Welcome to the nzgirl Healtheries Q&A page where nutritionist and naturopath Vicki Martin answers your questions. Got something you want to ask? Hit the button below to submit it.
The perfect start What's a typical ideal breakfast?
Good quality muesli (i.e. contains rolled oats, nuts, seeds, dried fruit) plus fresh fruit and yoghurt; or alternatively wholegrain toast with eggs, cottage cheese, or tuna with tomato and avocado or sprouts.
Am I underweight? Hi, I’m 16 and I’m 1.65 tall and weight 49 kgs am I underweight, or is that a healthy weight to be?
You are slightly underweight but you will find as you mature that your weight will increase naturally due to more bone density and growth. If you are unhappy with this weight then you may want to tuck into more protein foods such as lean meat, skinless chicken, eggs, low fat tuna, cottage cheese, or low fat yoghurt. Protein builds muscle and contains good quantities of the nutrients required for healthy growth.
Stick thin At school I'm ‘the stick’ or ‘the skinny girl’. People come up to me and say “Wow you’re so skinny” and start feeling my wrists and call their friends over. I don’t want to be the skinny girl! I eat a healthy diet of fruit, veges, meat, water, bread, rice and pasta but I don’t seem to have been putting on any weight. I don’t eat lollies and chocolate or soft drinks much at all, maybe once a week. What am I doing wrong? (Guys don’t like bony girls either!) What shall I do?
Firstly don’t panic, you may be just right for your genetics, and secondly don’t let people treat you as a freak show just because you eat healthily. Walk away from this kind of attention. If you really want to put on weight don’t go loading yourself up with junk food, the best approach is to get into some weight training and build up your muscle – either buy your own weights and get a good book to tell you how to use them correctly, or join a gym and get a good programme. Increase the protein in your diet such as low fat meat, chicken, fish, eggs, cottage cheese, or low fat yoghurt as these help to build healthy muscle.
Bikini belly I was wondering if you could tell me an exercise(s) that would help me to flatten my lower stomach so my body can be in form for bikini season. I have tried many exercises but haven't found the right one that targets the lower area instead of my abs.
I would recommend you see a specialist personal trainer for one or two sessions to really find out the best exercise for the specific area you mention. You may want to see them at your local gym or look in the yellow pages to get one to come to your house.
Help with eating disorders I’m trying to find a dietician/nutritionist in the Auckland city area who specialises in providing services with people who have/ have had eating disorders. Can you recommend one?
Tight buns What sort of exercises can I do to get my butt and thighs smaller? People say that running won’t help me, it will make me fatter by developing muscles. Help!!!
You will never get fat by developing muscles. Muscle and fat are two very different things. Muscle makes you look taut, tight, terrific, and healthy – quite a different picture to fat. You may want to discuss your problem with a personal trainer at a gym to get some specific exercises, but regular daily walking or jogging definitely does help this area. Work on getting one hour a day (seven days a week) of this kind of exercise if you can. It won’t make a difference straight away – you will have to persevere for several months to a year to get the body you want.
Dropping weight I am a 13 year old girl and I am 70 kgs. I have been to a dietician and I was on a diet for a while but it doesn’t seem to help. I exercise and I play waterpolo. What can I do to lose some weight?
Firstly don’t diet. The more dieting you do, the more your body will tend to store fat. Start thinking about what dietary habits you have, that have brought you to this weight. Do you eat sugar containing foods or drinks, or fatty foods every day? If so now is the time to cut them out and just stick to your regular daily meals. Start reading the nutrition labels and ingredient lists on all the food you eat and avoid anything containing sugar and anything with a fat content over 5 grams. Increase your fruit and vegetable intake up to 12 servings per day, and make sure at each meal that you have a large serving of protein – either lean meat, skinless chicken, low fat fish, eggs, cottage cheese, or low fat yoghurt. You will be much more successful if you are vigilant about avoiding junk food and eat plenty of all the healthy food.
Taking control I’m a 15-year-old girl who is worried about her weight. I have been bulimic for about four months now but stopped for two weeks so far and haven’t thrown up... I do go to the gym but in the last week I’ve lost all motivation and can no longer be bothered. I still care about my weight but the problem is I can’t stop eating. As soon as I eat something I just can’t stop. I’ll eat anything and everything and now I’m losing motivation to do anything. Also I may be pregnant and don’t know what to do about that. Please help, I feel like I’m losing everything.
Overeating like this is an outward sign of deeper problems which no diet is going to fix. It would be a very good idea to go straight to a doctor and have a complete check-up. Also request to be referred to a counsellor and a dietitian immediately. Bulimia and pregnancy in someone as young as yourself indicates that you have some real emotional issues and a lack of self confidence that need to be healed in order for you to have a happy healthy life.
The following supplements will help to reduce your stress - Healtheries Executive B with Herbs and Healtheries St Johns Wort Plus. These will help to settle and calm your nervous system, and help to boost your energy. You will need to take them daily for some time.
Gluten Intolerance I have just been told by my doctor that I have intolerance to gluten (although I am still currently getting tested for it, she thinks that is the problem). I understand that I shouldn't eat foods containing wheat and have been advised to mainly cut out bread. This is super hard because I used to eat a lot of bread. What I would like to know is, what are some ideas for some gluten free foods that I can eat for breakfast? I know I can have fruit, and have been told bacon and eggs are good but I’m very rushed in the morning and don't have time to prepare anything, which is why bread was an easy solution. I thought a cereal might be a good idea but when I went to the supermarket every single cereal had wheat/gluten in it. I need to eat breakfast otherwise I constantly snack all day long. Can you please give me some ideas of some things i can have for breakfast that aren't time consuming to prepare.
I recommend you get a referral from your doctor to see a registered dietitian without delay. A dietitian will tell you where you can buy wheat and gluten free breads and cereals. They will also help you to construct a healthy daily meal plan so that you don’t become unwell due to lack of nutrients. Healtheries produces a large number of wheat and gluten free foods under the Simple brand – check our website for information on these – www.healtheries.co.nz. Click on ‘Products’, then click on ‘Food’ and this will bring up the wheat and gluten free file.
I suggest for breakfast - Healtheries Simple Apricot and Coconut Muesli with low fat yoghurt and fresh fruit. You may also want to get into baking your own wheat and gluten free bread. Healtheries makes it easy with Simple Bread Mix. This bread is excellent to toast and you can top it with eggs, cottage cheese, or tuna with tomato and sprouts for a really healthy quick breakfast.
Getting in shape I need a diet and exercise program that will help me lose weight in a short period of time. I’m always trying new diets but they are never much help and I can’t stick to one for long. I really need something that won't be too hard to do and will help me achieve my goal to lose weight, shape up and become fitter. Please help me out and suggest a good diet and exercise program for me.
You are never going to be successful in looking for a quick weight loss regime or in sticking to one. Quick weight loss diets inevitably lead to weight gain precisely because they are virtually impossible to stick to. When you lose weight rapidly so too does your body’s nutrient levels and because of this your metabolic rate will drop. When this happens you will get very hungry, start to eat and put weight on.
To get to your excellent goals of balanced weight, good tone and fitness, you need to take a sensible long term approach with no diet. Look at what daily eating habits you have that are causing weight gain or preventing its loss – usually foods containing sugar and excess fat are the ones to avoid completely. Then make sure you have high protein low fat meals with plenty of fruit and vegetables. The more nutritious your food, and the more regular your meals, the higher your metabolic rate becomes and the more fat you will burn. Much easier and healthier to stick to!
Exercise can be very easy, aim for up to one hour per day (7 days a week) of brisk walking. Put your iPod on and away you go. Do allow for two meals per week of eating anything you like so that you won’t be tempted to binge.
Lactose intolerance I’m 19 years old recently became lactose intolerant, I know that if you have celiac disease you can get a government subsidy on gluten free products. Is there anything I can do to get soy products cheaper? I’m a poor student and soy milk, yoghurt and cheese is over two times as expensive as normal milk products. Thank heaps.
Sorry but no subsidy for you. However you should check with your Student Health Department because they may be able to help you get some financial help via WINZ or CYPS.
Another alternative is making your own soy yoghurt which is cheap and easy and you can also make soy milk and soy cheese. Visit these websites for more information: www.soybean.org (go to FAQ); www.soymilkmaker.com (go to Recipes). You may want to ask for a yoghurt maker or soy milk maker for Christmas to make it all much easier.
Conflicting advice My daughter is getting conflicting advice on diet. She is 17 and rows for her school. She has been told by a nutritionist that she has high blood sugar and should have protein in each meal and cut down on carbs. She has quite a sweet tooth and does not get any calcium, as does not eat dairy products. She has a cooked breakfast - usually containing eggs, sandwiches for lunch and a normal dinner - meat and vegetables. The rowing manager is saying they should be eating much less protein and a lot more carbs. She is rowing every day after school with regattas beginning soon at weekends. What should her diet be?
At age 17 she needs to be having both carbs and protein in her diet or she will eventually suffer nutritional deficiencies. In regard to the nutritionist - if she had a high blood sugar level she would be a diabetic which I presume she is not. It is obvious that she has low blood sugar level problem which is why she craves sweets. She will aggravate her problem and create low energy levels if she continues to eat sugar. The best way out is to increase the protein content in the diet. Make sure she gets plenty of protein (lean meat, skinless chicken, low fat tuna, eggs, soymilk, soy yoghurt, or soy cheese) at each meal of the day and also include some at morning and afternoon tea time. Oddly enough this seems to reduce the low blood sugar levels, boosts stamina, and reduces sweet cravings. Soy products are the best replacement to provide calcium when dairy is absent in the diet.
In regard to the rowing manager – lowering the protein will reduce her stamina and affect her long term health and growth, so I do not recommend this approach in this case. However she will need to keep her carbohydrate levels up to maintain her immediate energy (protein is too slow in digesting to supply the instant energy needed for sports). The type of carbohydrate is very important. She will need to avoid white bread, white flour baked goods, white rice, and white pasta. Use wholegrain wherever possible – including wholegrain bread, wholegrain rolled oats for breakfast cereals as porridge or muesli (e.g. Healtheries Bircher Muesli), brown rice, and wholemeal pasta. Using wholegrains keeps the blood sugar levels much more stable and produces balanced energy and sustained performance.
Early gym starts I have recently started going to the gym seven days a week. I like to exercise first thing in the morning so have been going at 6am. Some mornings I find I lack energy. What foods should I be eating at dinner time so that I have the energy for exercising in the morning?
Full marks for realising that the next day’s energy depends on the meal eaten the night before. Make sure you have a good helping of protein at dinner time, as well as a good helping of carbohydrate – potatoes with their skin on, brown rice, wholemeal pasta or noodles. This combination seems to last through the night and give a much better energy response in the morning. Before you set off to the gym, I also recommend a teaspoon of Healtheries Spirulina Smoothie Powder blended with vegetable or fruit juice, this will help to sustain your energy and keep your blood sugar levels from dropping.
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Overeating like this is an outward sign of deeper problems which no diet is going to fix. It would be a very good idea to go straight to a doctor and have a complete check-up. Also request to be referred to a counsellor and a dietitian immediately. Bulimia and pregnancy in someone as young as yourself indicates that you have some real emotional issues and a lack of self confidence that need to be healed in order for you to have a happy healthy life. 
I recommend you get a referral from your doctor to see a registered dietitian without delay. A dietitian will tell you where you can buy wheat and gluten free breads and cereals. They will also help you to construct a healthy daily meal plan so that you don’t become unwell due to lack of nutrients. Healtheries produces a large number of wheat and gluten free foods under the Simple brand – check our website for information on these – 
In regard to the rowing manager – lowering the protein will reduce her stamina and affect her long term health and growth, so I do not recommend this approach in this case. However she will need to keep her carbohydrate levels up to maintain her immediate energy (protein is too slow in digesting to supply the instant energy needed for sports). The type of carbohydrate is very important. She will need to avoid white bread, white flour baked goods, white rice, and white pasta. Use wholegrain wherever possible – including wholegrain bread, wholegrain rolled oats for breakfast cereals as porridge or muesli (e.g. Healtheries Bircher Muesli), brown rice, and wholemeal pasta. Using wholegrains keeps the blood sugar levels much more stable and produces balanced energy and sustained performance.
Full marks for realising that the next day’s energy depends on the meal eaten the night before. Make sure you have a good helping of protein at dinner time, as well as a good helping of carbohydrate – potatoes with their skin on, brown rice, wholemeal pasta or noodles. This combination seems to last through the night and give a much better energy response in the morning. Before you set off to the gym, I also recommend a teaspoon of Healtheries Spirulina Smoothie Powder blended with vegetable or fruit juice, this will help to sustain your energy and keep your blood sugar levels from dropping. 