As the country marks National Nutrition Week from 9 to 16 October, we zoom in on food and the powerful influence it can have on our emotions. Certain meals can boost levels of feel-good neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, while others can cause stress chemicals like cortisol to be released. This means that food can make you feel good or bad in different ways.
According to the 2016 South African Demographic and Health Survey (SADHS), 68% of South African women and 31% of men are overweight or obese with about 20% of women and 3% of men who are severely obese.
They further stated that South Africa pays a high price in the form of disease burden that is related to food choices. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes are prevalent and on the rise. Being overweight or obese is a major risk factor for these NCDs.
Learning the hard way
Nogolide Giyose of Gugulethu, Cape Town, grew up as a petite person, wearing small clothing and having a waist size of around 30/32. She says that as she grew, she became bigger, which caused her to lose confidence.
Living with four chronic illnesses, including depression, high blood pressure, cardiac disease, and DVT (deep venous thrombosis), has forced her to alter her lifestyle in order to feel better about herself.
“In April 2023 I fell sick, and my doctor confirmed that my BP was too high, which was affecting my heart.”
She mentions that she was informed that her illnesses are being worsened by her obesity.
“That was when I had my wake-up call to do something about my situation.”
Nogolide Giyose
Giyose explains that she decided to participate in a reboot programme, which involves making healthier food choices by selecting organic and preservative-free options.
Setting the reboot button
Reboot lifestyle involves consuming non-preservatives and organic foods for 30 days without cheating, and if you cheat, you must start again. She says that it is 80% about what you eat and 20% about exercise.
“There is no eating plan, you eat green list foods, at any time of the day, a few from the orange list and the red, I don’t touch at all.”
According to her, the green list consists of broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, cucumber, celery, onions, cabbage, lettuce, baby marrow, and beetroot.
The protein sources include chicken, turkey, lamb, beef, offal, venison, and seafood such as tuna, trout, salmon, snoek, kingklip, crab, eggs, and hake.
She clarifies that they have specific preferences when it comes to the oils they consume. The recommended oils include coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, and macadamia nut oil.
Following the programme, she began purchasing supplies in May, and the food is less costly than the takeout she typically purchases for lunch at work.
Shedding the weight
“When I started my version-1 in May 2023, I weighed 115kgs. It was not easy, but I stayed focused. After 30 days I had lost nine kilograms.
“My confidence was boosted again. I wanted to lose more and decided to carry on to another 30 days.”
Giyose’s weight dropped to 99kg after 60 days.
“I feel more beautiful, more appealing, more confident and more positive.”
Nogolide Giyose
She coaches others through a WhatsApp group in which they share their struggles and suggestions for staying on track. Giyose states that food is her therapy for her health and self-love.
How to feel good about food
Maria van der Merwe, the president of the Association for Dietetics in South Africa (Adsa), says that South African families, schools and workplaces need to make it easier for children and adults to make healthy eating choices by ensuring that nutritious foods are accessible to them each day.
“Growing some of your own vegetables, fruits and herbs at home, school or in your community increases access to nutritious options, and meal planning can boost nutrition quality while saving on the household budget,” Van der Merwe says.
Essential Information
The national department of health points out that poor food and drink choices often start in early childhood.
Lea Castro, Unicef’s nutrition officer says, “We found limited healthy food options available in schools and low levels of nutrition knowledge among both learners and educators resulting in a low intake of vegetables and fruits, and a high intake of foods high in fat, sugar and salt.”
Meanwhile, Dr Elize Symington, the president of the Nutrition Society of South Africa (NSSA) says, “Developing your home-cooking skills and meal planning efficiency can result in healthier meals, better portion control and adds enjoyment to home life.”
National Nutrition Week 2023 highlights these tips for planning and preparing quick, healthy and affordable home meals:
- Plan your meals: On a weekly or monthly basis, draw up a food budget and a meal plan. Focus on a variety of foods that are affordable and in season. Base your shopping lists on your meal plan, and only buy the items you need.
- Prepare meals in healthy ways: Choose recipes that are quick and easy. Include raw vegetables and salads in your meals. Use cooking methods such as steaming, boiling and baking grilling instead of frying.
- Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit every day: High in fibre and packed with vitamins and minerals, vegetables and fruit are essential for healthy bodies and minds. Make sure you eat a minimum of five vegetables and fruits every day, not just on weekends. Include indigenous vegetables whenever possible. Eat a yellow/orange vegetable such as carrots, pumpkin, butternut or a dark green vegetable such as broccoli or spinach at least once a day.
- Add extra vegetables to meals: You can boost the nutritional quality, as well as flavour and texture, by adding extra vegetables to meals such as stews, curries, stir-fries, salads, soups, sandwiches, pasta, rice and egg dishes.
- Veg-ify your favourite recipes: swap some or all meat in your favourite dishes with plant alternatives. Meat can easily be replaced with vegetables like mushrooms, aubergine and baby marrow or with legumes like lentils, beans and chickpeas.
- Eat dry beans, peas, lentils and soya regularly: Eat legumes at least four times a week to help prevent chronic diseases, including heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer and overweight, as well as improve gut health. Cost-effective beans, lentils and chickpeas can be used as meat alternatives or to bulk up a dish and make the meat go further. Soaking dry legumes in water overnight reduces the cooking time and helps to prevent bloating.
- Pack healthy breakfast/lunchboxes: Include weekday breakfasts and lunches in your meal plan so that you can avoid buying from shops, canteens and tuckshops. You will save money and eat more healthily. These on-the-go, homemade meals should mostly consist of unprocessed or minimally processed plant-based foods.
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