Tuesday, June 14, 2005

You Are What You Eat??

Hmmmm......lovely to see- you'll excuse a qualified nutritionist a wry smile at this interview with "Dr" Gillian McKeith.....never mind the very weak science, she has always seemed joyless and undernourished to me.

It still baffles and worries me at times that respected professional advice (thank you Catherine Collins of the BDA) can be less valued by the public than the views of self-promoting extremists.......but like Hollywood Starlets, there's always another one waiting in the wings.

Saturday, June 11, 2005

This season I will mostly be eating.....Asparagus






Asparagus....

Why?
Apart from being most delicately delicious, the asparagus season is very short (late April- June) and finishes soon. So make the most of it!





Nutrition
Asparagus, like most vegetables is very low in calories but provides a lot of vitamins and fibre.
- a rich vegetable sources of folate (pregnant women should still take a supplement)
- also provides beta-carotene, a range of B vitamins and vitamin C
- contains glutathione, an antioxidant
- contains rutin, associated with 'strengthening' blood vessel walls
- contains a type of fibre that acts as a fuel source for gut bacteria, promoting a healthy gut flora. A healthy gut is a key organ in immune function

Recipes

There is a plethora of websites devoted to asparagus- a testament to how passionately asparagus lovers feel about their favourite vegetable. In Italy, asparagus season hotels are available where you can combine your love of the spears with luxury accomodation...and sad to say, I think it sounds wonderful.
My all time favourite meal would be roast leg of spring lamb with minted new potatoes and grilled asparagus, and I love it in quick pasta dishes, but asparagus simply steamed with butter or hollandaise is hard to beat.
Try it- and enjoy!

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

Detox schmeetox.

A-Ha! I knew it! It made zero difference to anything when I tried avoiding some specific foodstuffs for a while during a bout of insomnia a few weeks ago. While personal experience satisfies curiosity,it hardly qualifies as scientific evidence.

But, they've studied it, and it is a load of ol' cobblers...
'Detox-ing' diets are no faster and no better than a body's natural processes at eliminating wastes.

They just don't work.

Healthy sensible eating is still the only proven way to go.

I can't help but think that this fact will make absolutely no impression on the thousands spent on detox kits and weird and wonderful regimens purchased from a very profitable and unregulated 'health food' industry.

Thursday, June 02, 2005

Anthropometry


Right. Here's what I think needs to be done to get better information on the degree and implication of over/underweight in pregnancy.

BMI for everyone.

Weight gain for everyone-  prepregnancy, at booking and weight on admission for delivery.

Mid-upper arm circumference measurements for women with hyperemesis to assess possible prexisting under-nutrition and better identify those who need nutritional support.....also for women with BMI < 19kg/m2 at first visit.

Triceps skinfold for BMI>30kg/m2 at first visit to differentiate between obese and fit/high lean muscle mass. Maybe?

Basically, refer the latter groups for dietetic assessment. Now for further literature review and a policy and a protocol document....fun, fun,fun!