Fry’s Articles

December 2010

Keep your weight in check – Eat more Veggies!

Around the world scientists agree that vegetables and fruit are very important to our health, and there is growing evidence supporting the numerous benefits of eating plenty of vegetables and fruit. The benefits include a reduced risk of heart disease, a probable reduced risk of certain cancers, diabetes and obesity, as well as an association with the prevention and alleviation of several vitamin and mineral deficiencies. It is not surprising then that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has set a world goal for everyone to increase their daily intake of vegetables and fruit to at least 400g a day, which is equivalent to approximately five servings of vegetables and fruit1.

Vegetables are beneficial for losing weight because they are low in fat, low in calories, low in sodium, high in fibre and nutrient rich2.

Just how one incorporates fruit and vegetables into one’s everyday diet can be somewhat daunting, especially the suggested amount we should all be eating, which is more than just an apple a day. Meat Free alternatives are another ideal way or reducing your meat intake with these low fat, high fibre meal options.

Lisa Raleigh is an exercise specialist best known for her role as a trainer on SA’s “The Biggest Loser” and owner of Lisa Raleigh Weight loss and Wellness clinics in Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg. She is the reason for radio personalities Darren Scott and Sam Cowen’s recent weight loss and has written a book with Darren called “No Fries on Us”, available in bookshops this month. Here Lisa gives us some advice on making the best decisions with fruit, vegetables and weight loss.

Q: We are all inundated with information about the best ways to lose weight. What are your thoughts about losing weight and cutting down on meat products?
A: I am a vegetarian and have been for two years almost to the day. I cut out all meat, fish and chicken because I know what it does to your body and how long your body takes to digest this food. I believe we don’t need meat if you substitute with lots of greens and legumes to get enough protein. If people decide follow a vegetarian diet, I suggest they know how to substitute with vegetable options and beans/legumes to ensure that they do not become iron deficient.

If someone is looking to lose weight then I suggest less red meats and more fish and chicken. The size of the meat you eat is also important: 1 serving (equivalent to 100 calories) weighs 50g of meat/ chicken or 120g fish. Most people are over eating in this category! It would also be beneficial to substitute meat with a vegetarian option to reduce calories and saturated fats in your meal. A great way to do this is to incorporate meat free alternatives into your meals. These are lower in fat, and contain similar amounts of iron, vitamins and minerals as meat. Products available in South Africa actually look and taste like meat!

Q: How would a person make sure that they are getting enough iron etc when cutting down on meat??
A: This is very important as some vegetarians can suffer from iron deficiencies because they do not eat enough of the right food groups to make up for the lack of meat. I would suggest they start their morning with a fresh green vegetable juice which is made using a juicer to extract the juice out of the vegetables. I start every morning like this, with 1 cup of juice being equivalent to 2 vegetable portions. Including spinach and leafy greens is a good idea as they contain iron. I also take all my vitamins and choose to take a food state vitamin which means my body absorbs the vitamins as it would a food. I make sure that I also take in enough legumes and beans and nuts to make up for the lack of meat. Meat Free alternatives are great for making sure you are eating healthy, balanced meals and getting the iron, vitamins and minerals that your body needs.

Q: What would you recommend for people who might not like large amounts of fruit and vegetables?
A: We recommend that clients eat up to 6 vegetable portions a day (roughly about 600g) and 2 fruit portions a day (around 300g). If you don’t like vegetables then get yourself a juicer and drink them rather than eat them. You could have two cups a day which would already be four of your six vegetable portions and by adding fruit to your vegetable juice, your juice will not only taste great but you will also be using your fruit allocation. Then you only have maybe one fruit and two more vegetables to get through which could be cut up carrots and cucumber dipped in hummus as a mid morning snack and a fruit for your late afternoon snack. Soups are also a great way to increase your vegetable intake, especially in winter.  Another idea, even for adults, is to learn to disguise your vegetables in every meal you make – vegetable stews and curries are ideal. Meat Free alternatives such as “chicken or beef strips” or burgers and hotdogs taste very much like meat. Have a look for these in the freezer in your local supermarket and give them a try!

Q: Besides cutting down on saturated fat, what are the other health benefits of cutting down on meat and increasing vegetables in your everyday diet?
A: These days we don’t know what processes the meat goes through before we eat it. Many animals are being injected with steroids and hormones to make them larger and therefore increasing the yield. Furthermore, many people also have slow colons – for some people their bodies will usually take eight hours to digest the meat, for others it can be 3-4 days! Vegetables or meat free alternatives are more easily digested and absorbed and eating more fruit and vegetables means that your body will be more alkaline and less toxic, which is great for boosting the immune system.

Q: What are the best foods to eat to increase fibre? Is this important when losing weight?
A: Yes you need fibre in your diet in order to keep your bowel movements regular and this plays a huge part in weight loss! Start your day with a whole grain cereal that is full of fibre such as muesli or bran flakes and make sure you eating your two fruits a day. When eating breads make sure you choose the seed loaf or whole wheat options to boost your fibre intake. Fibre also lowers the GI of your meals which sustains your energy levels and prevents food cravings. Meat Free alternatives such as Fry’s Vegetarian Foods look and even taste like meat but are low in fat and high in fibre, so definitely consider these!

Q:  Should we try and stick to raw fruit and vegetables or can we use different cooking methods for variety? What are the best cooking methods to use so as to maintain as many minerals and vitamins as possible?
A: We should try and eat as many vegetables as possible in their raw form in order to get all the nutrients – salads and veggies sticks/ pure raw vegetable juices. If you are cooking a stir fry, then try and cook them lightly so that they are still crunchy and full of goodness. You can steam vegetables on low heat which cook them slightly but they are still full of nutrients. Opt for steaming and lightly grilling vegetables rather than over boiling them and dissolving all their good nutrients. If cooking vegetables, try to cook at temperatures below 100 degrees Celsius to retain their vitamins and minerals.

Q: What do you think are the main “dietary mistakes” made by South Africans?
A: I feel that many South Africans have many traditional meals according to their cultures. Curries are made with lots of oil and gee and eaten with carbohydrates such as rotis and dumplings, braais are becoming an everyday way of cooking instead of it being a treat and with our hectic lifestyles, take aways are becoming more regular. We need to learn to live life and eat what we want but to be selective. You could make a nice braai with baked potatoes and vegetables on the braai and lean meat with a huge salad, or try vegetarian burgers, schnitzels or hotdogs on the braai. Oil in curries need to be to a minimum and made with more vegetables and served with rice. If you have to get a take away, then you need to choose wisely – choose a pizza with no cheese and plenty of vegetable toppings. Another helpful habit is to drink water instead of a soda. Small changes are all you need to make a difference.

Q: Obviously losing weight involves more than just changing to healthier portion control and healthier foods. What else do we need to do in terms of becoming more active? How much activity is recommended?
A: it’s all about energy in versus energy out! If you don’t do any exercise but you are eating too many calories you will start to gain weight. You need to be eating five small meals a day and training a minimum of three times a week to see results.

Q: As we go into the Festive Season, what advice can you give us about trying to stay healthy and prevent packing on the kilos?
A: When going out for a cocktail party and you know there are going to be unhealthy snacks, eat a healthy meal before going out and drink lots of water in between alcoholic drinks. Stay away from sugary drinks and opt for red wine and whiskey in moderation over high calorie drinks. If you do have a bad meal, try and make sure that you have done some exercise to burn off those extra calories. Opt for fish and chicken instead of red meat, always ask for dressing on the side. Try and make small changes to save calories for when you need them.

Q: Is there any other advice you can give us?
A: Just live your life and don’t be so hard on yourself. You want eating to be a way of life and not something that ties you down. If you want something unhealthy as a treat, then make up for it with eating really well and training. Whether you eat meat or not, make sure you look after your digestive system and have it working sufficiently. Eat everything in moderation and get active to get yourself looking and feeling great!

Meat free protein alternatives are a great way of cutting down on the amount of meat you eat.  In South Africa, Fry’s Vegetarian Foods are an ideal way to do just this. Braai Fry’s Vegetarian Crumbed Schnitzels or Fry’s Vegetarian Burgers on the braai, use Fry’s Vegetarian Chicken-Style Strips or Beef-Style Strips in stir fry’s and curries or enjoy Fry’s Chicken-Style Nuggets or Fry’s Veg Express Sausage Rolls when hosting a cocktail party. All these products and more are available in the freezer section of leading supermarkets.

Make your Monday’s healthier too! Fry’s Vegetarian Foods, together with local partner organisations which include Beauty Without Cruelty, Animal Anti-Cruelty League, SA Vegan Society, Animal Rights Africa and the Wildlife Society of South Africa, recently launched the global concept of Meat Free Mondays into the country – a campaign which urges all South Africans to pledge their support and make a difference by not eating meat, fish or chicken every Monday and to highlight the fact that livestock farming is one of the most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems. For more information go to www.supportmfm.co.za.

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Festive Treats for the Vegetarian

How to have a more ‘natural’ festive season

Whether you don’t eat meat at all, or if you are just looking for some healthier festive treats and options, we have gathered some delicious recipes from people who really know how to prepare delicious healthy vegetarian meals! It is also that time of the year again when our thoughts turn to our waistlines and New Year’s resolutions.

Mary-Ann Shearer is a best-selling health-author who has to date sold over 190 000 copies of her books about natural foods and wellness. Here Mary-Ann shares some delicious festive vegetarian recipes. We have also included some advice from Mary-Ann on how to make sure that you enter 2011 ready to live a healthier life, and how to stick to those new wellness goals we set for ourselves!

Wally and his wife Debbie, to committed vegetarians, began experimenting in their family kitchen to find protein alternatives for their own consumption over nineteen years ago, and today Fry’s Vegetarian Foods has become an international success, with the whole family involved in the running of the business. Their meat free alternative products have a unique taste and texture and carry endorsements from the highest authorities of vegetarianism in the world. Here Wally and Debbie share two delicious recipes using various products from their range of foods.

Recipes from Mary-Ann Shearer:
CHRISTMAS ICE-CREAM
2 cans preservative free Coconut cream
3 ripe bananas
½ cup almonds
½ cup dried peaches
½ non-oiled raisins
½ cup chopped figs
½ cup raw honey
1 tsp. Cinnamon
Blend and freeze 3 times or use an ice-cream machine

ASPARAGUS, MUSHROOM AND PEA SALAD
1 punnet button Mushrooms, sliced
1-2 punnets asparagus, cut into bite sized pieces, steamed and cooled
1-2 cups snap peas or frozen peas (thawed) or both
½ pkt spinach, finely shredded
Mary-Ann’s Seasoning salt to taste
Juice of 1 small lemon
Extra virgin olive
1 tsp mustard seeds
Combine first 3 vegetables and place on a bed of spinach pour over dressing. You can garnish with chopped hazel or macadamia nuts.

AUBERGINE TERRINE
4-5 large aubergine, sliced into thin rounds and dry roasted.
Mary-Ann’s Garlic & herb salt
5-6 large tomatoes, seeded (pips removed) and chopped
½ cup Tomato Pesto (plain or Chilli)
500g cashews, finely chopped to a paste with juice of 1 lemon
300 g Tofu ( or Ricotta cheese or goats cottage cheese  if not vegan)
½ cup pitted dried  or fresh olives
1 cup fresh basil leaves chopped
Season the aubergine slices with the garlic & herb salt and dry roast aubergine slices in a hot, 200oC+, oven until golden brown.
Line a loaf tin with the aubergine (sides as well). Overlap each slice.
Combine the pesto with the tomatoes and basil.
Blend or chop the olives with the cashew paste and tofu and spread half the mixture on the aubergines. Place a layer of grilled aubergine on the cashew mixture, top with half the tomato mixture and then another layer of aubergines. Repeat until mixture is finished ending with a layer of aubergine.
Cover with wax wrap and chill overnight.
To serve Turn out and slice, serve with red pepper mayonnaise and garnish with fresh herbs.

Advice from Mary-Ann Shearer:

• The problem with resolutions is they are usually made when we feel most desperate and in the cold light of day, we begin to think we were just being extreme, so resolutions seldom last longer than the month they are made in.
• People who are successful at getting and staying healthy often have a health crisis that sets them on the path to freedom from sickness and tiredness. It is never a resolution that is taken rather a firm decision to do things differently because what you were doing is not working.
• It somehow seems acceptable to us to allow ourselves to grow spiritually and emotionally over the years but when it comes to our health we want instant results and instant perfection.
• If you have made a calculated decision to start treating your body well, you have to take into account that it has taken you a lifetime to be where you are now; a lifetime of poor food choices and bad habits and to just undo the damage and your mindset overnight is almost impossible.
• I have found that to be successful you need to be focusing on the things you can do, not the things you cannot do. For example, rather than focusing on giving up chocolate, think about other foods that might satisfy your craving for chocolates. That could be dates, raisins, a banana or a juicy mango.
• I have also found that when you focus on the quantity of food rather than the quality, you tend to be doomed! This is because by focusing on the quantity and by weighing and measuring food, you will be more focused on food and be thinking about it all day long, making it a whole lot more difficult to be set free from your old habits.
• When you focus on the quality, you focus on the nutritional value not the energy value, and you learn to listen to your body. As you slowly make these choices, so your body chemistry changes and you start to crave more and more of the good, whole, natural foods and the quantities just adjust from day to day.

To give you a starting place, I recommend that you follow some of these suggestions – slowly you will see some awesome results, such as improved digestion, increased energy, healthier skin, better sleep, more focused min, increased ability to concentrate and less irritability.

1. Start all meals with raw fruit or vegetables. This need not be a salad, just a few carrots or cucumber, tomato slices or a couple of apples or bananas.
2. Eat fresh or dried fruit (preservative free) before any sweet snacks, like chocolate or cookies. If you still feel like the chocolate after the mango, go ahead and eat it!
3. Try and consume one meal each day that consists of only fresh fruit with a handful or raw nuts or seeds. My favourite is a cashew smoothie made with strawberries, pineapples, raw cashew nuts and fresh apple of orange juice. Blend until very smooth. You may like to add ice while blending or use frozen fruit. It makes it very creamy.

In the meantime remember that you need to be focusing on getting healthy not on losing weight. A healthy person is automatically a slim person, but a slim person is not automatically a healthy one!

Another way to not only benefit your own health, but also the health of the planet, is to commit to the Meat Free Mondays campaign. Meat Free Monday is an environmental campaign to raise awareness of the climate-changing impact of meat production and consumption. Officially launched in South Africa a few months ago, this initiative urges all South Africans to pledge their support and make a difference by not eating meat, fish or chicken every Monday. This is the easiest way to make a huge difference to animals and the environment. Pledge your support at  www.supportmfm.co.za.

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September 2010

Click here to read the article published in the Witness regarding the launch of Meat Free Mondays

To read all the Facts of the effect of production on the planet, click here

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August 2010

A VEGETARIAN FAMILY AFFAIR

Raising a family as vegetarians is as easy as child’s play.

Although vegetarianism is becoming more widely accepted by society, families raising their children with vegetarian ideals may encounter opposition from people who still believe that including meat in one’s diet is the only way to ensure balanced nutrition. Fortunately this negative stereotype is far from accurate. This common perception is …  click here to read more