Tag: Nutrition

Introduction

Wash fruits and food thoroughly before eating. This removes the chemicals and the germs that may be attached to the fruits.

1. j) Some fruits and vegetables only require gentle cooking in order to preserve the vitamins and proteins.

How do you know what is polluted?

1. a) Read the labels on the food that you buy from the stores.
2. b) Read or ask for the source of the food and preservatives on the food if possible.
3. c) If unsure, stick with natural products. The truth is, you may not be able to avoid pollution totally but you can reduce its consumption. You don’t need the chemicals.

Note: Even where, the food had not passed through voluntary chemical process, the environmental pollution such as biological products (bacteria, virus etc), fumes and industrial wastes being released into the environment may contaminate the food.

For children, the World Health Organisation says and we think this is true, that, when parents and adult lead a healthy life, it rubs on the children. Children and ill- individuals need guidance from doctors or parents and may require supplements for their food. In newborn, the breast milk remains the ultimate best food, shall we say the ultimate “fast food”. Breast milk is able to sustain such new children even up to 6 months in absence of other food if breast milk is dutifully given by the mother. Of course, this depends on the circumstances. In some, there is a need for healthy supplements. But the sooner children are introduced into healthy living, the better.

The rule of thumb is very simple. Consider what I say under “Common sense of what to eat”.

Culture: In spite of our cultural differences across the world, the basic contents of all human foods are the same. The differences occur because of weather conditions which make some of the fruits in Asia or Africa look different from the ones Europe or America. The second point is that, the method of preparation of our food is culturally different. In the end, we are all eating the same fat, protein, water, carbohydrates and vitamins: after all we are human beings!

Dealing with Obesity: Ideal Body Weight.

No two individuals are completely the same. One may be short and thin, the other may be tall and fat or vice versa. Scientists and healthcare workers have been battling with the problem of ideal weight for ages. So far, we have been able to come up with a simple mathematical guide which is generally known as Body-Mass Index or BMI for short.

BMI measures your body weight and height as follows:

BMI = Your Weight (in Kg)

(Your Height in Meters)2

Scientists have measures many people and found out that many “normal” people will be between a range of 18 to 24.9

Example: A woman of 80kg with a height of 1.6 meters will have a BMI of: 60/(1.6)2 The BMI comes to 21.48

Using the same formula, a man of 86kg with a height of 1.9m will have a BMI of 23.82

You can now calculate your own BMI from time to time as a guide to your ideal weight.

Centre for Disease Control says that BMI is used as a screening tool to identify possible weight problems for adults. However, BMI is not a diagnostic tool. However, to determine if excess weight is a health risk, a healthcare provider would need to perform further assessments. These assessments might include skinfold thickness measurements, evaluations of diet, physical activity, family history, and other appropriate health screenings.

Now, if your BMI falls between 18.5-24.9, your weight is ideal for your height. It did not say that you are thin, lean or fat but ideal for your specific height.

Anything below 18.5, you are likely to be ill or too thin for your height.

If your BMI is above 25 to say 29.9, you are certainly overweight.

If your BMI is above 30, you are obese.

The problem with obesity include the risk of heart attack, high blood pressure, some cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon), diabetes type 2, osteoarthritis, difficulty in breathing (sleepapnoea), stroke, and if necessary, difficult surgical operation.

Here is a guide you might wish to take note of:

Weight Status

BMI

Below 18.5 Underweight

18.5 – 24.9 Normal

25.0 – 29.9 Overweight

30.0 and Above Obese

Please take note that the above BMI discussion is related to adult. Please visit your doctor if you are concerned about BMI in children.

How to lose weight;

1. You eat minimally, as little as possible
2. Eat as less frequently as possible (1-2times/day)
3. Exercise as much as possible
4. To remain reasonably healthy, eat moderate amount of fruit, vegetables and fish with the support of multivitamins and folic acid preparations. Please note that at a 70kg weight, you need an average of 2000Calories of energy per day for a woman and a man needs about 2400Calories to keep going. Depending on your size and energy requirements, you may need more or less calories. Your doctor can help with the calculations or consult a nutritionist/dietician.

Monitoring

1. Check your weight weekly using weighing scale (you could get a cheap one in your local store)
2. Determine your BMI weekly. Keep a diary
3. Have a target of ideal weight you want to reach. Aim at that figure.

Medical intervention

There are medications that may help you lose weight. For ethical reasons, we will not be prescribing any here. You may need to see your doctor for this.

Dietician/Nutritionist

These professionals may work with your medical or surgical team to help bring your weight down by recommending the appropriate food contents and amount that is suitable for you.

They may in fact be your first point of call in the pyramid of weight loss project.

Surgical intervention

If the self-help method fails, then you might need the help of surgeons. Likely operations are gastric banding in which the size of your stomach is reduced to a minimum. Other form of surgery may be the removal of the area of your gut that absorbs food. The whole idea is to limit the amount of food that gets into you. Psychological intervention.

Before you begin excessive weight loss or if the above methods do not work for you, you may need to see a psychologist or psychiatrist to assess your view on body image. Remember that weight loss is a matter of determination and sometimes there may be a distortion in the way a person sees herself or himself.

Introduction

Illnesses including obesity (see below for more on obesity): Because a person fails to take the right thing that is found in food or if the food gets polluted, it will harm the body. The person may therefore fall ill. Example, a person who failed to take enough protein, will be predisposed to malnutrition and vulnerable to a lot of preventable diseases. Also, if our food is lacking in some vitamins, the person may even become unwell physically (say scurvy) or mentally.

1. c) Very Serious illnesses, like cancers, hypertension, Parkinson’s, dementia and mental illness may develop because of what we failed to eat or what we actually eat.
2. d) Common natural foods contains majority of what we require for our needs. Clean and well prepared, (not necessarily processed in factory) fruits, vegetable, meat (not red meat which should be avoided), fish and water in the right proportion will most certainly sustain us on daily basis. This is a common sense in fact.
3. e) We don’t need factory food, fast food or processed food to survive. This is important as these foods contain a lot of chemicals and amount of substances that we don’t need. They contain preservatives and salt that is too much for our body.
4. f) Too much food: if we eat too much food, it means, we have taken too much energy in and of course, “excess of the earth” more that we require. The energy need to be spent in exercise, otherwise, the excess weight will ultimately drag us “down to earth”, via many diseases (obesity, diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure and stroke).

Where is the scientific evidence? Here they are.

The evidence in support of what we have mentioned above is staggering. Here they are.

1.Soft drink: In a large studies (88 different studies), the association between soft drink consumption and nutrition and health outcomes were examined. It was found, a clear association of soft drink intake with increased energy intake and body weight. Soft drink intake also was associated with lower intakes of milk, calcium, and other nutrients and with an increased risk of several medical problems (for example, diabetes).

 

Before and after birth:

children

 The children of women who have low pre-pregnant (before becoming pregnant) weight, poor diet, low level of replacement of the home diet by the supplement, low physical activity during pregnancy and good health status will show larger increase in birth weight when their food and calories is increased. Finally, nutritional interventions during pregnancy as opposed to earlier in the life of the mother should have the higher impact on birth weight. In consequence, interventions as of pregnancy are recommended.

 

Child survival

From the data reviewed in research reports, it is clear that nutrition of mothers is intimately intertwined with infant health and survival. Thus, the problem of maternal malnutrition during pregnancy and during breast feeding presents a potentially and very serious obstacle to social development.

 

 Adult: Prevention of diseases later in life/Physical health

Good evidence exists that early nutrition affects key risk factors for chronic degenerative diseases of middle and later life, such as osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. The influence of nutrition (good food) on health status and disease supports primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of disease and intervention strategies at each point in the process. The objective of such a preventionoriented model is to enable people to live well for longer, while minimizing chronic disability. Starting down the right path with appropriate nutrition and staying on it by eating well are important components of healthy aging.

 

 General prevention of cancer

Good nutrition can prevent cancer. As illustrated by the evidence presented in a research review, there are numerous reasons (biological, psychological, and social), opportunities (school and community, health care, and family settings), and approaches (non-intervention and intervention) to understand and impact behaviour change in children’s diet and nutrition and weight and physical activity. It is clear that more attention should be paid to early life and early developmental phases in cancer prevention.

 

Brain health/Mental health

Brain development in humans is remarkably resistant to permanent damage from protein-energy malnutrition. However, specific nutrients have crucial roles in brain development. Iodine deficiency is the most important and widespread nutrient deficiency; it causes endemic cretinism, associated with deaf- mutism and cerebral palsy. Iodine deficiency during pregnancy causes both maternal and fetal hypothyroxinemia, resulting in irreversible impairment of brain development at a critical stage.

In conclusion: Considering is said above and the evidence, a person is basically what he/she eats and what he says (word).

 

Common sense of what to eat

 Except in the case of children or the infirm individuals and in cases of outright ignorance, you hardly need a lesson from specialist doctor to tell you what is reasonable to eat. But here is a guide.

1. a) Avoid industrially processed food as much as possible. They contain high salt, sugar and undesirable chemicals that may be toxic to our bodies and mind.
2. b) Avoid food that has passed through dangerous insecticides, if possible.
3. c) Avoid “fast foods” if you can. They help you to pile the weight on
4. d) Indulge yourself in lots fruits and vegetables. If you are vegetarian, take folic acid and multivitamin supplements especially one containing vitamin B12.
5. e) Give yourself a pleasure in non-complex meat such as fish and chicken.
6. f) Blood and blood-looking meat (red meat) is bad for your health. Such meat increases cancer of the colon.
7. g) Drink water in moderation of average 1.5Liters in a day: Could be more in hot climate/weather.
8. h) Use food supplements if required. Examples are vitamin B-Complex. But be very careful with Vitamins A, C and D. They require moderation. Ask your doctor.

• To be continued

Human beings and animals derive their entire make up (constituents of their body) from one source: all of our tissues, muscles, organs and so on, are derived from the earth. That is to say, what is found in us is also found on the earth that you stand on. The make-up of the earth is also our make-up. Your table salt (sodium chloride), zinc, water (H2O), sulphur, ammonia, protein fat, vitamins, nitrogen, oxygen and so forth that make up our tissues and body are all from the earth. This is why when a person dies, he or she simply split up into these different chemicals and return to the earth from where those chemicals came from originally. The cycle of earth replenishment continues and fertility of earth to feed earth inhabitants goes on as a result.

This is the reason that if the earth is polluted, our food, air and water gets polluted then our body get polluted and then we fall ill as a result. We then fall ill because we may have eaten the food that our body needs that is now polluted for us. If the air gets polluted, the air thatwe breathe in is polluted and our tissues and organs get “polluted” and we fall ill. The same thing goes for water which is crucial for our survival.

 

The problem of pollution

 

There are various ways by which our food and water may be polluted.

1. a) Chemical pollution. This can be via insecticides such as organophosphates that farmers use to control pests.
2. b) It may also be industrial discharge from the factories and manufacturing houses that got discharged into the water ways, seas, lands and air.
3. c) Chemical pollution may also come from transport such as air planes that discharge fuel and combustion products into the air. It may also be oil pollution into the sea by ships that sank or even the product of combustion in the course of ordinary transport. We should not forget the very common ones that pollute us by the day and nights: cars.
4. Biological pollution: This may come from industrial activities, laboratories such as was the case in foot and mouth disease and avian flu.
5. Pollution may also come from radiations from energy and industrial activities or even human negligence such was the case of Chernobyl nuclear accident.

Food and water pollution may arise due to direct human additives such as attempts to legally preserve food by means of different chemicals and biological agents that the governments have approved.

On the other hand, if the food that we eat does not contain appropriate nutrients that we need, though it comes from the earth, we will become unwell and remain unwell until those chemicals are replaced in our body.

 

The problem with food

 

There are four areas in which our food may be a problem for us:

1. If we eat too small an amount at a given time or over time. Too little is not good enough.
2. If we eat too great an amount at a given time or over time. Excess is bad.
3. Failure to eat the right thing or right components that we need: such as vitamins or even water: those things that come from the earth.
4. If our food does not contain the right amount of what we need: As we know in elementary school, our food must contain the right balance that is appropriate for the individual. Right amount of protein, right vitamins, water, carbohydrate, trace elements like zinc, magnesium, iodine, calcium, salt, fat and so on. Our body system requires all these to function properly and to generate the right amount of energy.

 

The issue of fast food

 

Fast foods are simply to be avoided as much as possible. They are what they are called: fast food that will help you to accumulate fat in perhaps, the fastest way.

The truth and reality is that this message may not be received by all. On some occasions such as family outings, or in case when we are in dire need of food and we could not reach our favourite kitchen, we may indulge in fast food. The critical thing however is that it should not be a habit or a frequent replacement of our natural meals.

 

Body food processing

 

Now, the human body acts like a perfect machine. In a machine, if you put in a raw material, it gets processed by the machine and you get a product. Your product may turn out as energy.

There may be some waste product too. We as humans, behave in the same way, as living beings. Our food is the raw material that our body needs. The ultimate product that we want is the energy to function. The one we don’t want is our sweat and the one that goes through the toilet/bathroom: the waste products.

 

The foundation

 

Further, we get our body make-up from our parents. Therefore, what we are and our future is determined by what our parents have eaten (including illegal drugs and alcohol) or what the parents failed to eat. Our future is already decided even before we are born.

As a child and an adult, the way we behave, what we look like, our shape and health all depends on the food we take or the food that we did not take as mentioned above.

The consequences of unreasonable nutrition or poor meal intake:

1. a) Low energy: if we fail to eat the right amount that our body needs, we may not have enough energy to see us through our daily needs. Average male adult weighing 70kg, requires about 2500 Calories per day. Average adult women requires about 2000 Calories. Children and elderly require much less. If we fail to take the right amount of food, the body will start “eating” up itself and the person may lose a lot of weight and then die. On this account, we need qualified medical doctor, nurses and nutritionists to help us determine the amount of food and energy that we need.

•To be continued