This article is a summary of the second Live Well, Age Well Worldwide webinar conducted by the Silver Surfers Club on Wednesday, 20th May 2020. Please read through to the end to watch the webinar recording.
Giving Immunity the priority it deserves - now and beyond
Nutrition and immunity are tied together more closely than we often realize!
We’ve probably heard this way back in our school days- a healthy, balanced diet is one that contains carbohydrates, protein, fats, fibre, vitamins, and minerals.
Today, we are bombarded with information from all angles- from diets that ask us to cut out one food group to articles that blame fats for all our problems. With such conflicting information it can be difficult to know what must one truly eat that is right for our bodies.
The purpose of this webinar was to help highlight the importance of food, not just to fuel us but also to help us thrive, beat infections, and stay healthy, now and beyond.
What We Consume and How We Consume
Dr. Dharani Krishnan, Ph.D. is a registered nutritionist and diet consultant. In the current situation, she has been hosting several virtual events and consulting hours to help people discover how to eat for wellness.
One common question about eating is this- ‘How do I know how much to eat?’ and ‘What foods help strengthen our Immune System?’
Indeed, as important as it is to account for all food groups, it also matters that we eat the right portion sizes and quantities for our bodies.
A simple method to calculate how much protein we need per day is to relate it to our body weight.
We need to consume 1 gram of protein per kg of our ideal body weight.
When it comes to fats, consuming about 15 mL of oil and fat per person per day is more than sufficient- this translates to 500 mL oil per person per month. Cutting fats and oil out of our diet hampers the cholesterol function, which can be harmful.
Likewise, recommended guidelines for vitamins, fibre, and minerals were discussed by Dr. Krishnan, with special emphasis on the fact that consuming any of these food groups in excess does not automatically ensure better health.
Big Little Differences
One of the key aspects of Dr. Krishnan’s talk was her emphasis on how the smallest of nutrient deficiencies can have large consequences.
Vitamin D deficiency can cause brittle bones, making them susceptible to breakage
Folate deficiency can cause blood clotting issues and precipitate dementia
Not having enough zinc can cause severe issues with immunity
One of the biggest issues today, and one that we need to take special care of, is wheezing. Pollution today exposes us to breathing difficulties. Ensuring that we get enough of all of these food groups, including vitamins and minerals, can help combat this issue.
Here’s the full recording of the webinar video. It contains specific food recommendations for each food group. Do listen until the end for an enriching Q&A session!
Questions and Answers :
Dr. Krishnan also answered some of the most recurring questions during and after the seminar offline - the responses are curated below for you.
Which fruits and veggies can be eaten by a person with one kidney who has to watch his creatinine level and who also has Diabetes, BP and Cardiac problems?
If potassium is high, only then should one worry about the type of fruits. Low potassium fruits with diabetes would be Papaya, Guava, Plums, Watermelon.
Despite eating a lot of vegetables and greens, if one suffers from gas and acute constipation (So avoids dals and pulses), and Isabgol, Kayam Churna and the like have no effect, what foods can help?
For constipation, use 1 tsp fenugreek soaked overnight for about 3 or 4 days and things should be better. They need to take enough water -at least 1.5 to 2 litres. Consume a lot of vegetables means at least a Cup per meal.
Use warm water to help relieve constipation. Eat fruits and vegetables 3 to 4 cups per day. Dals especially green gram dal made with ginger and cumin is easy to digest and does not produce gas. Hot milk at bed time also helps.Prunes -two pieces can be taken per day. Or dried grapes with seeds about 5 or 10 can be used. It will be available in Ayurvedic stores.
You mentioned that tea/coffee should not be had along with a meal. Does that hold good for breakfast too?
Yes, no tea and coffee with breakfast. It can be taken half an hour later.
What are the foods one needs to avoid for ASTHMA & Rheumatoid Arthritis and what is good to consume?
For Asthma, they have to maintain a food diary and check which foods worry them. Mostly it may also be dust or sweating which increases asthma. If they avoid a lot of foods just because someone asks them to, they will have malnutrition and worsen the situation.
For Rheumatoid Arthritis, they need to have protein and vegetables which contribute a lot to reduce the aggressiveness of the disease.
There is no food which needs to be avoided unless they are on Ayurvedic treatment. If yes then better to follow the pathiya or restrictions given.
Regarding consumption of water soluble proteins or protein supplements. Many a time we have heard that "Too much protein causes harm" or "Fat soluble proteins do not go out of the body" Please elaborate how much protein is good!?
If it is whey protein they are referring to, it is a supplement and one scoop has 28 to 30 grams protein and hence half to one scoop is enough depending on what other proteins they are getting from the diet.
It also depends on the exercise they are doing. If the ideal body weight is 60 kgs then around 50 grams protein at least per day is a must. Proteins are rich in dals, pulses, fish, chicken and eggs, milk and curd. Cereals also add a little bit to the protein intake.
Is it fine to eat super spicy food if I can handle it and I enjoy it, I mean chillies from Assam called ghost chillies?
You have to take a lot of oil with it else it can lead to acidity. Have a medium spicy food which is good. Extra spice needs extra salt which may not be good.
Health wise which chillies are better - red or green?
One needs to use both. As each one has some benefit of nutrients.
Is it OK to consume potatoes by a diabetic person? Does it spike sugar?
Potatoes once in 15 or 20 days, a small piece is what I would recommend. If a lot of potato is taken it does spike sugar. Our meals already have some form of grains so reducing potato is beneficial.
Health wise which potatoes do you recommend? Sweet or regular?
Sweet potato has far better nutrients than ordinary potato. For Diabetes both are not recommended.
Many advice from the media that elders should drink a glass of water before bedtime to keep thinning the blood when we sleep. What is your opinion on this?
You can drink a little water to prevent thirst. It has nothing to do with thinning of the blood. Too much water can disturb sleep.
Should tumeric be taken with milk or one can take with hot water and also a pinch of pepper should be added for immunity?
Turmeric should be boiled. Not just added. Pepper can be garnished. Both are good. Milk with turmeric boiled reduces the chance of catching a cold.
Is Bran oil good for our health?
Yes. It can be 5 ml out of the 15 ml per day per person of oil consumption.
I'm unable to take two normal meals (lunch & dinner) everyday. I often have some kind of snack or soup for dinner is that okay?
Snack or soup should have vegetables 1 Cup and protein at least ½ Cup. It is very important to get enough of all the nutrients.
Is doodhi or lauki (bottle gourd) as good as ash gourd?
Yes. Ash gourd has medicinal properties when taken raw for acidity which lauki does not have. Else they are very similar.
How important are nuts to us, any specific nuts and dry fruits. Can you share something about nuts and seeds?
Badam and walnuts 8 to 10 pieces mixed or each type consumed per day is good for many reasons and can be taken by Diabetics also. It is a healthy snack which has fibre, good fat and some amount of protein.
Those who do not have diabetes can take raisins, figs, apricots and prunes.
What is your opinion on Stevia vis a vis Sugar free, as a substitute?
Stevia is a natural sugar substitute. It can be used.
What fruits or vegetables are bad for a kidney patient?
Low potassium Fruit are Papaya, Guava, Plums, Watermelon. The rest may be damaging. Likewise, low Potassium vegetables are all the gourds or watery vegetables. Anything dark green is high in potassium. Beans also are rich in potassium.
There are methods of leaching potassium. 1. Soak for 2 to 3 hours in warm water. Discard the water and use the vegetable. Boil for 15 minutes in boiling water. Then keep it under running water for 5 minutes and then use the vegetable. These methods are to be followed only if advised to do so by a doctor..
What is the effect on cooked food, veg and non -veg , when warmed/heated in a microwave 2 or 3 times?
When ever foods is reheated the vitamins are being lost. Any food which is high fat like paneer, egg, non-vegetarian foods should not be reheated more than once. It denatures the protein and that is not good at all for health. Reheating not fully can add to the load of harmful bacteria in the food.
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