specialist) and the result is the amount in Liters,  don't get scared if the amount is very high ,  just consider that our body is made up to 60% of water! Now let's discuss how to reach your daily intake: Having two glass ( one glass is around 250ml so one quarter of a Litre )  as a first thing in the morning can help to boost your metabolism and increase your water intake, just think that even if you are not feeling thirsty your body is asking water after a whole night without  Havi

We discussed calories in Sugar and Honey in the previous post. The best option is to gradually reduce and stop with extra sugar in any drink , but what if you can't drink it without ? In this case: Let's find some alternatives low in calories and glucose STEVIA : this is not a brand, it is a plant from South America considered as a ZERO calories substitute of sugar , I would recommend this one because is not made of harmful chemicals like the other sweetener since the sugar is obtained naturally from the leaves of this plant. The only challenge could be to get used to this taste, but some time is just a matter of time until you will not notice any difference but you will save 300 or more spoons of sugars at the end of the year. YACON SYRUP : another plant-based 100% natural product , there are actually interesting researches on how it helps to lose weight and avoid increasing the production of insulin and is beneficial against constipation. I would not recomme

Exercise and Diet are like 50-50 to reach your target and continue to improve in the long term Sometimes going to the gym is not always possible, but increasing your steps it's the easier way to be active every day and burn more calories. This application  ⇰   https://sweatco.in/i/saf422303  (you can click on the link and register for free with your email)  This app gives you virtual coins to get freebies: a lot of rewards like a free day in your local gym or a weekly/monthly supply of vitamins or just a free coffee. To obtain these virtual coins, all you need to do is Walk! Simple as that, the more you walk the more coins you get. Finding the motivation could be hard sometimes , so having rewards could definitely help, especially at the beginning, because changing a habit is the hardest part, but trust me after few weeks, when walking over 10000 steps will be your new routine you will not get back to the old habits. Keep in mind that Rewards are always secondary, t

I definitely understand having a drink socially or just to relax sometimes, so I won’t advice you to STOP drinking completely We need to think about the long term and how to keep this changes doable and NOT just a big restriction on everything all the time. So let’s find some compromises to still enjoy some drinks but without having an enormous amount of calories that is not even filling you because it’s not food but just liquids.  First of all we should try to not have a binge drinking, only because all that amount of alcohol will be easily converted in fat in our body so the more you exceed in once the more you store and put on weight  So first of all ask to yourself if you really want to BUY and if you really need that EXTRA drink when maybe you already had a couple and you are enjoying the night with your friends so far.  Now  about the calories  as you can see from the picture the Vodka club and Champagne are the the lowest in calories but what if

This is a new blog with no copy and paste from other websites, every article was made from scratch to give you:  Extra help and advices with your lifestyle changes and practical solutions.  Share support in this community, feel free to ask or share in the comment section whenever you want 24/7. Share news and information based on scientific evidence from a Registered Dietitian .  Help to choose the best everyday products in your local groceries. Subscribe with your email if you want, is everything absolutely free. And if you are new in this blog, have a look in the archive for the previous advices I gave. And Please feel free to share this blog with friends or whoever you think could benefit from these advices, thanks. Updated every Month, you don’t have to wait until Monday to start the diet, because it’s not a diet!  It’s about everyday healthier choices, and any day is good to improve little by little.  If English is not your first language, I put a translate butto

Quality and quantity of food are important for sure but When the food is eaten is important as well. The first thing we usually think when starting a new diet is about: -  What we eat  -  How much we eat Rarely focusing on "when" we eat  Is important to focus on this aspect as well to make these changes more like lifestyle improvements instead of just another diet that could last just for few months, so we are looking for something in the long run instead of a quick temporary fix  To explain  better the concept of time when eating: Time should't be seen as a reschriction or like a deadline, it should be used to have a regular timetable depending on the day and depending on your schedules. Something that in the long term can help you to stay on track without even noticing, and that is exactly what a new habit and an improved lifestyle target we are aiming for. Everyone has different  schedules and is normal to have very busy days when is hard to keep track, so how do we