Tinned fish
Are you getting your recommended 3 serves of fish a week?
Tinned fish is a cheap and easy way to boost your omega 3 and protein requirements.
Fish is an excellent source of healthy fat and protein and
is considered an essential part of a healthy diet. However most adults are not
eating the recommended amount. Tinned fish is extremely nutritious, has a long
shelf life and is much cheaper than buying fresh fish. A great addition to your
weekly shop!
We can obtain many types of fat from food, but most adults
consume too much red meat which contains unhealthy saturated fat and not enough
fish which contains healthy unsaturated fat. A specific type of unsaturated fat
that we must obtain from our diet is called Omega 3 fat. Omega 3 fats are
needed to build the cell membranes, produce hormones and are very important for
their anti-inflammatory properties – reducing the risk of heart attack and
stroke. Oily fish are the best source of Omega 3. Tinned salmon, mackerel and
sardines (and to a lesser extent tuna) are rich sources of this essential fat.
A recommended serve of fish is 100g - which is the size of most small cans on the
supermarket shelves. This makes a serving of fish a very budget friendly
option.
The healthiest tinned fish are those with the fewest
ingredients on the label.
We know how good walking is for us. It is a convenient and
relaxing aerobic exercise that strengthens our quadriceps, hamstrings and
calves, it improves the health of our cardiovascular system and it decreases
the risk of heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure. But is walking by
itself enough to keep us fully fit?
Not quite, says Dr Jackson Fyfe, a sports scientist from
Deakin University. “Walking is of course better than no exercise at all, but to
maximise heath benefits, a combination of aerobic-type (running, cycling,
swimming) and strength-type exercise (lifting weights or bodyweight exercises)
should be performed regularly.”
While walking is a good aerobic exercise, without
strength-type exercises, we are susceptible to some serious health risks.
Our muscle mass naturally decreases with age. To compensate
for this, we need to have specific exercises to retain our muscle mass or risk
a decrease in function and a higher risk of injury. Although walking does
benefit bone health, it is not nearly as effective at increasing bone density
as strength training is. Without preserving our bone strength, we are at risk
of fractures and osteoporosis.
“People’s understanding of walking more and doing aerobic
activity, keeping up the heart rate, has grown”, says Louise Ansari, chief
executive at Healthwatch, “but the need for us to do two sessions of strength
and balance exercise a week has been the Cinderella of public health advice”.
It is recommended to do 2 sessions of muscle-strengthening activities such as
push ups or lifting weights a week.
However, this does not mean you have to go sign up to a gym
and get your bicep curls on. Instead, you could consider modifying your walking
routine.
One idea is to try Nordic walking, where you use ski-like
poles to support your body with every stride you take. When you use these poles
to utilise your upper body in walking, you actually stimulate your chest, back,
triceps, biceps, shoulders and core muscles as well as your lower body. It is
also been estimated as producing up to a 46% increase in energy consumption, compared
to normal walking.