Men's nutritional health

Are you a man?  Do you have a man in your life you'd like to take better care of?  There are a lot of women's magazines that tell women how to look after themselves, and it has always been perceived that women are more interested in looking after themselves than men.  Obviously this just isn't true... anymore...  But if you think you, as a man, need to improve your nutrition, then read on.  If you think your husband, boyfriend, partner needs to improve his nutrition then... read on.

Also it isn't just your waistline that could be improved.  Better nutrition can help with fertility, heart and prostate health, depression and even erectile dysfunction.

So what exactly should men be eating and why?

Red peppers are extremely high in vitamin C.  Just one portion (that's 1/2 a red pepper) provides over 200% of the recommended daily intake.  Vitamin C is especially important for men who are trying to have a baby with their partners, as it prevents sperm cells from clumping together, a common problem in infertility.

Tomatoes and other red vegetables, are a rich source of lycopene which is a powerful antioxidant which helps to reduce the damage caused by free radicals which can cause disease.  So include as many red foods such as tomatoes, peppers, red grapefruit and watermelon as possible in your diet.

Both lycopene and vitamin C have been associated with good prostate health.

Nuts, especially Brazil nuts, are extremely nutritious and are full of heart healthy fats and vitamins E and B and Magnesium.

The type of fats found in Brazil nuts are monounsaturated, which have been found to improve blood cholesterol levels and therefore, reduce  the risk of heart disease.

Magnesium is very important to health, and often severely lacking our diets.  Magnesium helps to maintain a regular heartbeat and when combined with B vitamins, it helps convert food into energy.

Another mineral found in Brazil nuts is Selenium which is especially beneficial to men.  Selenium is involved  in making the protein found in sperm and men with  low sperm counts have been found to have low blood levels of this mineral.

Selenium is also used for keeping the immune system healthy, and in the formation of enzymes that help protect the body from free radical damage.

However, nuts - in any form - should be eaten raw for maximum benefits.

Red kidney beans and other legumes, are a great source of high quality fiber which is essential in the diet for optimal health.

A good amount of fiber is essential for maintaining good digestion and has been shown to reduce the
risk of heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol.

Fiber also makes you feel fuller for longer which can be helpful if you are trying to control your weight.

Depression is surprisingly high among men in the UK.  With 1 in 8 men experiencing a mental health issue at some point in their lives.  Whereas diet isn't actually going to cause depression, being depressed can affect your food choices and this may contribute to low mood swings.

Some people comfort eat when depressed and others skip meals.  Whether you are comfort eating or skipping meals your blood sugar levels will be unbalanced and possible nutrient deficiencies can lead to low mood, making the problem even worse.

High fiber foods such as oats, lean proteins and healthy fats all help stabilize blood sugar levels and prevent mood swings.

High fiber diets have also been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Eggs have been black listed as a cholesterol problem for decades, a bad rap which is totally unwarranted, as eggs have little impact on cholesterol levels.

Eggs are very high in pure protein but they are also packed with almost all the essential vitamins and minerals needed for great health.

Their high protein content means they leave you feeling fuller for longer, and people who eat eggs for breakfast tend to eat less over the rest of the day.

Two boiled eggs also supply a good source of selenium and zinc which are particularly beneficial to men.  So, don't be afraid to open the door to eggs and you certainly don't need to limit your weekly intake.

Fish, especially oily fish; wild salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, trout and sardines are packed full with Omega 3 fatty acids.  These are essential for health and must be obtained from diet.

Omega 3 fatty acids are associated with a reduced risk of heart disease and low levels may impact on fertility.

Fatty acids produce compounds called prostaglandins that help reduce inflammation in the body.  Inflammation can damage healthy cells and weaken the immune system which is thought to be a contributing factor for many diseases including cancer.

One of the earliest warning signs of heart disease is erectile dysfunction.  A man with erectile dysfunction in his 40s has a 50-fold greater risk of having a heart attack over the next 10 years.

If you can't face uping your fish intake, then it would be a good idea to invest in a good quality supplement.  Krill oil is a better option as it is water soluble and therefore better absorbed by the body.

I left the best for last...

Steak!  Yes you can have your steak and eat it too.  Steak is high in protein which is great, and it is also a great source of zinc.  Zinc plays a huge role in the immune system, cell growth and would healing.  Zinc is also essential for the male reproductive system as it is used to make male sex hormones and is found within sperm cells in high concentrations making this mineral an essential part of male fertility.  It has also been associated with good prostate health and it may help to reduce the development of an enlarged prostate.

Zinc and iron (also found in red meat) are essential for healthy hair too.

Red meat is healthy in moderation, so you might like to explore other sources such as; green vegetables, seeds, nuts, mushrooms, shell fish and pulses.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Up and down

Yo-yo dieting means restricting food intake drastically and losing weight very quickly only to go back to eating as you did before, thus putting all the weight back on and then some.

A survey in 2014 found that 60% of yo-yo dieters will try up to 20 different diets in their lifetime... repeat offenders!

But this constant up and down has health consequences that go far beyond your waistline.  Extreme diets have been blamed for many health problems such as hormone imbalances, osteoporosis and even heart problems.

So, what does yo-yo dieting really do to your body?

To start with is the one we already know, you'll put it all back on again and then some more.

Studies have shown that the body strives to maintain its weight at what is called a set point.  The body will protect itself against weight loss during a period of restricted intake, which also explains why people often don't put weight on if they over eat for short periods of time.  However, when the body is being starved for a fairly long period of time, weight loss occurs but your body also gets used to functioning on less resources.  When this happens, your metabolism gets reset to that lower level, so when you start eating normally again you put the weight back on faster.

However, diets like the 5:2 diet, which involve intermittent fasting, do not reset the metabolism as the period of calorie restriction is too short.

When calorie intake is severely restricted, there comes a point when the body begins to digest its own muscle cells as well as remaining fat cells for energy.  Muscle mass is actually esencial for weight control as in order to maintain muscle the body burns more calories.  So, if your body is obliged to digest muscle this will actually slow metabolism even more and promotes rapid fat gain when you begin to eat normally again.

It's aging.

Depending on how much weight you lose, your body can be left with stretch marks, saggy and
droopy skin.  Also, the more this happens the worse the consequences as you age.  As we get older our skin loses elasticity.  Older women will be more prone to saggy skin.  Less drastic weight loss regimes where the weight comes off gradually, give the skin time to adjust.  Also restrictive diets can have an affect on the plumpness of skin especially if the diet has a low protein content.  This stops the production of collagen which gives the skin its firmness.

Yo-yo dieting can also affect the health of your hair.  At any one time, 90% of head hair is in a growth phase and just 10% is in the resting or shedding phase.  Restricting calories severely forces more hairs into the shedding phase as the follicles have fewer nutrients to sustain them.  Rapid weight gain also affects normal hormone levels and stresses hair follicles.

Severely restricted calorie intake means the body isn't getting as many key vitamins and minerals such as calcium to keep their teeth and gums healthy.  Yo-yo dieters are more prone to gum disease which can also lead to tooth loss.  Dieters who severely restrict their food intake produce less saliva.  The saliva produced in the chewing of food helps protect the teeth against acid attack.  And when they reintroduce lots of food into their diets they tend to choose a high carbohydrate diet which puts them at risk of tooth decay.

Heart Unhealthy.

In the latest study from the Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, data from 158,000 women over the age of 50 was analyzed.  Dr. Somail Rasla, lead author of the study, says that gaining weight as part of  yo-yo dieting increases heart rate, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels.  These alterations do not go back to normal when the weight is lost again.  With the up and down of repeated yo-yo dieting, these problems only get worse over time, damaging the heart in the process.

The study which was carried out over an 11 year period, showed that women of normal weight who admitted to yo-yo dieting more than four times, were three and a half times as likely to die from a heart attack than women whose weight was stable, even if they were obese.

Yo-yo dieting also increases inflammation markers in the blood which are associated to lots of diseases such as arthritis.

Fertility Treatment Problems

Calorie restriction followed by bingeing can disrupt the release of hormones from the pituitary gland which drives the menstrual cycle, stimulating the ovaries to release eggs.

When a woman loses weight quickly, this process shuts down because the body switches to starvation mode and diverts all its energy to vital processes and reproduction is not considered a vital process.

However, many women are told to lose weight in order to qualify for fertility treatment, and this can encourage crash dieting.  It has been found that women who lose weight as quickly as possible, sometimes reducing their calorie intake to 400 calories a day, in order to reach the required weight for treatment, have very poor outcomes when it comes to getting pregnant as the IVF is unlikely to work.

Losing weight sensibly through lifestyle changes is much healthier and the weight stays off.  It's up to you what you want for your body and your health.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

How safe is your home?

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released an alarming report, Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals 2012, which is a follow-up to a 2002 report entitled Global Assessment of the State-of-the-Science of Endocrine Disruptors.

Now so far your are probably thinking "So?  Why do I need to know this?"  But the truth is you do need to know this and you need to care.  Both these reports studied the effect of everyday household products made with man-made chemicals that are seriously affecting our health.

The 2002 report commissioned in 1997, the International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS), a joint programme of WHO, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the International Labour Organization, stated in it's general conclusions that:

"Although it is clear that certain environmental chemicals can interfere with normal hormonal processes, there is weak evidence that human health has been adversely affected by exposure to endocrine-active chemicals.  However, there is sufficient evidence to conclude that adverse endocrine-mediated effects have occurred in some wildlife species.  Laboratory studies support these conclusions."

 This document further concluded that there was a need for more in-depth study.

This latest study from the WHO, has found that our health is being seriously affected by chemicals found in every home and may cause breast cancer, asthma, infertility and birth defects.  They call them "gender-bending compounds" and they are used in toys, PVC flooring, car dashboards, and credit cards.  The WHO has even suggested that a ban may be needed to protect future generations.

The 2012 report states it is "reasonable to suspect" chemical substances called Phthalates of harming female fertility and also linked them to rising rates of childhood illnesses including Leukemia.

Another prime chemical suspect is Bisphenol A, which is found in many daily items such as tin cans and sunglasses.

It is thought that these man-made compounds interfere with the natural hormones that are key to our growth, development and general health, hence the name "gender-bending compounds".

The WHO also said that there is "very strong evidence" in animals that they can interfere with thyroid hormones - which can cause brain damage, stunted intelligence, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism.

"Significant evidence" also exists linking prostate cancer to agricultural pesticides, and some evidence linking exposure during pregnancy to weight gain in infants and children and potential links to breast cancer.

The report now declares the chemicals as a global threat, the authors of this 2012 report said that humans and animals are exposed to hundreds of compounds, many of which have yet to be identified or properly studied.  Some of these compounds are inhaled in dust, others enter our bodies from food or by simply licking our fingers.

This new report is the most comprehensive to date.  It doesn't just focus on one chemical or one illness, it evaluates all the evidence.

"The diverse systems affected by endocrine-disrupting chemicals likely include all hormonal systems and range from those controlling development and function of reproductive organs to the tissues and organs regulating metabolism and satiety.

"Effects on these systems can lead to obesity, infertility or reduced fertility, learning and memory difficulties, adult-onset diabetes or cardiovascular disease, as well as a variety of other diseases."

What is even more worrying is that the report warns that the chemicals that have so far been assessed by scientists may only be the very "tip of the iceberg".

The key role of hormones in the development of tissues and organs means that unborn babies and young children may be particularly at risk.  The report also states that the rise in some conditions is too rapid to be blamed on genes alone.

"The prevalence of pediatric asthma has more than doubled over the past 20 years and is now the leading cause of child hospitalization and school absenteeism.  Certain birth defects, such as those of the male reproductive organs are on the rise.  The incidence of pediatric Leukemia and brain cancer have risen, as has the incidence of testicular cancer.  These are stark health statistics."

Dr. Maria Neira, Director for Public Health and Environment at WHO, said, "The latest science shows that communities around the globe are being exposed to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and their associated risks.  We all have a responsibility to protect future generations."

The European Union (EU) is trying to tighten up the regulation of gender-bending chemicals.  The WHO also states that wildlife is also at risk and calls for much more research into the chemicals and their effects and also says there may be a case for banning or restricting them.

PHTHALATES:
Used to soften plastics and give cosmetics a silky feel, these are found in children's toys, PVC flooring, shower curtains and credit cards.  In the EU, phthalates are banned from being used in cosmetics but may be found in makeup produced outside of the EU.

Studies have linked phthalates to diabetes, asthma, and male reproductive defects that could affect fertility.  Campaigners advise choosing natural wooden flooring over PVC, metal or wooden toys for children and glass shower screens instead of shower curtains.

If plastic can't be avoided, more rigid varieties should have a lower content of phthalates than softer versions.

BISPHENOL A:

This is a basic ingredient of many common plastics and is found in a wide variety of household items such as; cutlery, CD cases, and sunglasses.  It has recently been banned from baby bottles but can still be found in till receipts and is used to line tin cans.

Bisphenol A has been linked to fertility problems, breast cancer, prostate cancer and heart disease.

BROMINATED FLAME RETARDANTS:
These chemicals are linked to a long list of health problems such as; hyperactivity, learning difficulties, low sperm counts and difficulties to conceive.

They are found in sofas, and other soft furnishings, carpets, rugs, computer casings, DVD players and mobile phones.

Also on the danger list are PCBs, chemicals linked to liver cancer and male fertility problems.


Social Nutrition:
You can make an appointment to improve your health with Social Nutrition either in person (Madrid) or online (Skype).  Just send an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com