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Nutrition

Healthy Weight

November 23, 2022
Weight

The concept of healthy weight has become more popular, especially in the wake of increasing Non-communicable diseases (NCDs). A healthy weight is a number associated with a low risk of weight-related diseases and health issues. Although healthy weight guidelines have been developed at population levels, each person’s healthy weight range varies and depends on factors such as age, sex, genetics, existing medical history, lifestyle habits, and weight as a young adult. It is also important to mention that weight is only one of the many indicators of health, others include blood pressure levels, blood cholesterol levels, and blood sugar levels to mention but a few.  A person who is not at a “normal” weight according to BMI charts may be healthy if he or she has healthy eating habits and exercises regularly. Whereas, people who are skinny but don’t exercise or eat nutritious foods aren’t necessarily healthy, just because they are thin. Losing fat and Losing weight doesn’t mean the same thing.

Two methods are used to give a clearer picture of how one’s weight may be affecting their health. These are measuring the waistline and calculating your Body Mass Index (BMI).

Body mass index (BMI), measures weight standardized for height. BMI for adults and children is calculated differently. Being in the ‘safe range’ of weight should not be a basis for laxity as we mentioned that weight is only one of the indicators, likewise being in the ‘unsafe range’ should be a point of concern not worry. Moving with a professional with help to allay these fears because more investigation will be done but the good news is it helps you to start asking questions that could save your life early in time.

Where you carry your weight is just as important as how much weight you carry when it comes to health. Measuring the waist circumference can help to assess obesity-related health risks. Experts tell us that even at a healthy weight, excess fat carried around the waist can increase one’s risk of high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, heart disease, and type-2 diabetes. The best way to find out if your waistline is increasing your risk of heart disease is to measure it.

Remember a single measurement of waist circumference or BMI doesn’t tell us everything we need to know about our obesity-related health issues. Tracking waist circumference with body weight (BMI) over time, is an excellent way to understand how the body is changing as one age and to monitor one’s risk of heart disease and stroke. Achieving a healthy weight isn’t always as simple as eating healthy and being active, but it is a great start.

Chew on This: Why a Healthy Weight Helps Your Liver

How to achieve and maintain your healthy weight

Maintaining a healthy weight not only adds to one’s overall fitness but it also keeps the susceptibility to various diseases low. An overweight person is at a higher risk of developing serious cardiovascular diseases (health issues) which range from diabetes to heart ailments. Also, it’s never too late to aim to be at your ideal body weight even if you have been ignoring it till now. If you already have certain problems like High blood pressure, breathing problems, etc. maintaining a healthy body weight will help you control these diseases and in most cases, the symptoms are considerably reduced. Here are some ways;

  1. Mind what is on your plate

Eat healthily is a very tired song that over time eating healthy has been narrowed down to eating vegetables and boring food. Eating healthy first and foremost means that one is eating all foods that will provide them with the nutrients their body needs to thrive, something we call a balanced diet. So one needs to assess if they are consuming carbohydrates, proteins, fruits, and vegetables as well as hydrating at any given meal. While that is being achieved, care needs to be taken that these are being taken in their right proportions depending on the health and body needs of that person at that given time. Let us not forget the time for these meals too is important. So as you may have noticed, it is not enough to be taking just the ‘right’ food, there is a lot else that is at play that needs to be considered.

One tip I will leave with each of you on this one is that consume foods in a form closest to their natural organic form. When foods are processed to enhance their taste or even look, they are stripped of many or some of the important nutrients your body needs, and what is added will have your body working overtime to get rid of them.

  1. Be active

Physical activity plays a vital role in ensuring a healthy weight is maintained. We are living in a world of convenience where everything is getting automated and near reach that it does not require one to move distances or require a lot of muscle effort to do many activities. While this makes our work and life more efficient, it works against our health. What does this mean? We are consuming food that is giving us more energy than we can spend, and what does the body do? It stores the excess energy in form of fat which compromises our achieving a healthy weight and predisposes us to undesirable effects like cardiovascular diseases.

Start to in cooperating simple activities into your daily life. You do not have to begin with 10kms on the treadmill but you can begin with a 10-minute walk. Start somewhere and get to use up that excess energy that the body is reserving for you.

In conclusion

After you have achieved your ideal healthy weight, it is not time for you to sit back and relax, you will slide back. Build habits and make this a lifestyle. Let it be an enjoyable process rather than ‘a must-do or die.’ Remember you have one life and if you waste it, you will not have another. Also, it is unfair to live a miserable life. It is possible to build an enjoyable healthy lifestyle. Journey with people who are well versed in this area like professionals and be on your way to a healthy life lived.

I wish you all the best

See you next Wednesday 

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Nutrition

Understanding food cravings

November 2, 2022

It is most often assumed that the emergence of a food craving might be driven by some nutrient deficiency and while this has some truth to it, not entirely. Do you know what food cravings are?

A food craving is an intense almost insatiable desire to eat a specific type of food. in his paper on the psychology of food cravings notes that we typically crave energy-dense foods: chocolate and other chocolate-containing foods are the most frequently craved foods, followed by other high-caloric sweet and savory foods. Cravings often occur in the late afternoon and evening. Interestingly, only the desire to eat high-calorie foods increases throughout the day, while the craving for fruits decreases.

God created us with a food system. Eat when hungry and stop when you are full. Hunger refers to the absence of fullness, that is, feelings of hunger are brought about by an empty stomach. Food cravings can be differentiated from feelings of hunger through their specificity and intensity. That is, while a food craving can usually only be satisfied by the consumption of a particular food, hunger can be alleviated by the consumption of any type of food. Do you see the difference? If you are craving a sandwich, you will only feel fine after eating the sandwich but when hungry, even a cup of milk will cure your hunger. The truth is that hunger and food cravings often can co-occur, however being hungry is not a prerequisite for experiencing a food craving.

What do food cravings really mean? - How To Use The Brain

The experience of a food craving is multi-dimensional. Physiologically, it is associated with several processes that prepare the body for ingestion and motivates food seeking and consumption such as increased salivary flow and activation of reward-related brain areas such as the striatum. It also includes cognitive (thinking about the food) and emotional (desire to eat or changes in mood) components. Finally, it often also includes a behavioral component of seeking and consuming food.

Both internal and external factors play a role in what you crave. For example, daily habits, hormones, dehydration, lack of sleep, and more are all possible causes for certain cravings. Many times, our brain is to blame, as it aims to keep us alive and healthy by ensuring everything remains in balance. However, our brains don’t always go about it the right way. Cravings for food can be triggered by brain regions that are responsible for memory, pleasure, and reward. When you have a food craving, the parts of our brain linked to memory and pleasure sensing are active.

Cravings are normal but when they get out of hand they can turn into undersirable effects like excessive weight gain. My two scents on this is to make sure you respect you cravings but do not let them control you. If you are craving and badly want to get that particular food especially one that is not very healthy, eat the healthy food first which your body will benefit from and later eat your crave. In that way you will have allowed your body crave and hunger to be satisfied.

Food craving can ought to be understood as a conditioned response that emerges because internal or external cues have been previously associated with intake of certain foods. Understand the source of the cravings and find a lasting solution.

Good luck

See you next Wednesday

 

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Nutrition

Why eliminating carbs is dangerous?

October 26, 2022

In our increasingly health-cautious world, there is a common phenomenon that carbs need to get off the plate. But someone may ask, what are carbs anyway? The terms carbs and carbohydrates are used interchangeably.

Why are carbohydrates important?

Carbohydrates consist of sugars, starches, and fibers, nutrients that provide your body with energy. Foods come in three forms, carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Each one plays a specific role in keeping your body functioning. Carbohydrates are converted to energy more quickly than protein or fat. They help keep your body from burning the protein in your muscles and organs and they help metabolize fat. Carbohydrates feed your body and your brain, and many high-carb foods have vitamins and minerals that you simply cannot get anywhere else.

Why eliminating carbs may be a bad idea?

Firstly, we need to understand why some diets eliminate these. Some diets like the keto diet eliminate carbs to force the body into a state of ketosis, where your body burns stored fat. Whilst this is true, should your caloric intake be too low, your body may also start burning muscle and even organ tissue which in turn weakens you and can even threaten your health.

The misconception that carbs equal to ‘bad’ ought to be dropped already. Carbohydrates come in many forms. Healthy carbs provide value by bringing critical nutrients into the body like fibers, minerals, vitamins like magnesium and B12, and antioxidants.” These healthy carbs support metabolism, digestion, and immune health, acting as building blocks for healthy bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and even blood.

Cutting or eliminating carbs completely puts you at risk for nutrient deficiencies. You may achieve rapid weight loss as desired with a carb-free diet but this may come at a cost. It is common to experience fatigue, which can affect your ability to exercise as well as function throughout the day. If one is not getting enough potassium or magnesium, found in fruits, vegetables, beans, and dairy, one may suffer muscle cramps, especially in your legs. Weakness, shakiness, and nausea can also occur along with a lack of coordination. A diet completely free of fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains also contains no fiber, and you may struggle with constipation.

Be well-informed before eliminating carbs from your diet altogether. Weigh the long-term benefits too and not only weight loss goals. If possible get a professional to walk the journey with you.

Good luck

See you next Wednesday

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Nutrition

Make mealtime easier for your differently abled child

October 19, 2022

Disability is a normal part of human diversity. It may be permanent, temporary, or fluctuating. It may also have a minimal or substantial impact on a person’s life. A disability may affect mobility, learning, feeding, or communication and can result from accidents, illnesses, or genetic conditions. To have a disability means one has fundamental difficulty accomplishing things that others take for granted.

Nutrition and disability are closely interlinked. A differently-abled child is often in greater danger of malnutrition because sometimes the child has difficulty sucking, swallowing, or even holding food. When this happens and there is no one to help, it deprives the child of the nutrients for their age hence leading to malnutrition in the long run. Feeding is very important for all children not only because they are at the peak of growth but also because they are vulnerable. Some bad or misinformed decisions made in a child’s feeding can have lifelong effects. For example, stunting (children having a low height for their age) among children is irreversible after the age of two. It is important to look at nutrition keenly when discussing disability. Poor nutrition can cause a disability or aggravate the disability itself, but also disability can lead to poor nutrition and cause a child to suffer its consequences.

Tips one can use at mealtime for differently abled children

Oral motor challenges – Oral motor-based feeding problems, arise from the child’s physical disability, which limits the child to achieve good gross-motor coordination (skills that require whole body movement and which involve the large muscles of the body to perform everyday functions) and movement in their body in order to achieve sufficient oral-motor skills.

Tip -To help the child feed well, modify their posture by using some support where needed. Allow the children to practice a feeding skill over and over until their body coordinates it automatically.

Sensory issues – Sensory-based feeding issues are the underlying factors to most feeding difficulties in differently abled children. The combination of food texture, temperature, and taste can be off-putting to some children and cause frustration like among children with autism. These children usually stick to foods they are familiar with, and soon these foods are the only ones that they will eat.

Tip – Slowly modify the child’s diet without upsetting the child. Gradually introduce new food or texture to the child’s diet without eliminating the food the child is familiar with. For example, if the child enjoys boiled irish potatoes, you can introduce them to an egg by presenting it in the shape of an irish potato and serving it alongside their usual delicacy. The changes in texture, temperature, color, or taste should be slight but noticeable.

Another way to help children with feeding difficulties is to allow them to help choose foods they would like to eat and allow them to help prepare the meal for as long as it is possible. Expose them to different textures, smells, and tastes along the way.

Medical challenges– Some feeding difficulties that differently abled children face are a result of the medication that they have to inevitably take or the therapy they must undergo. This usually alters their taste for food and suppresses their appetite in the long run. Some children end up vomiting each time they eat certain foods and may even refuse to eat the food in the long run. Some of the food is also temporary or permanently omitted from the child’s diet because it contradicts the medicine given.

Tip – Discuss with your child’s physician and nutritionist to identify alternative foods that the child can eat and still be healthy and thrive without compromising the medication given.

Behavioral challenges – There is an array of behaviors that can affect the feeding of a differently abled child. One of the most common behavioral challenges among differently abled children is seeking attention. Differently abled children seek a lot of attention when feeding. If parents enable this behavior, it becomes very difficult for the children to eat without that attention. They will throw tantrums and often refuse to eat completely, hence suffering malnutrition and other complications that arise from not feeding or not feeding well.

Tip – Gradually eliminate this behavior by being stern but with positive reinforcement. Say, when the child throws a tantrum, you can warn them against it and enforce a soft compromise for them to know how serious you are. For example, ‘If you eat this food, I’ll let you play for 10 minutes with your sister’. Sometimes, you may use what we call extinction/planned ignoring. For example, say, ‘Mummy doesn’t carry children who do not eat; she only carries those who finish their food.’ The other option is to gradually walk through the steps of eating with the child. Start by having the child touch or play with the non-preferred food. Then, increase the task to slowly taking a bite and keeping it in the mouth for a few seconds. After, encourage the child to chew it slowly and then ask them to swallow it. This requires patience and progress and the child’s voluntary participation.

Family feeding dynamics – These are some of the hardest feeding difficulties to deal with. Parents and caregivers are the most important and pivotal components in implementing feeding strategies not only for differently abled children but also for other children. Many parents feed their children foods that they enjoy. It is important that you give the child many options, including foods that the parents don’t regularly eat as long as they will provide the child with the necessary nutrients for them to thrive. Their diet ought to be diverse.

Tip – Clearly define the roles of the two parties involved in this feeding exercise: the parents or caregivers are responsible for providing the food, while the child is responsible for eating and choosing how much to eat.

The child should feel as comfortable as possible when they are eating. Feeding is a social activity. Therefore, when the child feels uncomfortable feeding while in a particular social setting, you should be able to recognize and find out why as soon as you can. This is not the time to put the child in between your legs and hold their nose for them to swallow food.

Feeding is not and should never be a fight. Refrain from forcing the child to eat. Simply present them with both preferred and non-preferred foods and let the child choose. When children feel like they have control over the situation, it’s easier for them to try new foods. Parents and caretakers should be open and adapt whenever the need arises. Go slow with the child and make them feel as comfortable as possible.

You can find all this and more my “Differently Abled Nutrition,” a  book written for parents and guardians of children below the age of 5 and children with a disability that affects feeding.

Follow me to get yourself or a loved one a copy.

See you next Wednesday

 

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Nutrition

6 ways to improve food security

October 12, 2022
Food security

This has been a long time coming. I promised to return and share how we can improve food security but I had gone away a little bit to fill my cup and I am happy to be back.

As previously mentioned in the last article, food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. 

Here are 6 ways I believe food security can be improved

  1. Let us respect nature

Human civilization which shouldn’t be a bad thing carried with it global warming whose effects are biting hard and have caused food insecurity. Bill Bryson wrote “You are totally at the mercy of nature in this country, mate. It’s just a fact of life”, and I couldn’t agree more so each time you participate in environmental degradation, know that is at your hands we will suffer as a nation. Environmental degradation which includes the depletion of natural resources, destruction of ecosystems, name it, have caused climate change. This in turn has increased the number of weather-related disasters such as floods and droughts consequently making food supply chains to be more vulnerable. We need to respect mother nature for it to support us. Start from where you are, plant those trees, leave the swamps alone, cut the forests some slack and there shall we be able to improve food security. There is power in working with nature.

To our leaders, kindly prioritize ecosystem monitoring and assessment programs that will provide integrated, high-quality information for better and timely decision-making.

2. Agriculture needs its lost glory back

There is a need for agriculture to be made profitable and attractive once again. Agriculture is very frustrating lately which leaves it to a handful of people to feed the nation as well as export to the many nations that we feed. Agriculture is the backbone of our economy and matter of fact, growing up, being a farmer was one of the most honorable things one could be. Income was almost always guaranteed but this has since changed as farmers continue to suffer from countless losses due to climate negative effects, and monopolistic tendencies from some people who want to control the market. Many young people are shying away from agriculture and resorting to other fields or remaining in agriculture as middlemen. Young people who are the future of this nation need to be involved in the planning, design, and implementation of agricultural policies. The government ought to spend on reducing real and perceived agribusiness risks, enabling financing, and improving infrastructure. Rural agribusinesses can thrive when they have access to finances and are well-connected to local communities and markets. Let us not devalue this food basket, please.

3. Prioritize healthy diets

There is a tendency for consumers to resort to changing their consumption habits or purchasing less nutritious foods, which are often cheaper when food prices go up. We all know what happens when we abuse our diets. Let us learn creative ways to have fresh food all year round, support farmers, prioritize citizens over exports, and encourage urban farming. We need to sensitize the masses that their health ought to be guarded jealously even when food prices for fresh food skyrockets. At all times but especially in the hard times, governments should also encourage producers of fresh food and provide them the needed incentive to stay in business and access to markets while ensuring their protection and food safety.

4. Disseminate information

Sir Francis Bacon quoted “scientia potentia est” translated as “Knowledge is power”. This means the more one knows, the more one will be able to control events. Sometimes or many times, we suffer from a lack of knowledge and in that case, we do not know where and who to ask or even do to make certain situations better. Can we begin by shining the light on what is going on and how bad it is without sugarcoating it? Sensitized people will always be in a position to make better-informed decisions, take good care of their families, and also know how to support them in relation to food access, sustainability, and availability. The custodians of this knowledge need to devise creative ways of disseminating this information through channels that are easily accessible and in formats that are easily understandable. Let us take advantage of educational materials and research. With this, we can instill a sense of solidarity in citizens.

 

5. Can we bring back food silos?

A Silo is a structure for storing bulk materials. They are essential in food processing and used in agriculture to store grain or fermented feed known as silage. They are usually tall and cylindrical, but can also be constructed in the form of warehouses, domes, or large elongated bags.

There is a need to use food reserves wisely if we are going to do anything about improving food security. Many farmers struggle with post-harvest handling so food goes to waste simply because they do not the resources to do it safely. We used to have government food silos in this country which supported farmers to store their produce until a time it is needed but these have since been privatized or abandoned. What this means is that food is being consumed quickly not to go to waste thereby leaving us without enough food reserves for times of crisis.  Farmer groups need to be supported to construct food silos or the government returns the food silos which were a very good buffer for the country. Food silos will enable governments to monitor prices and release food from these reserves if prices spike but without food reserves, we remain exposed.

6. Help those in need

The government ought not to hesitate to distribute or request assistance from businesses or international and national organizations to distribute food to those in need. Appropriate targeting should be ensured to avoid the political exclusion of certain groups and elites. Women heads of households, orphans, widows, refugees, internally displaced people, senior citizens, the poor, and other vulnerable people should be the principal target of food distribution in times of crisis like the recent situation in Karamoja. School feeding programs should be maintained or modified to enable children who depend on those meals to continue to have access.

Karamoja, Uganda: When climate change intersects with conflict and poverty | Land Portal

I don’t know what came into your mind as you read this however this is just the tip of the iceberg. You can share your mind with me and our readers about the things you think can improve food security that I have not included here. We appreciate you.

Until next time, see you next Wednesday.

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