CARDIOVASCULAR JOURNAL OF AFRICA • Vol 23, No 8, September 2012
472
AFRICA
Cardio News
New cookbook to help disarm South Africa’s heart disease time bomb
Dr Vash Mungal-Singh, CEO of the Heart
and Stroke Foundation South Africa
(
HSF), officially kicked off National
Heart Awareness month with the launch
of what the HSF says is another potent
tool in its fight to stem the tide of
cardiovascular disease, which currently
claims about 200 lives in South Africa
every day.
The new ‘tool’ is a recipe book, titled
Cooking from the Heart
,
which will be
distributed free to the public thanks to
Pharma Dynamics, the leading provider
of cardiovascular medication in the
country. And there are already plans for
hospitals and public institutions across
South Africa to adopt its recipes and
‘
healthier eating’ guidelines.
Cooking from the Heart
is unique
among healthy eating cookbooks because
it contains popular and budget-friendly
recipes submitted by ordinary South
Africans. These have been adapted by
experts to make them healthier by cutting
fat, salt and sugar content while boosting
nutritional value in line with the HSF’s
healthy eating guidelines.
Mungal-Singh says that this new
initiative is the first of its kind. ‘We’ve
launched many initiatives over the years
but never one quite like
Cooking from
the Heart
.
It offers the public a practical
resource to tackle non-communicable
diseases such as heart disease and stroke,
which are closely linked to poor diet. We
hope that everyday cooks will see how
easy it is it to make healthier favourites
such as potato salad or beef stew.
‘
Cardiovascular disease is a growing
problem in South Africa as the intake of
saturated and trans fats, salt and sugar
is on the increase. By 2030, the United
Nations predicts that deaths of South
Africans aged from 35 to 64 years will
have skyrocketed by 40%. Nutrition is
a very important part of managing and
preventing heart disease and stroke. There
is a misconception that a healthy diet is
expensive, impractical or unappetising.
Cooking from the Heart
will dispel that
myth once and for all.’
Mariska Fouche, public affairs
manager at Pharma Dynamics, says that
the book will be available free of charge
to members of the public who attend
free screenings for heart disease risk
factors at shopping centres across the
country during Heart Awareness month.
‘
Screenings will include blood pressure,
cholesterol and glucose testing and vital
information about cardiovascular disease.’
Fouche says that not only will
Cooking
from the Heart
help home cooks to
produce more nutritious meals, it is
also an excellent practical resource for
healthcare practitioners (HCPs).
‘
Research conducted by the Medical
Research Council and the Chronic
Diseases Initiative in Africa with focus
groups across the country found that
many cardiovascular disease patients
received limited advice about adapting
their diets from doctors at the time of their
diagnosis. They struggled to incorporate
the little advice they did get into their
everyday lives. This meant that they
didn’t make meaningful changes to their
diets, which had a negative impact on the
management of their condition.
‘
HCPs don’t necessarily have the tools
to teach people about healthier eating
habits. This book is a vital part of the
HSF’s preventative toolkit to help tackle
the looming heart disease and stroke
epidemic in South Africa’, she says.
Plans are underway for public hospitals
to serve patients meals based on the
nutritionalguidelinesandrecipescontained
in the book, and it is hoped that this
will foster stronger awareness of the link
between diet and cardiovascular disease.
Cooking from the Heart
has also caught
the attention of Health Minister Dr Aaron
Motsoaledi, who said: ‘The Department
of Health commends the HSF and Pharma
Dynamics for taking this bold and practical
step against heart disease and stroke. The
idea of researching and publishing recipes
that are both economical and culturally
appropriate is an excellent way of creating
awareness of the need for healthier eating
and is a concrete means for people in
all communities to improve their overall
health.’
Cooking from the Heart
is available
free of charge to all members of the
public. To get a copy, members of the
public can:
•
download a free e-copy from www.
cookingfromtheheart.co.za
•
access
on
their smart phones
•
go to
or
contact Freddie on 021 403 6450 or
to find
out about free distribution in their area
•
visit the nearest Clicks Clinic to pick
up one of 57 000 copies.
For a complete list of free screening dates
and locations visit
.
co.za.
