Our Story
Pharma Dynamics, one of SA’s leading generic pharmaceutical companies, and SA’s leader in cardiovascular medication, is committed to holistic healthcare. It’s a mission which extends beyond the pill, as we strive to offer comprehensive post-script and lifestyle support to empower patients to manage their conditions effectively.
As part of our patient support programmes, we partnered with the Heart and Stroke Foundation, to develop a free cookbook resource – complete with healthy eating guidelines, meal plans and recipes – designed to help prevent and manage heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and other metabolic diseases.
In 2012, we launched Cooking from the Heart: Recipes for the Whole Family, a collection of easy-to-make, family-favourite recipes, that reflected the rich culinary heritage of South Africa.
The success of the inaugural edition inspired subsequent releases:
Cooking from the Heart, 2nd Edition: Breakfast, Lunch & Snacks (2014)
Cooking from the Heart, 3rd Edition: Diabetes (2016)
Cooking from the Heart, 4th Edition: Braai (2019)
Cooking from the Heart, 5th Edition: Low Salt Booklet (2020)
Cooking from the Heart, 6th Edition: DASH Edition (2022)
Cooking from the Heart, 7th Edition: HEARTY (2024) [Digital only]
Cooking from the Heart, 8th Edition: Low Sugar Booklet (2025)
The DASH Edition achieved global recognition, winning the award for “Best in the World” in the category for “Professional Health and Nutrition” at the prestigious Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2023. It was later recognised by Gourmand as one of South Africa’s top 20 culinary health publications of the past 30 years.
This served as the inspiration for HEARTY, a collaboration with South African Gourmand Award winners (2023) that combines the creativity of SA’s top chefs with DASH principles.
In 2025, HEARTY won the Gourmand World Cookbook Award for “Best Free Recipe Resource in the World”, and was named Runner-Up in the “Free Resources for Healthcare Professionals” category.
CREDITS
Concept & Project Management: Nicole Jennings
Content Writer: Hajierah Noordien
Creative Lead: Shonell Carelse & Roscoe de Vries
Creative Team: Ross Solomon & Lizann Louw
Food Styling: Abigail Donnely
Photography: Toby Murphy