Got a question about your eating habits? nzgirl nutritionist Vicki is here to answer all your questions...

Vegetarian Diet
I've been a vegetarian for a year and a half. My parents are worried about the repercussions because I do a lot of sport. I compete internationally for karate and I have recently lost my appetite. I’ve heard that vegetarians lack in iron and I was wondering if I should get some vitamins or something.

Your parents are right. You need to urgently seek the services of a Registered Dietitian for comprehensive balancing of your diet around your vegetarian preference. This will make a huge difference to your energy levels and your performance - believe me. Any good sports person who competes internationally needs this professional advice, don't try to do it on your own any longer. You also need to get to your medical doctor as soon as possible for blood tests for Iron, Ferritin (storage iron), Vitamin B12, and Folic Acid.

If you don't get checked soon you may suffer badly from nutrient deficiencies which will affect your ability to continue your sport. Poor appetite is definitely a cause for concern. I recommend Healtheries Super Multi tablets for sports people.

Light Foods
Are 'light' foods a good thing? I've heard that often foods that are labelled 'light' are actually worse for you because they replace natural fats/sugars with processed and/or more refined equivalent ingredients. Is this true? I know often light foods compensate lack of fat with heaps of sugar to give it taste...however I always get stuck when it comes to buying yoghurt/ mayonnaise.

You are quite right in thinking that these foods are not necessarily better and may actually be giving you something else that you don't need. In regards to yoghurt and mayonnaise - light should mean low in fat, but do check the sugar content in the ingredients list and on the nutritional contents list. If the sugar is in the top one or two ingredients, and the carbohydrate level on the nutrient list is quite high, then you can quickly abandon the product

Compare the nutrient list with other similar and non-light products and make your choice from there. All products should have a nutrient list for a 100g serving - this is so you can make a comparison with the fat, sugar, and carbohydrate content with a variety of products.

Putting on Weight
Over the past year I have lost about 15 kilos; I initially started watching what I ate to lose about 5 kilos and I was happy with how I looked after losing this much. But I have been unable to stop eating and exercising to lose weight. I now weigh about 51 kilos and I am 171cm tall. I would like to put some weight back on but I am so afraid of gaining too much. I'd like to weigh about 57 -58 kilos; I felt great then and looked great too. How do I know how much to eat to put on weight in a healthy way and maintain my ideal weight?

I really suggest you get to your medical doctor and ask for blood tests (iron and B vitamins) and a referral to a Dietitian for help with this as soon as possible. When you have good advice from a Dietitian you will feel more comfortable about eating sensibly, with no worries about putting too much weight on. If you have a real fear of putting weight on then I really recommend the assistance of a good counsellor. Fear of putting weight on can indicate problems in other areas of your life such as low self esteem, lack of control over situations, or depression.

Overcoming Bulimia
I have struggled with bulimia for two years now. I have tried many times to stop, and have been successful for weeks or months at a time only to fall back into the same bad habits. Recently my weight dropped very low and I had a lot of people concerned about my health. I don't like the way I look and want not only to look healthy but to be healthy. I have joined a gym and want to make a really conscious effort to get rid of bulimia for good. How can I go back to eating normally without gaining lots of weight as I'm worried I have ruined my once fast metabolism?

You have two radio stations in your head which you
are playing constantly - one is Radio Inner Critic - which calls you all sorts of nasty names about the way you look which you would never use on anyone else. This radio station causes bulimia. The other Radio Station is Radio Inner Child. Inner Child Radio plays only tunes about how it wants to eat anything and everything in as big a quantity as it possibly can in order to drown out the pain of these horrible critical thoughts and feel good for just a little while. These two radio stations alternate and create the problems you are having.

Getting healthy requires not only your good exercise regime and good food, but also good mental health. Work hard to tune out the Inner Critic Radio Station and replace it with kind, sensible and gentle thoughts about yourself. My experience is that when you start to be kind to yourself you will find all your plans for health will work well and bulimia will be a thing of the past. I would strongly suggest that you get the advice and support of a good counsellor to help with all of this.

Lacking protein
I have always exercised for one hour a day walking, running or aerobics, I have now started exercising both morning and night as I want to be in the best possible shape. I am feeling really tired on about every third day of exercise, could this be due to lack of protein? I try to eat nothing else after dinner. I was thinking maybe I need to start having those protein bars that contain 20g of protein. I am not getting cravings for sweet treats am just feeling tired sometimes.

My diet is:
Breakfast: Porridge with soy milk, prunes, peaches.
Morning Tea: Apple, coffee
Lunch: Chicken or tofu salad
Afternoon Tea: Apple and banana
Dinner: A piece of toast with an egg and tofu and vegetables or I make a chicken or tofu stir fry with white rice.

You have a mix of low protein and low carbohydrate
which is causing low energy and low blood sugar levels. Regular exercise demands protein and good quality carbohydrate three times a day. Add nuts and seeds to your good breakfast, this will help to increase the amino acid protein content, and add wholegrain bread to your lunch. At dinner ditch the bread and have brown rice (white rice just isn't worth eating), or wholemeal pasta, or potatoes with skins on.  Protein bars can be full of sugar; I suggest you try Aussie Bodies Perfect Soy Protein
Powder as drink in between meals.

Dairy allergy
I have recently been diagnosed with a dairy allergy. What is the best supplement for the calcium I will be missing and also what is the most nutritious milk substitute i.e. Soy, rice etc

Soy milk is your best bet. It is the only vegetable with high levels of iron and calcium to get close to what cow's milk contains. Even then make sure it is soy that is calcium enriched.  As a calcium supplement I suggest Healtheries Osteo Calcium. This contains all the synergists which aid calcium absorption and utilisation in the body - e.g. magnesium, vitamin D etc.
 

Boosting fertility
I am 25-years-old, usually a healthy eater and make sure that I make time for exercise. I have recently stopped taking the pill and want to balance out my body so that I can start trying to conceive. Are there any natural remedies you can recommend that will help boost or encourage my fertility? I know I am young and supposedly shouldn’t have much trouble, but I just want to ensure that I am as healthy as possible.

I suggest the following regime which helps to clear
your system - Healtheries Liver Aid, Healtheries Olive Leaf, and Healtheries Ester C tablets. These three help to detox your system, clear yeast infestation in the gut, and boost your immunity. Take one bottle of each according to directions. These can be taken all together. Avoid tea, coffee, cola, and Milo as these all contain caffeine which you will need to avoid when pregnant anyway as they deplete nutrient levels. After these have been finished, Healtheries Spirulina Tablets will boost
your nutrient levels and are safe to take throughout
the whole pregnancy.

Mosquito attack
During summer I get absolutely attacked by "mossies". I heard that they only bite you if you’re lacking B vitamins is this true or a myth?

It may be true. Sometimes taking a high dose of B vitamins e.g. Healtheries B Complex Supreme can make a difference. Other times it can be due to a too acidic system caused by sugar, coffee, or alcohol intake. Drinking alkalising cider vinegar (Healtheries Apple Cider Vinegar - 1tsp daily with water) or aloe vera juice (Healtheries Aloe Vera Juice - 1 dessertspoonful daily) may help to change this balance, and improve your chances.

Vicki Martin ND. Nutritionist, Naturopath


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