PAST EVENTS

Healthy Eating For Later Life

Karen Hyland, a Head Dietician from Barnet Hospital, gave a very useful talk to the Day Centre on Wednesday 26 January 2005. The following information is reported here for your interest:

Karen displayed a chart on the wall that showed the food groups. She went through each group, giving an explanation, nutrition advice and breaking myths regarding some foods and food products.

Foods Rich in Starch and Fibre

Half of our energy comes from starchy and fibre rich food. Bread, rice, pasta, cereals and potatoes are all great sources of starch and fibre. These foods are good to eat because they are low in fat, and contain other essential nutrients such as protein, vitamins and minerals. These foods give us energy and are important to the heart and blood. Without them, we feel tired, we lose concentration and we can become constipated.

We should have starchy foods with each meal. Ideally, we should eat one portion of starchy food 3-6 times a day.

Many people worry about putting on weight because of this food group. But we do need them for energy. It is best to eat wholemeal and granary bread instead of white bread, spread thinly with butter, jam and honey. Cereals high in roughage such as Weetabix and Shredded Wheat are healthy to eat.

Potatoes are healthiest eaten without butter and cream, and not as crisps or chips.
Half a pound of potatoes with dinner and 6 slices of bread a day is recommended.
Most important to remember is what you do with them and, of course, remaining as active as possible.

Karen said that she disagrees with the Atkins' Diet because it encourages the removal of these foods.

Fats

Fat is a confusing food group. Animal fat (like lard) is bad and causes clogging of veins and arteries, which leads to heart disease. It is best to eat more vegetable fats than animal fats. As we get older, we don't work as hard as we used to, so we don't burn off fats as easily.

Flora, Corn oil, Sunflower oil and 100% vegetable oil are the best to cook with. Vegetable oil must say on the label that it is 100% pure and is not a blend.

Nut oil, coconut cream and palm oil are very bad to cook with.

Olive oil is half animal fat and half vegetable fat in its natural chemical compound, so when reheated, it changes its composition. People are told that olive oil is very good for them and that is true when olive oil is used cold for salads. But it can only be cooked for one time and not re-heated.

Fat does make us fat if we eat too much! But we do need fat for vitamins and to help us go to the toilet easily.

Vitamin D comes from fats and sunlight, and it is very important for healthy bones.

Calcium and Milk

Milk, cheese and yoghurt give us the calcium we need for healthy bones and skin. As we get older, our bones thin, especially with women who can suffer from osteoporosis.

We need to drink half a pint of milk every day. This can be either full fat or low fat, because low fat milk, cheeses and yoghurt contain the same amount of calcium as full fat.

Tinned and long-life milk contain the same amount of calcium, but they do not contain Vitamin D. Vitamin D is natural in 100% milk and helps us hold on to calcium.

Vitamin D is also found in oily fish, the yolk of an egg and in breakfast cereals, where it is stated on the packaging that vitamin D has been added.

Eggs

For a time, there was bad publicity about eggs. People stopped eating them because of fear of cholesterol and salmonella. Hen's eggs do not affect cholesterol in humans.

Eggs are popular again and it is recommended that we eat 6 eggs a week.

Meat, Fish, Beans, Nuts, Eggs, Cheese, Milk

These foods fall into the protein food group. We need 2 servings a day.
Vegetarians can get their protein from beans, pulses, vegetables and nuts.

These foods also provide iron. If we don't have enough iron, we can become anaemic, which means that our blood cannot carry enough oxygen to keep our body working properly. So it is important to be careful and eat these foods.

Fruit and Vegetables - fibre and Vitamin C

Fruit and vegetables provide us with both fibre and Vitamin C.

We need Vitamin C foods to absorb iron. Vitamin C is very easily destroyed if we over-cook vegetables. Using bicarbonate of soda will cause vitamin C to deteriorate and be destroyed.

Fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamin C - particularly oranges, grapefruit, satsumas, mango, kiwi, all berries, guava and blackcurrants, green vegetables, tomatoes, broccoli, green beans, green and red peppers and potatoes with their skins on. It is important to eat lots of fruit and vegetables.

Factors Affecting Absorption of Iron

If you are eating a healthy meal that contains iron, drinking tea and Coca Cola at the same time can reduce absorption of the iron. So it is best not to drink tea and Coca Cola with a meal. It is better to drink water and fruit juices with a meal.

It is not recommended to eat natural bran from health food shops, because it can stop our bodies absorbing iron and calcium.

Drink Enough

It is important to drink lots. We should drink at least 8 drinks every day - for example, water, fruit juice, milk and cocoa. It is fine to drink tea and coffee, but it is best to also drink water, fruit juice and milk. We must drink to ensure that our bodies do not dry out (dehydration), and also to help us go to the toilet and not be constipated. Dry skin and headaches is a sign that you are not drinking enough.

We can get more dry and dehydrated in winter than in summer, because we tend to sweat less in winter. When we sit in central heated rooms, it makes us to think that we feel okay when, really, we may not be drinking enough.

Being dehydrated changes the way our body works and can change our mood. We can live longer without food than without liquids and water.

It is best to sip all day, rather than drinking large volumes all at one time.

Questions from the audience with answers from Karen

What does Low Blood Count mean?

It means slightly anaemic but there is more than one type of anaemia. This can be helped by taking iron tablets.

I drink a mixture of coke and orange juice with my meals. Is it worth buying vitamins and minerals in tablet form?

It is better to drink the orange juice without the coke mix because the coke takes away the Vitamin C. There is no need to take vitamins and minerals if you are eating properly. People buy thousands of pounds worth of vitamin pills each year, which is not necessary.

If you take vitamin pills, it can affect your other medication. So we need to be careful - always see your doctor if you do decide to take extra vitamins and minerals.

Also, it is important to know that if you take too many vitamin pills and other mineral pills, it can be like an "overdose" and could cause sickness, tiredness and at worse, liver damage.

We are told to eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day but I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome and oranges make this flare up.

Bowel problems are uncomfortable and cause swelling. They are caused by leafy vegetables and skins on fruits like apples, pears and tomatoes, because the bacteria needed to break down the skin part causes gas, giving you tummy ache. So, it is better to eat less fruits with skins, or peel the skin off the fruits.

Eat more roughage/fibre - bran cereals, wholemeal bread. Fruits like bananas, oranges and satsumas are the best fruits to help the bowels.

What can I eat to help my arthritis?

It is best to eat lots of fruit and vegetables. Also, eat oily fish twice a week - mackerel, sardines, salmon, tuna and pilchards are best.

I was taking Slim Fast to lose weight but my doctor advised me against this. Why?

Slim Fast is a drink and is an easy option but does not educate you in what to eat or not eat to lose weight. This product is also low in roughage and packed with vitamins, which causes headaches and smelly wind.

I find that after 15-20 minutes of eating, I develop phlegm.

This is called Hiatus Hernia. You must sit straight when you are eating and drinking and stay seated for about half an hour after your meal. Try not to have long gaps between meals and avoid foods that are spicy like Indian food. Strong tea also should be avoided.

I have irritable bowel syndrome and fall asleep after eating a jacket potato.

Don't worry as this is both healthy and normal as when you are eating or finished eating, blood is diverted from your brain to your stomach to aid digestion and to take all the nutrients around your body. This is what causes the tiredness. As digestion continues, you feel hot. This is why people in the Mediterranean, etc., take a sleep in the afternoon ("siestas")

After the talk, Karen provided information sheets and pamphlets for people to take away. Her talk was so interesting to the members that she will be returning to give us more information in May 2005.