Food for staying well & looking good - live webchat with Linda Doeser 11 January 1-2pm

granIT

My brother and SIL have been on the Dukan diet and to be fair, they have lost a lot of weight - but I don't fancy it because a) I don't trust quack diets and b) I've read it makes you flatulent (that again!) and your breath smell and doesn't feed your brain, whatever that means.

So, my question is - what is the best way of losing weight if you don't have all those rules to follow about eating bran pancakes for breakfast and no vegetables for month and no carbohydrate ever?

Thanks - needing to lose about a stone.

Hi granIT I have absolutely no faith in diets that cut out whole food groups and, frankly, consider them quite dangerous. It is true that you can lose weight very rapidly with some of these fad diets, but as soon as you return to "normal" eating, you're likely to put it all on again. The only way to lose weight while consuming adequate nutrients and adjusting your eating patterns is to eat less. Sorry. You don't have to buy special foods – just make some sensible adjustments. Cut off all visible fat before cooking meat, remove chicken skin (that's where most of the fat is located), don't starve yourself but fill up with vegetables and carbohydrates rather than protein and fat. Tricks that help some people include serving food on smaller plates, not leaving a serving dish with food still on it on the table during the meal, eating more slowly, taking sips of water frequently during the meal. Also, not watching television or reading while eating helps you recognise the signal that your brain sends to tell you that you have had enough.

optimist

Do you favour a diet from a particular continent i.e. a Mediterranean diet or do you favour a Northern European diet as enjoyed by your (and my) ancestors? I certainly prefer the second option

Hello optimist I confess to an especial fondness for all things Italian, including Italian cuisine. Certainly, the high proportion of vegetables and fruit in the diet. lots of fish, not a lot of red meat and the use of olive oil are to be recommended. The northern European diet tends to be rather heavier in its use of saturated fats and in its sheer quantity, probably because it's so much colder here. I don't think it matters which cuisine you favour as long as you make sure that you include as much variety as possible and don't take in more calories than you need.

Dropstitch

Hi Linda

I'm looking to supplement my diet with more foods containing tryptophan to improve my sleep pattern. Is it better to consume these later in the day generally, ie how quickly can they work?.

thanks!

Hi Dropstictch Sorry to hear that you're having trouble sleeping. Tryptophan is an amino acid and so is present in protein foods. The brain converts it to serotonin which can reduce the time it takes to get to sleep by as much as 50% and also helps you sleep more soundly and longer. However, because other amino acids in protein foods are competing, tryptophan may not get to the brain as quickly as you like. Therefore, make sure that you combine your intake of protein with carbohydrates at the same time because they will clear the pathways, directing the other amino acids into the body cells. So don't just have chicken and salad – have some bread or rice salad or potatoes or pasta at the same time. The reason why milky drinks are traditional at bedtime is for exactly this reason – the lactose (sugar) in milk directs the amino acids other than tryptophan into body cells, allowing the brain to get on with converting it to serotonin.

Finally, eating later at night is often a cause of insomnia. Ditto drinking alcohol late in the evening.

jingl

Hello Linda. Could you please tackle flatulence. I experience far too much of it.

There, I've said it!

I think it's the healthy foods, like porridge and fruit, that are the worst culprits, to be honest, so what can I do about that?! I want to eat healthily, but I don't want the embarrassment!

Hello jingl Flatulence can be an embarrassing problem and if it's very severe, it's worth consulting your GP because it could be a symptom of an underlying condition. Otherwise, try using herbs and spices that have digestive properties in the dishes that you cook – rosemary sage, lemon balm, summer savory, caraway seeds and fennel, for example. Caraway seeds are the perfect partners for cabbage, a notorious source of windiness. I have no doubt that your table manners are impeccable but it's worth noting that eating slowly and sipping whatever you're drinking (not fizzy) will also help. If you're going somewhere special, then perhaps it would be wise to avoid any of the foods that cause excessive flatulence beforehand – pulses, cabbage family, Jerusalem artichokes and so on.

marcellamc

I really need some help with breakfast! I don't like milk (don't mind yogurt) and am struggling to find something relatively low calorie that will keep me full til lunchtime. I know porridge is the obvious answer but I don't care for the texture (too mushy) even if it's made with water. Please help

Hi marcellamc Toast, preferably whole grain, is an obvious choice, perhaps with some fruit to follow. Bananas are power houses of energy and a good way to kick start the day. Northern Europeans often breakfast on a selection of cheeses and/or cold meats so that might be a good idea for some days. Do you remember "Go to work on an egg"? Eggs are a great way to start the day and poached eggs, in particular, are not high in calories. Grilled (not fried) bacon with tomatoes will also keep you going until lunchtime if you have time to cook them in the morning.

Wonkycross

Hi Linda,

Recently a lot more supermarkets have started stocking granola. Is this actually any healthier than cereal like porridge, muesli or is it just a food fad? Thanks!

Hi Wonkycross Granola is just another term for muesli; it's the standard term for this cereal mixture in the United States. As long as it isn't packed with sugar, it's a perfectly healthy breakfast. So, too, is porridge.

helshea

Should we actually eat less as we get older - I still don't understand why when I was 18 I could cut down on food and easily lose weight, but now I can't lose an ounce - I also feel I am as active if not more so than I was then?

Hello helshea Our metabolism tends to slow down and so too does our digestive system as we get older. However, if you are happy with your current weight and level of activity, then why change your diet? It is worth bearing in mind that weight gain is quite insidious, so if your waistband does start to feel a little bit tight, then maybe that's the time to start reducing the size of portions. As for doing things at 18 that we can't do now, well…

CariGransnet

As we grow older our dietary needs change just as our lives change with our grown-up children leaving home, retirement, possibly a less active life and various health problems etc.

It is - of course - all too easy to become fixed in our ways and not give any thought to what we're eating and whether it might be a good idea to make a few small changes to the menus we've cooked over many years.

But are the odd touch of indigestion, bloating, feeling and looking tired, poor sleep, middle-age spread, aching joints, constipation and muddled thinking the inevitable outcomes of advancing years? <<has little worry about familiarity of many of those symptoms and sincerely hopes not...>>

While we can’t turn the clock back the good news is that a few simple changes CAN help to make our retirement years as healthy and rewarding as possible. And - says cookery writer Linda Doeser - what we eat can make all the difference between 'passive decline' and a fitter and brighter third age.

Linda started her career on the partwork Supercook in the 1970s and published her first book a couple of years later. Since then she has written so many cookbooks that she has lost track. She has an abiding interest in healthy eating and nutrition combined with appetizing meals and is currently working on a project about how dietary needs change with the different stages of life. She is also a gran.

Add your questions for her here

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