Nutritionist World Blog

A healthy diet is important at any time, but is especially crucial during pregnancy to ensure that you and your baby have all the right nutrients needed: it will help your baby develop and grow, and help keep fit and well.  Eat a variety of of different foods each day to get the right balance of nutrients, and avoid certain foods that may be harmful to your growing baby.

Fruits and Vegetables – Try to eat at least five servings of fruit and vegetables each day, especially iron-rich green leafy vegetables.  These provide essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber which will help you with digestion and prevent constipation.  Ideally, eat them lightly cooked or raw.  Frozen, canned and dried fruit and vegetables are good alternatives.

The Importance of Iron – Iron is essential for the production of hemoglobin, and you will need to up your intake in pregnancy to support the increase in blood volume.  If your diet lacks iron, you may feel tired, and may suffer from anemia.  Lean meat, eggs, green leafy vegetables dried fruit and nuts, and fortified cereals all contain iron.

Starchy Foods – Starchy foods, such as bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, yams, and breakfast cereals, should form the main part of any meals and are an important source of vitamins and fiber.  Try eating whole grains – bread, cereals and pasta – since these contain more fiber and can prevent constipation.

Proteins – You should have two to three servings, of lean protein each day.  A serving of protein in 2 oz. lean meat, poultry, or fish; 2 tbs peanut butter, two eggs, 4 oz. of tofu.  Avoid liver (including liver pate) since it contains high levels of vitamin A, which increase the risk of birth defects.

Dairy foods -Foods that contain milk, such as cheese and yogurt, provide calcium, which is essential for healthy bones.  It is important that your calcium intake is high before and during pregnancy.  Avoid non-pasteurized soft cheeses (such as Camembert, Brie and Chevre) and blue cheeses, since this may contain the harmful bacteria listeria.

Fluids -During pregnancy your blood volume will increase, so it is important to keep up your fluid intake.  Water is best, although fruit juices are also good.  Try to restrict your intake coffee and tea to two cups per day.  Alcohol is not recommended.

Foods To Cut Back On - Limit your intake of fatty and sugary foods and carbonated drinks, since they contain calories but few nutrients.  You should also limit diet sodas since they are full of artificial sweeteners.

Vegetarian Diet – This needs to provide a sufficient intake of iron, calcium, vitamin B12, and protein.  Include dairy products, legumes and beans, fortified cereals, eggs, seeds, nuts, and green leafy vegetables in your diet, and talk to your doctor about taking a supplement if necessary.

Swelling, tenderness and inflammation in the joints are some of the tell-tale signs of gout.  Most people with gout are affected first at the base of the big toe although other foot joints, knees, ankles, wrists, and fingers can also be affected.  Gout is an extremely excruciating condition that can cause extremely sensitivity to even the slightest touch.  If you have these symptoms, it is important to see an allied health professional.

About 16 out of every 1,000 people are affected with gout.  Most people with gout are overweight men, although gout can affect women.  It is less common in women before menopause.

Gout is a type of arthritis that is caused by the kidney’s inability to excrete uric acid.  If too much protein is consumed the uric acid that results from the metabolism of the protein is not removed from the body.  Eventually deposits of uric acid crystals can build up in the synovial fluid that surrounds the joints.  Inflammation occurs in the joints because the immune system trues to eliminate the crystals.  Unfortunately the inflammation causes the area to become sensitive for several days or weeks.  If left untreated the uric acid crystals can accumulate under the skin of the ears, elbows, and near affected joints.

Obese people who have a greater amount of abdominal fat tend are at greater risk for gout.  Losing weight in the stomach area can significantly lower the risk for gout.  However, weight loss should be a gradual process because loosing too much weight quickly can cause an increase in uric acid levels resulting in a gout attack.  Skipping meals is also not advised for anyone with gout because fasting increases blood levels of uric acid as well.

Some medications can cause gout.  Aspirin and certain diuretic medications can interfere with kidney function and cause an increase of uric acid in the body.  If you are taking a medication that causes you to have severe joint pain while on drug therapy, consult with your physician.

A gout attack can occur at any time but is often triggered by something that was eaten.  Most attacks are sudden and very unpredictable.  There are certain foods that contain chemical called purines which promote the overproduction of uric acid.  Organ meats, smoked or pickled meats or fish, canned fish, caviar, shellfish, lentils, and other legumes, chocolate, beer, and red wine are some examples of foods that are high in purines and which should be avoided or limited.  A person with gout should drink at least 2 quarts of fluids a day.  Drinking water is ideal.  Caffeinated beverages should be avoided.  The fluids help the body to dilute the urine and prevent the formation of kidney stones.

Generally, most herbs that are used for cooking are not potent enough to have significant medicinal benefit.  However, there are several herbs that do confer health benefits and which should be considered for relieving many simple health concerns.

Basil:  Basil is a very fragrant herb what grows quickly in most home gardens.  This herb is often used as a tonic and cold remedy.  Basil oil is often used in natural insect repellants.

Bay:  Most people use bay leaves to season soups and stews.  The bay leaf can also be used in a tea to relieve gas.

Chervil:  This herb has been used as a digestive aid.  Some herbalists claim that is effective at loweing blood pressure.

Chives:  Besides making your baked potato taste delicious, chives may be able to relieve blood pressure if they are eaten in large quantities.

Coriander:  The pungent leaves can be chewed to help ease indigestion.

Dill:  Known for pickling, dill has been used to alleviate intestinal gas in adults and babies.  A weak dill tea can be made to help relieve colic.

Mint:  Mint leaves can be eaten to freshen breath and help with digestion.

Oregano:  Most often associated with Italian spices, oregano can also be used in a tea to aid digestion and reduce cold congestion.

Parsley:  Fresh parsley contains vitamin C, calcium, iron and potassium.  It is also high in bioflavonoids, monoterpenes, and other anticancer compounds.  Chinese parsley, when made into a tea, may also be effective at removing heavy metals from the body.

Rosemary:  If you suffer from headaches, consider making a rosemary tea to help alleviate your pain.

Sage:  Sage can used in a tea to help with digestion and as a mouthwash or gargle if you have painful gums, mouth ulcers or a sore throat.

Thyme: This herb can also be used as a tea to relieve an irritable bowel or as a gargle for a sore throat.

Diverticulitis is a condition that affects the wall of the large intestines.  Small pouches can form in the intestinal wall.  So far there is no specific cause for the formation of diverticulitis but this disease seems to affect people who are over the age of 60 or who are overweight.

The formation of the pouches in the intestinal wall does not cause any noticeable symptoms.  The problem come when the pouches become infected or inflamed.  This can easily occur because the waste that flows through the intestines can enter into the small pouches in the intestinal wall and become impacted.  Eventually the impacted waste will cause the area to become infected and inflamed.  The result is diverticulitis, which means the inflammation of the diverticula.  This is a very painful and serious condition that can cause additional problems in the intestinal area.  Abscesses, intestinal obstruction, or perforation of the intestinal wall can occur.  There are several common symptoms associated with diverticulitis that include abdominal cramps, gas, flatulence, fever, and rectal bleeding.  A person with diverticulitis may also experience constipation and diarrhea.

High fat and low fiber diets are usually associated with diverticulitis.  A high fiber diet can help to prevent hard stools that can cause constipation and the unnatural contractions of the large intestines.  Five serving of fruit and vegetables should be eaten ever day to help prevent the development of this condition and many others.

If you have diverticulitis you should avoid eating refined carbohydrates, alcohol, high-caffeine drinks and foods that can irritate the colon.  Nuts, seeds, hulls and stringy foods, like celery, should not be eaten because they can easily become trapped in the sacs that form in the intestines.  Also, be sure to drink a lot of water when consuming a high fiber diet.  This will help to keep your stools soft and able to pass easily through the intestinal tract.

If you eat like a majority of Americans than you are probably used to consuming a lot of high fat foods, like steak, pork, French fries, mashed potatoes made with cream and butter and fried foods.  There are so many different types of high fat foods that it is difficult to list only a few and believe it or not but now all fats are the same.

There are several different types of fats. Natural fats can come from either animal or plant sources and are made up of three fatty acid molecules, called triglycerides, and one glycerol molecule that is a type of alcohol.  There are about 25 different ways that fat molecules can be arranged.  The variety of arrangement creates a variety of differences.  The term lipids is used to describe a variety of fats like, oils, waxes, sterols, esters, and other similar substances.  Lipids cannot be dissolved in water but can be dissolved in organic solvents.  Fats are considered solid at room temperature.  Oils are liquid at room temperature.

Before you start slashing all fat from your diet, you should know that fat is an important part of a balanced diet.  Besides adding great flavor and a smooth texture to foods, fats help you to feel full and are necessary for triggering the hormone, cholecystokinin, that is responsible for suppressing you appetite.  If you don’t eat enough fat in your daily diet you are likely to eat more food than you normally would.  Fats are also used in several important chemical processes in the body.  Children specifically need fat for growth.

You can reduce the unnecessary fats in your diet by choosing leaner cuts of meat.  Look for meat products that are no more than 9 percent fat.  You could even trim any excess fat from your purchase.  If you eat poultry, removing the skin from poultry can cut a lot of the fat from your diet.  However, it has been determined that there are some important oils in poultry skin that is beneficial for health.  When you cook your foods, you can eliminate a lot of unbeneficial fats by broiling, baking or roasting meats, instead of frying.  After foods are cooked, it is always a good idea to skim off excess fat, when possible.  This works well for soups.  Salad dressings are often high in fat.  A low fat dressing can be made by using lemon juice or vinegar, mustard, herbs and spices.

Eczema is an itchy, scaly rash that is can be caused from several different factors.  I suffer from eczema that occurs during certain times of the year.  Other people may have break out with eczema due to a food or chemical sensitivity.  Often eczema is hereditary condition that can be passed down from generation to generation.  Usually people with eczema have a higher likelihood of developing asthma, hay fever or hives.

Research has shown that diet can influence and trigger eczema in some people.  Eggs, dairy products, seafood, walnuts, and pecans are some common foods that have been associated with eczema.  If you suffer from eczema and are not sure of what the cause is, you should consider keeping a food diary.  By writing down the foods you eat over several weeks to a month, you should be able to narrow down the offending foods that cause your rash.

Cow’s milk commonly causes eczema in young children and babies.  If you have a child who breaks out in a rash from drinking or consuming dairy products, consider offering alternatives like goat’s milk or soy-based products.  These alternatives are usually easier for young children and infants to tolerate.  Many children outgrow their sensitivity to cow’s milk by the age of 6.  However, it is possible to have a sensitivity that reoccurs.

Some researchers believe that vitamin B6 can protect against eczema.   Vitamin B6 can be found in vegetable oil, eggs, oily fish, legumes, brown rice, wheat germ, and leafy green vegetables.

Protein is very important to the body.  If you do not consume enough of it you will not be able to repair or build muscle, create red blood cells, enzymes or other tissues.  As a general rule of thumb, inactive people should consume approximately 0.4 grams of protein per 1 pounds of body weight.  If you exercise regularly, you will need more protein.  A recreational athlete should consume for 0.5 to 0.75 grams of protein per pound of body weight.  Competitive athletes will need to consume more than this amount.  Generally competitive athletes require at least 0.9 grams of protein per pound of weight.  You can determine if you are consuming enough protein by performing the calculation that is associated with your activity.

Protein is fairly easy to obtain if you consume meats and dairy products.  An 8-ounce glass of milk contains 50 grams of protein.  Most people consume protein as the entree in their meals.  If you find that you are consuming more protein than you need, consider consuming less.  This can be challenging at first but with time and a little creativity you will be able to find tasty meatless alternatives.  There are also recipe books available at your local library that can give you tips on how to cook with vegetables and grains.

The idea that high protein diets are good for you is false.  Moderation, is good for you.  Consuming too much of any food group can create imbalance in the body and cause problems.  The human body is an amazing machine that requires certain amounts of each food group, in moderation, preferably chemically free and unprocessed.

There are three different types of fats that you should be familiar with when choosing healthy food options.

Saturated Fat:  Saturated fats can clog your arteries and raise your blood cholesterol.  Animal products, such as beef, pork, chicken, and dairy are usually high in saturated fat.  The amount of saturated fat can vary from food to food.  Some foods, like beef have more saturated fat than chicken or pork depending on the cut and how the meat is prepared.

Most health organizations recommend that people eat less than 10 percent of their daily total calories from saturated fat.  So, if you eat 2,000 calores per day, then you should only consume 200 of those calories from saturated fat. Each gram of saturated fat is equal to 9 calories.

Trans fats:  If you haven’t heard the news over the past several years, trans fats are very bad for the body.  These fats are more harmful than saturated fats because they are often chemically made and unstable when cooked.  Many processed foods are made with trans fats.  Even foods that you might consider “healthy,” like granola and breads are often made with harmful trans fats.  You can identify these fats by checking food labels for the words hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated.

Unsaturated fats:  These types of fats may actually be beneficial to the body and are often found in nuts, seeds and certain fruits.  For example:
-Avocados
-Flaxseed oils
-Fatty fish, such as salmon and mackerel
-Nuts and seeds
-Natural peanuts
-Olives and olive oil

There are two categories of unsaturated fats- mono and poly.  Monounsaturated fats have been found to be helpful at protecting against heart disease by reducing bad cholesterol levels without affecting the good cholesterol levels.

Generally, health organizations recommend that people consume less than 30 percent of their calories from fat.  So, if you eat a 2,000 calorie diet, you should only consume 66 grams of fat each day.  Preferably most of these grams will come from unsaturated fats.

If you have finally decided to get back into shape, or if you want to improve your health education or fitness routine, you should determine what your expectations are from your fitness routine and what your motivation is.  Perhaps you have a family history of diabetes that you hope to avoid by improving your fitness level.  Maybe you want to feel better about how you look.  Maybe you want to avoid preventable heath problems later in life.  Whatever your motivation, being able to identify your motivation can help to keep you focused on reaching your goal.

Taking the time to identify your reasons for exercising can help to keep you on track and moving.  Your next step is to create a goal for yourself over the next three to six months.  This goal can be whatever you want it to be.  Perhaps you would like to be able to exercise two times a week or more.  Maybe you want to improve your diet by cutting out carbonated beverages or by eating more fruits and vegetables.  What ever you choose to do, make sure your long-term goals are realistic.  Choosing long-term goals that are too challenging, overwhelming or frustration will cause you to not want fail.  Having high expectations are great if you can accomplish them.  Choose a goal that motivates you and one that you can realistically do.

Here are some examples of realistic goals that you could accomplish.

-Loose 5 pounds in 6 weeks.

-Do one full pull-up.

-Drop 20 points from a cholesterol count.

-Run a mile in under 12 minutes.

-Prepare to run in a 5 kilometer race.

You should determine what is a realistic goal that you can work toward and obtain if you are dedicated.  Do not set a goal that will discourage you.  If you are a beginner to exercise, set moderately challenging goals so that you do not hurt yourself.

Do you find yourself feeling extremely fatigued on a daily basis, even if you didn’t do anything very strenuous?  If so, you may be suffering from a disorder known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).  This condition is one of the most controversial disorders and is often difficult to diagnose because of the vague symptoms.  Many people who suffer from CFS experience flu-like symptoms.  Usually there is no apparent cause for you to feel so exhausted.  Unfortunately, researchers have yet to find a cure for this condition.

Most people with CFS experience persistent fatigue that makes it difficult for them to function normally.  Headaches, muscle aches and weakness, tender lymph nodes, sore throat, joint pain, poor sleep, poor concentration, and short-term memory problems are common symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome.  A low-grade fever may also be chronic or recurring.

If you suspect that you may be suffering from CFS you should consult with your physician and share your concerns.  There are no laboratory tests for CFS.  Your doctor will have to systematically rule out all other medical causes with similar symptoms.  The Center for Disease Control (CDC) created at least eight nonspecific symptoms that must be present for at least six months before a diagnosis of CFS should be made.

Doctors are still unsure of what causes CFS.  There are many theories but non have been proved.  Some Doctors believe that CFS is a viral illness but so far no single viral cause has been attributed to CFS.  Other factors that may be associated with CFS include prolonged stress, hormonal imbalance, low blood pressure, allergies, immune system disorders, and psychological problems.

Approximately 4 out of every 100,000 American adults suffer from CFS.  Women are most commonly inflicted at a ratio of about 4 to 1.  Unfortunately there are no exact medications designed to successfully treat CFS.  Traditional painkillers, like aspirin, are often prescribed to alleviate headaches, joint pain, and sore muscles.  Antidepressant medications and antiviral drugs are prescribed by some doctors but there is no concrete evidence that these drugs are exceptionally beneficial.