Healthy Eating Blog

May has been an interesting and busy month for me here at AM Dietetics. Just for a change, I thought I’d share a few of the things I’ve been up to these past few weeks.

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Did you know that giving your children milk may help them with their physical performance and protect them from falls in later years? We all know that milk is a great source of protein and calcium, essential for bone growth and development, but there is also some evidence that mobility may be improved in the later years as a result of drinking more milk.

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Having been a Senior Lecturer in Dietetics for 4 years, and a practicing Dietitian for nearly 20, I have spent quite a lot of time thinking about what makes a good dietitian and what makes a good dietetic consultation. It’s important to think about whether or not we are giving the best service we can and to ensure we are giving the customer what they want and need. In my experience, most dietitians are by nature “helping” people and are concerned that they are doing a good job. But how do we know that we are doing a good job?

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I was really interested to read a study, published last month, which looked at the effects of dairy foods on cognitive performance. At the moment, there is lots of exciting research looking at diet and cognitive performance, cognitive decline and dementia. A lot of this looks at B vitamins, folate, omega 3 fats and fruit/vegetable intake but this latest one looks at the effects of a high intake of reduced fat dairy food on cognitive performance, particularly in overweight subjects.

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It’s quite difficult to know which diet to follow for controlling blood glucose and for weight loss in those with Type 2 diabetes. The most recent dietary guidelines for managing diabetes emphasise weight loss and preventing cardiovascular complications but make no specific recommendation about which weight loss diet to try or, indeed what level of carbohydrate is best for controlling blood sugars. So how do people know which the best diet is for them?

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Snacks. Are they best avoided or do they help when trying to lose weight?
Some people find snacking useful as they can help take the edge off the appetite between meals, thus preventing overeating at meal times. Others find they are best off avoiding all together as the calories just add up when its difficult to control portions. Whichever way is the best for you is the best method to follow as, ultimately, its the total number of calories consumed in the day that counts.

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Are you off out to dinner tonight? Special occasion? Don’t panic, that special meal out shouldn’t mean the end of your healthy eating plan.

Special occasions and celebrations often revolve around eating out. It is important that these are still enjoyable, even though you are trying to eat more healthily. Here are some tips to keep you on the straight and narrow…..

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Ever come back from holidays and dread getting on the scales? Do you find that going on holidays sets your weight loss plan back quite a bit? Apparently this time of year is when the largest number of people in th UK book their holidays. Holidays can be a minefield for those trying to lose weight.

Many people who are trying to lose weight find they often “slip” or “lapse” during holidays. This is often due to over indulgence in food and/or alcohol and being less active than usual. Some people however, actually lose weight on holiday for example if they are much more active than usual.

Before you begin your holiday it is a good idea to think about whether you are likely to gain weight. If so, then it may help to plan ahead how you could minimise weight gain whilst still enjoying your holiday.

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Today I was reminded of some of the most important qualities a Dietitian needs to have in order to do his or her job well. The ability to withhold judgment, to value the client and to listen. If a Dietitian doesnt possess these, there is no point carrying on. If a client doesnt feel valued, the relationship fails.

Sadly, the reminder came in the form of me being in the shoes of the client and learning first hand how dreadful it feels to walk away from an interaction with a health professional feeling like I had been judged.

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There are so many nutrition stories in the papers these days. People are interested and this is, of course, great. It can be a little tricky. There is so much and from various sources and a lot of the stories can be conflicting. It’s so confusing for people when the latest miracle food can prevent cancer one day and cause it the next. I can recall so many times when clients have come to my clinics to see me, holding the latest paper with the newest diet or the most recent nutrition claim. I learnt very quickly that I had to keep up with the papers (and the studies around the stories), so I can answer my clients’ questions on whatever the newest craze or claim is. Even glancing through the papers today, I can see at least six nutrition stories in print or online.

The articles look convincing but can we really trust what we read in the papers every time?

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You’ve probably heard people say “I cant lose weight because I have a slow metabolism”. There have been plenty of studies to show that people will lose weight when their calories are restricted but it is true that everyone will have a slightly different metabolic rate.

But is it inevitable that someone with a slow metabolism is destined to be stuck with it forever and find it perpetually difficult to lose weight?

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In my office, as colleague has written “Keep calm and drink Tea” on our whiteboard in big red letters. Since being in the UK, I have discovered that it isn’t a myth; people here drink a lot of tea! In the workplace, there are frequent tea breaks but is the saying true? Does it help at work?

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It’s the holiday season, so I’ve been a bit quiet on posting articles. I would like to offer my seasons greetings to all and wish you and yours safe and happy holidays. Try not to over indulge but, of course, enjoy! I will be posting regularly very soon in the new year…please keep on using the contact form to let me know if there are any nutrition questions you would like answers to or if there any particular articles you want to see for next year. Oh, and look out for some new services to be offered in 2012….

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I love nuts, especially at Christmas. To me, it isnt quite Christmas if we dont have a lovely selection of nuts available as nibbles for guests who “pop in”. The thing is, they can be awfully tempting and can add a considerable amount of calories if amounts arent controlled. If you are a nut lover and are watching your weight,
there is a solution- make sure you buy nuts in their shells.

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Are you on Twitter? Do you follow any nutrition professionals? I joined twitter about six months ago and just love it. I really didn’t have much understanding of twitter before that and had always thought it was about following celebrities. In fact, I’m not following any celebrities, (unless you include food and diet ones), and have been amazed at how much I have gained, as a Dietitian, from being on there this past six months. Ive met lots of people and learned so much.

Twitter is great for Dietitians and for people interested in finding out about nutrition. For people after the latest nutrition tips, advice and information on all matters food and nutrition, there is a wealth of information. For Dietitians and other nutrition professionals, it’s a great place to share practice, for cpd and for networking. It’s also great for just having a chat with like-minded people.

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