diabetes and chocolate

This week's question comes from Chloe who is worried about the amount of chocolate she eats and the risk of getting diabetes. I think Chloe's concern is more about the sugar in chocolate and it's a common misconception that eating too much sugar makes you get diabetes.

  

If you don't already have diabetes, eating sugar will not give you the disease. The most important thing to stop yourself from getting diabetes type 2 is not to be overweight. If you eat more calories than you burn off (whether that's in the form of  fat, sugar, starch or protein) then you'll put on weight. 

So why does being overweight make you more at risk of getting diabetes type 2? You may have heard of a hormone called insulin whose job is to deliver sugar (glucose) to the cells of the body. When a person is overweight, the cells in the body become less sensitive to insulin.This means that there is more circulating blood glucose instead of being taken in to the cells to be used as energy which isn't good for your body.

The other important factor in preventing diabetes type 2 is keeping active. The more active you are the more energy and fat you will burn. And the more exercise you do, the more muscle cells you will have and these cells are more sensitive to insulin than fat.

So coming back to chocolate. It won't give you diabetes per se. If you're eating tonnes of the stuff and don't burn it off, then yes you'll put on weight which could in turn lead to diabetes but that's the same with any food.

Personally, I'm a big fan of dark chocolate which has more cocoa solids in it than milk chocolate.The cocoa bean is high in a natural chemical called flavanols. Research has shown that flavanols can lower insulin resistance so it looks like dark chocolate in small amounts could can actually help prevent daibetes (which is good news for me).

As ever, if you have any questions please don't hesistate to ask.

Bye for now

Dr. Shilps

why do we crave "bad" foods

This weeks question comes from Ad who wants to know why bad food tastes so good.

Now firstly, I don't think that there is such a thing as "bad" food but there is such a thing as a bad diet. If you feast purely on pizzas, burgers and chips everyday, then that would classify as a bad diet in my eyes. However, if you have things like burgers and chips once a week and eat healthily the rest of the time, than that's still a healthy diet overall.

I think Ad is referring more to the cravings we get for all things fatty, salty and sugary. Even as a nutritionist, I still have cravings for a certain pickled onion fried snack from time to time (and nothing else will satisfy).

Research has shown that we are born with innate likes for 3 different tastes - sweet, salty and umami (which is the taste found in meat). We are also wired up to like high fat food because they are the most calorific.

This all goes back to hunter-gatherer times when we needed to focus on high-calorie foods when we could get hold of them to lay down fat and stay alive. Now food is available us all the time, this innate programming can be a problem.

So what's the solution? Well, we can change our pre-programmed likes by trying lots of different types of foods over and over again.  That means eating more the 3 tastes that we innately dislike: bitter, sour and foods that burn. Sounds weird (and slightly unpleasant) but through eating these types of food you can grow to love them (think coffee, limes and curry).

My best piece of advice to curb the crisp cravings is to give yourself lots of healthy and tasty alternatives to chow down on. A handful of dried fruit and nuts for example are great. 

Basically, the more healthy food you eat, the less you eat the less you'll crave the "bad" stuff.

Time to reprogramme those wires.

If you have any thoughts, questions or stuff you'd like to see on my blog posts, then as ever, just drop me a line.

Bye for now

Dr Shilps

slimming down healthily

Finally, we're getting a wee bit of sunshine (hurrah) and for lots of us, the lovely weather is a reminder that there's only a few months till bikini/Speedos time.

Although summer is still a few months away, now is actually a good time to start thinking about losing weight as slimming down gradually is what you should be aiming for. There's nothing worse for your body than losing weight quickly or yo-yo dieting.

The guideline daily amount  (GDA) of calories for a woman is 2000 kcal and for a man is 2500 kcals.  So if you want to lose weight and your BMI is over 25, then you should try and reduce the calories you eat to 1500 kcals per day  (for a woman) and do some sort of physical activity at the same time.

This should result in a weight loss of about 2lbs a week which is a safe and steady weight loss (and means you're more likely to keep the weight off once you've lost it).

Science has also shown that when we lose weight, something known as our basal metabolic rate (BMR) falls too. BMR is the amount of calories we need to go about our day-to-day business and the amount of lean tissue (i.e muscle) we have is related to our BMR.

When you lose weight, most of it is fat but there is also a loss of lean tissue too which is why our BMR falls.

If you lose weight too quickly, you will lose more lean tissue than you should. Consquently,the amount of energy you need to maintain weight will fall and that's how the cycle of yo-yo dieting starts. So when it comes to losing weight, slow and steady always wins the race.

Now, I get asked a lot of questions about the calories in smoothies. Since our smoothies are made from at least 2 portions of fruit, they have the same amount of calories in them as 2 portions of fruit do. These calories come from the naturally occurring sugars found in the fruit. The average amount of calories in a smoothie is 146 kcals (which is only 7% of the amount of calories you should have in a day). Smoothies also give you lots of amazing nutritional treats like 16% of GDA for fibre, vitamin C, lots of anti-oxidants and a whole host of phytonutrients.

When you're trying to lose weight, it's really important that you get all the nutrients you need. Fruit and vegetables by their very nature are full of nutrients and because they contain water, the amount calories are lower than other foods. Smoothies are made from 100% fruit, so are a brilliant way to stay healthy whilst you slim.

As ever, do drop me a line if you have any questions.

Bye for now

Dr. Shilps

oracs and anti-oxidants

This week's question comes from Richard who asks what the ORAC content is of our pomegranate, blueberries and acai smoothie . I'm afraid I'm going to have to go a bit geeky on you for this one.

Firstly what on earth is an ORAC? ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity and is the method of measuring anti-oxidants in foods. ORAC results are often presented as something known as Trolox equivalents (TE) and the units are in micromole per gram (umol TE/g).

And what is an anti-oxidant exactly? Anti-oxidants are natural chemicals found in food, especially fruit and veg. They help to neutralise free radicals which can cause damage to the body's cells. A free radical is an unpaired electron (so it has a negative charge). An anti-oxidant can neutralise the negative charge and so stops damage.

There are various families of anti-oxidants found in fruit. These include flavanoids, polyphenols, anthocyanins, and vitamins A, C and E.  Pomegranates, blueberries and acai all contain good levels of anti-oxidants and this smoothie contain over 3000 umol per 250ml which is pretty good for a little bottle. And if that wasn't good enough this smoothie also gives you 2 portions of fruit.

As ever let me know if you have any questions.

Bye for now

Dr Shilps

the love of lentils

This week's question from Emma made me really really happy as she asked me "What are lentils and how they are different from beans?".

Since lentils are my favourite food (yes, really) and we've just launched our brand new Indian Daal veg pot, there seems no better time for me to focus on these little beads of goodness.

So a lesson in lentils.

 

Lentils, beans and peas are collectively known as pulses. The term 'pulse' refers to edible seeds that grow in pods. A bean is the name for large plant seeds of the family leguminous. Lentils are a particular type of bean grown for their lens-shaped seed.

All pulses (except for soya beans) have pretty similar nutrition.

Pulses:

1. Are naturally rich in protein and fibre. This can help to keep you full so is a great slimming aid.

2. Contain the type of fibre that lowers cholesterol, helping to look after you heart.

3. Contain slow release carbohydrates to help keep you going throughout the day.

4. Are low in fat.

5. Are a source of iron (try eating them with  a glass of orange juice or a smoothie to help absorb it).

6. Contain some B-vitamins which helps your body release energy from food.

And to top it all off, pulses can count as one of the 5 portions of fruit and veg you should  be eating every day.

3 heaped teaspoons = 1 portion. However, this can only count once, no matter how many lentils you eat as you need to eat a variety of fruit and veg.

Personally, I think pulses are the way forward for healthy eating. Let me know what you think.

Bye for now

Dr Shilps (a.k.a Daal Queen)

healthy snacks

This week's big health question to Dr Shilpee is from Amy: I eat too much and I'm starting to feel fat and bloated. :( Can I stop the doughnuts? What can I eat for snacks instead?

Most of us get a bit hungry between meals and it's not unusual to feel peckish at 11am and/or 3pm. It's also a fact that most folk are like Amy and love doughnuts. If we could get away with we'd all be chowing down on those lovely jammy delights everyday. Unfortunately donuts contain around 300 kcals each with about half of the calories come from fat so it's not the best food to be snacking on.

As a general rule you should be getting three quarters of your daily calories and nutrients at breakfast, lunch and dinner. This means you can get a quarter of your energy and nutrients in snacks which you can spread out throughout the day (that's about 500 kcals in total for a  woman). Eating crisps, sweets and chocolates as an occasional treat is fine but these snacks contain  lots of energy but few nutrients (things vitamins and minerals) and fibre (which can help you to feel full). You need to make sure that your snacks have lots of good nutrition as well as calories.

The best foods to snack on are -

1) fruits  - whole fruit, dried fruit and smoothies are a great way to tide you over. Fruit contains fibre which can help you to feel full as well as lots of good things like vitamins and anti-oxidants.

2) low fat yoghurts, rice pudding and thickies - these are relatively low in calories but contain lots of calcium for healthy bones. The protein in these foods can also help you to keep full.

3) rice cakes, crackers , fruit loaf  and cereal bars - these contain starchy carbs which will pep up your energy levels but not overload you with calories

4) nuts and seeds - a handful is just enough to give you an boost and some healthy oils too.

I'm a grazer and find that eating little and often really works for me. If you let yourself get too hungry you may find that you gorge at the next meal. Everyone is different though and I'd love to get your views.

As ever drop me a line.

Bye for now,

Dr Shilps

healthy teens

Ah Morten. He was cool (and very healthy looking) when I was a lass.....

Anyway I'm going to answer Nikki's question on eating healthy in her teens. It can seem a little bit of a struggle (I certainly remember being permanently hungry and having a thing for flakes and frazzles) so here's a bit of info on what's happening to your body at this time and what you should try and eat.

Adolescence is a time of rapid growth which means your energy and nutrient needs are fairly high. This means it's really important that you get enough good nutrients (things like vitamins, minerals, omega-3 oils) as well as energy (which comes from carbohydrate, fat and protein).

Before adolescence  your body fat is about 15% but during adolesence this increases to about 20% for girls and decreases to 10% in boys. Boys put on more muscle than girls and this is why their energy and protein needs are greater.

The principles of healthy eating are remain the same throughout teenage and adult life which means teenagers should also follow the eatwell plate. However there are a couple of nutrients to watch put for:

1. Teenagers need more iron to help with muscle development and growth. After girls start their period they need more iron than boys. Dietary surveys have shown that some young girls have worryingly low levels which can lead to anaemia. Apart from meat a great way to get iron in the diet is a fortified breakfast cereal with a smoothie or orange juice. This is because Vit C helps your body to absorb the type of iron found in breakfast cereals.

2. In adolescence you need to make sure you get enough calcium for bone growth and strength. If you don't get enough calcium now you could run the risk of getting osteoporosis later in life. Make sure you get 2-3 portions of dairy or a fortified soya product (if you don't eat dairy) a day. This means you should try and get at least a glass of milk, a yoghurt or thickie and a match-box piece of cheese a day.

3. If you eat too much junk food you'll could run the risk of getting too much energy and not enough nutrients. Make sure you get eat lots of starchy carbs, get plenty of fruit and veg, 3 portions of dairy and 2 servings of protein such as meat, fish, eggs, beans and pulses.

Oh and make sure you get enough exercise. This will help your mood, overall fitness and will help make your bones nice and strong too.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Bye for now

Dr Shilps

salt and no sea dog

This week Caroline filled in our handy ask Doctor Shilpee form to ask: "I'm concerned about salt and sodium content, can you tell me more about healthy guidelines as I'm trying very hard to reduce the amount of salt in my diet."

Well Caroline, salt is also called sodium chloride and healthy eating guidelines are that you should aim to eat less than 6g a day. Sodium is the thing in sodium chloride that is bad for health if you eat too much as it can raise your blood pressure. You do need some salt in your diet however as it helps to keep the levels of fluid in the body balanced.

You usually find sodium on food labels in the nutritional information panel although sometimes salt is listed. It's easy to work out the salt from sodium by multiplying sodium by 2.5.

Sodium is found in all foods naturally at very low levels but high levels of sodium chloride are added to some foods. These are foods like bacon, some breakfast cereals, cheese, some bread, savory snacks and ready meals.

In the UK we're eating too much salt and on average we eat about 9.5g of salt a day.

What is a high salt food?

High salt is more than 1.5g per 100g (or 0.6g of sodium) whereas low salt is 0.3g of salt or less per 100g. If the amount of salt is in between these number a food is considered to be medium salt.

Here are a few tips for keeping salt levels low:

1. Check food labels and choose lower salt breakfast cereals. Try things like puffed wheat, wheat biscuits, porridge oats and muesli with no added  salt.

2. If you eat bacon go for the reduced salt type and try having slices of fresh tomato rather than ketchup

3. Go easy on the ketchup, soy sauce, mustard and pickles as these can be high in salt

4. Try to eat healthy snacks like fruit or vegetables like carrots and celery sticks. If you're going to eat crisps or crackers, check the label and choose the lower salt ones

5. Compare ready meals and  ready made sauces and choose the one that's lower in salt

6. If you eat tinned veg ad pulses choose ones with no added salt

7. Adding salt to your food can just be habit. Make sure you taste before deciding if you need to add salt.

Hope this all makes sense. If you need have any questions let me know.

Bye for now,

Dr Shilps

putting on the pounds

I wish I was holding an Oscar. Instead, that funny yellow thing in my hands is actually a life size model of 5 pounds of fat.

Lydia posted me a question here saying that she's underweight and wants to know the best way to put on weight healthily.

First things first. In order to work out if you're underweight, normal weight or overweight you need to calculate your body mass index (BMI).

If your BMI is less than 18.4, then you're underweight.

If you need to put on weight, you should think about it in a similar way to losing weight. So like weight loss, weight gain should be gradual and slow to be sustainable. There's no point in gorging yourself on pies and making yourself feel ill.

To put on weight you need to eat more calories than you burn off. Women need around 2000 kcals a day and men need around 2500 kcals.  To do this properly, you need to eat a balanced diet with foods from the 5 main food groups to get these calories in a healthy way.

So, to put on weight gradually, you should try and eat 350 kcals extra every day (and try not burn it off). Basically, if you do this for a month, you should acheive a weight gain of around 1kg (which is about 2 pounds). If you carry on putting on weight in this way, you'll find you'll reach your target weight in a safe and easy way.

Here's a few ideas on the best and healthiest ways to increase your calorie intake gradually:

• Eat an extra slice of toast for breakfast (with a generous lashing of butter)
• Have an extra spoon of mashed potato, rice or pasta with your dinner
• Be generous when using unsaturated oils like olive, sunflower and vegetable oils as well as spreads and salad dressings
• Add a bit of lean meat and pasta to casseroles or soups
• Never leave the table without eating dessert (oh yes)

It's worth remembering that 1g of carbohydrate has 4 kcals whereas 1g of fat has 9 kcals.So it's much easier to add a tablespoon of olive oil to your mash or (my mum's favourite) a spoonful of butter to your rice.

Hope that all makes sense. As ever, drop me a line if you have any questions.

Bye for now

Dr Shilps

brain food

Food for the brain is something I'll never forget as it was the subject of my thesis many moons ago.

Natalie posted a question here the other day, to ask me what the best brain food was during exam time.

Just like the rest of your body, your brain needs the right type of food and drink to work properly. So whether you're revising for exams or working extra hard, it's especially important to make sure that you get the right sort of nutrients and stay properly hydrated.

   

If there's one thing I'd tell you to do more of, it's to make sure you drink enough fluids (not including alcohol, of course). This is because water acts like a transport system in your body, delivering nutrients to the brain and getting rid of toxins.

If your brain isn't fully hydrated, then the system can't work properly and neither can you. Studies have shown that being properly hydrated helps with concentration and mental alertness. Which is always useful stuff.

Eating enough carbohydrates (carbs) is also very important for the brain. Carbs get broken down into glucose, which is the the brain's favourite type of fuel. If your glucose levels fluctuate too much then you may find that it difficult to concentrate.

Carbs also help enhance the absorption an amino acid called tryptophan which is converted into something called serotonin. Serotonin is the chemical that makes you feel calm, relaxed and happy all at the same time. So it's definitely worth stocking up on some.

As well as water and carbs, essential fats like omega-3 are brilliant for optimum brain performance. A lack of omega-3 can contribute to poor memory, depression and ADHD. You find omega-3 in oily fish like salmon, sardines, trout, tuna and herring. So a tuna sandwich on brown or wholemeal bread is perfect brain food.

Getting enough protein is also crucial as protein is essential in making the natural chemicals called neurotransitters (which are vital for the thinking process).

And you also need enough vitamins and minerals to fine tune the old grey matter to perfection. The B-vitamin complex helps to release energy from food whilst Vitamins A, C and E are all important anti-oxidants which may preserve memory.

That might all sound like quite a complicated mix but it's not if you eat a well balanced diet. For example, eating one of our veg pots with some cheese or fish and washing it down with a smoothie or orange juice (to help hydrate you and give you some vit C) is just what your brain is after.

Exam wise, if your exams are in the morning, always always remember to have breakfast. A bowl of porridge with some linseeds and a glass of smoothie will get you through the tough questions without suffering from brain drain. And if you're in a rush or trying to cram in some last minute revision, our yoghurt, oats, raspberries and blueberries thickie are spot on for an on-the-go breakfast.

Hope that all helps.

Best of luck in your exams, Natalie.

And feel free to drop me a line about any nutritional questions you might have.

Bye for now,

Dr. Shilps