Nutrition and health

18/01/2022

Adapting menu for Infants

When providing food and drinks for infants in care it is important to keep the following in mind:

✓For the first three years of life, avoid giving foods with a high risk of choking. Always supervise children during meal and snack times.

✓Cow’s milk should not be given as the main drink before 12 months of age.

✓Salt and sugar should not be added to infants’ food. Offering sweet and salty foods in early childhood can result in children developing a preference for these foods which may be carried into later life
✓Infants should not be given foods with high levels of saturated fat, added sugar and/or added salt (e.g. cakes, biscuits, confectionery and potato chips).
✓Honey should not be given to babies, as it may contain bacterial spores that can cause infant botulism if given to babies under 12 months of age.
✓Sweet drinks like fruit juice and fruit drinks, flavoured milk, soft drinks and cordials should not be given to infants and children. These drinks add sugar to the diet and can increase the risk of children becoming overweight and developing oral health problems.
✓Tea (including herbal tea) and coffee are not appropriate drinks for infants and children.
✓Include iron-rich foods such as meat, chicken, fish, tofu and legumes every day.
✓Don’t delay introducing meat.
✓Move on from smooth mashed and pureed foods, to minced and chopped foods as soon as possible.
✓Encourage finger foods and self-feeding from around 8 months.
✓Encourage a variety of colourful fruit and vegetables.
It can be easy 😊 just modify the regular centre menu

04/12/2021

While a healthy balanced diet often provides a source of vitamins and minerals, taking dietary supplements on top of your healthy diet may prove beneficial in ensuring your body gets the nutrients it needs each day.
In addition, supplementation can help delay disease progression for those with chronic diseases and reduce long term health care costs. This is as healthy for your wallet as it is for your body.

Supplementation can help meet the higher nutritional needs of your more demanding lifestyle or medical condition.
Stress, medical complications, and high physical activity levels can all create a greater need in your specific body for very specific minerals or vitamins. Supplementation can also help correct deficiencies in the very food you are eating. Chemicals used in farming, depleted soils, refinement, preservatives, and additives all create deep imbalances in our food supply itself.
For example, , spinach on average contains 158 milligrams of iron per 100 grams. The average iron content of spinach today is 2.7 milligrams per 100 grams. Spinach just isn’t what it used to be. This is not an isolated case. Statistics like these run throughout almost every facet of our food supply. Through supplementing your diet, you can make great strides in correcting for these food supply deficiencies.

27/08/2021

20/08/2021

Diabetes management tips

03/05/2021

Creating nutrition awareness to enable individuals adopt healthy eating habits�������?

02/03/2020

Myth 5- Juicing helps slow cancer growth


Both fruits and vegetable juices are loaded with vitamins, minerals.,antioxidants phytonutrients etc
However ,juicing cant cure cancer or help stop replication of the cells.
Cancer and cancer treatment can greatly weaken the immune system making individuals susceptible to infections that would otherwise not affect them. Vegetables grown using pesticides and herbicides or those grown in unsanitary conditions can impact negatively on cancer patients' health if juiced without thorough cleaning. Some raw vegetables contain anti nutrients like oxalic acid in spinach which bind to other nutrients reducing their absorption and bioavailability and can result to micronutrient deficiencies. They can also increase the risk of kidney stones (oxalic acid)
During an intensive treatment like chemotherapy and radiotherapy.many patients cant meet energy and nutrient requirements due to common treatment side effects like nausea.Juicing can significantly reduce intake of other foods which can create a deficiency of macronutrients(proteins,carbohydrates,fats).
As part of a healthy diet,proper juicing can be a great way of increasing your micronutrient intake

02/03/2020

Myth 4 - Cancer patients should avoid red meats and dairy products

Several studies have linked increased red meat intake to heightened risk of some cancers like colon and prostrate cancers. People who take animal products in large quantities too often leave very little room for plant based foods. In such cases, they don't get to experience the health and protective benefits of compounds antioxidants and phytochemicals from plant based foods, increasing their risk of chronic conditions like cancer. In 2005,WHO classified red meats as probably carcinogenic based on limited evidence between it's consumption and increased cancer risk.
Studies have shown that reducing intake of red meats and increasing intake of plant based proteins can reduce an individual's risk of developing colon and re**al cancers.
Eaten as part of a healthy diet, and in moderation, red meats and dairy products can be a great source of high biological value proteins and micronutrients such as iron, zinc, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and B vitamins
Cancer patients often have increased protein requirements due to the effects of cancer and the treatment modalities and animal based proteins can be a great source of this nutrient

02/03/2020

Myth 3 Supplements can stop faster progression

A healthy diet with a variety of foods from different food groups is
adequate to help you meet all your macronutrient and micronutrient requirements. However, nutrient supplements can play an important role in health especially in times of deficiencies.
Many cancer patients take a concoction of supplements that promise miraculous results including slowing down cancer growth. However, some supplements may have adverse health effects on some individuals and may actually increase the risk of some types of cancer. For example, studies have shown an association between Vitamin El containing supplements with increased risk of prostrate cancer and beta carotene supplements with increased risk of lung cancers in smokers. It is therefore important to seek guidance from a registered health professional before using them. Supplements CANT be used to prevent cancer or to slow down cancer growth

18/02/2020

Myth 2-Sugar Feeds cancer

Sugar is found in many foods we consume including grains, root vegetables, legumes, honey, table sugar, fruits and starchy vegetables. All foods that contain carbohydrates will eventually break in the body into glucose or blood sugar which feeds every cancer cells. Many cancer cells have many insulin receptors which makes them take in more glucose compared to the normal cells. We can't control which cells uses glucose and which doesn't. Even though avoiding sugar or reducing intake of added sugar has many health benefits, what matters is the overall carbohydrate intake. Concentrate on having healthier carbohydrates like whole grains and legumes (low glycemic index foods) instead of obsessing on table and added sugars