Medical Questions & Answers » diet control

Dieting because of Overweight

medicalquestions — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 06:00:59 +0000

Obesity is the commonest problem worldwide and overweight individuals go to any extent to shed those extra kilos, at any cost. But, lack of knowledge is the root cause of fat. Unlike the old myth, over-eating is not the only cause of obesity. Factors like heredity, hormonal imbalance, diabetes, sedentary lifestyle and water retention plays an equally important role in making you overweight. After you detect the right cause of excessive fat in your body you should work out the right plan to achieve the desired weight. In all cases of obesity, one must eat enough to keep calorie intake equivalent to the energy required by the body which will keep your system functioning the whole day.

This still does not mean depriving yourself of the food of your choice! It only goes to prove that any extra calories mean more fat. Keeping a constant check on your weight is easier than letting it become a chronic problem as fat becomes more stubborn to dissolve.

Dieting is the worst enemy of fat. It you discontinue to diet and get back to regular eating habits, you tend to put on more weight, as your metabolism slows down while you were eating less. Fasting once a week is a healthier suggestion as your body mechanism needs rest too.

Ten to fifteen minutes of exercise is a must, especially for people living sedentary lives. Vigorous and heavy exercise is not really required, do just enough to keep your blood circulation in check.

Obesity or overweight is a frequently recurring problem in adults. It is mainly caused by limited activity. Over-nutrition can be singled out as the most important etiological factor where food behavior plays a crucial role.

Food for children’s lunch

medicalquestions — Sat, 10 May 2008 06:00:16 +0000

Question: I am a school canteen convener. Can you suggest some good foods to be offered for children’s lunches?
School tuck shops should be carefully monitored by the parent committees that run them to ensure that the healthy food available is attractively presented to offer good competition to the professionally packaged alternatives. A few examples for canteens at school (or work) include:
— potatoes baked in their jackets, cut open and filled with cheese, tomato etc.
— hot rolls with chicken, tomato and pineapple
— attractively made salads with lean meat, cheese, fruit slices and raw vegetables on a paper plate and covered with cling-wrap
— hamburgers (no, they’re not all bad) made with cheese, lettuce, tomato and lean mince cooked on a very lightly greased hotplate.
Other simple snacks could include corn cobs, fresh fruit jaffles, soup, frozen bananas, raw carrots and milk shakes. These are fun foods for children that are also nutritious.
Teenagers who have money to spend on food will make their own choices, but these will often follow eating patterns established over the past decade or so. They can be taught that fried foods, tomato sauce, cream and sweets do not have to make up the major part of their diet.

Eating junk food

medicalquestions — Thu, 08 May 2008 06:00:57 +0000

Question: My son eats only junk food, and is getting fat, covered in pimples and lazy. How can I stop him eating junk and start him on good foods?
Fried chips. Licorice. Soft drinks. Tinned fruit. Popcorn. Sweets. Cream buns. Dough nuts. These are certainly fun foods, but they are not very nutritious or healthy.
A child’s diet can be a constant concern to many parents, particularly if that child is a fussy eater and refuses to eat anything except hot dogs, chips and Coca-Cola.
Unfortunately, these problems are more a matter of appropriate behavioral management and discipline by the parent than a gastronomic necessity. If a child is given healthy fun foods from an early age, plus the occasional supervised dosage of ‘junk’ food, good eating habits can be readily established. If ‘junk’ foods are totally banned, they can become even more desirable than if they are special treats given occasionally. It is important to get just the right balance between ‘good’ and ‘bad’.

Effects after food

medicalquestions — Thu, 08 May 2008 06:00:15 +0000

Question: I enjoy my food, but I don’t enjoy the after effects. I don’t see why I should then proceed to burp for the rest of the night. How can I help myself?
A change in diet would obviously be the answer, and if you eat the above foods regularly, you must look like a blimp!
An increase in fiber in the diet, and a decrease in processed foods will help the situation, but all of us over indulge, or eat inappropriate combinations of foods at different times, and suffer the consequences of stomach pain, belching, nausea and flatus (farts). The problem can be aggravated by nervous swallowing when under stress, swallowing air when eating quickly, and any fizzy drink from champagne to Coca-Cola.
A wide range of medications to relieve excess stomach gas are available. The simpler ones available without prescription from chemists contain substances such as simethicone (which breaks up the bubbles of gas), peppermint oil and charcoal. Simethicone can also be used to relieve wind in babies.
If these do not work, doctors can prescribe drugs to prevent the gut spasms, and reduce the production of gas.

Dietary Information

medicalquestions — Thu, 08 May 2008 06:00:13 +0000

Question: How can I tell which dietary information is correct? If you read all the information in the paper and some magazines, it seems to be repetitive or contradictory. As a result I am very confused. Your opinion would be appreciated.
It is easier to tell which information is incorrect, rather than which is correct. If the therapist or adviser you are consulting recommends two or more of the following points (ALL OF WHICH ARE INCORRECT)—beware!
• Most disease is due to a faulty diet.
• Most Australians are poorly nourished.
• Chemical fertilizers result in less nourishing food.
• He or she recommends you to buy something you would not otherwise purchase.
• Modern processing and storage remove all nutrition from food.
• Food additives and preservatives will poison you.
• Your need for nutrients increases with stress.
• Vitamins supplements can replace good food.
• You should take enzyme supplements.
• Everybody needs vitamin supplements.
• Natural vitamins are better than synthetic ones.
• Vitamins are never harmful.
• Sugar is poisonous.
• It is easy to lose weight with the (often expensive) plan.
• A quick, dramatic cure is guaranteed.
• Non-vitamins (eg. B15, B17) are recommended.

Gout

medicalquestions — Wed, 07 May 2008 06:00:54 +0000

Question: What foods cause gout?
Gout is caused by the inefficient disposal of certain types of food wastes through the kidneys.
No particular foods actually cause gout, but once you develop the disease, certain foods should be avoided to prevent excess levels of uric acid (the waste product that causes the disease) from building up. These foods include beer, liver, kidneys, sweetbreads, herring, sardines, anchovies, meat extracts, turkey, prawns and shellfish. Unfortunately, this means the end of beer and prawn nights for gout sufferers!
Otherwise you should eat normally, but don’t eat excessive amounts of fatty foods.