Pumping Marvellous

The seasonings aisle at the supermarket can be overwhelming, especially if  you’re trying to find a healthy alternative to salt. There are many seasoning  products on the market and the ways the food industry promotes them can make it  difficult to find a healthy choice.  Sea salt has long been touted as a  healthy alterative to table salt and it’s no surprise that 61% of respondents in  a survey conducted by the American Heart Association believed sea salt to be  low-sodium alternative to table salt. Sea Salt is no better for you than normal table salt.

There are many other products  that are marketed as being healthy alternatives to salt. Commercial “salt  substitutes” are one such product.  Most salt substitutes contain potassium  chloride in place of sodium chloride.  By replacing sodium with potassium  in the chemical structure of salt, food scientists have developed a variety of “salt substitutes” that taste similar to table salt and that can help reduce  overall sodium intake when used in place of table salt.

You might be using a potassium based salt substitute  without realising it. It would be wise to go through your cupboard and  check ingredient labels — if you see potassium chloride listed, the seasoning is  a potassium based salt substitute.

Chloe talks about Nutrition for Heart Failure

Chloe talks about Nutrition for Heart Failure

Chloe talks about Nutrition for Heart Failure

Food labelling for Heart Failure

Nutrition labels can help you choose between products, and keep a check on the amount of foods high in fat, salt and added sugars that you’re eating.

Most pre-packed foods have a nutrition label on the back or side of the packaging. These labels usually include information on energy (calories), protein, carbohydrate and fat. They may provide additional information on saturated fat, sugars, sodium, salt and fibre. All nutrition information is provided per 100 grams and sometimes per portion of the food.

An increasing number of supermarkets and food manufacturers repeat information on calories, fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt on more visible labels on the front of packaging.

Nutrition labels can also provide information on how a particular food or drink product fits into your daily diet. You can find out more in the section on Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) below.

You can use nutrition labels to help you choose a more balanced diet. For a balanced diet:

• cut down on fat (especially saturated fat), salt and added sugars
• base your meals on starchy foods such as potatoes, bread, pasta and rice, choosing wholegrain where possible
• eat lots of fruit and vegetables: aim for at least five portions of a variety every day
• include some protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, pulses, milk and dairy foods

Nutrition labels are often displayed as a panel or grid on the back or side of packaging.

So how do I know if a food is high in fat, saturated fat, sugar or salt?

There are guidelines to tell you if a food is high in fat, saturated fat, salt or sugar or not. These are:

Total fat
High: more than 20g of fat per 100g
Low: 3g of fat or less per 100g – go for this one

Saturated fat
High: more than 5g of saturated fat per 100g
Low: 1.5g of saturated fat or less per 100g – Go for this one

Sugars
High: more than 15g of total sugars per 100g
Low: 5g of total sugars or less per 100g – Go for this one

Salt
High: more than 1.5g of salt per 100g (or 0.6g sodium)
Low: 0.3g of salt or less per 100g (or 0.1g sodium) – Remember a Heart Failure patients total daily intake shouldn’t exceed 2g. Remember you get 1.5g of salt just from eating food and that’s with no added salt.

Some nutrition labels on the back or side of packaging also provide information about Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs). Most of the big supermarkets and many food manufacturers also display nutritional information on the front of pre-packed food. This is very useful when you want to compare different food products at a glance.

Front of pack labels, such as the label in the above image, usually give a quick guide to:

• calories
• sugar content
• fat content
• saturated fat content
• salt content

These labels provide information on the number of grams of fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt and the number of calories in a serving or portion of the food. Be aware, however, that the manufacturer’s idea of a portion may be different to yours.

Some front of pack nutrition labels also provide information about Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs). Nutrition labels can also provide information on how a particular food or
drink product fits into your daily diet. Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) are guidelines about the approximate amount of particular nutrients and calories required for a healthy diet.

Because individual requirements for calories and nutrients are different for all people, GDAs are not intended as targets. Instead they are intended to give a useful indication of how a particular nutrient or amount of calories fits into your daily diet.

Information on the GDA, and the contribution a nutrient makes towards a GDA  (expressed as a percentage) can usually be found on the back or side of  packaging. The % GDA can also sometimes be repeated on the front of the pack.

Food Labelling

Traffic ligh labelling

Traffic light colour coding, as shown in the image above, tells you at a glance if the food has high, medium or low amounts of fat, saturated fat, sugars  and salt.

• red means high
• amber means medium
• green means low

In short, the more green lights, the healthier the choice.

If you buy a food that has all or mostly green lights, you know straight away that it’s a healthier choice. An amber light means neither high nor low, so you  can eat foods with all or mostly amber lights most of the time. But a red light means the food is high in fat, saturated fat, salt or sugars and these are the foods we should cut down on. Try to eat these foods less often and in small amounts.

Anyway we hope you have found this useful and we will be focussing on nutrition quite a bit over the next couple of months. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Image via Wikipedia

Heart Failure and Salt Intake

We are always harping on about too much salt and that as a Heart Failure Patient you need to cut down to 2g per day which is approximately 1/3rd of a teaspoon. I know this is low but we have cooked without salt for years now and you don’t need to add it. However you need to be aware that salt is naturally occurring as well and their are foods that are naturally high in salt. We have compiled this list for you so that you can bear in mind what you are eating and the potential salt content.

High salt foods

These foods are almost always high in salt. To cut down on salt, eat them less often or have smaller amounts:

• anchovies
• bacon
• cheese
• gravy granules
• ham
• olives
• pickles
• prawns
• salami
• salted and dry roasted nuts
• salt fish
• smoked meat and fish
• soy sauce
• stock cubes
• yeast extract

Foods that can be high in salt

In these foods, the salt content can vary widely between different brands or varieties. That means you can cut down on salt by comparing brands, and choosing the one that is lower in salt. Food labels can help you do this.

These foods include:

• bread products such as crumpets, bagels and ciabatta
• pasta sauces
• crisps
• pizza
• ready meals
• soup
• sandwiches
• sausages
• tomato ketchup, mayonnaise and other sauces
• breakfast cereals

We hope this helps and if you have any questions then please do not hesitate in contacting us.

Image via Wikipedia

 

Carers 12 Days of Christmas Special – Day 6

Food is ever so important – you are what you eat

Stress can affect eating habits in different ways. Some people will eat anything they can get their hands on, particularly carbohydrates. Others tend to go into a “starvation” mode and not eat much at all. These are both normal reactions, as our bodies behave differently when we are chronically stressed. However, neither of these responses will help relieve stress or contribute to a healthy body and mind.

Maintaining good nutrition habits is tough for anyone, but it’s especially difficult for a carer. Often your loved one is on a special diet or has a particularly selective appetite. There may be other family members to feed, and your time and energy are certainly limited. But you’ve still got to eat correctly. Good nutrition is a habit that you have to consciously cultivate. It begins at the supermarket. Learn to read labels. Start buying foods that benefit your body and mind. If you don’t bring it home, you can’t eat it.

You can train yourself to eat right, one food at a time. Your goals should include foods low in saturated fat, transfat, cholesterol and sodium (salt), and lots of fruit and vegetables every day, whole-grain/high-fiber foods, lean meats, poultry, fish (at least twice per week), and fat-free or low-fat dairy products. You should also use monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Also, cut back on beverages and foods with added sugars and salt. If you’re not going to eat much, at least eat smart. Foods that have a lot of “bang-for-the-buck” include deeply colored fruits and veggies (e.g., spinach, broccoli, carrots, berries and peaches), whole-grain/high-fiber foods (e.g., whole-wheat, oats/oatmeal and brown rice), oily fish (e.g., salmon, trout and herring).

Vegetables and fruits are high in vitamins, minerals and fiber — and they’re low in calories. Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables may help you control your weight and reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease by lowering your blood pressure. Eat deeply colored vegetables and fruits because they tend to be higher in vitamins and minerals than others.

Related articles

• Carers 12 Days of Christmas Special – Day 6 (pumpingmarvellous.com)
• Eating Your Way to Heart Health (everydayhealth.com)
• Helpful Hints to Instill Healthy Nutrition Habits for Children (prweb.com)

Image via Wikipedia

Don’t forget your Carer – Their replenishment

We will be running a twelve part programme of web articles on making your carer aware that they are important as well. We will publish 12 articles during the twelve days of Christmas as per the traditional twelve days of Christmas.

I am sure as Heart Failure Patients we sometimes forget about our Carers needs and now is the time to focus in on their needs not yours. Get them to read Pumping Marvellous between now and Christmas.

Stress can affect eating habits in different ways. Some people will eat anything they can get their hands on, particularly carbohydrates. Others tend to go into a “starvation” mode and not eat much at all. These are both normal reactions, as our bodies behave differently when we are chronically stressed. However, neither of these responses will help relieve stress or contribute to a healthy body and mind.

Maintaining good eating habits is tough for anyone, but it’s especially difficult for a caregiver. Often your loved one is on a special diet or has a particularly selective appetite. There may be other family members to feed, and your time and energy are certainly limited. But you’ve still got to eat right. Good eating is a habit that you have to consciously cultivate. It begins at the shops. Learn to read labels. Start buying foods that benefist your body and mind. If you don’t bring it home, you can’t eat it.

You can train yourself to eat right, one food at a time. Your goals should include foods low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and sodium (salt), and lots of fruit and vegetables every day, whole-grain/high-fiber foods, lean meats, poultry, fish (at least twice per week), and fat-free or low-fat dairy products. You should also use monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Also, cut back on beverages and foods with added sugars and salt. If you’re not going to eat much, at least eat smart. Foods that have a lot of “bang-for-the-buck” include deeply colored fruits and veggies (e.g., spinach, broccoli, carrots, berries and peaches), whole-grain/high-fiber foods (e.g., whole-wheat, oats/oatmeal and brown rice), oily fish (e.g., salmon, trout and herring).

Vegetables and fruits are high in vitamins, minerals and fibre — and they’re low in calories. Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables may help you control your weight and reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease by lowering your blood pressure. Eat deeply colored vegetables and fruits because they tend to be higher in vitamins and minerals than others, such as potatoes and corn.