Nutrition Space

Lowdown on Lemon Detox

"I hear alot of people can lose a lot of weight quickly on lemon detox diet, do you think this is a good option as I have to lose weight quickly for an event"

It's an idea, yes...but a ‘good idea' will really depend on you, your goal and the ultimate outcome.

The Lemon Detox diet was profiled on Holmes in March this year as many of the claims being made were being investigated by the NZ Food Safety Authority (NZFSA). The ‘diet' promises to lose up to a kilo a day while providing your body with all the essential dietary nutrients.

Let's look at what it takes to lose 1kg of BODY FAT.

The following is based on the standard 500cal deficit per day to lose 0.5kg per week.

· Approximately 7000calories is equivalent to 1kg of body fat

· To lose this in a one week period requires a deficit of 1000 calories per day

· This means if you are burning approximately 2200 cals per day, then you need to eat 1200cals. The more cals you burn, the more you can eat and still keep the same deficit.

Now, this is all fairly do-able... but 1kg a day?

· Do lose 1kg of body fat a day, we need a deficit of 7000cals

· This means you would have to:

o Eat nothing

o And exercise for at least 11 hours (at a rate of 10cals per minute)

o AND take some pill that stops your body from converting muscle tissue into fuel.

It is impossible to lose 1kg of body fat per day, the human body does not work like that, so what you are in fact losing on the Lemon Detox diet are essential fluids, muscle tissue, waste and a skerrick of body fat. When you lose lean mass you end up soft, and if you're a female, putting that lean mass back on is hard work.

So, for your event, exactly how much weight do you want to lose, how do you want to look and feel, and do you care if you gain the weight back after the event?

Interviewees on Holmes commented on a range of symptoms such as exhaustion, collapsing, and feeling generally unwell and that in the end the weight came back on rapidly.

If your special event is a wedding for example, I would strongly advise against the Lemon Detox diet, because you run the risk of feeling crap on your big day and even passing out at the altar. Eating on the day of the wedding should combat that though.

At 9 glasses of detox drink per day, you are only obtaining around 720cals, making this a starvation plan. This detox drink is nothing more than sugar, cayenne pepper and lemon juice. Let's just be totally clear also, this isn't a Detox either - sugar is not detoxifying.

Here's my recommendation. For your event you may be retaining a couple of kg of fluids which can make you a bit puffy, so for 3 days leading up to the event, drink 3-4 litres of water each day, reduce your salt intake and pee out your 2kg....throw in a couple of cardio sessions and some essential fatty acids for a healthy glow.

The Lemon Detox is fine for short duration, such as the week before an event, but again be wary for dropping energy levels and don't automatically expect to keep the weight off after the event. DO NOT undertake this diet if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or ill.

To avoid pre-event freak outs, make health and fitness part of your life, it really is much easier on the body and mind in the long run.

Stacey, 25 May 10

Water vs Electrolytes

Qu: I train for about an hour each day and my friend said to make sure I get enough electrolytes and to have a powerade during my workout. I'm not running triathlons or anything like that, so is this really necessary?

A: No, not usually necessary for exercise 60 minutes or under, for us normal exercisers and definitely not for those exercising for weight loss.

There are 3 components to sports drinks:

Â·Â * Water for replacement of lost fluids

Â·Â * Electrolytes to replenish those lost in heavy exercise, to assist in retaining ingested fluids easier, and stimulate thirst

Â·Â * Carbohydrate for optimal absorption of fluids and to replace glucose lost in exercise

Exercise lasting 60 minutes or less is usually followed by a meal at some point, this meal typically contains carbohydrate and sodium. This, combined with stored glycogen, body electrolyte levels and water consumed during the exercise session will provide enough replenishment from exercise of that duration.

We all train pretty hard at the gym right? But lets not confuse that with the intensity that an athlete would train at.

Higher intensity training and longer durations require rapid effective fluid, carbohydrate and electrolyte replacement to avoid dehydration, ˜hitting the wall and minimize the health risks associated with low electrolytes.

A general fluid guide is 200-300ml every 15-20 minutes, and athletes should pre-hydrate from the evening prior to the event. The morning of the event it is advised to get in around 300-600ml with the pre-event meal, and then another 300ml prior to event.Â Of course making sure there is time for an adequate toilet stop first. CHO requirements are around 30-60g per hour, which is what sports drinks provide.

Specially formulated sports drinks (like Powerade) have a particular level of carbohydrate and sodium which has been researched and proven as the optimum level. Sports drinks containing <8% of CHO allows water to be absorbed from the intestine rapidly any thing over this amount and rate of absorption slows. Sodium is typically between 200-600mg per litre and this stimulates the absorption of carbohydrate and water and retention of water. Sodium also stimulates thirst, and some athletes need this mechanism to ensure they get enough fluid in.

Other drinks like fruit juice, sports water, energy drinks, cordial etc may not contain the correct amounts of CHO or sodium and some contain caffeine which is dehydrating, so these aren't always effective for athletes. The inclusion of vitamins in water makes no difference to athletes or normal exercisers.

Just make sure you're consuming around 750 - 1000ml of water for your hour of exercise and keep a note of excessive fluid losses, which you can guage by how much you've sweated and whether that fluid loss resulted in a 1-2kg loss on the scale during the exercise session, in spite of drinking fluids.

Stacey
17 May 10

Can you mix meat and fruit at same meal?

' Is it ok to eat fruit and meat at the same meal? I know some dietitians/nutritionists recommend you separate these at meal times, just wanted to know your thoughts'

The concept of not eating meat with fruit comes from the theory of food combining, which promotes the eating of certain foods together. It is based on the theory that certain foods create an acid or alkaline environment in the stomach, and that it is harder to digest a food in an alkaline environment that normally requires an acidic environment and vice versa.

I'm not convinced by the food combining theories based simply on how the digestive process works.

So, let's look at the digestive process and see if we can unravel this one logically.

Digestion of starches begins in the mouth with salivary amylase. This continues until the starch has reached the stomach, where the amylase becomes inactive due to the acidic environment. Complete digestion of carbohydrates does not occur until it has passed through the stomach and enters the small intestine this is normal.
Gastrin is stimulated at the commencement of a meal and this signals the stomach to secrete its gastric acid which includes Hydrochloric Acid, Pepsin, Intrinsic Factor and gastric lipase. This is where your fats and proteins begin digesting. No fruit busting enzymes are released at this time. Even if you eat your fruit on its own, it still won't be digested until it gets to the small intestine, that's just how the body works.
The stomach then churns these digested proteins and fats and partially digested starches and undigested fruits into a liquid called Chyme which is released over a 2 hour period into the small intestine. Chyme, along with Gastric acid has an acidic pH, so I'm not quite sure where food combiners get their theories on stomachs becoming alkaline.
In the small intestine (around 2 hours after our meat and fruit meal) bile, pancreatic lipase pancreatic amylase and proteases digest our proteins, fats and carbohydrates into their single molecules including, but not exclusive to, glucose, amino acids, monoacylglycerols and free fatty acids. Sucrose in fruit is digested by the enzyme sucrase and produces fructose and glucose molecules.Â Fructose in fruit passes through the whole digestive process unchanged where it enters the portal vein and heads off to the liver. The pancreatic secretion also includes bicarbonate which neutralises the acidic chyme, thus enabling enzymes to finish the digestive process.

To say that meat and fruit can't be digested together is true, but only because your body isn't going to digest them in the same place anyway its simply not set up to do this. But to say that you aren't digesting properly by eating both meat and fruit together is simply untrue.

Your meat will be digested first in the stomach and then in the small intestine. Some of your fruit will be digested in the small intestine, with the rest of it not needing any digestion at all. The stomach will be acidic and the small intestine will be more alkaline, which again is normal and all part of digesting all foods.

If something is causing excessive flatulence, bloating, cramping, reflux in the stomach there are other things to look at such as:

Low digestive acid secretion (and this can be a result of a number of different causes)
Swallowing excessive wind while eating
Large meals
Not chewing food properly
Hiatal Hernia, candida, H Pylorus bacteria
Smoking, drinking, pregnancy, obesity
Lying down too soon after a meal
Intolerences (lactose, fructose, gluten etc)

So go ahead enjoy your fruit and meat, no need to take apricot chicken, ham steaks with pineapple and pork with apple sauce off the menu just yet. Just listen to your body.

Stacey
19 April 10

Tips to avoid the flu

Qns: How can I avoid the flu this winter?

As we head into the NZ flu season, it's important to keep our bodies healthy and immune systems strong to enable us to fight off colds and flus more effectively. Some of us may not be able to avoid catching the bugs, but the healthier we are the quicker we can recover.

The following compromise our immune system and make it more susceptible to illness:

• Stress

• Overtraining

• Incomplete nutrition (skipping food groups and key nutrients)

• Sugar and refined carbohydrates

• Being wet and cold

• Not enough rest

• Toxins

• Other illnesses (eg, a poorly managed cold can lead to pneumonia)

Use these tips to boost your immune system and not only will you feel generally healthier, but you will be able to ward off some viruses and recover quicker from others.

• Exercise daily for 60 minutes if you can. Regular moderate intensity exercise of this duration helps to release an antioxidant called superoxide dismutase. This helps to combat against free radicals

• Avoid overtraining or take a training break if in an over-reached state. Over-reaching is the point before overtraining. Signs of over-reaching include fatigue, respiratory infections, low moods, decreased performance, slow progress, increased resting heart rate, poor sleep, amenorrhea. If you are in this state then a training break is advised as overtraining can compromise your immunity and mid term health.

• Complete nutrition. Ensure that all food groups are covered on a daily basis. Fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, nuts, essential fatty acids and small amounts of unrefined grains and dairy. Antioxidants are present in foods like Kiwifruit, brazil nuts, carrots, egg yolk, oily fish and spinach. All the main antioxidants (A, C and E) are fat soluble, so make sure you don't cut all the fat out of your diet. Red meat contains Iron, Vitamin B12 and Zinc which are also important for healthy blood and immunity. B Vitamins and Folic Acid also provide immune support and help with energy and stress levels so that we can partake in exercise and go about our day with a calm clear headspace, which all add to supporting our immune systems. Dosing up on Vitamin C supplementation has been useful for some people - 1000mg-3000mg daily.

• Increase protein intake. Protein is a good immune booster and increasing your daily intake of protein gives your body the raw materials it needs to strengthen immunity as our immune system cells replicate rapidly. Glutamine in particular is a great immune booster which is found in proteins. You can also supplement with 1tsp a day. Glutamine also helps with exercise recovery.

• Consume essential fatty acids daily. The best sources of EFA's are flaxseed oil and fish oil. These fatty acids cannot be made by our bodies, yet are crucial to the structure of our cell membranes. A nice strong cell membrane helps to ward off any nasties from getting inside. These fats also have anti-inflammatory properties, and anything that reduces inflammation, also reduces the incidence of disease on the tissue.

• Echinacea and garlic can help to strengthen the immune system and lessen the severity of illness - but that all depends on you... If you're overtraining and eating poorly then these are unlikely to show any clear result.

• Regular and proper rest. 8 hours is the gold standard, but everyone is different. Provided you are going through the whole sleep cycle (stage 1 - 5) then your body is getting the rest it needs. Amongst other functions, our bodies physiologically repair themselves while we sleep and lack of sleep has been shown to depress the immune system

• Reduce Stress. Stress increases the catecholamines dopamine, epinephrine (adrenalin) and norepinephrine. Increases in these can suppress aspects of immune function. Make sure that you are dealing with stressors in a constructive fashion and seek help if you have to. Laughter is the best medicine, so this winter make sure you indulge in lots of comedy and laughter and gossip with friends. Try things like massage, yoga, meditation, pilates, hypnosis, holidays, gardening, knitting, spas, saunas and bubble baths to help relieve stress. And of course, nothing beats stress like a little fun in the bedroom.

• Avoid sugar and refined carbohydrates. Winter seems to be when we tend to comfort eat more, but the sugary, starchy comforting treats puts more stress on our bodies and compromises our immunity. Sugar affects the distribution of vitamin C in the body, affects the production of antibodies and white blood cell function. How often do people come back from Easter with a cold? How many people do you know get sick around Christmas and New Years? It's a good idea to rethink those litres of orange juice, cup-a-soups and toast.

• Stay dry and warm. Rug up straight after exercising and don't stay in sweaty clothes too long. As the temperature drops then your wet clothes amplify the drop in temperature to your body. Is your house damp? Investing in a dehumidifier will certainly help keep you and your family healthy.

• Minimise toxins. Smoking, alcohol, excessive coffee and other environmental toxins produce free radicals which seek out and destroy healthy cell membranes, which also puts our immune system under attack.

Stay sensible this winter. Always wash your hands after going to the bathroom and touching public surfaces before eating and make sure you cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing. Many of us are reluctant to take days off work if we're sick, but that's what sick days are for. Resting encourages a faster recovery and helps to prevent nasty bacterial complications from viruses. Your colleagues and customers probably don't want to catch your germs either so make sure you rug up at home to prevent the spread.

Fresh or Frozen Vegetables?

" I know you're supposed to have fresh veges when possible but sometimes it gets expensive so wondering if frozen veges are ok to have. Do they lose much of their nutrition when they've been frozen?"

Good question, with a very quick easy answer! No, they don't really lose their nutrition at all. In fact some actually retain more nutrients than their ‘fresh' relatives. Studies have been done in particular with peas, spinach, green beans, Brussels sprouts, carrots, broccoli, broad beans, cabbage and potatoes (Listener, November 2008) and found the nutrient profiles to be very favourable.

This is because processing of frozen fruit and veg occurs very soon after picking which locks in the nutrients before things like heat, light and time have a chance to deplete them.

There are a few things that won't contain the same nutrition as fresh, but it's not a huge concern. An example that may interest the bodybuilders out there is pineapple. Fresh pineapple contains the enzyme bromelain which is a great digestive aid for proteins, but heating pineapple (as in the case of canning) de-activates this enzyme.

Of course, you can't beat fresh picked from the garden, these give the highest source of nutrition, provided you haven't boiled the colour out of them first.

Stacey, 12 Apr 10