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Answering Your Health and Nutrition Questions
by Anne Peterson
http://www.bestofnutrition.com
Visitors of my
nutritional supplements website
send us questions about health and nutrition. I compiled
most popular of them for you to read.
What's the difference between vitamins and
minerals?
Vitamins are organic compounds - they come from living
materials - plants or animals, or substances that were once
living, such as coal. Minerals are inorganic. All vitamins
are classed as essential nutrients because the body cannot
manufacture them and must obtain them from the diet, whereas
not all minerals are essential nutrients. Vitamins are more
easily destroyed by heat, light, long storage, cooking and
food preparation processes.
What's the best exercise for weightloss?
A combination of both anaerobic (weight-lifting and
resistance training) and aerobic exercise (fast walking,
running, circuit training) will maximise weight loss
results.
How much is a serving?
A person's dietary needs vary according to their age, sex,
activity levels, health, body size and genetics, all of
which affect individual serving sizes. As a guide, a
portion of fruit or vegetable is about the size of your
fist and a serving of lean protein is the size of a deck
of cards.
What are the nutritional differences between cow's milk
and soy milk?
Milk derived from mammalian animals contains lactose, soy
milk does not - for people who are lactose intolerant, soy
milk provides an excellent alternative. There are many
other differences, including: soy milk has almost half the
fat (and half the calories) of cow's milk; soy milk
contains fiber, cow's milk does not; soy milk has one
quarter of the salt content of cow's milk and soy milk
contains no cholesterol. Cow's milk provides higher levels
of amino acids than soy, and manufacturers have to add
calcium to soy milk because there is so little. Finally,
soy 'milk' is not even milk - it's a plant-derived
beverage!
Is it true that dehydration can cause a headache?
Yes! Test it out - when you get a headache, slowly drink
between two to four glasses of cool water. Within half an
hour, a dehydration headache should subside as the water
gets into the system. If it doesn't, your headache is due
to another cause.
How much fiber do I need and how do I get enough?
25-35g a day. Remember that too much fiber can cause
constipation if not enough water is taken. An example of
how to achieve 35g would include: four dried figs (4.5g),
one bowl of porridge oats (1.6g), one large raw tomato
(1g), one serving of green peas (7.4g), one serving of
broccoli (2.6g), one serving of wholemeal pasta (6.3g), one
raw mango (3.9g), one pear (4g), two slices of
pumperknickel bread (3.7g), totalling: 35g. Top up with
a
fiber supplement if you can't achieve that every day!
What should my calorie intake be?
Your daily calorie needs are linked to your height, weight,
age and sex and how active your lifestyle is. A simpler
no-calorie-counting approach involves identifying your body
type to determine your daily protein requirement. While you
are trying to lose weight, simply replace two meals a day
with
nutritional protein shakes, and enjoy a healthy balanced
meal. Once you have achieved your target weight, continue
to replace just one meal a day with a shake.
I'm gradually going off meat, what can I eat instead to
ensure I get enough protein?
Animal-free products include tofu, tempeh, quorn, miso and
soy, all widely available nowadays in a variety of
tempting forms. Increase your intake of nuts, seeds,
legumes and pulses. Women should aim for at least 20g of
protein per meal and 25g for men.
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