Feeling tired or can't get your cravings under control? Our nutritionist offers some pain free solutions...

Green Tea
I'm 5ft9, 85kgs, and currently losing weight through diet and plenty of exercise. I drink at least 2 litres of water a day, but was just wondering - what are the benefits of drinking green tea? And how many cups should I be drinking per week?

Green tea contains antioxidant factors which boost the immune system; it also seems to be helpful for digestion. The general dosage varies from one to three cups daily. I would recommend you cut back on your water intake if you are going to drink green tea, otherwise you may notice you are off to the toilet too frequently, as green tea also acts as a diuretic ( ie. causes urination).

Low Carb Snacks
I do a lot of sports like Tae Kwon Do and swimming. Every night when I get home I am really hungry but I don't want to make myself a quick snack like toast or other carb-laden food. I was thinking a protein shake would be the best thing. Can you recommend any, also any that you can have warm?

Yes this is a good time to have a protein shake, even better would be to have one before you do your exercise as this will improve your performance. The best quality protein shakes are those which don’t contain glucose or dextrose. I recommend Aussie Bodies Perfect Protein (made from pure whey powder) or Aussie Bodies Soy Protein Plus. Both taste yummy and can be made with hot water, however do mix the powder with a little water before you add the hot water so they don’t go lumpy on you.

Good Carbs or Bad Carbs?
I was told the other day that carbs are as bad for you as sugar (that is ones like white bread) I didn't believe it till I came across your article. Now after having checked the foods I eat I've found that in the breads there is wheat flour, and in the pasta durum wheat. Is this good or should I be looking at substituting these?

Wheat flour or wheat pasta can be refined (i.e. processed to remove the fibre and nutrients) or unrefined. If your packet of pasta, bread, or flour isn’t labelled ‘wholegrain wheat or wholemeal wheat’ then don’t buy it. Wholegrain or wholemeal wheat flour, bread, or pasta is the best type to buy as it contains fibre, B vitamins, zinc, and other essential nutrients. Any wheat products that are refined or white have the major part of these nutrients missing. Durum wheat is just a particular name for the type of wheat but it can be refined or unrefined.

Curbing Cravings
I was wondering if spirulina tablets can safely be taken before meals to help with my food cravings. The packaging recommended 6 or more tablets before each meal to help with this and I was wondering if this is perfectly alright for me to pursue.

Spirulina can certainly be taken with or without food to balance blood sugar levels and reduce cravings. I suggest starting on 2 to 4 tablets initially and go higher if you need to. However, if you have spirulina before a main meal, it most definitely will reduce your appetite, but you will be hungry later on. Use it in between meals and you will be more successful.

Get a habit of taking spirulina about ½ an hour to 1 hour before the cravings usually start as they take awhile to have an effect on your system. Spirulina is a wonderful tonic food and helps to boost energy levels too.


Always Tired
I would like to know what foods would be suitable for me, I am very thin and always tired. I eat three meals a day, what could I add to my diet to give me more energy? I work full time and have a one year-old daughter so I’m always on the run. I have dizzy spells as well. I have been to the doctors but my blood results are normal on every count. I thought if I improved my diet things might change?

AND

I am always tired... I can be going to sleep at 9 or 10 pm and can sleep until 1 or 2pm. A lot of the time due to sports commitments I am home later. It is beginning to be a major problem because I have started missing lectures even with my alarm clock set. I have tried three different ones but continue to sleep through it. Is there anything you can suggest that will give me more energy?

For both of these cases I would suggest you return to your doctors and ask for the following blood tests - Iron Studies (including Iron and Ferritin), and Thyroid Function. The basic blood count done by most doctors only shows the Haemoglobin level and not a true picture of the iron levels and the ferritin (storage iron) levels. Constant tiredness also is a possible indicator of low thyroid function so this blood test is well worth getting as well.

In terms of diet, check that you are getting enough protein. Protein foods include eggs, cheese, fish, meat, chicken, yoghurt, and tofu. If you aren’t getting a large handful of one of these protein foods at each of 3 meals per day you will be running your system down. Typically I find most tired people are lacking in protein. If you are doing a lot of physical activity I would also recommend a protein shake (Aussie Bodies Perfect Protein) at either morning tea or afternoon tea time.

In the drinks department be aware that although tea, coffee, cola, Milo, energy drinks and sports drinks may seem to energise you they actually drain nutrients (including iron) out of the system due to their high caffeine and sugar content. Use herbal or fruit teas or pure fruit juices in their place. Spirulina drinks are also excellent energy boosters.

Finally, medications such as the oral contraceptive can deplete nutrients and make you tired. If you have been on these medications for awhile you may wish to review or change them. Healtheries Super Multi is a good pickup
if this is the cause.

Too Much Fruit
I think that I eat a healthy, balanced diet. However, recently someone told me that I eat TOO MUCH fruit! I eat between 5-8 pieces of fruit a day and it’s a variety of fruit too. I was told that this was too much "natural" sugar for a healthy diet. I actually eat the fruit as a replacement for bad high-sugar foods like biscuits etc. especially in the afternoon. What are your thoughts on this? Am I having too much of a HEALTHY thing?

Who was the someone? If they were a Registered Dietitian or your medical doctor then you may have to take some notice of them. If they are neither then disregard this advice. If your health is good with no problems then you are doing the right thing to substitute fruit for sugary foods. Natural sugars found in fruit are far less of a problem to health than foods with added sugar which often have low fibre content and upset blood sugar levels. Fruit also contains high levels of antioxidants which boost your immune system and prevent major health problems. There are a few health conditions where too much fruit can aggravate, but in your case you have an excellent habit. Don’t change it.

Vegetarian
I'm 15 and have recently turned vegetarian. I am eating lots of legumes etc and am keeping track of my iron levels. I have recently relapsed with glandular fever, which I have been battling for three years now. It is really frustrating for me as I'm a keen rock climber and would really love to get back into mountaineering this winter as it looks like it’s going to be a sweet season! My question is, are there any foods I can eat that will help me recover faster and aid me in getting fit? I will be following the great get fit plan on nzgirl. Can you recommend anything else?

Make sure that at each meal of the day you have a large helping of at least one of the following foods – yoghurt, cheese, eggs, or soy products such as tofu, tempeh, soy sausage, soybeans. Alternatively if you want to eat beans or lentils for a meal, then correct food combining is most important as legumes (beans and lentils) are not complete proteins in themselves. You will need to combine either beans or lentils with brown rice or wholemeal pasta in the same meal. Just having one of these items alone in a meal will reduce your protein intake and create health problems.

In terms of supplements for glandular fever I recommend Healtheries Liver Aid, Healtheries Super Multi, and Aussie Bodies Soy Protein Plus powder as a shake daily.

Baby Fat
I’m 18-years-old and I just had a baby 2 months ago. My tummy was fat but it was firm (tight) now it’s all flab are there any exercises and food that I should eat that is both body friendly and baby friendly, keeping in mind I still have to breastfeed my baby?

It’s into the abdominal exercises for you every day to get your tummy back in shape. Find an exercise DVD or video which particularly emphasises this area and work on this every day while baby is sleeping. Alternatively you may want to join a yoga or pilates class and ask your teacher the best exercises for this area. Pilates and yoga are what got Madonna back in wonderful shape after two babies, and she certainly looks great. In terms of food, avoid sugar containing foods and fried foods, and head for wholegrains, brown rice, and plenty of fruits and vegetables with lean protein. Aussie Bodies Perfect Protein is the ideal drink for a breastfeeding mother; use this instead of any snacks in between meals.

Vicki Martin ND. Nutritionist, Naturopath


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