Johannesburg - Tuna bake; brown lentil patties; butternut and sweetcorn bake; omelettes with broccoli and cheese; creamy oats with cinnamon; and banana and granadilla cheesecake.
Mouth-watering? Well, that’s the idea - and to make our MPs fight the tummy bulges and eat healthily.
It has been almost two weeks into the overhaul of Parliament’s menu by its wellness division, in light of November being World Diabetes Month, to promote heart-healthy eating habits. This is done by serving diabetic-friendly, low-calorie meals based on the guidelines set out in the Cooking from the Heart cookbook.
And according to Parliament’s catering co-ordinator Fazley Ismail, it’s an idea that MPs have fully bitten into.
“It has been going quite well, and some MPs and administration staff have really taken the changes to heart,” he said on Wednesday.
“The menu isn’t completely different, just slight alterations to make some meals healthier. Such as lasagne, for example - instead of the pasta we use baby marrow or gluten-free muffins.”
The cookbook is a nutritional resource which has been given the stamp of approval by Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi himself, and is the result of the partnership between Pharma Dynamics, the Heart and Stroke Foundation SA, and the Centre for Diabetes and Endocrinology.
It aims to show South Africans, starting with MPs, that eating healthily doesn’t have to be boring, bland or expensive.
The country already has an estimated 4 million people suffering from diabetes, and according to the foundation, at least 80 percent of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and 40 percent of cancers can be prevented by adopting a healthier lifestyle.
This includes making healthier food choices. And while the menu was only a trial run during this month, Ismail said he would be considering long-term changes with these recipes in mind.
The Star