1. Regine Gray RD (SA)
Consulting Dietician 082 354 8850
September is Heart
Awareness Month—the
Heart and Stroke Founda-
tion’s most important
awareness campaign
aimed at educating South
Africans about cardiovas-
cular disease and its pre-
vention.
The key message for the
Heart Awareness Month is
“Know your numbers” -
have your cholesterol,
blood pressure and glu-
cose levels tested and
know the state of your
heart!
Free blood pressure
screenings are taking
place on a national basis
throughout September.
High blood pressure is
known as the “silent kil-
ler” since it has few visi-
ble symptoms, therefore
testing is crucial.
Know your numbers and
help prevent future heart-
ache.
Courtesy of Robyn Rees - Asso-
ciation of Dietetics in Southern
Africa (ADSA). The article ap-
peared in the August ADSA
Newsletter and has been short-
ened.
65% of South Africans
believe that labels should
be made easier to under-
stand.
As 80% of South African
shoppers refer to the nu-
trition information on the
foods that they buy some
or all the time, and 45%
of shoppers use labels to
shop for good health most
of the time, a local cereal
manufacturer is piloting
an international Front of
Pack (FoP) labelling
scheme called Guideline
Daily Amounts (GDAs) in
order to help
consumers
make improved
lifestyle
choices.
The new GDA tool will ap-
pear on the front of Kel-
logg’s cereal packaging by
the end of 2008. This new
format, which enables
consumers to see nutri-
tional facts at a glance
will not replace the side-
panel nutrition informa-
tion. Rather, the FoP la-
belling will provide a
highly visible and helpful
summary.
The GDAs will inform
consumers how many
kilojoules, sugars, fats
saturates and salt are
contained in a suggested
serving of a product, as
well as what percentage
of the GDA it represents.
Regine@regine.co.za
GL O BA L N U T R I T I O N
L A B E L I N G
SY S T E M I N SA B Y E N D
O F 2008
August/September 08
VIRTUAL NUTRITION
BEER AND YOUR DIET
Alcohol is energy-dense
like fat, at roughly 30 kJ/
g. Your body cannot store
the energy contribution
from alcohol and must
metabolize it immediately,
thus preventing the body
from using stored fat en-
ergy as fuel. This make
weight reduction even
harder.
A recommendation would
be to switch from average
beer to kilojoule-reduced
(“light”) beer, saving you
30% of kilojoules per
340ml beer serving.
If you are a 10-per-week
beer consumer, the kilojoule
savings from this swop
could give you a 7 kg weight
loss in a year—that is, if no
extra kilojoules get added in
the form of other sources.
Sasol did it again! Sasol
hosted a successful
Wellness Day with many
interesting health and be-
well activities. The launch
of the Supplementation
and Food Pyramid Project
added an element of
novelty to the nutritional
side of vitality.
ABSA Auckland Park Nutrition
Awareness Day
Nedbank Group Technology
Men’s Health Day
Sasol Wellness Day
ABSA Horison Nutrition Day
Back: L to R:
Anna and Iris from
ABSA Horison branch
enjoyed nutritional
input from Regine,
who provided comple-
mentary pH and BMI
tests and gratis
vitamins with every
diet ordered.
The ABSA Call Centre at
Auckland Park : nutrition
awareness forms part of
the overall awareness
programme to help
employees make informed
choices for improved
lifestyles.
The Health Day was
hosted by the West Street
Group Technology section
of Nedbank and included
a variety of interesting
wellness stands, including
a nutrition table manned
by Regine Gray.
The Focus on Pharmacy team
Focus on Pharmacy - SARCDA -
Gallagher Estate
The popular Focus on Pharmacy stand presented VIP
visitors and show guests with complimentary screenings
and products by Specsavers, Nativa, Tibb, Revite, Vichy
and Baby Gym. Nursing sisters provided glucose,
cholesterol and blood pressure screenings; the Dietician
performed BMI and pH screenings. Glaucoma and auto
refraction tests were sponsored by Specsavers. Daleen
Bothma managed the stand.
H E A R T
A W A R E N E S S
M O N T H