Tag Archives: salt

Ask and Answer

What multivitamins can I take if I am in a low carb diet?

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Ask:

I want to take a multivitamin supplement, is this allowed while your are in a low carb diet? If so what can I take?

Answer:

A multivitamin is highly suggested also magnesium, sea salt, potassium and lots of water. A half an avocado a day will be very beneficial. I highly suggest a salt substitute (potassium chloride) is a cheap potassium supplement.

There is no reason to ever go off a low carb way of eating, you slowly re introduce carbs to your way of eating and as long as you don’t exceed 9grams of carbs an hour (144 carbs a day) you will never trigger insulin (the fat storage hormone) no matter the calories. Most of us do low carb most of the time and occasionally cheat and slip back into low carb the next day. If you gain weight, drop your carbs a few grams til you slide back into loss mode. Who wants to spend their life on semi deprivation? The longer you don’t do carbs, they really kind of lose their appeal. (Tastes like wet dough) I still cheat with sugar occasionally. It’s just not a regular part of my life (as it was preAtkins, nearly 6 years ago, when I felt it controlled me & I had no control)

You can also cheat easier than someone in glycolysis. IF you trigger insulin, all those carbs that would go to fat cells on someone in glycolysis instead fill up the empty glycogen stores & go to muscles for burning instead of fat cells. Which would slow weight loss but if you’re in maintenance, weight loss is not a concern. (neat little bonus package) Some folks with massive amounts of weight to lose, do weight loss, maintenance & back to weight loss mode – gives them a cheat period without blowing anything.

The rungs to reintroduction of carbs in 5 gram units – all available to very active people in as little as 11 weeks. Make sure you do them in order & you can skip a rung if you do not intend to include it in your permanent way of eating, such as the alcohol rung.:
* (minimum week 3 – maximum 25grams day) Acceptable vegetables, larger quantities
* (minimum week 4 – maximum 30grams day) Add 5grams Fresh cheese
* (minimum week 5 – maximum 35grams day) Add 5grams Nuts and seeds
* (minimum week 6 – maximum 40grams day) Add 5grams Berries
* (minimum week 7 – maximum 45grams day) Alcohol can be added if desired
* (minimum week 8 – maximum 50grams day) Add 5grams Legumes
* (minimum week 9 – maximum 55grams day) Add 5grams Other fruits
* (minimum week10 – maximum 60grams day) Add 5grams Starchy vegetables
* (minimum week11 – maximum 65grams day) Add 5grams Whole grains
If you are continuing to lose or maintain (whichever is goal) in week 12 and beyond, you continue to add 5grams a day per week til you reach your personal carb level.

Many people gain weight on high carb, then switch to low carb to lose weight & then are shocked when they return to high carb that they gain weight. (Isn’t insanity defined as doing the exact same thing, in the exact same way and expecting different results??) Many people can return to moderate carb levels but very few can really eat all they want of sugar and maintain weight or health.

You will lose more body fat eating protein and fat (don’t eat protein alone) than not eating AT ALL. To lose weight fast eat all you want but nothing but meat, eggs, healthy oils, mayo, butter and half an avocado a day (you’ll need added potassium). Keep the calories high and the fat percentage high, at least 65% of calories. Adding in green vegetables & some cheese will continue weight loss but at a slower pace.

Your body won’t release fat stores if you lower calories below what it needs. It will slow your metabolism to compensate and store every spare ounce as fat. If you continue lowering your calories, it will continue lowering that set point, til you can survive off nothing and store fat on anything. The body will only release it’s fat stores if it knows there is plenty of food. Continue reading What multivitamins can I take if I am in a low carb diet? →

Weight loss diet for man and women

Healthy Fast Food

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Fast food is cheap, convenient, filling, and to many of us it tastes good. Unfortunately, eating just one fast food meal can pack enough calories, sodium, and fat for an entire day or more. Eating fast food on a regular basis can lead to a host of different health problems. Still, the quick-and-cheap temptation can often be hard to resist.  As an informed customer, you can make healthier choices and still enjoy the price and convenience of fast food restaurants.

When is it healthy to eat fast food?

The short answer is: rarely. Typically, fast food is low in nutrition and high in trans fat, saturated fat, sodium, and calories. Some examples:

  • One sack of “hash bites” or “potato snackers” from White Castle, for example, contains 10 grams of very unhealthy trans fat. The American Heart Association recommends we consume less than 2 grams of trans fat per day. So in one side order, you’ve just eaten more than five days’ worth of heart-busting trans fat!
  • A single meal of a Double Whopper with cheese, a medium order of fries, and an apple pie from Burger King contains more saturated fat than the American Heart Association recommends we consume in two days.

Moderation becomes the key. It’s OK to indulge a craving for French fries every now and then, but to stay healthy you can’t make it a regular habit. Finding a healthy, well-balanced meal in most fast food restaurants can be a challenge, but there are always choices you can make that are healthier than others.

Learning to make healthier choices at fast food restaurants

Making healthier choices at fast food restaurants is easier if you prepare ahead by checking guides that show you the nutritional content of meal choices at your favorite restaurants. Free downloadable guides help you evaluate your options. If you have a special dietary concern, such as diabetes, heart health or weight loss, the websites of national non-profits provide useful advice. You can also choose to patronize restaurants that focus on natural, high quality food.

If you don’t prepare ahead of time, common sense guidelines help to make your meal healthier. For example, a seemingly healthy salad can be a diet minefield when smothered in high-fat dressing and fried toppings, so choose a salad with fresh veggies, grilled toppings, and a lighter dressing. Portion control is also important, as many fast food restaurants serve enough food for several meals in the guise of a single serving.

Tips for making healthy choices at fast food restaurants

  • Make careful menu selections – pay attention to the descriptions on the menu. Dishes labeled deep-fried, pan-fried, basted, batter-dipped, breaded, creamy, crispy, scalloped, Alfredo, au gratin, or in cream sauce are usually high in calories, unhealthy fats, or sodium. Order items with more vegetables and choose leaner meats.
  • Drink water with your meal. Soda is a huge source of hidden calories. One 32-oz Big Gulp of regular cola packs about 425 calories, which can quickly gulp up a big portion of your daily calorie intake. Try adding a little lemon to your water or ordering unsweetened iced tea.
  • “Undress” your food. When choosing items, be aware of calorie- and fat-packed salad dressings, spreads, cheese, sour cream, etc. For example, ask for a grilled chicken sandwich without the mayonnaise. You can ask for a packet of ketchup or mustard and add it yourself, controlling how much you put on your sandwich.
  • Special order. Many menu items would be healthy if it weren’t for the way they were prepared. Ask for your vegetables and main dishes to be served without the sauces. Ask for olive oil and vinegar for your salads or order the dressing “on the side” and spoon only a small amount on at a time. If your food is fried or cooked in oil or butter, ask to have it broiled or steamed.
  • Eat mindfully. Pay attention to what you eat and savor each bite. Chew your food more thoroughly and avoid eating on the run. Being mindful also means stopping before you are full. It takes time for your body to register that you have eaten. Mindful eating relaxes you, so you digest better, and makes you feel more satisfied.

Tips for what to AVOID at fast food restaurants

  • Supersized portions. An average fast food meal can run to 1000 calories or more, so choose a smaller portion size, order a side salad instead of fries, and don’t supersize anything. At a typical restaurant, a single serving provides enough for two meals. Take half home or divide the portion with a dining partner.
  • Salt. Fast food restaurant food tends to be very high in sodium, a major contributor to high blood pressure. Don’t add insult to injury by adding more salt. Continue reading Healthy Fast Food →
Ask and Answer

What kind of meals do you feed your kids?

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Ask:

Do your children always have healthy well balanced food? I know everyone says diet is so important and all, but mostly I’ll feed my kids Hamburger Helper with mashed potatoes, or oven cooked fries, or just let them have cut up hotdogs with a packet macaroni.
Do your kids eat like this? What is so wrong with it?

Answers:

Answer 1:

Well, I have no idea what Hamburger Helper is (sorry), but the rest of the meals you described don’t sound too good to be honest. There’s no balance. Contrary to what many people seem to think, childhood is the most important time for children to eat well, the attitude of “they’ll eat veggies when they’re older” doesn’t really cut it with me. I cook healthy balanced meals every night, and my children eat what I eat. If they choose not to eat it, they wait until the next meal. There’s no junk food alternatives.

For breakfast they have cereal or toast with fruit and a drink of milk, for lunch they have a sandwich made with wholemeal bread with ham or cheese and spreadable vegetables, and some yogurt and sultanas. For dinner we have a range of foods, red meat 2-3 times a week, chicken a couple of times, and fish a couple of times a week. I always cook either rice, pasta or potatoes, and at least 3 other veggies with each meal. Occasionally after dinner they’ll have some natural low fat ice cream or more yogurt with fruit.
I stay away from processed foods, no artificial colours, and no additives whatsoever. Not only is their diet better but you notice the behavioural difference in children who eat natural and balanced meals as opposed to children who live on junk.

What’s wrong with the diet you meantion is that it’s high in fat, calories, cholesterol, salt and sugar, which can lead to obesity in childhood and as adults.
It’s also full of chemical additives which are proven (and the results speak for themselves, trust me) to cause ADD/ADHD, concentration and learning problems, and behavioural problems.

Start making changes to their diets now, you’ll not only have healthier children, but happier and better behaved children too, I guarantee it!

Mum to 2, former teacher and nanny.
Answer 2:
I feed my kids home cooked meals with a fresh ingredients.
When my son goes to his biological father every once in a while he gets a whole bunch of junk food to eat and he is being really moody and unbalanced.  Continue reading What kind of meals do you feed your kids? →
Ask and Answer

What should be the Diet plan for kidney patients?

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Ask:

I want to know a diet plan for CKD patients.

Answers:

Answer 1:

A daily diet containing the following mineral ingredients should be strictly maintained:

Potassium:
Around 90% of the potassium consumed through our diet is removed by the kidney. The normal level of potassium intake is 3.5-5.0 mEq/L so anything higher than that must be avoided. But in the patients having stage 5 CKD, it becomes difficult to remove the potassium from the body as kidney loses its functions altogether. So, controlling potassium is very important. Mostly, we consume potassium through milk, yogurt; fruits like avocado, kiwis, oranges, papayas, banana, cantaloupe; Legumes – nuts; vegetables like beans, potatoes, tomatoes, spinach and fellow leafy vegetables, sweet potato and animal protein. Potassium-based salt products, winter vegetable juices and squash should also be strictly avoided.

Sodium:
Kidney diseases and salt are almost synonymous. Higher the salt intake, higher the risk of the CKD, high blood pressure and heart disease. Hence a large amount of sodium intake must be restricted. Canned food, pickles, smoked meat, some frozen foods, processed cheese, packed chips, junk food and crackers must also be avoided. Develop a habit of reading the labels to get to know the level of sodium in the products we are consuming. Less than 5 mg sodium per serving is sufficient to stay healthy. Continue reading What should be the Diet plan for kidney patients? →