Reading & Understanding Food Labels قراءة وفهم المعلومات الغذائية

A study found that people who read labels while shopping for grocery are thinner than those who don’t!!

Reading food labels and understanding them can help you make healthier choices. So here’s an easy guide on reading labels and choosing healthier products:

Start here: Know the size of one serving and how many servings are in the package.

Check the total calories per serving. This is the calories in one serving. Know how many servings you’re really consuming. If you double the servings you eat, you double the calories and nutrients.

Limit these nutrients. You need to limit your total fat to no more than 50–70 grams per day, no more than 16 grams of saturated fat, less than 2 grams of trans fat, less than 300 mg cholesterol, and less than 2400 mg sodium.

Get enough of these nutrients. Make sure you get 100 % of your needs of fiber, vitamins and minerals every day.

Quick guide to % Daily Value. This section tells you the percent of each nutrient in one serving from the daily recommended amount. So if you want to consume less of a nutrient (such as saturated fat, cholesterol or sodium), choose foods with a lower % DV — 5 percent or less is low. If you want to consume more of a nutrient (such as fiber, vitamin A or calcium), choose foods with a higher % DV — 20 percent or more is high.

وجدت دراسة أن الذين يقرؤون المعلومات الغذائية المكتوبة على عبوات الطعام هم أنحف من أولئك الذين لا يقرؤون!!

قراءة المعلومات الغذائية وفهمها تساعدك على اتخاذ خيارات صحية. اليكم دليل سهل لقراءة هذه المعلومات واختيار المنتجات الصحية:

Start here -- ابدأ هنا. اعرف حجم الحصة الواحدة وعدد الحصص في العلبة

Check the total calories per serving هنا تجد كمية السعرات الحرارية في الحصة الواحدة. اعرف عدد الحصص التي تتناولها فعلا لتحسب السعرات الحرارية التي تستهلكها

Limit these nutrients -- قلل هذه المواد الغذائية. عليك الحد من الدهون الكلية (total fat) بما لا يزيد عن 50-70 غرام يوميا، أقل من 16 غرام من الدهون المشبعة (saturated fat)، وأقل من 2 غرام من الدهون المهدرجة، وأقل من 300 ملغم من الكولسترول، وأقل من 2400 ملغ صوديوم

Get enough of these nutrients -- احصل على ما يكفي من هذه المواد الغذائية. تأكد من الحصول على 100٪ من حاجاتك من الألياف والفيتامينات والمعادن كل يوم

Quick guide to % Daily Value -- الدليل السريع لنسبة القيمة اليومية. هذا القسم يعلمك بالنسبة المئوبة من كل العناصر الغذائية في الحصة الواحدة من الكمية اليومية الموصى بها. لذا إذا كنت تريد أن تستهلك أقل من بعض العناصر الغذائية (مثل الدهون المشبعة، الكوليسترول أو الصوديوم)، اختار الأطعمة ذات النسبة المئوبة المنخفضة - 5٪ أو أقل هي نسبة منخفضة. إذا كنت تريد أن تستهلك أكثر من بعض العناصر (مثل الألياف، فيتامين A أو الكالسيوم)، اختار الأطعمة ذات النسبة المئوبة العالية - 20٪ أو أكثر هي نسبة عالية

How To Handle Food Safely?

Have you ever asked yourself: How safe is my kitchen? How safe is the food I cook?

Here are some tips to assure food safety in your kitchen and prevent food poisoning.

Proper refrigeration and storage

o   Place food in the fridge immediately and make sure it is set below 5°C.

o   Food should not be out of the fridge for more than 4 hours, and leftovers should not be out of the fridge for more than 2 hours.

o   Watch out for expiration date.

o   Defrost meat, chicken and fish in the refrigerator or microwave and not on the counter outside.

Personal hygiene

o   Wash your hands regularly with warm water and soap: before food preparation, when switching between different foods, any time you touch raw foods, after touching your face, using the bathroom, coughing or sneezing, using the phone and before eating. 

o   Wash for at least 20 seconds.

Cross-contamination

o   Wash knives and cutting boards after each use.

o   Store raw meat on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator so it won’t drip on other foods.

o   Use different cutting boards for raw items (meat, chicken and seafood) and for ready-to-eat items (bread, vegetables and fruits).

o   Wash cutting boards after use and throw out the ones with cracks as bacteria could grow there.

o   Clean surfaces and utensils with soap and hot water.

o   Replace sponges often, and microwave them on a regular basis for 20 seconds to kill any bacteria.

Proper cooking

o   Make sure to cook foods and reheat leftovers properly.

Make Your Pizza Healthier اجعل البيتزا صحية أكثر

Tips for a healthier pizza:

·      Make half of the flour used for the dough “whole wheat flour”. This will add nutritious fibers to your pizza and will make you feel full faster.

·      Make the crust as thin and flat as possible to cut the extra calories.

·      Make your own pizza sauce using crushed tomatoes, garlic, herbs, spices and some tomato paste. This way the sauce is much healthier and lower in sodium than ready pizza sauces.

·      Don't use greasy processed meats. Pepperoni and hotdogs are high in fats. Choose lean topping options, such as chicken or shrimp, or skip the meat altogether and make a delicious vegetarian pizza.

·      Load the pizza up with vegetables. Use lots of tomatoes, onions, broccoli, spinach, peppers and mushrooms. These are very high in vitamins and minerals and very low in calories. Use olives in moderation.

·      Cut back on the cheese. Most pizza calories come from cheese. Use just a light sprinkling of low-fat cheese.

·      Use spray oil for the pan to cut down the amount of oil used.

That way, your pizza is healthier, richer in nutrients and fibers, lower in sodium and calories.

نصائح لتحضير بيتزا صحية:

·   استبدل نصف كمية الدقيق المستخدم في تحضير العجين بـ"دقيق القمح الكامل" لجعل البيتزا غنية بالألياف المفيدة ولمساعدتك بالشعور بالشبع سريعا.

·   اجعل طبقة العجين رقيقة ومسطحة قدر الإمكان لتقليل كمية السعرات الحرارية.

·   اصنع صلصة البيتزا الخاصة بك باستخدام الطماطم المسحوقة والثوم والأعشاب والبهارات وبعض معجون الطماطم. بهذه الطريقة  تكون الصلصة صحية أكثر وأقل بالصوديوم من صلصة البيتزا الجاهزة.

·   لا تستخدم اللحوم المصنعة. الببروني والهوت دوغ تحتوي على نسبة عالية من الدهون. اختر لحوم صحية أكثر مثل الدجاج أو القريدس، أو تخلى عن اللحوم تماما واجعل البيتزا نباتية.

·   املأ البيتزا بالخضار. استخدم الكثير من الطماطم، البصل، القرنبيط، السبانخ، الفلفل والفطر. هذه الخضروات غنية جدا بالفيتامينات والمعادن ومنخفضة جدا بالسعرات الحرارية .استخدم الزيتون باعتدال.

·   قلل من الجبن. معظم السعرات الحرارية في البيتزا تأتي من الجبن. رش كمية قليلة من الجبنة قليلة الدسم.

·   استعمل الزيت البخاخ لدهن قعر الصينية قبل الخبز بدلا من استعمال الزيت نفسه لتقليل كمية السعرات الحرارية.

بهذه الطريقة، تكون البيتزا صحية أكثر، أغنى بالعناصر الغذائية والألياف، وأقل بالصوديوم والسعرات الحرارية.

Do I Need Nutritional Supplements?

What is a nutritional supplement?

A nutritional supplement is a vitamin, mineral or herb that you take to improve your health or wellness. Vitamins and minerals, also called micronutrients, nourish your body and help to keep you healthy.

Should I take supplements?

You can get most of your micronutrients by eating a variety of foods in your daily diet. People who may need to take a multivitamin or supplement include:

• Vegetarians who do not eat any animal products (vegans)

• Women who are pregnant, trying to get pregnant or breastfeeding

• Women who experience heavy menstrual periods

• Women who have gone through menopause

• People who have had gastric bypass surgery for weight loss

• People who have a medical condition that affects the way their body digests food, such as gastrointestinal diseases, lactose intolerance or food allergies

• People who have diseases of the stomach, liver, pancreas or gall bladder

What about Herbal supplements?

Although herbs have been taken for many years, some herbal supplements may not be pure. They might contain other unlisted ingredients that could be toxic and make you sick.

Tips for taking supplements:

• Talk to your doctor before you begin taking any dietary supplement

• Do not take more than the dosage recommended on the label, unless your doctor tells you to

• Read the ingredient list to make sure you know what else is in the supplement

• Just because a supplement is advertised as “natural” doesn’t mean its safe

• Be sure your doctor knows about all the supplements you take; they can interact with some medicines 

Got a Desk Job? You Might Be At Risk!

You spend a lot of your time sitting at work, stack a pile of snacks in your drawer and keep replenishing yourself with coffee and soft drinks… WATCH OUT!! You might be putting your health at risk!

A recent research done by the Pennington Biomedical Center in the US has shown that sedentary (inactive) jobs increase your risk of developing obesity, diabetes and heart diseases.

So, what can you do? 

You should move more and introduce some physical activity to your lifestyle. Even few minutes of standing or walking for every 30 minutes of work can make a difference.

Go to your colleague’s desk instead of calling or emailing, stand up while you are on the phone, always take the stairs, walk to work or home, go outside during lunch and walk around every once in a while.

You should also do some regular exercise away from the office; in the afternoon or on weekends.

Oh… I almost forgot!! Open that drawer and throw those snacks away. Get your own healthy snacks from home like fruits, raisins, carrots, nuts or whole grain cereal bars. And don’t forget to replace soft drinks and other high-sugar beverages with more healthy drinks like water and low-fat milk shakes.

Fibers Can Save Your Life!

I’m quite sure you have heard that you should eat more fibers… But do you know what fibers are? Where can you get it from? And why are they good for you?

 Fibers are the indigestible parts in fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grain breads and cereals. Studies have shown that fibers have many health benefits and can prevent various diseases and health problems, that is why it is very important to include them in your daily diet.

So what do fibers do?

Eating a diet high in fibers keeps your digestive system healthy; it makes stool pass more easily and so reduces your chance of having constipation. It also protects you from developing hemorrhoids, diverticulosis (pouches in the colon wall) and decreases the risk of having colon cancer.

Fibers are also good for your heart. They lower your blood cholesterol level and especially your LDL (bad cholesterol), that is why a high-fiber diet can protect you from high blood pressure and many other heart diseases.

Fibers slow down sugar absorption in your intestine, so they lower your risk of having diabetes and help control blood sugar level for people with diabetes.

A high-fiber diet can help you lose weight. Fibers slow down you absorption and make you feel full faster and for a longer time, and so it makes it easier for you to cut down calories consumed and hence helps in weight loss.

After knowing all these health benefits … how about adding some fibers to your diet?

Where can I get fibers from?

Good sources of fibers include:

·         Fruits. Have dried fruits and fresh fruits with their peel instead of canned fruits and pulp-free juice.

·         Vegetables. Eat lots of fresh and cooked vegetables with their peel.

·         Legumes. Include plenty of legumes in your diet like beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas…

·         Nuts. Have a cup of nuts as a snack including almonds, walnuts, cashews…

·         Whole grains. Have whole grain bread, cereal, pasta and rice instead of regular ones. Be careful “Brown” does not always mean whole grain, make sure what you’re buying says “Whole Grain” on its label. Also try bran and outmeal products; they are rich in fibers.

Trendy Diets: Do They Really Work?

What’s with all the trendy fad diets out there? I’m sure you have heard of them; the cabbage soup diet, the grapefruit diet, Atkins diet and so many others.

These are all called Fad diets. Ha? What’s a Fad diet?

Fad diets are eating styles usually based on a single food group (ex. high-protein diets) or based on eliminating another (ex. Low-carb diets). These popular diets focus on promoting fast short-term weight loss. But the question is: do they promote long-term weight maintenance? Will the kilograms lost stay off? Are they safe? Are they easy to follow for a long period of time?

The answer is: NO, NO, NO and definitely NO

Your body needs a healthy diet that includes all food groups; carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fruits and vegetables, in their proper amounts. Thus, providing your body with all its caloric needs and essential nutrients including vitamins and minerals. That’s why fad diets could have dangerous effects on your health, as it excludes some essential food groups and thus deprives your body from its needs and puts you at risk of developing dietary deficiencies.

Moreover, going on a Fad diet that is based on eating more of a certain food group could put extra pressure on your body organs that metabolize these specific elements and hence puts you at risk of many drastic health consequences.

Besides, studies have shown that such diets do not achieve permanent weight loss. Once you go back to your usual eating pattern, you will regain all the lost weight back and sometimes even more.

So what does really work? The answer is simple: eat fewer calories than your body burns, include all food groups in moderation, and exercise daily.