Establishing a

Culture of Healthy Living

• Established in 1980• Merged with Stroke

Foundation in 2006• Community based

organisation established to:

-educate people of SA about risks for CVD

-help improve their lifestyles

About Us!

• 1 in 3 men & 1 in 4 women will suffer from heart disease before 60

• 81% of South Africans have >1 risk factor/s for the development of chronic diseases of lifestyle

• Up to 80% of CVD could be prevented with

good diet

exercise

avoiding smoking

Stats in SA

• 1 heart attack is recorded every 12 minutes

• About 130 heart attacks and ± 240 strokes occur daily

• About ¼ of these result in death

• After HIV/AIDS, heart disease and stroke is the number 1 killer in South Africa

Statistics indicate

Are You at Risk?

• Smoking• High blood pressure• High cholesterol• Obesity

• Diabetes• Physical inactivity• Genetic inheritance

(in the family)

Major risk factors

Results of Unhealthy Living

•Heart Disease

•Hypertension

•Obesity

•Diabetes

•Cancers

•Osteoporosis

Healthy is not…

•Continuous dieting

•Cutting out certain food groups

•Starving yourself/skipping meals

•Fad diets/miracle tablets

• Indulging on fast & convenience meals

Healthy is…

•Eating a healthy, balanced diet (healthy snacks, all food groups)

•Attaining & maintaining a healthy weight

•Alcohol in moderation

•Doing regular exercise

•Not smoking

•Managing stress

A balanced diet is a biscuit in each

hand…

Fibre…•Aim for 25-35g/day

•At least 3 servings of starch/day should be wholegrain:

brown or whole wheat bread, high fibre cereals, oats, rye, barley, brown or wild rice, corn & popcorn

•Regularly replace meats with legumes as a form of protein

Eating Healthily

Eating HealthilyFibre cont. … Eat plenty of fruit &

vegetables daily• Aim for 5 servings/day

•1 serving = 1 med. fruit/125ml fruit juice/ ½ cup cooked veg./1 cup raw veg./salad

•At least 3 servings should be in solid form

•Also contain important nutrients like vitamins & minerals

• Concentrated form of energy

•Transport fat soluble vitamins

•Maintain healthy skin, hair & cell membranes

•Choose more good fats (unsaturated)

Use fats sparingly

Group Energy (kJ)/gram

Carbohydrates 17

Proteins 17

Fats 38

Alcohol 29

Energy Content of Foods

Sources of fatsSaturated fats Unsaturated fats

Mono

Poly Omega 3 Omega 6

Animal

PlantBeef

Mutton

Chicken

Pork

Egg

Cream

Butter

Ghee

Hard cheese

Full cream dairy products

Coconut oil/milk

Palm/palm kernel oil

Avocado

Olives/oil

Canola/

Rapeseed

Peanuts/ oil

Pecans

Almonds

Walnuts

Flaxseed

Sardines

Pilchards

Salmon

Tuna

Sunflower oil

Seeds

Safflower oil

Corn oil

Soybean oil

Cottonseed oil

*Some margarines made from poly- and/or monounsaturated fats

prevent blood

clotting

↓ triglyceride levels

↓ LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol

Can also ↓ HDL (‘good’)

cholesterol

↓ LDL (bad) cholesterol

Don’t ↓ HDL (‘good’)

cholesterol

↑ LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol

• Limit intake of red meat to 3x weekly• Eat oily fish @ least 2x weekly• Crush nuts/seeds & add to salads, yoghurt,

cereals & smoothies• Use avocado as spread on wholegrain

bread/crackers or add to salads• Opt for low fat or fat free dairy• Replace butter & hard, brick margarines with

soft, tub margarines

Fighting bad fatsReplace the ‘bad’ fats with the ‘good’ fats

Beverages

•Prevents constipation & dehydration

•NB to flush out toxins & waste products in the body

•Aim for 6-8 glasses/day (1.5-2L)

•Add fruit/cucumber slices/mint leaves

•Herbal tea (Rooibos)

Drink plenty of clean, safe water

• Alcohol is not essential for health

• 1 unit/day ♀• 1-2 units/day ♂• Aim for @ least 2-3 alcohol

free days during the week• One unit = 120 ml wine/340

ml beer/25 ml spirits

Use alcohol in moderation if at all

Drink Sensibly – do not accumulate!!

Beverages cont. …

Other Beverages

• Max. 4 cups coffee/6-8 cups non-herbal tea/day (300mg caffeine)

• Sugar-free carbonated drinks, flavoured water & mixers

• 2 cups low fat/fat-free milk/yoghurt drinks/day (unsweetened) from 5yrs

• Sports & energy drinks for endurance athletes

Use salt sparingly

•High salt intake has been linked to high blood pressure

•Max 6g/day = 1 tsp

•Add less salt to cooking

•Limit processed food

•Remove the salt cellar from the table

•Opt for fresh herbs & spices/lemon to add flavour to meals

•Use foods & drinks containing sugar sparingly & not between meals

•Can be enjoyed at special occasions/as a treat

•Includes cold drinks, cake, sweets, chocolates, ice cream, syrup, honey, jam

Use sugar sparingly

Remember sugar in hot drinks adds up!!

These products are:• Lower in cholesterol• Lower in saturated fat• Lower in sodium• Lower in added sugar• Higher in fibre (where

applicable)

A guideline for shoppers to identify healthy products on the shelf

What is the Heart Mark?

•Remove all visible fats before cooking (fat on meat, skin on poultry)

•Use only a small amount of oil or margarine

•Opt for steaming, grilling, poaching & boiling

•Use non-stick pans & cooking spray for grilling or stir frying

Healthy preparation methods

Enjoy a wide variety of foods

Eating Healthily

Eating Healthily

Healthy Plate Model

Living HealthilyDo regular exercise

Energy in = Energy out

• In SA in 2003 62% of men & 48% of women followed a sedentary lifestyle

• Aim for 150 minutes/week • Moderate-intensity • Aim to be breathless but not

speechless = brisk walking, swimming, dancing, non-competitive sports

• Check with a healthcare professional first

Not smoking

Smoking: •Increases your risk of heart disease by 2-3 times

•Doubles your risk of having a stroke

•Contributes to 1/3 of all cancers

•Responsible for the death of ½ of it’s life-long users

Living Healthily

There is no safe level of exposure to tobacco products

• Overweight or obesity• High blood cholesterol• High blood pressure• Diabetes

Managing other risk factors

Living Healthily

Aim for a Healthy Body Weight

• In 1998 56% of women & 29% of men in SA were overweight/obese. These high rates had not changed by 2003

• Attain & maintain a healthy body weight (BMI<25)

• Eat a healthy, balanced diet (all food groups) for long-term management

• See dietician or join weight loss group

BMI = weight (kg)/height (m) x

height (m)

Ideal waist circumference:

<80cm ♀ <94cm ♂

Know Your Numbers!

Cholesterol• Ideal cholesterol <5mmol/L or

<4.5mmol/L if you are at risk• Have cholesterol checked at least once

every 6-12 months • Fasting lipogram once every 5yrs• Those with family history - once every 6

months• Those with hypercholesterolemia - once

every 3 months until under control

Blood pressure• Have BP checked once a year once >20yrs

old• If hypertensive @ least every 3 months

Glucose• Test blood glucose if overweight &/or >45yrs • Those with family history - get tested earlier• NB to recognize symptoms

Know Your Numbers cont. …

Remember to have you BP checked today!

Questions?