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Most of us think we eat pretty well but often it’s those little hidden calories that affect our healthy eating goals.
We’ve decided to call in some expert advice. Each month a brave nzgirl writes down everything she eats for two days and then Vicki Martin, our nutritional expert, helps her find ways to improve her eating habits.
Like to have your diet analysed? Just send as an email detailing why you think you need to have a nutritional expert to help you out and we will select one person a month to take part in the column.
This month Rachel gets help from Vicki...
Name: Rachel Age: 25 Occupation: Accountant
I think I know my stuff when it comes to healthy eating, and I’m pretty good most of the time with the odd treats. However, I seem to have problems with a really painful, bloated stomach in the afternoon and wonder if it’s because I’m getting too much fibre in my diet or something else that’s going wrong with my eating?
Exercise habits: I try and go to the gym about 3 times a week and do a variety of cardio and resistance exercises.
Day One
Breakfast Vogels Bran Cereal with Soy & Linseed with trim milk and half a can of apricots (in fruit juice) 1 x espresso
Morning snack Small handful of unroasted, unsalted almonds Small mandarin
Lunch Wholemeal pita bread with lots of lettuce, celery, cucumber and smoked chicken with a bit of wholegrain mustard 1 x treat sized Pinky bar
Afternoon snack Tub of yoghurt
Dinner Chicken marinated in Portuguese seasoning served with couscous, which includes mint, tomatoes, celery, pumpkin and feta on top of mesculin lettuce.
Drinks: 1 x glass of juice and about 2.5 litres of water.
Day Two
Breakfast Vogels Bran Cereal with Soy & Linseed with trim milk and half a can of apricots (in fruit juice) I x piece of Vogels Soy & Linseed toast with crunchy peanut butter
Morning snack Banana and a trim flat white
Lunch Left over chicken couscous from last night’s dinner in a wholemeal pita bread. Raspberry liquorice (two logs)
Afternoon snack Small handful of unroasted, unsalted almonds Yoghurt
Dinner Premium lean mince made with veges, chilli beans and taco seasoning served on enchiladas with lots of salad. Small mandarin
Drinks: 1 x glass of juice and about 2.5 litres of water.
Vicki's Assesment
Dear Rachel,
Yes you are getting lots of fibre, but cutting this out is not the way to go. You don't mention how long you have had this problem for, but if it is a fairly recent onset, then think back to when it all started, as this may give you a key to how to stop the problem. The digestive system is home to a large number of beneficial bacteria. These help to digest food, produce some vitamins and minerals, and also kill off pathogenic bacteria and other unwelcome micro-organisms such as yeast.
A variety of factors however, can alter the balance of these gut micro-organisms in favour of the bad guys - bacteria and yeasts or fungi which are unhelpful and which digest and eat the food that come their way causing lots of gas in the process.
Factors which cause an increase of bad bacteria and a decrease in good bacteria include medications - antibiotics, oral contraceptives and asthma inhalers; stress; travel; gastro or flu infections; alcohol, cigarettes and caffeine. Reduce or avoid these factors where possible.
Another cause of bloating can be due to a lack of digestive enzymes. These are the chemicals secreted by the pancreas and which help to break food down so we can get at the nutrients. If digestive enzyme levels are low and the food is not broken down then the bacteria in the intestines start to break it down and this also causes a lot of gas build up.
Lastly, food intolerances can also be a cause of bloating. Foods that your body is sensitive to may cause reactions with the mucus lining of your digestive system. If your digestive system refuses to absorb this food, it may cause inflammatory reactions which can include bloating and pain.
I suggest the following courses of action...
Breakfast: Change your bran cereal in the morning to a rolled oats porridge to which you can add in (and cook all together) Healtheries Bran Flakes - no more than one heaped dessertspoonful. When grains and bran are cooked, it makes them easier for the digestive system to break the fibre down. I would also suggest you change your cow's milk to soy milk for a few weeks, as a lack of cow's milk digesting enzymes can cause bloating also. You will need to avoid cow's milk for about 6 weeks for the problem to go.
Lunch: Try leaving out the sweetie snack that you are having after lunch. Sugar feeds yeast and fungal cells in your tum, which in turn causes gas. Have some acidophilus yoghurt and fruit in its place. Acidophilus bacteria help to top you up with the good guys.
Drinks: Coffee can deplete the good bacteria in the gut and aggravate digestive processes. Try Healtheries Liquorice Tea, Peppermint Tea, Chamomile Tea or Ginger Tea instead. These particular herbal teas help to digest food and take away uncomfortable gassiness.
Water: Your 2.5 litres of water every day may be diluting your digestive enzymes and reducing their effectiveness. Try cutting the water down to a litre a day and have it as hot or warm water where possible. Cold water can affect digestive processes and slow them down, again creating discomfort and gassiness.
Bread: For some people wheat seems to cause gassiness. You may want to try yeast free bread or wheat free bread instead of your wholemeal pita bread to see if this makes a difference.
All food, especially nuts and seeds, needs to be chewed well. If your digestive system is low on enzymes then large chunks of food will not get broken down, and internal bacteria will cause gassiness as they break the food down.
Don't try all of these approaches at once, just one or two changes at a time can help to track down the problem more easily and makes it easier on your daily life. You may find that more than one factor may be causing your problem however. Give each change a trial of at least 6 weeks. It will take this amount of time for the digestive system to right itself and reduce the problems.
Supplements which can help to ease bloating and gassiness include Healtheries Liver Aid, Healtheries Yeastop, and Healtheries Aloe Vera Juice. Information on these is available on the Healtheries website.
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hidden calories that affect our healthy eating goals. 
Vogels Bran Cereal with Soy & Linseed with trim milk and half a can of apricots (in fruit juice)
Drinks: 1 x glass of juice and about 2.5 litres of water.