Guys, hit the kitchen and rustle up this fab fish dish

Gents, kickstart your engines with this flaky baked fish and juicy tomato dish. Let’s face it bafethu, the internet is full of studies that show that on average, men just aren’t as healthy as women. And just because women will outlive you, it doesn’t mean that you can’t treat yourself in the kitchen.

We need to buckle down and have some serious chats about men’s habits and the impact this has on their heart health, says Pharma Dynamics spokesperson, Nicole Jennings.

“What many don’t realise is that there are usually no signs or symptoms of high blood pressure (hypertension) or high cholesterol. Yet both increase your risk of a heart attack and stroke. That’s why it is so important to have these checked by your GP on a regular basis, especially if you’re 40 and older.” 

Jennings adds that heart health is no longer linked to age. Now one in in five heart attack patients are younger than 40. “The earlier you start to look after your health, the better for your heart. The first place to start is to recognise the risk factors for heart disease.” 

Don’t ignore the *warning signs of a heart attack and seek help immediately.

Pharma Dynamics is a provider of cardiovascular medication in Mzansi.

Prevention better than cure

Heart disease is preventable, says Jennings. Making small changes to your diet by eating more fruit, vegetables, fish, wholegrains and reducing salt consumption, is a much safer way to lose weight than resorting to extreme dieting. 

“Proactive, preventative care is the best approach to reduce heart attack deaths among middle-aged men.”

Pharma Dynamics spokesperson, Nicole Jennings

Here’s what every guy’s plate should look like

Does taking your health seriously mean no more braais? Heck no, says Pretoria dietitian Jason van Heerden. “It just means we want to have a bit more of a focus on plant foods like fruits, vegetables and our wholegrains like wholewheat bread and All Bran flakes, and other fantastic sources of fibre that we need to get in.”

Van Heerden breaks down four essential foods on a man’s daily dinner plate:

• Green: Half of your plate must be filled with non-starch vegetables, says Van Heerden. “This includes salad greens, tomatoes, carrots, spinach and morogo – the more watery vegetables.”
• Starch: A quarter of the plate can be starches like potato, butternut, rice and breads.
• Protein: “Ideally, we want to be having more protein. For example, more meat with less fat, fish, and chicken without the skin. We can even have pork, we can look at things like eggs, and beans, because beans are very high in fibre as well,” Van Heerden advises.
• Fat: Just a little bit of fat, like the oil you use to cook the meat, a bit of avocado or some olives.

*Warning signs of a heart attack in men include chest pain and discomfort, which can spread to the arms, neck, jaw or back. Dizziness or light-headedness, feeling nauseas, indigestion, unexplained sweating or shortness of breath are also critical signs.

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