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Food glorious food! Vicki gives you some expert advice on what you should be putting in your temple!..
Flat Stomach Questions I've been putting on weight the past year. Everything I eat seems to be targeting my stomach. What do you think I should do to get my flat tummy back?
I am slightly underweight but have a fat stomach. How can I lose the fat from my stomach without losing too much weight anywhere else?
Fat accumulation in the abdominal area indicates that you are eating more food than you need, especially sweet foods and fatty foods; along with a lack of exercise. It’s off to the gym for you two, or at least you will need to start doing some abdominal exercises on a daily basis. Look for a video or exercise book which concentrates on this area, and gives a good range of exercises.
In regard to foods and drinks – avoid all sweet drinks, including diet drinks, milk drinks, or diet shakes, and fizzy drinks –and go straight to pure water to satisfy your thirst. Avoid all fried and roasted food including fried takeaways, chips, crisps, cream, icecream, chocolate, and cheese (except cottage cheese). Avoiding these types of foods and drinks can go a long way to getting your tummy back (or lost as the case may be).
Lastly medications and caffeine may be factors to consider, you may need to assess the possibility that these may be causing your problem.
Healthy Weight Range I was just wondering what the healthy weight range is for a 20 yr old who is 154cm tall. I weigh on average about 66kg (but it fluctuates) and my FPA nurse said that putting on more weight will be dangerous because I’m on the pill (something to do with the BMI). I don’t think I am fat but I’m scared of getting health problems so want to lose a bit of weight. I go to the gym four times a week and play sport another one or two and eat quite well, is there anything else I can eat or do so I lose weight but not muscle at the same time?
The recommended weight range (or BMI – body mass index) for your height and age is 45 to 59 kg, and this is the range your FPI nurse will be looking at. However a lot of other factors have to be taken into consideration. You have a good exercise regime and so because muscle weighs heavier than fat your apparent extra weight will be due to the well toned muscle you are building. As you don’t see yourself as too fat this will be why your weight is higher than the suggested range, and so I would suggest that you not worry about your BMI in this instance, but do keep exercising.
It is wise to take good care of your health while you are on the oral contraceptive. Generally it is very difficult to lose weight while you are on this medication, and over time women seem to gain weight while they are on it. There are risks of heart disease while on the oral contraceptive if your weight increases, and these risks are also increased if you smoke, frequently drink alcohol, or have a high level of salt and fat in your food. B vitamins (the energy vitamins) also seem to be depleted by the oral contraceptive, so I do recommend a daily multivitamin such as Healtheries Women’s Multi to offset these losses.
The foods you need to avoid are high fat and salt foods eg. takeaways, crisps, chips, burgers; and high sugar containing foods eg. fizzy drinks, biscuits, cakes, shakes, sweets, chocolate. Save these things for treats occasionally only and avoid them on a daily basis. By avoiding these your weight will remain stable and your health will not he affected.
Am I Balanced? I am a 15-year-old girl and I exercise a lot, I usually run about four times a week and swim train once a week. I eat a lot and I enjoy my food but I know when to stop. My weight is about 67kgs and I am quite tall at 175cm. Every time I look at the scale I seem to be putting on weight. Should I be eating less? Or exercising more? Am I balanced?
You are doing just fine. Keep all your wonderful exercise up and your balanced relationship with food and you will have no problems. Your weight will be going up for three reasons. The first is that as you are exercising so well the muscle you are building weighs heavier than fat, so the more you exercise the more you may see those scales go up. The upside is that the more muscle you build the higher your metabolic rate will be and so you can afford to eat more than others because your body will burn it all up at a faster rate – ie. you won’t get fatter, you’ll get fitter and trimmer. Do more exercise if you feel like it – the recommended basic is 30 to 90 minutes per day.
Secondly, your bones are still growing and strengthening and will continue to do so until you are about 20, this will add extra to the scales. Finally be prepared to grow more over the next five years, your full body size will not be reached till then. You may get taller and more rounded, this is all to do with hormones and genetics.
Chocolate Cravings I crave chocolate after every meal, and don't feel satisfied at all until I've had some. I can't stop thinking about it, and have now gone from flat whites to mochas for the chocolate taste. I've always loved it and had a sweet tooth, but am finding I'm eating a lot more than normal. I've been tested for diabetes four times, what am I lacking in my diet?
Most probably iron. Ask for an actual ‘iron studies’ blood test from your doctor or family planning clinic and check the iron level and the ferritin level (this is the storage iron in your body). If you are drinking coffee or eating chocolate on a daily basis then you will need to stop, as the caffeine and tannins in these prevents the absorption of iron. Iron containing foods include fish and seafood, chicken, meat, eggs, cottage cheese, soy, dried fruit, and leafy green veggies. Check that you have at least one of these foods with each meal of the day. I suggest snacks of raisins and dried apricots (not coated in chocolate) at morning and afternoon tea, along with a teaspoon of Healtheries Black Strap Molasses every morning. If you like pate, then have some of this on crackers as often as possible – it is very high in iron.
Psoriasis Questions I have suffered from psoriasis for the last seven years. The extent of it goes up and down all the time - but I know that once you have it, you have it! What foods should I aim to eat a lot of and what should I avoid. I have already found out that tomatoes are not so great, if it was as simple as taking a pill to help it then I will try anything.
I have recently been diagnosed with a scalp condition called psoriasis. My dermatologist has given me this treatment which I have tried again and again but it always returns a week later. Is there anyway I can reduce the inflammation by changing or adding anything in particular to my diet?
There is still a lot we do not know about psoriasis, however some dietary strategies definitely seem to help. Factors which seem to aggravate psoriasis are tea, coffee, cola, chocolate, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant and capsicum, citrus fruits and bananas. I also recommend avoiding milk, cheese, and wheat for at least six weeks to see if this makes a difference. Use soy products, acidophilus yoghurt, rice cakes, and wheat free pasta in their place.
Supplements I suggest include Omega 3 (Healtheries Omega 3 capsules), Folic Acid (Healtheries Folic Acid), and cod liver oil (Healtheries Cod Liver Oil Capsules). Indications from studies show that the special essential oils of the omega 3 type are very helpful for dry flaky skin. Folic Acid helps in the production of new healthy skin cells, and cod liver oil contains high levels of vitamin D which seems to help prevent skin lesions developing. These three supplements can be taken together. The shampoo I recommend is Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Dandruff Shampoo and Conditioner for its cleansing and soothing effects.
Gluten Free I have just completed a six week detox eliminating wheat and gluten from my diet. Now that I am gradually re-introducing these foods I am finding my earlier symptoms re-appearing. I would like to continue to be wheat and gluten free but am having trouble with breakfasts as it is difficult to find things to eat on the go or without a lot of cooking fuss. Can you recommend some wheat and gluten free breakfast ideas?
Try the Healtheries range of Simple products. There are two yummy microwavable hot cereals – Apricot & Raisin, and Cranberry & Apple; and two mueslis – Apricot & Coconut, and Tropical. Another alternative would be to toast wheat free bread (try Healtheries Simple Bread Mix) and top it with egg, salmon, or cottage cheese with tomato, sprouts or avocado.
Vicki Martin RD, ND. Nutritionist, Naturopath
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Food glorious food! Vicki gives you some expert advice on what you should be putting in your temple!..
It is wise to take good care of your health while you are on the oral contraceptive. Generally it is very difficult to lose weight while you are on this medication, and over time women seem to gain weight while they are on it. There are risks of heart disease while on the oral contraceptive if your weight increases, and these risks are also increased if you smoke, frequently drink alcohol, or have a high level of salt and fat in your food. B vitamins (the energy vitamins) also seem to be depleted by the oral contraceptive, so I do recommend a daily multivitamin such as Healtheries Women’s Multi to offset these losses.
at and gluten free breakfast ideas?