Tuesday 17 December 2013

Healthy Eating Tips For The Holiday!



Christmas is a time of celebration, but it also tends to be a time of high-fat, high-calorie food.  Mention of Christmas brings to mind Christmas Lunch, Christmas Dinner, Work Christmas Functions, Christmas Drinks and other Christmas get-together. 

 It's that party season again! How can we avoid putting on extra weight while having a great time?

Christmas need not mean the end of your diet or a struggle through January to compensate. There are ways to keep your diet healthy during the Christmas season.

Keeping things in moderation is a major key to the Christmas overeating issue. It is easy to say “eat and drink in moderation”, here are some ideas for moderating what you eat this festive season.

  •  Use a smaller plate ~ your mind will consider it a full plate regardless of its size!
  •  Don't go to a party hungry: we often eat faster and more when we are hungry - therefore eat a wholesome breakfast and lunch on the day to avoid overeating at the party.
  • Eat a healthy breakfast on Christmas morning. Include at least one fruit or vegetable and some protein such as eggs or nuts. This will help stave off hunger and prevent overeating high-calorie snacks while waiting for the big lunch or dinner to be served.
  • Where there are choices, take a little of many things rather than lots of one thing. This ensures you are getting a balanced meal and not overloading on a fatty food.
  •  Supply a fruit platter or fresh fruit salad ~ a hot Christmas day makes this most appealing!
  • Consume a healthy snack or small meal every three to four hours throughout the day. This helps keep blood sugar levels stable and is much healthier than consuming a single large meal.
  •  Make your own mixed drinks with real fruit juice instead of canned drink.
  • Many products such as mayonnaise, cheese, cream soup, sour cream have lower-fat versions so experiment with them in your cooking.
  •  For every glass of alcohol or soft drink, have a glass of water. Water fills you up, has no calories or side effects, is cheap and will help wash out the excesses. Remember: Calories from alcohol tend to be stored in the abdomen. People who are overweight actually gain weight more easily when they consume alcohol.
    Drink plenty of water: alcohol and coffee can dehydrate your body 
  •   Help clear the table as soon as everyone finished eating rather than sitting and picking at leftovers.
  • Pack a snack to bring with you in case you can't find anything healthy to nibble on between meals. An apple or orange and a small bag of nuts makes a good portable snack.
  •  Salad dressings can liven up a salad without adding calories. Try lemon or lime juice, vinegar (many types!) and fresh herbs.
  •  Load your plate with healthy options first. Instead of heading straight for the calorie and fat-laden side dishes, choose some lean turkey or chicken and vegetables for your first plateful. You can have some higher-calorie options when you're ready for seconds and already somewhat full.
  • Trim as much fat as possible from meat before cooking.  Make a conscious choice to limit high fat items: high fat food items can be found in fried food, cream-based soup, cheese-filled casseroles, pies, processed meats such as salami and sausages, some pastries and baked goods. Serve some fresh fish or seafood instead of roast red meat
  • This is a good opportunity to make Christmas a bit different this year ~ for instance, try a picnic this year with lots of salads rather than huge roasts or do an activity with friends instead of having a Christmas drinks night.                
  •  Instead of a bowl of lollies or chocolates for guests, why not have a bowl of cherries or grapes?
  •  Watch your portion: treat yourself a nice drink, dessert, chocolate or sweets without guilt, but always watch your portion.  Go for small portions. This way you can sample all the different foods. Moderation is always the key.
  •  Physical activity: take nice brisk walks with your  loved ones and enjoy their company in the holiday season.
DIET365GLOBAL Wishes you a Happy Holiday Season.

Tuesday 10 December 2013

NUTRITIONAL POWER OF EGGPLANT


 Eggplant also known as garden eggs come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Their skin may be purple, white, with a common characteristic feature which is the whitish color of its flesh and seed.
They are widely used in cooking and are also consumed raw.
Their ability to form a soft, tasty sauce with eggplant flavor and delicious with plain, boiled vegetables like potatoes, yams and plantains, eaten raw with spicy peanut butter in Eastern Nigeria.











The vitamins in eggplant consist primarily of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), B vitamins, folate and vitamin C. Eggplant is also rich in minerals, boasting a large quantity of potassium, magnesium, calcium and phosphorous. It has no fat, has low carbs and yields 27 calories in a 1-cup serving.

They are a low calorie fruit, which makes them good news for weight watchers. Eggplant is a good source of dietary fiber, which can help protect against type 2 diabetes and keeps the digestive system regular. Eating them is also of benefit in cases of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. They act as gentle laxative because of its cellulose (vegetable fiber) content.

Eggplant skin contains a powerful anthocyanin called nasunin, an antioxidant that protect cell membranes from oxidative damage. They contain additional anti-oxidants called phenolic acids contained within eggplant particularly chlorogenic acid. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service found chlorogenic acid to be the dominant antioxidant compound in eggplant. They report that this is significant because chlorogenic acid has a great capacity to fight free radicals  the chemicals that cause oxidation  and is also able to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. Chlorogenic acid is also antimutagenic, which means it can protect cells from mutating into cancer cells; and it is also antiviral.

The peel/skin (purple/deep blue varieties) have significant amounts of phenolic flavonoid phytochemical called anthocyanins. Scientific studies have shown that these antioxidants have a potential health effects against cancer, aging, inflammation, and neurological diseases. Phytochemicals may be called antioxidants, flavonoids, flavanols, flavanones, isoflavones,  anthocyanins, anthocyanidins,  carotenoids, polyphenols, phenolic acids, and many other names. Phytochemicals refers to a wide variety of compounds made by plants, but is mainly used to describe those compounds that may affect human health. Phytochemicals are found in plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans, and grains. Phytochemicals are promoted for the prevention and treatment of many health conditions, including cancer, heart disease, inflammation, diabetes, and high blood pressure. There is some evidence that certain phytochemicals may help prevent the formation of potential carcinogens (substances that cause cancer), block the action of carcinogens on their target organs or tissue, or act on cells to suppress cancer development.
 
Eggplant makes an excellent addition to any diet and they can be added as part of our regular diet.

Saturday 7 December 2013

Nutritional Management Of HIV




An estimated 35 million people are living with HIV/AIDS worldwide. New HIV infections are declining globally, with nearly three-fourths of the 2.3 million new HIV infections worldwide occurring in sub-Saharan African countries.

Adequate nutrition is more than 70% of the measures one need to take to stay healthy, prevent disease or speed up recovery from illness.

Nutrition intervention is crucial in the management of HIV/AIDS because good nutrition will help improve immune function, response to treatment, quality of life of the infected person so that they will be able to live a productive life.

The most common and often disturbing symptoms of HIV, reported in 95%-100% of all patient with advanced disease, is loss of muscle tissue and body fat, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, reduced immune function and competence, increased susceptibility to secondary infections, increased nutritional needs because of reduced food intake and increased loss of nutrient leading to rapid HIV progression.

OBJECTIVE OF NUTRITIONAL MANAGEMENT FOR HIV/AIDS

- Improve nutritional status by maintaining weight, preventing loss of muscle mass and weight loss.

-Ensure adequate nutrient intake by improving eating habits, and building stores of essential nutrients including carbohydrates, proteins, important antioxidant nutrient and other vitamins and minerals necessary for the functioning of the immune system.

-Preventing food borne illness by prompting food safety and hygiene.

-To protect the body against opportunist infection, thereby reducing the cost and time in medical care and also extending the period between HIV and the development of AIDS.

 

NUTRITIONAL PROBLEMS IN HIV/AIDS

-Soremouth and throat
-Nausea and Vomiting 
-Loose bowel
-Constipation
-Severe Diarrhea
-Weight Loss
-Hyperlipidemia
-Diabetes
-Obesity
-Cardiovascular disease

DIETARY MANAGEMENT

The consumption of a good mixed diet that comprises of adequate amounts of all basic food nutrient from the five basic food group is recommended.

This includes:

Cereal, Grains and Product : 8-12 Servings

Food Sources: yam, rice, potatoes, maize, wheat etc

Pulses, Legumes : 3-4 Servings

Food Sources: beans, cow peas, groundnuts, nuts etc

Milk  And Meat Products: 3-4 Servings

Food Sources: Yoghurt, cheese, fish,egg,chicken, pork,beef, crayfish etc

Fruits and Vegetables : 4-5 Servings

Food Sources: spinach, yellow and orange fruit e.g pawpaw and mango as well as orange, yellow and colored vegetables such as carrot, red pepper and tomatoes, bananas, avocado etc

Fats And Sugars: 2 servings

Food Sources: butter, groundnutoil, groundnuts.

Where dietary modification is necessary an individualized menu plan is carried out based on the recommended dietary allowance for health and disease state.