Varied diet provides more nutrients:

Healthy food for healthy living

In spite of a rich culinary heritage traditional Sri Lankan food have been gradually replaced by junk food and fast food, resulting in many nutrition deficiencies in the population. Dr. Renuka Jayatissa, Head Department of Nutrition, Medical Research Institute spoke to Helthwise on how to maintain a healthy life with a balanced diet.

Children under five

Prevailing food patterns of children under the age of five include consumption of large amounts of sugary food and drinks such as biscuits, soft drinks in addition to milk products and rice. The most common nutritional problems of Sri Lankan children below five are vitamin A deficiency, anaemia, dental caries and obesity due to high sugar consumption. Dr. Jayatissa pointed out that addiction to sugar is a huge problem in children under five, “Especially since they will find it difficult to grow out of when they grow up.”

She said that biscuits should be an alternative snack and should not be given to children everyday. Furthermore she emphasized that parents should prevent giving children cola drinks and cordial consistently. “A normal buddy bottle consists approximately five tablespoons of sugar and a chocolate biscuit contains four.” Dr. Jayatissa explained that sugar build up through consumption of such food results in gaining calories and do not provide vitamins and minerals required for a child’s growth.

Artificial milk products have also caused nutritional problems in children below five. “Parents resort to milk products as an alternative to main meals, when children refuse their meals.” Dr. Jayatissa explained that breast milk contain all the milk nutrients necessary for smaller children and do not require artificial milk supplements. “For example breast milk has all the DHA a child needs. Parents should not fall for advertising gimmicks.”

She said that unnecessary snacking discourages children from taking main meals. She emphasized that milk products are not substitute for main meals after age one. While she does not recommend force feeding she encourages mothers to wait for the next main meal if a child skips a meal.

Dr. Jayatissa said that it is important to get children used to a routine early on, since older children are difficult to train. “The three main meals are specially breakfast is vital to a child’s growth. Skipping meals as adults could have adverse health implications.”

Dr. Jayatissa recommends one type of green leave, two vegetables and two fruits is added to the diet of children under five. It is not wise to eat the same types of green leaves and vegetables every single day and variety is recommended. “Only 50% of Sri Lankan children eat green leaves and only 60% of Sri Lankan children eat fruits.”

She said that parents should always encourage children to eat fruits whenever possible. Processing often takes soluble fibre - which are nature’s remedies for chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease - out of fruit.

Two sources of protein such as meat or fish and egg or pulses such as green gram, dhal, cowpea and kadala should also be added to their diet. “Egg consumption by children under five, in Sri Lanka is very low, due to groundless traditional beliefs,” said Dr. Jayatissa. She emphasized the importance of egg consumption for children under five saying that it is a source of protein, choline, vitamins and minerals. “Unless a child has a specific disease parents don’t have to worry about cholesterol.”

Chicken is safe for children in spite of the popular belief that it is loaded with harmful hormones, although it should not be consumed on a daily basis. “It is safe to give children chicken three times a week, meat once a week with a variety of pulses”, explained Dr. Jayatissa. Small fish comes highly recommended because of their high fish oil content as well as sprats.

It is always better to go for a varied diet explained Dr. Jayatissa. “A monotonous diet deprives the child of certain nutrients that could be obtained from other food, while he or she may have certain vitamins and minerals in excess, due to consistent consumption of some food stuff.” She said that it is essential to maintain variety even between the main meals for every food type.

Referring to allergies Dr. Jayatissa said that it is a myth that pineapple and tomatoes are allergic to all. “Parents should find what their children are allergic to.” She recommended that children under the age of five drink at least four glasses of water and parents should encourage them to drink at least half a glass after their main meals.

Playing is part and parcel of growing. A normal child should be allowed at least one hour per day for playing, explained Dr. Jayatissa. Physical activity helps the digestive process and helps physical and brain development.

Diabetic patients cannot produce enough insulin to control sugar levels. People who are obese or have a genetic tendency for developing the condition should always keep their weight in check. They should have appropriate weight for their height.

They should control sugar consumption. “For example women who lead sedentary lifestyles should have no more than one and a half cups of rice while men should not consume more than two cups per meal.” Dr. Jayatissa said that sugar level fluctuation can have extreme adverse effects on kidney, liver, nervous system and the eyes.

It is also important for diabetic patients not to stay hungry for more than three hours. Dr. Jayatissa suggested that they should have snacks between main meals.

Dr. Jayatissa’s recommendations of food habits for diabetic patients include vegetables - which help to reduce sugar levels, a variety of pulses. “The only food type diabetic patients are able to consume without restraint is green leaves. Fruit should be consumed in a controlled manner.”

Maintaining physical activity is of utmost importance in combating diabetes, says Dr. Jayatissa. “A patient with diabetes should exercise at least half-an-hour.” Regular exercise relieves stress which is another contributing factor to diabetes.

(Contd. next week)

Pic: Kavindra Perera

-SP

What is high cholesterol?

by Lynn Yoffee

Cholesterol is a sticky, waxy, fatty substance found naturally throughout your body. The body manufactures plenty of cholesterol itself, and cholesterol is also found naturally in foods such as eggs and shellfish. Your body needs it to help you digest other foods and to make hormones and vitamin D. However, when it comes to cholesterol, too much is not a good thing. When an overload of cholesterol sticks to artery walls, it’s referred to as plaque and can block and narrow your arteries. Over time this can lead to atherosclerosis, also known as hardening of the arteries. If you have a high cholesterol level, your risk for heart disease is increased. There are no warning signs that you have high cholesterol, which tends to increase as you age. But there’s a good chance that you have a high cholesterol level if you consume a lot of fatty foods, are overweight, or have a family history of high cholesterol.

Cholesterol moves through your bloodstream inside lipoproteins - little fat (lipid) packages on the inside, with proteins on the outside. Two different kinds of lipoproteins carry cholesterol through the blood: High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is referred to as good cholesterol. It pushes the fatty substance through your body to the liver, which then removes it from your body. If you have a high HDL cholesterol level, your risk of having heart disease is reduced. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is known as bad cholesterol, because it can lead to an increase of cholesterol in your arteries. If you have high LDL levels of cholesterol in your blood, your risk of having heart disease is increased. Run the Numbers: LDL vs. HDL When your doctor orders a blood test to check your cholesterol, you’ll get results that include a total (serum) blood cholesterol level, an HDL level, and an LDL level.

The American Heart Association provides the following guidance for those levels: Total blood (serum) cholesterol level: Less than 200 mg/dL is considered desirable 200 to 239 mg/dL is considered borderline-high risk 240 mg/dL and over is a high risk to your health HDL (good) cholesterol level: Less than 40 mg/dL for men or less than 50 mg/dL for women means a higher risk for heart disease For men, 40 to 50 mg/dL is considered average For women, 50 to 60 mg/dL is considered average

If you have an HDL cholesterol of 60 mg/dL or higher, you may have added protection from heart disease. LDL (bad) cholesterol level: Less than 100 mg/dL is optimal 100 to 129 mg/dL is near or above optimal 130 to 159 mg/dL is considered borderline high 160 to 189 mg/dL is high 190 mg/dL and above is considered to be very high Does having a high level of good cholesterol wipe out the negative effect of having a high level of bad cholesterol? The answer to this may be answered more clearly with future research, but for now the answer is - probably not. High LDL cholesterol levels seem to be a reliable marker for higher heart disease risk in most studies of the general population.

Americans With High Cholesterol Levels Approximately 17 percent of American adults have total cholesterol levels of 240 mg/dL or above. The average is about 203 mg/dL. Equal numbers of men and women seem to have high cholesterol, but members of certain ethnic groups, such as African Americans, tend to have higher levels than people in other ethnic groups.

If you have high cholesterol levels, the American Heart Association says that it’s key to avoid smoking, eat a healthy diet, get regular exercise, and keep your weight in check. These efforts will all help you to lower your risk for heart disease and stroke.

Fitness Matters:

It’s never too late

by Ajit Shetty

Don’t let your age hold you back. Older adults can start working out too. Here’s how you can get started.

Older people, the sort who have never worked out before and are suddenly keen to start are on the right track. Because, you never are too old to begin. The muscles in your body need to be exercised to be kept fit and no matter what age you begin at you are at the ‘right’ age. Because with muscles growing, you experience enhanced levels of energy and with that comes a freedom, a sense of liberation that there really is nothing you cannot do.

If age was a criterion, why would doctors recommend that older injured people employ the services of physiotherapists to improve mobility? Because, physiotherapy is all about getting joint movement and recovering muscle elasticity so an older or injured individual can get back to normal (read: moving) as quickly as possible.

There are ways a person reaching a certain age can keep agile, strong, flexible, and balanced with a lot more endurance. They can do it all without feeling tired. A lot of people who work out say, “I feel a lot fresher than I did earlier. Even at the end of my day.”

The answer is quite obvious: exercise. On a daily basis for at least 40 minutes. Studies show that those who exercise for 40 to 60 minutes keep diseases like Alzheimer’s away.

An older person cannot be expected to enrol at a gym and suddenly do the workout of a biologically younger fitter person.

They need to initiate their bodies into exercise slowly and under personal guidance, should they decide to go to a gym. Choose a gym with care: it has to be a place that is older, adult-friendly and has certified trainers instead of a place with over-enthusiastic trainers who tend to look down on people who cannot do what they can.

After studying older adults and devising workouts for them, I have found that 30-40 minutes of walking or swimming really helps. Both these activities need to be done outdoors, in public places where they meet up with like minded people, compare notes, motivate and help each other with tips.

Swimming is for those with weak joints as the water acts as a support and resistance to the body. Besides the benefits, it is a safer form of exercise.

One aspect everybody who exercises has to keep in mind is to break out of the comfort zone. Our bodies need to be challenged.

They need variety in the workout or the bodies and muscles tend to stagnate. Push yourself. If you are walking, try reducing the time you complete a certain distance. If you are swimming, do more lengths in the time allotted. You will find constant improvements that will surprise and delight you. Include whole body stretches, particularly neck stretches.

Other experiments you could try, that I have found working with a lot of the older adults I’ve trained, is Interval training. Warm up. Push yourself as much as you can for as long as you can, then slow down. Once you have recovered, push yourself again. Do this a few times during your workout. End it with a cool down. You will feel fantastically rejuvenated, sweaty and well worked out.

However, when you exercise outdoors, you are so dependent on climatic conditions. In a gym, exercise is always in a controlled environment with someone watching you, guiding you, offering suggestions and taking you to the next level of fitness. The results too are recorded so you see it in black and white.

Outdoor appeal

A few tips for those who’d prefer to work out outdoors:

1.Invest in good running shoes Get yourself a heart rate monitor and comfortable exercise clothes

2.Equipment like tubing in different elasticises are a good idea. Use them for strength training.

3.Always shower after a workout. Washing the sweat away also washes off the toxins that may have settled on your skin and refreshes you.

Benefits of exercise

Cardio conditioning helps the heart beat healthily

More flexibility in your joints allows for a whole range of painless movement that would otherwise have caused you to grimace.

Of course, you look a lot better as your muscles tone up and your clothes fit better. Your posture improves too.

Those muscles lose their tightness. Therefore the pain from stretching them reduces and slowly goes away.

Exercise reduces stress. You are able to tackle niggling problems with a happier frame of mind, become more adept at finding solutions.

Bones get stronger, reducing the risks of the dreaded `O’ - Osteoporosis.

- The Hindu