How strict are you on your diet? Some people eat as much as they want, but a lot of the people I see in the doctor’s office have ‘rules’ to schedule their meals.
And hearing some of these “rules” makes me want to wrap my head around them.
Consider the idea that fruit should only be eaten on an empty stomach because it “slows” digestion. There is no scientific basis for this. This is just one example of many.
Here we will focus on some food mantras that you can ignore.In doing so, we hope to help make your meal times healthier and happier.
drink and wait
The idea of taking a 30-minute break between meals and drinks has been around for years, based on the idea that even drinking water with meals dilutes digestive enzymes.
But your body is smarter than that. Drinking water can temporarily dilute the concentration of stomach enzymes, but your stomach has sensors that ensure that it produces as many enzymes as it needs to digest your food.
In fact, drinking water with meals can reduce the chances of overeating, so it’s a good idea if you’re eating too fast or overeating.
How strict are you on your diet? Some people eat as much as they want, but a lot of the people I see in the clinic have “rules” for meal times.
Cut carbs…
Carbohydrates have been accused of raising blood sugar levels and causing weight gain, resulting in many people eliminating them altogether.
But for most people, high-quality carbohydrates such as oats are a worthwhile addition to their diet. They provide a useful amount of fiber (30g is needed per day) and cutting them out can adversely affect the gut microbes that use fiber as a food source.
Additionally, a 2019 review by Tufts University in the United States showed that increasing whole grain intake may actually reduce the risk of weight gain.
The findings, based on a study of over 130,000 participants, are very compelling evidence.
So say absolutely no to highly processed white bread, cakes and biscuits.
…and sweet fruit
Many people seem to accept the idea that fruit is simply another source of sugar and plays no role in a healthy diet. is showing.
Fruits are rich in fiber, vitamins, and other plant-derived compounds (called phytochemicals) that are good for gut microbes, including one group called bifidobacteria.
Low levels of this particular bacterium are associated with low mood. This may help explain the findings of a review published last year by researchers at the University of Sydney.
Another thing to know about fruit is that the sugar is trapped with the fiber, so it doesn’t lead to blood sugar spikes that can be caused by fruit juices (which don’t contain this fiber). .
We recommend eating two slices of fruit a day, with the goal of eating at least five different types of fruit per week. The more fruit we eat, the more different phytochemicals our gut microbes can enjoy. Keeping them happy keeps us happy.
No processed food
It is certainly best to avoid foods that have very long ingredient lists and contain many unrecognizable words.
Ultra-processed foods, i.e. foods made primarily from extracts from other foods and containing high levels of fat, salt, sugar and additives, affect the gut microbes and encourage overeating (fiber content (because there is less), it also affects our mental health.
But you don’t have to demonize all processed foods. Especially because, in our busy lives, we can’t always make everything from scratch, but frankly even the virtuous Greek yogurt is processed by some people. (definition is that food has been altered from its natural state, often by the addition of other ingredients).
Instead, focus on buying foods that have recognizable ingredients, not additives, in the first four places on the label (ingredients are listed by weight, with the highest amount first). It will be displayed in).
Stick to fresh…
Canned and frozen foods often contain more nutrients than fresh foods on the shelf or in the back of the refrigerator.
A Pennsylvania State University study published in the Journal of Food Science found that fresh spinach loses nearly half of its folic acid (a B vitamin) when stored in the refrigerator for eight days.
Frozen vegetables lose some of their nutrients if blanched before freezing, but are otherwise more nutritious. Similarly, heating vegetables during the canning process reduces nutrients, but retains most of them.
Canned tomatoes, black beans, and chickpeas are all staples in my store cupboard.
Additionally, using canned or frozen foods allows you to incorporate more plant types into your diet in a more cost-effective manner and reduces the risk of waste.
Canned tomatoes, black beans, and chickpeas are all staples in my store cupboard.
…or home-cooked
OK, a homemade casserole may be healthier than a cooked meal, but that doesn’t mean all homemade foods are good for you, nor are they any healthier than store-bought ones.
Homemade biscuits that are 50% butter and 30% sugar are arguably worse than mass-produced oat-based biscuits like Hobnobs, which are almost 40% oats.
Neither is good for you, but don’t assume that what comes out of the kitchen is automatically healthier than what you get in the store.
count calories
And last but not least, this rule is probably the one most people are devout about, but it’s enough of a rule to ignore.
First, the calorie counts on labels are often not very accurate. It’s based on what’s happening in the lab, not what’s happening in the body.
Second, not all calories are the same when it comes to digestion. For example, a 2010 study published in the journal Food & Nutrition Research found that digesting processed foods increased the calories used to digest a whole food diet (based on vegetables, nuts, and whole grains). I found that I burned nearly 50% fewer calories than I did. .
So my advice is to make minimally processed all-grass food the centerpiece of your diet (i.e. no to these ultra-processed vegan burgers, yes to homemade chickpea burgers). This will naturally curb your intake of foods that promote weight gain. .
This ensures a healthier and more effective approach to diet and weight management.
Try This: A “Live” Breakfast Parfait
Don’t let those busy starts get in the way of a delicious and nutritious breakfast for you and your gut microbes.
1 serving
- 200g thick yogurt
- 50g berries of your choice
- 40g unsweetened granola
- 1 tablespoon grated dark chocolate
Layer ingredients in a serving glass. Spoon half the yogurt first, then half the fruit, then half the granola and repeat. Top with dark chocolate shavings.
ask megan
My daughter has had stomach cramps, bloating, nausea and has lost weight since contracting norovirus 5 years ago. Although she has not been diagnosed, she has been prescribed antidepressants for stomach cramps for the past three years. Every time she slowly tries to undress, her spasms reoccur.
Tricia Wright.
Your daughter seems to have post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS), which is a very common cause of IBS. It occurs when an infection affects the enteric nervous system, which connects the gut to the brain. As a result, intestinal symptoms persist even after the infection has been eradicated.
Certain types of antidepressants target the gut rather than the brain itself, so they are prescribed in lower doses than those used to treat depression.
I would suggest asking your daughter for a referral to a dietician who specializes in irritable bowel syndrome.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy and bowel-directed hypnotherapy are also worth considering. Because both have been shown to help target the dysfunction between the gut and brain in his IBS. They are often used by patients who do not want to rely on drugs. Buscopan, available over-the-counter, is useful for acute seizures during the short-term transition from medication to therapy.
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